Plasma Energy Chamber
The Plasma Energy Chamber is a power generating station deep below the surface of the planet Cybertron. The chamber can be activated with a special key that all Primes have been charged with keeping safe. The chamber generates plasma energy (go figure) that is deadly/debilitating to all mechanical life, but has no effect on organic creatures.
Generation 1
Galvatron leads an assault on an Autobot base with the sole purpose of stealing the key and activating the chamber. Successfully stealing the key, Galvatron heads back to Cybertron and sends Scourge to activate the chamber. Chased by an Autobot shuttle, Scourge is able to use the key and activate the chamber. The power from the chamber knocks Scourge out and super charges the Autobot shuttle that pursued him. Spike and Cerebros are able to recover the key just before the shuttle flies at full speed away from Cybertron and crash lands on the planet Nebulos.
Scourge and a group of Decepticons pursue the Autobots to Nebulos, and with the aid of Lord Zarak, the Hive, and new Headmaster and Targetmaster technology are able to bring the key back to Cybertron and Galvatron.
In the meantime, Galvatron has built a gigantic rocket engine and has moved Cybertron near Earth, and intends to use the Plasma Energy Chamber to cause the Earth's sun to go super nova. (He and the other Decepticons would be well out of range at that point.) The plan is working out fine, since the Autobots are disabled due to the Plasma energy, but Spike and the other Autobot Head and Targetmasters are able to reverse the rocket engine to draw the energy in. They siphon off all of the energy and reactivate Vector Sigma restoring Cybertron's golden age.
Beast Machines
Posing as the Oracle, Rhinox/Tankor informs Optimus that the Plasma Energy Chamber exists, and that he could use it as a last resort to wipe out Megatron and his army of Vehicons.
At first Optimus is hesitant to use the chamber as a doomsday weapon, but as it becomes increasingly obvious that Megatron is not willing to let go of his mad dreams of mechanical domination, Optimus unleashes the Plasma energy. The Plasma energy comes into contact with the energy from the Key to Vector Sigma (Megatron's doomsday weapon), and the result is a trip to the principal.
