A week before last Tuesday, a new Battle for Power game for Tanma was put onto the Bionicle website. The player needs to reach the end of a long tunnel, moving forward only by pressing the up-arrow key for upward thrust while drifting forward. The player picks up powerups for speeding up and for refueling. Pressing the space bar causes Tanma to release a powerful light blast that destroys any Makuta in your way.
Federation of Fear Chapter 6 was posted on www.bioniclestory.com a week before yesterday.

Brutaka is in the clutches of Tren Krom. After the others enter his cave, Tren Krom explains in monologue that at the universe's beginning, the Great Beings created one organic being to serve the same purpose that would someday be fulfilled by Mata Nui: maintaining the universe through his power of will from within the Universe Core. When Mata Nui came to life, however, he was cast aside and bound to the rock of this remote island. The herald of his dispatch was none other than the crazed Av-Matoran that Jaller and his company encountered in Karzahni, whose sanity was fractured during his encounter with Tren Krom. Now Tren Krom attempts to probe Brutaka's mind, although his mental shielding is resisting. Tren Krom then grabs Lariska, who faints before she can lapse into madness from seeing into his mind. In a ploy for freedom, Brutaka starts to explain how the universe will be lost to evil if they are not allowed to go along their way. He gets Spiriah to mention that if the Makuta prevail, a shadow will cover the world, their will enforced by Rahkshi. Just as Brutaka starts to retaliate against Tren Krom's grib, Carapar rushes up from behind Tren Krom in a sneak attack destined to fail -- Tren Krom grows a third eye in Carapar's direction, which then shoots a beam at him that crystallizes and disintegrates him. Knowing of the truth from Lariska's mind, Tren Krom decides to let them go, determined to let them suffer in the world they allowed to run out of control.

Predictions: We are at war -- there will be more deaths, though I can't be sure who will die. Takadox clearly won't have any sort of chance to take a vengeance on Tren Krom for killing his mental slave, if he even feels any sense of loss. The next stop for the Federation is at last the island on which Miserix is held captive by Rahi, as heard in the Official Greg Discussion.


The Brickmaster March-April issue arrived in mailboxes last month. Packaged with it was the first of four printed Bionicle comics this year, each of which are going to be extra large just as this one was. I am very fond of the new art style of Leigh Gallagher, much more than I was of the abstractions of Stuart Sayger.


Speaking of the comic, its animated version was finally put online on Monday. This makes all of the artwork available in digital format, given a flash object extractor. Yet another Battle for Power game, this one for Gavla, was uploaded onto the bionicle website on April Fools' Day on Tuesday. This game is incredibly similar to the Chirox game (rather unfortunately), except more difficult and more annoying. Now the player has to pick up a limited number of Tridax pods dispensed by Radiak on some part of the map.
Finally, Chapter 6 of the Mutran Chronicles was put on bioniclestory.com two days ago.

This entry centers around the grand unveiling of Makuta Teridax's ultimate Plan to the rest of the Brotherhood of Makuta following Mutran's enlightening experience with Tren Krom. Teridax calls a Convocation on Destral, where he presents his malevolent scheme to overthrow Mata Nui and rule the Matoran universe. Since it is so unorthodox for a member of the Brotherhood other than its leader to call a meeting as well as for one to do so without permission from him, it is obvious that Teridax was "on a collision course from the start" with Miserix. Miserix immediately objects to Teridax's Plan, although Bitil and Gorast immediately agree with the Makuta of Metru Nui's point of view. Seeing Teridax's open defiance for what it is, Miserix attacks, and a brief but poignant brawl erupts between the two. When the violence is ended, Vamprah, Chirox, Antroz, and Spiriah also come to Teridax's side. Mutran follows suit, of course uniquely knowing that Teridax is absolutely right. Finally, all the stragglers leave Miserix's side. As the new leader of the Brotherhood, Teridax orders Krika and Spiriah to carry out Miserix's execution (in this it is revealed that Miserix favors reptilian forms). Over time, Gorast and Icarax track and kill all the Makuta who Teridax eyeballed remaining at Miserix's defense unitil the last possible moment. The offenders' masks are nailed to a display for all Makuta to see, but Mutran wonders why the Kanohi mask of Miserix is absent.

Predictions: Miserix's winning model will most likely be of some reptilian form, as hinted in the story. I see that Spiriah again has a problem carrying out orders, since Miserix is secretly imprisoned, not killed. And, of course, Icarax was one of those who heartlessly killed the unbelieving Makuta -- who's to say he hasn't got it in him to kill another?