Tag 'em And Bag 'em

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

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Book I

Prologue

KO-HENGE

KNOWLEDGE TOWERSMATA REKIMMata Nui knows what this could mean. The stars aligned. But not any of the good ones. No, these stars were omens of disaster. If they aligned, something bad was going to happen. Ketran the astronomer of all people knew this. But what was going to happen? A sickness? A war? Oh, Mata Nui knows.“What are you looking at?” asked an unfamiliar voice.The Ko-Matoran turned. “Stars,” Ketran answered. “What do you think?”The Matoran of Lightning shrugged, “Something important.”“I’ll have you know I have just found one of the worst omens in the sky just a moment ago, Matoran...” the Ko-Matoran said, whipping around.“I’m Solaris” the bright yellow Matoran answered. “So you’re crazy Ketran.”“Something bad is going to happen, and all you are doing is joking!” Ketran said, hysterically.“Well, I was going to pick up a friend of mine when I was...” Solaris gulped, “...interested in what you were looking at.”“Who’s your friend?” the astronomer said, beginning to record his findings on his notepad.“Plia,” Solaris answered, shrugging.“Plia?” Ketran said, dropping his notepad in surprise. “A girl like that is friends with a Matoran like you?”Solaris raised an eyebrow, “Well, you can’t call us friends. We’re co-workers who work in cubicles right next to each other.”“You like her?” the astronomer smiled, doing his best to embarrass the silly Matoran who disturbed his work.“Yeah,” Solaris said, scratching his back. “But she doesn’t really care that I exist. No one does, really.”Maybe something bad would happen to this fellow. One of the stars did represent heartbreak. Then again, another suggested genocide. “Well, she’s on the floor above,” Ketran said, finishing his notes.Solaris nodded and headed up.PO-HENGEDESERTMATA REKIMHe looked at the small village in the desert. It wasn’t much, but it was the only northern entrance to the island. But what a desert! He walked through the sand, looking at the henge, just a hundred feet away. The people would accept him, even if his coming was marked by the stars of evil. He would make them accept him.PO-HENGETOWN SQUAREMATA REKIMUtrop the Po-Matoran was deep in conversation with Etriak the Onu-Matoran about the rock business, and vacations.“All I’m saying,” Utrop said, “is that if I take a week off to go to the Ga-Henge beaches, you can ship the stone to my company and they will take care of it.”“Well I prefer dealing with you,” Etriak argued. “You’re the only one who knows what he’s doing.“What do you say we both go on vacation? Utrop suggested. “I hear this is the perfect time of year to head down to the beach. They got a good selection of lookers right ‘bout now.”“You know I’m not all about picking up Ga-Matoran,” Etriak said. “I like work. I don’t want to go chasing random women with you, I want to mine.”“Yeah, well...” Utrop began. He was cut off by the entrance of a large being.He stood tall, covered in black and green armor. His face was covered by a hood. Even his eyes could not be seen glowing under the darkness. The cloak draped over his shoulders was elegant, but simple enough for travel. This was a wealthy person.“Good day, citizens of this Henge,” the being said. “I’m glad to be here. Now, I have but one request: Take me to your leader.” There was silence. No one even heard the being mutter, “So that I can kill him and take this treasure.”

Edited November 23, 2011 by Solaris: Toa of Insanity

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter IVisiting RightsKO-HENGEKNOWLEDGE TOWERSMATA REKIMSolaris knocked on the office door. A moment later, a pretty young Matoran of Psionics opened it and poked her head through."Plia," Solaris stated, smiling."I'm sorry," the silver-armored Matoran said, "who are you?""I'm Solaris," the now discouraged Matoran of Electricity answered. "We're co-workers. I'm in the cubicle right next to yours. And, I'm your ride back to the office.""Oh," Plia said, surprised. "Well, okay."So, Solaris took the beautiful Matoran of Psionics who hardly knew him down to the bottom floor of the crystal tower. She inquired about how long he had worked at the office, what job he had, the usual stuff one asks the new guy. But Solaris had worked at Birtop, Emmeker, and Affiliates for five years.Getting impatient, Solaris led Plia to his Strider in the parking lot. Plia's onslaught of questions ended when she saw the Strider. It was the latest model, company issued, built for all terrains. Now, a Strider is much like a small Vahki transport, only more streamlined and aerodynamic, with faster-moving legs for maximum speed.Plia became silenced. The strange little Matoran of Lighting must have an important job if he had a Birtop, Emmeker, and Affiliates Strider like this.PO-HENGETOWN SQUAREMATA REKIMUtrop and Etriak stood in stunned silence. Take him to our leader?! Who was this being, anyways."Will anyone honor my request?" the being rumbled.A Turaga of Stone, the village elder, stepped forward, leaning on his staff for support. "I am the leader of this henge," he stated."Are you the leader of the island?" the traveler growled."We are a joint council," Aweno, that was the Turaga's name, explained. "But we do have a council head. He is a Turaga of Electricity named Querin. You could probably find him at the central henge."The being nodded. The central henge. What a fool this Turaga was. But Aweno would not die today. "Thank you, kind Turaga," he said. "I have some business to conduct with him." Hm... business. What a laugh."Perhaps afterwards, I could take you to Ga-Henge and meet some of the natives," Utrop said, as the traveler passed by him."What the Karzahni are you doing?" Etriak hissed."What a joker," the being chuckled, kneeling down to pat the Po-Matoran on his head, for he was four times the size of any Toa, and nine times the size of Utrop. "I might just take you up on that offer." With that, he walked away.LE-HENGEJUNGLEMATA REKIMThe Strider sped through the trees, but not touching a single one. Solaris was a good driver, but the roads were so dangerous in Le-Henge that he didn't bother taking them. Bushwhacking was safer and quicker. For now, he and Plia sat in silence. Their office was up in Ta-Henge, right near the border of Kini-Henge. It was a fifteen minute drive from the Knowledge Towers of Ko-Henge. He had been driving for seven minutes."So tomorrow's the weekend," Solaris stated, trying to make small talk. "Weather's been good. Hope it holds up."Plia nodded, absentmindedly."I was thinking of heading down to Ga-Henge for some relaxation time," he went on. "Can't sunbathe in the rain, ya know."Plia continued to nod."I was thinking, maybe you might wanna come with," he suggested."Solaris, you're a nice guy," Plia began."Oh Karz," Solaris swore under his breath."But I don't really know you.""We've been working together for three years," he pointed out."Oh, that," she exclaimed. "Well, I guess a vacation is a good time to get to know you better."Score one for me, Solaris thought, satisfied."TAXI!" a voice cried out.Solaris slammed down on the breaks. In front of the Strider stood a party of a Le-Matoran, a Ta-Matoran, and a Ga-Matoran. It was the Le-Matoran who yelled 'taxi.'"I'm not a taxi," Solaris called down, yelling out the window."Well, could you let us in?" the Ta-Matoran yelled up."We're heading to the Birtop, Emmeker, and Affiliates office in Ta-Henge," the Ga-Matoran explained."We work there," Plia called down. "Come on up."Solaris decided not to argue. Once up, the introductions began.The Le-Matoran said his name was Grep, the Ta-Matoran was Olmer, and the Ga-Matoran was named Frithiel. Solaris introduced himself and Plia."What's your business?" Solaris inquired, starting the Strider back up."We were heading there to work out an agreement with your office and a pair of Matoran named Utrop and Etriak," Olmer stated. "They want to get their hands on some of the protodermis that the Knowledge Towers are made of. I'm the head astronomer's lawyer, Frithel is my assistant, and Grep is... a friend."The Le-Matoran smiled and waved."Would the head astronomer's name be... Ketran?" Solaris asked, cautiously."Why, yes," Frithiel answered.And I was having such a good day, Solaris moaned to himself.KINI-HENGEPO-HENGE BORDERMATA REKIMThe being stood, looking at the henge below. Oh, he wouldn't kill anyone. Too messy. He had someone else to do that."Coming up on the coast, I'll be with you in fifteen," the radio on his shoulder sounded.Ghar-Knel was on the move. Edited November 26, 2011 by Solaris: Toa of Insanity

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter IIA Walk in the WoodsTA-HENGEBIRTOP, EMMEKER, AND AFFILIATES OFFICE - KINI-HENGE BORDERMATA REKIMSolaris stood, waiting with Plia, Grep, Olmer, and Frithiel in the conference room. What was taking so long? After a few minutes, the sound of a Strider, maybe two, came from the parking lot. The elevator sounded, the steam pressure system brought the contraption slowly up to their floor. A Ko-Matoran, a Po-Matoran, and an Onu-Matoran stepped out. Solaris recognized the Ko-Matoran as Ketran. The Po- and Onu-Matoran introduced themselves as Utrop and Etriak, respectively."Shall we conduct our business outside?" Ketran suggested. "Conference rooms seem so unwelcoming."Solaris nodded. Honor the guests. They all climbed in the elevator, and exited the building.KINI-HENGETA-HENGE BORDERMATA REKIMBefore we go on, a brief explanation is in order. The word "henge" on this island refers to a village, but since the village cannot cover the area each Henge is marked as, the area is simply called henge altogether, much like a Wahi or a Metru. These village henges are all resemble a very early version of Stonehenge. It would have more stones, making a bigger, fuller circle. The Mata Rekim henges were about ten times bigger to accommodate a town. The Kini-Henge in the middle of the island is an exact replica of present-day Stonehenge, and is treated just as sacred and mysterious as any human on Earth would.Solaris, Plia, and the rest of the meeting walked through the Kini-Henge forest, discussing the use of Knowledge Tower protodermis use in the carving industry. Soon, by chance, they stumbled upon the great "Stonehenge." In the center stood a small wizened Turaga of Lighting. He was deep in thought, obviously."Dad?" a voice interrupted Querin's thoughts. He opened his eyes to see his son, Solaris, standing with a group of Matoran. One very pretty Matoran of Psionics stood next to him."Who's your girlfriend?" the Turaga asked, sitting down."She's not--" Solaris began."Either way, you look like a bunch of Matoran lined up to become Toa," Querin grumbled. "Now what are you doing here? Do you want to become Toa?""We're here on business," Ketran said. "We were just walking in the woods.""He doesn't like conference rooms," Grep pointed out.I must tell you that Querin has a Mask of Telepathy. "Well, give Utrop a sample of the crystal to work, and if it works for him, give him a slow, and limited supply," the Turaga stated, working out the whole conference."How did you--" Etriak began."Mask of Telepathy and good common sense," Querin interrupted. "But the Toa offer still stands for you kids. Especially you, son. You go off to Ta-Henge to become some paper passer instead of a great philosopher like me. I think you're gonna become a Toa today whether you like it or not.""Dad," Solaris growled, "I'm not going to become a Toa because you're not proud of me. I already made partner in the company.""Birtop, Emmeker, Affiliates," Querin went through them. "Nope, no Solaris.""I'm one of the Affiliates," Solaris explained.Querin was tired of this. He dragged Solaris up by his mask, which brought the rest of the Matoran up into the henge after him."What the Karz are you doing?" Solaris yelled.Querin raised his staff to the sky. Clouds gathered, and a bolt of lightning struck his upraised stave. The Kini-Henge began to glow. Then, the sarsens (those are the stones the henge is made up of) lifted themselves out of the ground and spun. Each Matoran began to feel dizzy. The power flowed through them. They felt their elemental energy open up to them as their size increased. The spinning continued. One by one, the soon-to-be Toa passed out. Solaris was the last one.The spinning stopped. The new Toa woke up.KINI-HENGESOMEWHERE NEARBYMATA REKIMA Vortixx with traditional black armor stood over the cliff, a radio in his hand."Roger that," he said into it, responding to a command. He flipped a headset over his eyes, setting it to thermal vision. Then, he lay down, looking off the edge of the cliff, viewing the scene below.By Makuta's backside, the target was making Toa!The Vortixx, pulled out a rifle, loaded a magazine of five crossbow bolts, and zeroed the scope on top. He looked down the scope, taking a close look at what was happening at the henge. Soon, Querin stepped out, with maybe eight Toa. Perfect. He locked the cross-hairs onto the Turaga's back. Then, he fired a shot.The beauty of this rifle was that when you fired a crossbow bolt, since this was a gun made for bullets (which were rare and too expensive to use), the spark always set the bolt on fire. Then, there was the stopping power this rifle had. It was the most powerful on the market. The bolt left the gun with a loud BANG. It sailed through the air, flames flying from either side. Everyone in the henge clearing swung around to look on top of the cliff.KINI-HENGETHE HENGE CLEARINGMATA REKIMEverything happened in slow motion. The bolt sailed down, hitting Turaga Querin in the chest. Solaris tried to step in front to take the bolt for his dad. When he heard the crack of the impact, he turned to see Querin knocked back, the bolt sticking out of his chest, a spray of blood flying through the air.Solaris closed his eyes, and felt the blood hit him. His father's blood."Son," the Turaga's voice wheezed.Solaris, opened his eyes and knelt down to comfort his father. "What is it, dad?" he said."Make me proud, son." Those were the last words of Turaga Querin, former Toa of Lighting, and leader of the Mata Rekim council of Turaga.KINI-HENGENEARBYMATA REKIM"Good job, Ghar-Knel," the radio on the Vortixx's shoulder said. It was the being. His master. "You will receive your payment shortly."Ghar-Knel, the Vortixx assassin stood, looking at his handiwork below. He flipped his headset off and stood up."Thank you, master," he said into his radio. "I'll take this island for you in no time."KINI-HENGEHENGE CLEARINGMATA REKIMSolaris looked up at where the shot came from. He would avenge his dad. The new Toa of Lighting looked at his new body, and weapon, which came out of nowhere. He drew his sword from its sheath and raised it skyward. A bolt of lighting struck it."Whoever did this is gonna pay," he growled, looking at his father's body.The other Toa nodded, pulling out their own weapons. Edited November 26, 2011 by Solaris: Toa of Insanity

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter IIIThe Toa RekimKINI-HENGEHENGE CLEARINGMATA REKIMSolaris took a good look at his new body in a nearby stream. His mask had evolved to become a golden Great Calix, a Mask of Fate with soft blue eyes. The rest of his body armor was a bright yellow, his hands and feet the same golden hue as his mask. His longsword was made of a coppery protodermis that conducted his electricity better than most Toa tools. But this flashy look would not track down and take vengeance on his father's killer. No, that would take skills. But how could he learn? They were the only Toa on the island.Plia walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder."Solaris, right?" she asked. The Toa of Electricity nodded. "I just want to say, I'm sorry for your loss."He turned around. She was... beautiful. Her lavender Mask of Illusion formed around her face in a way that would make any Toa stutter in shock, with white eyes like priceless pearls. Her ivory armor clung to a curvy frame. Slung behind her back was a quiver filled with silvery arrows and a simple ivory bow.Solaris stood in silence a moment. "I... thanks," he finally got out.The Ta-Matoran, Olmer stepped forward. His new Mask of Strength was a bright orange with harsh green eyes. A majority of his body armor was an eye-poppingly bright red with some yellow trim and orange hands and feet. His weapon was a great battle axe."I believe this team needs a leader," the Toa of Fire pointed out.Solaris nodded. "I think a vote should do," he said.But before that, the rest of the Toa's appearances should be recorded for you.Utrop, the Toa of Stone, had a dark brown Mask of Growth with orange eyes. His body armor was all dark brown with a trim of black. He carried a large war hammer on his back, with a head of stone.Etriak, the Toa of Earth, had a Mask of Kindred that was a simple black with green-blue. His body armor was black with a brown trim so that he looked like an exact color opposite of Utrop. The only difference of course was the mask and the weapon, Etriak's being a large pick.Frithiel, the Toa of Water, wore a powder blue Mask of Truth that showed her green eyes. All of her other armor was a bit of a sky blue shade with the occasional touch of grey. She wielded a pair of wicked-looking knives.Ketran, the Toa of Ice, bore a stark white Mask of Psychometry. There is not much to say about his armor. It was all a blinding white. No trim, no other colors. Even his eyes were white. What he carried was a simple (very white) stave.And Grep. This Toa of Air had a bright green, what he would find to be, Mask of Spontaneous Explosions with large eyeholes that accommodated his small red eyes. The rest of his armor was primarily dark green with plenty of lighter green trim. He carried no weapons, but his hands and feet were covered in spikes and barbs."So, how do you plan to do this vote?" Ketran inquired."Er..." Solaris had no idea. Their best bet was a ballot, but they had nothing to write on. So, a show of hands would have to do."Well, Solaris seems to have a leader-like attribute," Etriak pointed out."I would be a terrible leader," Solaris admitted. "I couldn't lead a flock of Mahi to lunch.""How about Olmer?" Frithiel suggested."The lawyer?" Plia asked. Frithiel nodded."Well, he led plenty of cases for the scholars of Ko-Henge," Ketran said. "I think he would make a great team leader.""Okay," Olmer said. "I accept, but Solaris will be my deputy.""What about our name?" Grep interjected. "You want it to be flashy? How 'bout the Toa Awesome. Or the Toa Better-than-you.""Let's just name it after our home," Solaris said, not wanting to hear another one of Grep's ridiculous comments. "The Toa Rekim."Olmer nodded, "Simple enough. I like it."It was settled, then. The Toa Rekim they would be."So I think we all know what kind of Toa we are," Olmer said. "We just need to find our mask powers. Right?"They all nodded. But mask powers aren't just found. No, you have to come to accept the fact that you're a Toa, a hero, and to focus your mind into the power of the mask. Solaris did not want to accept his Toa-hood. This was all happening way too fast for him. He just wanted to go back to his job. He just wanted to settle down with Plia. He just wanted his dad back.The others all were beginning their acceptance. Ketran was very mellow, and was the first to discover his mask power. The Toa of Ice was inspecting the henge when he put his hand on it. His mask glowed, and a vision erupted before him. He saw all that had transpired in the last year for this strange monument, but when the memories went back further, he was thrown back by a strange force. Apparently, the henge did not want people peeking into its enigmatic past."A Mask of Psychometry," Ketran mumbled. "How convenient.""How is that convenient?" Grep blurted out, stomping over."I am an astronomer," Ketran explained. "It is my job to study the future. With this mask, I can observe the past, so that I can predict the future."Grep obviously didn't understand."I think we should go see the Turaga about this," Olmer said, calling everyone over. "Ta-Henge is closest. Let's speak to Turaga Amakav. He was the council deputy."Everyone agreed, and began to walk off to Ta-Henge.KINI-HENGENEARBYMATA REKIMGhar-Knel the Vortixx assassin knelt in front of his master. The being stood before him, his expensive travelling cloak lifting ever so slightly in the breeze, but his hood never moved. He reached under the garment and tossed a bag, about the size of the Vortixx's head, to the kneeling minion."Thank you, master," Ghar-Knel said, picking up the sack of money. "What shall I do next?"The being stood there, the cape lifted by a sudden gust, revealing a tall, powerful, armored body. The plates were black with strange green designs twisting and turning. But the hood didn't even rumple. His face was still concealed by the maroon fabric, the darkness of the hood's shadow was not even pierced by his, supposedly, glowing eyes."I think now is the time for rest," he finally said. "Let us watch what we have started unfold.""What of the Toa?" Ghar-Knel asked."We will let them learn their new powers," the being went on. "And when the time is right, we will crush them.""Just the two of us?" the assassin inquired."Yes. We are more than a match for them. They will fall like Matoran before us. Then we will take the island and use it to..."Ghar-Knel wondered why his master had stopped.The reason the being stopped was that this assassin was new to him. Any assassin, especially Vortixx assassins, were bound to their master only by money. Not power or social status, but money. The being wasn't sure Ghar-Knel could be trusted after the island was in his master's hands. He would wait and see.The fun of it all was just getting started.

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter IVThe Trust of the EldersTA-HENGETURAGA AMAKAV'S HUTMATA REKIMTuraga Amakav stood in front of the fire in his hut, contemplating the crystals he had thrown in. They had burned for a moment, then aligned in a perfectly straight formation. So there were a group of stars that had aligned. Just a moment more, and he would find out which one.There were footsteps behind him. The door opened and eight strange beings entered."Who in the Great Beings' names are you?" he yelped as the Toa entered."We're Toa," Olmer said."NIce explanation," Grep mumbled."We were local Matoran just an hour ago," Solaris cut in. "My father, Querin, transformed us in the Kini-Henge, and then he was assassinated by an unknown sniper.""Well, what are your names," the Turaga of Fire gasped in relief. "My memory is not what it was a thousand years ago."Olmer took charge once more and introduced them all."So if what you say is true about Turaga Querin's death," Amakav said, "then the Turaga need a council.""But what if they're targeting the Turaga?" Frithiel put in. "You'd all be in one place."Amakav nodded, nervously. "Then we hold the meeting in Turaga Aunehw's hut," he said at last."Underground," Olmer said, nodding. "Very good idea.""I'll call the Turaga there," Amakav said, walking over to a horn in the wall of his hut. He blew through the tube a series of short and long blasts, obviously a code. Once he was done, he turned back to the Toa and said, "Let's be on our way."Olmer nodded once more, and led the Turaga and his fellow Toa out of the hut.ONU-HENGEAUNEHW'S HUTMATA REKIM"All right, settle down," Amakav shouted.The other five Turaga of Mata Rekim had gathered in the hut of the Turaga of the underground city of Onu-Henge, and they were confused as to what was happening. So, there was a loud chatter from the assembled group."I said, settle down," the Turaga of Fire called out, just a little louder. Everyone immediately silenced. If Amakav was yelling, he had something important to say."Recently today," Amakav began, "our beloved leader of this council, Querin, was assassinated by an unidentified assailant. We are all worried that there is a conspiracy against our island. Before Turaga Querin's death, he created eight Toa. They stand before us as our protectors." He quickly introduced the heroes. "Now, we are all to stay under here for as long as the conflict goes on. For safety."Everyone in the room nodded."Now, I'm going to send the Toa up to find out who is behind this dastardly crime," Amakav continued.Olmer nodded and led his team to the surface."I would like to just say that I saw something suspicious, not too long ago," Aweno, the Turaga of Stone, stated."Suspicious?" Uatam, the Turaga of Air asked. "What was it?""Well," Aweno continued, "it was a strange being. A wealthy traveler who wanted to meet Querin. So I told him where to find him."Amakav raised an eyebrow. Was it Aweno's fault Querin was dead? No, he was just doing his duty to make outsiders feel welcome."Do you know what this being looked like?" Amakon, the Turaga of Water inquired.The Stone Turaga shook his head, "I could not see his face. His whole person was wrapped in an expensive cloak, with a dark hood over his face."Ujun, the Turaga of Ice, looked out the window. He did not see anything, and felt he shouldn't bother the others.But Ujun missed one thing in the darkness. It was a Vortixx, covered in black armor. And he carried a suspicious satchel over his shoulder. He knelt down and placed something around the perimeter of the hut. Then, Ghar-Knel walked away. One of the somethings he had placed had suddenly illuminated a small time piece. 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds. 58, 57, 56, 55, 54, 53.......VORTIXX COMMAND HEADQUARTERSCOMMUNICATIONS ROOMXIA"Sir, we have an incoming call," a Vortixx assistant called out to the officer."I'll be right over," Irsian the Vortixx growled. He hobbled over to viewing screen. His hobbling, of course, was from an old war wound. He stepped on a land mine and almost lost his legs in the explosion.As for the viewing screen, a familiar face smiled at the commander."Hello, Irsian," the Vortixx on the screen said."Ghar-Knel," the officer said, smiling. "Long time, no see.""You can thank my job for that," the assassin laughed. "But now I need a job for you.""Well, I do owe you one," Irsian mumbled."Eleven," Ghar-Knel corrected."What?" Irisan asked."You owe me precisely eleven," Ghar-Knel continued. "Now, I am currently under the employment of a powerful being. To tell the truth, we could take this island all by ourselves, but there are Toa afoot. I once got into a duel with a particularly pesky Toa that lasted almost a week, and lost. Luckily I had you with a team of snipers to ensure my safety.""And that's why I don't owe you twelve," Irsian interrupted, smugly."Yes, yes," Ghar-Knel went on. "The point is, I've learned my lesson, and I'm not going up against eight Toa alone.""Give me the coordinates, and I'll be on my way," Irsian said. Ghar-Knel quickly recited the location.A Vortixx comms assistant quickly entered the coords into the computer. The map of the world zoomed out from Xia, and ran to another island somewhere hundreds of miles east. Irsian stared in disbelief. He thought that the archipelago of the Matoran Universe were the only islands on this Great Beings forsaken place."We'll set sail as soon as we can," Irsian stated, trembling ever so slightly.The link with Ghar-Knel disconnected.ONU-HENGESOMEWHERE IN THE ROCKY BARRENS - ABOVE GROUNDMATA REKIMGhar-Knel shut down the portable viewing screen and turned to his master."Is it done?" the being asked.The assassin nodded. "A war will come to this island, soon," he said. "Is this what you want?""It's perfect," the being replied. "When the Vortixx come to exterminate the Toa, we will take the island, and its henges."Ghar-Knel nodded at his master's plan. But who was his master? What was he going to do when he had the island?ONU-HENGETHE ROCKY BARRENS - NEAR TOWN ENTRANCE TUNNELMATA REKIMSolaris walked along with his fellow Toa, sword unsheathed. He was glad the rest of the Turaga were safe for now. Now, he had to find his father's assassin."Where to, now?" he called up to Olmer.The Toa of Fire scanned the boulders and sharp rocky outcrops of the Onu-Henge surface. "I don't know," he said at last."Why don't we try a vacation spot," Utrop suggested. "I've been meaning to go to Ga-Henge for quite a while.""Utrop," Etriak warned the Toa of Stone. "Now isn't the time to be going on vacations.""I think that a vacation spot is a bit logical," Ketran interjected. "It is the habit of many an assassin to reward himself with warm weather, green trees, alcohol, and pretty women. Perhaps we can track him down there.""Is that the boring-dry Ko-Toa's way of saying he wants to go to Ga-Henge?" Grep said."No, I was merely suggesting a logical--" Ketran began to argue."We're goin' to Ga-Henge!" Grep called out, jumping high.Well, Solaris didn't expect to be going anywhere fun on his path to revenge. He looked over to Plia, smiled, and said, "Looks like some things work out in the end."

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter VWhen the Time ComesGA-HENGEWATERFALL HENGE BEACH RESORT - BEACH STRIPMATA REKIMSolaris ducked his head under the umbrella. Plia jumped in surprise."I uh... got your juice," he stated, holding out a cup of pinkish liquid.Plia nodded in thanks."So now that we're Toa..." Solaris mumbled. "You think that we might have a closer friendship?""We could," she said, sipping the juice. "But honestly, if you were a Turaga-slaying assassin, where would you hide at a resort?"Solaris thought about it for a moment. "Steam room," he finally said. "Or the pool."Olmer walked down the beach, his arm wrapped around Frithiel's hip. Solaris did his best to hide his wince."How's it goin'?" the Toa of Fire asked."Well, Solaris is onto something," Plia responded. "He's a smart one, isn't he?"Olmer nodded. "I've known him for years," he confirmed. "He's quite resourceful. That's why he's on the Board of Affiliates."Frithiel looked out onto the horizon. After all, she was most at home at the beach. She turned back to her comrades, resting her head on Olmer's shoulder."You see anything out there?" Solaris asked."Not really," the Toa of Water replied. "I thought I saw something, but it was just a Ruki fish. Other than that, there were no disturbances in the water.""Good to see you're on guard," Solaris said, smiling.Plia rose from her seat, her ivory armor shining in the sunlight. Since they were down at a beach resort, they had taken off some of their heavy armor in the fashion similar to humans. Solaris was silenced by her body for a moment. Not that Frithiel wasn't good-looking, it was just that he had feelings for Plia. Feelings that he felt were better left unsaid for the time being."Let's try the uh... the pool first," Solaris suggested.GA-HENGEWATERFALL HENGE BEACH RESORT - POOLMATA REKIMUtrop kicked back in a chair, sipping a daiquiri with at least three Ga-Matoran behind him, rubbing his shoulders. Etriak stood three feet away, alone and nervously cracking his knuckles."Etriak, my friend," Utrop cried to his Onu-Toa acquaintance. "What are you doing, come over here. I've got... lessee... one extra for you."Etriak glared at the Toa of Stone. "First of all, I'm looking for the assassin," he growled, lightly. "Second of all, you should, too. Now get up and do your duty as a Toa.""Well, I guess you have a point," Utrop said, shrugging. "After all, I am a Toa. Sorry girls, I have to go save the island. I might not come back, but if I do... I'll find you." The three Ga-Matoran swooned, and let him stand to leave. Once they were out of earshot, Utrop turned to Etriak and said, "This whole Toa-duty thing is a total chick magnet. Thanks, bro!""You are so shallow," Etriak sighed in frustration. He turned to walk away, but Olmer, Frithiel, Solaris, and Plia were walking in their direction."How goes it, brother?" the red-clad leader asked."The pebble-brained moron over there was using his 'duty' to attract some of the local women," Etriak said.Olmer raised in eyebrow in inquiry."And it works!" Utrop put in."Say, where are Ketran and Grep?" Solaris asked.GA-HENGEWATERFALL HENGE BEACH RESORT - STEAM ROOMMATA REKIMKetran sat inside the steam room, doing his best to phase out Grep's positively annoying stream of nonsense."So what do Birtop, Emmeker, and Affiliates do, anyways?" the Air Toa wondered aloud, as usual.Ketran's face was usually expressionless. Even as he let out a frustrated sound, his mask stayed in the same position."Birtop, Emmeker, and Affiliates," the Toa of Ice explained, "is a general purpose office. It has lawyers, accountants, and even a couple businesses. We buy, sell, and provide assistance to the island's inhabitants. Birtop is the CEO of Birtop Distribution Inc. Emmeker is the head lawyer at the firm. The Board of Affiliates are elite employees who provide assistance to the rest of the company and the partners."Grep nodded. "Wassat mean?" he asked.Ketran frowned, just slightly. "It means you will never come to understand a word I'm saying," he growled.There was a knock at the door. Olmer's voice sounded. "Guys, rendezvous at the pool."Grep jumped up and ran to the door. Ketran shook his head and followed slowly.GA-HENGEWATERFALL HENGE BEACH RESORT - POOLMATA REKIMAll the Toa were back together, poolside. As it turned out, no one had spotted anyone suspicious, and had interviewed almost everyone, just to be sure. Olmer swore under his breath."Well, at least we should have a good time while we're here," Solaris suggested, his attention, slowly being drawn to Plia."Fine by me," the gorgeous Toa of Psionics said, turning to dive into the pool.Grep followed suit with an unceremonious cannonball.ONU-HENGEROCKY BARRENSMATA REKIMGhar-Knel kicked his heels up on a nearby rock. He liked the cave his master had chosen. It spacious, but had some comfy rock formations inside. His master, was sitting in a corner, reading a strange-looking book."What do you have there?" the assassin called over, chewing on a chunk of Kane-Ra jerky."A book," the gruff being said, his cloak ever-shadowing his face. The Vortixx wondered what was under that hood. Was he irritated?"What kind of book?" Ghar-Knel went on, walking over to look at it."It was written by a Great Being," the master explained. "Of course, this was back when the Great Beings were more primitive people.""Who was it?" Ghar-Knel continued. "And what strange tongue is it written in?""It is written in one of the native tongues of the Great Beings, an older version," the being sighed, closing the volume, but keeping his index finger in to keep his place. "The author was a Great Being playwright. His name was William Shakespeare."UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONMILITARY BASEUNDISCLOSED ISLANDToa Rellian sat at the computer monitor, observing the sea traffic that flowed past the island. It was boring work, really. Hardly anyone sailed past here. But, it was a good tactical base to observe naval movement from Xia. Those Vortixx were a tricky people. Rellian felt himself doze off.BEEP.There was something on the radar.BEEP.Rellian focused his attention on the screen. Just one ship, large. Probably just a cargo vesal.BEEP.More ships? Maybe it was a small cargo fleet.BEEEEEP.There was no mistaking it. It was the Vortixx navy."ATTACK FROM XIA," the Toa of Plasma (Rellian) yelled down the staircase behind him. "SEABORNE!"There was a shuffling from below as the Toa below took their sea defense positions. Now the fleet was coming close to the center of the screen. Rellian looked out the window and saw the ships passing by the base."They've got guns!" he yelled down the stairs.It was too late. The fire started. It was a futile resistance on the Toa's part. With only a few shots from the nearby Vortixx ships, the base was obliterated. The guns boomed, pounding the stone structure into an uninhabitable wreck. Then, the guns were aimed at the underground portion of the base. The side of the cliff was torn apart by the fire.BOOM! BOOM!There were the sound of screams as the Toa hopelessly fired back at the ships. The cliff side was torn to shreds, and the fleet moved on to find the island of Mata Rekim.The silvery hand of Toa Rellian protruded from the rubble of the outpost. Only his hand was visible among the wreck.It twitched.

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter VITo Arms!SOMEWHERE EAST OF THE ISLAND OF MATA NUI - AT SEAXIAN FLAGSHIPAQUA MAGNACommander Irsian the Vortixx stood at the bow of his ship, looking out at the water. He hung his head in thought."Sir," his assistant interrupted his reflection. "We need you in the command room."Irsian grumbled something rude under his breath and followed the lanky assistant down below.The command room was quite a center of hustle and bustle, as the coordinates were being checked and rechecked. ETA of three hours. Several dozen nautical kio to target. All of the information and communication links were passed in this room. And there seemed to be a problem."Well, sir," the Vortixx at the viewing screen explained, "it's showing up on our radar, but we can't see it on our viewing screen. Are you sure it isn't just an underwater volcano.""It would have to be a darn huge one," the commander said, lighting a cigarette. "If Ghar-Knel said it was there, then it's there. He wouldn't lie about this kind of find to a friend.""Master Ghar-Knel doesn't make friends," the analyst pointed out."Well, he did his best with me," Irsian spat.He checked the radar once again. Just three more hours.GA-HENGEWATERFALL BEACH RESORT - ENTRANCEMATA REKIMSolaris sighed. Even the beach resort was a dead end. What kind of self-respecting assassin wouldn't go to a beach resort to revel in a kill? It seemed that their assailant was one step ahead of them. Or they weren't done."Where to now?" Grep asked, impatiently."Well," Olmer said, looking skyward, "it's getting a bit late, so I suggest we grab a few rooms at an inn somewhere."Everyone nodded in agreement.UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONPILE OF RUBBLEUNDISCLOSED ISLANDThe hand of Toa Rellian twitched. There was a clattering as the rest of his silvery-plated body lifted itself out of the wreck. More Toa rose out of the dust and rocks."How many casualties?" an officer called out."None dead," someone called back. "The Vortixx only knocked out the base.""Karzahni," the officer cursed.Rellian was in so much pain. He couldn't stand. He could feel his legs, but couldn't use them. So he crawled, hand by hand, across what was once a proud military outpost."Rellian!" a familiar voice called out. It was his friend, Bernoi. "Are you okay?""I don't think so," Rellian groaned.A silhouette came running out of the dust. Soon, the Toa of Magnetism was by Rellian's side. Bernoi was rather burly with broad shoulders. His armor was a gunmetal grey, and he wore a lighter-hued Mask of Kindred. He carried a Xian-tech assault rifle, of the M4 line, model A1, standard issue of the Matoran Universe Protection Corps."You're bleedin', man," Bernoi exclaimed.Rellian looked back. Indeed he had left a trail of blood behind him. But from where was it coming? He examined his armor. The silvery plates were smeared bright red. He was covered in bruises and gashes, and the left side of his body was almost completely crushed. How did he miss that before?"We need to get you to a doctor," the Toa of Magnetism said, slinging his M4A1 over his shoulder."The Vortixx are going somewhere," Rellian mumbled. "They want to conquer.""Conquer?" Bernoi said, picking up his friend. "Where?""Somewhere out in the ocean," Rellian gasped in pain. "Must be a new island.""Don't talk," the grey Toa said. "Just rest." He turned to the doctor. "Get him some treatment."Rellian's vision faded to black.ONU-HENGEAUNEHW'S HUTMATA REKIM"Do you think the Toa have succeeded yet?" Autam asked."No," Ujun answered, coldly. "They are in for a long campaign. This will take all of there power and more. Something bad is going to happen. It is written in the stars."Amakav closed his eyes. "Let's hope they survive," he stated. "We need them."TWO HOURS FROM MATA REKIMXIAN FLAGSHIPAQUA MAGNAIrsian took a long drag on his cigarette. Just two more hours until the invasion. And goodbye to those pesky Toa. Perhaps Ghar-Knel and his mysterious master might give him a share of this mystical island.Or he might just take it himself.GA-HENGECOZY-SLEEP INNMATA REKIMSolaris sat in his bed, thinking. Just thinking. He needed some time alone with his thoughts. And there were quite a lot of those. But he tried to keep his thoughts away from Plia. She would never come to love him, and he just knew it. It was that certain quality that he had that made people not like him.Oh, what it must be like to be normal.And while everyone was getting their sleep, Solaris stayed up to ponder what went through the heads of everyone else. What did his fellow Toa think of him? Not much, probably. There wasn't much to think about when it came to Solaris.It was quite late. He decided that some sleep was in order.So the Toa of Lightning closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But sleep would not come. So Solaris went for a walk.GA-HENGECOAST - XIAN FLAGSHIPMATA REKIM WATERSIrsian's cigarette had long since burned out. But a new conquest was in sight. The island of Mata Rekim. So this was the place Ghar-Knel was hiding. This was the magical rock that was hundreds of kio away from the Matoran Universe. And the assassin's master would soon have his prize. Or most of it."To arms," he growled to his assistant.The smaller Vortixx ran along the deck, yelling the command. Once he was back, he handed a suitcase to his commander. Irsian opened it up and assembled an old and scratched-up Xian rifle. It was a Kalashnikova-47 (better known as the AK-47). He inserted the magazine and cocked it."FIRE!" he called out to his army.CLOSE BEHIND THE XIAN FLEETMATORAN UNIVERSE PROTECTION CORPS FLEETAQUA MAGNARellian woke once more. His wounds had been healed quite well. It was a good thing that doctor had a Mask of Healing."You all right?" Bernoi's voice sounded."I'm fine," Rellian said, surprised by that statement. "Just a few dents is all."Bernoi emerged from the shadows of the crew's resting quarters. "That's good," he said. "I guess I should fill you in on what's happening. The Vortixx attacked our post, and kept sailing. So we mobilized to follow them. We kept our distance, and you were right. They were sailing out to conquer a new island."There was a sudden booming coming from the distance.The Vortixx!"To arms!" an officer called down.Bernoi grabbed his rifle and tossed Rellian his Xian-tech M16A4 and ran onto the deck. Rellian followed, making sure the magazine was secure and fully loaded. The Xians were opening fire on the island.If the MUPC boats could just get a little closer, that would all end.GA-HENGEWOODS NEAR THE BEACHMATA REKIMSolaris jumped at the sound of artillery fire. What the Karz was that? He ran through the woods and came to be looking on a fleet of strange ships. And they were firing on the small wharf along the beach!He drew his sword and ran out onto the sands. His team must have heard the noise, because in just a few minutes, they were by his side."What in seven Karzahnis?" Grep yelled, looking at the fleet before them.So this was what foreigners were like."Time to get these punks outta our water," Olmer said, reaching for his axe.

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter VIIHostile TakeoverGA-HENGEBEACHMATA REKIMSolaris stared at the sheer size of the ships, and the artillery on the decks. How the Karzahni were they going to bring three dozen of those?! He swung his sword in the air, threateningly. It was answered by a lout BANG and a crater in the ground just a few feet in front of him."What are we supposed to do?" Grep wondered around, clenching his spiked fists."We... uh..." Olmer stuttered. "Something."Solaris examined the structure of one of the closest ships. The hull was made of reinforced steel protodermis, but the aft was rather barren of armor. This ship was obviously made for head-on rushes. Many of the ships were made in a similar fashion. Others only had armor on the sides, and some were airtight. Others were obviously cannon fodder."The ship nearest to us has a poorly protected rear," the Toa of Lightning pointed out. "If we direct its attention to the stern, we may be able to sink it.""Good idea," Olmer said, frowning that his deputy was taking charge."I think that the armor is still a bit thick, so we're gonna need some impact," Solaris continued. "Utrop, you conjure a rock. Olmer, you try and super heat it. And Grep, you'll propel it into the air.""Very good idea," Olmer said, gritting his teeth.So, Utrop formed a boulder from the sand around him, Olmer covered it in fire, and Grep finished off the job with a hurricane-force gust of wind. The projectile hit with a satisfying crash, leaving a gaping hole in the ship, just above the water line. Solaris nodded in approval."Nice shot," Etriak complemented. "But how are we gonna get the others?"Solaris thought about that for a moment. "I don't really know," he said. "We don't have the manpower."Then, a roaring came from the bay. More boats, smaller, came rushing into the water. While the Xian ships were grey, these were small and white."We got some more comin'!" Frithiel exclaimed, doing her best to send waves back out to sea."Karz," Olmer swore, walking up to the water. Then he looked closely at the boats. "They've got Toa on 'em!""So these are what foreign Toa are like," Solaris growled. "They come to conquer."The nearest of the small white boats sailed up to the shore. Two Toa hopped out. One was a gunmetal grey with a strange weapon. The other was a silvery Toa with a similar-looking weapon. They both lifted them above their heads."We're friendlies," the grey one called out."Explain yourselves," Olmer said, lifting his axe over his head as well. It seemed he was asserting his leadership."We are part of the Matoran Universe Protection Corps," the silver one explained. "I am Toa Staff Sergeant Rellian. This is my friend, Toa Second Lieutenant Bernoi. The ones attacking you are natives of the faraway island of Xia, Vortixx. Somehow, they caught wind of this island's existance, and wanted a colony. We're here to stop them from taking land that doesn't belong to them."In the time that Reliian and Bernoi had taken to explain the situation, dozens more of the small white boats had landed on the shore, and the Toa had hopped out and began firing their strange weapons. It seemed they were heated metal projectiles that were launched out of a box, through a tube where they were heated, and out to the target. There were many different kinds."What can we do?" Olmer asked."Use your elemental powers to knock out some of the ships," Bernoi's deep voice boomed. "We'll provide covering fire."GA-HENGEXIAN FLAGSHIPMATA REKIM WATERSIrsian heard reports of several battleships that had sunk. Oh, they were just a few casualties, nothing much, really. But he felt that now was the time to go ashore."Get the longboats ready," the commander growled. "It seems this island does exist."His assistant nodded and ran off to convey the orders.GA-HENGEBEACHMATA REKIM"What's going on?" Plia asked, looking over at the biggest ship in the water."They're releasing a sea-borne attack that is intended to land ashore and fight the resisting infantry," Ketran pointed out. "We'll have to blow them out of the water before they do." He swung his stave around fancily before pointing it at the opening in the flagship, causing the water to freeze.Some of the longboats were launched, hitting the ice vertically, causing many to fall into the freezing water.Plia wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do. She was a Toa of Psionics! She couldn't do much in combat like this."Plia!" Solaris called out. Her attention was directed to him. "Can you help me out with something?"She nodded and jogged over to where he was standing."Now what I want you to do is draw the fish away from the area around that ship," he explained. "I'm going to shock it.""Oh," she said, disappointed. "Is that it?"Solaris smiled and said, "That isn't even the beginning. What I want you to do next is take hold of the mind of one of those Vortixx whatchamacallits for just one second, and turn him against his own. Think you can do that?""I'm a Toa of Psionics," Plia answered, turning to face the bay. "I can think anything."So, she threw her mind into the area in front of the flagship, telling all of the fish to leave the area. Solaris swung his sword, sending a bolt of electricity into the area, making sure it didn't spread too far into the water. Whatever Vortixx had fallen into the water when Ketran iced it, were all briefly shocked.Naturally, as Toa, no one was shooting to kill, so the Vortixx in the water were just incapacitated for a while.Plia then threw her mind to a random Vortixx in the crowd around the opening in the flagship. She planted a rebellious thought in his head and let go. That was exhausting work!GA-HENGEXIAN FLAGSHIPMATA REKIM WATERSCommander Irsian was infuriated by the commotion at the longboat ramp. There really were pesky Toa on that island. Suddenly, his assistant ran up to him with his own AK-47 in hand."Turoj!" Irsian called down to the small Vortixx.Turoj the assistant looked around in paranoia."What's wrong, Turoj?" Irsian sighed."I don't know?" the assistant said.Then, Turoj turned to the crowd of Vortixx and opened fire."WHAT THE KARZ ARE YOU DOING?" the commander yelled.Turoj continued to fire off into the crowd until the magazine was exhausted. Irsian stomped up to his once faithful assistant and stabbed him in the neck. The Vortixx youth slumped to the floor, dead. So, no Toa-inflicted casualties yet, but Turoj had caused about twenty deaths. Karzahni!ONU-HENGEROCKY BARRENSMATA REKIMGhar-Knel sighed, once more looking at the image of Commander Irsian on his screen."How goes the attack?" the assassin wondered."Horrible," Irsian said, lighting up a smoke. "Turoj, my assistant suddenly turned on me, and killed twenty three of my land crew. And those Toa are more of a threat than first perceived. On top of that, the Matoran Universe Protection Corps caught wind of us and joined the natives. This is going to be harder than I thought."Ghar-Knel turned from the screen and swore. He turned back, said farewell and turned the viewing screen off. The master being looked up from his volume and walked over to his subject."I thought you said that the flagship alone was enough to take down the entire island," he growled at the Vortixx."I did," Ghar-Knel sighed. "But now new problems have sprouted. Perhaps we should head into battle."The being grumbled, but nodded.Ghar-Knel smiled, picked up his rifle, and cocked it. "Time to have some fun," the assassin said.GA-HENGEBEACHMATA REKIM"The longboats have landed!" Bernoi the Toa of Magnetism called out to the troops. "Fall back!"Indeed, after all the resistance held by the hundreds of Toa, the line was broken, and the Vortixx got through. They came with torches and guns, setting fire to the shops and docks of the bay-side wharf and torching the small jungle."Fall back!" Olmer called to his team. "If you stay, you die! Fall back!"A tear came to Solaris's blue eye. So the Vortixx had gotten through. If each battle was like this, then the Toa would surely lose.Another artillery blast distracted him. Plia! She had been caught in the blast, luckily unharmed, and was rendered motionless and helpless. She called out for help."Don't go back there!" Olmer cried. "You'll get yourself killed!"Solaris crouched behind a tree. Plia lay there, calling for her friends as the Vortixx advanced. He couldn't leave her behind. He leaped out into the fray, tossing bolts of lightning into the oncoming force. Many fired their Xian-tech contraptions at him. Some found their mark. He felt the hot metal pierce his left shoulder, right thigh, and his midsection. He didn't let this stop him. He just threw more of his elemental energy at his assailants and charged, bullet after bullet being pumped into his armor."Solaris!" Plia called out, weakly."I'm here," he said, kneeling down to pick her up.There was a worried look on her face. Then, there was a sudden ripping sensation in the Toa of Lightning's mind. She dug into his brain, causing him to roll away from the crater they were in. A small bomb exploded just where they were. Plia let go of his mind, exhausted.Solaris continued to pick her up, holding the slender Toa of Psionics out in front of him, his arms supporting her head and legs, and charged back to the tree-line. He felt more of the projectiles hit his back, causing fountains of pain. But he endured it, carrying his comrade back to safety. Once they were back with the line of Toa, Solaris collapsed with Plia still in his arms. He lay on top of her, his vision fading.He saw Olmer and Bernoi rushing over to help them. And then he fixed on Plia's soft white eyes. And as he blacked out, he lay his head next to hers and kept staring into her eyes.

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter VIIIA Favor OwedGA-HENGESAINT DE'RITH MEMORIAL HOSPITALMATA REKIMThe light flooded into Solaris's vision. By Makuta's backside, he was alive! And in pain."We need to get him on the table immediately," Ketran's voice sounded."You shouldn't have gone back for her," Olmer's voice said, his voice echoing."She's fine," an unfamiliar voice, probably a doctor, said. "Just a few cuts and bruises, and a bit shellshocked.""Well this guy's spewing blood all over my floor," another doctor growled. "The white Toa's right. We need to operate NOW!"Solaris's vision was fading. Oh, Mata Nui, was he going to die. The pain was just too much. It felt like a billion fires burning in each wound. The fires spread from those wounds, inflaming his entire body.Everything was black...SEVERAL HOURS LATER...Solaris's eyes slowly came open. The pain was gone. And Plia was standing over his bed."Is he awake?" Olmer asked. Solaris slowly turned his head to look at the haggard Toa of Fire.Plia looked down at Solaris, looking only mildly worried. "Thank you for saving my life," she said, placing her hand on his."You're welcome," Solaris got out, smiling."You really shouldn't have done that, Solaris," Olmer said, walking up to the Toa of Electricity's bed. "Plia was doomed as it was, and you could have made two causalities." Geez this guy was insensitive. "I don't understand how you held on from all that fire. That Lieutenant Bernoi guy showed me what those gun things can do. You're lucky you're this healthy."Solaris looked down at his injuries. He was covered in bloody bandages. Huh. It really was a wonder he was still a fully functioning Toa."How'd you do it?" Plia asked, her voice trembling (probably from the shock of a near-death experience)."I really li..." Solaris began. He couldn't say it. "I was saving a fellow Toa and I held on to make sure Plia was safe."The door burst open. The rest of the Toa Rekim filed in, all looking rather happy (except for Ketran, who never looks happy)."We heard you lived," Ketran said. Solaris nodded."So when you're all healed up, what do you say we head down for a drink at the bar and find you a hot, young reward?" Utrop said, raising his cup of nutrient gelatin.Solaris shook his head no. "I have... plans," he rasped.Etriak glared at Utrop briefly."So I guess Plia owes Solaris one, then," Grep pointed out. "What'cha got in mind, huh, Solly? Gonna make her do your housework for a week? Meatshield? What?""We'll see how the war plays out," Solaris sighed. He had to admit, he was a bit shaken by yesterday's... was it yesterday? How long had he been out? He assumed it was yesterday... yesterday's escapade."Well thank you for coming back," Plia said. "You're a rare kinda person, Solaris."Solaris smiled, modestly. Plia leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. Mata Nui, he felt great! Now maybe he would save her life ten more times and they would be dating. Huh... now he began to sound like Utrop. And Solaris was pretty sure Etriak only had the patience to glare at one person at a time.TA-HENGEGA-HENGE BORDERMATA REKIMGhar-Knel was suspicious of his master. What was going on inside that shadowed hood? The Vortixx sighed. Perhaps he would never find out. Maybe it was better that way."What are you?" he blurted. "Why do you have a Great Being's book?""This book has been in my family for generations," the being said, obviously irritated. "It was lost by a Great Being one day, and my great-great-great-great, Makuta knows how many greats-grandfather. He learned the language and my family has studied it ever since.""Where did that Great Being lose that book, anyways?" Ghar-Knel pressed on."In a library," the being laughed. "Where else?""Do you have any other books?" the Vortixx went on, confused."I own the library," the being chuckled. "My ancestor found it, and we preserved it; kept it out of the hands of others.""Then what are you?" Ghar-Knel growled, exasperated."That's classified information," his master said, calmly, pulling out a badge. "If I told you, I would have to kill you. Slowly." The badge had more of those Great Being characters on them. What were they?Ghar-Knel made a quick sketch of them in the dirt beside their campfire. Oh, yes, they were camped. The first was a simple curve. It looked like this: C. The second one was a simple line: I. The third one was more complex. It was like a triangle with the bottom moved halfway up: A.CIA. What the Karz was that supposed to mean?GA-HENGEBEACH - VORTIXX ENCAMPMENTMATA REKIMIrsian had found a replacement for Turoj quite quickly. It was a pretty young Vortixx by the name of Mirray. She walked up to the commander with the paperwork he needed."Here's the dossier on Gharios Wern Knellem," she said, laying the folder on Irsian's desk.Irsian smiled and took the folder in his hand. He signaled for her to leave. Now was the time to see what his old friend had been up to, and find whatever info he could on the assassin's new employer.After a thorough examination, and plenty of notes, he found nothing. All that was recorded was that he had been hired for another black operation. Irsian couldn't find anything solid on any of Ghar-Knel's missions. Just his kill count. Why couldn't anything be simple."Sir," Mirray said, rushing into his tent. "We've gotten word from our drone. The two Toa that were out in the open survived.""That puny Toa of Lightning and that vulnerable Toa of Psionics?" the commander asked, not really caring. Mirray nodded. Irsian shrugged and sent her off."You don't know what this means, sir," she said. Irsian glared up at her. "It means that these Toa are stronger than we thought. We're going to need more firepower."The commander stood. "You may have a point," he sighed. He hated when underlings were right. "I'll see what I can get on short notice. In the meantime, tell who we have to dig trenches and hold the line here." He took a step forward, wrapping his arm around her waist. "But first I need to get to know you," he went on. "I was excellent friends with Turoj, and I think a boss-secretary relationship is good." He slowly lowered his hand.Mirray pulled away, a frightened look on her face. "Tonight at dinner," she said, suddenly smiling. She walked out of the tent to convey the orders.It was already a miracle that Irsian, a male Vortixx, was in a position of power in the Xian society. It was further ironic that he was the boss of a female Vortixx. He had never fully appreciated that.Power was good. It was necessary. And he.Wanted.MORE.

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter IXDug InGA-HENGESAINT DE'RITH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - THREE DAYS LATERMATA REKIM"I'm fine," Solaris said, stepping out of his room."You haven't even stopped bleeding," Ketran sighed, rubbing his forehead."I can fight," Solaris argued, walking down the hall to check out."Solaris, just wait another couple days," Olmer shouted, stepping into the hallway.Solaris ignored them and rushed down the stairs. The doctors didn't seem to notice. Nobody noticed him, really. He just continued down to the first floor, signed himself out, and exited the hospital with his team on his heels."I don't think you're--" Grep began.Solaris ran into the woods, wrapping the baldric of his sword over his neck while Grep's voice trailed off.Olmer shook his head and signaled for everyone to follow him.Solaris whacked branches out of his way as he continued along through the jungle, following the sound of the Xian-tech weaponry and the occasional elemental blast. Soon, he came to a huge gap in the ground... What in Karzahni? In that gap in the ground were dozens of the MUPC Toa firing off some of their strange rifles."Get down!" Lt. Bernoi yelled at Solaris.The Toa of Lightning hit the ground and crawled into the trench."What the Karz is going on here?" he yelled at the soldier."Well, first off, the Vortixx have dug in on the other side of the beach," Bernoi yelled over the gunfire. "We can't seem to beat them how we are, so we were forced into trench warfare. Second, all of our Xian-tech assault rifle ammunition has run out, and all we have are these old rifles. It seems that we also were able to destroy all of the Vortixx's modern weaponry. They're firing bolt-action rifles, too."Solaris didn't fully understand, but he nodded."We don't wanna waste too much energy with elemental attacks, so grab a rifle," Rellian called, running over with a gun.Solaris grabbed it and stared for a moment. "How does it work?" he asked."Well, when we're in the trenches, use the bolt," Rellian explained. "Let me open the bolt and insert the ammo clip." The Toa of Plasma pulled the bolt back on the rifle, put a five-round clip of bullets into the gap, and pushed the bolt forward. "Whenever you fire one round, just pull the bolt back and forward like that and fire again. Once you've done that five times, reload.""When we go across the line, fix this bayonet," Bernoi added, waving a knife that could be attached to the end of the rifle in the air. "And you might want to use this device. It allows you to fire without using the bolt. It trades convenience for accuracy, though." He held up a device that could fit over the metal section of the rifle. "Just make sure to keep your Springfield M1903 rifle clean, and the sights lined up."And it was then the rest of Solaris's team jumped down into the trench."What's M1903 mean?" Frithiel asked."It means it was the model made in the 1,903 year after the Great Cataclysm," Rellian answered."Old rifle, not that great compared to what we had, but oh well," Bernoi added. "Now I'll explain this all to you."GA-HENGEVORTIXX LINEMATA REKIMIrsian was angry. His vintage AK-47 wasn't destroyed, thank Teridax, but it was out of ammo. That was bad. Now he was stuck with the Xian-tech Mauser company Gewehr 98 bolt-action rifle. Oh, how useless it was compared to what he had. But now this was all his army had. On top of that, his dinner plans with Mirray were interrupted by the battle. Who knew trench warfare could make battles this long?For now, he would do his best to survive.And he needed a smoke.GA-HENGEOVERLOOKING THE NO-MAN'S LANDMATA REKIMGhar-Knel looked at the burnt ground in front of him. It was riddled with barbed wire, elemental pressure bombs, and all kinds of traps. And at either side were the armies."It's like World War One all over again," the master mumbled, not intending for the Vortixx to hear.What was he talking about, Ghar-Knel wondered.But now was not the time to ask questions on the being's affairs. Now was the time to find Irsian and end this before more lives were lost."Let's get down there," the Vortixx said, beginning his tread down the hill.The being took a deep breath and followed.GA-HENGETOA LINEMATA REKIM"They've got a couple reinforcements moving in!" Rellian called out. The Toa of Plasma got up and walked away from the periscope. "One's a Vortixx, the other is an unidentified species wearing a long cloak with a shadowy hood."There was a sudden, distinct crack. This was no ordinary rifle being fired. It was the distinctive sound of a crossbow bolt being fired from the rifle of the Vortixx running across the No-Man's Land into the Vortixx trench. The crossbow bolt found its mark, embedding itself into a poor young Toa. The blood splattered in all directions. Just like with Querin."I found the assassin," Solaris growled.Plia looked at the body, hardly realizing she was standing so close to Solaris. But she didn't step back. She felt safe with him. He would protect her. And he was kind of handsome in his own devilish way. But the war was now, and she had more important things to do.Solaris reported the ID of the assassin to his leader. Olmer nodded, processing this information."Shoot to kill," the Ta-Toa said at last."You're crazy," Bernoi argued. "That's against the Toa code!""I don't know where you come from, Toa Bernoi," Olmer argued, "but here, when we have a problem, we justify it, and then we solve it. You want to win this battle, we want to catch a killer. Shoot to kill."The Toa of Magnetism hung his head and walked away to report it to the general."Team, detach into four pairs, same as the resort," Olmer commanded once Bernoi was gone. "Spread out, and if you can find the assassin, zero in on his position, and we'll make a trench run."Ketran considered the math for a moment. "Don't you think we should wait until the artillery stops?" he asked. "And even then, we'd have to leave snipers behind to take out whatever machine gunners there are in the trench across. By then, our assassin will be lost in a sea of Vortixx, and we'll never be able to succeed."Olmer stood a moment in thought. "Well, Ketran and Etriak, you are our best shots, you stay behind to snipe," he commanded. "Grep, you go with Utrop. The rest of you get the deal, right?"Everyone nodded."Don't worry, Plia," Solaris joked. "I've got your back.""Lock and load, comrades," Grep said, assuming a fighting stance."Let's do this," Solaris said, jumping up over the side of the trench.

[Solaris: Electric Sentinel]

Chapter XOperation FatalityGA-HENGEBEACH BATTLEFIELDMATA REKIMSolaris couldn't believe what he was doing. He was running across a field with a strange weapon with strange Toa, with the clueless love of his life at his side. This was insane. But he kept on running. And what he said back in the trenches, "Let's do this," that would never catch on."Solaris, get down!" Plia yelled.Sure enough, the Vortixx on the other side of the No-Man's Land began to open fire on a machine gun. Solaris dived behind a rock with Plia. That was close. He glanced at her before turning to check the area. The Vortixx machine-gunner seemed occupied by Grep's antics nearby. Utrop was obviously trying to reel him back in so that he still had a living wing-man for the beach resort. If it was still standing, that is.Solaris took this opportunity to aim his rifle at the flash of the expensive technology. Bang! Solaris Kill Count: 1. He couldn't believe it. He had just killed someone. A person was dead because of him."Don't stop, keep moving!"The Toa of Lightning turned to see Bernoi behind him, urging him and Plia on. Despite his growing anxiety over the deaths they were about to cause, Solaris got up and rushed to a rock ahead, making sure Plia was close behind. They reached a rock just in time. Another Vortixx took the dead one's place on the gun. The tatting of the machinery could be heard as a few screams came from the stretch of beach. So the Vortixx weren't afraid of causing death, either."I'm going to take that guy out and you lead some of these foreigners into the trench," Plia said, aiming at the machine-gunner.Solaris nodded and ran up as the Springfield shot rang out. There were two more of those along the line, but Olmer was able to take down one, and Ketran sniped the other. It seemed the Toa code was becoming irrelevant. The Toa force surged up and into the Vortixx trench.Irsian stood in the command post of the trench. He heard gunfire and the cries of dying Vortixx."Mirray," he called out. "To the shelter."The female Vortixx nodded and brought him down into a cave below the command post and locked the trapdoor, just as Utrop kicked down the door. The Po-Toa scanned the room, opening fire on any of the Vortixx assistants unlucky enough to be hanging out.Grep bounced in bayonet at the ready."You need any help?" the Toa of Air asked, jumping around."I... no, thanks," Utrop said, making sure his rifle was loaded.Meanwhile, Olmer and Frithiel were sweeping part of the trench complex for anyone calling for reinforcements. Sure enough, there were a few Vortixx radiomen, heavily wounded by the fire. One was dying, the other was crawling to his set."Toa... attack... help..." the crawling one wheezed into the mouthpiece.Olmer jumped. This was bad. The Vortixx would soon be upon them in a counterattack. He quickly shot the two radio operators before him."We need to warn the others," Frithiel said, knowing what this meant.They ran off to find their team.Solaris, Plia, Rellian, and Bernoi were on the other side of the trenches, fighting their way through a pocket of Vortixx resistance. Solaris lifted his head up to take out five enemies before reloading. Plia stayed behind a corner, occasionally turning to see if she could hit a Vortixx. Rellian cowered further back, and Bernoi rushed into the fray, bayoneting whoever was in his way."I think this is most all of them," Bernoi said, wiping the blade of his rifle bayonet on the ground."Let's report back to Olmer," Plia said, standing out in the open.The team, Rellian, and Bernoi met up in the command post, trading news."This place is mostly clear," Utrop reported as Grep bounced off the walls in the background. "I think this was the center of command for the trench system.""We cleared out the west branch," Solaris put in. "Large pocket, mostly gone now. The rest surrendered or ran off.""We got a small problem," Olmer sighed. "Frithiel and I found a couple of radio-Vortixx, and they called in a counterattack. I don't think our forces are powerful enough to take this beating. We lost enough in the charge over. Retreat back to our trench.""Good plan," Bernoi said. "You guys are quite the fighters. You think you might want to enlist?""We're just working with you to save our home," Solaris put in, walking out of the room. "Then you leave, and we don't see you again. We just want to be left alone.""He's, uh, he's right," Plia said. She didn't know Solaris all that well, but he was quite impressive. She followed him out.Olmer nodded his goodbye as he led the rest of his team back to the other side of the battlefield.Bernoi turned to look at Rellian. Rellian shrugged and said, "I guess they'd deserve that much if we win.""That's a big if," Bernoi said, looking down. The two of them walked out to join the Toa Rekim.GA-HENGEVORTIXX TRENCH UNDERGROUND SHELTERBELOW MATA REKIMGhar-Knel flicked his hand, causing the lightstones to come on. He turned to face his mysterious master and his friend Commander Irsian and his cute assistant."So what's you're bright idea?" the assassin asked."Well, Gharios," Irsian said, pulling away his assistant, "we're going to launch a counterattack that will push the MUPC into the jungle, and take the village nearby. It's brilliant, isn't it?""A bit sparse on the details," the strange being commented."Nothing goes as planned," Mirray interjected."She has a point," Ghar-Knel mumbled.Irsian nodded and looked around the bare chamber. "What do we have to do down here?" the commander sighed.Ghar-Knel grabbed a small remote out of his satchel. "I was saving this for the timer to stop, but if the time calls for it, we can all enjoy a nice tremor," the assassin said."Is that the one you planted at the Turaga's shelter?" the being asked. Ghar-Knel nodded.Click.There was a tremor in the ground. Enough explosives on the other side of the island destroyed an underground hut, sheltering six vital Turaga. There was a hole in the ground in Onu-Henge with a crack spreading out from the tremendous earthquake that was caused. Everyone on the island felt it. And soon they would discover what it meant.GA-HENGETOA TRENCHESMATA REKIMSolaris felt the earthquake. Something was happening underground. A few people lost their balance. Plia fell into his arms. Their eyes met a moment before Plia stood again, turning away.Perhaps Solaris wouldn't have a chance at anything in his life.Bernoi shepherded everyone back into the command post."All right, now we're going to launch an investigation on just what the Karz is happening," he said, throwing his gun to the ground, bayonet first. "I have a feeling it's nothing good.""Nothing's ever good," Solaris mumbled, slinging his Springfield over his shoulder.