Nato G

Great to hear! There's plenty more to come...

That's fair. Admittedly I haven't actually read Book 3 in a while, just copy-pasted the chapters when I post them, so I may be misremembering how actively involved he is in this one compared to his more limited role in other instalments. In the grand scheme of the series, I think of him more as a guy who's on the outside but wants to be a main character. I'm going to lie and pretend that was totally what I was going for. With so many characters to juggle, sometimes I do end up feeling it's best to let some of them fade into the background for a while rather than coming up with a lot of extra subplots and side stories to keep everyone directly involved in everything all the time. And occasionally I do genuinely just forget about someone (I was recently doing an edit pass through Book 4 and 5 and realised there's a minor Toa character who doesn't get mentioned at all in 4 despite being involved in everything before and after).

I enjoyed Chapter 3's foray into showing the robot's side of things. Meca 1 already feels like a much more interesting character than the generic "humans suck and I hate my creator" motivation the original theme gave him and the other robots.

Footnote is a good way to put it. Not just in reference to Chavara, but Larone's group as a whole. By design, they're very much on the periphery of the narrative, more of a distraction from the "main" plot than direct participants in it. Thus leading to their increasingly desperate and dangerous attempts to insert themselves into events.

Oh, 100%. I'm definitely emulating canon a bit, where Takanuva was treated more like a novelty than a saviour outside the context of fighting Makuta. And in Chavara's case, she doesn't really have an identity of her own - between the Order's mind-wipe and hiding out during the occupation, she's spent so long not knowing or deliberately hiding her true nature. Now that she has position and power, she doesn't really know what to do with it aside from parroting the orders of the person who elevated her. I wanted there to be a strong contrast between her and Takanuva: he was adventurous and heroic even before he became a Toa, making him a more natural fit for the role, whereas Chavara has basically lived in a constant state of survival mode, keeping her head down and just trying to get through each day as it came.

Chapter 23 – Engineered Chaos From the notes of Chronicler Crisda. Everyone warned of the possibility of war returning, but we didn’t listen. We were so caught up in our demands for justice and revenge for lives already lost that we didn’t stop to consider the reality of a new war. Only now, as we crowd the edge of Ga-Metru, listening to the sounds of distant battle, do we understand. And now it’s too late for us to do anything but regret, and hope. * * * Tustesh Tustesh barely had a moment to register the arrival of the Vortixx before everything went to Karzahni. Trina unleashed lightning, Precision retaliated with laser vision, Tuxar hit the ground with a scream, and then battle was joined. Tuxar’s followers attacked the Toa and rogue Rahkshi, while the Vortixx swept in to assail the Odinans from one side, and the Rahkshi did the same from above. The second group of Odinans swept in from behind, flinging themselves into the melee as well. For the first few moments, Tustesh and his warriors were like statues amidst the sea of seething beings. And then a Rahkshi struck down an Odinan standing near Tustesh and turned its attention to him, stabbing its stave towards his torso. Tustesh let the blade strike harmlessly against his chestplate before seizing the haft with both hands, thrusting the staff back towards its owner with such strength that the blade at the other end of the staff pushed right through the Rahkshi’s chest and out through its back. Tustesh hoisted the staff overhead and waved the flailing Rahkshi like a flag, before flinging it away into the chaos of the battle. Only then did he finally draw his sword, sleek in shape and silver-black in hue. In all of the history of the universe, only one being had ever found a way to make weapons capable of breaching the near-unbreakable natural armour of the Unbroken species. That being was Tustesh himself, and that weapon was the sword he wielded. He’d made other weapons like it in the centuries since, given to only an entrusted few, but this was the first. The blade was hewn from a piece of his own deceased father’s natural armour, stolen from his grave and forged in secret in the heart of a great volcano, the only location on their homeland with heat intense enough to soften the material to the point it could be hammered and reshaped. The blade was sharp enough to pierce protosteel, strong enough to withstand the blow of a Tahtorak, and in hundreds of years it had never lost its edge. This was the blade that had won Tustesh leadership of his people, and slain the Makuta that had once ruled their homeland. This was the blade that would now rend apart Vortixx and Rahkshi alike, and hopefully help bring this ridiculous battle to a swift end. Tustesh strode across the battlefield, swinging the blade in great sweeping arcs around him, leaving severed limbs and ended lives littered behind him. His six warriors kept well back, knowing better than to get too close. Though it would take more than a glancing blow to do them any true harm, the slightest damage to their armour was a weakness some other enemy could exploit. What little glory was to be gained from taking part in this fight wasn’t worth the risk. They settled instead for taking their own mundane weapons to those Tustesh left wounded in his wake. * * * Icthilos The fighting had kicked off far sooner and far more viciously than the two Toa had expected. Savnu’s plan to use her Kakama had gone out the window the instant the battle had broken out. With so many waving blades and flailing forms in her way, the risk of accidentally impaling herself on someone’s weapon was far too high. And unfortunately, fighting their way through the battlefield wasn’t shaping up to be any easier. The moment Icthilos and Savnu had stepped out into the open and approached the battlefield, two Odinans broke away from the melee and charged across the open ground towards them. Odinans that Icthilos recognised. The one in purple was Phidras. The one in white was Aadra… his torturer. “Icthilos?” Savnu asked, keeping her eyes down as she readied her blades. “You take Phidras. I’ve got Aadra.” “I can handle both.” “I know.” “Okay,” Savnu shrugged and disappeared. A split-second later Phidras snapped backwards, struck in the face by a blow so swift he hadn’t even seen it coming. He didn’t even get a chance to hit the ground, being struck again from behind and flung straight into the nearby canal. Aadra didn’t even notice her companion’s plight, her focus solely on Icthilos. “I’ve never had a prisoner I couldn’t break before,” she rasped, her long claws splayed wide to strike. “I’m so glad I’ll get another chance.” “So am I,” Icthilos said, raising his eyes to meet hers and drawing upon his powers at the same time. Aadra’s eyes glowed green as she activated her vision power, but the attack never reached Icthilos. Instead it was Aadra herself who was flung suddenly into a memory, as she met her own gaze in the mirror of ice Icthilos summoned between them. Aadra collapsed to the ground, wailing and writhing. Icthilos didn’t wait around to enjoy her misery, encasing her up to the neck in ice before striding past her. Savnu reappeared at his side. “Nicely done.” “It’s better than she deserves,” Icthilos muttered. “If I had a Komau I’d have made her do that to herself for the rest of her life… short as it would be.” “Remind me never to get on your bad side.” * * * Pira The scene in Ga-Metru was far worse than anything Pira could have imagined. Why were there Rahkshi here? Why were the Vortixx here? Why was Trina here? As battle broke out between the beings gathered before the Great Temple, Larone’s Matoran followers splintered off into groups, scattering into the surrounding district with flaming torches in hand. Smoke soon began swirling skywards as fields and greenhouses caught alight. For the first minute or so, things seemed to be going as planned. Right up until the moment a few of the Matoran got a little too close to one of the Rahkshi fighting the Odinans. It killed them, Chavara killed it, and suddenly the whole group were firmly part of the battle. Pira summoned a swirling air current overhead to sweep the airborne Rahkshi off course as she rushed to Chavara’s side. As she’d feared, the wind didn’t last long, swiftly dissipating as multiple Rahkshi counteracted her powers with their own. “Target the gold ones!” She called out to Chavara. “What?” The Av-Toa asked distractedly, combining her elemental power with her Mask Of Fire to summon a wall of blindingly-bright flame in the path of several oncoming Rahkshi. “The gold Rahkshi are Weather Control,” Pira explained, “They’re the ones making this cloud cover. If you can take them out, I can disperse the clouds.” “Good thinking.” Unfazed by the flashing flames before her, Chavara’s gaze swept across the melee in search of the Weather Control Rahkshi. And then she raised her staff overhead and unleashed blazing beams of combined fire and light that reduced all four of the golden Rahkshi on the battlefield to ash and slag. Pira wasted no time, seizing control of the air currents in the sky overhead, the clouds parting at the wave of her hand. Not for the first time, Pira found herself marvelling at the level of power she wielded now. So many feats she would have once struggled with were trivial now, thanks to the Nuva Symbol fused within her. Rahkshi screeched and scattered all across the Amaja Circle, diving into the canals or running towards empty buildings nearby to shelter from the sudden sunlight. A few Rahkshi Of Darkness banded together to create a dense blanket of shadow under which their companions could shelter during their clumsy retreat. And just like that, the Rahkshi were all gone. Pira recognised Precision as the last to withdraw, unbothered by the light but very bothered by being abruptly outnumbered. Only the black-and-gold Rahkshi fighting beside Trina still remained on the battlefield. “Well, that was fun,” Chavara chuckled. “What now?” “Now we get back to what we came here to do,” Larone said, joining the two Toa. “Go, Chavara. Join the Matoran in razing the gardens.” “No one’s goin’ anywhere,” said a new voice, one Pira knew to be Tivni’s. Pira whirled around to see Tivni and Ithnen approaching them, dragging the squirming shape of the Po-Matoran Ridhus along between them. They tossed him at Larone’s feet, glaring at the Turaga as if the gesture was meant to mean something. “What’s going on?” Pira asked warily. “Why don’t you ask Ridhus,” Ithnen scowled, folding her arms. “Or better yet, Larone.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Larone said. “The Odinans identified Ridhus as the one who told them how to infiltrate the Vahki factory,” Ithnen said. “And we all know he wouldn’t have done that unless he was acting on your orders.” “Larone?” Pira turned towards the Onu-Turaga, trying to read the expression behind his battered Kanohi. But his face gave away nothing. It never did. “And you trust the word of an Odinan?” Larone scoffed, reaching down to help Ridhus stand. “More than we trust you right now.” “Why the sudden suspicion?” Larone coughed, his voice even raspier than usual thanks to the smoke in the air. “You’ve all gladly followed my orders in the past.” “Your orders,” Pira felt like a knife had just been twisted inside her. “You were the one who told the four of us to patrol Ta-Metru that morning.” “It was hardly the first time,” at the sound of a new voice, Pira turned to see that Erdo had joined them. “We have the most experience with the Vortixx. That’s why-” “Stop making excuses for him!” Ithnen pleaded. “He’s been playing all of us! He got innocent Matoran killed just so he could pit the Vortixx against the Odinans.” “A small sacrifice to rid us of our enemies,” Larone said, abandoning all pretence of innocence or ignorance. “No war has ever been won without loss.” “We weren’t at war,” Pira whispered, her eyes burning. “Those Matoran you killed weren’t at war.” “That I killed?” Larone laughed. “I didn’t order the Odinans to attack that factory. The plan and intent was theirs alone. All I did was ask Ridhus to give the Odinans the information they wanted, information they eventually would’ve gotten from someone else, somehow.” “You could have stopped the attack,” Pira drew her staff, pointing the blade towards Larone. Chavara’s staff rose to meet it, blocking it halfway from reaching the Turaga. Steel scraped and shifted around the two Toa as Erdo, Tivni, and Ithnen readied their own tools. “What would that have accomplished?” Larone sneered. “That attack provoked the Vortixx and motivated the Matoran. And now-” “-now you’re about to get all of these people killed!” Ithnen said, pointing back in the direction the Matoran had arrived from. More Odinans and Unbroken were approaching the battlefield, drawn in from elsewhere in Ga-Metru by the sights and sounds of battle. They numbered in the dozens, armed and armoured and fresh for a fight. Already, they were starting to take aim. “Help them!” Pira looked to Erdo and Tivni, both still wearing their Kanohi Kualsis. “We’ll catch up!” Erdo appeared torn, looking to Larone with a questioning glance. The Turaga nodded, and Erdo turned away and disappeared, Tivni following a moment later. “So where does that leave us?” Larone asked. “Surely saving the Matoran takes priority over punishing me for some imagined slight?” “Imagined?” Pira sputtered, anger turning her vision red. When the attack came, it wasn’t from the direction Pira expected. Ridhus slammed suddenly into her legs, bowling her over. And then a blast of blazing fire was flying towards her face.

I will forever resent Lego for not releasing "Tren Krome" as an official set.

Not on-screen, but Greg did say that line was a reference to Star Wars.

Exo-Force was one of those Lego themes that looked cool, but never committed to the darkness and maturity implied by its setting. Setting aside the colourful, anime-inspired motif, the theme was basically inhabiting the same kind of existential-war-against-machines setting seen in Terminator or The Matrix. And right off the bat you’ve captured what I think was missing – the weight and weariness of war. The characters feel stressed and traumatised, with a real sense of fatigue and irritation at their circumstances. I vaguely remember enough of the names to recognise that you’re working with canon characters and mechs, but I admittedly don’t know much about whatever lore Exo-Force had. Was there any actual story and characterisation that you used for inspiration with this, or did you basically have the freedom to make up whatever you wanted?

Alas, I wrote this so long ago that I have no recollection of what was going through my head at the time.

Chapter 22 – Crossing The Line From the notes of Chronicler Crisda. Time and time again, I find myself reminded how swiftly things can change. Yesterday, the demarcation line was as immutable and insurmountable as a fortress wall. Today, it’s just a meaningless mark on a map. And tomorrow… well, I suppose we’ll find out soon enough. * * * Ilton Though the aquatic tactics and unusual abilities of the attackers had given them the advantage at first, the Skakdi were veterans of countless century-spanning conflicts. They adapted quickly, and their counterattacks were devastating. By now most of the Skakdi ships had repelled their boarders, and those that hadn’t had instead been scuttled by their own crews. Skakdi across the remaining fleet were putting their powers to work, merging air and water to summon a swirling column of fog around the Frostelus vessels. A few disintegration beams and rhotuka spinners still made it through here and there, but what few shots did make it near the flagship were blocked by Ilton and Behjen, summoning barriers of steel or stone. With their vision obscured by the fog, the cultists were firing blind. The same couldn’t be said for the Skakdi, many of whom had vision powers that allowed them to maintain line of sight on their enemies despite the fog. The sea rose and roiled beneath the icebergs, propelling them back towards the Great Barrier with such force that they cracked and shattered against each other. The wave grew higher the further it travelled, smashing the icebergs against the ragged rocks before funnelling what was left back through the Sea Gate. With the immediate threat dealt with, Bihriis and the Ce-Skakdi switched focus from shielding to seeking, locating the cultists still hiding below the water and guiding the Ga-Skakdi in summoning currents to wash them through the Gate as well. Smaller waves continued to pummel the tunnel entrance, preventing any survivors on the other side from pushing back through. After a few minutes, the Ce-Skakdi signalled their success, and it fell to the Toa and Skakdi of physical elements to summon a new barrier to block the tunnel entrance, merging powers to form a barricade denser and stronger than even the heavy protodermis plates that blocked the other entrances. “Well done, Toa,” Desecrator said, once Ilton was done. Behind him, the other Skakdi had switched their focus to rescuing survivors from the water… those who’d avoided being caught up in the same waves that had dispelled the cult fleet. “It felt good to be on the same side for once,” Ilton said. The way the Skakdi had sacrificed their own ships and people… it wasn’t how Toa would have fought. But there was no denying the results. Ilton wasn’t going to sour their success by passing judgement. “We will be again,” Desecrator said. “Most of them will have survived the waves, and there are many more of them still out there. They’ll return.” “With their master?” “I fear so.” “Then let’s get back to Metru Nui. The Council needs to know what’s coming.” * * * Tustesh Tustesh was unaccustomed to being summoned. At least by anyone other than Lyrami. And yet, given the precarious politics of the region right now, he couldn’t afford to ignore a plea for help from his partners. Flanked by six of his warriors, Tustesh stormed out of the Great Temple towards the massive Amaja Circle where Tuxar conducted his daily sermons. Many of Greillash’s Odinan warriors and Tuxar’s Matoran followers were already gathered there, aiming their weapons up at a sizeable group of Rahkshi circling in the sky. Thick clouds that hadn’t been there a half-hour ago hung overhead, blotting out the sunlight that would have normally sent the serpents back to the shadows. “What is this?” Tustesh growled, stopping beside Greillash and Tuxar. “What is this?” Tuxar snapped back, pointing at the handful of warriors who’d accompanied Tustesh. “Where are the rest of your fighters?” “These were in temple,” he answered. “Others away.” “Then send one of them to fetch the rest.” “No need,” Tustesh assured him. “Six enough.” Before Tuxar could protest further, one of the Rahkshi – red and orange in hue – flew down from the circling crowd, landing before the Toa. “You are the leader here?” The Rahkshi demanded, its eyes aglow with an intense red light. “You dare come to my Metru and ask questions of me?” Tuxar snarled. “I didn’t give blind obedience to Vhel, and I certainly won’t give it to you.” “But you will give us the ones we seek. The Toa Trina, and the rogue Rahkshi that calls itself Gorast.” “I’m under their protection,” a new figure emerged from the crowd of warriors to stand beside Tuxar, a female Toa clad in black and blue. At her shoulder stood another Rahkshi, this one black and gold. “And you’re out of line. The Council have no power here.” “The Council doesn’t know we’re here,” the Rahkshi answered. Tustesh hadn’t known the Toa was here, nor the Magnetism Rahkshi. Yet another decision that Tuxar and Greillash hadn’t deigned to consult him on. Not for the first time, Tustesh regretted putting up with the two fools and their short-sighted ambitions for as long as he had. But Lyrami was so close to the answer now. He couldn’t allow her work to be interrupted, especially not over a dispute this stupid. “Hand them over,” Tustesh barked at Tuxar. “Not worth trouble.” “I’m with Tustesh on this one,” Greillash said. “Well, that was quick. I guess you truly can’t trust anyone these days,” Trina said, moving suddenly from being beside Tuxar to behind him, one arm holding him in a headlock and the other pressing one of her blades into his back. “Now I’m going to ask you very nicely, Rahkshi, to inform the Council that I’ve just apprehended the leader of Ga-Metru for them.” Greillash drew one of his blades, but before he could put it to use he was swatted aside by a brutal blow from Gorast’s staff. Tustesh’s only reaction was to raise a hand, a signal for the warriors at his back to remain at ease. Though Trina likely didn’t realise it, she was the only being in the square who could actually harm the Unbroken. Electrical attacks were the one thing their armour offered no protection against. “As I said, the Council didn’t send us,” the Rahkshi hissed. “Alive or dead, this Toa doesn’t matter to us. You have nothing to negotiate with.” * * * Icthilos In an empty structure just across the way, Icthilos and Savnu watched the scene escalate from bad to worse in a matter of moments. They couldn’t hear what was being said, but they could clearly see the standoff playing out. “What’s she playing at?” Savnu whispered. “One second she was with Tuxar, and the next-” “This was probably the plan all along,” Icthilos said, grimacing. “Win Tuxar over by requesting asylum, then trade his life for hers.” He’d known what to expect, but seeing Trina again had still rattled him. She looked even worse than she had when he’d last seen her, and her actions now only served to demonstrate how desperate and dangerous she’d become. “I reckon she’s got it handled,” Savnu said, “Maybe we can just go home.” “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. Precision didn’t come here to make deals. Look.” Across the square, Trina was backing away, shouting at Tuxar’s Matoran followers to keep their distance. Nearby, Greillash was getting to his feet, barking orders to his warriors. Precision was simply standing back and watching. “Then we need to get her out of there before it gets any worse,” Savnu tapped a finger against her mask. “She won’t try to kill me if I’m saving her, right?” “Maybe not, but-” Icthilos broke off as he spotted fresh movement out of the corner of his eye. “It just got worse.” Savnu followed the direction he was looking in, and gasped. A column of Vortixx were marching into the heart of Ga-Metru, carrying all manner of weapons and gadgets. Another group of Odinans from elsewhere in Ga-Metru were massing behind them, and it was only the fact that they were woefully outnumbered by the Vortixx that had stopped them from opening fire so far. Once the Vortixx reached the rest of the Odinan warriors at the temple, though, the numbers were going to be far more even. “What are they doing here?” “Nothing good.” * * * Pira Last time Pira had approached Ga-Metru, she’d feared for the lives of all those with her. Today, however, there was nothing at all to fear. Broken Vahki were strewn around the border, obliterated by Vortixx weaponry. Whatever living defenders might have once been here weren’t now. Larone and his followers marched freely into Ga-Metru, flaming torches raised. And Pira could only follow, her heart sinking with every step.

Please not another Tahu. There are so many other characters to choose from.

The instruction manuals for both models are available online. You can probably go through those and check off whether all of the same parts appear across both builds.

I get that people’s worldviews are often filtered through their faith, but I’ve always found it weird when folks try to make religious parallels with Bionicle. (In particular, I've seen a lot of uncomfortable comparisons between Matoro and Jesus). To me, the Bionicle story has always felt pretty openly antireligious in the way it deliberately demythologised everything. The genesis-style story we're told at the start proves to be a total lie. Every legendary or god-like figure in the text is unveiled as a flawed, mortal being. Mata Nui as the Great Spirit is shown to have been indolent and uncaring. Even the Great Beings were exposed as nothing more than irresponsible mad scientists. Destiny is regarded as a something comparable to a "divine plan" by many characters, but rather than being an immutable force, it's able to be defied and denied. And even when it works as designed, it plays out more like a series of "if this, then that" contingency plans. Characters who put blind faith in Destiny are usually regarded as foolish, with the Matoran time and time again having to stand up and fight for themselves instead of sitting on their hands and hoping some Toa show up eventually. Broadly speaking, there is a greater plan, but there's no god enforcing it. Those who want a better future have to fight for it.

Agreed. It felt like too much of a turn from what Hero Factory had established itself to be in the prior waves: a story of robot space cops fighting criminals. Witch Doctor seemed more like a fantasy villain that got mistakenly dropped in from a completely different theme, and everything about him kind of veered into that same kind of insensitive cultural appropriation territory that got Lego sued during G1's early run. I could write a whole think piece about how much I specifically dislike this ridiculous Gary Stu of a character. He comes out of nowhere in the third wave, sidelines the established characters, and gets all of the cool moments and crazy upgrades. It's completely unearned and undermines the struggle that other rookie characters like Furno went through in previous waves.

Based on last year's leaked development material, and various videos Faber has made on his own channel, some of his concept pitches involved connections between various themes he worked on. Some examples include Mr Makuro from Hero Factory being a Turaga, or a Makuta, or Spherus Magna being a planet that exists in the HF universe (along with locations and species from all of Lego's other space themes). One of his G2 pitches also would have possibly connected with G1 and HF via time/space travel. But I think it's somewhat misleading to say Faber "wanted" any of these things. By their very nature, some of his pitches were contradictory and incompatible with each other, so there's no way to know which he personally preferred. The dude's job was basically to throw a million ideas at a wall and see what sticks. Lego's story team then sifted through Faber's suggestions and chose what they wanted to keep.

I'm honoured to warrant a mention. In all seriousness, though, I'm sorry if my past comments have been construed as pessimistic. That has never been my intent. My goal in responding to posts like these has always been to be realistic, to give rational and practical explanations for why these pie-in-the-sky pitches of yours are unlikely to succeed. There are a slew of real-life circumstances standing in the way of any potential return or continuation of Bionicle, and through all of these various threads, you've never offered a proper plan to address these problems when they're pointed out to you. Prayer and petitions aren't going to change anything. But clear, concrete plans can. If you want people to take your rally cries seriously, you need to offer an actual vision of what can be done, and how to navigate the obstacles, instead of pumping out thread after repetitive thread of "I want Bionicle back and anyone who disagrees is bad". I really want to understand: why does this matter? Bionicle's canon is already, objectively, a mess. Even official story content is filled with retcons and contradictions and random happenings that never get an explanation. Some sources are non-canon. Some are pseudo-canon. All of Greg's conflicting forum comments after the run ended have muddied the waters even more. Most Bionicle fans already pick-and-choose what parts they like, what they prefer to ignore, and have their own visions for where the story goes after Journey's End. Lego's stamp of approval means nothing to most of us. So why does it matter to you? And what does this mean, to you? What form would "officially finished" take? Do you want Lego to hire back Greg Farshtey and the rest of the story team, lock them in an office, and not let them come out until they've written the next ten years of story? Do you want Lego to wave their magic wand over your Bionicle/Hero Factory headcanon and make that "real"? Or issue an official statement endorsing the Myths and Legacy continuations as "official"? Most fans have already spent the past fifteen years coming up with their our continuations and conclusions. Nothing that Lego creates or condones now is going to meet the expectations or approval of the entire fandom. Speaking as a writer myself: no story is going to satisfy everyone. And just as many fans selectively ignore aspects of the existing canon that they dislike, they're just as likely to disregard an arbitrarily-enforced "official" conclusion that was tacked on over a decade-and-a-half after everything wrapped up. The Bionicle fandom is built on freedom and creativity. So what's the harm in letting people have their preferred theories and stories? There's no need to try to stamp on the last fifteen years of speculation by inflicting one person's singular vision of an "official" conclusion on everyone else.

Those were the days...

Chapter 21 – Hidden Truths From the notes of Chronicler Crisda. I never thought I’d be relieved to hear that the Vortixx are marching to war. After everything they’ve done to Toa and Matoran, it beggars belief that they’re the ones solving our problems instead of causing them. A more hopeful being might want to perceive their actions as penance for their past atrocities. But Lhuhamaka has never shown a shred of regret, respect, or remorse for the Matoran in all of her time with the Council. She’s not doing this for us. And I fear what she might do next. * * * Pira Pira joined Erdo, Sazun, and Chavara outside Larone’s house, where a growing group had already gathered. It was mostly Matoran, but a few other stray Toa had also joined the crowd, loitering near the back of the group, likely waiting to hear what was said before they committed to anything. If Larone’s popularity had been shaken by his humiliation the previous day, it wasn’t showing. The request for the gathering had only gone out a few minutes ago, and to Pira’s eye the crowd was nearly as large as the one he’d stormed Ga-Metru with. Larone himself hadn’t even shown yet. As if summoned by Pira’s thought, the door rattled open and two Turaga stepped out, Ihnes and Larone, still in the throes of a conversation. Patting Ihnes on the shoulder and grinning like a Matoran youth on Naming Day, Larone turned his attention to the crowd. “My people! Our time has come!” He proclaimed, breaking off into a hoarse cough the second he finished the last word. He took a moment to steady himself and clear his throat before continuing, at a more conversational tone. “Ihnes has brought me word from the Coliseum. As we speak, the Vortixx leader Lhuhamaka is on her way to Ta-Metru to gather her forces for an assault on Ga-Metru. The same Council that denied us the right to apprehend the Odinan criminals has this time chosen to turn a blind eye.” Pira felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as the Matoran murmured around her. Many of those Larone had won over with his anti-League rhetoric had been survivors rescued from Xia, Matoran who had more reason than most to resent the other races. Especially the Vortixx. “We must take advantage of this opportunity,” Larone continued. “We shall follow in the wake of the Vortixx, let them fight the Odinans for us, as we march into Ga-Metru and set fire to their fields and greenhouses!” “But we need that food!” Protested one of the Matoran, giving voice to the same concerns that Pira – and many others, by the looks of things – felt. “There are other ways and places to produce food,” Larone said, shaking his head. “The Council chooses not to pursue them because trading with Ga-Metru is easier.” “Fear not!” It was Erdo who spoke, his shout startling Pira. “I will ensure we do not starve!” “Erdo is not the only Bo-Toa in this city, and the Skakdi also have Bo-Elementals among them,” Ihnes added. “Resources may become scarce for a few days, but things will swiftly return to normal.” “The only difference is that the Odinans will no longer have any leverage over the rest of us, and the Council will finally take us seriously,” Larone said. They were probably right, Pira realised. The city’s other gardens and resident Bo-Elementals could probably take up the slack long enough for new grow sites to be established. But even a few days of uncertainty were likely to lead to panic, violence, and looting. Beings who were used to convenience broke down quickly when the things they took for granted were suddenly gone. But at this point it was clear that Larone had won over the crowd. There was nothing Pira could say or do to dissuade them now. Especially not those who were eager to watch Vortixx die. “Arm yourselves, my Sisters and Brothers!” Larone raised one of his axes. “We march, to Ga-Metru!” * * * Icthilos “So…” Savnu spoke up again, after they’d been walking for a few minutes, “…we had that long, depressing talk about hate. We’re probably overdue to have a chat about… the other thing.” “About us, you mean?” “Yeah.” “Why now? Why not all that time we were in Ko-Metru?” “We were happy,” Savnu said, her tone more sheepish than Icthilos was used to from her. “I didn’t want to ruin what we had by asking hard questions.” “And now?” “Are you going to answer every question I ask with a question?” Icthilos said nothing this time, instead smiling wryly at her. “You seem convinced that Trina’s going to try to kill me, so I might not get a chance to ask later,” Savnu said. “I just wanted to know, when did you know? That you felt like this, towards me?” “When did you?” “There you go answering questions with questions again,” Savnu grumbled. He wasn’t doing it just to be annoying. He was stalling for time, trying to decide on the answer. He’d spent so long compartmentalising his feelings and pushing his emotions aside that he was only now coming to recognise the little moments he’d missed, the stirrings of trust and affection that went back far further than he’d first realised. “It’s stupid, but I think it was on our first day back in Metru Nui, when you snapped at me in front of everyone about not thinking things through,” Savnu finally replied. “It just felt like you finally saw me, you know? That I’d finally made you feel something.” “I didn’t realise you had a thing for being yelled at?” “I don’t. But when we spoke in the hideaway afterwards, you apologised. Everyone else had given me Karzahni for it, but you never judged me. And when you finally did, you regretted it. Because you understood. Because your burden was like mine.” “It made you feel less alone,” he said softly, speaking as much about himself as he was about her. “Exactly. So, are you ready to give your answer?” “It was in the hideaway for me as well,” he said, laughing as he realised it for the first time. “When you tried to fight Trina. I’d spent so long thinking that you only thought about yourself. And then Trina nearly killed you and all you cared about was helping her.” “I reckon that speaks more to my lack of self-preservation instincts than anything else.” “Maybe, but that was the first time I felt it. In that moment, when I was trying to talk you down, I cared more about saving you than saving her.” It sickened him to say it. It felt like a betrayal of Trina and all of their centuries together. But there was no denying what he felt, and no stopping the words from tumbling out. “Even before that, I think I felt something. Trina was always right there beside me, and she always knew what to say. But you didn’t need words. I don’t think I even realised how much you helped, how much I relied on you. The Toa Stones on Xia, freeing me from prison, helping me with my recovery. You don’t ask, you don’t need to be told, you just do what needs to be done.” “I’m impulsive,” Savnu shook her head, “It’s not something to encourage.” “Maybe not. But I wouldn’t have you any other way.” “Well, I-” she broke off, staring at something on the ground. They were near the surface now, dim light filtering in from up ahead. “They were here.” She pointed at the floor of the tunnel, and Icthilos stepped forward to get a closer look. For a moment all he saw were the wide, flat tracks of Rahkshi, interspersed by the occasional scrape marks of small scavenger rahi. But then he saw it, the tracks of a Toa, fresher than anything else to be seen in the dust. The two pressed on, and soon found themselves emerging out onto the edge of a canal. Across the water was a cluster of overgrown greenhouses, and at their back was a campus of abandoned classrooms. There was no one to be seen, but the surrounding walkways were mostly devoid of the dirt and dust of the tunnel. There was no way to tell where Trina and Gorast had gone from here. “What do we do now?” Savnu asked. “Listen out for the sound of something going horribly wrong.” * * * Ilton “Is there a third option?” Ilton asked. Stralgok’s only answer was to unleash a brief beam of energy from the eye on his tentacle. To Ilton’s horror, the Hau shield protecting the three Toa seemed to solidify, then shatter, reduced to motes of crystalline dust. Behjen reeled back as if he’d just suffered a physical blow, appearing dazed. “Ilton…” Pahlil’s voice took on a pleading tone as she grabbed Behjen’s arm, holding him up. “Plan sea,” Ilton sighed, making sure to emphasise the second word. He’d thought it was something only she would understand, but just as Desecrator had warned, whatever strange abilities Stralgok possessed included psionics. Light blossomed in the monstrous eye again, but this time Ilton summoned a wall of metal to block the blast, buying Pahlil the second she needed to make her move. A swell of magnetic energy swept the three Toa up like a wave, flinging them off the side of the ship and straight into the ocean. Exactly as Pahlil had done to Ilton once before. And just like last time, there was no real thought given to what happened after the trio splashed down into the sloshing seas. Ilton flailed wildly as he struck the water, the weight of his armour dragging him down almost immediately. Fleeting figures swam and slithered in the water around him, shifting in and out of the shadows. And then they were lost to sight as the water churned violently, carrying him away from the iceberg. The next thing he knew he was rising up from the water to land, sputtering, back on the deck of Desecrator’s command ship. Pahlil and Behjen landed at his side a moment later. “I don’t remember that being the plan,” Bihriis remarked, leaning down to help him. “You can thank the Ce-Skakdi for fishing you out.” “You can thank us when this is over,” Desecrator interjected, pointing out across the waves to where one of his smaller ships had suddenly shattered like glass, struck by one of Stralgok’s disintegration beams. “All hands! Send these monsters back into the dark!” * * * Sidra “There’s more than I expected,” Sidra remarked, as she watched several dozen Odinans file into the Coliseum, arms raised over their heads. A pile of their weapons and personal effects had been left in the street before a group of Vahki, who were in the process of piling them into a crate. Everyone’s belongings would be returned to them once they passed screening from a Kanohi Rode. For now, though, the Council weren’t taking any chances. “They’re here because of you,” Neryx said. “And if you’d been honest with us all from the start you might’ve won over a lot more.” “Don’t do that. If I’d publicly opposed Talok I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere,” Sidra snapped. “Or, more likely, disintegrated by Makuta Vhel, along with you and anyone else I’d been stupid enough to talk to.” “You didn’t need to tell everyone,” Neryx turned away from her, “But you should’ve told me.” “I wanted to keep you out of it.” “Yeah, well, that ended badly for both of us.” “I give up, Neryx,” Sidra circled around to stand in front of her again. “You know what I did. You know why I did it. You know I’m sorry for how it happened. And now I’m risking what little peace and power I have here to put my trust in you and all these others you brought with you. There’s nothing else I can say or do to make up for what I did. If that’s not enough-” “There’s one more than you can say.” For several long moments, Sidra stared at Neryx, trying to decide what she wanted. And when she finally realised what it was she felt a fool for not figuring it out sooner. “No more secrets,” Sidra promised. “Not from you. I swear it.” “That’s all I ever wanted,” Neryx whispered, throwing her arms around Sidra. “Hey!” The brief embrace was interrupted by the abrupt arrival of a voice Sidra hadn’t heard in weeks. She looked up to see the Onu-Toa Ithnen, accompanied by the Su-Toa Tivni. They were approaching from the direction of the Coliseum. “We’ve been looking for you.” “You’ve found me,” Sidra said, stepping away from Neryx. Her hands lowered towards the blades sheathed at her side; the last she’d heard, these two worked for Larone. “Not you, her,” Ithnen pointed at Neryx. “Me?” “We were locked up and interrogated when we got here,” Ithnen grumbled, “And the first thing I hear when we get let out is that everyone’s mobilising on your word. How is it that you get to just walk in and get an audience with the Council?” “I vouched for her,” Sidra stepped between Neryx and the two Toa. “Now, what do you want?” Ithnen took a step back, her expression softening as raised her hands in a placating gesture. “Just information. Her side of the story.” “What story?” “She was there that day, right? In the street, with the Vortixx…” “…and your friend,” Sidra realised, lowering her hands away from her weapons and stepping aside. “Okay.” “The day Sidra got you all captured,” Ithnen said, approaching Neryx, “What happened to our friend Vhalem? The Ba-Toa?” “I remember him. He wanted something the Vortixx stole from another Toa. A backpack, with… I think it was five stones in it. Lhuhamaka called them the Nuva Symbols.” The phrase wasn’t one that was familiar to Sidra, and judging by the expressions on Ithnen and Tivni’s faces as they glanced at each other, it wasn’t one they recognised either. “They argued, she attacked him. He lost his weapon and some of the prisoners used it to free themselves. There was a fight, and during the chaos she stabbed him in the back.” “And then staged the bodies to make it look like the escapees did it?” Ithnen pressed. “Yes.” “Those wives are gonna be widows by sundown,” Tivni snarled, starting to turn back towards the Coliseum – no doubt intending to take the chute straight to Ta-Metru. Ithnen was only a step behind her. “Wait!” Sidra looked to Neryx, pointing at her eyes and mouthing the words “stop them.” The two Odinans ran around to block the path of the Toa, Neryx’s eyes aglow as Sidra tried to talk them down. “Run in there and you’ll just end up like your friend,” Sidra pleaded. “You told me a month ago that you thought the Vortixx were responsible for his death. You’ve held yourself back all this time because you knew the danger of acting impulsively. What’s different now, except your suspicion being confirmed?” “Suspecting something and knowing for sure are different, and you know it,” Ithnen snapped, pointing to the group of surrendering Odinans, “Just look at them. They all must have had doubts, long before now. But something happened, today, to push them to this. Am I right?” “Yes,” Sidra nodded. “But they aren’t acting out of anger, and they aren’t walking to their deaths. If you go to Ta-Metru you’ll be no better off than Vhalem. Or… them?” She frowned, leaning to the side to peer around the two Toa, towards a column of Matoran – interspersed with a few Toa – who were marching past the Coliseum in the direction of Ga-Metru. Given the direction they were coming from, and the presence of the Av-Toa Chavara in their midst, the group had come from Onu-Metru. Though she couldn’t spot him at a glance, Sidra had no doubt that Larone was among them. Tivni and Ithen turned to watch them pass, their expressions grim. Given that they weren’t rushing to join them, Sidra surmised that they’d recently parted ways with Larone’s leadership… and left friends behind in the process. Sidra knew how that felt. “Uh… Sidra?” Neryx tapped her shoulder. “What?” “Remember how I told the Council that it was a Po-Matoran who gave Greillash the intel to attack the Vahki plant in Ta-Metru?” “Yes.” “I see him.” “What?” “There.” Neryx pointed, “With the silver chestplate and the big claw hands.” “But that’s Ridhus,” Sidra gasped, grim realisation striking her like a bolt from the blue. If one of Larone’s most trusted lieutenants was the one who’d given the Greillash information, that meant… Ithnen whirled to face her, all thoughts of revenge momentarily forgotten. “Go warn the Council. We’ll follow them.”

I've always found it weird the way the first wave's villains were handled. Ostensibly, they're supposed to be a team operating under Von Nebula's leadership, but it never really feels that way. Their appearances in the first few episodes make them seem like unconnected villain-of-the-week type bad guys, with no real indication that they were a united front working towards a common cause. Even in a show as barebones as HF's first season, the writers surely could have done something to establish some connective tissue. My biggest problem with it has always been that the limited flashback material we get for Von Ness effectively explains nothing. Knowing that Von Ness used to be a hero who gave in to cowardice and ran away doesn't at all explain how he became a brazen overconfident juggernaut with magic black hole powers who doesn't even remotely resemble a Hero anymore (eg. Why doesn't he have a Hero Core? Isn't that where their 'souls' are supposed to be?) The two versions of the character are so drastically different from each other in both appearance and personality that they really don't feel like the same character. A show with a greater number of episodes would have presumably given us some kind of flashback episode explaining his transformation, but as it stands it feels like we're missing some important context. Especially when we get to Breakout later down the line, where it seems like Von Nebula is regarded as this legendary figure within the criminal community, even outside of his established gang. There's so much wasted potential with Mr Makuro. Even killing him off as you suggest would have given him a more meaningful role in the story than what we got. There's a thin line between a "mysterious" character, and an underwritten one, and Makuro is firmly on the wrong side of it. That the guy responsible for creating all of the Heroes has no commentary at all on one of his creations turning evil is a real missed opportunity.

At the end of the day, Faber is just the concept guy. His job is to come up with a whole bunch of ideas, throw them at a wall, and see what sticks (the wall, in this metaphor, being Lego executives). Based on the material that was leaked last year, there were a number of deeper, darker pitches for HF, but it seems that the company ultimately went in a direction more aligned with Lego's usual fare.

Products discontinue. Legends survive.

Bold to assume anything was going to stop me...

Somehow I've managed to go the entirety of Hero Factory without overly noticing this. But now that I see it, you've finally found a way to put into words an issue that's bugged me through the whole series: why should we care about robot police saving people if we never meet the people being saved? While I admittedly found it difficult to keep track of and care about the throngs of Matoran introduced each year, Bionicle at least made an effort to make us connect with its "civilian" characters. But through much of Hero Factory, it just feels like a bunch of good guys and bad guys beating each other up in an otherwise empty universe. I think this is another area where Ordeal of Fire manages to stand out from the rest of HF. The episode shows us the civilian workers coming under attack and calling for help, as well as the heroes evacuating them. It feels like a proper rescue, like the heroes are actually saving someone, instead of just... stopping some villains from causing property damage in inexplicably empty cities.

Oh yes, this was really fun to play around with. As soon as I decided I wanted to do something with Tren Krom, I know I'd need to pull out all of the stops to really do him justice. I basically just pored over the limited description Greg gave - tentacles and eyes and roiling red flesh - and then imagined it taking over the cultist followers kind of like an alien, shapeshifting cancer.