Author's Note: I don't own Beast Wars or Transformers, just my own characters and plots.
The darkness was comforting and warm, and for a time the being nestled within it was content to remain where she lay forever, just basking in the ease from…something. Something burning and intense, something all-consuming. The darkness protected her, cradled her…she could sink into the dark and never have to worry again.
A sharp pain lanced through her, bringing her out of the dark into blazing light. She yowled as the pulse ran through her, her eyes opening on…
"Awake are we?" The voice was grating, deep, and colder than Prime's tomb. As she adjusted her optics Optima could make out the figure of a hulking bot, its form hidden in the deep shadow of the chamber. The figure was regarding her as she lay bound on a gray metal slab with bonds of the triple-reinforced carbonade steel used in starships. Just beyond the bonds were generators that could instantly erect a stasis field if needed. Glaring sourly at her bonds, she switched to a wide-scan her optics and took in the forms of three others who occupied this room chiseled out of the gray rock. Two were guards, common pigeonbots from the look of it, with standard weaponry. The third figure was more interesting; a plantbot. Optima checked an impulse to frown as memory of her situation returned to her. Plant Transformers had always been rare, ever since the Great Change eight hundred years ago. Animal-bots were the most common Transformers, with plant-bots serving as revered overseers of the planet's techno-organic balance until recently, when the Aristocons had started promoting them to executive positions and giving them political power. If one was here it meant that she warranted official observation. Not like she hadn't known that something like this might happen, not after what had happened on Cybertron…
"I see our guest is awake." The soft, strangely melodious voice interrupted Optima's musings. Optima's ears had picked up on the hiss of hydraulics as the door opened but she'd paid it no mind in her musing. Now she focused her gaze on the figure emerging from the shadows of the hall. Tall and lithe the figure was, with what light there was creating sheen on the superstructure of the approaching bot. As Optima watched the figure became more defined. A femmebot, with sky-blue coloration except for a deeper midnight-blue at the chest plate, the legs up to the sharply-pointed knee guards, and framing the face and the wide eyes, trimmed with pale-blue white. Already transformed, the femmebot had large butterfly wings emerging from her back, midnight-blue with black and white stripes on the interior.
Optima felt the old defiance stirring in her, giving strength and fire to her voice. "So you have me, Aristocon scum. I hope you choke on this victory! It will be your last! I am far from the only free Maximal willing to stand for the rights of us all!" She spit the words at the butterfly-bot, her fangs bared and her eyes slitted. Then she screamed as her spark seemed to catch fire! She writhed and howled, never seeing the butterflybot's hand raise in a sharp gesture. As quick as it came, the pain stopped.
"Enough." The voice turned sharp as the head swung to the shadowy figure. "She is not to be harmed any more than necessary; do I make myself clear Kraxilon?" There was a pause, a low growl of acknowledgement, and then the femmebot turned back to Optima, a neutral expression on her softly-rounded face. Her black antenna bobbed as she gave the wildcat an appraising look before she spoke.
"Optima Primal, you have been charged by the government of Cybertron…"
"It is no government!" The contempt in Optima's voice rang from the walls. "Any true government would care about its' people, not exploit them! And you're too blind to see that you-" A massive black hand clamped down on her mouth. Her eyes shifted in time to catch the amusement in the gleaming red eyes of Kraxilon.
The plant-bot, looking like nothing more than a Venus fly trap moving on its' roots, popped up a vine. "You see Warden, this is what I was trying to warn you about! That is why the Council feels that this particular prisoner would best be left in my care, that she might be properly questioned and…ahem...dealt with in a speedy manner."
The butterfly-bot narrowed her optics at him. "Your opinion has been noted, Your Excellency, but this is my prison and the prisoner will be dealt with as I see fit."
The fly-trap rustled. "Warden Genesis! Must I remind you that you serve at the pleasure of the Council of the People? And that pleasure can be withdrawn!" The plant suddenly stiffened as the guns of the guards turned on him.
"Is that a threat, Your Excellency?" Genesis placed one hand on her hip. Her lips were quirked in a smile but her glittering blue eyes reminded Optima of a holo she'd once seen of the original Megatron, one which still inspired chills to this day. The plant-bot hurriedly shut up.
Turning back to Optima, Genesis continued. "As I was saying, you have been charged with high treason against the government of Cybertron, regardless of whether you believe that government is legitimate or not. As such, you have been sentenced to the Omicron Penal Colony for life or until such time as a decision can be reached about you. You are assigned the prisoner number 0197-544, access to the prison hydroponics facilitiesand mess hall, library, and exercise facilities. You are assigned to the general cellblocks and will report to cell 33 in section I-4. Any attempt to escape will result in termination." She pressed something with her right hand and Optima felt Kraxilon's hand jerk her head down by the jaw. Her sensors picked up a quick surge of energon, then her optics beheld the source. It was a detention collar, better known as a slaver in common jargon.
"Any infraction against the rules will bring a shock from the collar. Any attempt to remove the collar or to escape will trigger the collar's self-destruct function. You will find a list of the rules on your cell wall." The voice had turned bored, repeating words often repeated to yet another new prisoner.A sharp nod and Optima felt the cold metal slab beneath her tilt. Kraxilon's hand fell away along with the rest of her bonds, and she was thrown to her feet. Being feline, she landed on all fours and glared up at her captors, her optics burning with undisguised hate. She stared straight into the calm blue sensors of Genesis for a long moment, gauging this femmebot who held her in her power for now. Though she won't have me long. Not if I can help it! The moment was broken by the grunt of a guard poking a laser pistol at her. The Warden stepped to one side and the two guards closed ranks behind Optima.
"Move, prisoner!" A sharp kick to the back of the leg and the waving of a gun in her face impelled Optima forward through the door and into an equally cold hall, away from the Warden's cool gaze at her back and the oppressive presences of the plant-bot and Kraxilon. The stone of the walls was too dense for her sensors to penetrate, even on deepest-scan mode, and they seemed to reject all light and heat. She could feel the chill in her servos, and the only warmth came from the guards when she switched her optics to infrared mode. She could not tell which way they were going. Her internal compass grew confused after the many turns and twists they were forced to take, which she suspected was intentional. All she could remember was the endless dark and cold, the prodding kicks and barked threatsof the pigeonbot guards. It could have been cycles or solarcycles before the darkness up ahead suddenly blossomed into brilliant white light and a cacophony of indecipherable noise. She felt a taloned foot kick her hard in the rump, booting her into the blinding light, followed by coarse laughter.
"Welcome to Omicron, prisoner!"