Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Transformers. I just play with them. I only own my OC's.
Time:
Astro-second = 1.258 Earth seconds
1 nanocycle/nanoklik = 10 seconds
1 cycle/klik = 60 nanocycles/nanokliks 120 seconds
Breem = 15 kliks 30 minutes
1 joor = 1.3 Earth days
Solar cycle/orn = 24 joor 31.557 Earth days
Vorn = 10 orn
Groon = 8 vorn
Orbital cycle = 12 groon 83 human years
Deca-cycle = 10 orbital cycles
Centi-cycle/Mega cycle = 100 orbital cycles
Meta cycle = 1,000 orbital cycles
Communication:
:: comm. link ::
- Bondmates/sparkmates -
~: creator/creation bond :~
: sibling bond :
~ spark twin bond ~
Thoughts/memories/flashbacks/dreams/singing
[symbiot/symbiot carrier]
= telepathy =
Seeker Cant
Cybertron is getting colder. I'm starting to wonder if I started the garden too early. I'll have to find out how I'm supposed to prepare the young crystals for winter. I may need to build a greenhouse of sorts to protect the crystals I haven't planted yet.
Iacon is on the northern hemisphere of the planet not very far from the deserted amusement park, 6 Lasers of Cybertron, occupying the northern pole. Kaon, Vos, and Praxus are on the southern pole.
I wonder if it will snow here or not. I have seen the acidic rains a couple of times and Bladestream made the mistake of flying in it for a few minutes and got acid burns on his armor. The bots laughed at his misery for days. But rain was no big deal on Earth. You could stay out in a light shower and be fine. A severe downpour would soak you is seconds, but it didn't eat your skin off. It took a whole vorn for those burns to clear up.
…
Jazz has left again. He doesn't stay long anymore. Energon rations are being cut shorter. The Bots are running low on energon. I think Jazz is trying to find more. I hope that he finds some soon. The troops are getting cranky …
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
The figure … was Soundwave.
Bladestream was apprehensive. Soundwave's presence could mean any number of things, but no matter why he was here, he posed a great threat. And he was making Wing Saber nervous.
Bladestream stepped forward and flared his armor. He had caught on quickly that Cybertronians flared their armor in anger, annoyance, or as a show of strength.
Bladestream was fully prepared to engage Soundwave, should the need arise, but he had a feeling that Soundwave had not come to instigate a fight. And Soundwave's distance confirmed this. Bladestream could sense that the Decepticon was cautious, but at the same time was feeling them out. He was keeping a safe distance between himself and the two Seekers.
Bladestream raised an optic ridge, questioning Soundwave's motives in being here.
= Soundwave: wishes no harm. Intention: observe, evaluate. Desire: train new telepaths. =
So, Soundwave was telepathic. Bladestream had figured that he himself was telepathic to a degree. It would probably be best to respond in kind.
= For what purpose? = Bladestream asked.
= Intention: train new telepaths. Power: unrefined. Directive: stop the war, help Megatron. =
= We have no intention in joining the Decepticons. = Bladestream replied.
= Recruitment: not necessary. Young telepaths: desire to remain independent. Independent you must remain. Vital for the end of the war. =
Bladestream cocked his helm as something in the back of his processor told him that Soundwave could not be trusted. = How is training us vital to the end of the war? Why us? =
Soundwave did not answer, but instead turned his attention to Wing Saber, who had been pacing behind him and getting more and more agitated by the moment. She touched his arm. "Bladestream?" she asked, worry very clear in her voice.
= Sister's power: weak. Strong empath. Easily influenced by emotions. Must be trained. Your power: unrefined. Telepathy: key to war's end. Telepathy will help you understand the motives of others. =
= I don't see how telepathy is the sole thing that will stop the war. There is more to it than that. Most of the problem resides in the sparks of the individuals, not the minds. =
Wing Saber seemed to have not heard a word that Soundwave or Bladestream had been saying. She kept poking Bladestream's side of the bond, asking for information, begging to know what was going on.
Soundwave looked to Bladestream, silently asking permission to help Wing Saber.
Bladestream had no idea what Soundwave had in mind, but was curious to see what he would do. He nodded, his wings lowering a little, easing from their tense, guarded position.
= Your unease is influencing her. Calm yourself and project calmness to her. =
Soundwave began to approach Wing Saber, stopped a few yards away, getting optic contact with her.
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Wing Saber's battle protocols went into stand-by. She widened her stance, taking a step back.
Soundwave's presence here was not good. He was the Decepticon head of communication. He was also an ex-gladiator like Megatron. She had been burnt by an ex gladiator once and was not keen on confronting another one.
All sorts of possible outcomes ran through her processor. At the very least, he was satisfying his or his symbionts' curiosity. At the worst, he was going to call the Decepticon army on the place.
The calmness and reassurance that were entering her processor were only adding to her worry. She backed up.
Wing Saber looked at Bladestream. He had not moved. He just kept staring at Soundwave. His optical ridges would move and his face would shift, but Wing Saber could not piece together what was going on. Bladestream was not answering her when she tried to get information through the bond. She could sense that Bladestream didn't trust Soundwave, but was okay with Soundwave nearby.
She was starting to get more and more nervous. She touched Bladestream's arm in an attempt to get her brother's attention.
She suddenly felt Soundwave's attention snap to her. She looked at his blank mask. She could tell they had locked optics. She couldn't tell you how she knew, but she had Soundwave's full attention at the moment. Not good, she thought.
Bladestream's field calmed down and his spark eased. He began to project the same calmness that Soundwave had been.
: It's alright, Wing Saber. He's not here to harm us. :
She wanted to ask him how in the world did he know this, when Soundwave began to advance towards her. Wing Saber liked his cassettes, but Soundwave … she didn't know about him.
Wing Saber flared her wings and hissed a warning. She knew that Soundwave was close to Megatron and an ex gladiator. Wing Saber was not keen on confronting the silent Seeker, but was more than willing to tell him to back off. Yet despite the warning, Soundwave continued to advance.
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Sharpshot wasn't thrilled about being placed with the neutrals and having to dig in the dirt. He would rather be out in the field kicking Con tailpipe. He stood and stretched the muscle cables in his arms. Maybe his roommate was right, maybe some manual labor would do him some good.
When he went back to loosening up the slab of debris so that it could be melted down, a shadow passed over him. He looked over his shoulder and saw one of the neutrals passing by. It was Bladestream. As tall as the Terror Twins, Bladestream housed a lot more power than both twins combined.
The tense position of the Seeker's wings caused Sharpshot to worry. He was no expert, but he had seen enough wing movements among the arielbots and Praxians to know when a winged bot was bothered. He watched as Bladestream approached his sister … Wing Saber, if he remembered right … and began to talk to her in that funny language that Seekers spoke. Wing Saber cocked her helm at him and looked at him curiously. The two soon walked off and headed for the southern border of the "garden".
Something just didn't sit right. His gut told him that the Seekers were about to find trouble. He abandoned his work and followed them, keeping a safe distance behind the pair, as he had heard that Wing Saber's EM field was much more sensitive than most Autobots and could detect a bot's presence long before the bot knew that she was there.
The Seekers stopped a ways away from the border of the garden. They seemed to be scanning the area. Wing Saber's wing were acting like giant radars.
Unlike most winged bots, Wing Saber's wings were in constant motion, even when she would fall into recharge at random times in the rec room. Those things were never still.
Wing Saber saw something and nearly jumped out of her armor, taking a step back. Bladestream turned towards her, followed her gaze and suddenly stiffened. Sharpshot strained his optics on max zoom, but couldn't seem to see whatever it was that had gotten them spooked.
Just when he was about to get the scope of his rifle out so that he could see better, he spotted something that made his energon turn cold.
Soundwave emerged from the shadows of a war torn building.
Now it had been rumored around the base that these Seekers had come from Shockwave's labs and that they escaped. If that were true, it would make sense that they were scared of Soundwave. Soundwave's presence here was not a good thing. He needed to contact Optimus Prime.
To Sharpshot's relief, his commlink wasn't jammed. He decided to skip the commander on his unit and go straight to Red Alert. Red Alert would make sure that the higher ups would know of Soundwave's presence here.
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Soundwave was too close for comfort. Wing Saber backed up and growled at him, her wings lowering subconsciously, acknowledging his age and experience level above her own. She knew she could never take him on and win, but if he continued to push it …
She shook her helm as whispers and other weird feeling assaulted both her field and her processor. The problem was, her field was registering one thing and her processor was registering another. Neither one could seem to agree on what Soundwave was trying to communicate. And her processor was starting to hurt.
She glared at Soundwave. She could almost see the light of his optics from behind the dark glass of his visor. His optics locked with her own.
Wait a klik, Soundwave was a telepath, right? If so, then maybe Wing Saber should try to tune out what her field telling her and try to figure out what her helm was getting.
Soundwave's optics seemed to express his approval as the assault of emotions on her processor increased. If she looked away, it became harder to sort out the emotions. Yet at the same time, to look into his optics met that the whispers increase in volume and that was a distraction. Either way, all it did was make her helm go from an annoying throb to pounding pain.
Wing Saber's engine gave off a submissive rumble as she put Bladestream in between her and Soundwave, hoping that it would break the connection she and Soundwave had at the moment. The whispers and the emotions suddenly stopped, leaving her a mite dizzy. Wing Saber sat down, the processor ache easing slightly. She groaned softly, holding her helm in her servos. A processor ache was one type of pain she couldn't tolerate very well.
Bladestream moved away from her, not very thrilled with Soundwave.
Whatever, she thought, as long as Soundwave doesn't do that again.
Something rubbed against her stabilizer. She opened her optics to find Ravage rubbing his helm against her. Wing Saber spared a servo to scratch the feline behind the audios.
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Wing Saber's pain hit his systems like liquid fire. Soundwave just crossed the line. Bladestream's optics blazed, his engine revved, his turbine flared to life, and his wings rose to their maximum span and height. = What did you do? = he demanded.
Soundwave looked at him, raising a servo. Soundwave had not meant to irritate Bladestream. = Aggression: not needed. Soundwave: assessed Wing Saber's abilities. =
"Ravage: eject." A black cassette tape ejected from Soundwave's chest and transformed into a black cat. The cat spotted Wing Saber right away. Its optics flashed with worry and it ran over to her, rubbing his helm against stabilizer.
= Wing Saber: borderline telepath. Misunderstood Soundwave's test. Training: top priority. Respect needed before training can begin. =
Bladestream looked back at his sister. "So that whole thing was a show of dominance?" he asked, his ire only mildly settled.
= Negative. Dominance: necessary, but not the goal. =
Bladestream knew that Soundwave was telling the truth. Wing Saber had once said that Soundwave was the one Con who would always tell the truth. He didn't sense any falsehoods or alternate motives.
"You really just want to train us?"
"Who wants to train who?" Wing Saber asked. Bladestream raised his servo to say "please hold, wait"; a gesture used by many military personnel back on Earth. He'd tell her later.
Soundwave nodded.
= Art of Telepathy: lost, destroyed be the High Council. Telepaths: terminated or sold. Soundwave: sold to the Pits. Met Megatron there. Megatron: very different then. Telepaths: a threat to the Council. Telepaths: messengers of Primus. Speak Primus's will. Bladestream, Wing Saber: sent by Primus. Must stop the war. =
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Soundwave was desperate. He wanted his friend back. He wanted Megatron to be happy again. He knew the strength of Bladestream's power from just this conversation. He had the triplechanger's curiosity piqued. Soundwave allowed memories of when Megatron was truly himself, how Soundwave remembered him to be, to come to the forefront of his mind and hoped that Bladestream would get the message.
Soundwave's spark lifted when he saw understanding is Bladestream's optics. Bladestream looked at the ground, his lip plates forming a firm line that was almost hidden by his facial hair. He turned to his sister, who had forgotten momentarily about the processor ache Soundwave had accidentally caused, and the two seemed to converse over their sibling bond. Soundwave chose not to look into their processors, giving them privacy and space.
Wing Saber shrugged and Bladestream turned back to him.
= We need time to think about this. We can't just accept your training. Even if we do, we have to let Optimus know. We are under his protection. =
Soundwave nodded. "Soundwave: acknowledges request. Will return here in three orns for reply. Ravage: return."
With a final helm but, Ravage returned to his master. Once Ravage was safely tucked inside Soundwave's chassis, Soundwave transformed and left.
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Bladestream looked back at his sister. "You okay?" he asked.
Wing Saber nodded. "Thinkin' about goin' ta Ratchet fur some pain killers. I hate headaches." She stood up and the two began to walk back to the garden. "Any idea as to what that was all about?"
"The whole visit or the helm ache?"
Wing Saber smile sheepishly. "Both, kinda."
"The helm ache was a side effect of Soundwave trying to gauge your telepathic abilities. What he wasn't looking for, was telepathic dominance, which you acknowledged. The encounter as a whole, was to try to see if we were open for training."
"To become telepaths?"
Bladestream shook his helm. "He said we were already telepaths. He wanted to refine our abilities. Claimed that training us would end the war."
Wing Saber hummed and looked away. She mulled over something before turning back to him.
"Did he really show you those things? Were they really his memories?"
Bladestream nodded. "I don't believe that he was lying to me. He seemed pretty desperate. He wants the old Megatron back."
"Maybe we should have accepted his offer."
"We need to notify Optimus first. He will be able to give us some valuable insight. I don't trust Soundwave."
Wing Saber rubbed where her temple would be if she was still human. "I'm just glad Gears isn't here. If he saw us with Soundwave, I'd never heard the end of it."
Bladestream bristled. "I won't allow that. You've got to start telling me when he talks like that to you."
"Yes, but if I do, then it'll look like I can't handle my own battles. You don't always need to come to my rescue. I just need you to keep Mirage off of me." Wing Saber would rather deal with racial comments from the minibots than bots who think they're playboys.
"Want me to escort you to the medbay?"
His sister smiled, optics shining with appreciation. "Gotta pass off my duties to someone else, then we can go."
~~~~~SSSsssSSS~~~~~
Bladestream and Wing Saber parted ways at the medbay. Wing Saber went to see Ratchet while Bladestream headed for Optimus's office.
Optimus had wanted to gather his inner circle of officers, but Bladestream didn't want everyone to know what had transpired between himself and Soundwave.
Optimus was reading a report (twin prank that put Tracks in the medbay with a permanent bright pink paint job) when Bladestream knocked.
"Come in, Bladestream."
Bladestream entered and shut the door. Optimus sent a command for it to lock.
"Please, have a seat."
Bladestream looked at the chair, deciding it was not wing-friendly. "No thanks, I will stand."
Optimus nodded. "I apologize. I must get Seeker friendly chair in here. Prowl prefers standing so much that I have not done so." He looked at the black triplechanger. "What happened with Soundwave?"
Bladestream crossed his arms, "Remember a few orns ago, when you sent bots out to retrieve some spies?"
Optimus did remember.
"I was in the communications room when I felt a brush against my mind, a very different feeling from the spark bonds I am used to. I would hear a voice in my mind, the voice wanted me to come to its owner's location. I didn't follow it then, not sure of its origins.
"This orn, I … once again … felt this same feeling and calling in Wing Saber's garden. I ask Wing Saber about it and she tells me that she feels something similar. We both go looking for the source, but once it became clear that the origin was outside the garden, we did not go very far past the garden border. Now, Wing Saber was able to pinpoint the source and," he raise a digit in the air, "it was Soundwave. Soundwave didn't want to fight with me or Wing Saber, but he did want to analyze an ability that he sensed that we had."
"Telepathy …" Optimus rumbled.
Bladestream nodded, gesturing to Optimus. "Right, and he said as much. Wing Saber's telepathic abilities are not as strong as mine, so trying to go from empathy to telepathy gave her a processor ache. I already told her about what Soundwave said, but the gist is this; he wants to train the two of us, refine our abilities, and encourage telepathic growth.
"He said that Wing Saber was border-lined between telepath and empath, but she could get there with training. However, he will not force us to accept training, if we don't want it. He will meet us there again in three orn to hear our answer."
"Did he do anything to Wing Saber?" Optimus asked, concerned about her absence.
"He tried to communicate with her telepathically, only to give her a bad processor ache. I think he felt bad for it, since he dispatched his feline casseticon to make her feel better." Bladestream said. He let an unspoken question hang in the air.
Optimus sighed. "I cannot tell you whether you should or should not accept Soundwave's offer. You alone must decide if you want Soundwave's teaching.
"However, I advise you to be extremely cautious. Soundwave is the Decepticon Communications Officer, as well as Megatron's third in command. Soundwave has been with Megatron far longer than I have. If Megatron wants to use him as a method to get you to join the Decepticons, there will not be much to stop Soundwave from doing so."
"I am aware of that, Optimus. I do not trust Soundwave completely, though I do not believe him to be lying when he said that he wanted to train us in the ways of a telepath. It does bother me that Soundwave would do something like this outside of Megatron's knowledge." Bladestream said, stroking his beard.
"It really isn't that unusual, given Soundwave's species." Ratchet said, causing Bladestream to turn to him, wings up in a guarded gesture, clearly upset by Ratchet's entrance. Optimus had not heard him come in.
Ratchet waved a dismissive servo at Bladestream. "I have medical overrides. There isn't a room I don't have access to.
"Soundwave is a Seeker, just as you are. With Seekers, it has always been 'blood before faction'. Most Seekers still follow this code, which greatly irritates Megatron, but there is little he can do about it. Starscream is one of the few Seekers who have abandoned their own code of honor."
Bladestream nodded in understanding.
"As far as Wing Saber is concerned, her processor is just overworked. Give her time alone to rest and she'll recover. If next time you see Soundwave, tell him not to pull that stunt again.
"Whatever you decide, Bladestream, rest assured that we will everything in our power protect you and your family." Optimus promised, wanting to protect the young Seekers from further harm by Decepticon servos.
Even though Bladestream nodded and said thank you, Optimus could tell by the look in his optics that Bladestream didn't quite believe him. And it made his spark clench.
Bladestream left, likely to see to his sibling.
"Don't take it personal, Orion." Ratchet's gentle voice drew Optimus's attention away from the closed door. "Neither Bladestream nor Wing Saber are very trusting. It has nothing to do with your ability to protect them. Even Stardust is reluctant to trust anyone. It stems from their past. Their sire wasn't the best of role models … nor any other male for that matter. It's part of why Bladestream and Wing Saber are as close as they are. Stardust told me some of what they went through."
"Did Wing Saber reveal any details of their encounter?" Optimus asked, trying to ignore the ache in his spark.
Ratchet shook his helm. "Nothing other than the fact that she thought Soundwave was trying to communicate something to her. Attempting to understand him gave her a helm ache."
Optimus rumbled in acknowledgement and looked back to the door. "I do not believe they are telling us everything. Bladestream was phrasing his words carefully, as though he were hiding some information."
"The more he comes to trust you, the more he will reveal. Give him some time." Ratchet patted the Prime on his shoulder strut and left the office.
Optimus stared at the door for some time before commanding it to open about thirty degrees. He prayed to Primus that Soundwave didn't plan to harm the neutrals. They had been through enough.
Finally done! Feedback is greatly appreciated!