NOTE: Editing all and sundry stuff. :D
-0-And now, let's go
The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 27
-0-The Hearing
The room was silent in a way that was akin to vacuum. The air seemed sucked out, the surprise and shock intense from all present. Every eye in the room was fixed upon Optimus as he stood absorbing the scrutiny. Cameras flashed around the room and down in the front where the committee sat as the professionals moved closer to get their own shots.
Ratchet stood beside Optimus as did Prowl but he towered over them, overshadowing both with his sheer size. Ratchet was not a small mechanism. He weighed more than even Ironhide, his bulk required to handle his function. That it was brilliantly distributed over his frame made him seem less large. Prowl was a smaller mechanism with half as heavy a frame and a more 'delicate' distribution of his bulk. He was as powerful as a bulldozer but alongside other bots didn't appear to be so. Optimus was no exception.
There was a rap and everyone turned to the Chairman who was standing, gavel in hand. The room took a moment to come to order, the photographers moving back jostling to find a position in which to film their subject. It finally became quiet again. The Chairman looked at Optimus a moment, then sat. "Welcome to the committee hearing, Optimus Prime. Is there some salutation that is proper for us to address you by?"
"Prime is fine," Optimus said nodding.
"Would you like to sit or is there something we can do to make you comfortable?" he asked uncertainly.
"I am fine. It is less complicated if I stand," Prime said with a slight smile.
The Chairman nodded. "We have been talking about the list of concerns some of us have about the relationship between your people and ours. We are concerned about the lack of transparency in a number of areas. Your Ambassador has been very adept at keeping your secrets from your best allies."
"My ambassador is following orders, Chairman. He is giving you that which I have authorized and nothing more. We have limitations culturally on what we can share. I am shocked that you find that sinister. Given that there are taboos among your own different cultures, I would think you would be amenable to these requests."
"Telling us about your relationships and religious thinking hardly seems to be an unreasonable request," Carter replied. "We have transparency about both topics here on Earth. It would be helpful for us in our understanding of your species if you would be forthcoming to us."
"I am uncertain how it will help you. It should be enough to know that both are of consequence for our species. Our relationships are not welcome here. We have been aware of your media's remarks and coverage. Their speculation is a matter of concern for us and we don't wish to step into the ring with them over it. We have chosen to ignore the ignorance and bigotry involving our personal relationships and offer the greatest possible support for those living here in human relationships that are of the same type. You cannot even accept among your own kind relationships that fall into the category of same gender. Why should we expose ourselves to more ridicule than we already endure by sharing more of our life with you? You, Chairman are among the worst offenders."
The Chairman looked at Prime. "Same sex relationships are outside the bounds of our species intended behavior and we don't have patience with this abnormal business. I would tell you, Prime, that your observations do not apply to us and are not welcome."
"Really," Optimus replied. "I have been on many organic worlds in the nine million years of my life and I have noted that they almost to the last world have some component of this relationship among the major sentient population. The intriguing part for me is that none of them cared. That you care makes you the outlier in my rather enormous experience. As for you telling me that my observations and interest are unwelcome, I would say the same thing to you."
Snickers from the audience got their attention. The Chairman frowned and rapped his gavel.
"You don't wish outside intrusion into your personal mores, Chairman. With that remark, you have explained our own reservations. You can't have it both ways."
"What about your religion? Your Festival of Primus? You went off the air for a couple of days during what we understand was a major religious festival among your people. I would like to know more about this, about your Temple and what you believe," he persisted. "There is a lot of speculation among humans here about what it means and what exactly the magical objects are that you keep in that temple."
Prime stared at him a moment, the immensity of what Carter sought filling his processor. He felt the soft energy of the Matrix suffuse him as the endless comfort of The One met him at this moment on an alien world as he confronted his enemies. There were good souls on the committee but the ones who hated them were evident to him. He didn't understand their mindless fears but he knew that fear drove otherwise normally clear headed individuals to do stupid things. Here was no exception. His great experience and the wisdom of the ancients made his thinking very precise on that matter. "You have been made clear about what our people share with outsiders, Chairman. Your aspersions about us and our sacred sphere are rejected out of hand by me and my people. There is nothing to be gained by sharing things that have no meaning with you. You give no respect. You show no decency to us. Therefore, you will not be getting the information you seek because in the end it is none of your business. I will not help you harm my people any more than you and your friends already have. Be aware, Mr. Chairman, that as deeply as you scrutinize us as opposition, that is how deeply we scrutinize you."
Carter blinked and sat back. "Then you're saying you monitor me and my colleagues."
Prime nodded. "We do. Considering your philosophy is based on hatred and that your publicly expressed aims are to expel us from this solar system the consequences be damned, we have classified you and your friends as individuals of concern to my government. We are monitoring you and your pronouncements. I would be remiss in my duty to my people not to educate myself on the opposition and you are that. You are enemies of my people and because of your wrong-headed thinking, enemies of your own."
"You have no right to monitor me or anyone else," Carter said sitting forward on his chair.
"We monitor your speeches and your visits to televised programming. We monitor your publicly issued pronouncements. All that we investigate is public information and therefore accessible. What you do below the surface I leave in the capable hands of your intelligence community. You are aware are you not that your own government allows the complete collection of all emails, phone calls, printed materials and televised conferences that occur in your borders since the mid 2000's? You should be more afraid of your own government than us. We only scrutinize the information you dispense freely to everyone."
"When can we expect visits from you in the night?" Praeger asked, his outrage enormous.
"Never. You don't really pose a threat to us beyond your efforts to paint us as dangerous and different," Prime replied.
"What if we asked you to leave our planet?" Carter asked hotly. "What if we told you to leave?"
"You have the right to do that. If your people as a nation and a world asked us to leave Earth we would go. You have the right to choose your own destiny," Prime said. "But you would have to be very careful about making that request, Chairman. The Decepticons thrive on foolish thinking and there can be no greater foolish request than that one for a planet with your level of technology and vulnerability."
"What if we asked you to leave the solar system? What if we asked you to leave Mars?" Praeger demanded.
"You would have no luck with that one," Prime said looking at the blustering man from Indiana. "We have settled on Mars to protect Earth and the solar system from invasion. We have to protect nearly a million of our own people with more coming and provide for them. There would be no way to do that if we had to leave."
"You have no right to settle Mars. Mars is ours," John Berry asserted. He was a youngish representative from Kansas with national aspirations.
"You have no right to Mars at all," Prime said looking down at the young man who was pointing at him. "Your treaties from the 1960's are clear and you are a signatory. You are forbidden by your own agreement to have ownership both real and presumed over any body or object beyond the boundaries of your atmosphere. You cannot order us to leave Mars because you have no legal standing. We have gone there and carved a haven for our people. We work every day to defend this system and Earth in particular. We have bled to protect you and we don't expect thanks for it. We do it because its right and just. We are brothers, your people and ours. We are one. It is a sad thing for me to see you attempt by these hearings to try to derail that unity. My people believe in the right of all sentient beings to have life and liberty. That extends to our people as well. We believe in the concept that some day all will become one. One peace, one liberty, one prosperity. I will not allow abuse of my people by you and we will not be leaving Mars. If you wish to dispute our claim to that world, come and make a plea in our courts. Come on over if you can."
Carter glared at him. "You know we can't."
"I do know that and that is why we have stayed here. You can't even reach your own moon but you have a deluded idea that you can talk the Decepticons into giving your world a pass. No one in my lifetime has ever accomplished that, Chairman and I don't have a feeling that you will be the first. Your people need protection against an implacable mob. It is disturbing to me that you don't see that. It bothers me deeply that you are relying on magical thinking against the hard reality of facts." Optimus looked at his officers. "We are going now. There is no point in this meeting. You aren't here to discuss things of mutual import, Chairman. You are making a propaganda point and we are unwilling to be part of it." He looked at the committee, his gaze resting on each face. "I know there are some of you that have the best interests of your people in mind, that you work hard for them and care about the future. If this group succeeds there will be no future. That is why we stayed and will stay. Even if they don't love their own people, we do. Thank you," he said quietly. Then he turned and walked to the door exiting the room.
Prowl turned and looked at the committee. Bowing his helm slightly, he turned and followed Prime. Ratchet watched them go, then looked at the committee. The room was very quiet, everyone watching the big mechanisms as they gathered outside. Then they looked at him. He grinned slightly, shaking his helm. "Delusion is a treatable condition. Get some help." With that, he turned and walked out the door.
Sunstreaker, Springer and Drift followed forming up in line for the drive back. The friends of the Autobots, the N.E.S.T. officers and Len Steward sat in the vehicles as they began to pull out of the big space. Crowds who were silently standing along the fence began to shout and wave. Prowl recorded it for later analysis. Pro? Con? He would find out later. Right now, he wanted to go home.
When they reached the streets, cars formed around Prime leading the way, riding along side and behind him and Ratchet. They made good time through the streets and highways that led to the airport. People waved, cars honked as they drove along and they honked back. When they reached the VIP entrance, they entered and drove to the giants who were waiting inside the circle of silent Seekers ringing them. Letting the humans out with great thanks, the bots began to transform. They walked up the ramps disappearing inside. When all were aboard, they retracted, the hatches closed and the Guardians began to taxi. When they began to move, the Seekers transformed almost as one. Hovering alongside the Guardians as they began to gather speed, nearly all lifted off at the same time and disappeared into the sky in seconds. It was silent a moment after they left, then the cameras turned onto the reporters for the final discussion of the day.
-0-On the MCA download
"Wow," the announcer said as the panelists nodded in agreement. "Jazz, Blaster, what do you think about what happened?"
Jazz smirked slightly. "Someone thought they could punk Prime. Prime is no one's fool. I can't say the same for some of the committee."
"Tell us about Optimus Prime, Blaster," one of the panelists asked. "Tell us about what this means to us here on Earth. Is the relationship intact or are there cracks?"
"Optimus is a good mech. He's so good that it almost works against him sometimes. I was surprised that he walked out to tell you the truth," Blaster said with a grin. "His patience is endless. He is absolutely truthful in saying that he is here to protect the Earth. He is here to do that. We could have left when The Fallen was killed but he knew that Megatron would come back locked and loaded. We have a lot of other places to go and we could even make a good go at Cybertron right now but that would leave you hanging. That will never happen with Optimus Prime. His commitment to Earth is rock solid. If there are cracks, they are at your end. The relationship is intact at ours. Whether that it true at yours is up to your people."
Jazz nodded. "Never heard a truer thing."
-0-On the way
Prowl leaned against Optimus's arm as he sat on the seat holding Miracle. Rambler sat in Optimus's lap watching the others around the hold. :That was edifying:
:I know. But now we will see what shakes out. We are no longer going to take abuse and slander. I am resolved:
:What if they agree that we have to leave the Earth?:
:We will leave but that is as far as they can command:
"What if they change the treaties, Optimus? What if they manage to win at the World Court and they can extend human autonomy over Mars and the rest of the solar system?" Ratchet asked as he helped Orion crawl over his ped.
"Then they can come and evict us," Prime said with resolve.
Ironhide only smirked.
-0-TBC
2013 (2) For Pip
HOWDY DOODIES TO ONE AND ALL:
Guest: He is in the house. Now he's left. :D :D
JC: Back atcha! :D
Wackedgourd, Leoness, SkyenhaMarisa, Maraluch, cball671, Elita-1 and everyone: Thank you. The sparklings thank you. Prowl and the gang thank you and I thank you.
:D Truly. I am sorry about FFNET being a bad machine but hopefully its fixed. HUGS!