Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, and Ratbat (a femme) are within this AU.

Rumble and Frenzy are the equivalent of 14/16-year-olds and don't go into the field unless Soundwave knows no harm will come about. Otherwise, they stay on the Nemesis. Ravage often acts as their guardian, while Lazerbeak (the older one) and Ratbat (the younger one) accompany Soundwave during the day.

Lazerbeak, as the older and more mature one, is Soundwave's go-to symbiote—like in canon.

[Rewritten 7/NOV/2024]

It was late into the earthen night cycle, and the Nemesis was in quiet mode as most of its occupants recharged.

Yet Megatron paced back and forth along the front bridge of the control room, many thoughts racing across his processor, too much to even begin considering settling down to recharge himself. It was a predicament Megatron found himself in, more often than not, these stellar cycles.

Once Megatron reached the ship's controls, he stopped, pivoting around to pace towards communications once again, but instead, he stilled when his optics fell on the Cybertronian who stood working at the station.

His absolute loyal Communications and Surveillance Commander: Soundwave.

Although the Decepticon's back was to him, Megatron was entirely aware that the slender Cybertronian was fully aware of his optics on her back.

That's right, her back.

Although next to all but a handful thought Soundwave to be a mech, both Autobots and Decepticons alike, the silent Cybertronian was actually a femme. It had been a ruse Soundwave had been playing for long before the war had broken out. it had been a matter of life and death the moment Soundwave had first pretended to be a mech. Even after all this time, it stirs a wave of anger within him for the reason why.

But it had been easy for Soundwave to do so, and Megatron knew it was because her frame wasn't like Arachnid's or the Autobot's femme Arcee. Soundwave's entire frame was androgynous in appearance—there were no significant defining features that might have been seen as femme, not when Soundwave had adjusted her frame further once she'd fledged. While Megatron had never seen her frame before the modifications, he knew even then they had been minor.

Soundwave's entire frame was slim and slender for a Cybertronian, reminiscent of her standing as a former Elite of Cybertron. It was perhaps the only hint at her true gender, but it was something most unknowingly looked over in their wariness or fear of Soundwave.

Though Megatron would happily admit to having never seen another as unique as her, her legs, which at first looked to be unguligrade but instead just a trick of the optic, were slimline yet protective, thin distinctive arms and pencil-thin digits that were directly connected to her arms without a palm between them. Her chassis was the bulkiest part, yet like everything else about her was just as slender and smooth. Her body, in a way, looked almost like the hourglass object the humans used. However, her shoulders were wider than her pelvis to allow her thin arms to connect and hang beside her.

The proportions of her body have her waist a visible way that Megatron knew was the reason why Soundwave had been dragged into being a Pit Fighter to begin with.

The front of her helm was crown-like, with two smaller inner ones and a pair of long outer ones. Her face was covered with a full-faced visor, and two neck guards were attached to either side of her face to protect her neck.

Her armour was a deep violet that teetered cool blue with purple bioluminescence lights on her protoform and parts of her armour. Upon her chassis sat one of her faithful companions: Lazerbeak, who shared the same purple-blue colour. Something that the hawk had not come online with.

The only way to identify her as femme would be through her vocal processor, but she never used it.

(Megatron briefly pondered on where her other companions were but pushed that aside, deeming it unimportant.)

Soundwave made the slightest of movements. Had someone not been looking at her, they would have missed it. Her digits stopped their typing, hovering over the keyboard. Megatron knew that Soundwave's way of acknowledging Megatron's optics on her.

Megatron had only been able to glance upon her faceplate altogether five times since he had first met her in the pits of Kaon, while he still went by the name Megatronous. He remembered watching in awe as she would take on mechs that were twice her size. The first in-person match he had been able to witness had been Soundwave taunting and playing with her opponent, a smug and overconfident mech.

It was clear from the moment the match had begun that (s)he had been effortlessly superior.

He could recall even to this day how utterly stunned with awe he was to finally see Soundwave in person because her frame and build wouldn't suggest her skills—she looked like one of those Elites that looked down on bots below their standing.

Once he had been granted access to join the ranks of gladiators, Megatron had been eager to finally meet her, but somehow, she always managed to vanish before he ever had the chance to get close to her. he later learnt she had the capability to create ground bridges, which was unheard of for anyone, let along someone from Kaon.

(But then later, he learnt, she wasn't—his original assumption she'd been of the high class wasn't wrong.)

In addition, it had been a long time since Soundwave had spoken to anyone except her family after the death of her spark mate, Harmonious. But she was a femme of very few words even before that.

In fact, Megatron had only heard her speak a handful of times since the war began, and it was only when she did not have the right audio file or the person was too moronic and didn't understand what she was showing them. They didn't even realise she'd spoken either.

Megatron turned back to the large front window and Soundwave went back to her computer, tapping away every now and then.

The thought of Harmonious stirs an ugly guilt within Megatron.

Megatron knew that Soundwave did not recharge often. He had found that she would rather work than recharge—he had no problem with that—but he wasn't going to deny that he would worry about the femme; old habits die hard as they say.

Soundwave was perhaps his oldest friend that remained by his side. Megatron does not think of Optimus Prime and the history they once shared.

As he walked the long, quiet halls of the Nemesis, Megatron found himself heading back to the control room. The door hissed open, and he stepped in, giving him a full view of Soundwave, who was still standing at the computer. Only Soundwave and a few Vehicons were working the night shift.

He stepped out of the door frame and towards Soundwave. "You should recharge more, Soundwave."

Said femme paused her work and turned towards her leader.

Soundwave let out a few squeals familiar to that of a pin being placed on a vinyl disk before her visor lit up. "~Soundwave, watch for any transmissions tha—~" Megatron's voice echoed back at him before cutting off, the visor dimming down once more.

Megatron's optic ridge twitched as his stare became a firm glare. "Recharge and that's an order."

The mech was sure Soundwave did not wish to comply but he knew she would follow his orders. She always had.

"..."

Without anything else said, the slender femme left her workstation, passed him and started her trek back to her room.

Lazerbeak chirped as he disconnected from Soundwave's chassis, perching on the desk to glance out the large window that spanned the entire wall length. As the sole Cybertronain with family aboard and her high-ranking statue, Soundwave had a suitably large and refined berth room.

Located toward the top of the ship and above the rest of the recharging quarters—a few rooms down from Megatron and Starscream—Soundwave had the largest room in the entire ship because of the haggle of sparks that followed her.

Megatron gifted her the room, making her take the one that should have otherwise been the leader's berth room, remarking on Soundwave keeping her family close.

The left corner of her lips twitched upwards as she watched Frenzy and Rumble play fight, accidentally getting a little too close to the edge of her berth and falling off. Both yelped at the incident. Ravage's annoyed huff drew her attention from the brothers to the cyber-panther and Ratbat, who chirped out a playful laugh as she watched her brothers.

Ravage turned his gaze to Soundwave. "You've returned early."

Soundwave nodded, replaying Megatron's order. "~Recharge and that's an order~."

The panther hummed, his gaze drifting to Ratbat, who had grown tired of her brothers' antics and flew to Soundwave. The visored femme, holding her arm out for the cyber-bat to land on, gently ran her digits over Ratbat's helm. In return, she received a gentle purr, making her properly smile beneath her mask.

Soundwave turned towards her two mechs who had finally stopped fighting. She asked: "Rumble, Frenzy: behaving enough as to not annoy Ravage too much?"

The twins sheepishly looked at one another before nodding. Rumble spoke first: "We're just getting bored bein' held up here, Ma."

Frenzy rapidly nodded in agreement. "We're past the point of finding ourselves annoying!"

Soundwave tilted her helm, making a note in her diary to clear sometime tomorrow in her schedule to take her little family out to let them explore and stretch their limbs properly without risking getting under pede of her crewmates.

"Soundwave: take unit out tomorrow."

She received cheers from her younglings and a cheerful chirp from Ratbat, who had taken to snuggling into Soundwave's chassis.

With her spare servo, Soundwave reached up and removed her visor, putting it into her subspace. Ravage and Lazerbeak responded with approving sounds, making the femme smile lovingly at them.

Soundwave twitched as she was notified that someone was approaching her berth room door. Doing a quick glance at the cameras revealed it to be Megatron. She pondered on quickly attaching her mask but found herself wanting to humour the mech that was coming to visit her.

She was aware that Megatron wished to be able to glance upon her faceplate. She didn't even need to use her telepathic abilities to know. She sniggered mentally, and she felt the amusement of her unit through their bonds at her thoughts.

Soundwave turned to face the door, where she waited patiently. When he buttoned for permission to enter, Soundwave granted it. The door opened with a hiss to reveal Megatron.

The mech paused in the door frame as a surprised look immediately flashed across his faceplate. After all, this was the first time in hundreds of stellar cycles that he had the chance to come literally face-to-face with her once more

"Soundwave," he greeted. The silent femme nodded back as her greeting, and she continued to gently stroke purring Ratbat's helm. "I came to check that you had followed my orders."

There was an amused look in Megatron's eyes. It was an unusual side of Megatron, but Soundwave had seen it before when they'd been younger.

Megaton continued talking and Lazerbeak grumbled and hopped beside Ravage, who was half-heartily watching the scene, just wanting to have their leader leave so that his family could get some recharge. The twins lowly talked to one another before making their way to their own shared berth.

"—There has been something on my processor as of late," Megatron started.

Soundwave tilted her helm, and her green optics felt like it stared into his very spark. Her optics were perhaps one of the most beautiful things about her, a contrasting colour to the rest of her.

"You do not like recharging? I am correct, yes?" Megatron raised an optic ridge as he asked. Soundwave's body tense dbefore easing up as she felt the reassurance from her family, slowly the femme nodded.

Megatron nodded back. "Thank you for answering, I shall take my leave now."

Despite how Megatron could be these stellar cyles, he had always civil to Soundwave because he saw her as a friend before she was his communication's office

The Decepticon Leader turned and started his trek towards the door, only to freeze at the sound that followed.

"Soundwave: suffers from recharge terrors, reliving the day of Harmonious's death."

Megatron whirled around around to face his Communications and Surveillance Commander. Megatron quickly calmed his startled expression, ignoring the twin mechs sniggering at him.

Soundwave expressed her amusement with her family as they did with her, yet her exterior expression did not change; she had long since mastered that.

They watched as Megatron closed his optics and sighed. "I understand. Although I have known you fora long time, there are still things that I do not know about you, Soundwave. I wish you luck with your recharge."

With that, Megaton turned and left the room.

Once the door closed and locked, Soundwave vented gently. "Perhaps one day in the future, Primus may have mercy on me, but with all that I have done for you, Megatron, I doubt that it will happen."

Soundwave's words were unheard by Megatron as he walked down the hallway.

Her family, over their bonds, flooded their mother with love and reassurance.