Chain of Importance

++ Command Facilities <Decagon> ++
At the top of the Decagon are the command facilities, a series of security stations, war rooms, communication centers, debriefing facilities and exterior weapon control nodes. The topmost "ring" hallway and the floor just below it, the area has a clear view of the sky from the ironglass dome in the ceiling of the base. With just a guard wall rising to mid-height on most mechs on the left, the view of the interior Grand Hall is almost bird's eye. To the left are guarded bulkhead doors to the various command  centers. Security is tight, with triorian guards posted at the entrances,  exits and elevators, as this is where the most sensitive data and highest military and security officers on the planet work. Opulent quarters for  them are set up just below. Here the cladding of the walls, floors and ceiling are silvers, golds and blues, reflecting the colors of government and of the Primes.                                                         
Prowl has summoned asked to meet with Arcee again, in one of the smaller briefing rooms at the Decagon. He arrives first, but is reasonably certain he won't have to wait long. Arcee is a good soldier. He sits down at the table and starts checking through security logs, searching for anything suspicious.
Arcee arrives like a good soldier. She doesn't feel much like a soldier, yet, but she definitely feels more like she fits in here now, with a renewed sense of purpose. Once Prowl managed to get through to her, she completely embraced the ideals she was given. "You wanted to see me?" she asks, strolling into the office.
"That's correct." Prowl confirms with a nod. He gestures toward the seat across from him. "How have your investigations with Jazz been going?" he asks. "Anything of note to report?"
"I haven't been able to reach him," Arcee says. "In fact, I was going to ask you if he was currently on assignment, or if he's actually difficult to pin down."
"It's a bit of both." Prowl replies, looking slightly annoyed. "He can be a bit lackadaisical about his schedule at times. The officer sighs. "Anyway, in the meantime, there are a couple of people I'd like you to keep a special optic on. Rung, first of all. Especially since you appear to already be acquainted with him..." he pauses. "Hm. Speaking of which, how did you come to know him? Did you know him while you were working at the Primacy Auditorium?"
"I met him when he still had his clinic, and...yes, I think I was still working for Senator Proteus at the time," Arcee says. "I didn't know he was in trouble or having problems...to me, he always seemed like one of the kindest mechs I'd ever met. Which is why I was so relieved to find out he was actually still functining." She tilts her head quizically. "Why is he on a probationary status, and...and what, exactly, do you need me to look for?"
"Well he has been charged with illegal memory alteration." Prowl answers. "There is definitely evidence pointing toward him tampering with the memories of one of Ratbat's former agents. It's likely such alteration led to the assault that followed. But, fortunately for him, there is an option for those guilty of crimes that do not fall into the 'physical violence' category, specifically remediation programs. They allow him to join our ranks under probation, and once the terms of the program have been satisfied, he may be released from probation and become a regular enlisted mech."
Arcee nods, looking somewhat confused. Inwardly, she thinks there's a whole lot of levels of memory alteration going around. Maybe Rung's was the 'good' kind of alteration, and he was just unfortunate enough to have been framed as one of the bad ones. It could have happened. Either way, it wasn't legal. Even nice Rung had to pay the dues for breaking the law! "Okay. Do you think that he would actually attempt something like that *here*? I would think he'd be on his best behavior."
Prowl sighs. Rung was...complicated. "No, I doubt he would try to do the same thing that got him into trouble, but I am simply...concerned about him. It seems likely, based on his attitude, that he choose the program mostly because he didn't want to go back to prison." Obviously, who would? "Nor did he want to be a fugitive any more. Therefore I'm worried that he may be easily swayed by outside influences. I just want you to make sure he -doesn't- get swayed, and that he remains within the confines of the terms of the agreement. Speaking of which, I will get the document over to your hailing frequency immediately."
"Okay, sure! I can do that," Arcee agrees. Now, she's curious to know what these 'terms' entail. She imagines that they're fairly strict, or else Rung probably would have been a lot more outspoken when she saw him in the base.
"Excellent." Prowl nods. "The other individual I am concerned about is Skids." he says, moving on. "He acted rather brashly when he saw Rung being beaten in prison. Instead of informing his superiors of the abuse, he breached protocol himself and ran off with him without authorization. I believe the reasons behind his actions were beyond a simple lack of forethought." Skids is smarter than that.
"I don't know Skids very well," Arcee admits. "I think I might have met him in Nyon, when I went out there at one time to talk to Hot Rod..." She pauses. Should she have admitted that she talks to Hot Rod? Oh well, it's too late to take it back now! "But he's a lot like Hot Rod, he acts on what 'feels' right to him."
"Precisely." Prowl replies. He doesn't seem concerned that she's talking to Hot Rod. He trusts her. "That is my concern. He felt that Rung did not deserve to be in prison despite the fact that he broke the law. People like him, as well as Rung, I am afraid, don't realize that these...revolutionaries pose a serious threat to the planet's well-being."
"Well, Rung is someone who is motivated to help others. If it weren't for his ability to read the clues I was giving him when Drift planted a bomb in me, we would both be dead, but he immediately called for help. His courage inspired me to be something more than my original function and programming. So I can certainly see why many would say he doesn't deserve to be in the same place as, say, Blast Off," Arcee says.
"That could be." Prowl muses. "But he doesn't realize that we need to very careful with these sorts of people. It's easy to sympathize with them, and once you have, you may end up finding yourself on the wrong side of the law before you even realize what's happened."
"So how do you stop from sympathizing with them?" Arcee asks curiously. She knows that while Prowl seems fairly bereft of emotion, it isn't true that he has no feelings. Certainly, it's normal to listen to the voices of reason, even when they come from those who have broken the law. She just wants to know how he does it -- because apparently, that's the same thing that makes him an ideal second-in-command. Not that her own goals are even half as lofty, but she's been doing pretty well by listening to him so far!
"It isn't easy." Prowl admits. He himself...has -almost- sympathized with Rung. Of course, he doesn't admit -that-, though. "But you have to remain 100% objective as much as possible, and do your best not to become emotionally involved." Yeah, emotions are complicated. -Too- complicated. All they do is cloud better judgment. "Don't try to put yourself in their peds, just pretend you are an outsider, someone who knows absolutely nothing about the situation beyond the facts presented."
Arcee hrms. Pretend to be an outsider? This sounded awfully complicated to her! Perhaps it became easier with all of that professional training. She wonders if someday she could be an officer. (Probably not, then I'd have to do that 'think like an outsider' thing ALL the time,) she ponders. "OK, well I'll keep an optic trained on Rung, and I'll continue to get ahold of Jazz in the meantime."
"And Skids, if you can." Prowl presses. He pauses. "I trust you, Arcee. More than most, actually. In fact I think you're the only person I would trust with -this- particular assignment."
Arcee seems a little surprised, being a complete rookie. "Really?? Why not Pax, or Jazz? Why me?"
"Pax is a good soldier, don't get me wrong. So is Jazz." Prowl answers, waving a hand dismissively. "But I'm afraid both of them are far too idealistic and sympathetic towards those who -shouldn't- deserve it." In other words, too soft. "I can give them orders, but they're too prone to defaulting to their -own- 'better' judgment; their -own- sense of justice and of what they think is right or wrong, regardless of regulations or the actual law."
"You on the other hand, have never disappointed me."
Arcee wasn't sure what to make of this, exactly. But she did know two things for certain: she was on the right track, and she didn't want to disappoint Prowl. She wasn't scared of him, but...somehow, he had taken the place of Proteus in the 'chain of important mechs' in her life, and she absolutely didn't want to fall down on the job. "Very well, then. Is there anything else?"
Prowl shakes his head. "That will be all for now." But then he seems to think of something. "Wait, one more thing..." he pulls a strange little rubix cube-looking puzzle out of his subspace. Well it kind of resembles a Rubix cube, only far more complex. "Thought I'd give you this. Rung gave it to me, but I doubt I'll ever have time to make use of it. Not to say that you do, but you're more likely to than me, anyway."
Arcee smiles slightly, and takes the puzzle, turning it over in her hands. "Thanks! Hmm...strange sort of thing..." She heads out, trying to solve the thing but not meeting with much success. It won't occur to her until sometime later that Prowl actually gave her a GIFT. Okay, so it was technically a regift, but...he gave it to *her*!