"Soundwave, What is your progress on the Iacon database?" Lord Megatron asked, as he strolled in to the work room. Soundwave paused to look as his master, and then back to the monitor. Cybertronian symbols hung on the screen, and as a few came together, a red flash and a sound of an incorrect decoding gave the decepticon leader his answer.

" I see...you are dismissed, but tomorrow, continue with all haste, I will have another relic in my grasp if it's the last thing I do." Megatron spoke darkly. Soundwave watched him leave, happy that he could continue his work in silence. He wanted to try one more set of codes. A few more inputted cybertronian commands only returned the same red flash. He seemed to sigh, as he checked the time. He had been working for a few megacycles, and it was time to go and recharge. Leaving his station locked, away from any other prying eyes, he left the work room and walked down the Nemesis halls. As he turned a corner, Knockout, the ships medic, nearly walked into him, but the silent mech hardly reacted.

" Ah, Soundwave, I trust the work I did on your visor is beyond perfection?" Knockout asked, with the same egotistical glance he always wore. Soundwave responded with a curt nod.

"...Good. Well, I have few things to finish up, and then it's of to recharge...so, got a go." Knockout replied, awkwardly. The silent Soundwave merely nodded and continued on his way. Knockout shook his helm. Why doesn't the mech just use words? It's not like he can't talk...If only Breakdown was here. Life certainly lacks without that bit of a rust bucket. He thought.

Soundwave found his quarters, and entered into a plain room. He paused to look around, almost bored of the same place he returned to. There was only one thing in the room that kept him going. That single holo image, beside his own berth.

How long he had sat there, he didn't know. He didn't care. He sat alone in his quarters, having finished his days work on the Iacon database. But he'd have to return to it tomorrow. And the day after. Not that he got bored. Today, he had not managed to discover a new location of a new relic. But he knew there was many more to be found. It seemed as though many had been brought to this planet...how strange it seemed that this planet's destiny was entwined in some way with Cybertrons. Had the Cybertronians been destined to come to this planet? Would the war finally be decided upon this small organic inhabited world? Maybe...Maybe not. His thoughts deepened, and they began to return to the old Cybertron he once new. Vibrant, proud, glorious...but slowly falling into ruin. The old leadership of the council was waning, and a new era was needed to be ushered in. It had been... but the same pride and glory had not returned with it. What was the point if Cybertron was destitute? If none of this had off happened....No. He fought for a single reason, for his beliefs, and out of endearing love for another. The thoughts that had brought him through fire and spilt energon, through battles and desperate espionage missions, that governed everything he did, was for the preservation of Lord Megatron's ideals, his new Cybertron. A world, an era, he would help create. He had preformed better than any other decepticon, in his own opinion. All the other decepticons saw only their own power and greed, their ambitions, not the ambitions of their Lord. Neither did they see the future. Shallow sparked weaklings.

All except one other besides him, could have ever claimed such loyalty to the Decepticon cause, and only one other could command his loyalty.

His frame slumped as he sat on his berth, staring at the table opposite him. Putting a servo to his face, he removed his visor. Bright red optics shone sadly, on a silver coloured face. Placing the visor down, he picked up a cubed glass of energon, and raised it.

" May your spark be in peace, My Solarlight." A soft, smooth voice spoke, laced with sadness.

He drank lightly, placing the glass down, and turned to lay on his berth to recharge. The half empty glass sat beside a holo image, an image of Soundwave, Shockwave, and his spark mate, Solarlight. All before the old Cybertron was torn by war. Before she was taken from him. Before he vowed to silence.

Soundwave, Knockout, and a group of Insecticons stood before the great lord Megatron, already issuing out orders as the discovery of a new set of coordinates had come to light. Soundwave had been up early to work the next morning, and it hadn't taken him long to discover it.

" Soundwave, your impeccable record of not only following and completing orders-" Megatron paused as he let words sink in, looking at a dishevelled Knockout, and sparing a glare at the insecticons "- has won you the task of retrieving the next relic. You may take a team of insecticons with you, and I expect you to return with nothing more but the relic."

Soundwave bowed his helm, and as he left, the insecticons parted to allow him through, and they followed in his path. As the door closed, Knockout grimaced.

" My liege, surely putting such faith in just one of your mechs is foolish-"

" No, Knockout, selecting you for the task would have been foolish. The fact that you question my judgement makes it all the more so. Now, get back to your station before I find another reason to look for another to take over your position." Megatron snapped viscously in his face.

" Of course, my liege." Knockout said, leaving. Blasted Soundwave... one of these days he will fall from grace. It's only a matter of time. He grumbled, harbouring at his best the jealousy that Soundwave aroused with in him.

The three insecticons looked around the forest eagerly, waiting for a chance to fight. They would redeem their reputation amongst the decepticons and their leader, Lord Megatron, by any means necessary. That meant killing an Autobot, and doing so infont of one of Megatron's most trusted, was the ideal opportunity. Some way ahead, the team leader, the decepticon named Soundwave, stopped. The insecticons muttered closely together as they caught up with him.

"They think were useless scrap."

"Nothing but scavengers."

" Well, we will show them whose the better warriors."

Soundwave gave them a sharp look, and they silenced their words. Soundwave's own command over authority was great, a gift given to him by Lord Megatron due to his position. The insecticons were no different to the over shallow weak sparks.

A high pitch buzzing sound emitted from above, and A small flight drone appeared, wrapping around Soundwave's chest. Laser beak then fed the information he had scoured from the surroundings. Soundwave turned his head to face south. The Autobots where here. He communicated a silent message.

Take care of the Autobots.

The insecticons nodded, reluctantly, sensing the decepticon would not be present in the battle...best bring back an empty shell as proof of theri verocity. Transforming into a strange beetle, close to a native species here on earth, they took off in the position Soundwave pointed. They flew high anove the forest, and headed south. Once he was happy they were gone, he began to walk forward, further into dense vegetation.

His own feet sank mercilessly into the small swamp, and he finally gave up walking, transforming into vehicle mode. Even despite the slim aperture of his chosen flight mode, vegetation was making it near impossible. Transforming back, he rested on a large root of a tree, above the swampy saturated waters. He sent Laser break ahead. The relic was close by, he could feel it. Laser beak would find the best way to retrieve it without getting stuck in a swamp.

While he waited, he watched his surroundings. Dense, damp, and quiet- but not silent. An array of insects chirped and past by, oblivious to metallic cybertronian. He could hear in the distance the Autobots firing, battling the insecticons. In a battle, neither side was to be underestimated. A sudden insect fluttered before him. Its colours were a forest green on rusted metal back, in a diamond pattern stretching across his body. It's own wings were fluttering fast, but Soundwave focused his optics, slowing the momentum of the wings, and zooming to study them. A complex, yet beautiful design...He quickly ran a cross check with the system the organics called the world wide web.

The downy emerald (Cordulia aenea) is a species of dragonfly. It is metallic green and bronze in colour, and its thorax is coated with fine hairs, hence its name. Like most other emeralds, the downy emerald has bright shiny green eyes. Adults are around 5 cm in length, and are in flight from May through July each year...

Soundwave marvelled at the small insect. As he watched it fly away, amongst trees and plants, the sound of laser beak returning greeted him. Receiving the information, the mech transformed , and rose above the forest and followed laser beaks' directions.

The dragonfly flew absent minded through some greenery, where a blue femme relaxed. She eyed the dragonfly cynically.

You almost blew my cover.

She mentally chastised the insect, and quickly tracked in the direction Soundwave had gone.

The swamp wasn't as big as she expected, and she was soon driving on two wheels through green forestry as she speed after Soundwave. She needed to find the relic. The others were counting on her. She suddenly braked to a hard stop, as rocks suddenly came crashing down. Transforming to late, her legs became caught in the rubble. She cursed as she tried to pull herself free, but a quick pain forced her to stop struggling.

" Frag!" She spoke, slamming a fist into the ground. She considered calling for help, but quickly dismissed the idea. Optimus, Bee and Bulk would be too busy fighting. Optimus had sent her away to locate the relic, her size making her agility a key factor in this forested environment. She looked back to the rocks that held her down. One good shot aught to disperse the load, and she would be able to pull herself free. She readied her laser blaster...

The rocks suddenly shattered, and she covered herself protectively. Dust settled quickly, and looking up, she saw the rocks were gone. Only problem was... she hadn't fired the shot.

" Who's there?" She asked. " Show yourself!" Nothing. She scanned 360 degrees, and could no sign of any other cybertronian, insecticon, or even an organic creature. She became wary, but turned her gaze to her free legs. She sighed, and pulled her legs towards her. The right lower leg was bleeding energon. She attempted to stand, and barely kept standing. She lent on nearby rock that had fallen, and checked her location again. More trees. But no Soundwave. She couldn't even hear the fight anymore that she had left behind.

" Ratchet, I need a heads up on my location." She spoke over the comlink.

" According to scanners, you are at the precise location of the relic. My scanners also picked a slight fluctuation in your health signature. Are you injured?"

Arcee partly ignored the last words. She looked surprised around the surroundings again. The relic is here?

" Arcee?!" Ratchet spoke demandingly back.

" I'm fine. Little scratch on my leg is all."

" Really?" He said back, not believing a word the femme said. If there was one thing he hated, it was mechs and femmes alike who lied about their injuries. But with Arcee, there was little he could do for the stubborn femme at the moment.

" Really. How's the others holding up?" She heard ratchet sigh.

" They're fine. I suggest you focus on finding the relic."

" Will do."

Arcee ended the conversation and took a step forward. She grimaced in pain. Ratchet was going to throw a wrench when he found out about the 'little scratch'. But it didn't matter. The relic was more important. A glint caught her optics, and shining amongst the rubble, a long, sleek metal blade revealed itself, as she stepped closer... She picked up the weapon with awe. She had never seen anything so decorated, with reminiscent Cybertronian geometric patterns. She smiled to herself. Time to go and get hit by a wrench.

As she turned around, shock met her faceplates; Soundwave stood ready to steal away her prize, and he wasn't leaving this fight without it.