Log Title: Tape Talk
Characters: Scales, Slugfest, Soundwave Location: Harmonex Date: October 31, 2018 TP: Harmonex TP
Summary: Scales visits Harmonex again, and Soundwave is still there. At least they don't fight.
As logged by Scales
Log session starting at 23:22:19 on Wednesday, 31 October 2018.
Soundwave is out by the crystals, listening to them and the chatter of the radios. Hes in his element.
After the disaster the last time, Scales is trying to sneak out by herself to see the crystals. Sneaky-sneaking like. Nin nin nin. She scurries across the ground from hiding place to hiding place until she gets right up to one of the outlying crystals.
It is said that Soundwave can hear a fly sneeze. He can hear a tiny dragon approaching as well. "Welcome: Scales." well hes still guarding. "Come closer. And listen." he invites.
Scales freezes. Crap. Soundwave is -still here-. She presses up against the crystal and looks around to see where the Decepticon music box is.
The music box is in the non-aggression box. Soundwave is near his own crystal. His optic band is dimmed and he is quietly listening. "Magnificant arent they?"
Scales locates Soundwave and then goes back to hiding behind the crystal. She hasn't really been able to properly appreciate them, yet, because the scary people are still around.
Soundwave isnt acting aggressive at all. He moves to one knee, and motions forward, showing his unarmed palm. "Im not going to hurt you."
Scales peeks again, and humphs. "Just 'cause yer not shootin' doesn't make ya -safe-."
Soundwave pauses. "I am here to serve as the guardian of the crystals. In a neutral position. " he says. "I have ensured that no Decepticon will harm the place or those coming to visit."
Scales ers. "No Decepticon? Didn't you say last time that if Megatron ordered you to blow 'em up, you'd hafta?"
Soundwave pauses. "Lord Megatron knows about the crystals now. I have convinced him to leave it neutral for the time being."
Scales blinks, tucking herself back out of sight behind the crystal. Ooookaaay.. that's only partially reassuring.
Soundwave pauses. "No Decepticons will attack Harmonex under pain of failing him." He nods. "And I am here to make sure that happens. For the time being."
A noise comes out of Soundwave's chest compartment. It sounds like whining!
Soundwave looks at his chest. "Ah. Slugfest. Hold." he presses his eject button. Release the savage stego.
Slugfest eees and is ejected, transforming and landing on feets. He sits and looks at Scales, tilting his head.
Scales peers back at Slugfest and waves at him, still mostly hiding behind a big crystal.
Soundwave looks to Slugfest. "Maybe you can talk to her better. She's afraid of me." He places his hand on a crystal and just closes his eyes. Still as a statue. "Everyone knows. ANd they are safe."
Slugfest ohs quietly, and slowly walks up to Scales. "Why are scared?" he wonders, tapping at the crystal that Scales is behind.
Scales peers around it at Slugfest. "It's -Soundwave-. His whole job is learnin' people's secrets so he can turn around and use 'em to hurt 'em. An' he's good at it. Plus, he's got Ravage an Rumble an Frenzy and I might be able to fight one of 'em but not alla them." Left out is that Scales isn't afraid of Slugfest at least partially because she's pretty sure she could at least fight him off long enough to get away.
"Why want fite them?" Slugfest wonders, "No is fiting here." He plants his butt on the ground, curling his tail around him.
Scales huffs. "I don't -wanna- fight, but I don't wanna get ambushed, either."
Soundwave does something odd. He disarms his shoulder cannon and puts it at his side. He sits crosslegged, hands on his knees. He doesnt say a word for a long time, absorbed by the crystals. Scales is more a threat to him right now then he is to her. He reaches out and touches a crystal, listening to the sound it makes when something metal touches it. He whispers barely audibly. "That is 417 hrz." He says softly. "And that one.." he listens to the reverb for a hwile. "186. The space between...listen." He says. "The heartbeat of Primus itself."
Scales ignores Soundwave's advice for now and peers around at Slugfest again. "Why be a 'Con? You're a dino. You could be a Dinobot. They're awesome."
Slugfest turns and looks up at Soundwave. "But, but, Soundwave is daddy," the little stego says innocently.
Soundwave motions Slugfest to him. He sounds almost protective. "Yes, Autobot. He is mine."
Scales hmfs again. "Grimlock is better. He's the -best-." Okay, so a little hero worship is normal at her age. She leans against the crystal, the tip of her tail flopping back and forth.
Slugfest gets up and tailwags like a friendly puppy. "Well him are SO BIG," Slugfest says. Not that he doesn't admire a certain dinobot where if he painted himself those colors, he could pretend he was a mini version.
Soundwave shrugs. "Grimlock is admirable in many ways. But there is much he does not teach you, Dinobot."
Scales hehs. "Grimlock doesn't want me ta be like -him-, he wants me ta be like -me-. 'Cause nobody can be as good a king Dinobot as he is. But I c'n be a very good Scales Dinobot."
Soundwave tilts his head, his face unreadable under his mask. "Though you are correct in one thing. I should give Slugfest a choice." He looks to Slugfest. "I would not judge you badly no matter what you choose, my friend." He says, his tone respectful to the mini-stego. "You can become a Dinobot if you wish. Or stay with me. The choice is yours."
Slugfest loafs. "No want be Dinobot," he says, "Would miss daddy and Ravage and everyone too much."
Scales ohs, drooping a bit. "Yeah, I miss 'em when I'm away. But when I get back on Earth, I go find Snarl and tell him all the stuff that happened! He's a great list'ner."
Soundwave takes a deep, unnecessary breath. "Good." he says, maybe smiling under that mask. He does sound relieved. "See what you don't understand. Slugfest may be a dinosaur. But he is not a Dinobot. Unlike Grimlock and his functionalist ilk. My Slugfest is more then his altmode." He leans to pet Slugfest. "He has freedom to be what he wishes. And he chooses to be with me. I am honestly flattered." he says. "Of course you do. They are your unit. I miss mine when they are gone too."
Slugfest brightens though, seeming to realize something. "Can be friends when are in no-fiting spots!" he says to Scales.
Scales hehs, glancing over at Soundwave like he said something funny, then nods to Slugfest. "Sure. I don't mind havin' ya around. We didn't hurt ya when we found ya underground!"
Soundwave nods "Hes right you know. We can be." he nods.
Scales looks back at Soundwave. "Nah," she says. "You'd have to stop bein' a commander fer that ta happen."
Soundwave looks at Scales. "I tried that once. Walked right out the door. They keep letting me back in." is that an attempt at a joke?
Scales stares at Soundwave skeptically. Apparently she doesn't find it funny.
Soundwave pauses. "Seriously. That is not an option. I made a promise millions of years ago. And I still intend to keep it."
Scales huffs a puff of smoke and only resists the urge to flop dramatically because it'd be a kind of stupid thing to do tactically. "An that's why y'can't be trusted. 'Cause if Megatron toldja ta crush this place, or even jus' did it himself, you'd be on his side anyway. An' find some way to say it's okay, even if it isn't."
Soundwave looks over the place. "You didnt think I was afraid of that? You didnt think I tried to keep him from knowing? But he knows. Megatron. Always knows. I was a fool to think otherwise. I wouldnt be happy with it. But I would.." He says. "I would comply. Do you know why? Duty."
Scales nods. "Yup. Just what I said. You'd find a way to be okay with it. Not happy. But not mad enough to, y'know, do anything diff'rent."
Soundwave pauses. "Would you be the same if it were Optimus Prime?"
Scales tilts her head. "Well, if he suddenly had a massive personality transplant and started orderin' stuff like that, then yeah, I wouldn't do it. I'd need help to actually stop anythin', 'cause I'm l'l an' he's Prime, but that's no reason not to -try-."
Soundwave pauses. "You are right." He says. "Optimus would not. But if he would..." he says. "Thats a very foreign, very Autobot way of looking at things. When Megatron called me in to talk about Harmonex I was ..." He says. "I was very afraid, Scales. For this growing city." and his own skin but that need not be mentioned. "He wanted to burn it to a cinder because I hid it from him." He says. "I talked him out of it. If I were a tyrant like you think I am, I would not have tried." He says. You and I both know this beauty will not last. Peace never does." he says. "but I will record it for later."
Scales lets a thin stream of smoke out through her teeth. "I didn't say -you- were th' tyrant. You're the lackey." Her tailtip flops back and forth again. "I mean, why work for somebody who wants to break stuff just 'cause it'll make you miserable?"
Soundwave pauses. "Honor. The cause. Never having to bow before a functionalist regime. You are too young to have seen the begining. But Peace through tyranny is a much better option then Freedom is the right of some beings." whatever that means.
Scales erms. "So, you think that because some bad stuff happened in the past, you gotta stick with a guy who does bad stuff now?"
Soundwave nods "Yes." He says. "The reason: I made a vow."
Scales nods. "Yup. So everythin' else isn't as important." She turns and hops up onto a rock, then hops up to a taller one. "See, I didn't make promises.. I made friends. An' one of my friends got to be the thing less important than a promise." She hops up again, climbing a bit to where she can peer down at Soundwave. "Eh, it's all diff'rent kinds a' loyalty, I guess."
Soundwave pauses. "One must never break their vow. I do a lot of, well deceptive things. But a promise is a promise." He says. "Outside those who live in me. I do not have friends, I think." he says. "But I understand what you mean. Loyal to people who may break their promise and turn on you. Its naive but understandable."
Scales shrugs. "I get the whole 'loyal samurai who serves the master who beats him' thing. But it's one thing to put up with bein' hurt. It's another to join in in doin' the hurtin'." She sits pensively stop the rock like a shiny green gargoyle for the moment. "You're always goin' ta be here unless you get ordered away, arencha?"
Soundwave notes Scales isnt any closer. But at least shes at optic level with him thats something. "Probably. Does this bother you?"
Scales frowns. "Well, -yeah-, 'cause I'm gonna need ta have somebody ta watch m'back, then, if I want to poke around an actually -learn- anything here." Her tail thrashes a bit. "Well, anything about -here-, anyway. Rather than learnin' what you think's a good philosophy."
Soundwave pauses. "Well." he says. "I have to watch my back around you too."
Scales hehs. "Y'kinda already got me outnumbered." She points at Slugfest on the ground. "An' ya fly. An c'n do lotsa other stuff I can't."
Soundwave pauses "And you can do a lot of things I can't." He says. "What if you caught me asleep or something. You could take me out."
Scales gives Soundwave a flat look, the color swirl of her optics slowing down to emphasize it. "Ya already got somebody ta watch yer back."
Soundwave nods "That is true. Never have to worrya bout being alone. But rest assured. I am a mech of my word. No harm will come to you in Harmonex. Not by my hand."
Scales tilts her head. "See, that doesn't make you -safe-, exactly. Anyway, I'm outta here fer now." She turns and launches herself from her perch, spreading her wings to catch the rising air from the warm ground below.
Soundwave nods "IM going to head inside if you wish to stay." with that he heads inside one of the buildings. Maybe thats as friendly as he gets.
Log session ending at 03:18:20 on Thursday, 1 November 2018.