Trial

[justbolts]

On my list of "fic ideas that will never get fully written", one is the Autobots having won the war, and Prowl putting pretty much everyone, from captured Decepticons to Optimus Prime himself, on trial for war time conduct.

Needless to say, this goes over well with no-body.

It's an idea that's exciting to me, because it'd pretty much be "moral conflict, incompatible ideals, ethnics, justice, politics, meaning of freedom", all explored in pages upon pages of conversations and internal dialog.

In short, ridiculously cerebral and themes better integrated into a more engaging story. But since they're in my head, have a couple scenes anyway.

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"Ah, noble Autobots and your hypocrisy," Starscream said, "Can't get you to shut up about freedom and yet, when it comes to living up to your words..."

He held out his arms and turned a circle, indicating the cell around him.

"...into the cages go anyone who disagrees with you."

"The freedom to live how you chose is your right, Starscream," Prowl said firmly, "But freedom from consequence is not. You will be held accountable for your actions and as your defense attorney, I will ensure it is done so fairly."

Starscream put a mocking hand over his spark. "My gratefulness knows no bounds. Don't pretend I've brought this on myself, Autobot," he said, "I wouldn't be here at all if Megatron's stupidity hadn't allowed you weaklings to overpower us. And that's all this war has ever been about." Beyond the glow of the energy bars, his optics flared bright and hot. "Power. Who has it and who wants it."

Prowl shook his head, in both denial and agreement.

Starscream was right; it had been about power. Power the Decepticons shattered worlds and each other rather than relinquish. Power the Autobots sacrificed their own lives to stop.

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"Yah can't mean ta put Optimus Prime on trial!" Ironhide shouted, "It's insane!"

Prowl looked up at him thoughtfully. Did Ironhide think his audio receptors were malfunctioning, or did he honestly think being loud would make Prowl agree with him?

"My logic and reasoning circuits are functioning within nominal parameters," he said.

"Yah know what I mean!"

Prowl reached up and fiddled with the manual audio control on his helm. Ironhide got the message and dropped his voice a few decibels.

"Look, I know yer all about justice an' I respect that," Ironhide said, "But putting Optimus up there, draggin' him through every choice he ever made, debatin' over whether it was lawful or not... what's that gonna accomplish? You an' I both know he had to do things that weren't exactly on level. Frag, we all did stuff that pushed the line. I swear to Primus Jazz an' his crew made a game outta dancin' on it. But sometimes we had to. It was a matter a' lives."

"The context of every situation will be taken into account," Prowl said, dogged determination entering his tone. Ironhide was not the first mech he'd had this fight with. "The point of the trial isn't to slap his motor relays over minor infractions, Ironhide. It's to reassure every Cybertronian, every sentient caught up in our war, that Optimus Prime acted decently, morally, and ethically. Or he will make appropriate reparations for failing to do so."

"...You fragger."

Ironhide's hands slammed down on the table in front of Prowl, scattering the stack of datapads he'd been slowly forcing himself through. Prowl didn't look away from the old warrior's face-plates. There was a lot of rage there, but behind the rage, more than anything, was love.

It was going to kill him to see Optimus put through this. It was going to kill Prowl, too.

"Is that what this is about? Convincin' a bunch of naysayers an' foreigners that our Prime was a good 'bot who's awful sorry for offendin' anybodies sensibilities? You gonna make like bringin' us alive through the war and defeatin' the Decepticons weren't 'reparation' enough?"

Ironhide leaned forward aggressively, invading Prowl's space.

"You do this, Prowl, it's just gonna be decades of draggin' his name through the slag. And you know what he's gonna do at the end of it? He'll take it. He'll just bow his head an' accept whatever ya' tell him. Then the next time we get another Megatron or Shockwave, 'bots are gonna look at Prime and they ain't gonna see the mech that saved us all. They ain't gonna see the leader we need to follow. All they're gonna see is every mistake, every misjudgment, every failure you lot pin on him."

A harsh ventilation cycle signaled Ironhide's effort to calm himself. When he spoke again, it was with the weight of regrets and guilt older than Prowl had been functional. "Jus' let it die, Prowl. Let the past die where it belongs."

Prowl held Ironhide's gaze silently for a long moment.

Finally, softly, he said, "If I give Cybertron anything, Ironhide, it will be a leader who isn't above the laws he enforces."

And if I give my leader anything, it will be the chance to ask for forgiveness.