My take on RID 2015's Nightra....and the original "girl lead" instead of Strongarm if I wrote the female lead
(Note, I used/use Hero Forge because I cannot draw my way out of a wet paper bag.)
(I would also ideally give her a Hummer H2 alt-mode because she deserves better than Strongarm's body - on a similar note, I'd trim her down enough so that you can tell at first glance she's a woman, hence the Hero Forge design.)
So I'd keep most of her backstory, except her friendship with Strongarm already had cracks in it. When she was walked out of the Academy, Nightra kept thinking about how Strongarm told the truth to protect her perfect record, although as time passed she realized she'd asked Strongarm's help for similar reasons. After a few months of drifting, Nightra came into contact by accident with a bounty hunter/free agent who took her in. After that, Nightra was virtually off to the races: she learned combat fast, weaponry handling faster, and became adept at thinking her way out of any situation. Her mentor let he go out into the galaxy on her own, as he believed in learning on your own.
Nightra became well respected for getting things done and bagging criminals, and she couldn't have been happier. After acquiring her Light Bender from the latest haul of one bounty, she was tapped by what would later turn out to be a member of Team Prime to investigate something weird going on with the old Space Bridge in the Kaon Museum. Using her new device, Nightra infiltrated the building after some recon, then held back as she saw Bumblebee and her ex best friend Strongarm cuffed to a red mech talking by the coordinate settings. Realizing what was going on, she watched them before Bumblebee took off to distract the guards, listening with growing suspicion as Strongarm pushed for this "Sideswipe" to break the security codes and set it to Earth. When the frag hit the fan and the portal opened, she had to process for a good 3 seconds Strongarm's eager declaration that she had set the Bridge to Earth as requested, barely registering Sideswipe's rightfully retaking of his work.
Then it fell in place.
Strongarm didn't care who did what around her so long as she could have a spotless record and climb the ranks.
And then Nightra made the most impulsively reckless/stupid decision of her life.
Materializing from the shadows, Nightra shot the cuff off the two, then burst forward and slammed her fist into Strongarm's face. Watching her careen downwards with fury and satisfaction, she waved Sideswipe forward with a harshly humorous comment, "Best take that opening, bud-zo. Don't want Regs here getting her place in the Kaon Police jeopardized."
After that she shot at the guards and bolted through after Bumblebee and Sideswipe almost thoughtlessly. She allowed Sideswipe to run off, then had to deal with a livid Bumblebee as he demanded to know who she was and why she'd done that back at the museum. Nightra brushed off her assault of Strongarm as "fair considering her power madness", then explained herself as a free agent whose client had hired her to inspect the Space Bridge's weird readings. After a bit of back and forth, things go as usual for the premiere, but Sideswipe and Nightra are instead like competing siblings; their outright fights are rare, and happen only when one or both has had a long/bad day. She also bonds pretty easily with Windblade, and like Sideswipe, initially drives Drift mad until they all get used to the veteran bounty hunter.
If I could have gotten a season four for RID with the above change, I'd have brought in Sunstreaker. I'd have lots of characterization for him and his twin, as well as more ship tease for Sideswipe and Windblade. Additionally - although I don't know if this would stick - I'd see if I could get Nightra and Sunstreaker to do a romance two-step. If I could pull that off, there'd probably be some awkwardness that Sideswipe has to overcome because of how he views Nightra as a sister, but realizing that it's okay for her and Sunstreaker to not view each other that way (plus learning of "sister(s)-in-law" from Denny), Sideswipe gets past it and basically becomes ship captain for them (likewise, Nightra is the #1 shipper of Sideswipe and Windblade. Grimlock is oblivious to the romance angle for now, garnering Nightra to say, "You're adorable, Grim. Don't ever change.)
Oh yeah. I'd also let Strongarm actually go power mad back on Cybertron, possibly being controlled by Cyclonus and the gang or not. Regardless, she and Nightra have the catfight of the century, Nightra wins and makes it clear that "just because you can be powerful doesn't mean you should be. And just because you have the rank doesn't mean you should use others for your own gain."
We'll see if I get inspiration later for my take on Nightra - and I hope you like her.
