The Diego Diaries: Drum Head (dd3 445)
-0-In the courtroom for the drum head
Then Prime began.
"Last night an altercation happened in Club Cybertron. Even though it is clear that you did not throw the first punch, even though there are extenuating circumstances to the situation, all of you fell short of the Autobot ideal. In the proceedings before this one it was ascertained that some of the participants are likely mentally ill. To pursue this grudge against them further, to take it beyond these walls is unacceptable to me, to the Matrix, to the honor of our service and to you as individuals.
"We get a new city every time that a migration reaches our shores. Sometimes they come here with incredible stories of privation and hurt. Some of them come bringing the old baggage from Cybertron that destroyed our home there. Sometimes they can help it and some times they can not.
"We have to be bigger and more decent than some moments call for. It is to our credit that we manage so well together thus far. I am proud of the mechs I lead and who have given their all to the point of your own detriment over and over again.
"It is because of you that we are here recalling our people and rebuilding our life and species. I commend you for that. But this … it is unacceptable. We are a unique community and because of that we have to be better and bigger than the moment sometimes. Our people must never feel that they should fear us.
"Your honor is never at stake here. Your honor and integrity as warriors and as mechs is not at issue any orn, anywhere. You know your worth. I know it. The Matrix knows it. You have nothing to prove to anyone.
"That we are still here, that our side and the opportunity for us to retrieve ourselves still exists is a testament to your character, skill and integrity. No one can damage that but you. No one can change that in the optics and processors of our people but you.
"Autobot Smokescreen, front and center."
Smokey startled, then moved through the mechs to stand before the towering figure of his commander-in-chief. He felt small and inadequate. He also felt the sparkles of chill filter through himself as he stood at rigid attention. "Autobot Smokescreen here, sir!" he said in the proper manner.
No one around him moved or flinched. This was his first disciplinary drum head. It wasn't for anyone else.
Sitting in the audience, his genitors held servos, their expressions conveying the fear and upset they felt. Smokescreen and Devcon sat quietly, both of them veterans of this sort of thing. Both of them knew Prime and had no worries for their grandson. His genitors knowing nothing of the sort had other feelings on the moment.
Prime looked at the handsome youngling who was so dedicated to the Cause. He was green and daring, foolhardy to some extent but a good kid and a likely officer some fine orn. "Autobot Smokescreen, it would appear that you were the catalyst for this brawl through no fault of your own. Therefore I am dismissing you from these proceedings. I will personally take care of the individual that made all of this possible."
Smokey blinked, then nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
He stared up at Prime, then Prime grinned slightly. "You are dismissed."
He started again, then nodded. "Yes, sir." He saluted, then wound his way through the two lines behind him. He caught up to his genitors, then they began together to leave, Smokescreen behind him.
Devcon rose, then paused. Glancing at Prime, he nodded.
Prime nodded back, then Devcon exited the room. He watched them go, then Prime turned back to the moment.
Before him were bots he'd spent his youth among, fought and bled with and led through the Pit and back again. They were his and he loved them. The familiar feelings of gratitude and pride for them overtook him a moment, then he cleared his processor. Now was the time to reassert control.
"For the officers in this incident, I sentence you to four orns of house arrest. You must set an example for the ranks and this is not what I require from you. If there is need for your services you may answer the call without penalty of making up lost time. Commander Alor, Commander Ratchet and Commander Prowl, you are dismissed to the hall. I will be speaking to you after this proceedings."
The three snapped to attention, saluted, then walked out to the door nearby. As they exited, they ambled over to Dev and his family.
Dev smirked. "You look like someone kicked you in the slats."
"Four orns house arrest," Ratchet said with a grin. "I get to stay home and frag the bond. How can that be wrong?"
Prowl made his usual gagging sound, then grinned slightly. "I can think of a dozen things wrong with that."
Smokey who stood uncomfortably in the presence of this much brass in this kind of situation shifted with nervousness. "Commander," he said uneasily.
Three mechs turned to look at him.
He blinked with nerves. "Uh, Commander Prowl … this is really all my fault. I think if anyone gets into trouble it should be me."
Everyone stared at the earnest kid with the amazingly handsome face, then Ratchet grinned. He glanced at Smokey's family. "Congratulations. This youngling was raised right."
"We try," Smokescreen said as he squeezed Smokey's shoulders in a hug.
Prowl nodded. "Its noble for you to say so, Smokescreen," he said, "but there are others at fault here, too."
"Mistermaster, debonair grabby mech around town?" Alor asked with a grin.
Prowl nodded grimly.
-0-Inside
"I am going to expect that the disagreement died when the civilians were sentenced. I do not want to see anyone in this room again for these offenses. I would consider it a slander against my personal honor." His tone was deep and clear to all in the room. "I sentence you to four orns house arrest. You may not leave your apartments or barracks without a call up or emergency. If you must leave, you must inform Ops Center Officer of the Orn and have a very good reason for it. Is that clear?"
"SIR! YES SIR!" -Everyone
"Very well. You are dismissed and this proceeding is closed."
Everyone relaxed a tad, then turned to go. The twins watched them, then turned to Prime. "You don't think that those younglings are going to let this go do you?" Sideswipe asked.
"No," Prime said grimly. "But I do expect you to do so."
"And if they attack us?" Sunstreaker asked grimly.
"We will deal when it comes. Right now, I have to find out what the court is going to do with this bunch. It may be that we have to hold a Convocation of the Will. I would prefer not to but if it is needed we will."
"You'll prevail," Sunstreaker said as Sideswipe nodded.
"I believe so. However, they appear to be willing to create unrest and disunity for personal gain. I would prefer this to end here. But I am a realist. I do not expect it to any time soon." With that, the three walked into the hallway to the group outside.
-0-At a cafe, The Hub, sitting in the sunlight at curbside tables
Kestrel and Tagg sat silently nursing the warm energon drinks in their servos. Everyone sipped this, the Cybertronian version of coffee as they waited for the drum head to end.
Tagg sat up. "There's soldiers coming, some of them from the fight maybe."
Everyone listened as Bluestreak identified them.
Ironhide stood up and with his father in tow headed back toward the Courthouse nearby.
Ravel and Tie Down shook their helms. "Ratchet knows better than to brawl. He's a bad influence on Prowl and Alor," Ravel said with a slight 'tut-tut' tone.
Venture grinned in spite of himself. "Ratchet actually has been a tremendous friend to Prowl. He hit a combatant so that Prowl wouldn't be jailed alone. Then Alor did so to join them."
Ravel and Tie looked at Venture, then shook their helms. "He always was loyal to his friends," Ravel said.
Tie smiled. "He always was. I love Alor and Blackjack. They're the best."
The sight of the soldiers dispersing was followed by the sight of Devcon and his family walking out as well. Behind them came Prime and the officer group. They paused when Blackjack and Ironhide joined them. A conversation happened, then they began to walk back to the cafe as Devcon and crew walked off toward The Pit Stop. When they arrived greetings and hugs were administered, then tables and chairs gathered for others to join. Everyone sat, ordered and then relaxed.
"Orion, what did you do, if I am permitted to ask?" Kestrel asked anxiously.
Optimus reached over to squeeze his ada's servo. "I did what was best for all. These three have four orns house arrest unless things happen."
Everyone looked at Ratchet, Alor and Prowl.
Then the twins grinned. "You get to stay home and sleep in, too."
Ratchet snorted. "What happened to you?"
"Four orns house arrest," Sunstreaker said with a slight grin as Bluestreak moved to sit on his lap.
A servo smacked his helm. "I TOLD you that we were just going to have a nice night and you two have to fight. HONESTLY! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU!?"Blue said with disgust.
Sideswipe grinned broadly. "You have four orns to find out."
Everyone grinned, then Sunstreaker looked at Ratchet. "How did you get the same deal as us? I would think you had a shoe-in on getting short time?"
"Not necessarily us but Prowl frags the King. How did we get the same sentence as the minions, Optimus?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
Ironhide rolled his optics. "No respect. Ratchet, you're a nasty old mech," he said with a grin as he waited for the expected reaction.
Three …
Two …
One ...
"RATCHET! A PRIME IS HERE! MIND YOUR MANNERS!" Ravel looked at Ratchet with a severe optic.
"Yes, Ada," Ratchet said only slightly contritely. He grinned then dropped a kiss on Ravel's helm. "*I'm sorry*!" he said enveloping his ada in his arms. He squeezed tightly, then let Ravel sit back up.
His ada looked at him with a severe optic, then grinned. "That's much better," he said to general merriment.
-0-In the courthouse
A contingent of Day Watch patrol mechs were standing around the room as several members of the audience of the court proceedings were let into the room at a time. Semi listened to the attorneys speak to each who'd been identified on the courtroom taping system as either an innocent bystander caught up in trouble or a troublemaker. Those who were innocent of offense were given a stern warning, then dismissed. They were led to the courthouse door by a security guard.
Those who had committed offenses were given counsel, then allowed to plead. Several would end up in the jail for two orn sentences for fighting. They wouldn't go with grace. By the time all were cleared, there were seven doing sentences of two to seven orns. The atar of Sio who hit Prowl with a chair had the longest incarceration. When it was concluded, all went their way.
Grudgingly.
Fenix walked out and paused in the fading light of the orn. It had taken all day long to figure out, sort and present cases to the court. Seven of the 56 individuals had been convicted of various offenses, a number that felt like defeat to him. However, all was not lost. He'd done what he set out to do. He'd only to prove that there was bias against their caste and it would bind them to him and their cause through this incident.
That had succeeded triumphantly. He was even during the hearings receiving requests from individuals seeking information about the aims of the Iacon Order and well as information for joining up.
-0-Home again, home again, jiggity jig
Ratchet sat in his chair watching the light outside. It was bright and cool as the early summer afternoon slowly passed by. He was sentenced to home detention. There could be worse things. Prowl was, too. Maybe they could bake cookies.
He snorted, then guffawed.
-0-Home again, etcetera and so forth
He stood by the window of the kitchen staring out to watch Seekers coming in for a landing. It was a beautiful sight to see since they no longer were striving to land on his aft when they did. He was stuck here for four orns. It'd be strange. Of course, he had his stack of books, manuals and other such detritus of an inquiring processor.
He could also get that stain off the tile of the wash rack now, the one Rambler had left when he washed off the failed chemistry experiment that blew up in his face. He could probably also get the one off the ceiling of the terrace where they conducted the experiment for obvious reasons. Then there was the one on the railings. The one on the low wall nearby. The one …
-0-Home and all that jiggity
Alor sat reading his novels, the ones with the hot mechs and the needy targets of opportunity, ie, the naïve young soldiers that always seemed to be virginal and clueless. They were amusing to MST3000 in his processor as he read them.
Blackjack was out doing his thing. Ironhide was going to get the sparklings and Sunny. Ratchet was probably home futzing around. Maybe they would lean out into the hallway and chat once in a while. They wouldn't technically be out of the quarters.
Technically.
He grinned, then opened another beer. He sat with his peds propped up, a bowl of something the take out place called 'popcorn/trailmix' and read his stories. It would be a nice quiet afternoon.
-0-TBC September 23, 2013 7-31-19