The story is mostly located in Transformers Prime (TFP) Universum. Mostly. Some terms and ideas are taken from Generation 1 (G1), the Animated Series 2007, Combiner Wars, Transformers Armada, Transformers Energon.
I mix some things (eg. the base location is from TF Animated), simplify some other. With a purpose. In the end, it is a dream world.
The definitions explain terms used in this story the way I need the reader to understand them to get the full picture. They are not always fully accurate with all lores. This is not Wikipedia :D
How to read ways of communication:
"Normal text in inverted commas" - normal speaking
~"Tyldas and inverted commas"~ commlink/virtual communication (using communicators/external means)
~/Tyldas and slashes/~ internal bond transfers, relayed by thoughts chosen to be understood by the one "speaking"
::Italics with colons:: thoughts
When quoting algorithms or database content, please do not expect any fully fledged/correct script, I had to simplify for the sake of understandability for normal readers who are not nerds :D
Time measurements:
Click/Nanoclick = a short moment
Orn = ~1 day/planetary cycle (the period of time during which a planet /in our case Earth/ completes one full rotation)
Vorn = ~83 years (or just around a century, who cares how much it is precisely)
Eon = division of time encompassing a full geological cycle of a planet = very very long, the whole history of Earth is a few eons in fact
Other terms (alphabetically):
Allspark = An artefact of Primus, a source of sparks, capable of creating new life by introducing a spark into eg. a cold constructed body.
Backstrut = spine
Carrier = a very rare type of a bot that is able to carry a symbiont, a smaller, animal-like bot that he/she coexists with and can use for different tasks as an extension of his/her skills and abilities. Carriers care for symbionts, feed and heal them, they are indispensable for symbionts to live. However carriers and symbionts are separate beings and they have their own minds, by which they can communicate very closely. They are not one and the same person. In our case Soundwave is a carrier to Laserbeak.
It should not be confused with "pregnant" as can be found in some other stories. Not here :)
CNA = DNA equivalent, genetic code of Cybertronians
Cold construction = artificial way of creation of bots that are built and later implanted artificially with a bit of spark (can be someone else's). Cold constructed bots could be less sentient and more "robotic" in comparison to the forged ones. Many Decepticons were constructed cold. At least in some versions of the universe.
Comms = communications
Cons = short for Decepticons
Cortical Psychic Patch = a procedure/protocol/tool for reading someone else's mind via special connection allowing to access the depth of the victim's memory. It was developed by Shockwave in the beginning of the the Great War, but banned by Autobots as "inhumane".
Dark Energon (also: Unicron's Blood) = inverted destructive version of Energon, a powerful drug giving great strength and abilities to its bearer but also corrupting the judgement by turning its user to serve Unicron's greater (evil) aims.
EM field (also: field) = electromagnetic field around a bot, everybody has that, even humans. Similarly to the facial expression or body language, it may give indication of feelings and mood of a person. It can be controlled to some extent through training and self-discipline.
Energon (also: blood) = the life giving/nurturing substance - in nature it takes a form of dried crystals, but inside the body resembles some sort of blood and functions similarly to blood. Too much loss of it means the spark may get extinguished = death
ETR - estimated time of recovery
Femme = a female bot (just a conventional designation referring to sort of a gender only as they do not have humanly understood physical sexes and eventually it doesn't matter too much on everyday basis)
Forged = (way of birth of a Cybertronian) - naturally created of an energy pulse (from the Allspark or Vector Sigma depending on the universe version) that ignited (randomly as I presume) a hot spot in Cybertron where new sparks would emerge from the planet's matter - it implies creation of sentient beings with feelings and souls, analogue to those that Earth people have. Most Autobots were forged (some of them allegedly born of a relationship or spark duplication but this is too mysterious to get into exactly what it means ^^)
Frag, slag (and forms thereof) = swear words :) Translate to what you like and feel inappropriate enough
Groundbridge = the main teleporting method for short distances used by Transformers (vs. space bridge for interstellar travel) - normally executed with complex devices, but Soundwave mastered it as his skill and he is the only one that can do it with his bare hands ;) without additional external equipment. Like a couple of other things that he can also do and nobody knows exactly how.
Grounder = a bot with ground-based alternative mode
Highgrade = type of Energon that works the same as alcohol for humans :)
Mech = a male bot (just a conventional designation referring to sort of a gender only as they do not have humanly understood physical sexes and eventually it doesn't matter too much on everyday basis)
Nemesis = Decepticon warship orbiting Earth, where everybody sits and gets bored planning new evil plans. *Nothing* to do with Nemesis Prime. Contrary to the original in TFP, Nemesis in my story is female. It just felt better this way.
Offline = unconscious (can be also through sleeping). It does *not* mean dead. For dead I use "dead" :) That is not exactly in line with some cartoons, but it was confusing in my opinion otherwise.
Organicon = the mysterious substance they were looking for, I totally made it up.
Peds = legs, feet
Phaseshifter = a tool that allows crossing through objects by altering the quantum nature of the matter of which they are constructed :). It is an example of a relic.
Predacons = semi animalistic, very powerful intelligent Cybertronians, whose main form was that of a dragon, but they could also transform to humanoid. They are extinct but Shockwave tries to revive them by extracting CNA from their bones and cloning it.
Primus = a god figure that is used mainly as figure of speech, but in fact there exists a person called Primus of a semi-godly nature of a primal creator. He can be also understood as the main force of nature (a force of good and construction, as opposed to the evil Unicron, force of destruction).
Protoflesh/protometal = the core substance embedding mechanical and functional parts of a bot, sort of a flesh, which holds things together, can feel and move, and most importantly that contains self-repair mechanisms and out of which the new components can be created in case of damage.
Recharge (also: powerdown) = sleep... sort of.
Relics = special weapons and powerful objects casted across the world, both Autobots and Decepticons are desperately looking for them, to gain advantages over the other fraction and also in Autobots' case to secure them from irresponsible use. Phaseshifter is an example of a relic.
Seeker = a bot with airborne alternative mode
Servos = hands/arms
Shadow zone = a location hanged outside the natural dimensions where one can land accidently as a result of failed teleportation when two groundbridges interact. In reality it is a painful glitch of reality - someone trapped there can hear and see everything but cannot touch it, he is like a ghost and nobody realizes his existence. He can be saved only from the outside by reversing the groundbridge configuration, but for they would need to know their location and existence as such. So basically it is really screwed up to end up there.
Spark = the heart and the soul. The life force of all Cybertronians. Can be in a form of a crystal or a crystallic light/energy glow structure. Residing inside the body, usually the chest.
Sparked = born, alive, having a spark
Sparkling = child or baby
Stasis (even worse: stasis lock) = deep unconsciousness, coma
Symbiont (also: familiar) = a smaller, animal-like bot fully dependant on its carrier due to the needs of nutrition and survival, as it cannot feed or heal by itself, and has to use the system of its carrier for that. Symbionts are also very attached to their carriers and do not change them too often although theoretically it is possible. Both carriers and symbionts are separate beings and they have their own minds, by which they can communicate very closely.
Tentacles (also: datacables, feelers) = a tool that Soundwave has as part of his equipment or in fact very strong and sensitive limbs of his body that nobody else has - they look like quite long extendible cables with hydraulics inside and all in it allowing both to lift stuff and connect to data interfaces. Multifunctional, they do not only transmit data but are also capable of complex manual operations, including surgery through their multitool endings equipped with super-thin connectivity tendrils. They extend from the sides just above his waist and below the chest armour.
Unicron = a satan figure, the god of destruction (the opposite force to Primus). He manipulates through promises of power and dominance. He is the source of dark energon, called also Unicron's blood, a powerful drug giving great strength but also corrupting the judgement by turning its user to serve Unicron's greater aims.
Vehicons = mass constructed Decepticon soldiers (cannon fodder).