Cederak

Happy Birthday Black Six.-Ced

I just reached 4,000 posts and, to celebrate the milestone, I am posting my first CoT story. Enjoy. Surrounded, Alone I am not a god, nor have I ever met one. And if I did, it was either very convincing of the contrary or I was not perceptive enough to realize. I was made a very long time ago, the product of some celestial event. I cannot say for certain where my genesis lies, only that I exist as part of the universe. During my existence, I have detected many sentient creatures throughout the void; I can attest to the fact that they are partial to naming their young at birth. I was not named, I was not raised. Perhaps I am some kind of orphan, an abandoned scion that was left to its own devices. Yes, perhaps. I can still recall the time of my youth, even without a memory of the very first moment I lived. The early days were quiet and hot. Not hot for me exactly, as I cannot feel heat or the absence of it, though I could see the effect it was having on celestial bodies around me. It was a lonely time, letting me reach out across nascent galaxies not with the refined skill of fingers, but like the curious exploration of so many tendrils. Mine was the company of solitude, so peaceful among the rocks and gases. The sentients often say that nothing is permanent, and this axiom translated perfectly into my existence. Of course, by the time this occurred, I was already present across much of the universe. In this respect, you might suspect me of godhood. There are those that believe in me and those that deny me, those that believe I possess incredible power and those that see me as nothing more than a part of the machine – another agent that serves the gestalt that is the whole of the universe. I would not say I am anyone or anything’s servant, but once more, I am not a god. I have never suffered from boredom, but I have a penchant for staying occupied, for examining this frozen rock or analyzing that burgeoning star. In spite of being nearly everywhere at once, the universe is vast enough that there is always something transpiring. Given my proclivity for studying silent objects I, no doubt, overlooked the first sentient creatures. Organic life had sprouted up in many places in the cosmos, some of them remaining very, very tiny. Others developed into larger organisms, some walking on two legs, four, six, and some not walking at all! This was all long before the sentients, before I knew they would come to be. A newborn cried out, squinting in the face of a blue-white sun very far from its planet. The creature’s cry didn’t reach far, cradled in the multiple arms of its mother as it breathed in a new world for the first time. Through me, the sound echoed across galaxy clusters and caught my full attention at once. It was the cry of life, a beautiful sound against the backdrop of a dead silent void. Such sounds cannot live in space, only on chunks of rock – for the sentients can only thrive there during the early stages. It always progresses along the same path. The micro-life is first, swimming about with basic ideas of survival and reproduction in mind. Culture doesn’t arise until there is language – the creatures need to communicate with one another after a time, be it through speech or mere gestures. Once language is established, there come stories. For some reason, there is a prevalent theme on many worlds that there is an entity or entities responsible for their existence, and sometimes, the creatures will pray to these entities. I can’t say how the idea enters their minds, because from where I’m standing (standing being a terrible misnomer of a word in my case), nothing reached out to make the sentients successful, no one arrived to improve their way of life. They give themselves too little credit, devoting lifetimes and destroying lives all for the grace and glory of these invisible gods. I would like to meet a god one day, though I don’t expect to. It’s possible that they only hint at their existence to the sentients, doing so little here and there. But where are all the gods? Why are they as invisible and silent to me as I am to the sentients? It seems more likely that they do not exist. Yes, it seems exceedingly likely. Still, I remain with unanswered questions. Could it have been one of these gods that made me once? If that is so, why leave me in solitude? Why ignore one wondrous creation for so many smaller others? I have heard what the sentients think of gods, their ideas and visions of these illusive entities. Gods are strong and infallible, noble creatures that are undying in nature. To ignore any creation (let alone one that has done nothing harmful or malevolent) does not seem like behavior fitting of such a majestic existence. After a time, talk of gods gave way to other ideas. Science rose to dominance in many galaxies and I cannot properly describe how thrilling it was to watch the sentients finally take to the stars. Spacefaring creatures are often shy when first traversing their star system, but it doesn’t take long before they start cruising along. It’s a shame that many have yet to achieve instant travel across massive distances of the universe, and the few with that technology have little chance of encountering the unfortunate groups. Even though the sentients with instant travel are in an immensely outnumbered minority, the colossal scope of the cosmos makes it terribly unlikely that they will stumble upon one of the many younger civilizations. I am never bored, but that is not to say I do not become anxious or impatient. The sentients have given me an appreciation for music, for the arts, for their philosophies. I spent a great deal of time musing on the idea that I was a god that had yet to understand its power. When I heard a prayer, I took it as a personal message and logged it away to be handled later. I remember every prayer I’ve ever listened to – they are curious. I would warn the sentients to use their time more wisely, for they perish so soon. I am seemingly everlasting (so long as the universe remains alive) and it is of no consequence to me that I pray to something. Of the countless statues and structures built for gods, I am partial to none. The closest thing to a deity I have ever known is the universe itself. For the sentients to craft a monument to the universe would surely be underwhelming and disgraceful in my eyes (another misnomer). Regarding the many aspects of the sentients I cannot understand fully, a notable one is emotion. In particular, love. I do not know love, but having never felt it, I do not feel any less complete because of that fact. There are ideas I am fond of and those I am not. I lack the proper parts to feel anything beyond that. I have seen what love does to the sentients. They will fight for it…die for it. And they have built for it, so much crafted and created in the name of a desire. They may bring the end of themselves in an effort to attain all that they long for, all for love. Of those that have considered my existence, most find me too inconsequential to be bothered with. I am of no service to their aspirations, whatever they may be. They cannot realize that the universe is their prison, because they are too small to see it. For the sentients it is more of a playground. Perhaps I am the prisoner, sealed off from everything but forced to watch and hear it all play out. I am the first inmate and certainly the last. I cling to the hope that one of these sentients will make use of me one day, that my existence will play a greater role than it has for far too long. At best, I have only received vague names. Creatures have referred to me as “the cosmic phantom,” “ghost space,” “the negative universe,” “celestial shadows,” and many other phrases. The latest sentients to consider my existence are quite resourceful, but still far too young – the youngest to ever postulate that I am among them. I am not sure what to think of them yet, still so infantile in their little sector of the universe. They have named me “dark matter.” I’m rather fond of the title.

There was a time, when the library was at the pinnacle of activity, that a wonderful idea came to fruition. After several ideas that never lived up to their full potential, the precursors led the way to the first Epic Critics Club. Considering the industrious state of the library, the ECC was overwhelmed with requests. Individual critics sometimes received two or three assignments weekly and this was normalcy. The library was flourishing and the critics had work. Moreover, they had a purpose that was called upon often by the forum they served, to make better writers and promote better work. The year was 2006.Multiple well-known factors contributed to the steady decline of the library since that time. In turn, I would venture to say that it damaged the percentage of high-quality works in the library as well. My ECC team has had an easy ride as critics by comparison to those that came before and I want to change that. I don't want to overwhelm them to the point of resignation as I once did long ago, but I want them to be active, to know that their positions are respected by the community they serve.Today begins the ECC's rise to action, serving a community of epic writers with a philanthropic sense of passion for what we do. For the first time in the library's history, a critic club is going above and beyond to incorporate charity services into our workload.Writers may be concerned with what this means for them, so I want to be very clear. ECC critics will be volunteering to review epics without being asked, however, if your epic is reviewed as a charity assignment and you have never requested a review for it, you can still make a request at a later date without having to write up an appeal. This initiative is designed in every way to assist epic writers and that is what we're going to do. We'll be staying busy in the background of the forum, and eventually, we'll probably give your work a charity review as well. So don't be surprised if you hear from our internal affairs department about what you thought of the charity review. Despite not being official requests, we want to emphasize our concern for quality critiques at all levels.Our initiative will commence next week, dear epic writers. Like all we do, this is another effort dedicated to you and your benefit. Thank you for your patronage and hard work. The ECC is proud to serve you.-Cederak (ECC Director)

$1,000, huh? Well if that doesn't make me regret selling off all my Lego sets, I don't know what will. Seriously though, I would probably try to enter this if I still had any LEGO Bricks left. -Ced

I think that one in Germany isn't too far from where a friend of mine is living. I don't think she's much into Lego stuff, but it's interesting all the same.-Ced

It can probably be assumed that they planned to use something similar to the faces of the Toa Mata sets (or Toa Metru in the case of Bionicle 2), but for their own reasons, didn't show that.-Ced

I'd have to say it's the Elda. Even though it serves the purpose of locating the Mask of Life, the narrow scope of its abilities just seems like a downside, especially in terms of combat.-Ced

Man, that thing is cool. The color scheme really reminds me of some sort of Skrall weapon - very monstrous and totally capable of rampant destruction in its features. The design is great, using that Manas body to really make an incredible MOC. Excellent job.-Ced

I'd have to say Ancient. He started the whole DH thing to begin with.-Ced

I'll dump each bag onto a separate part of the floor and start working at the build. Smaller sets, I just dump out all the pieces in a tiny pile.-Ced

Have to go with printing. Stickers tend to peel and fall off with time, not to mention how much quicker they seem to get worn out. I suppose stickers can be interchangeable, but I really don't have an issue with one design being stuck on a piece forever. I can deal with that.-Ced

I don't have any sets or MOCs on my shelves at the moment. It's been a couple years since anything Lego has graced my shelves actually. I should remedy that soon...-Ced

I don't expect BZP to be much of a website in 11 years. If it remains, there will probably be a smaller staff, fewer active members than there are presently, and very distant memories of Bionicle. Life has a way of growing us up and keeping us very busy. Nostalgia doesn't always outweigh the busyness of life, and in 11 years, there will be a new generation that completed missed Bionicle and what it offered us. That's not to say they won't stumble upon it and find all that we left behind across the internet, but I doubt that will be enough to maintain BZP even in the state it's in now by the time another 11 years pass. I would be impressed to see this site around in another 11 years though. I'd probably log in, for old times' sake.-Ced

My pick is the original warlords, the Barraki. It was the first year villains were no longer clones in different colors and they turned out awesome.-Ced

This was a nice present to give us for BZP's 11th b-day, and I'm really liking the overall look as opposed to how plain and straightforward the default skin was.-Ced

Toa Takanuva, 2008 version.-Ced

Congratulations, Hubert! I hope to join you up there some day, but...don't hold your breath. -Ced

2008, Takanuva. What a treat. -Ced

Happy Belated B-Day BZP. It's been a wonderful ride thus far (little issues in between notwithstanding). -Ced

I don't plan on using it, but it's a nice addition all the same.-Ced

You've apparently given me good reason to become a Premier member again, BZP. -Ced

"The wheel in the sky keeps on turnin', I don't know where I'll be tomorrow." -Journey Episode 06: Piraka by Any Other Name… Five years passed after our daring escape from Zakaz before we would return to the island. In that time, life became a routine of theft and destruction - though the methods (and weapons) were never quite the same. I killed Vortixx, Trelbans, Toa, Matoran, Turaga, Steltians, Meldin, Skakdi, Zyglak, and the list goes on. For a time, we were joined by a Vortixx named Jelveci, but one of Trivolox's rangers put a permanent end to her career. Rovaius stopped entertaining the idea of new recruits after we lost Jelveci - a decision that received a general consensus among us. In choosing not to become attached to other biomechs, we were very socially reliant on one another. Jelveci died on a bitter, rainy night in the Tren Krom Peninsula, shot through the back by a lightning shotgun. When her body collapsed into the mud, a part of us went with her. We had invited her into our group and then she was gone. In a stark contrast to the death of Torema, I knew there was a price to be paid for battling the law. Jelveci's death was depressing and more importantly, it was a sobering reminder of our mortality. I thought for the longest time that a criminal could only be punished by imprisonment or execution. I had neglected the idea of fear, and how the law could wield it as masterfully as we could. If we continued to fight the law, to murder fellow creations of the Great Spirit, then our fate—as corpses in the dirt—was sealed. Like so many times before, we stood in Barraki Pridak's chamber on Xia, waiting to hear our next assignment. We were situated near the door while the warlord stared broodingly out at his productive city, placing a hand to the window. "This city has always been my birthright. The Great Spirit knew all along what an enticing present it would be…" Pridak whirled to face us, marching in our direction. "Regarding your next assignment, I am sorry to say it is rather underwhelming. A number of the Nynrah Ghosts recently informed me that they no longer wish to provide their services to the League. Their Fe-Matoran brothers did not agree with the decision, but took no action against this tiny act of rebellion." "Little ingrates," Elendra muttered angrily. "My thoughts exactly," Pridak said. "If that was not enough, they practically spat in my face with their next move. Because a few untrained Matoran cannot hope to rely exclusively on their fancy weapons, they have hired protection - a Toa team." "Typical," Rovaius replied. "The little ones run their mouths about the virtues, but the ones that grow up are the worst. They won't kill you, but they're too ornery to stay down until you've killed them. There's a misplaced sense of pride in that brand of elemental power." "Their emotions are easy to use against them, that much is true," Pridak mused, ignoring (or unaware) that he could be very much the same at times. "The Great Spirit has an army of devotees across the universe at no cost, and I have to keep the worst of the bunch on a steady payroll to prevent them from defecting to my brethren." Stalgrax snickered. "Murder isn't a charity business, Pridak." Pridak narrowed his eyes on Stalgrax, taking a few short steps toward him. "Direct your wit at someone else, Stalgrax. I am not in the mood to tolerate it again today." Stalgrax bitterly lowered his head. "Forgive me, Your Eminence." Pridak gave him a wicked smirk, tilting Stalgrax's head up with a clawed finger. "Now that is amusing." The Barraki withdrew from Stalgrax then, turning his attention to Rovaius. "So, you and your team will be eliminating the Toa team and sending the Matoran a message." "Are we leaving a vocal or visual message?" Trylac asked. "I am leaving it at your discretion, actually. If you have to hold their little masked heads beneath the waves until they understand, then so be it. I simply want them to hear me out: get back to work," Pridak growled. "Mata Nui created the Matoran to labor, and I will see to it that these particular Matoran are laboring for me." "How do we find these Matoran?" Rovaius wondered. "I understand the Toa they are employing are a 'team for hire.' They had been working in southern Zakaz for some time with the local law enforcement, specifically in the city of Ihleda, but I have been informed that they recently left to return home. I need you to retrieve their records from Ihleda's law enforcement and find out what you will be up against. A Toa defending himself is careful, but multiple Toa defending Matoran leave nothing to chance." Rovaius sighed, "Indeed, they'll be relentless. We'll have to see if they left anything worth exploiting back in Zakaz." "Your time is limited, Rovaius," Pridak warned. "I want the Toa leader returned to me personally, in two days. I will be on the southern coast of the Tren Krom Peninsula at one of Mantax's smaller fortresses. The other Barraki and I will be taking an airship that night up to his recently completed project." "The floating fortress?" I asked. "Mantax finally finished it?" "Yes, he claims it will be a brilliant jewel of onyx and cobalt once it ascends, appropriately calling it Brightest Midnight. For all we know, it may be in the skies of the north Southern Continent already, but that is neither here nor there. Just be sure to bring me the Toa in two days before sunset. I will attempt to remove myself from the fortress now and again, checking the nearby woods for you. No firing any signal shots though. Mantax's guards will be on high alert with all six Barraki present." Rovaius smiled. "Understood, Your Eminence. We'll leave immediately." We filed out of the chamber at once and headed down to the port to board one of Pridak's ships. I couldn't speak for my companions as we left the pier behind, but I felt a bit excited. This was business as usual for us, but we were finally heading back to Zakaz. Visiting any land after being away for a while always felt like a vacation of sorts - an opportunity to see how someone else's world had changed while we'd been busy wrecking havoc. And considering that the only city I had really seen on Zakaz was Tyderian, this would be a brand new experience. The journey there was uneventful and quiet with barely a cloud in the sky. It made for easy sailing through the night, as the ship captain could navigate entirely by the stars. There were so many up there though - some burning brighter than others, connecting ancient constellations of sorts. Our universe had concocted many legends over the years and one said that Mata Nui was responsible for the placement of every different star over every different island. I still believe the legend is true, as Mata Nui is not one for random events in his universe. Everything has a destiny under his undetectable eyes and he is the unspoken defender of all who support him. It thereby stands to reason that his symbol is the Kanohi Hau - a shield that only special, chosen biomechs may activate. No Meldin, Dectraz, Nohtalian, or Trelban can access the power of a Kanohi, but that's insignificant if our triggers are quick enough. I let my musings fade away as I studied the bright city ahead of us, lively despite the late hour. Ihleda was sparkling with activity when we arrived at the pier. Luminance poured from the skyscraper windows, tons of Skakdi were walking about, and the sound of a magnet train could be heard in the distance. I stared up near the top of the skyscrapers, realizing the magnet rails wrapped around the outside of the city here in Ihleda. It only took me a moment longer to figure out that I had been here before. Stalgrax had blasted these rails apart with the Hyper Burst Cannon and caused us to crash nearby. We then fled into Ihleda and confronted Trivolox and the local Skakdi enforcers. Despite all that, five years away allowed the Skakdi to clean up the train wreckage, repair the rails, and probably rebuild the structures we damaged in our escape. A disturbing reality sunk in once I remembered Barraki Ehlek had a fortress somewhere in the dark water far below our craft. "We had quite a time here, didn't we?" Stalgrax said with a glance in my direction. "Something like that," I replied coolly. "The law enforcement probably doesn't remember us though." "No, not a chance," Stalgrax said with a laugh. We left the pier behind and started making our way into the city when I finally nudged Rovaius in the shoulder. "Do you know where we're going?" "I certainly do," Rovaius said confidently. "The building we're looking for was just down the street from where we encountered…" Rovaius paused. "It was where I…" He picked up his pace a bit. "Trivolox." "Yeah…" I said softly, knowing what a sore subject that Nohtalian was. Stalgrax had trusted Trivolox too, but he would always talk with me if I had questions now and again. Rovaius chose to pretty much ignore Trivolox's existence when they weren’t eye to eye, never boasting of what he'd do the next time the pair met or anything. When Trivolox wasn't around, he might as well have been dead. And when he was around, he was the only thing that seemed to matter to Rovaius. Our path took us directly through the scene of the battle between Trivolox and Rovaius, unbelievably different from how it looked five years prior. It looked so clean, washed of the heated emotions of that day. The facility entrance was on a corner just around the street, lit up with dots of activity through different windows. They were probably studying open cases, filing reports, and maybe even waiting to respond to a late night incident. We walked into the Ihleda Law Enforcement Facility, following Rovaius to the front desk. A half-awake, citrine Skakdi was reading something on the desk when we arrived, trying to fend off sleep. He slowly raised his head, groggily staring at us, trying in vain to appear professional. "Good…morning? Yeah, it technically has to be," he said, lightly chuckling. "What seems to be the problem?" "We need to speak with your superior regarding a team of Toa," Rovaius explained, sounding like more of a diplomat than I had ever known. I knew it was a show, set aside for the Skakdi. He would not be so discreet when we reached Nynrah. "They are harboring fugitives and we have reason to believe they were employed here for a time." The Skakdi raised an eyebrow at Rovaius and frowned. "My superior works in the office down the hall, last door on the right. You're lucky he's working late tonight…you might've missed him otherwise." Rovaius smiled. "Thank you," Rovaius said, beckoning us to accompany him down the hall. He strolled to the very end and poked his head through the open door. "Have a second?" "Yes, please come in," the Skakdi enforcer replied eagerly. Rovaius stepped inside, allowing the rest of us to pile in behind him. The office was rather small, given the Skakdi's position. He had a large bookshelf on both ends of the room and three chairs pointing toward his desk. Rovaius opted to stand, marching straight up to the desk. The rest of us took a seat, excluding Trylac who chose to admire the Skakdi's book collection. This Skakdi was electric blue in color, almost glowing around his armor. Like most of his species, his eyes were a bright shade of tangerine, focused intently on Rovaius. "May I ask what this is about?" Rovaius grinned. "Straight to business, of course. We are here on an errand for Barraki Pridak, hoping to put an end to some rebellious Toa. We know they were working in Ihleda, and regrettably, they have left for Nynrah to harbor several Matoran fugitives." The Skakdi stared at his desk for a moment, releasing a bitter sigh. "Yes, we had a team of Toa recently depart for Nynrah. They were excellent at pursuing criminals and bringing them to justice. They were called the Toa Iosiden, but that's all I know." "Conveniently, there happens to be a small province in central Nynrah called Iosiden. I'd be willing to bet that's where they went. Now comes your role in this." The Skakdi shot his head up at Rovaius, nearly recoiling at the sight of his grimace. "We need any and all records you and your department have on the Toa Iosiden. I understand they were allies of yours, but that is a past affiliation. Zakaz is League territory, Ehlek's to be precise. If you withhold anything and we find out, you will be charged with obstruction of justice." I nearly laughed as Rovaius uttered "justice." There was nothing just about why we wanted the records, not by a long shot. Regardless, the Skakdi pulled open a file cabinet on his side of the desk and began searching through documents. "They would have stayed longer," the Skakdi muttered, still looking through files, "but my department agreed that we couldn't afford to renew their contract this year, despite their record. They were informed and, not long after, came to us with the news that they had found new work…on Nynrah. They left on amicable terms, I assure you." "Which makes it all the more troubling that we must seek them out under these conditions," Rovaius replied miserably, playing his role flawlessly. The Skakdi placed several folders on the desk, spreading them out for Rovaius to examine. Six folders, six Toa, each with a different element designated on the cover. "Did they elect a leader?" Rovaius questioned. "Yes, that's…here," the Skakdi said, pointing to the folder on the far left end. "Ah, we have an ice-wielder leading the charge," Rovaius said, snatching the folder up and immediately opening it. "Powerful…tactical…has trouble connecting with his teammates…and much more. This is perfect." Rovaius placed the folders in a single pile and handed them to me. "Is there anything else you need from me?" the Skakdi asked in a worried tone. Rovaius smiled. "This is more than enough, thank you. We appreciate your cooperation." "Don't kill them if you don't have to," the Skakdi blurted out. Rovaius glared for a moment, but the Skakdi suddenly felt bold enough to stand. "They believed in the Great Spirit…they believed in the virtues. If there's any way they can be spared"- "I'll do what I can," Rovaius lied, offering a handshake to the Skakdi. The Skakdi accepted and I watched a false sense of relief play out across his permanent grin. We returned to the pier as soon as possible and Rovaius directed the captain to plot a course for Nynrah. It was time for the rest of us to get some sleep - an event I could hardly wait for. There would be enough time the next day to examine each Toa's file and search for individual weaknesses to take advantage of. I rested below deck in an empty room with a couple cots, falling asleep to the constant sound of the waves. I might've slept all the way to our destination if Trylac hadn't eventually come below deck and shaken me awake. I instinctively grabbed for my rifle in the dark and heard it being picked up. "Settle down," Trylac said. "It's me." "Oh," I sighed in relief. "Why do you have to do that to me!?" I shouted, ignoring the trace of fear in my heartlight as his four ruby eyes glowed in the shadows. "Amusement," Trylac said as though it were very obvious. He nudged my rifle against my shoulder armor and I set it down. "Come up on deck. Quickly." I followed Trylac topside and squinted as the sunlight blazed over my eyes. It had to be midday, and I had clearly been more tired than I thought. Adjusting my vision to the light, I walked up to the ship's railing and stood next to Trylac. Out in the water, several Proto Drakes were splashing up through the waves before diving back in. "They're migrating, it would seem," Trylac muttered. "It would seem," I said indifferently, closely watching the Rahi. He pulled his sniper rifle from his back and focused it out on the water, trailing a Proto Drake here and there. I narrowed my eyes on him (less out of anger than still dealing with the brightness) and asked, "You think you can hit one?" Trylac lowered the rifle and let his two right eyes stare at me. "Without question. I wouldn't fire on one though…out of respect for our captain. Proto Drakes were not uncommon around my first home. A rather competitive acquaintance managed to impale one with a spear, killing it shortly afterwards. The other Proto Drakes, being amphibious, glided to the land and attacked him. Long story short, his left arm and leg are now entirely mechanical. We couldn't do much for his face though." I wondered how much more disturbing a face like Trylac's could possibly become, but I also knew that splendor was probably judged differently by Dectraz. "I think I'm going to check in with the captain," I said awkwardly, making my way up to the captain's station and staring out at the endless water for a while. The captain had other plans. She was a Vortixx, built like any other, with armor of chrome and gray. "Have you checked out the chamber below deck yet?" she asked, keeping her focus ahead of the ship. "No, I didn't know there was anything special down there," I confessed, casually examining some of the readings and gauges in the craft's onboard computer. "Pridak has been working with some of Xia's finest minds to create a chamber that feeds upon the unique energies in Matoran, Toa, and Turaga. I even heard rumors that he wants to utilize the process as a weapon somehow." I laughed. "Why go through so much trouble to stop Matoran and Turaga? They fall to standard weaponry with ease. Even Toa can be bested with a little tactical thought." The Vortixx shrugged. "I have no idea what he's thinking." I didn't linger much longer with the captain, figuring it best to look over the files regarding our Toa targets. I still wasn't sure which Toa I intended to kill, but each had their strengths and weaknesses. Until we knew which Toa we were going after, it would be a waste of time to analyze a different target. In spite of that logic, I spent the next couple hours just thumbing back and forth through the pages, scanning over any information about the Toa Iosiden in boredom. The Skakdi we spoke with in Ihleda wasn't kidding when he said the Toa had been very successful at apprehending lawbreakers. Their records were almost flawless, a fact that left me a little uneasy about having to hunt them down. They'd never kill us, but I had seen Toa inflict some serious injuries on biomechs more than once. Rovaius finally snatched up the folders from me and took in a breath of Nynrah's fresh, unscented air with a grin. "Here we are." Nynrah was a quiet island and Pridak liked it that way, allowing the crafters to work in peace. The manufacturing rate on Xia was more than enough to fit his army with a bevy of deadly weapons and Pridak feigned transparency on the matter. The other Barraki would occasionally come to visit and peek at what Pridak was working on and a Vortixx tour guide would lead them through the factories, leaving no question unanswered. The warlords could learn what Pridak was mass-producing and there was little to stop them from recreating it from memory. Xia, however, was only the face of Pridak's operations. If you wanted to construct prototype weapons, build nasty thing that you wanted kept away from prying eyes, or conduct testing on new technology, wouldn't you want to do so in seclusion? Pridak did, and there were fewer grounds more fertile (north of the Southern Islands) for such intentions than Nynrah. With an estimated population of three hundred or less—if you exclude the scientists working for the League—and an empty landscape of prairies and plains, Pridak's subterranean laboratories were the last thing you'd expect to find there. Anyone with knowledge of Nynrah knew that the island's denizens were almost exclusively crafters, but the general assumption was that Fe-Matoran working in solitude were hardly worth journeying for and locating. There were no soldiers here and certainly no fortresses. It was odd to think that the entire universe probably resembled this degree emptiness in the beginning, when Mata Nui was alone. The wind blew across the beach, whipping sand between our legs. I scanned far to the south, spotting a small mountain range that led to a steep cliff. Pridak's labs were in that direction, but that wasn't our concern at the moment. "The Iosiden Province is southeast of here," Rovaius said, looking over his gunblade. "Sundown will be coming in a few hours." We were in for a long walk. As isolated as Nynrah was, we couldn't risk Toa hearing the sound of Rahi or vehicles approaching their position. So we headed on our way, trekking toward the central region of the island by foot. Rovaius still had the files from Zakaz, rereading them as we went along. "We should choose our targets," Rovaius suggested. "We have a Toa of sonics, fire, air, plant control, and stone. I'm going after the Toa of ice personally." "I can take fire and air," Trylac said flatly. "I'll take plant control," Elendra chimed in. Stalgrax looked at me. "You want sonics or stone?" "Stone, I guess." Stalgrax laughed. "I'll have to watch my audio receptors tonight then." Throughout our afternoon walk, I would read bits and parts of my target's profile. He was a Toa of stone named Etanyok, possessing a Kanohi Rau and something called a Seismic Flail. I could imagine what such a tool was capable of and knew it would be imperative to kill my target before he could access the weapon. Etanyok's psych profile described him as perceptive, versatile, and somewhat argumentative. If I were to kill him, I couldn't risk a lengthy fight. I had to be quick and silent. Into the late afternoon, we located an unknown village near the Iosiden Province's northern border. The terrain dropped into a barren valley, creating a nearly complete ring of rock walls around the village. The only access route (without climbing) was a path carved into the canyon heading further south. The village was as quiet and dusty as the parts of Nynrah we had already seen, but it wasn’t until now that we stumbled upon other biomechs. A few Matoran walked about the village, performing menial tasks here and there. "Can you detect anything, Trylac?" Rovaius wondered, carefully staring down at the village. Trylac sniffed the air a few times, twitching his head as he attempted to locate the proper scent. He crawled to the cliff's edge and leaned out over empty air, still sniffing. Trylac suddenly got to his feet and nodded to Rovaius. "The smell of iron is strong in this village, brought on by the Fe-Matoran and their labors. I believe our Nynrah Ghosts have headed south, however. A scent of iron is trailing that way…alongside something else. Elemental energy." "The Toa clearly had the foresight to evacuate the Nynrah Ghosts from their homes. At least we have a general sense of the direction they left in." We continued around the side of the cliffs, rather than walking right through the village and attracting the attention of any local biomechs. Their tiny huts seemed so primitive, but like Takadox's part of the Southern Continent, this region was not a League priority in terms of industrialization. Our path was taking us south then, bringing us ever closer to the hidden laboratories we had no time (or reason) to visit that evening. It must have been a few more hours of walking before dusk came and Trylac led us to another, smaller village. This place seemed even older and appeared to have been abandoned some time ago. It wasn't situated in a valley, but a good number of boulders were positioned around the outlying areas. They were the perfect cover. We were also fortunate that the sun was going down; a few light sources were faintly visible from within the village. "They're in there," Trylac whispered, gently sniffing the air. "Six Toa…at least a dozen Fe-Matoran." "Okay," Rovaius said happily, content that our long journey hadn't gone to waste. "We'll take some time to recover from all our walking and give our targets some time to get nice and tired. After that, we'll enter the village and eradicate the Toa." For the next several hours, we eyed our separate targets, keeping track of where they headed on their lazy patrols. If they were expecting company, they seemed very confident of a quick victory. It was the foolish mistake of Toa - Toa who were once Matoran that believe heroism and triumph came so easily. They had no idea. It was late into the night when Rovaius muttered, "Time to move." We split up and crept into the village, knowing precisely where each Toa was located. I held my laser rifle close, knowing the risk of allowing a charged hum to ring out through the still and silent plain. It would only take a few seconds for the weapon to be strong enough to put a shot through a Toa's head, especially if the weapon was right next to him. Each of our timings had to be strategic, so as not to leave too much of an interim between the eliminations. I gently pushed open the doorway to the hut where Etanyok was sleeping - making a few slow steps toward him. I intentionally left the door slightly cracked, giving me a sliver of moonlight to work with as I loaded my weapon. A single click locked the shell into place, and a second click allowed me to move the bolt handle. Etanyok didn't shift a bit and I closed in on him, aiming my rifle near the top of his Mask of Translation. Trylac would have the most trouble hunting down a second Toa after his rifle went off and I wanted to time my shot right after his. I waited a moment, listening more vigilantly than I had in a while. The shot finally came, followed almost instantly by what sounded like Elendra's energy pistol. I started charging my own weapon, waiting a few seconds before firing. Etanyok moved a little, squinting his eyes against the unexpected moonlight in his hut. My rifle had enough power and just as Etanyok fully opened his eyes, I pulled the trigger. He fell limp in the bed and I discharged the shell, quietly leaving the hut behind. Trylac's rifle went off a second time and I listened to what sounded like an explosion near the village's center. Stalgrax went flying in my direction, picking himself up and holding his gunblade at his side. "He's a fighter." The Nohtalian ran back toward his opponent, charging waves of darkness into his weapon when he vanished. He was targeting a Toa of sonics, so I figured the explosion was probably a sonic boom. I hurried after Stalgrax, trying to keep my weapon steady in case the Toa was nearby. It didn't take me long to find Stalgrax, standing in the middle of a large ring of debris likely created by the target. The Toa of sonics was impaled through the heartlight on the Nohtalian's gunblade, being held aloft like a trophy of battle. The sharp end of the weapon glistened in the moonlight, having come out the Toa's back. Stalgrax was still discharging plenty of dark power into the gunblade, forcing bits of shadow bolts to crackle out of the corpse's eyes and mouth. Stalgrax whipped his gunblade back and took a step forward, using his momentum to hurl the Toa from his weapon and into one of the huts. "Do you see this, little workers!?" Stalgrax called out to the Nynrah Ghosts. I couldn't find a single one of them, but if Trylac could smell them here, they had to be hiding. "This is the price to be paid for your selfishness!" Stalgrax hollered. "These brave Toa lost their lives because you would not perform your jobs! Barraki Pridak has a message for each of you: get back to work!" Trylac and Elendra approached the scene and Trylac handed Stalgrax a fiery red sword. Undoubtedly the Toa of fire's weapon of choice, Stalgrax took it and channeled his power through it, creating a jet black flame along the blade. He swung it at the huts once, sending a blast of dark flames at the tiny buildings. The fire only burned black for a few moments before becoming a normal orange and red color. The fire began to consume the huts and a Nynrah Ghost stumbled out of one, directly into our path. Stalgrax glared at him and set more of the huts ablaze. "I can't ship you off to Karzahni, but I think a fighting arena on Stelt will suffice. Keep that in mind before your next rebellion!" The terrified Fe-Matoran scurried away and out of sight, likely joining his brothers. We left the village and watched it turn to ashes with a sense of accomplishment. As the fire burned away any trace of the Toa Iosiden, the Nynrah Ghosts fled for their lives, having received Pridak's message loud and clear. All we were waiting on now was Rovaius. I should've expected nothing less than his usual style. Rovaius came slowly marching out of the flames, carrying a Toa of ice over his right shoulder and a crystal white Kanohi in his other hand. The fire danced in the light of his lime green eyes, enhancing the evil expression on his face. The Toa was dazed and defeated, desperately extending his arm when Rovaius tossed the Kanohi Faxon to Trylac. I decided it would be better if the Toa didn't see more of his failure and walked up to him. I flipped my weapon around and slammed the butt of my rifle against the Toa's face, instantly knocking him out. The air was still on our return trip; we were alone with the night. There was no point in hunting down the Nynrah Ghosts now, not to mention the fact that we had a timetable to keep for Pridak. If the Fe-Matoran failed to return to their work, we'd just be deployed again, shooting anything and anyone in our way. It was my secret hope that the Matoran got the message - they were my least favorite species to kill. No matter the element, a dead Matoran always made me think of Torema and the guard I shot through the head in Marilea. That experience left me temporarily catatonic and I've always felt slightly hesitant about killing Matoran ever since. There are far more dangerous biomechs out there to be uncertain against - I should be thankful that Matoran often have a reluctant nature about harming others to begin with. We quickly returned to northwestern Nynrah, arriving at the ship at a late hour. The sun would be coming up in a couple hours and we urgently needed to get going. Stalgrax took our prisoner down to the chamber designed for him, while Rovaius approached the Vortixx taking us on our way. "Will we make it in time?" The captain nodded with a smirk. "If we're lucky, we'll arrive on the Northern Continent in the early afternoon." I slept through the morning, somehow still tired after all the sleep I caught from the day before. With nothing much else to do, I decided to pay a visit to the specially made chamber below the ship's deck. It was only a few doors away from where I fell asleep, so I didn't have to walk far. The heavy gray door required a bit of force to push open, but I managed it with a slight shove. The chamber was incredible, covered in glowing tiles on the ceiling, walls, and floor. There was an eerie silence to the room as it invisibly drained the Toa of his power. The tiles seemed to be constantly shifting their colors, clearly rendering the Toa on the other side of the room virtually powerless. I shut the door and cautiously approached the Toa, watching as he sat hunched over in the corner, staring at the ceiling. "How did you expect this to end?" I asked with no sarcasm in my voice. "I don't know," he whispered, "not like this. We were hired to protect those Matoran, but don't think we weren't concerned about them. We tried our best…really." "Everything comes with a consequence," I replied, crouching down next to him. "Had you realized that sooner, your friends would still be alive." The Toa angrily attempted to stand, clutching the wall for support as he went along. I gave him a light push against the wall and watched him fall in a slump on the floor. He was completely worn out. "My mask is gone, my team is dead, and you sent the Matoran back to their endless labor of weaponry in terror," he said dismally. "I will accept whatever happens now." I wanted to say something to him, anything really, to break the silence. He was right though. His journey in life was nearly complete now - a life ending in failure. Each Toa we killed was a separate friend to someone, a separate meaning and a separate memory. The Toa of ice had probably seen many victories in Zakaz alongside his team, which only added to how pathetic this conclusion felt. The door swung open and Elendra marched across the room, hauling the Toa of ice to his feet and propping him against her shoulder. "You have an appointment with Barraki Pridak, Toa." She glanced at me with a frustrated look. "Help me get this 'hero' upstairs." I placed the Toa's free arm behind my neck and we led him up to the deck, ignoring his pained grumbles and exhausted breathing along the way. When I got my first look at the sky when we arrived, I nearly dropped the Toa right then. My mouth hung open in awe, staring at Barraki Mantax's grand fortress floating high above. "Beautiful, huh?" Stalgrax said with a chuckle. "It was a thing of wonder when it was on the ground, but now… I never imagined how amazing it would look up there." I turned around and examined the forest surrounding the Tren Krom Peninsula's rim, a dense, dark green affair my eyes couldn't pierce. I still remembered our last visit so vividly, the desperate departure, and particularly how Jelveci was absent from our number in the end. It almost looked like an entirely different place without a raging storm overhead, but an uncomfortable silence came over the ship as we advanced. Elendra tugged the Toa away from me, carelessly dragging him by his feet as she loomed closer to the bow's edge. "The Great Spirit will punish you for what you have done," the Toa of ice said, coughing for a moment. "For my brothers and for those Fe-Matoran, he will punish you." Elendra pushed the Toa to the floor in a spinning direction, causing him to fall on his back. She then slammed her kneecap into his torso before pulling out one of her pistols, beating him across the face with it. "What'd you say!?" she yelled, striking his face with the pistol a few more times. He didn't even have strength enough to defend himself, dazedly watching Elendra beat him. "I'm going to be punished!?" Elendra fumed, relentlessly pummeling the Toa of ice with her weapon. "Well let's get to it! Let's see the Great Spirit punish me for this!" She kept going, crashing metal against metal as she mockingly waited for Mata Nui to intervene. Elendra got off a couple more pistol whips before Rovaius grabbed her arm and held it in place. She glared up at him, but he was already staring her down. "We need him alive. Control yourself." Elendra stood up, a dark smile curling over her face as she examined her handiwork. The Toa of ice had been badly beaten, that much was certain. The muscles around his maskless face were bruised and swollen, and his left eye was slightly cracked. I knew Pridak was inevitably going to kill him and—at this point—that would be a mercy. The Toa's mission had been unsuccessful, he failed the Fe-Matoran living in his homeland, and his closest friends were dead. I think Elendra lashed out at him in fear. She knew what we had coming and she knew it would take someone willing to kill for Mata Nui to get the job done. She knew everything is only temporary…even luck. Review

@Ballom - Thanks. Elendra's unbelievable skill was supposed to serve as a very stark contrast to Adrinor's abilities, and I knew early on what a fine shot she'd be. Stalgrax's comment is more of me just trying to play with physics rules that don't necessarily line up with our own. Just a bit of the appeal of working with the MU.@TNTOS - Hey, glad to see you had a chance to review it. Don't expect Trivolox to do much talking throughout Cenotaphs. He's probably the most heroic entity they encounter, and one of few words at times.As an aside to all of you who have been reading Cenotaphs thus far, I can't promise you'll like the direction and decision I made going into Chapter 6.-Ced

To begin, I owe you an apology. I had not been as detailed on running certain things with Hahli Historian as I would've liked. An appeal request is given a two week deadline, so you have until August 1. That should allow you ample time to handle your real-life affairs. -Ced