I was made into a warrior, evolved into a leader, but always was and will be an Autobot.

Transformers (c) Hasbro

My name is Elita One and I'm an Autobot.

My purpose is to lead. In my comrades eyes I am their commander; someone who has the answer, the plan, the skill, the vigour, and the bravery. They depend on me to set a standard against which they can measure themselves. They need me to always be in control of the situation, and of myself. But most of all, I have to be completely and utterly selfless. A commander can never put themselves before their comrades; without them they would be nothing.

In my position, I have to become two very different beings. In battle I must be cold, brutal, unwavering and decisive. I can never allow any feelings of discontent or hesitancy to so much as brush my spark. My job is to preserve my comrade's lives, not my enemies. However, away from the battlefield I become someone completely different. Patience, wisdom, cooperation and acceptance are all necessities in order to build a strong bond of trust with my fellow soldiers. They cannot truly follow someone whom they have no faith in.

My function as a leader can be quite literal at times. Should we approach unknown territory, or a potentially dangerous location, I never allow any of my comrades to take the first step. Only after I have inspected the terrain and confirmed its safety do I allow them to proceed. That is what a leader does. It's not a matter of giving orders for others to carry out, you must be certain that the information you have is sound; that you're not just sending them into deactivation. Conviction is of paramount importance, and in the end the only way to be certain is to find out for yourself. This is why, when dealing with new information, I set out alone. I could never forgive myself were any of my soldiers to fall due to my negligence.

There have been times when I've been asked whether the burden of leadership ever becomes too great, whether I ever wish that I had never become involved in the war or had taken up a more subdued position. My answer to this is simple: no. Rest assured, 'Ariel' would never have dreamed of doing what Elita One does every cycle, but they are two completely different femmes. When I was remade into Elita One it was not just my body, but my function; I was made to be a warrior...a leader. My part in the war is quite literally in my programming and I have absolutely no regrets.

Though admittedly, I once felt as though this role had been forced on me...as if I had no say in the matter. In less than a cycle I went from a simple dockworker to a warrior; suffice it to say that it's not something you can aptly prepare yourself for. But regardless of my initial discontent, I thrust myself headfirst into the war. Gathering a band of exceptionally dedicated, skilled and intelligent femmes, I became something I never thought I could be; a leader. Since the day they began to follow me I swore to myself that I would never let them down, and that I would do everything I could to fulfil their expectations.

I'm not a hero. I'm not a killer. I'm not a Prime. I'm not Ariel. I am Elita One. My mission, my duty, my job and my purpose is the war. My very creation was to fight in it and I intend to utilise every last skill I have been graced with to my full advantage. I know there is no going back to the way things were. The Golden Age, Orion...Ariel...they're all in the past. All I can do...all any of us can do is focus on the present, and dream about the future.

My name is Elita One and I'm an Autobot, now and forever.

Author's Note: Phew! Finally got Elita done :) I'll admit that this one gave me quite a bit of grief; I just couldn't figure out what exactly to zone in on for her. In the end I tried to touch on a bit of the most important aspects; her leadership and transformation from Ariel. I'm still not sure I did her justice, but I didn't want it to drag out too long and I wanted to stay away from romance (which is why there's only a very brief mention of OP)

I don't think I'll do Arcee, as I wanted to focus more on the separate faction of Female Autobots. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading ;D