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 4:

Meeting the family

It was Ravage first. The large feline had been commed to come and meet his master at their berthroom; he did so willingly, mostly confused at the request for just him. But what really piped Ravage's curiosity was the soft and almost happy emotions his partner was feeling—it had been a long time since Soundwave had felt like this.

The door hissed open and before Ravage even took a step in, he realised there was someone else in there with Soundwave. His red optics rose, peering around Soundwave's large and towering form to the berth behind him where they landed on the—

Sparkling.

It was a femmeling—his eyes sharpened then widened in disbelief as the colours and helm clicked in his processor.

The sparkling was Soundwave's—and ultimately LightChaser's.

Ravage slinked forward with renewed curiosity. ~Is that who I think it is?~ he whispered.

~Affirmative~

The sparkling blinked at him, matching his own interest. Ravage leapt up onto the berth without hesitation and began sniffing the sparkling, who giggled at the action. Ravage lay down in a heavy motion as he allowed the sparkling to touch his face, cooing with her intrusiveness. He rumbled a purr in return.

~Her designation?~

~Resonate.~

Well hello, Resonate, is what Ravage wanted to say but unfortunately, he couldn't physically speak. One of the few times he so desperately wanted too. Damn his model.

He butted his nose into Resonate's helm with light and playful motions and she giggled once more. It was a sound Ravage never thought he'd get to hear again—it reminded him so much of when LightChaser had been a sparkling.

Of when he had been LightChaser's carrier's companion—he'd served their family for five generations before partnering with Soundwave when the war broke out. He was (always would be) loyal to them—but he absolutely despised LightChaser's creator, a stuck-up and 'I'm far superior then you' rich mech.

He never understood how Steeldust had fallen for the bastard, the mech was never the most caring bot, only really caring about making Steeldust into the perfect trophy Bondmate—she left her enforcer job because he deemed it degrading for a femme to be doing such a thing.

So when she took her own life—well, Ravage wasn't all the surprised, but sometimes he could still hear her parting words and they haunted him, "Protect LightChaer, my friend, please—do it as your last order from me."

But he'd failed that, hadn't he?

Lazerbeak and Ratbat were next, and much like Ravage, were lightly confused at the request. As they made the journey, Ratbat made comments, wondering aloud what Soundwave wanted from the odd request to come to their berthroom.

Lazerbeak groaned in annoyance, "Would you shut up, Ratbat? We'll find out in a few kilks!"

Ratbat rolled his optics but snickered, "Come now, Beaky. What's the harm with some healthy theorizing?"

Lazerbeak just gave the pink cyber-bat a look of distaste.

The door hissed open and Ratbat flew in first, "What's up, Sound—?"

He cut himself off, stalling mid-air and it took a nano-kilk to catch himself.

Lazerbeak scoffed, "What is it this time, Ratbat?" He followed Rabat's optics to the berth where Ravage was laying but that wasn't it.

Oh, now Lazerbeak understood the stalling his brother-in-arms did.

There was a sparkling on the berth, a sparkling who blinked up at them through a red semi-clear visor. Lazerbeak landed on the edge of the berth in confusion—unlike Ravage, Lazerbeak hadn't known LightChaser for as long as the panther had and so the realisation didn't click for him until Ratbat himself squeaked it out.

"You've got a sparkling, Soundwave!" Ratbat gaped and followed Lazerbeak's example by landing on the berth, only he hopped closer to the sparkling, "Why didn't you tell me you and LightChaser had a sparkling!"

Lazerbeak glitched, falling backwards off the edge.

Resonate mewled in horror as Lazerbeak when crashing to the floor, would have hit it had Soundwave not moved quickly enough.

Ratbat laughed and perched beside the sparkling and Ravage, turning his optics back onto the femmeling as his laughter drew to an end. "What's your designation, beautiful?"

"Resonate," Soundwave informed, the sparkling chirped, blinking up at her creator from all the excitement happening.

Ratbat giggled giddily, "Resonate, huh? Well, I'm Ratbat."

Resonate tilted her helm, turning to look at the still unconscious Lazerbeak and pointed as if so say, him?

Ratbat gained a mischievous glint in his optics. "Him? His designation his Beaky."

~Becky?~

Soundwave's amusement flickered to life.

"Yes," Ratbat confirmed with an exaggerated nod.

Lazerbeak groaned a second later and their optics went back to him. He shook his helm and got back to his pedes. He lifted his helm, turning to look at the sparkling than to his deployer, "Is she yours?"

Soundwave nodded, "Ten stellar-cycles."

Lazerbeak vented soft, she was young—had to be one of the last sparklings born since the war. He watched for a moment as Resonate clicked and whirled with Ratbat, who returned the gesture with his own non-worded chirps, "Where did you find her?"

"Resonate: located at Neutrals camp in Hexen's care."

Lazerbeak hissed, "How'd she get into Hexen's care?"

"Likely by LightChaster herself," Soundwave answered, voice lowering, "I suspect Hexen left after her death in some attempt to protect my sparkling."

Resonate clicked, trying to get Lazerbeak's attention, who more than happily clambered closer.

Whatever Soundwave wanted to show them all, they were last. And Frenzy pouted because he hated being last while Rumble just smirked in amusement—didn't really matter being last to him, because they were all going eventually.

"Stop your pouting, would ya?" Rumble shoved his brother's shoulder.

Frenzy huffed, "Why are we last?"

"Cause Soundwave doesn't give a damn about ordering?" Rumble answered, lips curling upwards in amusement.

"Whatever."

They continued to banter back and forth as they approached the door in the same fashion as the previous three. The door slid open and neither of them were paying any real attention. Their optics somehow managed to completely miss the sparkling sat in the middle of the group settled on the berth.

"Hey, boss," Rumble greeted nonchalantly.

"What's up with the weird meeting thing?" Frenzy asked.

Ratbat giggled, Lazerbeak vented, and Ravage rolled his optics.

Soundwave simply tilted his helm in the direction of his other cassette and so the twins followed. The red visor stood out against the colourful combination of beings on the berth.

Rumble acknowledge that the sight was a bit funny before realising there was one on the berth he, or Frenzy, didn't recognise. They were smaller than them, that was all they knew.

Frenzy was first to move, approaching the berth, "Uhh, is that a sparkling?"

"Affirmative, she is your sister. Designation: Resonate." Soundwave answered, and their optics widened.

Sister?!

They were at the edge of the berth in an astrosecond, staring down at the femmeling who blinked up at them with large and adorable orange optics.

Orange optics they would know anywhere.

Disbelief flooded their twin bond.

"LightChaser was carrying?" Rumble choked out, optics stinging as his sight began to distort. Frenzy sucked in a sharp vent and struggled to release it.

Resonate chittered softly.

Frenzy collected himself first, "Hi," He laughed breathlessly, "Designation's Frenzy, my twin's is Rumble."

Rumble nodded mutely, shuddering his optics rapidly in attempts to get rid of his tears because they never thought they would get a chance like this after LightChaser left with Prime. LightChaser and Soundwave had mentioned a possible sibling but with the tension at a high and possibly war, it wasn't something they felt would be right.

To bring a sparkling into the world during a war was like signing the your and sparkling's death certificates.

Yet here she was—a femmeling that they had lost time spoiling and protecting.

Rumble started laughing suddenly—he couldn't help it. He clutched his helm in his servos as he tried to stop his processor from spinning and frame shaking. When he finally collected himself, waving off the concern from the bonds he shared with Soundwave and brothers-in-arms, he turned to the sparkling who blinked up at him.

"Well, then Bubba-girl." He grinned, it was shaky and nervous, but did he try his damn best not to let it affect the smile, "Welcome to the family."

Resonate gave a shy smile