Orion Pax is a normal bot with a big secret. Bookish and good-natured, he's just trying to make it through the JAAT without a failing grade, while also moonlighting as one of Cybertron's most wanted criminals. In the magic guise of Optimus Prime, Autobot vigilante, he sets out to change the world for the better... that is, if the Decepticons will ever pipe down long enough to let him.

Biography

Orion was forged circa v.42.165.100 by the Cybertronic Timekeeping Standard. He was raised in the city Iacon, adopted out of the Vespertine Blue crèche by Pax Compact patron Star Convoy. He has been solidly middle class all his life. He has a bright mind and a lot of potential but has long since made peace with the fact that under functionism, he is likely slated for a career of labor rather than scholarly pursuits that would indulge his curiosity.

As a nymph, he made friends with a young Megatron, recently moved from Tarn. The two were fast friends for a long time, before Megatron started developing the surly rebellious personality he has today. They drifted apart as they grew, although Orion still somewhat considers him a friend.

In v.42.168.429, the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology hosted entrance exams for its first set of students. Orion sat these exams through his compact and passed, the only one of his group home to do so. On the first day the JAAT opened, he quickly befriended his roommates Windblade and Minimus Ambus. The three of them encountered Alpha Trion in need of assistance, and Orion jumped to help. The next day, when bad weather turned even worse, Orion and his new friends sought out Alpha Trion to check on him, leading the old mech to lend each of them Primal relics of power. Orion received the Matrix of Leadership and powered up into Optimus Prime. [s1e01]

As an Autobot, Optimus protects the city of Iacon from supernatural threats, and defends the JAAT from those who would see it shut down. As Orion, he juggles homework, vigilante justice, and the general drama of being a youngling in school. He's never had to lead a double life before, but he will do his best to rise to the challenge.

Relationships

Autobots

Optimus Prime is the de facto leader of the Autobots, an arrangement which he, Ultra Magnus, and the Mistress of Flame fell into naturally. This was likely facilitated by the Matrix of Leadership itself, but is also a reflection of their relationship as kids. Orion often takes the lead as Minimus and Windblade follow, accidentally inspiring loyalty through his level-headed consideration and geniality. His strength of character makes him a relatively responsible and humble relic bearer, which in turn has a positive effect on his fellow Autobots. Ultra Magnus prefers direct instructions and defined plans, and Optimus will often rely on his knowledge of the legal landscape to make decisions. The Mistress is more of an idealist who will often follow her instincts, but she defers to Optimus for his more grounded proposals.

Although Orion was initially hesitant to involve Hot Rod considering how poorly most people took to a shared portion of the Matrix, they have settled into a genuine friendship. Orion is a stabilizing force for Hot Rod, while Hot Rod will often encourage Orion to take chances and try something new. This dynamic is rather exaggerated as Autobots. Rodimus will often hare off doing Primus knows what, and Optimus will have to drag him out of it. When Optimus doubts himself or is unwilling to make a risky choice, Rodimus will encourage him and gladly play the wild card of the faction when necessary.

One of the enigmas on the team is Cheetor. He came out of nowhere and has done nothing to reveal his identity, but Optimus welcomed him into the Autobots nevertheless. [s3e07] He considers Cheetor to be a clever and helpful ally, often consulting him for any details he may have picked up or giving him flexible orders that allow him to do his own thing. While he would love to know who it is behind the relic, Optimus trusts him enough to give him leeway.

The last addition to the Autobots is Drift, formerly a Decepticon and an enduring rival to Rodimus. Optimus chose to look past that and allow the defector to join his team. [s4e04] Their relics seem to share the same ghost, which has created something of a rapport, but Optimus also has a good feeling. This mech wants to grow, and in his optimism he wants to help Drift do just that.

Other Factions

While he is famously patient and gentle, Optimus is unfortunately susceptible to being baited by the Decepticons. Galvatron in particular seems to draw his slow temper to the surface, and the two titans regularly gravitate to each other on the battlefield. The Decepticon leader demands swift, violent change, and decries the Autobots for being weak, foolish, delusional bootlickers, or something of the sort. (With that kind of attitude, it's a wonder he doesn't recognize Galvatron as Megatron, even after so many years of similar statements to Orion.) Despite this, Optimus is less likely to incite violence than they are, and can often be found trying to get his fellow Autobots to stand down as they rush to fight for no real reason.

The Elite Guard and the Autobots don't have a perfect alliance, but they get along much better than with the Decepticons. That said, Optimus finds himself blindsided by a grudge Elita 1 seems to carry against him specifically. He respects her, admires her leadership, and willingly cooperates with her as an equal. And yet somehow she remains bitter about the media's repeated claims that she is nothing more than his sidekick.

Optimus finds the Predacons unpredictable. They are less cooperative and more mysterious than the other teams, even though Sixshot was once a Decepticon. In general, he doesn't dislike them, but they manage to be more disruptive than the Decepticons sometimes, and more intimidating to boot. It's frustrating to deal with the Predacons when they have made up their minds, and Optimus often wishes they would stop and talk on occasion, rather than cast themselves as an enemy.

JAAT

Orion is a resident of Room 10 in the Primaneon dorm of the JAAT. Windblade and Minimus are his roommates, and the three of them often make excuses for one another when out late doing vigilante work. His other roommates Cosmos and Dead End get along with him well enough, although Cosmos is often baffled by their unexplained absences and Dead End finds his good attitude "nauseating".

Alpha Trion is an enigma to Orion. He'd love guidance, instruction, or wisdom of any sort from the mech who gave him his relic, but instead he gets a drunken old librarian who feigns amnesia half the time to avoid awkward conversations. It left him uncertain if he should be using the Matrix at all, until he decided that his ability to contribute to the greater good as Optimus was more important than the opinions of an uncooperative archivist.

The dorm monitor of Primaneon is Dion, a kind and sociable teacher Orion looks up to. When he found out the secret identities of the Autobots [s1e08], he immediately moved to look out for them as best he could, earning their respect. Orion often goes to him with questions or quandries that he doesn't trust himself to solve, and Dion has proven himself invaluable on occasions they need adult help.

Orion isn't especially outgoing but he's sociable enough at the JAAT. He encounters his sort-of-friend Megatron often enough to try to get along with him again. More often than not, Megatron gets mad at something inconsequential and storms off, leaving Starscream to shrug at Orion in mutual confusion. One unexpected new friend is Ariel, a rough and tumble Carcerian exchange student who quickly and decisively attached herself to Orion in an attempt to "figure out how you're doing that, the being-nice thing." She's much more brash than he's used to, but it's easy to get swept up in her energy.

He doesn't get along with everyone though. The most egregious example is Sentinel Major. Sleazy, arrogant, and unfortunately half decent at manipulation, this bot played Orion multiple times, ranging from cheating on homework to accidentally getting a dose of the Matrix. Orion may have learned his lesson by now, but it's an acquaintance he would rather have never made.

Family

Orion has spent all his life as a member of the Pax Compact, and as such has had a myriad of group home siblings. He has a decent relationship with them, and many of them are happy to see him accepted into the JAAT. The Pax patron Star Convoy has high hopes for Orion and has been considering keeping him on in young adulthood to be an interim caretaker. He is very pleased with the youngling's steadfast and helpful personality and how much positive influence he has in the group home.

The Pax sibling he is closest with is the sparkling Bumblebee. The two spend a lot of time together when he's at home. Bee considers Orion his favorite person and will often seek him out or listen to him when no one else can get through to him. This is sweet, but can sometimes cause problems when something more complex than just a sparkling's tantrum is going on. [s2e09]

Attributes

As Orion:

He's a rather unremarkable size 3 truck, although he is slightly stronger than average even without the influence of his relic. His most impressive qualities are his kindness and deliberate dedication to getting along. His name may be understood as "hunter of peace" which is particularly fitting.

The Matrix is not a particularly headstrong relic, which means Orion weathers its influence fairly easily. There are many past bearers imprinted in it, perhaps dozens, that he has learned to tune out when necessary. He has identified the strongest ghost in the relic and will occasionally speak with him, although whether or not he follows the ghost's suggestions depends on whether or not he's in the middle of class trying to finish schoolwork.

As Optimus:

With the Matrix of Leadership, Optimus has a bigger frame, greater strength, and a multitude of new powers. Some of the typical relic upgrades he received include bleeding blue with innermost energon, swift healing, an internal comms system that allows him to speak with other relic bearers, and a well of subspace in which he can store items. He chose his name from stories of the ancient Knights of Cybertron, wanting to emulate them. This choice has a deeper meaning that he will eventually realize.

His alt mode is much like his civilian frame, just much larger and stronger. His individual abilities are:

• a hard-light energy shield projected from his bracer
• a plasma cannon, transformed from his arm
• a jetpack which lets him fly in root and alt mode, which he does not discover for a long time and doesn't take to naturally. Elita 1 helps him get the hang of it [s3e06]
• a wellspring of Matrix energy which seems to energize and inspire those around him. This makes the Matrix more easy to delegate to acolytes than any other relic, which creates multiple corrupted relic victims
• advanced healing and resuscitation. When Optimus dies, Orion's ghost drifts down to the Well of Sparks, and then shortly kicked back into Optimus's frame with little memory of who or what he encountered while temporarily dead

Trivia

Motivation:

Responsibility complex, combined with literally being told to do this by the guy who gave him his relic, combined with genuine optimistic belief in a better world

Hobbies:

Cube and other contact sports, picking out books at random to learn something new

Favorite Food:

Diesel fries