Communique- Interlude

Optimus sat on a ledge perched high on the western slope of Mt St Hillary, leaning back on his massive hands as he watched the sun dip over the horizon and paint the darkening skies with pink and gold. If he looked over towards the north west and the edge of the forest he could see the sheltered area where Grapple and Hoist were putting the final touches on the platform and canopy where the ceremonies would be taking place. Further along and hidden from his sight by the mountain was the open meadow where the reception would be held, carefully planned to let both species enjoy themselves with minimal risk.

Of course Jazz had a 'proper' party planned for when the happy couple returned from their honeymoon and they could celebrate without media, dignitaries and various other persons they had to behave around to watch them. A smile tugged at the Prime's lips at the thought of the festivities. The reports coming from Cybertron had become more and more bleak, a celebration would be a good distraction for all of them.

A warning nudge from the Matrix brought the Prime's attention outward again, the signal that something bearing life-like-but-unlike-my-own was approaching. He straightened, shunting energy into several active scanner banks to locate the source. Audio signals of footsteps and someone huffing for breath reached him, followed by a radar return and thermal profile. He ran a height/mass/silhouette cross reference through his database and smiled again when the results came back. He'd been wondering how long this would take.

"Good evening, Spike." He timed his greeting for the moment Spike rounded the final corner of the (comparatively) narrow trail.

Spike, flushed from the climb, canted an amused grin up at the Prime as he paused to catch his breath. "One of these days someone is going to figure out how you do that." Spike chuckled and seated himself on a flat rock nearby.

"Perhaps." Optimus smirked behind his mask, recalling the impassioned plea that Jazz had made to Prowl for permission to borrow a few things to aid him in trying to sneak up on the Prime or at least figure out how he knew when someone was nearby. It was handy to have an office right next to his 2IC sometimes. "What brings you up here?"

"Well..." Spike trailed off and scuffed one foot in the coarse sand- the pulverised remains of any small rocks hapless enough to have been in the Prime's path and slowly accumulated over the years.

The young man flushed again, but this time for different reasons. "I'm asking this now because I overheard Jazz and Sideswipe talking about Cybertron bonding rituals and pre-ceremony trials and since me and Carly are honourary Autobots I figured I should know something about it so I know when to grab Carly and run." He blurted out, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

Prime chuckled softly. "Considering those two that sounds like a very wise idea, Spike." He replied, quite amused, then settled down to explain. "Rite and ritual vary from area to area." Optimus began, gesturing with one hand to illustrate his point. "But in all they have the same three elements. A courtship where the mech proves himself worthy of the femme's attention, a  public declaration of their intention to bond, which is when others may voice objections and concerns, and then the bonding itself, conducted in private."

Optimus shifted, seating himself more comfortably before he went on. "Femmes of any design line have never been the majority of the population of Cybertron; at the most they have been perhaps a third of the population. Because of that and the esteem in which they are held as life-bringers it means that all femmes have their pick of mechs who come with the intention of courting. As you can imagine it generates some fierce competition."

"I'll bet." Spike chuckled. "So what does a femme look for when a mech comes calling?"  

"Like in many of your cultures the mech has to prove to her, in various ways that she lays out and that the local culture requires, that he can protect and provide for her and any sparklings that they have, that he measures up to her requirements and various proofs of his devotion to her." Optimus explained. "I know that when Ironhide was seeking after Chromia that he had to prove himself an equal or superior warrior to her. He had to arrange a bout between himself and a half dozen of her other suitors and beat them all into the ground before she even considered his suit."

"I can imagine he enjoyed that." Spike grinned.

"He did." Optimus replied, smiling at the memory. "Of course after that he had to pass muster with all of Chromia's friends before he got a chance to being courtship proper, an Iacon tradition not unlike how you had to meet the approval of Carly's inner circle of friends."

Spike flushed at that. "Yeah, that was awkward." He rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. Facing that room filled with young, sophisticated women from Carly's sorority ranked somewhere between a 'could you help me with this' from Wheeljack and throwing mud at Sunstreaker on his 'Threats to Personal Integrity' list.  

"The Towers have more elaborate courtship rites with subtle nuances of manner, coded behaviors and gestures. Mirage might explain some of them to you if you're curious, but Teletraan will contain some information on it if he won't." Prime went on. "Polyhex usually required some sort of military service to even be considered a likely candidate and Altihex mechs were infamous for performing great acts of daring and skill to catch a femme's attention."

"In any case, when a couple decide to bond often they will then make a public declaration of their intention. Again, it varies from area to area. Some places simply require the two walking into a room of their peers, clasping hands, shouting 'Mine!', waiting for anyone to disagree and inviting anyone interested to a party. Others have elaborate ceremonies with symbolic rituals. But  most will hold a simple gathering of close friends, family and respected peers and exchange declarations of love, devotion and fidelity while clasping each others' hands."  

"As for the bonding itself..." Prime paused and shifted slightly, searching for words in the English language that could convey concepts that his own people sometimes had trouble understanding. "It is not a simple sharing of lives and emotional bonding, it is the sharing of self." Optimus frowned, then tapped his chest, right over his spark. "Tell me what you understand of the spark."

Spike hesitated, put on the spot. "Well..." His brow furrowed in thought. "It's what makes you alive, makes you thinking, feeling, living beings. It's what we'd call the soul and spirit, but it's all in one place and tangible, not all spread out  like us, right?" He looked up at the Prime for confirmation.

"Close. The spark is all these things and more." Prime explained. "I have observed that in western culture, the head is honoured as the metaphorical seat of reason, and the heart is honoured as the seat of emotion. For us, the optics are respected as the way to see another, the hands as our way of connecting with the world around us and spark is revered as the place of who the person is."

Optimus looked intently at Spike, willing him to understand the importance of what he was trying to explain. "The spark is the seat of our self, the place that holds the essence of who we are. A mechanoid can be taken apart, their spark removed and body destroyed, but as soon as that spark is put into a new shell, that person is restored in their entirety. A few memories may be missing here and there, a few skills may need to be relearned if they were not part of what they were inherently gifted in, but who they are, their character and what defines them and shapes them is unchanged. Thus, when two Cybertronians touch sparks before they bond, they are sharing the deepest part of themselves, the truth of who they are, with someone else and offering it up for their approval. Everything about someone is seen in that moment, good and bad."  

"Wow... that's scary in a way." Spike's brow furrowed in thought... if he were able to do that with Carly would she...? He shook his head to rid himself of that thought. She would never have agreed to marry him if she wasn't sure.

"It is." Prime rumbled, unaware of his companion's moment of self-doubt. "You lay yourself bare before your chosen and promised one, hoping that you are judged worthy by them. Many of us were surprised that your kind will engage in bonding when comparatively young, to us it seems like you barely know yourself before you invite your chosen into your life."

"I guess I understand that." Spike mused. "Before you lay yourself out like that to the one you want to bond you'd want to know yourself pretty well first so you don't set yourself up for a rejection that deep by picking someone that you actually aren't compatible with."

"Exactly. There have been reports of suicides after a rejection at the brink of bonding."

"Ouch."

"Agreed." Prime nodded and continued."But if both parties deem their bondmate worthy, the two will merge their sparks. For a moment, just a moment, the two will become one, then separate and return back to their shells. Once that is accomplished the sparks will bear an altered energy signature. The main pulse will be identical but it will retain the unique nuances of the individual. There is also a mental link formed that allows the bonded pair to exchange feelings, thoughts and images. Given enough time for the bond to strengthen, a bonded can hone their grasp of the bond to pinpoint their mate's exact location or even see through their optics and senses from a distance."

"Two become one, literally." Spike murmured. "Then... for you and Ironhide and the others to leave your bondmates to go on the mission...." He looked up at Optimus, eyes widening slightly as he realized the depth of the separation that the Prime and the others had endured.

Prime's helm dipped, optics dim. "We had not expected it to last for so long." He replied, confirming the unasked question. "If we had known and if the mission had not been so vital, we would have sent unbonded officers and troops and we would have remained on Cybertron."

"Can... can a bond be severed?" The question slipped out and Spike flushed when he realized that he was possibly being extremely rude. "You don't have to answer that." He quickly added.

"It's alright Spike." Optimus replied, one hand held up in a reassuring gesture. "And to answer your question, yes, a bond can be severed. There have been rare cases of a bond being forced upon an unwilling mate. Each time it has been discovered the pair were taken to the Temple of Primus at Iacon and the bond was carefully cut by the priests. Either of them could re-bond to another if they wished, but it was a delicate matter that took several attempts to fully cement it."

"That's some pretty deep stuff." Spike mused, leaning back on his hands and staring up at the deepening night. There was silence for a time, then Spike recalled his initial reason for seeking out the other and canted a grin up at the Prime. "So... when Jazz starts talking about ritual kidnapping and combat to get my bride back...?"

Optimus smirked behind his mask. "Bring a paintball gun and running shoes."