Hello again dear readers! :D For argument sake and for the curious, I'm using the standard definitions of empathy and telepathy. The difference? Telepaths communicate using methods other than the standard five senses recorded by humans, theoretically they can project their thoughts and hear thoughts. Empaths simply feel the emotions around them. It's a fine line, but a line regardless, and grounds for a white lie none the less :D

Anyway. Chapter!

Chapter 177 – Repercussions

(IPOV)

Ironhide glared at Soundwave, sitting stock still in his friction cuffs.

He'd known the bot was a telepath! And now, the bot was a proven liar!

He glanced over in relief as his Primes entered the Central, Kae and Optimus were about two microunits shy of simply binding themselves into one unit. Bumblebee silently following them, watching his sister with relieved optics.

But the Primes were present now, he could start his interrogations. Jazz was standing beside him, a matching glare on his faceplates. Or at least, Ironhide figured the saboteur was glaring.

Stupid visors.

"You better get explaining yourself bot," he growled at Soundwave.

"Soundwave: sense spark-emergency. Result: take action," the bot stated quietly.

Yeah yeah, the second Prime had gone to his knees Ironhide had known Kae was in trouble. That didn't explain the slagging telepath attacking his Prime!

"Soundwave: did not attack Optimus Prime!" the telepath growled the next second, his face flashing up to look at Ironhide.

"You look me in the optic to say that!" Ironhide snarled right back at the slagging telepath. He damn near sat down in shock when Soundwave's visor retracted though. His optics were blue!? What the slag!?

"Soundwave: has never used telepathic abilities in available memories," the bot snarled at him. "Soundwave: has repeatedly refused to use telepathic abilities against others, and has done so long before Weapons Master was a sparking!"

Soundwave's emotional circuits were obviously well along in their repairs.

"Lady Prime: Repair and revive Soundwave using her own energon. Soundwave: proudly accept kinship with Lady High Protector. Soundwave: gladly forfeit life in service of Lady High Protector, with and now without my loyalty circuits! Or would you prefer me to have taken no action, and allowed our Primes to remain in spark-emergency status!?"

Ironhide stayed frozen, right where he was. Soundwave had dropped his monotone entirely, and even in his friction cuffs he was standing, optic to optic with him.

"And I assure you, Weapons Master, the dozen slaggings that I remember enduring have done nothing to rid me of the excess coding that allow me to feel your current shock. If you cannot believe that I would never willingly allow harm to my little-sister or her mate, then believe that I would truly rather not feel the fear, the loathing and the hatred directed at my spark for the way the all-spark created me."

Dead silence.

Ironhide unfroze just enough to sit heavily on the bench behind him.

"Why is my advisor-primary in friction cuffs?" Kae asked finally, the calm, deceptive tone that clearly stated 'get the friction cuffs off of my advisor or else.' Jazz was moving the next second, which was good, because Ironhide was frozen, staring at the bot he'd sworn to offline on sight so many vorn ago.

Soundwave was rolling his shoulder joints the next moment, ridding himself of the discomfort of friction cuffs.

Wait.

"Why can I feel your shoulders kinkin' up?" Ironhide growled softly.

Then the most astonishing thing. Soundwave's faceplates took on a cast of long-suffering exasperation.

"Apologies, once the telepathic bonds are allowed to manifest, it's slagging difficult to cease them," the bot stated tiredly. "And before you begin worrying about it... more," the bot stated in tired irritation, turning a mild glare at Ironhide. "No. I cannot erase your processors. Yes, technically I can see the entirety of your memories, but it is tiring and far easier to accomplish with spark-contact. No, I cannot reprogram you to believe you're a Decepticon or control your mind. The spark does not allow such a thing. I cannot even control my symbionts without their co-operation!"

"Oh yeah, and what about Lugnut?" Ironhide rumbled in a challenging tone.

"Lugnut? You have found Lugnut?" Soundwave asked curiously, Ironhide raised his brow ridges at the sudden change in the mech.

"Yeah, what about him?" Ironhide rumbled with a frown.

"Take me to him!" Soundwave stated immediately, making for the doors. "Where is he? That is an entirely different matter! Some of his memories were slagged from his spark, but the only way I could devise to keep his creations safe was to block his physical memory drive. That is a physical re-coding, if he's on this planet he and his creations are safe enough for him to remember himself!"

"Why now?" Ironhide asked curiously, rising and following the mech. He'd kept wrecker younglings safe amid the Decepticon ranks?

"Yes." Soundwave stated patiently, starting and stopping toward the doors, obviously waiting for a bot to lead him.

"Stop reading my mind," Ironhide rumbled grumpily.

"What?" Kae asked curiously behind him.

"Soundwave kept Wrecker younglings safe among the Decepticon ranks," Ironhide rumbled, glancing at his Primes as they began to follow.

"How?" Kae asked curiously, looking at her advisor.

"Sometimes the only way to get Shockwave to cease his experimentations is to make it appear that it was an absolute failure. Which it was, Lugnut never once wished to accept the Decepticon insignia." Soundwave stated, already well ahead of them now. "If I am to be unable to cease the use of telepathy for the next orn then I wish to use it properly. Re-connecting Lugnut's spark with his memories for example. I blocked his memories, enough so that he retained the intelligence level of a youngling, the only thing he remembers of his history is how and why he is protecting Bolt and Wingnut."

Soundwave transformed, engines already revving and waiting impatiently.

::. But whah!?.:: Jazz demanded, transformed and idling behind the mech.

Ironhide began to transform himself, prepared to lead the mech to the old Wrecker.

::. The care of the younglings falls to all of us.:: Soundwave stated flatly.

Okay, right back to root mode. Ironhide snorted in irritation, it had been a long time since a single statement was enough to shock him into reversing his transformation.

But come on, that coming from a Decepticon!?

::. I was not always Decepticon, never once have I shared Megatron's lust for power.::

::. I said quit reading my mind!.:: Ironhide growled on the Primary, re-starting his transforming sequence and succeeding this time.

::. I'm sorry, you're literally projecting your thoughts of me!.:: Soundwave growled back. ::. You tell me to stop reading your mind, I may as well tell you to stop thinking so loudly!.::

::. No lust fo' powah? Tha's a bi' rich comin' from the advisah-primah'y fo' the pas' three Lahds and Lady Hah Protectahs.:: Jazz informed the mech with a snort.

True.

::. There are two primary ways to enact change, Saboteur, I chose to attempt peaceful change within the system, rather than the violence of revolution to cease the slagging of those of us who are different.::

(MPOV)

My Optimus and I watched with matching smiles as Ironhide, Jazz and Soundwave drove out of headquarters, on their way to Nevada. We strode to the entrance bay, unconcerned about being seen in our bipedal frames outside of our headquarters.

Everyone knew we were here anyway.

Jetfire chose that moment to land, striding toward me the next second.

"Granddaughter!" he rumbled worriedly, immediately reaching out and touching my face as Starscream and his trine mates landed behind him.

"I'm alright," I murmured gently as the trine moved to circle us. "Give me a bit, I'd like to get the spark-tear healed up and maybe a new paint-job before we go up again.

All four fliers and my mate stared at me in shock.

I cycled my optics and canted my head to the side somewhat.

"What?" I asked curiously, looking around at them.

"You actually wish to return to space after-" Starscream choked out in a stunned tone.

"Why not?" I frowned. "I'm just not going to touch a bridge with a ten unit pole anymore."

"How did you get back here!?" Thundercracker demanded in shock.

"Soundwave-" I started.

"Oh right, the telepathic big-brother saves the day, again," Skywarp snorted.

I looked at the flier in confusion.

"Oh come on, every-bot but Megatron and Shockwave knows he's a telepath," Starscream snorted cheerfully. "He's good at hiding, I'll give him that, but when you watch him in the middle of a battle deflecting blows damn near the second a bot thinks to aim it-"

"Then you know he's got one up on you," Thundercracker finished for his dominant trine-mate with a broad grin.

"And you know to not slag him off," Skywarp added with a snort.

"What the slag did you do to your PAINT!?" Sunstreaker's voice howled behind me. I turned slightly and couldn't help the snort of amusement at the scandalized look on the predator's face. Sideswipe looked quite prepared to fall over, a hand already covering his vocal processors.

"I went too fast re-entering the atmosphere," I shrugged patiently.

"Yeh're lucky yeh didna burn up on your re-entry," my grandfather rumbled irritably. "Now let's get inside, there's a debriefin' what needs tae be said. Sentinel!"

"Seeker Jetfire," Sentinel rumbled, pulling up and transforming with Ratchet behind him. "Have you news on my ship?"

"Aye, th' wreckers'll be able tae fix 'er righ' up fer yeh, th' engines are fine. But I recommend yeh bridge th' wreckage tae the Wrecker's base rather than tryin' tae bring 'er back wi' th' ships." Jetfire rumbled firmly. "She's nae bein' held together by more'n tae bolts an' a nut. Yeh sure know how tae fly 'em, Prime."

I snorted as Sentinel shot a mild glare at my grandfather as the elder flier smirked.

(LPOV)

Lena transformed and grinned, proud of herself at how smoothly she was beginning to transform now. Ratchet glanced at her and nodded, a tiny smile bending his faceplates before his attention returned to the conversation in front of him. Lena edged her way beside the medic, careful to not stray too far from headquarters. She didn't want to risk damaging her bond to her Jolt.

Kae was completely black. Lena would have thought the femme had changed her paint-job, except there were bits of seaweed dangling from her frame here and there. But she'd pester the femme for the story later, for now, she was patiently waiting for Sentinel to finish his conversation, she wanted to start peppering him with questions again.

Questions that just kept racking themselves up in her processors, which was awesome, because she had every last one of his answers logged, she never had to ask a question twice, every piece of information that she learned she logged, eagerly trying to make a dent in the massive amount of space in her mind!

So much fun.

She glanced at her vibrant pink armour and pursed her lip plates somewhat.

It was an incredible pink, and Sunstreaker had graced her armour with some absolutely beautiful pinstriping and shading that flattered her form – both forms – exquisitely.

Except after five weeks of being pink, she was bored with pink.

But she had absolute no idea how to ask. Sunstreaker had painted her, by hand!

None of the other bots really changed colour. Except for Ratchet and Ironhide maybe, but the twins painting them bizarre colours when they was passed out in recharge didn't really count.

They always re-painted back to their initial colours.

Lena pursed her lip plates slightly and shrugged.

She'd probably just stay pink for a while.

Even if she was kinda bored with pink.

"Aye, th' wreckers'll be able tae fix 'er righ' up fer yeh, th' engines are fine. But I recommend yeh bridge th' wreckage tae the Wrecker's base rather than tryin' tae bring 'er back wi' th' ships." Jetfire rumbled to Sentinel. "She's nae bein' held together by more'n tae bolts an' a nut. Yeh sure know how tae fly 'em, Prime."

Behind the towering Prime, Lena grinned. Then forced the grin off of her faceplates.

Sentinel had been in the crash vault when the Ark had 'parked' on the moon.

The moon.

Lena wanted to see the moon. She glanced up at the sky automatically and shrugged. Not up during the day today. Idly, a secondary processor calculated the precise position of the moon today. Lena couldn't help but grin as she did it though.

"And what are you grinning at, young femme?" Sentinel rumbled irritably, glancing down at her. Lena jumped a few feet in the air and glanced guiltily up at her teacher.

"Sorry, Prime, I thought about the moon 'cause I kinda want to see the moon, and my secondary started calculating it's position," Lena murmured guiltily, blushing and looking down at her pedes. She couldn't help the small smile when Sentinel hummed a soft approval.

"Good answer, femme," Jetfire snorted. Lena grinned at her feet.

"You wish to see the moon?" Sentinel asked her.

"Yes sir," she nodded, still looking at her feet.

"Look a bot in the optics when you speak to them," Ratchet nudged her gently. "Primes especially."

"Oh!" Lena immediately looked up at the faces looking down at her. "Sorry yes, Sir," she repeated herself, looking Sentinel in the optics.

"Give the human-borns this," Starscream stated musingly. "They certainly learn quickly."

"They do," Sentinel rumbled in an approving tone that made it difficult for Lena to not fidget with happiness. He was an extraordinarily important bot, after all, and her teacher. "She has not even repeated her questions, save for the occasion that I did not hear her properly."

Lena grinned. Not simply because of the praise, but her mate was approaching. She loved it that she always knew where Jolt was now, and loved even more the calm, relieved happiness of her mate that he knew equally where she was.

They never had to say it, they just knew.

Jolt smiled as he strode toward her, and Lena automatically took a couple of steps, ensconcing herself in her mate's arms, and relishing the way their sparks flared with the closeness.

"And taken, drat," Skywarp snorted. Lena looked at the flier curiously.

"You never know, I wouldn't mind 'facing a technician couple..." Thundercracker continued musingly.

Lena shrank into her Jolt a bit more. Worried. Was this another Cybertronian thing she'd have to adopt?

"No, my mate, you don't have to 'face anyone if you don't want to," her Jolt murmured soothingly in her audio receptor. Lena smiled, her mate always knew what was on her processors.

"Technician Jolt, would you care to bring your mate to the moon when I retrieve the ark?" Sentinel rumbled patiently.

They were gonna take her to the moon!?

Her mate was laughing softly.

"Thank you, Prime," her bot responded cheerfully, looking up at Sentinel. "Lena is now one piece of information away from skipping around like a youngling."

Lena nudged her bot's chestplates with her elbow, the fliers choosing that moment to laugh at her.

She glanced around and noted something that registered as odd. Bumblebee, hovering behind Kae.

He looked pale.

(BPOV)

Bumblebee had felt his sister's pain, and he couldn't do anything about it. His spark wasn't as strong as the Primes, or even as strong as Soundwave's. But he stayed behind his sister, he'd hug her when she was a bit freer, for now, he contented himself with watching to make sure she didn't regress back into spark-shock.

Not that Optimus would allow his mate such pain.

He felt useless, now, and it was disconcerting. Soundwave was officially Kae's elder brother. Officially.

His spark ached, Kae always called him little-brother, but she had never completed the sibling bond.

"You okay Bee?" Lena murmured worriedly. Bee started and looked at the technician femme in consternation.

At first, Bee had thought it was just his sister among her race that could translate his moods and the emotions around her.

Apparently not. Now Lena was asking him.

Human femmes were too observant for his own good and politeness.

"Little-brother?" Kae asked softly. Bee winced, he was now the centre of attention, he hadn't intended that. "=Little-brother are you alright?=" his sister chirped softly.

Bee didn't know what to say. His spark ached still, his sister had been in agony.

But then, he didn't really expect his big sister to know that, their sibling bond wasn't complete, his spark had initiated the bond when she was still a human, the day his tiny human sister had accomplished the impossible. The day she absorbed his spark into her own tiny frame and held him in the dimension of the living.

Kae wasn't his human sister anymore. She was a bot, and Prime.

"=You know,=" his sister murmured in scout, the tone that said she was trying to draw somebot or someone out of their shell. "=You never explained the sibling bonds little-brother, I never got to formalize our sibling-hood="

Bee looked up at his sister in surprise.

"=You actually want to formalize our sibling-hood!?=" he blurted out in his shock.

Kae didn't say anything, she simply knelt down somewhat and wound him into her arms.

The way she'd always said she'd wanted to be able to.

Bee couldn't help but tuck his face into his big-sister's shoulder, the way he always had with his holoform when she had been so tiny and fragile.

"=Do you not remember what I told you, little-brother,=" she asked him softly.

Bee didn't bother to suppress the tiny, hitching sob that rose into his vocal processors as he automatically cued up the words she had stated as his human sister.

"No matter where I am in this universe, no matter what dimension, what life, you will always be my little-brother." her voice murmured over his speakers.

"And no matter what happens, little-brother, I will always, always love you. In life or death, my spark will always be with you." Kae murmured, hugging him tighter as her spark reached for his.

Bee cuddled himself into her more tightly, reaching for his sister's spark and lightly touching the tendril with his own, the touch eased away the ache until it was gone, the sibling connection completed. Bee didn't bother to stop the relieved sob he'd been holding back the second Kae had driven into the entrance bay.

Because she knew how scared he'd been.

And the little connection between their sparks told him first hand not simply that it was okay, but that she was okay.

And no matter what happened.

She'd always be his sister.