Astrosecond: .498 seconds
Breem: ~8.2 minutes
Joor: ~1 hour
Deca-cycle: ~3 weeks
Nano-klik: ~1 second
Orn: 13 days
Solar-cycle: 93 hours (Cybertronian day)
Orbital-cycle: 24 solar-cycles/93 days (Cybertronian month)
Stellar-cycle: 20 orbital-cycles/480 days(Cybertronian year)
Chapter 2:
Another Point of View
Their meeting was what some might call fate; there wasn't anything else he'd call it personally. Had either of them not been there that day, then their entire history would have turned out completely different than it had.
He was introduced to his Bondmate-to-be because of Megatron (Megatronous still at that time) and Orion Pax (better known as Optimus Prime now). The duo had invited him to join them as they went to visit Orion's sister in everything but creation.
That femme's designation was LightChaser.
She was a calm and gentle femme with no biases to any social classes. She'd mingle with all—Soundwave found it a bit funny truthfully, who'd think such a dainty femme kept gladiators as company?
At their first meeting, he was also introduced to three of his future partners: Ravage and the twins, Rumble and Frenzy.
She had befriends the twins in after having numerous run-ins while they avoided spending time in the orphanage they'd lived in. Before any of the three realised, she'd have them over for joors at a time for company and to make sure they stayed out of trouble. Then it progressed into LightChaser adopting them. They came into her care when they'd only been twenty-two stellar-cycles into their youngling frames.
Ravage, on the other hand, had been with her since early in her life. He'd been her carrier's partner before her offlining.
Ravage had taken charge-ship of her when she was sent to live with her creator as her older brother and sister weren't in the right situation to take her in.
They were practically a familial unit.
It wasn't love at first sight, although he had felt the desire to get to know the femme. There was something that drew him to her, maybe it was the way she carried herself or even just her more engaging personality.
It was what got the twins to behave—they respected the femme they'd admitted to seeing as a carrier when she'd not been in the room. They were troublesome and mischievous but that disappeared as soon as she warned them.
He came to find that they loved to cause trouble for those that made LightChaser's day just that bit more stressful on top of her already large workload.
Loyal and more than willing to cause strife. A good healthy combination if Soundwave said so.
But it caused Ravage grief more often than not as he would have to quickly rush around and set things straight in case they took it too far.
It was amusing to witness in person.
But the moment that Soundwave realised that perhaps what he felt for LightChaser was more than just friendship was when she'd come to him to ask a favour; asking if he could pretend to be her Intended so that her creator would stop trying to set her up with some upper-class bots.
He remembers as her servo hooked onto his arm as they approached the house in which the party would be held. He remembers the way that her creator had looked at her when she'd walked in with him.
Loathing and well-hidden anger.
Then at him with distaste and disgust.
That night, once he'd seen a stressed and tired LightChaser home, he paid her creator a visit. It wasn't like him in all honesty, but all he knew was he needed to make her creator back the frag up. Threats and promises for harm were made before the mech conceded, the threat on his pitiful life enough to convince him.
They'd known each other for three stellar-cycles before they Bonded and a deca-cycle later the tension was at an all-time high. Orion was announced Optimus Prime not too long after and that seemed to set everything off.
And LightChaser had left with the new Prime.
He felt her despondent, confusion, helplessness, and anguish at the turn of events because he had backed Megatron.
His actions cost him his Bonded because she'd shut their bond so tightly that he hardly felt her until her death.
When he thinks about it, he could remember her cheerfulness earlier that day and that she'd been excited to share some news with him.
News which took the form of the femme sparkling that slowly climbed out from behind the piece of rubble.
She was small (so, so, so small—she could fit in the palm of his servo) and her colours were duller than it should be, possibly suffering from lack of energon her frame needed early in life. But he knew without a doubt she was his.
His spark tightened and quivered because she had to be at least nine stellar-cycles and that meant LightChaser had been carrying when the war officially broke out.
He shut off his vocal processor to stop to choking sound that wanted to escape.
"So this is the reason then?" Megatron's voice snapped him back to the present—he had to find out if—
"Yes," Hexen hissed. "I've been caring for her the last three stellar-cycles."
Since LightChaser's death.
He crouched and his sparkling's—his Resonate's—helm snapped to him, "Age."
A series of waves hit him Protect-Shelter-Nurture. He'd never felt anything like it before—never felt such a desire to pull his sparkling close and never let her leave his sight. It was almost completely overwhelming.
Her visor flickered darker in what he could only guess was a defensive motion. But it lightened moments after she seemed to realise she'd done it and Soundwave could understand why people were annoyed at his constant use of his mouth guard because he couldn't tell what she was feeling—her field was pulled tightly close and he was hesitant to brush his against hers for a response.
"She's ten stellar-cycles."
He let out a heavily vent because that just confirmed his thoughts that she was underdeveloped.
His mind whispered at how he had to fix it, heal her, not allow any more harm to come to her.
Was this what being a creator felt like?
His spark gave a firm nod—of course, sparks couldn't actually nod but it sure felt like it. His digits itched to reach out and pull his sparkling close, but he bit his glossa because he was unsure of how she'd respond.
But Resonate's attention left him almost instantly once they'd finished their 'conversation' and it felt like someone had shoved their servo through his chassis at the dismissal.
She whirled as she crawled closer to the white and green femme. Hexen rested a servo on his sparkling's helm.
Hexen gave a hissy vent and turned her orange optics onto his. He felt a ping on his comm.
=I don't care what Chaser told me, but I'm dying, so you're going to take Resonate and you're going to care for her, got it?= Hexen hissed.
=You expect me to not?= he rumbled back, biting the need to snarl at the notion he'd leave hishishis sparkling for dead.
Hexen narrowed her optics. =Well you're a Decepticon, aren't you?=
=Being a Decepticon doesn't mean I wouldn't care for my sparkling.= He snarled.
=Just take her, Soundwave.= Hexen sounded defeated, =I did my best for Chaser but you can see where that got me—I've always been the most useless out of my siblings,= she gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
Soundwave turned his optics to Resonate as she glanced back and forth between them, "As you wish."
He held his servos out to his sweetling, "Come."
She eyed him warily, her field fluttering with the corresponding emotions but Hexen nudged her forwards. Resonate shuffled into his waiting servo and he cupped her securely, not even risking a drop and they practically dwarfed her entire frame. Soundwave lifted her and his sparkling was so, so, so light—it made him worry.
He rested her against his chassis as slowly but surely her frame lost all tenseness as a purr escaped. Soundwave smiled as he reached out to form his creator bond with her—her spark more than willing to grasp at the offered bond that had long since been vacant and waiting for such.
He ignored the outside world in favour of feeling the fledgeling bond had now shared with his Creation, the curious emotions emitting from her end were replied to with pure unconditional love. It would take time to strength the bond—luckily he didn't plan to set his sparkling down anytime soon.
She was perfectly fine where she was, thank you very much.
His optics returned to Megatron as the mech stood once more, then his gaze drifted onto Hexen who had finally offlined while he'd been busy feeling the bond.
Hexen had always disliked him—even before he and LightChaser had gotten together. He'd never understood her reasons and his chance to ask her was gone. He vented and glanced back to his Master, who was already looking at him.
"Let us return."
Soundwave hadn't seen his friend so quiet or softspoken instellar-cycles.
Yes, let's. Soundwave wished to have his sparkling within the safety of their base and a though exanimation as soon as possible. There could be no way she has received the necessary nutrients she desperately needs this early in life.
He's sure her brothers will be eager to meet their little sister too.