Red Sun, The story of BZ-Koro and the Bohrok... Options

[Beisbeis]

Author’s Very Long Note

After a break (which was far longer than I could comprehend), I have decided to rejoin the world of writing and write “Red Sun”, which is a story based on the hidden village of BZ-Koro, and about the Bohrok.

This story obviously takes place during the Bohrok Saga; there should not be any mention of the Rahkshi or the Bohrok-Kal right at this moment. Maybe later, but for now, no.

For anyone that is not aware, BZ-Koro is a fictitious village that houses the BZP inhabitants. There are many depictions of BZ-Koro, but to my knowledge there are no official creations. This depiction is not official; it is merely my view of the village. It bears a resemblance to BZP, with some of the buildings are actual divisions or forums on the website (although which ones you’ll have to see ).

The only character in this story that I have and will take is myself (you should recognize his name very easily). I have and will not use(d) any other member in this story because I feel it will ruin the effect of the story I wish to have by allowing guest stars and stuff. So please do not PM me saying, “I have a name to represent me, may be in the story?”

This story should have a PG-13 rating because of violence and maybe some blood (I try to make my characters organic instead of Lego bricks, and, this is, after all, a war story). I will obviously not be raising it to an R rating; however, if you feel I go over the line, you may PM me with your complaint and a reasonable explanation for it.

I am planning to update this maybe every two weeks (maybe once a week), but we’ll have to see how that holds together.

Lastly, for those older members who are (or were) familiar with my previous stories, I have news for both of them. “I, Sopu” is discontinued unless the need to finish arises. The original requester I have not personally heard of in a while, and even though the story was enjoyable, the fun started to wear off. If, after this story is complete, I feel inclined to, I will finish it.

“The Gathering of the Elements” is at a different stage; it is receiving “renovations”; in other words, I am editing for mistakes and making addendums to the story to make it more enjoyable. I have only done a few chapters as of now, but when I am farther ahead (probably around Chapter 10), I will start posting it again.

EDIT: Here is Beisbeis' Review Topic; please help me out and give a review when you are done!

EDIT: 8.7.04

All right, I have decided to go back and rewrite bits and pieces of the story all the way through, for it to make more sense. The Chapters that recieved the most change were Chapters 1 and now 3 (I have also merged the previous Chapters 2 and 3 into Chapter 2, so previously Chapter 4 is now Chapter 3. Make sense?), though all of the chapters had bits and pieces rearranged (I kept realizing I was referring to the Bahrag Queens as 'he' - D'oh!).

Anyways, enjoy the new batch of stuff. Hopefully the next chapter will bring the map that I have been planning to do...

EDIT: 9.2.04

The map of The Island is here!

EDIT: 3.29.05 Chapters 3 and 4 of Part I have been edited, once again. There is a critical scene particularly in Chapter 4 concerning Khora that has been added; check it out, if you feel inclined to.

EDIT: 7.8.05

I'm back at merging; there's a new prologue, so the original prologue and Chapter 1 have been merged. I also added one paragraph concerning the sun in Chapter 1; again, check it out, if you feel like it.

EDIT: 10.11.05

While I have a brain hiccup for Part II, Chapter 5, I decided to redit the story one more time before the end (hopefully). I have tweaked a lot of the dialogue, and I have changed some of the events around (most notably involving the soldier in Part I, Chapter 3). I have started the editing process, so this will probably take a week or two. Maybe then I will be ready to write more.

That’s it for now. So sit back, get comfy, and enjoy “Red Sun”!

Tenative titles: The Siege

This post has been edited by Beisbeis: Oct 12 2005, 12:03 AM

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[Beisbeis]

Prologue

Hello. You probably have no idea who I am; and I believe I would like to keep it that way, at least for now. Suffice it to say that I am a Matoran of BZ-Koro, one who has made mistakes. This account is for the errors I, along with countless others, have made. The still haunt my soul at night; and they will terrorize me for the rest of my life.

It is about BZ-Koro that I write this story. Something terrible has happened to our beloved city: the Bohrok have come. Though we have fought courageously in the view of terrible death, many have made that vision permanent. This is for them; this story is here so those people and their faults will never be forgotten, along with this tale of the near-destruction of not only our Island, but of Mata Nui itself.

So take your seat by the fireplace; bring your family close, all of them; and share this history with them. And never forget the past’s sacrifices – their innocence, their sufferings, their lives – so you could be here. Continue the legacy; the past can unlock the doer to the future.

Let us unlock it now.


Review here please!

This post has been edited by Beisbeis: Jan 19 2007, 03:58 PM

[Beisbeis]

Part I
Chapter I

Far beneath the underground of Mata Nui, they waited.

They were encased in fluidic capsules - waiting to be awoken, to do their master’s bidding, to fulfill their Purpose.

Their masters lay asleep also - waiting the time when someone would awake them.

They did.

Takua, then known as the Chronicler, stumbled upon them as the Toa and Makuta’s climatic battle ended. He had seen symbols of these creatures in his dreams; the words Beware the Swarm and signs warning of them carved into rock by Matoran all during his adventures traveling Mata Nui. He did not know these were the creatures that matched the warnings, but his curiosity got the better of him. He stared into one of the capsules, peering into its lifeless eyes, when suddenly it woke, its red eyes focusing on the creature - the enemy - in front of it.

“You wake one, you wake them all.”

Takua barely escaped with his life from these nightmares, and thus the Bohrok and the Bahrag were awoken to ravage Mata Nui and bring it to what the land was in the Before-Time.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Enter, Tahnok. We are anxious for your knowledge of our search.'

A Tahnok entered the massive black cavern. Its feet marched obediently to the center, where, surrounded by red and blue orbs of energy, were the Bahrag Twins, Cahdok and Gahdok, the Mothers of the Bohrok swarm. The JA Krana that controlled the Tahnok forced it to bend its knee and offer supplication to the enormous Queens in front of it, and then stood up. One of the Twins, Cahdok, who had spoken, concentrated its telepathic power on the JA Krana within the Bohrok. A beam of energy came from the middle of Cahdok’s head and immersed the Tahnok completely.

Flashes of battles raced by in both their minds... Then he was traveling with a squad to Ko-Koro... Then they were capturing the Matoran in Le-Koro and overtaking them there...

Suddenly, the memories stopped. The recollection had been frozen so suddenly that much of the picture in the memory was blurred as a result. Cahdok strained the JA's mind. The picture focused to a better view; the dashes on the wall became clearer, soon becoming letters of the Matoran language. From the heat radiating everywhere the Bohrok could see in the memory, it appeared they were in Ta-Koro.

'We have heard of this room from other Bohrok,' said Cahdok telepathically to Gahdok.

'They call it the Wall of History,' answered Gahdok, who clearly was ready to explore in this memory further. Cahdok again intensified the focus in her mind. The frozen memory magnified to the far left and the unknown Matoran inscription was translated. There was a lot to go over and see in the memory; the history of the Matoran on Mata Nui was not condensed. Finally, after searching for many minutes, Cahdok found what they had wanted.

'Date Unknown. BZ-Koro formed. A lesser Toa of unknown elemental power named Hapori Tohu and his group of followers fled their simple town (location unknown) after Makuta appeared and infecting it with Kratta, hoping to destroy them. A large portion died, while the remaining survivors caused them to flee south, which they were not seen again.'

'Gahdok,' said the other Twin, 'Make this Krana a XA for his immense help to us.'

Cahdok’s energy released its grip on the Bohrok, while Gahdok concentrated on the Krana, changing its face, adding ripples, and taking bumps out...

Soon, the newly made Krana XA bend the Bohrok's back to give thanks, and soon retreated.

'Could this be, Gahdok?' thought Cahdok, as the cave resumed its emptiness, 'could this be that the place we are searching for our mission lies in this fabled Koro?'

'It appears to be the only choice,' replied her sister, 'but we must continue our assaults on the other Koros, or the Matoran might become suspicious of our motives.' Cahdok nodded.

'I agree. Let us send squads out to the southwest of Mata Nui and start searching there. My feelings tell me they would not have lived that long in Le-Wahi. The sea would be a more likely area to start.' Gahdok grinned maliciously in reply.

'Then let us complete our Mission created for us by the Great Servant of Darkness, and the world will be as it was in the Before-Time; and the might of Makuta and the death of Mata Nui shall conquer the light of this world!'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A sea bird slowly glided over the shimmering water that was reflected off the rising sun as it steadily approaching The Island. It began to rise as the waves crashed down over the rocks, gnawing at the edifice that stood in its way. The bird weaved through the tangle of bushes and plants that had managed to grow amidst the harsh environment. After a few minutes, it had reached the summit and flew above the ground to look at the large plain that had grown on top of the small crop of hills overlooking the sea.

A Matoran stood at the edge of the cliffs, staring blankly into the endless void of ocean. Technically he was not a Matoran – the Matoran’s Kanohi did not contain any power, and they were of different build. Not even those of his hometown BZ-Koro could tell what they truly where.

Actually, he was shorter than a normal Matoran would be – something that he used to be sensitive about when he was younger. His mostly-white body stretched as he shook his head from the wondrous sleep he had just had. He grabbed his mask that he had laid on the soft grassy field next to him and his small pack the previous night with his black hands; it was too uncomfortable to sleep with it on. As he put on his silver Akaku, the mask of X-ray vision, he felt the familiar surge of power that was contained in the mask; and for the first time that morning, felt fully awake.

He gave an intake of breath, then a huge a huge refreshing sigh. It was good to leave the village once in a while to ease his mind of the bustle of life that did not always bode well with his mood - even if he left BZ-Koro, his home city, without permission. He needed the time to relax, because he had been busy in his life almost nonstop since the Swarms had been discovered...

It had been Takua, the exploring Matoran that recorded the history of Mata Nui and helped recover the lost Toa stones, which had woken the Swarms unknowingly and unleashed their awful power. Ever since that time, the six Koro's of Mata Nui had been ransacked with many various attacks, each as unpredictable as the next. BZ-Koro had given military assistance to the cities ever since during the time of the Rahi, but had not been attacked themselves.

Maybe it was the fact that the only person who ever knew it truly existed was Nuju, which, the Matoran thought, would keep this information to himself; or the fact that BZ-Korans hardly ever traveled to Mata Nui and did not disguise themselves as other Matoran, so if they did go, their origin would not be known to anyone - or anything.

Whatever the rationale, it was these facts that saved BZ-Koro from suffering as harshly as the other villages had, and saved the Matoran captain from complete exhaustion. He fingered his mace, and then sighed. He had had to travel to Mata Nui to help free Le-Koro during the previous month, so his stamina was unusually low as of late. Generally, he seemed to enjoy war; not because of the killing that occurred, but whenever he fought, it seemed to bring him such excitement, like during the chase in a hunt. It was something always inexplicable to him, even after the many long hours he had spent pondering it, so he simply let it go and continue to do his part in the War.

Maybe his reason for his unexplained love of battle was that he was left-handed. It might seem useless to anyone who did not know what was so unusual, but almost everyone on Mata Nui was right-handed (except for a gifted few), so because of this, the Council pronounced him Different. The astronomers had found the Red Star creating a new prophecy, which said the captain was destined for great things before the end of the Bohrok threat - which also was prophesied about the same time.

The Matoran had actually been serving for quite a while. He was one of the top soldiers in his class (which usually only consisted of, at the most, fifty Matoran), if not the best, and he had won great prestige when Le-Koro was overrun. He had led his group straight into Le-Koro, one of the most dangerous parts of the mission; and amazingly, there were no injuries or deaths to speak of in his group, so he had missed on much of the death and carnage that had overcome some battalions. This soon prompted the prophecy about his destiny, which the soldier held in high respect whenever it was spoken or thought of.

The Council that had lived during the Matoran's youth, however, was now replaced. All the former members had died peacefully, and a young Matoran, even younger than the captain stood up to take the Head Matoran's seat. This Matoran, whose name was Niwan, said he sought to help to citizens of BZ-Koro; however, it was evident that all he cared about was the power that he held, due to the obvious lack of responsibility and leadership he had. There were rumors that the captain was to have wanted the Head's seat (which, as he thought angrily, were not true; he was not one for government), so Niwan had pushed him to the limit for the training of the new soldiers, whose seventeenth birthday required to serve in the Army for a few months, maybe even years until the Bohrok were defeated (unlike the previous law, which stated that soldier had to be at least twenty to serve), which meant he would be occupied for quite a while, whether he wanted to be or not. Luckily, the Council did not know that he had slipped out of BZ-Koro just as the gates shut a few days ago; so no one would have known he was missing until the next morning, which gave him a few days to be alone, at least. Glad of his chance, the captain surveyed the landscape around him. Sometimes it was wonderful to be utterly alone.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, a foot soldier emerged in the distance of the plains, nearing the Matoran. He sighed; the wind blew all around one last time, as if to taunt him. Disgruntled, the captain tried to ignore the inevitable call to the village that was jogging closer to him, while wondering how in the world this soldier had been able to find him way out here; now he would be reported to the Council and he would be in severe trouble with them.

The Matoran tried to distract himself from his problems by watching the sunrise into the sky. Sunrise was one of the captain’s favorite times; the colors that splashed across the horizon were nothing short of amazing. However, today was different; all that appeared across the horizon was orange. The captain heightened the clarity of the image with his Akaku, but no new shades emerged. The Matoran’s eyes lowered in unease. Only when great war was to begin would the sun become pure orange; it served as a warning, along with the Red Star to determine the type of battle, to those who took note of it. Beisbeis shrugged his shoulders; he dismissed it in his mind as something about the Bohrok on Mata Nui, although his excuse did not ease his curiosity or discomfort.

Finally, the soldier reached him and gave a salute, accompanied with a stand for attention. The captain could not pretend he was there any more, much to his displeasure, so he turned to face the soldier, as if he just realized he was there. The Matoran was slightly taller than the captain, but that did not prohibit him from bowing to his authority. The soldier wore a teal Miru and green body, with brown hands. The Matoran tried standing a little taller when he noticed the captain was watching him to show he was not anxious about talking to one of his leaders.

“What is it, soldier?”

"A call for you, sir. Some of the newer recruits need help in drills, especially in hand combat. They requested that you help, sir."

The captain knew that the soldier could mean only one 'they': the Council of BZ-Koro, of which he had no chance of changing their minds, thanks to Niwan. He gave a short gaze out at the ocean, sighed, and then started walking away down the steep path to the bottom of the cliffs and to the plains below. After they had reached the bottom and started on the path back to BZ-Koro, he turned to the soldier.

"Your name, soldier? Také, isn't it? The first in your year two years ago?" Také started, evidently pleased that a captain had recognized him out of the four hundred and fifty soldiers that were from BZ-Koro.

"Yes, sir."

"Don't 'sir' me, I can't stand that... just call me Beisbeis." Také hesitated.

"The Council says we should give respect to our commanding authorities."

"And I say we forget about what the Council says," Beisbeis said darkly. "Just between you and me; Beisbeis is enough of the respect I want," he said, and Také's face became brighter. Beisbeis looked out over the fairly large plain for a couple seconds before turning back to the Matoran, who was still grinning slightly from Beisbeis' recognition.

"So, do you have a report from the villages for me?" Také snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head quickly.

"Well, both fishing parties are back. Between the two of the groups, they caught about twenty Ruki fish - that's all they could get from the east beaches and Lake Lamén. They think it might have had something to do with the Bohrok on Mata Nui. The Bohrok might have disrupted the Tarakava, and the fish might have had to seek safer places - which I guess are not around The Island."

Beisbeis shook his head. The lack of fish was not just disappointing, it was precarious; even though the Koro had enough food to sustain them for while, the lesser amount of meat meant they would eat nothing but grain for a while, which certainly cut into their supplies - they only had enough to last them a few months.

"Have the hunting parties returned yet?" he asked Také. The Matoran shook his head disappointedly.

"No, si- Beisbeis," he added, remembering what the captain had told him, "We’ve looked, but the animals we had seemed to have a few months ago have gone-"

"Shh. Duck down. Don't move."

Beisbeis suddenly became sharp and aware, although he had actually been listening since they had begun talking. Silently, he pulled Také to the ground and waited, acutely scanning the area with his Akaku.

"What-"

Beisbeis brought a finger to his lips, leaving Také to be silent and confused. The captain inched forward, silently raising his mace from the mud.

"We've been far too loud. Something's heard us, and it's been hiding near that boulder over there." Beisbeis pointed to the rock about five bio away to the north of them. The captain nodded and turned to Také.

"All right, you go to the right," Beisbeis whispered, "And I’ll be on the left. Be ready to run, and we should catch the thing that's spying on us." And without another word, he held his breath and snuck through the large weeds, taking careful steps not to attract their apparent enemy's attention.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The creature stood frozen, using all its senses to understand where the two Matoran that it had been hearing for the past half-hour were. They were sneaking closer to its spot, because they had split apart and were approaching from the sides. There was one in front of it, beyond the boulder, but it kept losing sound of him; the Matoran knew what he was doing. The wind was ruining some of its hearing, so it relied on its eyes. Soon, the plants slowly began to straighten up; the breeze was slowing down. The beast raised its small hammer silently while listening for any disturbance that might aid its search.

There was something to the beast's left. The creature jerked its head noiselessly. The bushes swayed quietly, almost silently next to it - without the aid of the wind - and the creature could barely make the glimmer of light off the weapon before it was hid from its sight again.

Instinct – or maybe terror – took over. The creature burst off its rock and flew through the foliage, just as one leaped off the boulder and tried to grab it from behind. He heard the Matoran that was now on the ground shout something to the other, then felt a searing pain in its back. The beast limped a couple steps, swayed back and forth, and finally fell to the ground, darkness finally overcoming him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis sprinted to the monster and checked the pulse. The creature was clearly dead. After a second, he grasped the hilt and pulled the dagger out of the back.

"Nice, shot, Také," he said impressively, "I can tell why you were first in your class." The foot soldier grinned embarrassingly, yet again pleased that he had satisfied the captain. Beisbeis handed him the weapon and rolled over the creature.

It was a Pahrak Va, evident from the vibrant brown color and the hammer that was on the side of it. The Krana it was holding on its back and suddenly leaped on the ground; it already injured by the dagger, however, frantically attempting to crawl away. Without a thought, Beisbeis swung his mace and severed the creature in two. The pieces ceased wriggling, and it seemed that time was speeding up and taking its toll on the parasite. The half-Krana grew harder and harder, and blue cracks ran through the veins of the creature.

Suddenly, it stopped, and the Krana lay in the dust, dark and looking as if it was a fossil, staying undisturbed since the Before-Time. Another large breeze blew through the marsh, and slowly, flakes flew off the Krana until there was nothing left on the ground. The shavings fluttered in the wind, out into the sea and beyond.

Beisbeis stood rigid to the spot, thinking, his cloak whipping around in the wind. There had been no type of Bohrok on The Island before; so the only reason a Bohrok Va would appear on the island would be if -

"They know we’re here." Beisbeis whispered quietly. Také was running up and was confused at what was happening.

"What? What’s wrong, si-"

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but something happening. C'mon, we have to get back - now. We need to tell BZ-Koro. Hurry, Také!”

And without another word, Beisbeis began to run back onto the Road into the plains. Také took one look at the dead Pahrak Va, then turn back to catch up with Beisbeis.


Review here please!

This post has been edited by Beisbeis: Jan 19 2007, 04:01 PM

[Beisbeis]

Chapter 2

Beisbeis sprinted on the Road from the cliffs, bursting over rocks, running over plants, water, mud - anything in his way. He was feeling the beginnings of an emotion that had not truly come to him in a long time: fear. It had never really affected him throughout the wars because the thought of BZ-Koro safe helped to comfort him if he were ever to be slain.

But now, the chance that their village might have been discovered was making him anxious. Many other warriors were gone helping the other Koros, so he was left with ill adapted and unequipped trainees to aid their defense. Now would be too good of an opportunity for the Bohrok to miss. Nervously, he turned his head and found Také still running, but definitely slowing down. He stopped for his younger companion.

“Can you keep up all right?” he whispered urgently. He had not scanned the area for Bohrok with his Akaku Nuva yet, so it was best to be safe than dead.

“Sir,” Také panted, breathing heavily, “I can run long distances, but I can’t run them as fast as you can. We must have covered half a kio in an hour’s time…” Beisbeis shook his head.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, we still have a quarter of a kio to go, and it will take us at least another half an hour, maybe more, to get there-“

“Wait, sir. Can you explain what’s going on first before we continue?”

Beisbeis turned around to look towards the soldier. Také’s face was not full of excitement or even fear, as Beisbeis had expected of most soldiers his age, but of curiosity and concern. Beisbeis sighed. He quickly glanced around the area, decided it was safe, and then turned back to address him.

“Do you know what that thing back there was?”

“Well, it was a Pahrak Va, wasn’t it?”

Beisbeis nodded. “Has there ever been Bohrok on The Island?”

A few seconds passed, then Také’s eyes began to widen. “Do you mean that Pahrak Va knew we were here?”

“My guess is no,” Beisbeis replied, “Because a Bohrok Va usually does not travel alone if they are attacking. They might know now and send more, however – which is why we need to hurry back, and warn the people about what could be coming.” As he stood up, Také voiced what Beisbeis was thinking.

“Do you think we’ll survive, even with more time?” Beisbeis stopped once again and watched Také anxiously await the answer. The captain dropped his head to the ground, searching for an answer, and sighed.

“I don’t know.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The city of BZ-Koro grew closer as the twosome jogged on. The territory become more familiar as cultivated fields, then small huts and larger houses started to appear more often. Finally, they could the large structure in sight, surrounded by a small number of trees. Guards stood on the walkway as sentinels, watching the sun descend below the horizon. The enormous gates of the Koro were pushed apart and Beisbeis and Také entered the city.

The bustling courtyard in the far right corner was filled with busy Matoran that continued their business, unaware of the dangerous information Beisbeis carried with him. The fountain in the center continued to spray water for any Matoran that needed it as the captain moved left with Také following close behind. They descended the small steps down into the Great Council Building that was next to the entrance of the Koro.

Beisbeis shut the door after Také had already gone in. Darkness immediately overcame them, save for torches lit every few feet. Beisbeis and Také walked down the only hallway, and soon came to a passageway leading three different ways; a pair of immense double doors blocked the largest path in front of them. The guards on watch examined the two, deemed him safe, and opened the two doors. Beisbeis and Také stepped inside.

They were standing in a massive dome-shaped room, with nine raised seats in an almost complete circle, each occupied by a Matoran. The brightest light in the room poured onto the center, through the stained glass window in the top; all the torches along the side were lit, also. They were all whispering amongst themselves until Beisbeis and Také reached the center, and all was silent.

“Beisbeis,” boomed the Matoran in the middle pillar, raising himself from the outer darkness and into the light, “You’re late. I believe we called you yesterday afternoon.” This Matoran wore a dark green Mahiki to match his dark green body. His eyes pierced through the holes in his masks, eying Beisbeis intently. He was someone that anyone near him could never sense his emotions, his intents. It was an unnerving quality for a leader.

Beisbeis raised one of his eyebrows as he said, “I was a bit busy, Niwan. Maybe we should ask you where you go every once in a while,” he muttered, though loud enough for everyone to hear. Niwan’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“I’ll ignore that last retort if you tell us what you were doing for the past day.”

“Well, sir, I was fighting a Bohrok Va.”

Talk burst out, but were quickly silenced with a shout for silence from the Main Matoran. His eyes, scrutinized, watched Beisbeis carefully - and dare he say cautiously?

“Please explain.”

It took a short ten minutes to recall discovering and fighting the creature. When the story was finished, Niwan spoke again.

“So you believe they know our location?”

“I don’t know, which is why I suggest we prepare ourselves for the attack, so we are not caught unaware.”

Whisperings occurred for a moment, but soon became silent.

“We cannot do that,” said the Main Matoran simply, while the captain jerked his head to him, his mouth open disbelievingly. “We must act as if we do not know anything. They might not even know we are here. If we do anything, they will be sure and know, but if we keep this quiet, we have a chance that they will not discover anything.” Beisbeis nshook his head disapprovingly, which was unlike him to do so – no one stood up to the Council.

“From what I’ve seen, I doubt it – so if you’re going to be fools and just let them overtake us without any action - “

“You will show respect to those in higher authority than you.”

The Main Matoran, now incensed at his remark, responded tensely to Beisbeis. The rather quiet noise surprisingly echoed through the large room. After a few seconds, the captain bowed unconvincingly, fury also showing in his face.

“I should, you’re correct. But I only bow to those who do not let their own power cloud their senses –“

“You will show respect to those higher in authority than you!”

Niwan was now standing, bellowing at Beisbeis, rage etched over his face. Beisbeis stared defiantly back.

“Then you need to accept the fact that they will know we’re here and that they are coming.”

Beisbeis’ remarks created a dead silence in the Council. The Main Matoran stared through his mask at the captain for a few seconds, his eyes narrowed in hatred.

“We will do no such thing. There is no need to do so. Meanwhile,” Niwan pointed a finger at Beisbeis, though it was obvious he was restraining the urge to go up and use his fist instead, “You will leave this room at once. If you tell anyone about these ideas about defending something that will not come to us – “ Niwan’s mask glowed, and a image of shackles materialized in front of Beisbeis, floating in the air, “We will find out about it, Beisbeis. Go, now.”

Angrily, Beisbeis spun around and climbed the stairs out, with Také close behind, their steps echoing again. When they reached the safety of the outside, Také whispered, “…Now what?”

“We need to make it out on our own – right now. I expected opposition from some, but I didn’t expect the whole Council to turn on us. We’ll grab some weapons, then leave… and…” Také became nervous.

“And? And what?” Beisbeis shook his head.

“Well, we’ll figure it out from there. C’mon, we better hurry if we’re going to make it out before they arrest us for something ridiculous.”

Beisbeis and Také hurried off the Lower Level, watching the now silent courtyard for anything hiding in the shadows as dusk fell.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

‘BZ-Koro was divided into two sections, the Upper and Lower. The Upper was where many of the larger buildings were located, such as the Armory, Library, Infirmary, etc.

The Lower Level was the home of the Matoran. They lived, dined, and performed other activities underground, along with storage of most of their food. There was only one staircase down and up to the Upper and Lower Levels, to prevent attacks from enemies.

History

BZ-Koro holds a great legend regarding Metru Nui–

As the picture grew fainter, a disappointed Cahdok released her hold on the Bohrok.

‘Is this all of the Wall of History you could see?’ she asked the Tahnok.

‘Chikt-chikt-chikt.’

‘The rest was rubbed away?’ The Tahnok nodded.

‘Very well. You may leave.’

When the Bohrok exited, Cahdok started talking to herself.

‘We didn’t get all we wanted.’

‘But we confirmed the existence of the Koro,’ reminded Gahdok, ‘that will get us started.’ Cahdok distantly nodded.

‘Yes…’ Suddenly, her head jerked up.

‘Send the Bohrok to BZ-Koro.’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -

Beisbeis and Také walked through the stone stairway that led to the Lower Level, closely watching everywhere about them. They would not be surprised if they were arrested on the spot for an imaginary law and taken to the prison until Niwan’s consent. The market had closed earlier than normal, so no one would be there to defend them; they needed to leave, and fast. Luckily, they met no one as they descended the spiral staircase.

A few seconds later, the Lower Level appeared in front of the two Matoran. This place was similar to Onu-Koro, with lighted huts scattered into groups everywhere, and a larger-than-normal dome building in the center, which served as the dining area. Over to the far left corner, just below the entrance of BZ-Koro, was a large stash of Madu Cabolo, a fruit that surprisingly exploded when combined with enough pressure, and were therefore used in combat for clearing away sections of enemies. The captain never felt comfortable with the possibility that he might be blown up by some accident involving those weapons. However, it was silent, the air was stuffy, and no one could be seen. Beisbeis turned to Také, his voice a quiet whisper, trying to keep the silence.

“All right, head to the quarters, and gather anything you need from your bunk. I’ll go get my stuff and we’ll meet back here in ten minutes.” Take nodded, and started walking to where the soldiers were housed, his feet slapping on the ground, until they became a faint echo.

Beisbeis turned to his right to follow the path that led to his quarters. Even though the soldiers and officers lived in the same building, a thick wall separated them from each other. There were only four captains, and as the rest were either leading BZ-Koro’s armies or on duty here, there was no one in the recreation hall when he entered, or in their rooms, from what he could see. Beisbeis silently thanked the Great Spirit’s for this small stroke of luck, and then headed down the hallway and to the left, where he entered his room.

There was nothing especially impressive or amazing in this place – just a simple wooden bed, drawer, desk with some unfinished letters to the stations on The Island, and a chest in the corner of the room. Quickly, Beisbeis dipped into his scanty provisions, map, cloak and his valuable Volo Lutu Launcher, a machine that by using two elements of contrasting polarity he could essentially propel an object in a certain direction, After searching the chest, he looked for any weapons he find on the floor. There was nothing of sentimental value that he had that he could bring – he would have to leave it to the Council. Taking one last look at his quarters, he turned around, pack in hand and mace over his back. As he turned to shut the door, a voice rang out to his right.

“Hold it right there!”

The captain turned to find two soldiers standing side by side. One held his sword in his hand, while the other held an old mace. Both tried to appear firm, but Beisbeis could see both were nervous – their hands tried gripping their weapons, but they did so incorrectly. He could handle younger soldiers.

“You are under arrest for spreading rumors of Bohrok coming to BZ-Koro,” one tried to say in a commanding tone, “We are to take you to them to be judged.”

Beisbeis sighed in defeat, dropped his pack, and walked slowly with his head down. Suddenly without warning, he grabbed his mace from behind and smacked the closest Matoran’s jaw with the hilt. The soldier fell to the ground, stunned, dropping his mace with a clang, while the second raised his sword and pulled a whistle out of his armor. He exchanged blows from Beisbeis, and quickly blew three short notes. Yet, in this he made his mistake: in his moment slight moment of triumph, he forgot about his enemy. Beisbeis smacked his opponent in the head; but in the quiet that followed, he could hear another whistle pierce the outside above.

“Oh, great…”

The Matoran quickly grabbed his backpack from the ground and ran out of the building. Také was already waiting for him at the captain’s entrance, his eyes nervously watching around.

“What did you do?” he said nervously over the growing noise.

“Make a mess,” Beisbeis grumbled, pulling the slipping pack onto his shoulder, “No doubt the gate will be closed by now…”

“Then how are we going to get out?”

Beisbeis signaled for Také to follow him. As they made their way along the path, lights began to appear inside the huts. The captain picked up his pace as he pointed up to Také.

“We’re going the only way we can now – over the wall.” Také shook his head, aware of the rapidly growing number of lightstones appearing in the Lower Level.

“And how are we going to get over there?” Beisbeis pulled out his cloak.

“Just follow my lead. And make sure you watch where you fall.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The two-cloaked Matoran silently made their way up the large spiral staircase, taking a few steps, then stopping suddenly, as noise would come closer. So far none had actually come on the stairs, and yet the captain’s confusion was rising.

“It seems as if they think we are already at the top,” he whispered to Také, “But they’re not coming down…”

Suddenly, a soldier appeared climbing down and suddenly stopped, bewildered at the sight he was seeing. Také burst in front, pushing under the Matoran’s legs and flipping him over. Beisbeis flinched as the body collided with the ground and caused the narrow passageway to echo.

“C’mon, they might’ve heard that,” he whispered, and Také obediently followed behind, anxiously watching from behind.

Moonlight bathed over the Matoran as they came to the Upper Level entrance. The guard on watched turned around with a surprised expression.

“You’re not –“

At the sound of the guard, Beisbeis punched his abdomen, rendering him silent for a few moments. Using their advantage, the two Matoran burst to the right and up the stairs to the walkway along the wall. The guard at the top drew his sword, but Beisbeis quickly swung his mace under his feet and yanked forward. The mace grabbed the leg, tripping the guard, while the two runaways burst over him and onto an empty walkway. Far away, Beisbeis and Také could hear the voices of an officer heard shouting, “Quickly, shoot them, before they escape!”

An archer next to him shook his head. “He’s a captain – we can’t shoot him!”

The Matoran turned to the soldier. “You can if he’s a criminal – now hurry, or you’ll be searching for him in the night!”

A few moments later, arrows whistled past Beisbeis and Také, narrowly missing them. Both stopped at the corner, while Beisbeis turned to Také.

“Go, go!” he urged. Také nodded, and leapt off of the building. A few moments later, his Miru shown as the Matoran hovered over the underbrush, waiting for the captain. Beisbeis grabbed his Volo Lutu Launcher, blindly took aim, and launched the small ball of Protodermis. He was jerked forward off the battlement as he caught the sphere in the launcher once again. Unfortunately, he still had a few more feet to fall. Beisbeis fell with a pain in his back. Despite the twinge, he picked himself up to avoid arrows from archers at the top that sank deep into the ground all around him. The captain quickly began running away from his home that he had known his entire life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The tide of the beach washed over the grains of sand, back and forth, as it had always done since the beginning of Time. Slowly the earth eroded away into the vast sea. The Matoran stood at the head, observing the stars. He wore a tan Rau to match his slightly dark brown body. The mask was a mask he cherished for his occupation – stargazing. The stars had always given him his peace in his life; now, however, he studied the sky with great anticipation, referring to the book that contained all the prophecies concerning the Red Star, the brightest star in the Mata Nui sky.

“The Star is linking with a legend that says war will come to BZ-Koro,” he whispered to himself, “But it sounds as if war is coming to us now, and – “

Suddenly a noise from the sea caused him to lower his head. There were shapes jumping from the various strips of land jutting from the sea, coming towards them. As they came closer, the astronomer’s eyes widened. He gasped horrifyingly.

The Bohrok were coming.

The Matoran turned and sprinted for the soldier outpost. They needed to know about this, before the Bohrok’s terror would come.

The astronomer could hear a small rumble behind him. They were coming for him!

The Matoran quickened his pace, and glanced behind him. He could not see anything.

The noises stopped. His sprint slowed a run, a jog; and then stopped. Something was going on…

Suddenly, he was slammed to the ground. Red eyes and a Krana VU glowed back at him as he raised his claw. The astronomer gasped, his heart thumping, a tear rolling down his cheek.

“Chikt-chikt-chikt-chikt- “

It was the last thing the astronomer ever heard.

The Lehrak dropped the limp body and watched as it sank into the sand, the poisons already working on the corpse.

Silently the Swarms advanced to the outpost nearby.

Their mission was succeeding.


This post has been edited by Beisbeis: Jan 19 2007, 04:10 PM

[Beisbeis]

Since the previous Chapter 3 was merged with Chapter 2, this is just an empty post. Skip down to the next post to continue the story.

This post has been edited by Beisbeis: Aug 9 2004, 09:59 AM

[Beisbeis]

Chapter 3

The lights of BZ-Koro were brightly piercing the silent night. Half a kio away, Beisbeis stood in a small clearing, his breathing slightly harder than usual. He had been hardly running for five minutes, but he had already lost Také. He scanned through the small woods with his Akaku, and settled upon a bundle of heat that was nearing him. He could wait until Také found him.

Soon, a glowing Miru landed on the ground, the light slowly fading away. Také turned to the captain.

“Are you all right?” Beisbeis nodded.

“Right enough. And you?”

Reluctantly, Také’s arm turned to reveal a small wound. Beisbeis’ brow furrowed.

“What happened?”

“An archer got lucky and grazed me,” he said, smiling weakly, “Don’t worry. I’ve had worse, and I always was a fast healer.” Beisbeis smirked.

“But you’ve never been injured while on the run, have you?”

Také sighed as Beisbeis carefully bandaged the gash with strips ripped from his cloak.

“Speaking of being ‘on the run’, where should we go now?” Beisbeis’ looked behind Také’s shoulder, his mechanical eye whirling forward, adjusting his vision.

“Let’s just get out of here – there’s a party of soldiers coming, and they’ll find us soon if we don’t leave.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis and Také sprinted on east through the woods, watching the sun pierce through the fog and revealing the huge stretch of sandy expanse of beach before them. Také sighed and sat down on a tree root.

“We ran all night, and now we’re trapped…”

Beisbeis didn’t answer; his attention was to tracks close to the water. Také noticed what he was looking at and leapt off the gnarled root to look.

“Thin tracks… it looks like each foot has two of them… look, there’s a huge group of them over here!”

The captain’s blood froze when he saw them. They were unmistakable, after so many months of hating and fighting them.

The Bohrok had come.

Beisbeis burst off running the familiar beach that he had taken whenever he traveled to Mata Nui, with Také slightly behind leaping in the air once in a while to scout ahead. The tracks were at least a few hours old; they might be able to catch them in time. After a few minutes, Také shouted out anxiously:

“There’s something up ahead; it looks like a Matoran!”

Beisbeis looked around nervously, the water starting to splash at his knees. There was no difference of heat in the sand that he could see. His heart thumping hard, he ran over the last remaining sand dunes, each seeming to take forever to cross. Finally, he had reached the spot.

There was a Matoran, sprawled in the bottom of a sand hole. The mask had fallen off the face, and any color that might have been in it was gone. Beisbeis kneeled at the Matoran’s side, picking up the body and finding two punctures in the stomach. A black liquid was trickling from the wounds. His heart light was dark.

“They must have been Lehvak to have poison,” whispered, Také, almost to himself, “And they must have Krana VU to fly from Mata Nui…”

Beisbeis didn’t answer; there was nothing he really could say. He sat in silence for a few seconds, the initial shock from this new discovery slowly ebbing away. The Matoran had never seen an innocent BZ-Koran dead before. His breathing began to slow; he brought the dead Matoran’s head to his, embraced it for a few seconds, and then laid the body in the sand. The captain raised the Matoran’s Kanohi, a Rau, and placed it gently back on the face. He grabbed a piece of bark from the forest nearby, pulled out a knife and carved something on it, although Také couldn’t see what it said from where he was.

“If we survive this, I’ll come for you,” he whispered, his eyes closed tight as he embedded the bark into the ground. Také bowed his head in reverence. Silence overcame for a few seconds – the wind whistled through their gravesite, grains of sand slowly starting to cover the Matoran. Beisbeis’ eyes flashed open, an unnatural red fire in his blue eyes.

“Let’s go.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Matoran captain and his comrade sprinted as the scorching sun rose higher into the sky. They ran as they never ran before, and by mid-afternoon, the outpost was in sight ahead.

It was really a small community rather than a single building, with two small houses that kept the soldiers for their two weeks of watch in front of the actual outpost, which was a round building with a walkway at the top. The walkway, however, was never used, since no one had attacked it before; more than anything, this was merely a stop before the soldiers continued their travels. There was a small garden to the side filled with food in case of an emergency, and a road led away from the outpost to the dock at the shore for shipping anything to and from Mata Nui, along with travel of troops. As they lay on the last hill to the outpost, Také grabbed his bow and arrow while Beisbeis unsheathed his mace.

“Just take them by surprise and go quietly at first,” he whispered to Také, “We don’t know how many Bohrok are there, or even if they have left.” Také nodded grimly, his eyes focusing on the right shelter. Through a shattered window a Bohrok was seen, searching for any live Matoran. The soldier notched an arrow, leaning his head to Beisbeis, waiting for his command. The Matoran nodded and started running towards the outpost.

An arrow zipped past the captain’s shoulder, through the window of the hut and pierced the side of the Bohrok’s neck. The Bohrok howled in pain, then fell out of view from the window. Calls from other Bohrok came from elsewhere in the area.

Beisbeis ran onto the pathway in between the houses, swinging his mace as he roared his challenge. A Bohrok stepped out of the outpost, blasting a ball of poison towards the Matoran. The captain leapt in the air and swung his mace forward as he fell and shattered the headplate and dying Krana. Three more appeared from the dock area, running at Beisbeis, but one fell from the attack with a well-shot arrow in the head.

The Bohrok screeched as weapons collided. Claws tried gripping the mace and ejecting poison at the same time. The captain pulled back from the push, and as the Bohrok fell to the ground, its headplate opened, flinging the Krana at Beisbeis. The Matoran panicked as the Krana latched to his leg and slowly started inching up his body. Seizing the opportunity, the remaining Bohrok leapt onto Beisbeis and grabbed his neck. The Matoran’s heart pounded faster as the grip grew tighter and tighter…

Suddenly, the Bohrok screamed, falling to its side, a knife in its back. Beisbeis massaged his neck, still breathing hoarsely as Také came and quickly stabbed the remaining Krana with his dagger.

“Wait here,” the captain said, coming to his mace and bringing it to a defensive position, ”I’ll be back soon.”

Také said nothing, confused as Beisbeis entered the outpost. A huge breeze blew on Také from the west as he sat down, his anxiety starting to grow. If the Bohrok had left a swarm to protect the outpost, there were three missing…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis quietly entered the outpost, his Akaku scanning back and forth. There didn’t seem to be any Bohrok that he could see. Satisfied, Beisbeis crept forward, his grip tightening on the mace, swinging it left to right.

Suddenly, a Bohrok leapt to the right of him, its claws swinging wildly, hissing. Beisbeis on instinct threw himself backwards as the Bohrok fell to its stomach, surprised at its’ opponent’s move. The Matoran swung his mace upwards into the headplate, shattering it and creating a hole in the Krana. The Krana began the familiar process of dissolving away as Beisbeis’ thumping heart yet again began to slow down.

‘I didn’t even see it in my Akaku,’ he thought. ‘Don’t be so foolish, Beisbeis… take things a little slower.’

Now that he was sure that he was the only one in the room, he took his first glance around it. He had passed his way through here, but he had never actually had orders to come here, so he had never been in this room. Barrels of weapons and water lay toppled and strewn over the wrecked dirt floor where many bodies of Matoran were lying everywhere, some trampled over in the confusion of footprints inside the building. It was obvious on the looks on their faces that they had died in pain and shock. Beisbeis sighed and bowed his head, depressed that he could not have sooner.

A moan from above him caught Beisbeis’ attention, and his head perked up, listening more intently. He grabbed his mace out of the Bohrok and climbed the stairs in the back of the building that lead outside onto the platform overlooking all of the land around the outpost, which included the dock to the sea. The moan came out again, and this time it was in the room that lay on the second floor behind him. Beisbeis followed the pathway to the door into the room, which lay facing the front.

When he came inside, he found the officer’s quarters destroyed. Papers lay scattered about; the officer lay dead in his chair, two small holes in his stomach, dried blood on his chin. A cough came from behind the chair, and Beisbeis’ mace instantly went to his position, his heart thumping.

Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind and tossed him to the floor. Beisbeis felt a searing pain in his back, and he tried to free himself, but his enemy was too strong…

‘Mata Nui, this can’t be how I go…’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Take looked around the outpost. After five minutes, fighting could be heard inside the building. Také gripped his weapons, and ran through the destroyed entrance of protodermis. There was already a dead Bohrok lying near the front, but Také kept his dagger nearby as he ran up the stairs.

When he reached the room, he found a Bohrok standing over something. Instantly, the dagger flew out of his hand and into the monster’s back. It fell, howling to its side. The soldier crawled and gasped when he found his captain breathing hoarsely, two holes piercing his side. Také quickly squeezed the skin. To his relief, pure blood, and not poison, came out of the wound. Quickly, he stopped the bleeding and wrapped a piece of cloth around the two holes. Beisbeis breathing began to slow down as he slowly got up, staggered for a moment, whispered, “Thanks,” and began to search the cough’s origin.

He found a young private over his dead officer, covered in congealed blood, his breathing also ragged. Beisbeis leaned over the Matoran, knowing that it was too late to save the young man.

When the soldier noticed Beisbeis and Také, he began to smile.

“Oh, thank Mata Nui I found you,” he breathed, “They attacked us early in the morning; I’ve been here in this position since then, hoping that someone would show up.” Beisbeis was amazed he wasn’t already dead. “They killed everyone in the outpost and went into the Pöuri forest; I don’t know what else has happened.” Beisbeis grabbed his arm and patted his wrist gratefully, his eyes watering up.

“Thanks you. You have done your part.” The soldier stared back blankly.

“I… I don’t know if I’m ready to die… I have a girl at BZ-Koro… Will you tell her what happened to me?” Beisbeis nodded, his lip trembling. The soldier’s eyes glistened. “I wish I could… see her one last … time…”

The Matoran exhaled, and the eyes stared back, lifeless, his arm falling to the ground. Beisbeis stood there for a moment, tears flowing from his eyes, his mind disbelieving as he shook his head. Také gripped his shoulder nervously, his eyes also watering.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Bohrok watched the two Matoran leave the outpost, and then climbed the building himself. He watched the two hike into the Pöuri forest and noticed the burning trees to the south of them.

They would run right into them.

The Bahrag Queens will be pleased about this…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Beisbeis and Také ran west from the outpost, jumping over boulders and tree roots in their way. The captain was too preoccupied with his feelings that he simply went on, not aware of where he was running.

Right into the Pöuri forest.

Soon, each tree and boulder was so familiar to the next, all around them. Také leapt from a tall branch, shaking his head.

“It’s no use; the branches are too thick to see through anything, especially the sky. We’re lost.” After a few seconds, he watched Beisbeis sigh with frustration.

“Where should we go, sir?” The captain swung his mace around at the trees.

“Pick a direction. It’s the only way we’ll get out of here at all.” Také turned around dazed. Finally, he pointed to a huge rock boulder in a nearby group of trees.

“We might have a chance over there…”

As they grew closer, a feeling of silence overcame them. The captain scanned around with his Akaku while listening to Také.

“Keep your eye out. There’s something around, watching us; keep your guard up, and don’t run if it comes out.”

They went another ten bio, when suddenly a rustle was heard from the trees. Beisbeis unsheathed his mace, but his falling enemy jumped from the tree before he was ready. The Matoran was slammed to the ground before he knew it, and quickly fell into darkness.



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This post has been edited by Beisbeis: Mar 29 2005, 09:18 PM