The Diego Diaries: Interlude 7
-0-In the Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars, at the center table
They sat down together to think through the information from Motormaster and the little Prowl was able to glean from the ramblings of Dead End. It coincided.
"I'm glad we didn't have to call Breakdown. That mech is doing fine away from them. The glitches that this group carries makes him paranoid around them and he can't help it. That's how poorly wired their gestalt is," Ratchet said.
"We have three fifths of Menasor here," Ironhide said. "The last thing we need is any of those fraggers getting together, especially all five."
Prime nodded. "I agree. I also think I need to visit with Sentinel and the Senators."
It was silent a moment, then Prowl shifted uneasily. "They could no more tell you the truth than I can fly."
"You can. After a fashion," Optimus said grinning at his uptight bond.
A smirk formed on his handsome face. "You change the subject."
"You can fly. I've seen it. Short, wobbly but flight nonetheless," Ratchet needled with a smirk of his own. A kick under the table greeted that remark.
"I want to know what they knew," Optimus said. "I will meet them in the prison one-by-one. Barron, they will need their representation," he said to the older mech who nodded. "I am giving nothing in return. They can be Cybertronians or they can stay criminals. There is no trade off for this information."
Barron nodded. "I will arrange that when you require us."
"I require it now," Optimus said rising. Ironhide rose and together they walked out heading for the prison down the highway.
The others sat and watched. "This is going to be ugly," Ratchet said to no one in particular. Prowl nodded worriedly.
-0-At the prison
They stood in the yard where the prisoners congregated during the orn. They were inside now, gathered up by the guards for the duration of the meetings. Barron stood with Ironhide and Prime, Semi, Blackstone and two new lawyers named Keystock and Reckless. Semi who was now magistrate and a judge on call for trials, a system that required three for adjudication of offenses against the state was there to rule on any problems that might come up. Blackstone was the lead lawyer for Sentinel and the other two represented the senators at large. The senators had refused to be represented so the two were appointed to handle anything that related to them until their representation was adequately settled in future hearings.
Sentinel walked out of the building where they lived and paused. He looked at the mob and straightened. He braced himself internally for anything that was coming and walked with great dignity to stand before Optimus. "What brings all of you here?"
"I need information. I want to know what you might have heard or know from personal experience," Optimus said in a strong level voice. He gestured to the table nearby, so Sentinel walked there and sat. Prime sat and so did Barron and Blackstone. That worthy looked at Sentinel. "A problem has arisen that has great consequences for our society. We are here to find out what you can speak to regarding this subject. I will tell you that I am here to protect your rights and status. There are no offers bound to this request. You will gain nothing but the idea that you helped our people if you tell anything that you might know about this subject. Are you clear on what this means?"
Sentinel who listened quietly nodded. He looked at Prime and smiled slightly. "I told you that you would need me sometime."
Ironhide clenched a fist, the soothing warmth of Ratchet filtering over his circuits. :It's not about you, Ironhide. Remember that, Only One: a ghost of a comment whispered to him. He pulsed back equal regard, then willed himself to relax, an altogether difficult thing for him.
"I wish to know what you know about Shockwave. I am aware that you had links to Megatron during the Clampdown, that there were talks between your government and the nascent Decepticon movement," Optimus began.
Sentinel considered that and nodded. "Shockwave was the designated go between and I had meetings with him. Very unproductive meetings. There was always something wrong with that mechanism. I found it difficult to find common ground with a mech who had no face."
Prime nodded. "Go on."
"If you gave me more information, I could be more fulsome in my commentary." The big mechanism looked at Prime noting the stone wall of his expression. Optimus had learned to have a poker face. That would make this harder, he thought. The youngling had learned to keep his cards to himself.
"I want to know about the meetings you had." Optimus stared at Sentinel with his most passive and expressionless demeanor. He was aware of the cunning with which Sentinel operated having been brigged a few times over the course of their relationship himself. He would not make the mistake of emotion and reckless statements said under duress again.
Sentinel considered that request and shrugged slightly. "They were all along the line accordingly that the resistance was doomed and needed to break up. That was the position of my government. Shockwave representing Megatron wanted concessions, a long list of unacceptable changes and we wanted them gone. Neither of us got very far if I remember."
"What did you know about prison camps and slave labor? That is, beyond the ones supported by your government?" Optimus asked at last.
"If this is about that, you will have to talk to the Senators. They were the ones who came up with that. I told them that it was a very grave error. Every time you slag someone that hard, you make not only him an enemy, you make everyone he knows or is related to one as well. I didn't agree with the camps. Prisons and brigs were one thing. Labor camps and the like, they were something else altogether."
"You did nothing to stop them?" Ironhide asked with fury.
"I suggest, Sentinel, that you don't answer this line of questioning," Blackstone said, glancing at Semi. "This could lead to personal incrimination without the possibility of knowing the facts that might relate to these incidents. Unless we have more information I am suggesting that my client demur from answering."
Semi turned to Barron and they conversed quietly. Semi turned and nodded. "Sentinel, you have discretion on answering this line of questions. Your counsel advises you to resist. The judgment is yours to make and I would suggest careful consideration. All that you say is evidence against you in a later trial of these and other matters."
Sentinel nodded, then looked at Prime. "I did my best. I was Prime, I wasn't Primus. The Senate was a viper's nest. They were the beast made real. All that I could do I did."
"Then you know about the labor camps and other prisons?" Optimus asked.
"I would suggest not answering that, Sentinel," Blackstone said. "You have latitude to refuse."
"I know," Sentinel replied nodding his helm respectfully at Blackstone, a dissident judge which he himself had imprisoned just before The Fall for defying Sentinel's edicts under martial law. "I appreciate your counsel all things being equal." He looked at Prime. "I knew that the Senate authorized them. I knew that they were run by private individuals. I heard that they were … difficult. That is all I knew."
"Who were the private individuals?" Prime asked.
"You will have to ask the Senators. Ask Ratbat for sure. He knows all the awful things that transpired and participated in them for his own enrichment more than once," Sentinel said nodding.
"What do you know about Shockwave experimenting on our people?" Prime asked.
He looked at Prime a moment. "I heard he was a scientist at an institute that was formulating combiners and other riffraff. Ratbat was there too. He can help you more than I can. No one ever was more devious than him," Sentinel said.
"You did nothing about this. You were Prime and you let it happen," Ironhide said.
Sentinel glanced up at Ironhide. "I already told you. I was Prime, not Primus."
"Do you actually think that Optimus would have turned his back on this? That it would have happened under his Primeship?" Ironhide shot back.
Sentinel looked at him a moment, then Optimus. "No. I suppose you would not."
Prime sat quietly a moment, then nodded. "You are dismissed."
Sentinel paused a moment, then with great dignity rose and turned. He walked into the barracks and the door closed.
"Slagger," Ironhide muttered with outrage. No one argued with him.
-0-CMO's Office, Autobot City Medical Building, Autobot City, Mars
He reviewed the data and quizzed the two techs who had administered the tests. He looked at the medical screenings given by Gypsy and her team. The data was in. The truth was known. Now it was up to Ratchet to call the hearing together and get the situation done. He would need to make a few inquiries first. He turned and commed up the relevant individuals. Starscream and Herling.
-0-Ratbat
He walked out and stood a moment, sitting when no one spoke. He relaxed himself, his wily processor already getting set to lie, steal, deflect and otherwise defend the body. "Prime," he said in his small oddly harsh voice.
"Tell me about the experimentation you did with Shockwave, the camps and all of it. Tell me without leaving a thing out." Prime looked at him with murder in his optics, gauging a hard furious approach the best for this creature who had nothing in his spark that resembled a soul.
Keystone glanced at Ratbat. "You have refused counsel but we are here to offer opinions on your behalf on this proceeding. We advise that you don't answer this question as it can be used as evidence against you in future proceedings."
Ratbat nodded, then looked at Prime. "You want to know about Shockwave. Why?"
"Answer the question," Prime replied.
"I knew Shockwave and we spoke. I spoke to you as well. I am aware that he was a scientist and worked on … strange things. I was aware that he slipped over to Megatron and offered his expertise both as an assassin and as a scientist. These things I know."
"Elaborate," Prime pressed. "What strange things?"
He relaxed his body as he regarded Prime. "What's in it for me?"
The group stared at him with deep disdain. Even Reckless and Keystock who during The Fall had seen and tried to assuage terrible things were as appalled as the others. Prime leaned forward. "Nothing. You get nothing to your advantage out of this beyond doing something good for another for once in your sorry life. Tell me what you know."
"I would be a fool, Prime, to trade away all my cards," Ratbat said. "What would prevent you from putting me in stasis forever?"
"Nothing prevents that now. You are a traitor to Cybertron and participated in atrocities. It is in my power as Prime under martial law to have you deactivated and put into punitive stasis right now."
Ratbat didn't budge, blink or offer anything.
"Take him away," Prime said. Springer watched as two guards gripped the little bot and carted him literally away. Prime sat back. "He can sit in detention." Glancing at Springer who had joined them with Drift on orders of Prowl, he nodded. "Make sure he's in solitary. I don't want that one to compare alibis with anyone else." He gathered his emotions. "We'll see what his partner has to say," Prime said. "Get Contrail."
Springer nodded and with Drift walked to the barracks to bring out the next bad guy and ensure that Ratbat was in solitary confinement. Everyone stood or sat quietly waiting. Overhead clouds moved slowly across the light blue sky. Spring was in full swing, the season twice as long as Earth's own. It seemed inconceivable to anyone here that anyone else could be suffering anywhere else when the sky was so blue and the city so content.
The figure of Contrail appeared walking between Springer and Drift. He paused before Prime and nodded his greeting with a nervous flicker of his optics. "What do you want, Prime?" he asked.
"Everything," Prime said in a soft voice.
=0=TBC
2012 (12)