The Diego Diaries: Slammer (dd3 439)
-0-In the brig
The heavy footfalls ended as Ironhide and Blackjack entered the cell block and paused by the one containing Prowl, Ratchet and Alor. They looked at the trio, then turned toward the high Caste cell.
The inmates looked at the two warily, then Fenix stepped forward. "Ironhide. Blackjack. We need to all step back."
"Do we?" Blackjack said with enormous heat. "You called my bond and son-in-law dirt. You called my son and me dirt licking mixers. Tell me why I don't blow holes in every last one of you? Who would miss you?"
"Its true then. You kill high castes here and no one pays. That one," Sio said glancing down the row to the far cell. "He didn't get anything but a slap on the servo. Thirty orns house arrest. He got that for killing a Councilor. What do you expect us to believe?"
"I expect you to believe us when we tell you that caste is over here. I expect you to contribute to the colony. I expect you to work and pay your own way. You slaggers were parasites on Cybertron and you want to be parasites here," Blackjack said hotly. "We won't allow it. You're going to force a convocation and I can guarantee you that you will not prevail."
"Frag you," Sio said moving to stand beside Fenix.
Ironhide stepped forward but was stopped by his father. "If you want to try, step out of that cage. Come on out, boy and I'll show you what it means to slag a Cybertronian soldier. I will show you high caste. I'm a PRAXIAN WARRIOR ELITE! No one has a higher caste than me and my son on this entire planet. I COULD PUT YOU INTO THE DIRT A DOZEN DIFFERENT WAYS INCLUDING INVOKING MY CASTE!
"What do you want? An easy ride or triage? Let me know." He stepped closer. "You insulted my bond. Alor of Iacon will be remembered and revered when the universe ends long after you turn to rust in the mausoleum. Alor and Ratchet forgot more about doing good than you will ever know. What the FRAG HAVE YOU CLOWNS EVER DONE THAT COUNTS TO ANYONE!? YOU ENDED OUR HOME WORLD WITH YOUR GREED, YOUR COWARDICE AND INDIFFERENCE TO SUFFERING! COME OUT OF THERE AND SHOW ME HOW TOUGH YOU ARE, SLAGGERS! COME ON OUT!"
It was silent in the way graveyards were when it was midnight on Halloween. It was like the inside of a coffin after it was interned with two tons of concrete on top of it.
No one spoke, then Fenix stepped forward. "Blackjack … General … we would like everyone to step back and bring down the heat in here. No one is going to be slagging anyone. Everyone is upset and we all need to step back."
Blackjack came as close as he dared to the heat of the bars, his intense menace mirrored in the irate face of his nearly identical son standing slightly behind him. "THEY SLAGGED MY BOND! THEY SLAGGED ALOR OF IACON! THEY SLAGGED RATCHET WHO NEVER SAW A DOWNED SOLDIER ON EITHER SIDE OF THE WAR NO MATTER HOW BAD THE FIGHTING WAS THAT HE DIDN'T RISK HIS LIFE UNDER FIRE TO RESCUE! THEY SLAGGED MY GRANDSON, SUNSTREAKER! YOU TELL US TO STAND DOWN!? WHAT THE FRAG!"
Fenix raised his servos in a placating manner. "We understand. But it won't do anyone any good tonight."
"No, it won't," Blackjack said with deep malice.
At that moment Red Alert and Inferno entered with Springer and Drift. They gathered as the lights came up. Everyone in the room stood up to look at the group by the door.
Blackjack turned to the security. "I want the trouble maker removed from this cell and placed in solitary confinement. He won't shut his pie hole and he's stirring slag to the point where this could continue outside this incident in the real world. I don't want anyone else hurt anywhere because this slagger is fragged. Which fragger is it, Prowl?"
Prowl who was assessing the moment nodded to a big kid standing beside Fenix. "That one," he said pointing to the emerald green and stellar jay blue mech glaring at everyone. "That's the one."
Blackjack turned to the security who stood pensively beside him. "Take this jack aft out and stow him in solitary." He stepped aside as Red Alert dropped the bars.
Fenix and Sio startled, then stepped back pressing into the mechs behind him who were looking with genuine concern at the big mechs entering the cell.
Sio pressed against the others, then was grabbed onto by Drift and Springer.
Standing to one side watching them work, Inferno and Red Alert were silent but their expressions were filled with satisfaction.
Sio jerked back but was gripped by Springer and Drift easily. They dragged him forward. He began to yell and struggle. "LET ME GO, FRAGGERS! WHO ARE YOU TO DO THIS TO ME, DIRT LICKERS!? FENIX! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" He passed them and disappeared out the door.
The others stared at the doorway, then Blackjack who was seething with rage as only a massive mechanism filled with malice could turned to the cell again.
Fenix got a grip, then stepped forward. "Was that really necessary?"
"Putting a round into him was necessary. Putting him in the hole was an act of mercy. I would've slagged him for less on Cybertron. You punks, YOU PUNKS! WHO THE FRAG ARE YOU TO JUDGE US!? WE TOOK BLOWS FOR YOU! WE FOUGHT EVERY WAR AND EVERY BATTLE TO PROTECT CYBERTRON BECAUSE OF YOU! FRAG YOU! SIT DOWN AND SHUT THE FRAG UP! IF I HAVE TO COME BACK HERE I WILL PERSONALLY RIP YOU TO SHREDS, FENIX!"
Fenix blinked a moment, then raised his servos. "Understood."
Blackjack glared at him, then nodded to Red.
Red raised the bars as Drift and Springer walked back in, their expressions serious.
"Ali," Blackjack said turning to his bond. "I want you to tell me if these fraggers so much as scratch their afts in front of you, Ratchet and Prowl." He glanced down the row. "The rest of you, wait until morning. We'll sort this out. No more," he said. He turned to the high castes. "NO MORE! IF THERE IS, I WILL COME BACK AND THE BARS WON'T SAVE YOU, SLAGGERS! DON'T YOU EVEN LOOK AT MY BOND AGAIN! EVER!"
Ratchet watched the two mechs, two mechs that he loved. It was amazing the level of mechanical menace they conveyed at that moment. "Ironhide, who has the kids?"
"The mech across the hall," Ironhide said. He turned to the three. "This is a fragged mess but no one in that cell has earned the right to speak to you without respect. I'll be back if it happens again and you won't be alone in the drum head."
Prowl looked at him, then nodded slightly. "See you in the morning."
Ironhide smirked. "Told you old mech was trouble."
Prowl smirked in spite of himself. "It isn't a real incarceration without him."
Ironhide grinned, then looked at his ada. "I won't have you disrespected. You, Ratchet, Prowl or the twins. NO ONE IN THIS ROOM DESERVES DISREPECT! THE FRAGGING CLASS SYSTEM IS DEAD! I SAY THAT AS A PRAXIAN ELITE! GET IT STRAIGHT!" He glared at the high castes who stared back with wariness.
Blackjack then walked out the door. Ironhide followed reluctantly, then Red and Inferno.
Springer looked around the cell block, then stared at the high castes. "I can see why you want to slag mini-cons. But there's about ten front line warriors in here and two of the most senior Autobots on the planet. That doesn't count the Wreckers. What the frag is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?"
No one spoke.
Springer nodded to Prowl, Ratchet and Alor. Then he left with Drift. The lights went down abruptly causing everyone's optics to adjust swiftly. No one spoke. Everyone sat. It would remain that way until the jailers came in the morning with extra security to take everyone to the courthouse lock up where they would wait for the drum head and Magistrate's Court hearings.
-0-At Cafe Praxus
Blackjack and Ironhide sat a moment with Springer and Drift troubleshooting the problem before them. It was obvious that some of the youngling high castes didn't have a clue that the conditions that protected their behavior on Cybertron didn't exist here. The possibility for mayhem, even murder was high.
"You put a fear into them that I haven't seen before," Ironhide said.
"Fenix understands it but I'm not sure that the others do."
"They had a high life on Cybertron. I remember a lot of that kind of behavior and talk there. They don't get it that circumstances have changed. There's going to be a killing here if this isn't handled." Springer sat back and shook his helm. "I haven't heard that kind of talk in a long time and I don't want to."
"You're mid caste, I'm low," Drift offered.
Springer looked at him with intense anger. "There's nothing about you that's low, Drift. Don't ever say that again."
Ironhide grinned a second. "You sound like me about Ratchet. We had to get permission to bond, did you know that? Permission from the state because of caste. Everything that's good for me comes from old mech but I had to ask the Judicial Court of Iacon to be allowed to bond with him. We didn't get slagged all over the galaxy to allow that to return here."
Blackjack nodded. "I didn't have to ask permission to bond with Alor. He was mid caste. But the simple idea that it was necessary for ANYONE slags me off. Ratchet was the best thing you ever did for yourself. We loved him the minute we met him."
"I won't argue with you. But I know old mech is analyzing that crazy one. He'll have to speak to the court about him. I think he's probably got a bullseye on his chassis from the twins. I worry about that," Ironhide said. "Maybe they can go to the forward bases and Bluestreak can stay home. We can use the excuse of the fight to justify that change until things get figured out."
"I'll talk to Prime. I think there's something different here," Blackjack said. "There's something deeper wrong than just a bunch of whiners crying about the past. Some of these younglings have screws loose. They challenged the twins and Wreckers without a qualm. That's not normal."
Ironhide nodded in agreement. The chat would last a bit longer, then both Praxians would go home as Springer and Drift walked back to the job.
-0-Morning in the city
The sun was shining brightly in the morning as another early summer orn on Mars began. The City was waking up and those who shift changed did so as shops and their keepers began to open. Cafes that stayed open all night welcomed the morning crowd along with the day shift of workers who would provide food and conversation all orn long.
The cell block was rising up, too.
Red Alert entered with a dozen members of the Night and Day Watch. They dropped the bars for Prowl and his party who stood in the space to watch. The high caste bars dropped.
Red Alert read them The Law According To Red. "You'll make a line and you'll hook together by energon bindings. Hold out your right arm and we'll cuff you in a line. You'll then leave this space with these guards," he said nodding to five huge Watch mechs. "They will take you to the courthouse across the airfield to the lock up in the Courthouse."
"Everyone will see us. This is fragged," one of them ventured.
"TOUGH SLAG! DON'T FRAGGING GET INTO TROUBLE!" Red said in his usual calm manner. "YOU'RE HERE! YOU'RE DUE AT THE COURTHOUSE! YOU'LL HAVE TO WALK THERE! LINE UP AND DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD, SLAGGERS!"
They did. Then they left with grumpy faces and a pensive Fenix following along behind. He wasn't cuffed because he wasn't in trouble. He was merely observing. When they left Red turned to Prowl. "Do we cuff them or will they do what they have to do? I think the mini-cons showed their stuff last night walking here without escort, the little slaggers."
"We're good. The Courthouse lock up? We can find that. Let us follow the others," Tix said stretching as he stood.
"No fighting. I'LL KICK YOUR AFTS IF YOU DO! NO FIGHTING OR ARGUING IN PUBLIC!" Red said.
They nodded.
"Gotcha, Red," Tix said with a grin.
The bars went down and the five walked out chatting and snarking with the soldiers.
Red watched them, then looked at Prowl. "Might give a mech a good attitude about mini-cons, those five."
Ratchet snorted. "I know. Scary isn't it?"
Red nodded. "What about these slaggers, Prowl?"
"Line them up. We'll march over. You can go off duty, Red. We can take it from here," Prowl said.
Red nodded and dropped the bars.
Prowl turned to look at them with the Expression That Only Those With A Death Wish Would Dare To Defy. "Line up and show your quality. We will march to the Courthouse and enter it for the lock up. Anyone gets out of line or makes a comment will never see home again if you do. Charon beckons for those who defy me right now."
They moved to line up, their posture completely in line with Prowl's conditions. Even the twins were at attention.
Prowl nodded with satisfaction. "Forward," he said. "Wait topside."
They moved forward silently heading for the door. When they were gone, Prowl turned to Ratchet and Alor. "We have a real problem here. Way too many of these kids didn't show good judgment of the mechs they were fighting with. This could get ugly and even deadly."
Ratchet nodded. "There's something wrong with that one … Sio. There's a few screws loose in him, I think. More testing will be required but I've seen enough crazies to put him on that side of the sanity line, Prowl."
Alor nodded.
Prowl glanced at Red. "Thank you, Red," he said, then he began to walk topside. Ratchet and Alor followed and when they were at ground level they moved to the front of the line waiting at attention for them.
Other soldiers and some civilians watched with curiosity as the group made their way to the door and beyond. By the time they reached the Courthouse the others were in jail waiting. They joined. The only one missing was Sio.
-0-In the Magistrate's Courtroom, Judge's chambers
Prime sat with Barron and Semi as the Public Defender of the Session, Tailor, a lawyer who worked for all who were brought forward to stand for charges that orn entered the room. He sat. "Sir, I've talked to Fenix who's asking to represent the younglings in this matter. I've told him that the court has appointed me as Public Defender of the Session so expect a motion to get that changed."
Semi nodded, then looked at Prime. "I'll conduct the court cases. I would expect if this goes not to their liking that they will offer appeals. That means that they will come to you, Prime. That won't go over well either especially since Prowl is a defendant."
Prime nodded. "I know. This is going to be problematic but I am trusting to your integrity and fairness. You were both on Cybertron and you will be here."
"We will do our best, sir," Semi said.
The door opened and the bailiff looked inside. "We are ready, sir."
Semi nodded, then all rose to walk out to the corridor that led to the big courtroom. The first group to be tried would be the mini-cons and as it was, their families had began to gather. There were bonds, infants, elders and others attached to the little slaggers. They sat in the seats and spilled out into the hallways.
It was a typical mini-con legal moment.
Prime walked to the courtroom and moved to sit in a chair along the wall. Everyone stood up when he entered and he nodded to them. When he sat, they did.
Semi and the defender, Tailor took their places. The Clerk of Court that orn, Silver stood. "Stand."
Everyone did.
"Court is in session. Act honorably or be ejected. You may sit."
Everyone did.
Semi looked at the cases on his monitor. "Mr. Tailor. Please present the first case."
He stood then looked at Semi. "Sir, the mini-cons have asked to be bound as one for this hearing. They came to the Club that night to celebrate together their record at the mill where they demonstrated no accidents over several decaorns, a signal achievement in the refinery where they work. They were provoked by others present and fully accept blame for their behavior. They assert that they threw the first punch and are prepared to take the consequences. It is a matter of honor for them and they want their younglings and sparklings to understand that actions have consequences. They're ready to take the court's judgment."
The little mechs sitting at the defender's table nodded.
Semi grinned. "Wow. Reasonable mini-cons. Will wonders never cease."
Even the mini-cons grinned.
"I sentence you to house arrest for two decaorns. You can go to work and back. Nothing else is allowed. If there's a reason to leave your homes for other reasons and that includes the championship game, you have to let the Parole Office know. All of you will be given tracer implants to let us know if you break the agreement. Do you understand?"
They nodded, then Tix stood up. "Can I say something, your honor?"
Semi nodded. "Alright."
"Your honor, I would like to say that we're part of the village that came here with Metroplex. On Cybertron, we were expendable. We were less than nothing. I wish I could tell you what this place means to us. Leader-1 is on the Council. No mini-cons short of their villages ever had a say in anything on Cybertron.
"We were equipment to use and throw away when we could provide no other service. We were less than nothing. When we heard the high castes mocking everyone it was hard not to fight. We have a new life here and we're valued. It's not to say that we didn't know what we did. We did. We just don't like remembering how low they held us, we who have sparks from Primus, too. Until all are one, slag it. Forever." He nodded. "Thanks."
Semi nodded back. "You're welcome. You may go up to the seventh floor and get your tracers. Behave yourselves."
They nodded, then all of them rose to walk into the rising tide of family and friends that began to go with them. They left the room and it was silent again. Semi looked at the bailiff. "Next case, Silver, please."
Silver nodded then walked to the door. He rapped on it, then sat again. The door opened and the high castes walked in. As they did, Fenix stood up to watch. Behind them moving into the empty seats, about fifty high castes, mostly family and interested individuals came to watch the show.
For a moment, it was tense and quiet. Then the door opened again to the corridor that led to the jail below as Ratchet, Alor and Prowl entered the room.
-0-TBC September 20, 2013 7-30-19