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A Machine's Philosophy


Pahrak Model ZX

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Surrender or run, Whenua mused. Perhaps it really is that simple.

 

The Turaga of Earth ambled about the shattered remains of Metru-Nui. The blow that had killed Makuta Teridax had left the city damaged beyond repair, forcing its inhabitants (along with the rest of the universe) to evacuate to the new world of Spherus Magna. Uncertain times lay ahead, but everyone was willing to do their part, including Whenua.

 

But first…

 

Having spent years as an Archivist, Whenua held great respect for the lessons of the past, and always believed they provided answers necessary for the future. As a side-effect, the former hero often found himself lost in a wave of nostalgia. Before setting his sights on the future, he had decided, he would take one last look around his former home.

 

It had been more difficult than he had expected, not just due to the pain of leaving a city he had abandoned once before, but because harsh sunlight streamed in through a massive breach above. Whenua knew it would be some time before his eyes fully adjusted to the intense light that now lit his days.

 

Proceeding with his exploration, Whenua had found countless artifacts of a time long past—Kanoka, fragmented Masks of Power, and chute stations that had seen no activity for days or more. But now he stood over something that he had been truly shocked to find: the pieces of a deactivated Vahki.

 

The Turaga suppressed a shudder. As a Matoran he had lived in fear of the mechanical enforcers, and even as a Toa the mere sight of them had filled him with dread. Even he, as much as he loved the past, was happy that the Matoran had forgotten all about them as a result of Makuta’s tampering with their memories, and hoped that they would simply fade out of history.

 

“Surrender or run.” That was what the Matoran had been told to do when caught by a Vahki. So dedicated were the robots that when they acquired a target, they would not rest until they hunted down and subdued it. This statement, which became something of a motto, informed lawbreakers that they could either turn themselves in, or flee for a brief time before being captured anyway.

 

Whenua smiled. Or so they said.

 

Though capture by Vahki was always made out to be inevitable, he and the other Toa Metru had bested them on more than one occasion. They had chosen to run—to fight—and had in the end succeeded in completing their destiny. It had seemed a daunting task, perhaps even impossible, but they persisted and found a way to win.

 

Now, the entire universe Whenua had ever known faced a challenge that seemed far greater. Spherus Magna was, without a doubt, an exceptionally dangerous place. Already Toa had disappeared, disasters had occurred, and villains had slipped into the shadows with unknown purposes in mind. The way the Toa and Matoran reacted to these threats could determine their entire future.

 

We could surrender—just give up and face extinction. The Great Beings created us to keep Mata Nui alive so that he could fulfill his duty, and now that he has, we have completed our purpose as well.

 

Whenua bent over the head of what had once been a Vahki Rorzakh. Without hesitation, he impaled it with his drill.

 

Or we could run. We disregard the odds and make a new life here. Great Beings or not, I refuse to let anyone give my people an expiration date. I have defied order before, and now we shall all do so again. Past experience tells me that is the right course to take.

 

As he turned to leave his world behind for good, Whenua could not help but chuckle. After all their centuries of spreading fear, the Vahki had just managed to give him hope.

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