Cederak

"You're a lonely moon in love with an ocean. Is that ocean in love with you?" -Carolina Liar Episode 10: A Royal Tryst with Arrogance We rode the Icodron along the edge of the mountain range, keeping our destination in sight the entire time. As we drew near and the sun slowly fell across the sky, I could begin to make out the features of the mining facility. There was a noticeable contrast in its architecture when compared to the town Diroux was from. Silver and black metal wrapped around the outside of the mine, dotted by tiny cerulean lights. The dark metals had been built in a way that it appeared long, winding veins of technological influence were infecting the simplicity of the Crezeran landscape, extending out from the tramway. I should've expected Artakha or the denizens of his land would've given the tramway's surroundings a personal touch. The mining facility was surrounded by a perimeter fence, likely to ensure none of the native Crezerans would tamper with the tramway. When we arrived at the gates, everyone dismounted their Icodron and Rovaius strode up to the Gekalan guard, giving a short wave as he approached. "Good evening," the guard said cautiously. "What brings foreigners like yourselves out to this facility?" Rovaius chuckled. "We came to Crezera by a ship that, well…won't be coming back for us. Ranger Diroux told us to leave these Icodron in your care and that we could use the tramway to reach Artakha and return to Xia." "Xia…" the guard trailed off. "You came a long way to assist Diroux, don't you think?" "In my line of work, there's no destination too far. That's my motto on this side of the Southern Islands anyway." "Yeah, Mata Nui only knows what's further south of those dark, mysterious lands," the guard replied. "So, how do you know Diroux exactly?" "We met today," Rovaius said, grinning. "My team was hired to assist him in dealing with some troublesome Crezerans. The mission was a success." "Good to hear it," the guard said with a short nod. "I used to be a ranger myself, but I decided to retire when the strenuous activity began to argue with my age. Diroux is a good friend though and one of the finest rangers on this island. Tell me, does he still have that painting in his office from when I shot a Fader Bull from several kio out?" "So that was you," Rovaius replied, a quiet laugh escaping his mouth. "Last Fader Bull on Crezera, huh?" "That's right," the guard told him. "I'd still be out there riding, but life has a way of making you old without your consent." He stared off dreamily for a moment, probably thinking back on his days with Diroux and the rangers. He looked back at Rovaius and added, "You'd better head on through now; the tramway will be shutting down for the night soon." "Thank you," Rovaius replied. "Let's get going." We quietly entered the mining facility, catching a few Gekalan chatting with one another or reclining against large boulders. The work day had concluded, though a couple workers were still using their mining tools to blast through rock. The tools were clearly from Artakha, too elegant to have originated anywhere else. More Gekalan were pouring out of the mine, bathed in the dark blue lights that hung from the stone ceilings. We headed past the workers, coming near the cliffside where the tramway station was located. It was a transparent building, a dome-shape wrapped in rounded silver support beams. The entrance was an enormous pair of doors, presumably to allow large amounts of raw material to be loaded onto the trams with ease. The doors automatically slid to the sides when we were near enough, smoothly opening the way for us. Inside the dome were a couple Gekalan watching a hologram of the aerial tramway line, likely the system engineers on the Crezera end of the link. Beyond them were five docks, two of which contained massive capsules. The capsules could've easily held four of the huge cargo crates Rovaius and I hid in during our escape from Zakaz. "Can we help you with something?" one of the engineers asked. "We were cleared for travel to Artakha," Rovaius explained. "We're heading to Xia after that." The engineer nodded, glancing back at the holographic line again for a second. "Board the capsule on the far left end. It's due to leave for Artakha in a few minutes anyway." "I'll activate the doors for them," the other engineer said, touching a finger to the hologram. The far left capsule pushed the rounded end of itself forward, separating in half around to each side of the capsule. The inside of the capsule was two levels, with the bottom entirely filled with crates, mining tools, and large chunks of raw material. Assuming the upper level was designed for passenger transport (with a ladder being the only means of reaching it), Rovaius climbed to the second floor and took a seat near the end facing Artakha. Several sturdy-looking metal wires were in place to prevent us from falling down to the first level, with the rounded edges of the capsule possessing no floor. I sat across from Rovaius, next to Stalgrax, with Elendra and Trylac opting to stand. "Welcome aboard the Crezera-Artakha aerial tramway," the engineer said over the intercom, closing the capsule. "Please engage the safety wires on the side you entered from." Trylac walked back and pressed a green button on the wall, watching several wires fly out of the wall and connect to the other side. "Safety wires appear to be connected," the engineer continued. "For those of you standing during your travel, there are cables hanging from the ceiling to allow you more balance as the tram moves. Your travel time will be approximately two hours. During this time we ask that you keep your hands and feet inside the designated passenger area and behind the safety cables. Thank you and welcome aboard." The capsule lurched forward, unloaded from the station and propelled beyond the cliffside. The tramway was a notably smooth ride. The builders (most likely Matoran from Artakha and perhaps a few Gekalan) had placed serious concern in ensuring freight and passengers would be secure while traveling between the islands and their efforts paid off. I found myself beginning to doze off when something pushed me from my seat. I turned my head side to side, getting to my feet. "What happened?" "You were falling asleep," Trylac replied, "and I pushed you. I was curious if you'd catch yourself." "It's been a long day," I replied groggily. "I woke up in an escape pod, got my weapon repaired on Stelt, and got shot at by angry sailors and Crezerans. I think I've earned a little shuteye." Trylac nodded. "True as that may be, isn't ranch work a dawn to dusk business? You're always so tired and I can't imagine that was tolerated in your former occupation." "Ranch work didn't leave me tired the way this job does," I replied, laughing quietly. "I guess I still need time to fully adapt, you know what I mean?" "I understand," Trylac said. "Ranching wouldn't prepare me for this line of work." "What was your first job anyway?" I asked. "I was a hunter," Trylac muttered. "I stalked creatures and kept my brethren safe from particularly dangerous ones." "I wish sometimes I had started life as a hunter," Elendra piped up. "Would've been a much better position than doing engineering work on Trelbin." "Your tech knowledge serves you well, Elendra," Trylac replied. "Take pride in that." Elendra clicked the hammer back and forth on her left revolver a few times. "I do. There are just other occupations I wish I'd pursued in my younger days." I looked to Stalgrax and Rovaius. "What did you do for work in your early years?" Stalgrax smirked. "Well, I used to be a guide for travelers to Nohtal and for those Nohtalians unfamiliar with certain regions of the island. I enjoyed talking to biomechs and hearing new stories. I eventually retired when Rovaius approached me about the gang." Rovaius glanced at the floor before replying, slowly raising his head and staring me in the eyes. "I was a scholar. My job was to study the universe and interpret what the Great Spirit was trying to tell us. I could see the importance of the virtues Matoran hold dear and how they each played a role in every biomech's life. Then came a day when I was visited by three entities, interrupting the quiet of my life. They invited me to join them, to join a group that would act on behalf of Mata Nui himself. I declined, finding more value in my job than running off with them. I never saw the entities again, but I became frustrated with my scholar position, considering it may have been a mistake to have passed up the offer. I eventually resigned, knowing the entities had Mata Nui's interests in mind and that studying the universe might be a task better suited to them. After that, I took a variety of odd jobs before starting the gang with Stalgrax and the others." "Do you think the entities are still out there?" I wondered. "Most likely," Rovaius replied. "There's always someone out there acting on Mata Nui's behalf. Toa are a fine example." The remainder of our journey was uneventful. I think the exhaustion of the day that had worn me down hours before was starting to hit the rest of the gang. It was nice to relax for the evening. As the final traces of day were swallowed into the black of the night sky, I watched the island of Artakha begin to undergo an astonishing change. The fine, sharp edges of the architecture began to shift, entire portions of the city-island launching into the air, suspended by what appeared to be air propulsion firing out through exhaust ports located beneath the buildings. The brilliant lights of Artakha bathed the propulsion in every color I could imagine, still amazed as the buildings on the ground shifted around one another, continuing to warp their shapes. Large gear components rose from the ground and extended from the skyscrapers, clicking in time with one another like a perfect machine. Finally, the ascended structures began to meet near the center of the island, blasting a trail of charged air along the ground as they repositioned. Airships large and small moved about the cities without difficulty and I could see one more piece rising to join the structures. It fit perfectly between the others, a trail of propulsion energy launching it above the rest. Situated on the colossal platform was a fortress, just as wondrous as the rest of the city, molded into soft edges and adorned with its own functioning gears. I knew without a doubt it was Artakha's dwelling, a lofty tower from where he could preside over his domain. It was tough to make out at first, but I noticed something about the airships traveling in the night that set them apart from any other I had encountered before. Rather than utilize the power of levitation through Kanoka disks, these ships ran on propulsion and propellers, releasing steam from their exhaust ports. They seemed to exist as a flying counterpart to the terrestrial steam stacks below, illuminated in bronze and gold, blasting foggy emissions harmlessly into the atmosphere. The cities put the Gekalan idea of paradise to shame, every building presented as a work of nobility, each crafted as their own piece of art. The roads and streets were impossibly pristine, the product of Artakha's nascent transformation. The bridges were metallic archways, extending onto the paths they were born to connect, allowing steam-powered personal transports to make their way through the metropolises. "Impressive," Stalgrax said casually, narrowing his eyes on the island. "Could you imagine what the League might achieve with Artakha under their control?" Trylac shook his head. "Artakha is widely regarded as one of the most powerful entities in existence. Looking at what he is capable of doing to the structure of his island, the Barraki would be wise not to exhaust resources trying to conquer it." The capsule completed its course to Artakha shortly after their brief exchange, safely docking in the tramway station. As I stood up, an unexpected blast of static rang through the intercom. I cringed, searching for a sign of what happened. "My apologies," someone told us. "That happens now and again when I engage the speakers. Um, please stand back from the safety cables as I will be separating them in a few seconds." We kept a fair distance from the cables, watching them retract as the capsule opened wide. We leapt down to the station floor and I couldn't help but admire the architecture, amazed by the sheer detail involved. A Ko-Matoran looked up from the engineering desk and raised an eyebrow at us. "You're not Gekalan. Who are you?" "We were hired by local Gekalan law enforcement to handle some problems they couldn't manage alone," Rovaius replied. "After being stranded on Crezera, the Gekalan informed us the only means of transport off the island was their aerial tramway." "I don't think Artakha will be very pleased with you staying on his island," the Matoran said warily. "He is very particular about guests." "We won't be staying any longer than we need to," Rovaius assured him. "We need transport to the island of Xia. Do you know how I would go about doing that?" "Xia?" The Matoran asked, nearly laughing. "That's quite a distance from here. I don't think even our cargo airships travel to Xia. Still, someone might be able to take you in a smaller craft. Let me contact a friend of mine and I can get you on your way." Rovaius nodded. "I think we're going to step outside, catch some fresh air. We'll be waiting when you're finished." We marched out the massive doorway, taking in the sights and sounds of the beautiful night. All across the cities, Matoran of different elements worked together, crafting and building. Down below the propulsion lines where the city sections had joined to meet Artakha's fortress, I could see the lights in the air jets were shimmering across a colossal Kanohi Hau, amplifying the sleekness of the object. The entire island was nothing short of amazing and we had a perfect view from the aerial tramway platform, elevated high above the street level. The Matoran joined us out on the platform, politely tapping Rovaius on the side. The Nohtalian glanced down and smirked. "Any luck?" The Matoran chuckled. "I have a friend on his way to pick you up right now. His transport comfortably seats ten biomechs, even Toa-sized ones like yourselves. It was not by luck that he was available - you were destined to depart Artakha this night." "If you say so," Rovaius replied. The engineer Matoran returned to the station and we spent a few more minutes watching other Matoran go about their night in the cities below. A transport airship finally drove up to the platform and landed near us, opening the side entry doors. A Matoran of the green exited the craft and looked us over for a moment. "You must be the biomechs I was asked to pick up," he said. "C'mon, let's get going." "You heard him," Rovaius said, leading the way onto the transport. We boarded and strapped ourselves into the seats and I watched Rovaius sit down next to the pilot's chair. The Matoran returned to his seat as well, strapping himself in and engaging the steam thrusters. We were hovering over the platform, but we weren't going anywhere. "So we're going to Xia?" he asked. "That's right," Rovaius replied. "Do you know where it is?" "I used to pilot airships all over the universe, Nohtalian," he said. "I know Xia well. By the way, my name is Holmdir." The Matoran offered a hand and Rovaius shook it, replying with, "I'm Rovaius." Holmdir looked back at us, pointing to each of us and waiting for us to reveal our names. Our assignment didn't bring us into conflict with any other Barraki, so giving our names under the circumstances wasn't an issue. "Just out of curiosity, what is this going to cost us?" Elendra questioned. "I can't imagine burning fuel all the way to Xia is cheap." Holmdir laughed. "We may not use levitation Kanoka to achieve flight, but our steam-powered airships do not require fuel. I won't bore you with the particulars behind it, but the most you owe me for is spending my time on a trip to Xia." "Fair enough," Rovaius said with a nod. "As a biomech that doesn't typically act on anything that isn't worth my while, I can respect that." While Rovaius fumbled for money in the relatively dark airship, I stared out the window, still marveling at what a sight Artakha was. I could also see the other end of the island was connected to a barren, uninhabited mass joined by a land bridge. I thought about asking Holmdir why the land was so vacant, but I also thought about getting some sleep. Sleep won. I spent a dreamless night aboard Holmdir's airship, remembering the soft sound of the engine humming in my head. A burst of sunlight and a sudden swerve to the left finally roused me from my slumber. I glanced out the windshield and could see Xia below us, still as grimy as ever. "Where do you want me to land?" Holmdir asked. Rovaius pointed just beyond the dock, outside of the city. "Take the ship down by that street. If you come within about ten bio of the ground, we can jump from there." "Sounds good. I'm opening the rear hatch now," Holmdir replied, veering down at an angle for Xia. "We don't encounter a lot of free rides in our line of work," Rovaius said to the Matoran. "Thanks for helping us out." "What did you say you do again?" Holmdir asked, continuing to steer toward the street Rovaius designated. "I didn't," Rovaius said with a smirk, leaving for the rear hatch. We followed the Nohtalian and right when Holmdir had us over the street, we leapt down out of the air. I landed hard on the road, watching Trylac descend gracefully. Elendra performed a roll once she hit the ground, while Rovaius and Stalgrax seemed to be just fine with a simple jump. I watched the craft pull a sharp turn over the Xian skies and double back for its island of origin, engaging a cloaking shield that must've been active while I slept. Artakha was capable of designing some truly incredible technology. "Nothing like the scent of the Xian air, huh?" Stalgrax said, chuckling. Rovaius gazed out at the Mountain, into the thick fog of polluted atmosphere above the industrious island. "Let's see what Pridak is up to this morning." He led us into the city and up to the steps of Anxious Solitude where we went through the standard procedure of having to inform the guards we were on our way up. After that, it was a quick stroll through the lobby, a trip on the elevator, and an uneasy walk through the hallway to Pridak's chamber that separated us from taking our next mission. The guards activated the doorway as they always did and we stepped inside, finding Pridak busy at his desk. The Barraki was known to leave Xia for many matters he liked to handle personally, but there were plenty of documents involved with running the universe. "Good morning, Your Eminence," I said politely. "Keeping busy, I see." "You dropped a sky fortress out of the air the other night," Pridak said. "I have been dealing with a logistic nightmare since I returned to Xia and I have been very busy." "Not that it's any of my business, but why are you handling Mantax's affairs?" Elendra asked. Pridak turned away from the desk and faced us, looking exhausted. I had always known Pridak to be the face of strength, elegance, and command. It was odd to see him appear so unkempt and drained of life. "It wasn't until well into the tour of the facility that Mantax revealed his first intention for the Midnight. He wished to use it as part of our fleet in a coming invasion." "Invasion?" I repeated. "What's left to invade of any worth?" "I made a name for myself when you were nothing," Pridak replied. "I worked hard every day of my life and then a day came where I was rewarded for that work. The universe was turned over to me…to me and five others. We merely intend to take what is ours." I thought to myself for a moment, wondering what the Barraki didn't already own, occupy, or wipe out. I only had one guess. "You want Destral or Artakha?" "They might as well be ours," Pridak said casually. "No, we want a prize far greater than an island full of Rahi-makers or crafters. Tell me Adrinor, what would you say if I suggested that there existed a conquest of such unparalleled worth, that any mere island could only pale in comparison?" "So you want…a thing?" I asked skeptically. "In a manner of speaking, yes," Pridak replied. "A very big thing. I am intentionally cryptic only because I am careful. Rest assured, you will know of my victory in time." Pridak shot me a grin, a wicked smile not unlike the one during our first meeting - the one only a Takea could love. "And then the light, the air, the sea…every element known to the universe will be mine to wield." There was something disturbed about Pridak's last sentence. He sounded enlightened, but the notion was insane. I couldn't imagine what he meant, all I knew was that from his description, failure would be disastrous. If I had known that would be our last conversation, if I had known what I know now, the state of the universe would be very different today. What a teasing word "hindsight" is, don't you agree? "I suppose you have a mission for us in the meantime?" Rovaius wondered. "Always straight to business with you, Rovaius," Pridak replied with a laugh. "Yes, I have an assignment for you on the Southern Continent. You will be visiting a cave network not far north of some hole-in-the-wall town named Kinatra. I had to look at a map just to make sure I had the name right." "I'm from Kinatra," I blurted out. "Meldin are from Meldio," Pridak replied in his most superior tone. "I thought I told you the story of how the gang picked me up in Kinatra?" Pridak chuckled. "I oversee thousands of soldiers and have more important locations to keep at the front of my mind. Forgive me if I forget one story and one worthless town in the middle of nowhere." "So why are we visiting a cave in some remote location Takadox barely concerns himself with?" Stalgrax asked. "The cave is a former meeting place for the other warlords and myself. Each of the Barraki assisted me in perfecting a weapon that Takadox supposedly finished a week before the tour of the Midnight. The armies of the League have orders to be on the Northern Continent at dawn in two days on my command. We will be meeting outside the city of Valantru, in the northwest of the continent. I want the weapon in my hands that night, understood?" "All the armies of the League amassed in one place?" Trylac asked in shock. "What sort of game are you playing at, Pridak?" "Conquest," Pridak breathed. "It is the same one I have been playing for millennia. Now run along - you have your mission." We departed Xia uninterestedly that morning, arriving in the northwest of the Southern Continent that evening. With plenty of time at our disposal to retrieve Pridak's weapon and present it to him, we were hardly in a hurry. Still, there was an air of suspicion on the watercraft. Pridak was keeping something from us and—while it wasn't the first time—none of us were ever particularly keen on getting half the facts. Reaching land on Mantax's portion of the Southern Continent allowed us greater access to transport resources, rather than traveling by Rahi. Even taking the additional distance into account, a motorized vehicle would make the journey much faster. As the ship's captain began his route south to meet us as near to the cave as possible, we approached a small port town. The streetlamps were dimly lit and the ground was paved with cobblestones, suggesting we had stumbled upon a sleepy little place. I found an inn on the outskirts of the town and we stepped inside, catching the attention of an alarmed Ba-Matoran. "Guests!" he shouted, nearly cowering below the desk. "This is an inn, right?" Rovaius asked. "Why are you so surprised?" "We don't receive many non-Matoran around here, despite being a port. Mantax set up the trade routes in this area long ago, and the only ships we see are usually full of Matoran from other lands. Mind if I ask what brings you to our town?" "We're on business," Rovaius explained. "My friend here spotted your inn and we decided to see if we could spend the night here. We'll be heading south of the Tren Krom River tomorrow, into Takadox's territory. As secretive as I'm sure you know Barraki Mantax can be, I know you realize that's all the information I'm allowed to divulge." "Absolutely, Mantax is famous for his private nature," the Matoran said with a nod, his black and violet armor glowing in the dim light of the inn. "We're completely vacant tonight, so take any rooms you like. I'll just need your payment, please." Stalgrax awkwardly stepped up to the desk, staring down at the Matoran. "I'm sorry to say we actually don't have any money with us. It's fairly cold out there tonight though and it would be very kind of you to let us stay the night for free. I can promise that we will all recommend your inn to anyone we come across in our travels." The Matoran gave Stalgrax an apprehensive look, meeting the Nohtalian's expression of utter misery. "Please. Help us out." The Ba-Matoran sighed. "I cannot, in good conscience, let the Great Spirit watch me throw you out into the cold," he said softly. "Head on up and have a good, warm night." "Mata Nui will reward you for your generosity," Stalgrax said, quietly ascending the inn's stairway. "Thank you much." I followed him up and we all stood before our chosen rooms. Trylac and Elendra gave Stalgrax a telling nod while Rovaius pat him on the back a couple times. I extended a hand to him and Stalgrax accepted, whispering, "A display of force never appeals to me the way playing on someone's emotions does." I awoke the next morning full of energy, following the gang downstairs and off into town. The skies were bright and blue, full of clouds and warmed by the sun above. The climate was so reminiscent of my time on the ranch, it was nice to see some things remained constant in an ever-changing universe. "Okay, first priority of the morning is to find transport to Kinatra," Stalgrax declared, examining the town's shops. "Nothing that growls or grows weak as the day wears on." Trylac pointed near the far end of town. "Seaside Vehicles. I think that's what we want." "Sounds like they specialize in seafaring transport," I said. "Or their shop is merely next to the sea," Stalgrax suggested. "It's worth checking out." Stalgrax turned out to be correct. The inside of the building led out to a small dock where several watercraft were parked. Inside the shop were a number of land vehicles, utilizing wheels built to handle tough terrain. A Le-Matoran hurried our way, grinning hopefully at us. "Morning, travelers!" he said happily. "How can I help you?" I stepped forward, slightly chuckling at the Matoran as I pulled out a laser shell. "I think we can help you more than you can help us." I glanced at the other Matoran workers and shouted, "This laser shell is taking out the first Matoran in here that chooses not to follow our instructions!" The Le-Matoran frowned. "Okay, okay, be sensible for a moment. What do you want from us?" I sighed, clicking the shell into my laser rifle. "I want you to live. The way that happens is by listening to me. I need an all-terrain vehicle, something swift, but a smooth ride too. Recommend me something, and remember, a poor recommendation will bring me back. You don't want me to come back." The Le-Matoran shakily pointed to a vehicle in the corner. It could seat six and, although it lacked a windshield, windows, or a roof, it looked sturdy enough. "I'll take it," I said with a smile before turning to Stalgrax. "Start it up for us and we'll be on our way." The Le-Matoran took a few more steps back, finally breaking into a run. I watched him with a hint of curiosity, loading my rifle in anticipation. He drew a Kanoka launcher from behind a desk and took aim at me. I narrowed my eyes on him and trained my rifle on his position. "Any chance you're going to tell me what that disk does?" I asked. "One way to find out," he replied, launching it at me. I fired and watched the laser blast hit the disk, passing straight through it. The blast hit the Le-Matoran, barely pushing him backwards and leaving a slight mark on his armor. The disk hit me directly and I felt my legs buckle right before I collapsed. Elendra drew a revolver and shot the Le-Matoran dead in an instant, glancing down at me with a laugh. "Weakness disk," she said. "Not a bad choice." Trylac dragged me to the transport, letting Rovaius keep his gunblade aimed at the other Matoran while we made our escape. Once Stalgrax started up our transport and we were all onboard, he turned it around and smashed through the doorway, careening out into the street and leaving town in a hurry. "Well, I've seen negotiations turn worse before!" Rovaius hollered to me over the wind. "It looked like you were having fun until you got hit!" "I don't see biomechs use weakness disks very often," I said faintly. "To say I was surprised is definitely an understatement." We spent the entire trip with Stalgrax at the wheel, giving me plenty of time to recover from the effects of the Kanoka. The fields and hills were at peace as we drove along, splashing through the Tren Krom River into Takadox's territory and continuing on our way. I didn't take time to enjoy a lot of warm, sunny days with the gang, but being so close to the place I called home for centuries, I made a point of kicking back and taking in the scenery. Right around dusk, I knew we had to be coming close to our destination and I started paying more attention to our surroundings. Kinatra was in the distance when I noticed a cave off to the left of us. It blended so well with the green of the hills that I almost didn't catch it. I leaned forward, shouting to Stalgrax, "I think we just passed the cave!" "It's not going anywhere!" Stalgrax yelled back, a smile plastered on his face. "Let's stop over in Kinatra real quick. I didn't get to see this town when we picked you up!" Stalgrax parked our transport outside of Kinatra, leading the way to a small diner. The staff had a knack for making some excellent energy combinations and, though Matoran and many biomech species could absorb the energy through their hands (Meldin included), the experience deprived biomechs of tasting the complete artistry. While some species found absorbing energy through the mouth to be repulsive, the rest of the gang never had much of a problem with the idea. We took a seat by the diner's front window, waiting only a minute or two before a smiling Ce-Matoran came up to us, the setting sun reflecting off the gold of her armor. "Hello, everyone. What can I get you this evening?" "I'm honestly not very hungry," Rovaius told her. "Have them make me a Manas claw, particularly strong." "I'll take the same," Stalgrax chimed in. "I won't be ordering anything," Trylac noted to the Ce-Matoran. "Me either," I told her. "I'll take an Artidax sunset," Elendra said. The waitress finished taking down the orders and smiled at us again. "I'll be right back with your drinks." In a matter of moments, the Ce-Matoran returned with our drinks, giving one to Rovaius, Stalgrax, and Elendra. "Well that was fast," Rovaius said, chuckling. He glanced my way and said, "You didn't tell me this place had such speedy service." The Ce-Matoran looked at me and asked, "Oh, do you live around here?" "I…I used to," I said uneasily. "Is the ranch still nearby?" "Sure is," she replied. "I've only lived here a couple years myself, but yeah, the Torema Mahi Ranch isn't too far of a walk from Kinatra." I froze in my seat. "The…what? What did you just say?" "The Torema Mahi Ranch," she repeated. "I'm not sure how long you've been away from the area, but the ranch owner was shot and killed by outlaws about five years ago. At least, that's the rumor. The ranch was named in his honor." I stared hard at the table, unsure of how to respond. "He was a good biomech." I must've made the Ce-Matoran uncomfortable, because her next words were, "Well…okay. If you all need anything, don't hesitate to come tap my shoulder." Rovaius swished his drink around in its glass, blending the deep purple and orange shades around one another. He took a drink and smiled. "Quick and well done. We really should've come here after you joined, Adrinor." Elendra took a sip of her own bright red drink, nodding in approval. "They're very good." Trylac fixed his gaze on me, very aware of my change in attitude. "They honored your former boss by naming the place after him. That's not a bad deal, really. I'd be tempted to pull a gun on someone to have my name immortalized for it. Of course, I'd probably choose a more urbanized location, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose." "You going to be all right?" Stalgrax asked me. I looked up from the table. "Yeah. I'll be fine. It's just…being here, and bringing up Torema. It's nostalgic for me, like going back to Nohtal for you." "I've departed the shores of Nohtal twice in my life," Rovaius replied. "There's nothing left for me there now." Stalgrax swallowed some of his drink and pointed the glass toward me. "Same here - two departures and one alongside Rovaius. Don't get too attached to the home you once knew, Adrinor. If life ever takes you back there, it'll impair your abilities." "You don't see any irony in talking about impaired abilities while holding a Manas claw at me?" I said with a laugh. Stalgrax put his head back and downed the rest of his drink, slamming the glass onto the table before chuckling at me. "It'll take a lot more than a drink to make me feel like I'm back on Nohtal." The gang finished their drinks and we headed out, letting Stalgrax backtrack to the cave I pointed out earlier. An overgrowth of grass and vines obscured the entrance, making for an excellent hidden meeting spot. Kinatra was so far out of the way and without the presence of Takadox's military in the area, it was a perfect location. Trylac pushed his way through the wild plants and we followed him in, entering the pitch black darkness with nothing but his eyes glowing back at us. They were our only sight as we traversed much of the cave, letting Trylac guide us with his powerful vision. We held hands behind the Dectraz, ensuring no one would be lost or slam into a wall or something. Much of the journey was spent in the dark, but after a while, we starting seeing a Lightstone here or there. "At least we know someone has been through here," Stalgrax muttered. "And they were smart enough not to light up the entire cave," Elendra replied. "I'd bet my last bullet that was Ehlek's idea. He lived in dark waters before the League, I doubt he required much light to walk through here." "Wouldn't surprise me," I said. The occasional Lightstone managed to keep us in what we assumed was the right direction, but it was barely enough illumination. The Barraki practically owned the universe, so to use a cave for a meeting rather than speak at one of their countless fortresses, I could only imagine what they had to discuss in the darkness outside of Kinatra. I thought back to the evening aboard the Midnight, Pridak's warning to Kalmah about keeping quiet, and even Voporak's message from Mantax not to leave Stelt. The Barraki were going to set something terrible in motion, that much was certain. Without warning, I heard Rovaius stumble and slide into the dark, tumbling down through the cavern. Elendra followed and I could hear Trylac engaging his wings. Stalgrax grabbed my arm and we fell down into another room. The chamber contained enough Lightstones to allow us to see one another, as well as a crude ladder that led back up to the entrance. I picked myself up, examining the chamber in wonder. The walls were full of drawings and descriptions, mostly etched or burned away. Worktables had been thrown about, chairs as well, countless destroyed tablets littering the cavern floors. Even some of the Lightstones had been crushed into pieces, the entire room in shambles. "This place is a mess," Rovaius growled, walking up to the wall and brushing his hand against it. "They really didn't want anyone to see what they were working on." "I don't think Pridak had anything to do with this," Trylac replied before pointing to the far corner. "I believe those are the remains of the weapon we were sent to retrieve." We cautiously approached the broken weapon, a cannon that required two hands to operate. Someone had torn it to shreds, pulling out entire pieces and ripping them away. Elendra knelt down before the cannon, grabbing some busted Lightstone bits and throwing them into the weapon. The extensive damage had left it beyond repair, but I knew Elendra wouldn't pass up a chance to analyze weapon tech. "Let's see what Pridak was working on," Elendra muttered, digging through the weapon's inner components. As she tinkered around, I glanced back at the walls, trying to make out some of the untouched words. Whoever had done so much damage to the room had been pretty thorough, leaving a few words like "invade," "Toa," and "islands." "Mata Nui," Elendra whispered. I whirled back to her and she glanced up at us. "This can't be right." "What does it do?" Rovaius asked. Elendra paused, almost lost for words. "It's a modified version of the prototype Toa Rifles we picked up on Nynrah about a century back." "Really!?" Stalgrax said, just as surprised. "I thought Pridak concluded the process would never work because the weapon couldn't remain stable after absorbing energy." "It does explain why it was modified into a cannon," Trylac said quietly. "What's a Toa Rifle?" I wondered. "It was an experiment the Barraki were looking into over a hundred years ago. They believed the energy that allowed Matoran to become Toa was possible to absorb and manipulate," Elendra told me. "They did extensive tests, successfully turning a Toa back into a Matoran and then back into a Toa again. While the process was never able to do anything with Turaga other than outright kill them, the Barraki thought the mass production of Toa Rifles would prevent any problems if the Toa ever decided to rebel against the League." "Unfortunately, the rifle usually exploded while absorbing Toa energy or right after completing a drain. It would kill the user and no one wanted to carry a weapon that killed them once activated. The project was shut down, but the research was apparently saved. Whether he could use it on the battlefield or not, Pridak had a way to manipulate destiny. The original absorption process was done in stasis tubes, but with no way to hold an enemy still in a war, the Barraki had no use for it. This cannon seems to suggest someone finished the work done all those years ago, perhaps even perfecting it." "For all we know, that cannon is in its current condition because someone tried to use it," Stalgrax spoke up. "Pridak would be using these already if they worked, don't you think?" "Whatever the case, someone arrived here before we did," I said, somewhat unnerved by my own words. "And since the Barraki are supposed to be meeting on the Northern Continent tomorrow, I'm going to go ahead and say it wasn't them." "Maybe the visitor or visitors left some evidence behind," Stalgrax suggested. "Have you seen this room?" Elendra replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "Even if Stalgrax is wrong, we don't gain anything by standing around," Rovaius said. I returned to staring at the walls, looking for words I could make out. Stalgrax pushed away the ruins of a few tablets and picked something out of the remains. I watched him brush the dust from it and hold it to one of the Lightstones on the wall. "Agent Takadox," Stalgrax began curiously. He continued reading in silence for a few more seconds before lowering the tablet. "You're going to want to hear this." "Is that so?" Rovaius asked with a chuckle. "Surprise us." Stalgrax went back to looking at the letter and continued. "I apologize that I could not reply directly, but this Rahi is a fine messenger in my place. Having made your intentions clear, I am prepared to take the next step. You informed me that Pridak has scheduled his timetable for assembling the League's armies and I will be sending a fleet to have him and the other Barraki arrested before they begin their warpath to Metru Nui. Do not lose the Tablet of Transit you received with our insignia upon it, as the Makuta being deployed to handle this situation has no knowledge of your contribution. I would prefer to keep this matter as private as possible, a fact I'm sure you can appreciate. By the will of Mata Nui, we will put down these would-be usurpers to the Great Spirit's throne and return peace to the universe. Respectfully, Miserix." And Pridak's comment from the morning prior was suddenly too clear. The Barraki wanted the entire universe without Mata Nui above them on the chain of command. Pridak wished to become the new Great Spirit and occupy his throne. I had never considered that Mata Nui could actually exist in one physical place, given that he was described as being the living seas, skies, and earth all around us. Elendra stifled a laugh. "The Great Spirit is in Metru Nui? Since when?" "Miserix is the head of the Brotherhood," Trylac reminded her. "He wouldn't just say something like this. The Matoran are more blessed by Mata Nui than any other biomechs in the universe and Metru Nui is their greatest achievement. Even if the Great Spirit isn't there, I'm willing to bet that his power is accessible somewhere in that city. The Barraki wouldn't go through all this trouble if there wasn't a prize to be won. They could've taken Metru Nui if they really wanted it about seven thousand years ago, instead of signing a trade deal with those worthless little heroes-to-be. If they're really heading to Metru Nui, there's no doubt in my mind the Barraki will find the Great Spirit's throne there." "We need to warn Pridak then," I said at once. "He wanted his armies assembled on the Northern Continent in the morning. We'll never make it in time," Rovaius replied. "If we can't remove the Brotherhood's element of surprise, we can at least fight for the League. We could be on the verge of a very lengthy war," Trylac added. Stalgrax nodded. "You have a point. The League has the numbers, but the Brotherhood probably has some nasty Rahi locked up on Destral." "What about all this Great Spirit business?" Elendra asked. "I mean, there's no guarantee that Pridak can even replace Mata Nui. It sounds like more of a theory than anything else." "I'm not concerned about that," Rovaius said flatly. "We're going to the Northern Continent and we're going to speak with Pridak. Hold on to that tablet, Stalgrax. I want to see Takadox executed for his deception." "You have fun with that then," Elendra muttered. "I'm out." Rovaius turned and stared in disbelief at her for a moment. "You're really going to fight us on this? Killing and stealing are fine, but you can't defend our"- "Our what!?" Elendra interrupted. "He's not our friend, Rovaius. He's not one of us! Pridak is a Barraki - someone who lets others build his weapons, make his money, and do his fighting. He didn't work for what he has, it was given to him by Mata Nui! Pridak is the second-in-command of the universe right now and you need to ask yourself something." "Go ahead, tell me," Rovaius spat, folding his arms. "Do you really want a universe controlled by the Great Spirit Pridak?" We all stared at Elendra, taking in what she said for a moment. Mata Nui was a benevolent entity, providing us with the warmth of day and allowing us to roam his universe. Pridak's universe would be nightmarish by comparison, because I had a vague idea of how his mind worked. If that were to become the very universe, there would no longer be a need for The League of Six Kingdoms. Pridak would annihilate resistance without hesitation and every land would obey his commands or die in defiance. Despite the bleakness of that future, I had to be clear with her. "You said it yourself that there's no guarantee Pridak can really replace Mata Nui, but it isn't right to turn our backs on him like this. The League will surely defeat the Brotherhood's army. Then what? The other warlords may not know who we are, but if Pridak wanted to, he could have all of their forces actively hunting us. The Great Spirit can see all we do, that's all I ever here. Pridak will find out that we knew about the Brotherhood attack and chose not to warn him. I don't know about you, but Pridak as the Great Spirit sounds a lot better than living in fear!" Elendra cursed under her breath. "We're taking a serious risk either way then. If we save him, he'll become the Great Spirit and we'll be constantly watched by him. If we don't save him, he'll have us running for the rest of our lives. There's also a chance that the Brotherhood will actually manage to overpower the League, but that's a slim chance." "So what're we going to do about this?" I questioned. "The League is summoning their armies and they're walking right into a trap." Elendra flashed us a silver coin, flipping it through the air at me. I caught it and looked it over. There was a Kanohi Calix on one side and the number fifty on the other. I looked back up at Elendra and caught her smirk. "Flip it," Elendra commanded. "If it lands on the Calix, I'll help you save Pridak. If not, consider it my resignation." <Concluded in next post due to length>

@MC - Thank you, really. I must admit, I have a certain attachment to the line you quoted from Rovaius. While I can certainly see traces of myself in each member of the gang, Rovaius has more of me than Adrinor and that belief in using time well is one we share.And you pointed out the disconnect between chapters, which is also worth talking about for a moment. The word "episode" seemed the best fit for what I wanted to present the audience with, like keeping up with a miniseries. At the same time, the overarching story of the whole epic was important to me as well. Even with Adrinor at the helm, this is not his story alone. It's everyone's story because by the end, they'll have all been affected by one another in some way. And I can assure you that comment will make more sense when Cenotaphs concludes.In regard to how constant the gang remains after five years, you picked up on my reasoning there pretty well. These aren't humans, so the idea that they change over a few years was thrown out the window for me. I can think of several canon characters that remain relatively unchanged after thousands of years, much more stagnant that humans. I mentally split Cenotaphs into three acts though. The first five episodes are an introduction to the MU I'm exploring, while the second five episodes are much more focused on an exploration of the gang and Adrinor feeling more comfortable in their world. The final five episodes will be a blend of further exploring the gang, looking outward at the MU, and the importance of consequence. I think you're going to like it.Episode 10 will be "coming soon." That's honestly the most I can say right now because I still have some minor details to fill in with that episode. The rest are written and edited, so 10 is the only thing holding up episode releases right now. It will make for a smooth transition into the third act, and hopefully it won't take me another two weeks to finish writing, clean up nice and neat, and get posted.-Ced

Cederak remains my favorite, though I spent last month dedicating my username to my old epic character Valixia. Before that was Toa Cederak, but after doing a little epic retcon work, the Toa portion was no longer necessary. Not that many of you probably recall when the switch occurred. -Ced

For set purposes, I would take Umbra. The world is a crazy place and you never know what sort of enemies you'll make who might have an epileptic reaction to his blade lights before they try to harm you.For personal reasons, I would take Toa Lhikan because he's a cool looking set and the guy was a war hero.-Ced

I ran through Bionicle Heroes once on the Gamecube and a second time years later on the XBox 360, short of only two achievements. Not a great game, but I've played far worse.-Ced

I didn't bother to immerse myself in Hero Factory much. I stopped buying Lego sets (Bionicle included) in 2008 and Hero Factory didn't change that for me. As a story, it didn't catch my attention with the same sort of spark Bionicle introduced. So the short answer is no, I don't like Hero Factory.-Ced

I am pleased to announce the newest member of our team: Nick Silverpen. Make him feel welcome here at the ECC, he'll be a fine addition to the ranks. -Ced

Constructive criticism is what we do best, Alterego. I'll be assigning GSR to your request. Thank you for choosing the ECC. -Ced

Of course! I'll have Zarayna handle your request. Thank you for choosing the ECC! -Ced

...You waited five minutes after posting that to bring it to us? Well, okay - call in the specialists early I suppose. Zaxvo will be handling the assignment. Thanks for (making no delay in) choosing the SSCC! -Ced

Good for you - presented a challenge and willing to take it head on. Regarding the pictures, they appear rather crudely drawn. Though if I asked myself if I could do better, I'd have to say no. I'm okay with that answer because I'm not a comic writer or anything, just an epic writer. Illustrations are quite unnecessary here. Short answer though, I don't care much for the pictures.-Ced

I think it's fair to say you've caught the attention of several writers with this epic. Your story was brought to my attention, placed on my radar, if you will. I read this all over a few times. If the Comedies rule of a 300 word count were in effect over here, you'd be in hot water right now. It's not, however, and this epic has made me realize it's value to our community and what a benefit it would serve. Anyway, like I said, I read your story. I analyzed your plot. Before I can even begin to discuss it though, there are other issues to attend to. Namely the grammatical ones.I was taught in first grade that only the first word in a sentence is capitalized. I couldn't access the internet without assistance (not that the internet was terribly important in the late '90s when compared to today), let alone log in to a website like this, but I was very much aware of that rule. I'm sure someone taught you the same, which begs the question of why you blatantly ignored it time and again throughout your epic. Let's take your intro as an example. An introduction usually sets the tone for an epic, telling me the writer's skill and how common spelling and grammar issues will be if I choose to read on. In these first sentences, I will congratulate you on only having a single misspelling (descended). Instead, it has been…ravaged, by grammar issues. So I took the liberty of repairing it for you. Seeing the difference? I added commas where periods or ellipses were unnecessary, for starters. In addition, capitalization was reserved for proper nouns only. The rest of the changes were minor. Changing your "there" to "their," changing 6 to six (because numbers under 100 should be written out), and removed the word "known" to cut out redundancy. Referring to them as "the six Toa" already suggests they are alone. Those same errors continue to plague the rest of your story at an alarming rate, but there's more. Let's talk dialogue for a moment. There's a couple examples of not capitalizing the start of your sentences, an ironic opposite to the aforementioned issue. If you're not already using some sort of writing program (MS Word for example) to write your work in, I would highly recommend it, because that would catch a lot of problems for you. I won't even ask about the addition of foil in your imagining of the Bionicle universe, it's your story after all. Really felt out of place though. I wanted to shine some light on the inconsistent verb tense (handed rather than hands) and ending a sentence properly. There were actually a few ways you could've done this. I'll show you two more. The verb tense issue is also very prevalent in your work. Next subject…all caps in a word. I get it, you're trying to place importance on how amazing it is to be chosen directly by Mata Nui. Placing the word in all capitalization wound up producing the opposite effect for me. As a good rule of thumb, any time you want to put all caps in a word, think about whether or not it's an acronym. If it isn't, don't do it. Easy enough, yeah? Ah, a chance to discuss redundancy now. I mentioned it at the start, but this is a better example to work with. Loganto is frozen, frozen in shock. Still, you put into two sentences what one would've achieved just fine - as shown below. And then there was this. I'm sorry, but that made me laugh. First thing that comes to mind from protobar is a single-word variant of the bar beneath every BZPer's username. The second thing that comes to mind is some kind of energy bar that you'd take on a hiking trip, though that doesn't mesh with the Bionicle world too well because it feels all too human. Perhaps if you'd described it in detail, that connection would've been destroyed in my mind. You're writing an epic, give me details! I'll touch more on that later. Kill the periods, don't replace them with commas. Grammatically, there's a lot wrong with that passage. It mainly suffers from "and then" syndrome. Which is when an action occurs, and then another occurs, and then another occurs, and then they keep getting introduced that same way, and then the reader feels bored. Definitely touch that up. That was a lot of fragments. I'm sure you can put them together into legitimate sentences. Explaining what Protosalt is would be nice. Considering it isn't canon and just seems...strange. And you misspelled "toward."I skipped a lot of other errors throughout your story, deciding to focus on the bigger picture. I read your story three times because there were so many grammar and spelling errors, I honestly couldn't remember what the plot was. Writing is like most things out there in that there are rules. When you break the rules, there are consequences. I think we both know the consequence of broken rules here. Not to mention the rate at which you're cranking out chapters. Last time I checked, the formula for greatness didn't come in bulk. Pace yourself, emphasize detail, build some characterization. Your whole narrative felt like a black and white mess of issues and some flimsy characters with no dimensionality to who they were or what they wanted. They were hollow, as was the plot. No, that's not right. The idea of what you're doing is decent, but it's all about execution, and yours was lacking. That said, I went out of my way to highlight the major faults and flaws of your work, an expansive guideline for your improvement.This isn't even a story I can say I dislike, because I didn't find enough substance to really feel like I was reading a story. This epic needs a lot of work, in my opinion, and I want to stress that. The fact that I could read longer Comedies than these chapters, these daily-released, mediocre pieces that any English teacher would have a red pen party with…well, it's disheartening. It is my hope—if however forlorn it may be—that you pay close attention to this review and improve in your work. No plot can survive in the conditions you've presented, but I'm worried they are a permanent staple of this epic. Please prove me wrong. I dare you to exceed my expectations, make me eat my words, and make me look foolish for having ever doubted you. Good luck, Loganto.-Ced

@Ballom: Wow, I can't believe you're the first person (myself included) to notice the Garai/Sanok slip-up. Thanks for pointing it out though, I felt a little silly that it took this long. Thanks for reading!

Sometime in October? Well, good to hear. I'll have Yukiko take care of this request. Thanks for choosing the SSCC.

"Our wrongs remain unrectified, and our souls won't be exhumed." -Muse Episode 09: The Last Frontier The next couple hours were tense. After briefly dividing up the money Rovaius received for the job from Voporak, there wasn't much else to do. We opted to stay on the deck, standing near a corner below the bridge. Stalgrax leaned back against the railing, staring at each Steltian that dared to make eye contact with him. Trylac and Rovaius stood on his left and right respectively, while Elendra and I sat atop a small crate. We had been waiting for the captain's revenge ever since we left port in Stelt and I casually passed a laser shell back and forth between my fingers in anticipation. I have never possessed Trylac's brand of patience, so it felt like a slow two hours of torture before the captain descended the stairs from the bridge. He refused to meet our gaze, marching intentionally to the other side of the deck. A number of Steltian sailors joined him there and he pulled a laser carbine rifle from his back. Unlike my weapon, the carbine was a smaller variant designed for closer combat. It also didn't require shells to fire, but utilized a rechargeable battery to draw power from. The battery could then draw in enough ambient energy to fire once every minute or so. The downside was that the shots wouldn't be as potent as my own. I knew the weapon so well because I was interested in purchasing one about a year after I first joined the gang. Once I learned about its drawbacks though, I decided it would be best to stick with what I had. We all stood up, waiting for the Steltian captain to say something. The silence was broken from my side instead. "Can we help you?" Elendra hissed, drawing her pistols. The rest of us immediately pulled our own weapons, taking aim at the Steltians. The sailors reacted as quickly as they could, drawing their own swords and blasters on us. Stalgrax chuckled. "Looks like we've got a standoff on our hands." The captain gave us a wicked smirk. "Not for long. It's a shame I'll have to tell Voporak that you never made it to Crezera, that an unexpected storm tossed you from the deck." Rovaius and Stalgrax slowly backed away toward the stairs, inching their way higher. "I'm sure we can settle this in a reasonable manner, right?" Rovaius asked. The captain laughed. "Reasonable left the ship when you opened that big mouth of yours." "Everybody move!" Stalgrax shouted, bolting up the steps. We all rushed in his direction and I lunged for the bridge when I heard, "Fire!" yelled from behind me. A shower of lasers struck the bridge's outer wall, shattering the windows in the process. I had already snapped my laser shell into place when we drew on the Steltians and I clicked my new bolt handle into place. While my weapon charged, I glanced to my side and watched Trylac and Elendra get off a few shots. She emptied her first clip in no time, performing one of her incredibly swift reloads and getting back to work. Trylac was more meticulous, peeking out from different windows and firing at a different angle every time. "I've had enough," Rovaius said, rolling out of the safety of the bridge and leaping from the steps. His body was surrounded by an aura of shadow and when he swung his gunblade, a wave of darkness swept over the deck. The force of the energy struck the sailors hard enough to bowl them over and it left Rovaius with an opening. Just as the captain was about to stand up, Rovaius pulled his gunblade's trigger twice. Both shots entered the Steltian's forehead, but I'm certain the first one was his killer. Rovaius intensified his dark aura, jamming his gunblade into the floor. "I am in charge now, you spineless excuses for sailors, and we are going to Crezera." It was settled so easily. Rovaius returned to the deck with us for another quiet half hour or so until the ship made land on eastern Crezera. The sailors opted to remain below deck for the remainder of the trip. We disembarked the Dalliance with a leap and Trylac refused to turn his back to it, supposing the sailors might take a cheap shot at us. I think we were all expecting it, but just as we reached the divide between beach sand and dusty grass, the Dalliance sped away. The craft bolted through the waves, stranding us on Crezera. I thought about the situation rationally though and considered a couple things. The Gekalan were in contact with Stelt and Stelt was a port. The Gekalan had to possess some form of sea transport. As for Crezera, it was stunning. There were notable disparities in technology across the islands of the League and an island's advancements were measured by a Barraki's value of it. Crezera was Ehlek's territory and he was smart enough to see the worth in some rare minerals. In order to deter the other warlords from siphoning resources from the island though, Ehlek was very secretive about his interest in Crezera. He thought he could fool the rest of the Barraki into thinking it was a worthless rock. In that respect, he wasn't so smart. Pridak knew what existed on Crezera, but the island was too distant for his concern, explaining why we had never visited it before. Crezera was a realm of extensive plains surrounding a foreboding mountain range at its center, all bathed in the light and heat of a desert. We marched across the empty plains, making our way to a small town in the distance. It was a bustling little place, the perfect kind of place to make some money with a few choice words and a loaded weapon. That wasn't our agenda, however. There was more important business to handle. "Hey, train rails," Stalgrax said, pointing to a length of track not far ahead. I visually followed the tracks in each direction and both sides were built as far as my eyes could see and further. The tall mountain range taking up the island's center stood in the way of confirming my theory, but I assumed the tracks wrapped completely around the island. "Which means trains," I replied. "Seems a little primitive though, don't you think?" Elendra smirked. "Says the Meldin we picked up on a ranch out in the middle of nowhere." I opened my mouth to reply, but sighed and smiled instead. Outside the town, I could see several Gekalan working on a Mahi ranch, tending to the creatures as I once did. As they labored under the hot sun, I wondered if they had their own dreams like mine. I wondered if they ever thought about leaving their lives behind for a chance to see what mysteries lay far beyond the borders of Crezera. "Rovaius, do you think"- "Stop right there," Rovaius cut me off. He knew exactly where I was headed. "It's not happening." "Don't you think they feel trapped here?" I asked urgently. "Maybe, but someone else can liberate them," Rovaius said flatly. "We made an agreement after Jelveci, Adrinor. End of discussion." "Fair enough," I conceded. I should've known Rovaius wasn't prepared to revisit the possibility of another, similar loss. In his defense, I don't think the rest of us were either. A biomech riding a swift, crystalline Rahi came our way from out of nowhere, glaring as he approached. His beast galloped majestically, its crystal mane glimmering as it flowed in the wind. The Rahi was an Icodron, crafted by the brilliant (and twisted) minds of the Makuta within Destral. The Icodron's rider brought the creature to a halt right before us and he scowled. "You're not from around here, are you?" "Not by a long shot," Rovaius said. "We're looking for a Gekalan named Diroux." He dismounted the Rahi and looked us over. Like the biomechs on the ranch, he was reptilian in form - a thick-armored biomech of silver and teal. With a tail that ended in a sharp blade, clawed fingers, a snout, and a pair of spikes protruding from behind his head on each side, he was an alien sight. His forest green eyes blinked rapidly a few times before he smiled. "Well, excuse my poor manners. I'd been waiting for Voporak's soldiers to show up. I had been expecting more of you though. The name's Diroux, Elite Ranger at your service." His voice carried a politeness to it, but strong enough to lead others. "I'm Rovaius, nice to meet you," Rovaius replied, shaking hands with the Gekalan. Diroux went down the line and extended his hand to each of us and we shook in turn. That was, until he reached Elendra, whose hand he lifted and gently pressed his forehead to. Elendra was fuming, pulling for one of her revolvers. "Special treatment is not"- "What've you got there?" Diroux said, forcibly pulling the weapon from her grasp in one swift move. He examined the revolver, quickly spinning it a few times. "It has a nice weight to it. You let it go rather easily though." Elendra smirked. "That's why I have two," she said, drawing the second revolver on him. Diroux laughed. "A wise decision," he said, tossing the revolver back to Elendra. She caught it and put both weapons away with her typical celerity. "Why don't the five of you follow me into town? We can discuss the situation in my office." Diroux leapt back onto his Rahi mount and headed for the town, leaving us to follow on foot. This was hardly our first visit to a foreign land, so the mistrusting stares and hushed whispers of the Gekalan in the streets weren't a surprise by any means. We finally approached a decent-sized building in the middle of town where Diroux had tied up his Icodron to a post and stepped inside. "Not bad," Stalgrax said, looking around. We were definitely standing in the main lobby of the town hall. A Gekalan at the front desk grinned at us, flashing her razor-sharp teeth. "Ranger Diroux's office is just around the left corner," she said, pointing to the side. Rovaius gave her a short nod as we passed. "Thank you." Diroux was hanging up a rifle on the wall when we entered his office, turning to us immediately. "Please, please, sit down," he offered. "Make yourselves comfortable." Rovaius laughed, bounding over the desk and landing in Diroux's seat. "If you insist." I sat down on a long couch with Trylac and Stalgrax while Elendra leaned next to the doorway, lifting her leg up and pressing the back of her foot to the wall. Rovaius spun Diroux's chair all the way around a couple times, thoroughly enjoying himself. I don't know how I missed it when I first walked in, but there was a lengthy painting of Diroux and several other Gekalan on the far wall. They were standing out in the empty fields, grinning as they stood over the corpse of a Rahi. A plaque beneath the painting reading "The last Fader Bull" left me a bit confused, however. "What does that plaque up there mean?" I asked the Gekalan. Diroux had finally gotten the rifle into a proper adjustment on the wall and whirled around to examine his painting. He turned to me and smiled. "An old friend of mine painted that scene a couple centuries back. A bunch of us were out on the other side of the island and he shot the last Fader Bull on Crezera that day." Diroux said, chuckling. "The natives didn't like that much." Rovaius abruptly sat up in the chair. "The…natives?" Diroux marched behind the desk, lightly sliding the chair aside before fumbling through his desk for a small tool. Rovaius let the momentum carry him, patiently waiting for Diroux to explain. I think the gunfight on the Dalliance put him in a good mood. The Gekalan walked up to Elendra, using the tool to detach a larger painting from the wall and propping it in front of the desk so we could all see it. It was an old image of biomechs living on what appeared to be the same island, only different. There was grass…green grass, and the mountains were right in the island's center. The biomechs in his painting were nowhere to be seen outside though. "A very long time ago, the Artakha Island Chain was made up of five primary islands - among several smaller ones. My species, the Gekalan, lived in the central island just south of Crezera. One day, well before there was a League, one of the males in my village awoke with interesting news. He had spoken to Mata Nui in a dream." "And you believed him?" Trylac asked, almost laughing. "Yes," Diroux snapped, sounding offended. "He said that the Great Spirit told him it was the destiny of the Gekalan to settle the land to the north. Mata Nui wished for us to prosper there and to be free from the tyranny of our rulers. We hadn't considered that someone was already occupying the land." "The natives," I said. Diroux smiled. "Precisely. My kindred and I tried to make a deal with the native Crezerans to own the island together, but they wouldn't have it. In their tribal foolishness, they believed only Mata Nui could lay claim to the land. It was around that time we discovered a number of minerals around the mountains as well as the raw materials now used in Artakha's protosteel process. Gekalan rushed to Crezera to quickly strike it rich and slowly but surely, we gained the upper hand against the Crezerans. The rangers, myself included, started by placing the Crezerans in designated zones. They kept trying to harm civilians in an effort to reclaim Crezera, so we did the only thing we could." I nearly shuddered. "You…you wiped them out?" "In an ideal world, perhaps," Diroux replied, rolling his eyes. "No, we burned their villages to the ground and forcibly drove them up into the mountains. Unlike much of the universe, Crezera experiences seasons. It was a harsh snowstorm that hit right around the start of the trip. The rangers and soldiers were well-protected, but the Crezerans suffered for their crimes. A number of their species died along the way, succumbing to the bitter cold. After we drove them into isolation on the mountains, some came back down. They would die in battle or retreat, but none ever came close to this town. After a while, the mining and mineral work became manageable. There wasn't a terribly large amount to be made in it anymore, so my kind turned to ranching Mahi. Eventually, we even constructed a railroad that wraps all the way around Crezera, making transport much faster." I was right about the railroad at least. "You were making a point about the first painting though, right?" "Yeah, I was just coming back to that," Diroux told me. "The last Fader Bull, those swift and rare Rahi of so few lands, was killed on a sunny day by a dear friend. The Crezerans were furious when they found out, but that's life, right? It was the will of Mata Nui that we come here to enjoy our own little piece of beauty in the world. It's a place where every sunset is more stunning than the last and the water always splashes a sweet scent across the land. This is paradise…this is our paradise." Elendra snickered. "Well that's a cute story. So tell me, why does paradise need a few guns for hire to come out from Stelt?" "Given that the Crezerans had a long, rich history here, they haven't relented in their attempts to take the island back. It is impossible now, especially since we combined our industrial dreams with Barraki Ehlek's resources. And yet, they continue to make their presence known on the plains, by damaging our property or bringing harm to other Gekalan. This is disheartening, to see them so openly defy Mata Nui. You were requested here to help me drive the native warriors back into the mountains." "Do we get to ride one of those shiny Rahi you have outside?" Stalgrax wondered. "I don't see why not. Like the Crezerans before us, we managed to tame the Icodron and use them as mounts in battle," Diroux explained. "Let's head out to my stable. I'm sure the other rangers have arrived by now." Diroux led us out to a large stable behind town hall and we quietly stepped inside. A few other Gekalan were busy tending to the Icodron in the stalls. A half dozen more Gekalan were leaning against the far wall, each carrying a rifle or shotgun of some sort. Their armor appeared more durable than those of the Gekalan handling the stable Rahi, but it had to be if they were out gunning against other biomechs. "Those individuals over there are some of the finest rangers I have ever had the privilege of working with," Diroux said, grinning. "I brought them here from across the island to help us today. They are experienced gunfighters and have fended off the Crezerans before." "What kind of weapons do the Crezerans possess?" Stalgrax asked. Diroux frowned. "In the early history between Crezerans and Gekalan, we traded our blasters with them for other items. They have since modified the weapons to make them even more powerful." One of the rangers chuckled. "Tell them about the crossbows!" Diroux looked at me and I smirked back. "We've had to dodge bolts before; this won't be a problem." We rode out of town alongside Diroux and his rangers, letting the veterans take point. They were leading us closer to the vast mountain range, an island of imprisonment from which the Crezerans were forced to watch the Gekalan desecrate their former home below. I remembered the painting, the lush grass and flowers. Crezera was now hellish by comparison. My Icodron dashed across the plains, showing no sign of exhaustion. It was a marvelous creature and perhaps one of my favorite achievements of the Brotherhood. I could see riders in the distance, the sunlight glistening off their mounts as they rode toward us. I steadied myself and loaded a shell into my rifle before staring into the scope. I paused before pulling the trigger, studying the approaching biomechs. They were just as the painting depicted - bipedal biomechs with golden-armored forms, two pairs of arms, and blue, insectoid eyes. "Here they come!" Diroux shouted. His voice didn't sound right. Even the clan leaders on Stelt had a respect in their tone for the coming destruction when a battle lay ahead. Diroux sounded overconfident and almost pleased that we'd be killing off the Crezerans. This was a species that had done nothing wrong, but because a single Gekalan believed Mata Nui had spoken to him in a dream, they were being corralled up into the mountains as prisoners of their own land. In another time, I would've shot Diroux through the head without a second thought. In direct contrast to that, I lined up my sights on one of the Crezerans and fired. The laser burst struck him in the chest, causing the biomech to fall from his Icodron and go flipping through the dirt. In the process, I could see the Crezeran also possessed several long, thin tails that ended in stingers. "Great shot!" one of the rangers said, pumping his energy shotgun. The sound of multiple weapons being fired echoed through my audio receptors and I squinted out at the Crezerans before reloading. After a second, I could see a number of tiny, red objects headed in my direction. I forced my Icodron to strafe right, evading the attack. Rather, I evaded most of it. I felt something strike my shoulder, almost like I'd been hit by a pellet. I glanced down and found a small metallic disk attached to my shoulder armor. A bright red light was blinking on the device, steadily getting faster. I ripped the object from my shoulder and hurled it away from myself. The device exploded in midair, creating a blast much larger than I expected an object of that size could create. That's a new one. I thought, reloading my rifle and shouting to Diroux, "How did they get weapons to fire timed explosives?" "They're awfully crafty!" Diroux replied, rushing his Icodron ahead of us. More of the Crezerans were on their way, shooting in our direction with an array of weapons. I wondered if Diroux felt foolish as he rode toward them, foolish for taking their land, foolish for handing over advanced weaponry to their kind. I stopped contemplating that for a moment when I noticed one of the Crezerans had a crossbow trained on my chest. I effortlessly shot him off his Icodron and kept going, nodding a bit as Elendra shot a Crezeran through the side of his head. The rangers seemed more preoccupied with taking shots that would do minimal damage, physical reminders that the Crezerans should not be on the plains. The gang's methodology was to perform shots that would ensure our prey wouldn't need to be reminded. I believe that in prior conflicts, where the rangers desperately sent the warriors back into the mountains with few causalities, the Crezerans thought they could exploit the enemy's hint of goodwill. They hadn't anticipated the Gekalan would hire a team accustomed to being less considerate and shooting for a kill shot at every opportunity. You don't fully appreciate the value of aiming for the absolute weakest point on an enemy until you've had to gun down Zyglak. Much like Toa in that they won't stay down until they're dead, Zyglak want you to die about as much as you want them to. Of course, once you've watched someone like Trylac pin a Zyglak that barely scratched him and force the creature to pull its own eyes out, you lose some of the respect you had for the vicious things. I suppose we can't all be as fortunate as Dectraz to possess a natural immunity to the Zyglak's lethal disease. The remaining five Crezerans dropped their weapons and dismounted their Icodron. They were not fighters to the end and knew defeat when it was staring them in the face. As they bitterly knelt before us, Diroux leapt from his mount and cautiously approached the Crezerans, followed close behind by Elendra. The rest of us remained on our Icodron, waiting for Diroux to address the warriors. "You were sensible enough to realize this was an impossible fight," Elendra said, walking near the Crezerans. "Cowards." I stared at the Crezeran kneeling on the far left and he stared back at me. "Can you not see what we have lost so unjustly to the Gekalan? Why do you fight for them?" "Quiet," Diroux barked before turning to us. "These warriors will be spared for their decision," He looked at Rovaius. "I believe this victory will prevent any further mishaps in the near future." I was about to nod when I glanced at Elendra. In the blink of an eye, I watched her draw her right revolver and open fire. Five shots. A bullet passed through each Crezeran's head and, almost simultaneously, their bodies dropped to the ground. By the time Diroux looked back at her, Elendra had already withdrawn her weapon. Diroux pointed his rifle at her, probably glaring as he did. "They surrendered." "If you reward cowardice, you invite trouble," Elendra said. "I did you a favor, so you better put that rifle away." "You're a monster," Diroux replied, lowering his weapon. "Nothing but a thief and a killer." For a species that had forced the island's natives into a mountain range, there was some irony in his comment. "And how did your kind gain dominance here? By stealing land and killing Crezerans, yes?" Elendra said with a grin, as if she were reading my mind. "I'm not paid to be concerned with your opinion." She looked at the rest of us, slightly tilting her head. We weren't going to defend her, if that's what she thought. I had visited Trelbin with the gang before. Elendra's species was not a naturally violent one, but she was by far one of the most volatile biomechs I'd ever met. She would've made a decent Barraki. "While you may not agree with our methods," Trylac spoke up, "we will need transport off the island today." "I can't really help you there," Diroux said. "You work with Ehlek and you haven't perfected sea travel yet?" Stalgrax questioned. "We never would've left our old home to the south if we didn't perfect sea travel," Diroux reminded him. "We disassembled our ships after a while though…at least once we planned to stay here. Why would you build a way to leave paradise?" "So we're trapped here?" I asked, trying not to seem as anxious as I was. Diroux lowered his head, thinking to himself. He suddenly glanced back up with a smile. "You can ride the aerial tramway." The Gekalan excitedly pointed towards the northern edge of the mountains. "We do a great deal of mining out that way. Once Ehlek wanted in on some of the materials, he decided it would be best to have them shipped to Artakha where fine tools and weapons could be made by the greatest crafter in existence. As such, the Matoran workers from the island managed to construct an aerial tramway that connects from the southern realm of Artakha to the northern mountains on Crezera." "How did we miss that?" Stalgrax said to himself as we all stared out at where Diroux pointed. There was indeed a number of cables that seemed to run all the way out to Artakha and we'd been too preoccupied the whole time to notice. Diroux chuckled. "If you want to head out that way and tell the mining team that Ranger Diroux is allowing you to use the transit, I'm sure they'll let you on. After that, you should be able to take an airship off to wherever you're headed. Artakha is a very understanding biomech." "You've met Artakha?" Rovaius smirked. Diroux nodded. "A few times, yes. It was a long time ago, back when we still lacked a strong amount of control over Crezera. I started my life here as a miner myself, but when Ehlek planned to negotiate Artakha's services, I was one of the chief miners brought along. He's a powerful entity and inventive too. Barraki Ehlek says it has something to do with his Kanohi - the Mask of Creation. Wondrous thing to see, almost like it was meant for another world. Artakha says it's a reflection of our world and our separate cultures. He has an aura to him as well - an unspoken benevolence hidden beneath an exterior of gray and green." "Why are you telling us this?" I asked. "Because Artakha does not leave his fortress for trivial matters and you will probably not meet him. I am telling you this because he is a majestic and fair ruler in a world of vicious and merciless Barraki. Gazing into his eyes almost seems to spark creativity in others, though, that is only a myth." Diroux seemed lost as he spoke for a second. "You should be going now. The tramway does not operate after sundown." "Then we'd better head out. We'll leave the Icodron with the miners," Rovaius said. "Thank you for inviting us to share in your paradise, Diroux." "And thank you for defending it for my kind a bit longer," Diroux replied earnestly. "You're a good biomech, Rovaius, and you have an efficient team." "Well," Rovaius sighed, turning his Icodron toward the north, "you're half right." He lightly kicked the Rahi's side a couple times and the beast took off. I did the same to my Icodron and the mount galloped swiftly across the mountain. We had a tram to catch. Review

@fishers: Yeah, I can understand that. There is a degree of disconnect for the gang and the world around them, making them relatively unaffected by their environment. They can roll with the punches through the best and worst, a result of being in the same line of work for thousands of years. That has allowed them to develop a "nothing really surprises me anymore" sort of take on their career and their approach to it. Adrinor becomes the variable that really changes their lives. Without spoiling too much, I can say Jelveci's death will continue to haunt the gang into the third act of the story.In regard to the canon characters, I'll admit I did a lot of BS01 work to try and make Cenotaphs fit into the canon universe as much as possible. My epics are typically huge deviations from canon, but I really wanted to see what I could do working within the boundaries of the storyline. I don't think I could ever do a story from the perspective of characters like Vakama or Tahu, but Cenotaphs was designed to be an exploration of a time we don't know a lot about. That's not to say I haven't worked to make the gang feel multi-dimensional, as the final third of the epic will attest to.

Thank you for the very detailed review, Velox. After going over everything you had to say, waiting for you to get away from Rowling and Martin is entirely understandable I will say that you brought up an interesting point about why Mirzova was chosen over any other Matoran. I had to consider an answer for myself after reading that question, and I think this is the best I have for you. It's possible that during its escape from the Archives, the creature fled into Metru Nui and simply chose Mirzova's home as a place to hide from the Vahki. In the process, however, it also found a potential meal, but due to the aforementioned fear of Vahki and being returned to Onu-Metru, it restrained itself until the machine was dealt with. It's a decent theory, and again, the best I've got for ya.Once more, a fantastic critique. Thank you very much.

Well...since you said please, I'll go ahead and assign this to Tolkien. Thanks for choosing the SSCC!

First ten chapters? Yeah, we can do that, no problem. TNTOS will be taking care of it. Thanks for choosing the ECC.

Hello, Renegade Emperor, here is your official SSCC review. I read your story a few times and I definitely felt this fell short. One of my chief concerns was rooted in a question I kept asking myself. Would this story be just as appropriate in CoT? Once I searched for any trace of Bionicle influence (or a trace of any sort of Lego fiction as the Library welcomes it all), my search ended on an empty-handed note. Even your character name choices could easily be swapped into sci-fi or fantasy or some such genre. That's what this story felt like to me anyway, a dark fantasy piece. Now, does that label take away from your story's plot or message? I don't think so, however, that's not to say it wasn't lacking in some respects.In terms of spelling, your work was golden. Nice job there. Also, I only found a single grammar error. with those spiders.You described this as an experimental piece. I love experiments…a chance to test and try something new, to dabble with the unknown. And there are few experiments safer than taking your writing in a new direction. If it works, it works. If not, you still have the familiar to work with. Not that a failed experiment should deter you from branching out in the future. I would hope for quite the opposite really, to take a shortcoming as a challenge to be overcome and eventually conquered. Now because this is a critique and not a dialogue, I cannot imagine whether you think your experiment was a success or not. Though I would suppose you found some degree of success to this piece, otherwise, why post it? As a critic, I would say this experiment backfired. More than that perhaps, I just didn't like it.If I ended my review on that note, I could understand you sending a complaint off to Velox. A complaint that would be entirely warranted. It's so easy to tell someone their work is great, or that it works, or that it had everything the critic was hoping for. But when a critic takes a negative stance, well, an explanation is in order. So I'll give you the best I've got."Letter from a prey" felt to me a lot like a ring without a finger to wear it. There's a noticeable void right in the heart of the story, an emptiness that needs filling, completing, if you will. The ring itself is solid and strong, it represents the general idea of your plot. A team of characters lost in a sewer system and strategically hunted down by a horde of spiders. Finally, outnumbered and outmatched, the writer of the story chooses not to give his attackers the satisfaction (I seem to have made your spiders even more sinister by suggesting they take some sadistic pleasure in bringing pain to their food) and puts an end to things in very direct terms. So what is it that's missing? What is the ring finger of our metaphor? Unfortunately, it's precisely the element you intended to draw back on, and one that became a drawback to the overall piece. Namely, characterization.There's nothing very interesting about your characters, because they weren't given much to work with. Kadr is flat, hopeless at the end of the journey to the point of suicide. Without knowing more about him, I can't say that conclusion affects me much. Quite frankly, I don't care. I don't care because there's nothing that makes Kadr feel like more than a name. The same can be said of Sh'leh and Tirqas. The story skips the characterization of a good thriller/horror tale that makes the entire ordeal more personal on a dark level. Suicide is such a heavy decision to make, and yet Kadr chooses it with a one-dimensional ease. It resonates with the audience when they really know the character you're killing. That didn't happen here, but for the sake of experiment, I can understand why. Not that attempting a new style excuses poor storytelling, I will only say that I understand.I'm not done exploring our missing ring finger yet. I can't in good conscience overlook the unexciting delivery of your scenery and the description of what is occurring throughout the story. Everything feels washed of its color in your piece, dismally black and white, devoid of any emotion. I think it's worth arguing with myself to say that "dismally black and white" is a fine way to color a horror story if done properly, but let's not ignore that last bit - "devoid of any emotion." You can fill your written world with as many vague proper nouns as you like, but without giving description of the here and now, without pouring color and life into otherwise one-dimensional characters, it ultimately comes off as a puzzle that shipped with only some of the pieces. And that's because all the components are working toward running the gestalt of a fully-realized short story. If your detail looks bad, it makes the whole product look bad. Simple as that.Given the specificity of the Library's intended work, I should also remind you that future pieces should hold some sort of connection to a Bionicle-esque world or a Lego fiction one if you plan to post them here. With more information about the characters, I may have been able to assume they were biomechanical. Instead, I could only conjure mental images of faceless, gray entities (humans really) that seemed to serve the minute purposes of furthering your plot. At present, this "dark fantasy" would be just as fitting in CoT.I need to emphasize what a fine idea is behind your little experiment, the basic premise being so sound. It has a world of potential and I think you could've given it much more, really expanded upon the setting you constructed here. What's done is done though. I can only hope you'll take my criticism to heart, fully explore future work and construct a finger to wear the ring. Keep at it, Renegade.

I'll be handling your request personally. Thank you for choosing the SSCC. EDIT: Done.

Congratulations to our newest critic and a winner of the ECC Become a Critic Contest, GSR! Having graduated his internship, it is my hope that he'll find a comfortable home here among fellow competent critics.

@bs94: Stelt is the home of a few familiar faces, and it was really fun to bring them into the spotlight. Voporak required going into completely uncharted territory, but I wanted Krekka and Sidorak to be the characters we knew from the books and films, if only a bit younger.Interesting that you bring up the reading aloud part. I recommend that to writers sometimes when I'm doing critiques for one of the critic clubs, mostly because I like to read aloud all of the dialogue in a chapter or story before posting it. Getting a different sense of each character's voice and tone makes them feel more whole to me, not to mention if the dialogue doesn't feel natural enough when spoken aloud, I can go back and modify it.Anyway, thanks for the review!

"This ain't no place for no hero, to call home." -The Heavy Episode 08: Nexus of Depravity "We don't need anything fancy," Stalgrax said. "Stelt isn't far from here anyway. In fact, you can just see the edges of it." I turned in the direction he was facing and scanned the horizon, easily finding the shadowy outline of an island in the distance. "I have an idea," Rovaius said, running to the end of the platform and leaping up to where I had been standing when I found the gang. He scanned the wreckage and looked back at us. "I'll need your assistance, Elendra." We climbed up to join him, catching sight of a massive chunk of the fortress that caught Rovaius' eye. It was part of the silver disk, with nearly a dozen of the escape pods still intact. Elendra chuckled. "Why do you always seriously consider your crazier ideas?" "Because they usually work," Rovaius replied, leaping out over the water. He assaulted the crystal sea with a blast of shadow that sent him hurtling toward the pods and Stalgrax followed suit. Elendra and I moved between the platforms while Trylac flew to meet up with the Nohtalians. Dislodging the escape pods only took us a few minutes, but that was the easy part. Each pod was positioned on a small platform below the disk piece, opened for Elendra to examine. She regularly studied technology when she found a chance and we assumed recalibrating a pod would be simple work. There was no telling when Mantax's soldiers might start coming our way, but none of us wanted to rush Elendra. A gunfight with a few warriors would be less risky than hurrying through the adjustments to such a sophisticated machine. It took the Trelban a little under a half hour to finish the first pod and she managed to modify the next four in another half hour. Crawling back out of the tube, she motioned to the pods. "Your lives are now in the hands of my work," Elendra said with a smirk. "Which is much safer than being in the hands of your emotions," Stalgrax said, cracking a sinister grin. Elendra pulled one of her energy revolvers on the Nohtalian and aimed at his chest, glaring into Stalgrax's eyes. "Take it back." Stalgrax folded his arms. "My point exactly." "I don't give you flak for your sarcastic attitude, Stalgrax," Elendra argued, taking a couple steps toward him. "Don't criticize my unsociable one." "To be fair, I haven't said anything about this in at least a thousand years…to your face anyway." "I suppose you've forgotten how that turned out," Elendra hissed, cocking the revolver's hammer back. Stalgrax charged his palms with shadow energies. "Not at all." "And neither have I," Rovaius said, placing a barrier of shadow between Stalgrax and Elendra. "We have better things to do than deal with your bickering. Adrinor, Trylac, and I are leaving for Stelt. You two can stand around and exhaust yourselves until Mantax's soldiers show up, or you can swallow your pride, shut up, and get in your pods." "This isn't over," Stalgrax said, letting the shadows fade as he crawled into one of the escape pods. "And…Elendra," Rovaius added. "What!?" the Trelban asked in an annoyed tone. "Thank you for modifying these capsules." We entered the escape pods and I accommodated myself to the uncomfortable surroundings again. I pressed the activation button and instantly took off from the platform, sailing just below the surface of the water at an amazing speed. Because of how I was seated, the glass had me staring directly into the sky, unable to see where the others were. The pods apparently had much more fuel in their engines than a simple escape from the fortress would require, even taking Stelt's closeness into account. The journey was a few minutes, maybe more, but the ending was far more memorable. I struck the beach of Stelt hard, shattering the pod's glass as I was ejected into the air and hurled into the dirt. We all arrived around the same time, brushing ourselves off as we walked up the beach. One of the Steltians angrily came marching our way, glaring at the escape pods with his sand colored eyes. Like most of his kind, he was a bit taller than myself and possessed a pair of tubes that ran behind his head and connected on each side of his jaw. His tubes fumed smoke and he was furious. "Are you going to clean those up!?" he questioned. "No," Rovaius said coldly. "You can have them…for scrap or whatever." The Steltian seemed surprised by his reply. "Oh…thanks." He glanced at a couple of the burly Ohnbiek guards nearby and motioned them over. "Start taking those pods apart!" The guards raised their heads in partial confusion, staring at one another for a moment. Ohnbiek weren't the brightest biomechs in the universe, but their strength served them well. Stelt was an interesting land in how its hierarchy functioned. The smartest species (though physically weakest), the tall, powerful Steltians ruled the island. The Ohnbiek served below them, often guards or laborers to be used like living tools. The least bright—though easily strongest—were the lowest class - the Pontiir. Practically slaves, the Pontiir battled in coliseum arenas for the entertainment of the clever Steltians. "The pods!" the Steltian shouted, pointing at the metal tubes as if he were attempting to force a jet of flames from his finger. "Take them apart!" As the pair of Ohnbiek started for our temporary transports, I followed Rovaius into the street, taking in the sights of the island. It had been two years since my last visit, but Stelt's largest attraction was still its countless ruins. If you wanted a structure to last on Stelt, you would either provide lodging or goods. Anything else was at risk of being demolished by some of the most envious and violent biomechs I had ever seen. I had a pretty decent idea of why Rovaius wanted to visit Stelt and he further proved my theory when he began heading for the nearest coliseum. I was standing next to him when a random thought popped into my head and I blurted it out. "I don't think you're a terrible biomech," I told him. "Well that's…nice," Rovaius said with a laugh. "You know what I mean," I replied quickly. "Despite the crimes and the killings, you have a moral code." "Every biomech with any self-respect ought to have a sense of morals. The Barraki certainly do...and so do I. Believe it or not, there's some honor among thieves. We've run across gangs like ours and it's easy to tell what they're after. They have their own code and laws, but they know not to turn their weapons on us. Truth is, nearly everyone outside Metru Nui and a few other places is under the employment or watchful eyes of the League of Six Kingdoms. Pridak might send us into zones under the jurisdiction of his fellow warlords and he knows we won't hesitate to blast away any soldiers in our way, but I would never fire on another gang." "Why are other gangs so important to you?" I inquired. Rovaius glanced at me for a moment and then he went back to looking at the coliseum. "Because they are me," Rovaius breathed. His eyes shifted around a few times and I could tell he was thinking to himself. "Not literally of course, but they decided to follow the same path in life, like you did. They could have done anything else and become another standard soldier in the ever-growing armies of the Barraki, but they didn't. They chose to become...piraka. Someday, I believe a biomech will find a way to unite all those wandering souls under a common creed and a single faction. Everyone has a price and any task or commodity beyond the ability or reach of one entity, will be a payoff for another." I smirked. "One faction that will unite outlaws?" "Anything is possible, so long as you keep your mind open," Rovaius said. We arrived at the coliseum, walking around the main entrance to a nearby stairway. An Ohnbiek guard was standing next to the stairs, eyeing us long before we reached him. We had fought alongside him a couple years back, as a favor to the Steltian I knew Rovaius wanted to see by that point. "You," the Ohnbiek uttered, transfixed on Rovaius. "I remember you." "It's been a while since the incident on the eastern side of the island, hasn't it, Krekka?" Rovaius smiled. "My name is Rovaius." "Right," Krekka said, as if still trying to remember the Nohtalian. "Rovaius. What brought you to Stelt again?" "I need to speak with your superior about some very important information," Rovaius explained. "No one sees him without a password," Krekka asserted. "I saved your life, Krekka," Rovaius reminded him. "You said you 'owed me one.' I don't have a password, but I would really appreciate it if I could call on that favor right now." Krekka scratched his chin for a moment, thinking over what Rovaius said. "If I let you by, you make a promise. I don't want to get in trouble for this." "I promise that you will not be punished for letting me by," Rovaius replied confidently. Krekka nodded. "Okay then," he said, looking up the stairway. "Get going." "Thank you, Krekka," Rovaius said in his most charming tone, heading up the stairway. When we were out of sight, Rovaius turned and looked at me. "The Ohnbiek might run this island one day." I chuckled. "Really?" "Oh sure," Rovaius replied. "If every Steltian dies first." We continued through a winding corridor that led up near the top of the coliseum, taking us to a secluded chamber away from the battles. A number of strong looking Steltian guards were positioned throughout the hall, giving us suspicious glances as we walked by. Right before we reached the chamber, a Steltian extended the herding blade on his arm and blocked the way. "Have you learned to aim that thing in the last two years?" Rovaius said with a glare. "I've been promoted since then," the Steltian said haughtily. "That wasn't the question," Rovaius growled in frustration, shoving the Steltian aside and marching into the chamber. We walked in behind him, ignoring the guard as he slowly got back on his feet. Rovaius had come to Stelt to speak with a familiar agent of the League and one we had gotten to know a couple years back. We defeated an enemy clan that was moving into his territory and we were rewarded handsomely for the effort. It wasn't until later that I discovered the Steltian, Rovaius, and Stalgrax had been brothers in combat for a number of centuries. On multiple visits to Stelt, Rovaius had teamed up with the clan to overwhelm their enemies with a tactical battle strategy. "What do you want?" the clan leader spat, glaring down at Rovaius. The Nohtalian met his gaze, staring hard right back. They continued like this for a moment until the Steltian burst out laughing, causing Rovaius to do the same. The clan leader pat him on the shoulder a couple times and motioned the rest of us further into his chamber. "How's life these days, Voporak?" Rovaius wondered, examining an unfinished weapon sitting on a worktable. "Not over yet," Voporak replied, sitting down behind a long, metallic desk. A map of the island was spread out atop it, with little markers placed in separate areas. Voporak, as a clan leader, made it his first priority to know where other factions were stationed on Stelt. "But you didn't come for small talk, did you?" "No, I didn't," Rovaius admitted. "I came to address something I overheard." "You want to talk to me about a rumor?" Voporak said, leaning forward in his seat. "This isn't a petty rumor. I heard Kalmah say something last night, aboard Brightest Midnight." "Brightest Midnight…" Voporak trailed off. "Oh! You mean the sky fortress. That thing crashed last night, Rovaius! I watched it happen from right outside this room." "I know," Rovaius said flatly. "I did it." Voporak's faint smile faded and he looked down at his map. He then started laughing quietly, becoming more amused with what Rovaius said as he let it sink in. "That's hilarious!" "I'm not kidding," Rovaius said, trying to hold back a smirk. "I can tell," Voporak replied. "Mantax went on and on about that structure, talking up its defenses and how a sky fortress was the best possible position to fight a battle from. And you knocked it into the sea with a few helpers! Now that's funny. And you're alive to tell the tale! Now, what is it that Kalmah said anyway?" Rovaius took a few steps toward the desk, glancing out the windows before he spoke. When he did, it was in a hushed tone. "The six warlords were together and Kalmah said something about the Brotherhood's incompetence. Then he said something about an initiative that would put an end to all that. Pridak didn't like him being so open and told Kalmah to shut his mouth. Whatever this was about, it was serious." Voporak frowned, staring back down at the map of Stelt. "Well…" "It isn't easy to find biomechs who spend so much time dealing with a Barraki. I came to you because of your relationship with Mantax. So please, tell me. What is this all about?" Rovaius sounded urgent, almost afraid. "Mantax came to see me about a month ago," Voporak sighed. "We had wrapped up negotiations on a trade agreement late one night. Before he left, he told me to stay on Stelt for a while. He said I was a faithful servant of the League and that, for my own safety, I shouldn't leave Stelt. I haven't had much need to, but for the few errands I would've left the island for, I have sent others in my stead." "And that's all you know?" Rovaius questioned. "I didn't want to pry and it was getting late," Voporak replied. "He hasn't been on Stelt since that night, but it sounded weird for him to give me a direct order like that. Barraki or not, I was considering having him forcibly removed from Stelt right then. I reconsidered out of fear that he really was looking out for my best interest. If that's the case, something is going to happen soon. Something big." Rovaius shook his head. "There's no telling what they're up to, but I think you and I should discuss this personally." He looked back at us. "You may want to go preoccupy yourselves for a while." "I've got just the thing," Voporak spoke up, taking a small card out from his side of the desk. He handed it over to Rovaius and Rovaius flung it to Stalgrax. Voporak glanced at Stalgrax and said, "That is my coliseum pass. Show it to the guard outside this chamber and he'll escort you to the battle downstairs. His name is Sidorak." Stalgrax grinned. "We met a couple years back. His name ought to be crack shot." "Funny," Voporak said in an empty tone. His mind was clearly on something else. "We'll just need a couple hours," Rovaius told us. Stalgrax led the way out of the chamber, flashing the pass to the guard that Rovaius pushed over. "You're Sidorak, right?" "Yes," the guard replied proudly, giving Stalgrax a curious look. "Voporak wants you to escort us to the coliseum. He said this card should be all we need." Sidorak took the card and smiled, a puff of steam escaping the tubes on his head. "I knew I deserved a little time off. Let's go." Sidorak directed us back around the walkway to an elevator, impatiently waiting for it to descend once we were inside. His glossy armor was carmine and charcoal, pitted and scratched from a life of battle on Stelt. The elevator opened and Sidorak quickly walked out, hurrying down the next hall. He rounded the corner and I could see we were standing on the second floor of the coliseum. He flashed the card to another Steltian and said, "We have clearance from Voporak to use his seats for the evening." There were ten seats in the front row of the area, looking much more comfortable than those behind them. Voporak evidently had some influence around the coliseum, likely stemming from his many victories against rival clans. I'm not even sure his enemies knew that he had an office above the coliseum. We sat down and I examined the arena. We were close enough to see the combatants, but far enough away to be safe from their attacks as well. I was situated between Elendra and Trylac, and Elendra was immediately fascinated by the gargantuan fighters below. I wasn't quite as amused, so I decided to listen in on Trylac and Sidorak's conversation while I vacantly stared into the ring. "If you don't mind me asking, how are the four of you employed?" Sidorak wondered. "We have an unwritten contractual agreement with the League," Trylac said vaguely. "Our jobs are often centered on handling employee terminations and asset collection, financial or otherwise." "Asset collection?" Sidorak chuckled. "I don't follow." Trylac smiled, his mandibles twitching a bit as he did. "The League is partnered with countless smaller organizations, many of which are on Stelt. We are tasked with collecting their assets in the event a Barraki requires it, for one reason or another." His skill with lying almost rivaled Rovaius' and it was easy to forget now and again. Trylac was often silent, with little to say. When something came up though, it was always important and mostly insightful. "Right, right," Sidorak nodded, obviously pretending he had an idea of what point Trylac was dancing around. "I'm sure it is a great honor to work with the Barraki directly. You must have great respect for the will of Mata Nui, correct?" "I am a Dectraz - we have little concern for what Mata Nui wants. My brethren saw long ago that many biomechs are foolishly blind, wasting their time until time wastes them. If you are patient, time will destroy all your enemies." "And what if I'm not patient?" Sidorak asked, hinting at a smile. Trylac smirked. "Then you're like me and you'll kill your enemies personally." Sidorak chuckled at this, taken in by Trylac's humor. "Personally…clever." "I apologize for the Nohtalian's behavior earlier. He can get a little impatient at times," Trylac continued. "I saw that," Sidorak replied bitterly. "Perhaps we should enjoy the match though. I'm not paid often to watch a couple Pontiir kill one another." "Of course," Trylac agreed, staring down at the arena. Each Pontiir warrior was a behemoth with gigantic claws on their hands and feet. They towered over most other sentient biomechs, and their armored bodies were heavily reinforced. Shades of dark gray and silver lined their monstrous forms, blurring along their talons as they clashed with one another. The Steltians in the crowd cheered them on, shouting for each Pontiir to rip the other to pieces. There were, no doubt, a number of Steltians betting on particular fighters to win. Between the constant warfare of the Steltians and the forced combat of the Pontiir, it made me wonder which species was truly the more animalistic. "Can we talk about this in a civil manner now?" Stalgrax muttered to Elendra. "I understand that we have our separate natures, Stalgrax. Let's just agree to live and let live. We're going to be working together for a long time, so we should learn to tolerate one another during that interim." "That's fair…and rather enlightened given your usual stance on settling a disagreement," Stalgrax said. "Thanks for showing a little maturity about this." "Don't think I'm entirely happy about it," Elendra replied. "Watching a couple biomechs destroy each other just put me in a better mood. You're welcome, I guess." We observed several more matches between the mighty Pontiir, often ending with one combatant beaten to pieces after the other started gaining the upper hand. It became routine after a while, but the excitement of the Steltians never wavered. They thrived on the action of the arena. After one match, the dead Pontiir was not removed from the arena, but instead, a new competitor entered. He was a burly looking Steltian, clad in battle scarred armor of bronze. The crowd became even more energized, chanting his name. I couldn't understand what was being shouted, but the Steltian swept his hand at the crowd, motioning them to silence. "You all came here for a show. So how about watching me kill this Pontiir?" he said with a laugh. The crowd roared in anticipation, watching as the Steltian unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the Pontiir on the other side of the ring. The Pontiir took a few hulking steps toward him, staring him down with an amused grin. The Steltian ran headlong at his opponent, quickly scooped up in the Pontiir's clawed hand and flung against the wall. The Steltian immediately rose, leaping at the Pontiir and slashing his chest open. He then performed a second jump, running his sword down the back of the biomech's head and through part of his back. "Get off!" The Pontiir bellowed, shaking the Steltian to the floor. He smashed his enemy into the floor, continuously punching the Steltian without mercy. The Pontiir then began to tear his claws through the Steltian, forcing his enemy to yell out in agony. The crowd was unstoppable by then, enthralled as the Steltian was viciously beaten to death. With each of the Steltian's screams, the crowd became more animated. It was pure insanity. Impossibly, the Steltian defiantly rose to his feet and prepared for the next punch. He was severely injured, but somehow, he strafed the attack and in one swing, severed the Pontiir's hand. The Pontiir screamed in a low roar, falling to his knees. The Steltian took the opportunity to plunge his blade deep into the Pontiir's chest, causing the massive creature to lurch forward and fall silent, his head tilting sideways. The Steltian stood proudly in the battlefield, nearly dead as he forced a smile at his fans. Victory came and passed for the Steltian pretty quickly though and the Pontiir's colossal corpse wasted no time in crushing the prideful Steltian into an early grave. As a new wave of cheering began, I recalled the broken rifle on my back and pulled it off, letting the weapon sit in my lap. Trylac glanced down at the rifle and then at me. "Give me the broken piece." I fumbled through my container of laser shells and handed over the busted bolt handle. Trylac displayed it to Sidorak and asked, "Do you know where we can have one of these replaced? My friend's laser rifle was recently damaged." It was the first of only two times Trylac referred to me as a friend. Sidorak scooped the rifle up and took the bolt handle, examining where the piece had snapped off. "I know a Fe-Matoran down the street that can have this replaced rather quickly. In the meantime, the rest of you should return to Voporak's chamber." We all stood up and headed back for the chamber while Sidorak took to the streets with my laser rifle. I had taken good care of Torema's unused weapon and this was (surprisingly) the only harm that had ever come to it. Trylac led us into the chamber where Rovaius and Voporak were busy studying the desk's map of Stelt. "Did you two have enough time to discuss everything?" Stalgrax asked. Rovaius nodded. "We did," he replied, looking over his shoulder at us. "We'll be leaving soon. Voporak has a mission for us and he's paid in advance. He's also agreed to let us sail with his crew on one of the fastest ships in the world." "You'll be heading out to eastern Crezera," Voporak said. "I have an ally that frequently comes to trade his wares in exchange for our weaponry. Xia is a long way to go for the finest rifles and I welcome repeat customers that can offer me raw materials like the ones on Crezera. It is said that Artakha first crafted weapons from protosteel, but the materials were shipped from an island just south of his. That island is Crezera." "Who are we supposed to meet up with?" Elendra wondered. "A Gekalan named Diroux. He will be leading you once you arrive on the island. The journey shouldn't take long though. Mantax presented me with the ship you'll be traveling by a few years ago. It is a token of his gratitude for my extensive and secretive work here on Stelt. He named the ship Incipient Dalliance." "A name that further attests to the conceit of six warlords allowed to rule the world," Trylac said dryly. "It is the will of Mata Nui that they may do so," Voporak muttered. "I hope it is his will that your travels are safe." Rovaius smirked. "Thank you, Voporak," Rovaius said, heading for the door. "Farewell." We left the coliseum and found Sidorak speaking with Krekka, displaying my laser rifle to him. The Ohnbiek looked at the weapon like it was an alien technology, craning his neck up to see us approaching. We descended the stairs and Sidorak offered me the rifle back. "I told you it wouldn't take long," he said as I took the rifle. The black bolt handle had been replaced with a replica part, only the new one had a sleek chrome finish to it. He placed the broken bolt handle in my hand and I put it away - a small trinket to remember my past kills and adventures by. "So, what do I owe you?" I asked, well-aware that practically nothing on Stelt was free. "The Matoran who fixed your laser rifle is an agent of our clan," Sidorak explained. "He performs any repairs we send his way free of charge and in return, we keep him safe. You have to protect your assets, Meldin." It was insensitive, but in the only hierarchy Sidorak had ever known, a Matoran was nothing more than a piece of property. "I understand," I nodded. "Can you tell us how to reach the Incipient Dalliance?" Rovaius questioned. "The ship is docked nearby, actually," Sidorak replied, glancing toward the port. "I'll escort you there." We followed Sidorak down to the port, boarding Voporak's prize for unwavering loyalty to Mantax. It was a long, sleek craft of gunmetal gray and metallic black. Steltians were all over the ship, going about their routine tasks. Sidorak approached who I assumed was the captain and said, "Voporak wishes for you to take these five out to Crezera. They have been assigned to assist the Gekalan there." "As soon as my crew finishes polishing the craft, we can leave," the captain responded gruffly. He was an aged Steltian, with dimming yellow eyes and slate armor. "You may return to your post, soldier," he added to Sidorak, who hurried off at once without another word. The captain looked us over and breathed, "Which of you is in command?" "I am," Rovaius replied, stepping forward. "Until we make land on Crezera, you aren't," the captain snarled. "I am in charge here and you have no more influence than my sailors. So make yourselves useful, because I do not tolerate bystanders aboard the Dalliance. Everyone has a task, precisely why the Great Spirit made each of us. Now be on your way. I have a course to chart." Rovaius sighed and began to walk away. We were about to join him when he turned back to the captain and pointed his gunblade at the Steltian's head. "I was thinking to myself for a second. Why am I taking orders from an unarmed biomech?" "You'd do well not to underestimate me," the captain said sternly. "I believe I can react faster than your hand." "That's funny, because I don't think you can," Rovaius smirked. "And if you're smart, you'll take your mind off being faster than my hand and worry about being faster than my bullet. Now, I'd like you to hand over any money you have on you. Right now." "You're creating a situation you may not be able to get yourself out of," the captain warned Rovaius. "Are you sure you want to do this?" "I was sure right after you disrespected me." Rovaius glared at him. "You're a ship captain, not Barraki Mantax himself. You aren't even a clan leader like Voporak. So don't ask me what I'm sure of. I'm sure that I'd kill for less than your insolence and I'm sure that this trigger is going off if you don't hand over your money." Trylac was standing nearest to the captain and opened his hand as the captain begrudgingly handed over several coins. Rovaius smiled, keeping his weapon steady. "Drop the coins over the side." Trylac threw the money into the sea without hesitation and the captain angrily watched his coins vanish beneath the water. Rovaius laughed at him and finished with, "You have a course to chart, right? Well you'd better get on it. I want to reach Crezera soon and I don't tolerate bystanders." The captain stormed off, mumbling curses and bitter words over Rovaius. I looked at the Nohtalian, watching him put away the gunblade. He took notice of my staring and gave me a look that begged me to speak. "You're very theatrical, you know," I teased. "It doesn't take a stage performance to request money from someone when you're holding a gun." Rovaius smiled. "Money is a cyclical sort of thing that you'll invariably lose and gain. The most expensive request I make of biomechs is for their time. The least I can do is make it well spent, seeing as I cannot reimburse them any other way." "Memories are actually a fine compensation for time," I replied. Rovaius cracked a smile. "It depends on the memories, doesn't it?" The sunlight glistened on his obsidian and ruby armor as he addressed us quietly. "If this ship's speed lives up to Voporak's talk, we'll be on Crezera soon enough. I recommend you all stay alert though, because a Steltian only values one thing above power." We all knew the answer, but only Elendra chose to voice it. "Vengeance." Review

Visitor by ValixiaAssigned to Velox.