The Diego Diaries: New Year 2: Off and On All Day (583)
-0-On the way back
They walked together on the way back from the prison. 250 mechs and 3 femmes from Paragon's group along with 237 other now former Decepticons were ready and did take the oath to both Optimus Prime and the Matrix. It had been a somber affair with many of the oath takers giving extra effort to impress Prime with their change of spark.
"We were hungry and it was a way to get some protection from the gangs and the rest of it on Cybertron," an older youngling mech said. He was almost defensive in manner but his optics were anxious.
Prime nodded. "You were not the first and I know you will not be the last that said that to me. Understand, as long as you are with us we will make sure that you never have another hungry orn."
They looked at him, young formats with ambition and a burning desire to find a place to live without fear or deprivation. He assured them of their opportunities all the while reminding them of their obligations. They agreed, then moved forward to stand in the line that would take them to the transitional housing tower at Kalis that was going to be a mentored halfway house for all of the new formats coming in from the cold. Because of it, there would be little back sliding or failure among the residents.
They walked on the sidewalk heading back to the Fortress as the sound of hundreds of newly made colonists could be heard coming along behind them. Ironhide glanced back, then looked up at Prime. "Nice new group. I think they will transition well."
Prime nodded. "I do too. Some of the others look like long term prisoners."
"Agreed. The Stunticons will not be leaving any time soon I think," Ironhide said. "So … mech or femme this time?"
Prime grinned. "What do you suggest?"
Ironhide grinned slightly. "Mechs are great. Wouldn't trade a single one of mine, big or small. But there's something about a daughter that is special. Last night, I walked to Orion's room and peeked inside. Old Mech was sitting on the floor having a tea party with the sparklings. Orion and Praxus had little hats and stuff on. So did Hero and so did her teddy bear. They were sitting at a table eating cookies and drinking imaginary tea." He grinned. "It was cute."
"Did you join them?" Optimus asked with a grin as he glanced down at his hard boiled weapons master and all around surrogate brother.
"I did." He grinned and glanced at Prime. "You had to ask?"
"Not really," Prime said with a chuckle. "I had to judge an art contest last night at my house."
"Who won?" Ironhide asked as they crossed the highway to get to the Fortress side of the road.
"Why, I did, Ironhide," Optimus said as they entered the courtyard of the Fortress.
-0-On a forward base near Saturn
"What did Santa Prime bring you?"
(Chuckle) "My bond would hurt me if I told you."
(grin) "I wouldn't blame them. What do you think about the human New Year?"
"I can't fault Prime for including their holidays. They are for the most part fun and beautiful. Christmas Surprise is a lot of fun for families. On the other servo, ours don't happen this fast. We're going to be celebrating New Years several times a Cybertronian year."
"Just think of it as more times to get overloaded and end up in the brig."
(grin) "There is that. Are you going to find out what the sentence is for that Sio creep. He's coming up for a hearing or something so that he can stand trial for the fight or so I've heard tell. Are you going to have to testify for that?"
"I don't know. The Prosecutor's Office trial case manager told me I'm still on the list. I hope so. That fragger needs to be put away forever."
"I hear ya. All of the high castes who can't fit in need to kiss my aft."
"Your bond would be standing in line to kick it."
(grin) "True that. Hold on." (Presses buttons and the like) "Cargo 21, this is Enceladus Command. Do you copy?"
"Enceladus Command, this is Cargo 21. Hey! YOU OWE ME LARGE!"
(grin) "He brought the beer."
"New Years is getting to be better by the minute."
"Cargo 21, come in on landing pad 2. And thanks for the good deed."
"No problem, Enceladus Command. We brought a bunch of stuff for New Years as well. I won't vouch for the fireworks since you have no atmosphere but if you set them off inside the base it could make for a few good stories at your drum head."
(laughter) "Smart aft. Come down and give us the gossip. We have three more orns before we can leave."
"I hear ya. On our way. Cargo 21 out." They turned into the orbit of the moon of Saturn, then began their descent. In minutes they would be landed off loading their usual cargo and a few crates of 'fun stuff' before sitting to 'shoot the shit', an expression used full on by all the armed forces since human contact.
It would all be good.
-0-Flint, Fort Apache, Out there
He sat in his office going over the intel from the deep space relays. There were echoes of something out there that bothered him. There were the pirates who were keeping their distance. Those mechs obviously were smart enough to not push their luck. The other anomalies weren't so smart so he wondered about them. A migration was moving toward them from that direction, a new pathway asserting itself for the first time.
The size of the new migration was indeterminate. Why it was coming this way and not the other was indeterminate. Were the Decepticons changing their plans? All of the others were herded down the same trail. Why this change?
He didn't know. He just followed his instincts and orders to monitor it, to find out particulars early and to give the helms up. They would be sending a number of data collectors out that way by space bridges soon. They would have hard data and a clue. It couldn't come soon enough.
The afternoon wore on.
-0-At the grocery
Kestrel walked down the rows looking at amazing, unusual and familiar food products and finished confections. The bakery was a favorite place. Walking along behind Kes, Tagg paused by a counter with many jars filled with tasty looking things. Holding the reins to the twinnies, he knelt as the girls looked at the case. "Other Atar, what is this?" Uraya asked with her tiny high pitched voice.
"I don't know, Uraya. They are pretty," Tagg said.
Kes slowed, then walked back looking at the containers with interesting things. A clerk paused, then walked to them. "Can I help you?"
"We don't know what this is," Kes said as Uraya and Iacon looked up at the clerk.
"What is this?" Uraya asked pointing at the jars.
"They are human food," the clerk said with a smile. "They are called dill pickles."
They would take several home.
They would be a hit.
Especially for Optimus.
-0-At the Temple
He walked into the building after pausing to look around outside. It was quiet inside even though there were individuals both alone and in small groups throughout the structure. He stood in the Great Hall absorbing the familiarity once again. It was identical to the one that had been lost down to the smallest details. He knew. He had spent time there himself as a youth.
His family was religious. So was he. Feeling the warmth of the AllSpark and seeing the luminous beauty of the Well was incredibly soothing. He walked to the steps that led down to the relics. The AllSpark's enormous size extended from the lower level to the very top of the ground floor way above him.
Lights shown upon it, its coppery burnished surface with its deeply carved mysterious writings was beautiful to his optics. He took the steps one by one until he was there standing silently, staring upward at the relic. He finally drew himself together, walking toward it, this defining artifact that Megatron had sought so ruthlessly. He wanted to turn it into a weapon, another point of divergence between himself and the dictator. These relics could not be made to go against their basic instincts. They were pure and holy.
He paused by the Well staring into the deep blue undulating pool of energy. It was mesmerizing. Staring up again he looked at the AllSpark. Then he felt it, the energy of love and peace, the spirit of his maker and warrior-god, Primus. He had felt it before when he came and it was a highlight on Cybertron. Then it was gone and like all their people he felt its loss keenly. Now it was here, safe and restored.
Their reference point was here, restored by the Pantheon, by Primus himself to Optimus Prime. It was actually in his processor the only logical outcome. Surely Primus would only find disappointment in any other outcome. As he stood quietly he could feel energy approaching him, soft energy that made him happy. It paused beside him, the love of his life, the soft energy called Arrow.
"You look happy."
Paragon glanced at Arrow. "I am afraid to be. I am still assimilating the loss of an overriding ambition."
Arrow nodded. "I know. But I also know something else."
Paragon glanced at Arrow again. "What?" he asked with a slight grin.
"You'll get over it," Arrow replied with a grin of his own.
Paragon looked at him, then the Well. "If you say so."
"I do," Arrow said. "Come on. Let's go to Centurion."
"Why?" Paragon asked as the big Seeker tugged on his arm gently.
"Because that is where we get to live, Pari," Arrow said.
They walked across the room heading for the stairs. Up they went crossing the great central room together, chatting softly as they left the holy sanctuary that held the oldest and best part of their people. As they left, Armour and Lauren watched. When they were gone, the two turned and walked onward to fulfill their duties as well and with as much dedication as they had on Cybertron.
-0-In a hearing room at the same time
The group met together along with Fenix and the genitors of the patient and accused offender, Sio. He was not present. This hearing was the competency board that would decide whether Sio was fit to stand trial for his part of the bar fight that had precipitated the escalation of violence leading to bombings and the death of Commotion.
Semi who was hearing officer was going to make the decision based on the evidence and testing. Coln-2 had the state's interests even as Fenix was the counsel of record for Sio. Included on his team were two other lawyers who watched quietly from audience seats. Ratchet who was part of the hearing sat behind Coln-2 having left the house for the hearing.
Jarro and his team were there to present evidence of the youngling's mental state. Semi called the hearing to order, cautioned everyone on decorum, then turned to Jarro. "Sir, please present your findings. I would remind the court and everyone here that I have read the reports already. I am here to have them discussed to help make the best decision regarding the defendant, Sio. Please begin, Jarro."
Jarro nodded, then began. "We have tested the subject, a youngling mech named Sio who was born in a colony after the Fall. His genitors were mechs from Iacon, formerly highly placed high castes working in government service. He was raised in colonies and settlements having never been to Cybertron himself.
"This youngling has a good education with training in the law. He has not operated in his area of study, perhaps because of the uncertainty of their situation or perhaps because he is not interested in doing so. I am unclear even after 200 joors of conversations with him which it is.
"His health appears to be good and his overall functionality also optimal. CMO Ratchet who has examined this youngling will report on his medical condition more fully. My brief is his mental and emotional status. I would like to begin outlining the testing we followed, how that protocol works and what the conclusions are from administrating it. I also included an extensive counseling and conversational component so that I could render a complete and fulsome final set of conclusions about him.
"I have listed the particular possibilities that we tested him for including a number of mental illnesses, personality disorders and criminal dispositions. I was looking for possible processor originated dislocations leaving the search for physical sources to Ratchet. I would like to tell you my overall findings. I gave the court the details and the tests utilized. I will tell you them in this overview of my findings.
"I have disregarded the possibility of depression or deep personality disruptions that would be the cause of his bombastic emotionality and acting out. The possibility that this is caused by depression is not a concern here. He is not suffering that trait nor is he in my estimation a mech who has processor damage. I looked for that first to eliminate any physical cause of his behavior and actions. I don't find it to be a factor here. What I do find is a number of syndromes that I will list and describe.
"I believe that he exhibits anti-social traits that include defiant noncompliance and anti-social personality disorder. Some of the symptoms of this disorder are disregard for the law and rules, violating the rights of others as well as the manipulation and exploitation of others without any remorse or regret. Given our conversations, he meets many of the criteria which showed up in tests administered. He exhibits the following behaviors and traits. He uses others to get what he wants, is arrogant and lies. He acts aggressively, likes to fight and doesn't care about others. He has no remorse for any of it as well and feels that the rules and laws that we all live by don't apply to him."
"PREPOSTEROUS!" Sio's father said as he began to rise. Fenix caught his arm and they whispered. The mech sat with his upset bond gathering himself together. Fenix turned to Semi. "This is difficult your honor. I hope you understand."
"I do. I will also ask you to absent yourself if you cannot maintain some control, sir," Semi said as Sio's father nodded. "Yes," he said quietly. Semi nodded to Jarro. "Continue, Jarri."
Jarro nodded, glancing at Sio's genitors with a sympathetic expression. "As I said, they are aggressive and unable to feel any one elses point of view. He lies. A lot. But he also thinks he can be charming and get past his problems. He is a manipulator and I can see him getting around a lot of his behaviors in other places.
"This personality type is the center of their own universe and therefore their needs, wants and desires come first. No matter what harm they cause, these things come first. He is also a malignant narcissist. The testing allows for at least 20 traits to identify this type of disorder. He possesses 15 of the traits after testing and interviews. Among them are the tendency to lie, manipulate, break his word, act out violently, accuse others of what he does, as well as suffering from an intense sense of self entitlement. He is unable to understand normal emotions. He is very good at pretending them but they are beyond him. That are some of the problems that we have encountered in this youngling on that level.
"He is excessively preoccupied with personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity. He is very concerned to have control of his friends whom he can manipulate. It matters greatly to him and is a set of behaviors of another condition that testing shows he possesses, narcissistic personality disorder. Examples of this include but are not limited to the expectation to be recognized as superior and special, without superior accomplishments to make this possible ordinarily. He is awesome without them in his own personal view. Individuals thus afflicted require admiration and to be the center of attention at all times. He believes others envy him and he has many fantasies about himself as a superior person. He cannot feel others pain or inconvenience because his arrogance is over riding. No one is smarter or more attractive. No one is superior to him on any level, thus his belief that he can do what he wants without consequences.
"He has unrealistic expectations of himself and what he is entitled to expect. Entitlement is a very big component of his expectations. He is very good at playing the game during our testing periods. He believes he can slip past his examinations and counseling sessions, smugly manipulating himself out into the world again. He believes he is so smart, so intelligent he can talk his way out of his jams."
Semi nodded. "All of this is in the reports, Jarro. You had specialists test him, those who were experts in the Department of Processor Health on Cybertron?"
"We are greatly assisted with the presence of the best analysts and therapists Cybertron produced living here," Jarro said nodding. "We have worked very hard to be thorough and careful with this mech. It is always the focus of our profession to find the problem and work out how to help someone find their way again."
"What is your conclusions about this youngling, his processor health, ability to understand his situation and thus face the consequences of this whole process?" Semi asked.
Jarro looked at his pad a moment, then began. "It is our considerable unanimous conclusion that this youngling at present is unable to understand the public contract. He has an elevated sense of entitlement coupled with the conditions we have discovered about him that prevent him from fully understanding the situation he has placed himself in. He is also in my opinion after careful interviews and study a danger to himself and others. I would not recommend at this time that this youngling face a trial because I am convinced that he doesn't understand what he has done to put himself at this point. I also believe he would be dangerous to the colony to release from custody."
That was when Sio's atar rose up with a roar.
-0-TBC January 9, 2014 edited 5-13-14