BULiK

IC: Knichou "I guess you know how to keep track of and get in touch with me whenever you want to, even after I wake. Less chances of misfiring there, too, probably." I stand up from the couch and stretch, not that it matters in the dream. "You know what I'm thinking about doing, but what are you going to do until next time? When can I expect a next time?"

IC: Knichou No idea either. I haven't been in any Suvas, or met this 'Admin' people have mentioned, and I certainly don't know anyone with that kanohi. I shrug.

IC: Knichou, help Don't. Has one of Dume's secret projects ever gone well? "Dume was the 'Forgemaster'? Forgemaster is pretty self explanatory as titles go, but how do you know this? Where's his forge?"

IC: Knichou, Knicwho? That's not me. I think. I feel like I'd know if that was me, and I don't know, you know? "I hate riddles." The lizard is gone. It's just us again. "Did it answer your question? Is that what it wants us to believe? Whatever you just did, I don't know if you went too deep, or not deep enough." Am I not believing enough? Should I be believing in the first place? You say I should. Thanks, by the way. You're right. I'm still here for a reason. I wish I knew what that reason was, but whatever or whoever said that is right - whatever happens will happen and what must happen is doing, despite not knowing what will happen. I have to try and no option is off the table yet. I can make Makoki stones because someone could, and if they were made, they can made again. How is the key, but how is also irrelevant. Someone found out how, and it can be rediscovered. Makoki stones can still exist and be made, even if how is lost to - time? 'And each time I have forgotten the instructions.' 'And each time I have remembered they are unnecessary.' 'And each time I have returned.' 'And each time I have fled.' 'And in all times I create.' What did it mean by this? Has this happened before? Will this happen again? Was that me, but a different time? Why can't I see what happened before? There is no why. I can. I can make a disk of time. That can get us anywhere and anywhen. "When and where do you think a real answer would be?"

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Entrance Ramp Berys looked to Triage with a shrug. "I've gotta get up there to test the Vortixx's repairs sooner or later, if he's not already doing that. At the very least I'm sure he'd love to hear that Skyra's back and the riteborn is dead." "Is there anything you brought with you that you need to unpack before we set off?"

IC: Knichou, Knichou (Knichou) | Knichou Airspace, Bridge of the Knichou “A solution?” We feel a nudge from Sidra. I'm feeling Sidra feel me feeling a nudge from herself? Woah. “Believe what?” Knichou. Me. Myself. I. Technically, us. Believing in myself doesn't necessitate an ego trip. You are as important to all this. At least, if not more. I feel the need to clarify because, well, yeah. “Ugh, please tell me I didn’t just break your brain,” I don't know. I don't need to. I don't need to. I don't need to know. “I mean, it’s not like I’ve never thought about lobotomising you before, but I’m going to be really embarrassed if I managed it by accident.” I certainly hope my brain isn't broken but if it is I doubt it's your fault. The lizard was always here. The fact that there is a list of strange things that have happened with my mind with this Kanohi on really says there was always more going on here. Though I definitely feel weirder. Am I still sitting on the couch? I am... but why I do need to double check? Normally I always know where I am, no need to think about it. What was I saying*? *EDIT: Thinking? Not your fault. You know that. You're hearing me. I feel you in here, hearing all I think, yet I bother to say the thoughts aloud. "I think..." You hearing it aloud even when you can hear my thoughts still has purpose. Keeps what I say on track. Signal/noise, even if this noise has signal. Hopefully feeling my understanding of this helps you understand. If not maybe there are levels of my mind you haven't reached yet. This is your permission to continue. Not that you would need it. "I think this isn't what you want to hear, but..." I'm sorry. Wow you have bright eyes, Lightbringer. "I think it wants me to..." Us to? "Believe." OOC: @Gecko Greavesy @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Knichou, Knichou, Me, Myself, I I breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Not that I'm actually breathing air right now in the first place. It's here, she's here, I'm here. I'm here, I'm here, I'm here. We're all waiting for me to say something. To think something, really. Since we all listen together. It's really hard to sound profound when my wires are tapped. Bear with me. You are right. I'm a box opener. A beholder. A creator. A destroyer. I've been reborn, and there are plenty of parts of me that died with Nynrah, Artakha, Metru-Nui, and Metru-Koro. What's left survives. Will survive. Until it won't. So everything I've learned has built to this, huh? I've always wanted comprehensibility. Explanations. Things can't be because they are, they must be because their causes. And so I studied the laws of nature for so long. I have never truly embraced that reality might be what I make it. Maybe even what I made it. Have I been reverse-engineering my own designs? Well, I know that I don't know that I didn't make them, now do I? Not that that matters. I'd be lying if I knew was I was doing. I'd be a fool to think that meant I was wrong. To be fair I am pretty foolish sometimes. Point is. Time is running out but there's ample time for a chief engineer I see you lizard, you have big, beady eyes. Vantablack. I hope you're watching me for a reason. I hope it's a good one. "I can create the solution." Not a question. Not an answer. Your style. No. "I will create the solution." A promise I can't keep. A dare I'll die by. My style. "Do we believe?"

Thanks to Nato for going along with such a dreamy jam. So satisfying to have these characters come together and hash out some of their differences IC, I've been hoping we'd get to see them either forgive and ally with or continue to misunderstand and instigate each other as the series comes closer to its conclusion, and it's awesome to see a cool character development opportunity like that come fruition. Lots of twists and turns in development, really fun stuff, and it turned out even better than we expected. Surprisingly fast paced, too, which is satisfying, especially given my, ahem, history, with writing dream sequences. Honestly at this point, especially if you count the memory crystal jam from over a year ago, Knichou dreamscape sequences could be considered a Six Kingdoms trope. The dreamers haven't woken up yet, but now that they're on the same page, you'll get to tune in for the ride with us as we all find out what's in store together.

IC: Knichou Knichou blinked again, and saw that everyone from the first beach was now on the new one in the exact same positions. Given their demeanor, it was evident they were entirely oblivious to and unaffected by the shocking words of the dead god. The limp, mangled corpses of an entire city, intermingled with sea rahi of all shapes and sizes, washed up on the shore. Wave after wave, they lapped at the foundations of Kanohi’s sand castle, glistening with oil and blood. Yet none of the remaining partygoers saw it. With another blink, the Fe-Toa’s gaze refocused on the golden glow of the pair of optics opposite him. The commander shut his optics tightly at the remembrance of her hypnotic abilities; after all, the Fe-Toa could still feel Sidra in front of him with his elemental powers - he didn’t need to see the dark hunter to anticipate her next move. Inexplicably, Knichou still barely had control over anything but what he saw, as if Mata Nui’s grasp lingered even after his second death. A few moments later, Knichou was able to collect the will to speak again. “You’re a memory. You were today,” the Nynran hoarsely repeated, mainly to himself. This was hyperreal and unreal, but the Toa still couldn’t quite place why. While Knichou had attempted to train himself to use his dreams productively to better control his kanohi, the moment of lucidity took a spark that, to his knowledge, could not be reliably manufactured, and the truth of this plane still eluded him to an ambiguous degree. He hadn’t completed the process of elucidation yet, however he most certainly was in that process. Even so, the Toa instinctively felt this was different. There was still the lingering urge to fight or flee, the dreaded lack of control, but not the familiar kind. Knichou’s conscious and subconscious minds knew each other’s moves well after fighting battles of millenia, and rarely did one dominate the other this well, so both were taken off guard. The former Nynrah Ghost felt that the former Dark Hunter was still standing in front of him. He wanted to shout, alert the others of the interloper and the godhead’s recital, but words did not come to his aid. “Nope, I’m here. Mentally, at least,” Sidra said. “I honestly expected your dreams to be a little more exciting than this, but at least they’re peaceful.” “Oh, thanks for livening them up again, it’s been a while,” the irritated Toa replied. “Figures that when my life starts getting less quiet again you come back here for some more, but I guess you did happen earlier, huh?” While he still felt hazy, the veil had been lifted further, and the ex-Ghost’s posture grew more confident as he felt more in control again. The ominous rumble of Mata Nui’s voice had faded, and his old enemy being surprisingly up front about the nature of the plane their minds were on gave him a signature confidence again. While he was still at the mercy of his subconscious, the Toa knew that in reality, he couldn’t be hurt. However bumpy or thrilling this roller coaster of a dream may be, it was no danger to him, and he might as well play along since it had already started. It would be gone tomorrow anyhow. He waved a hand towards the monolithic skull of his former home. At least, he waved at where he remembered the skull being. “So is this supposed to relate to today, too? Because lame poetry’s a new one.” “Mata Nui is an Aspect of Makuta… and that was his Grand Wish. He told me himself.” “Yeah yeah, thank you for the recap, we went over the ‘Mata Nui is an Aspect’ theory earlier,” Knichou interrupted, clearly tired of what was apparently the same argument he’d stumbled into twice earlier that afternoon. Wasn’t he the one who told Sidra that Mata Nui is an Aspect, anyways? Dream continuity, am I right? “Tell me something I don’t know.” “The Six Scattered Stones in his little rhyme are called the Makoki Stones. One is already in Kini Nui, and I have a lead on two more. If we can find the rest, apparently it’ll realign the planes and hopefully fix the whole paradox problem Tuyet told us about.” “So, hold on, you want me to help Mata Nui with his Grand Wish?” Knichou chuckled, nearly opening his optics as he couldn’t suppress his amusement from the absurdity of what he was hearing. “Tuyet? Mata Nui’s ‘Makooti’ stone collection? You’re losing me here.” “What? No, I want the opposite. Mata Nui already accomplished his Grand Wish, thousands of years ago. That’s how he became… whatever the karz he is now,” she explained. “The Makoki Stones, when reassembled, form a key to the plane where Mata Nui trapped another entity called Tren Krom. This Tren Krom is apparently like, the creator of everything and rightful ruler of the Time Between Time. He’s the one who can fix this whole mess.” “Sure… so we grab the rocks, use them to unlock the door to the guy who’s powerful enough to stop a dead god (but not powerful enough to prevent said god from locking him up) and then everybody wins, great,” Knichou said, spinning a hand in front of him in a gesture that indicated he was ready to move on from this strange encounter. “Can I skip ahead to the ‘relaxing vacation’ part of the dream now? I’ve already had my daily recommended dose of ominous tidings and magic rocks and all that.” “Oh, of course. And while you’re napping, the island is going to keep disappearing out from under us,” Sidra snapped. “For someone who gets so high and mighty, I thought you’d be a tad more motivated when it comes to preventing the literal end of existence.” Knichou burst into laughter, nearly keeling over in the process. He caught a glimpse of the ground that helped him re-orient himself before he continued to close off his senses to prevent himself from looking at the hypnotist. Sure, he knew it was a dream, but he also knew not to let his guard down because one could never guarantee full control over what tricks their subconscious played on them. “You… you’re not serious, are you? That’s exactly what I said!” he continued, beginning a slow clap. “This is hilarious. Bravo, bravo.” “Please, lecture me more about how I’m not concerned enough about the world destroying super-device that has six ultra rare components that you combine into one legendary macguffin that gives someone we’ve never met before the power to fix all our problems at the last second after so much is destroyed,” he sarcastically opined. “Honestly, very creative metaphor.” “The irony has not been lost on me,” she muttered. “I’m abundantly aware of the fact that I screwed up. You can lord that over me for the rest of what little time we have left… or you can get down off your high horse and help me try to fix things.” Knichou glanced at his wrist, where a watch magically appeared. Three hands pointed to “I” “Don’t” and “Know” at random rotations along the circular face. “What little time we have left?” the Nynran repeated, a mix of relief and disappointment in his voice. “Does that mean I’m about to wake up before we can do your absurd scavenger hunt here? On one hand, great, on the other, I’d take a strange dream over not enough sleep.” “I’m talking about after you wake up, brakas. Have you not noticed that the entire karzing island is slipping into the sea?” She took a step closer, golden eyes narrowed, “Pretty soon, it’ll just be you, alone, floating over an empty ocean in your little airship.” “Aren’t dreams for reliving past trauma, not getting me to worry more about future trauma I’m already worrying about?” Knichou asked the universe. He couldn’t help but take a step back and brace himself as he felt Sidra’s metallic form get closer. “Oh, I’ll give you something to worry ab- wait- do you seriously think this is still just a dream?” Sidra scoffed. “Karz, do I even want to know which part of your subconscious you think I am?” “You don’t, no,” he answered. “Plus, psychology isn’t my area of expertise so you wouldn’t be able to know anyways, because I sure don’t. Eh, we could always guess.” The Toa put a hand to his chin, as if the gesture would make himself think to himself more effectively somehow. “If I subconsciously think I know something, then... maybe I’d believe my answer?” The engineer shrugged. ”This is confusing. Metaphysics is also something I need to work on, to be honest.” “I don’t know whether to be impressed or depressed by your ability to massively overthink things while missing what’s literally right in front of you,” Sidra said, after staring at Knichou for a few moments. “I’m the real Sidra. You know, the Sidra with psionic powers who can do stuff like talking to you in your dreams?” “I know it’s been a hot minute since what you did to me in Metru Nui but I don’t think I’ve exaggerated the potential of your powers this much before,” the commander retorted. ”Plus, my eyes are closed in the dream and in reality - you can’t hypnotize someone who isn’t awake to pay attention in the first place.” The Fe-Toa leaned forwards with confidence as he finished with a question he knew would get himself to shut up. One way or another, ironically. ”After all - if you’re the ‘real’ Sidra, then why the Karz would you come to me for help?” “Because you’re one of like, four people I actually know outside of my village,” Sidra said. “Specifically, you’re someone who actually knows about Dume’s machine and Tuyet’s paradoxes and stuff… and wants to do the right thing.” The Nynran winced, voice lowering to an awkward near-whisper. “That’s… a new one...” “Yeah. Should give you an inkling of how desperate I am at this point.”

IC: Exuze, Kini-Nui Exuze was glad that whoever was screaming had stopped before Tuyet explained his role in all this. He tried to respond, but for some strange reason, his throat felt numb. He closed his mouth and gave the Toa a nod. The lesterin focused on his kanohi to imitate a Roporak's camoflauge as he shakily unbuckled himself, stood upright, and left the vehicle, nearly tripping over himself in the process. Exuze felt an otherworldly relief as his boots met solid, earthy ground for the first time in too long. The survivor's eyes scanned the environment around him, as he attempted to calm his breathing and figure out what options he had at this point. OOC: @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Exuze, Kini-Nui Airspace, Tuyetmobile "Is that what that light was blinkin' fer?" Exuze exclaimed, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. Perhaps realizing the gravity of it too much. Exuze bothered buckling in, or he would have had he not been buckled in from the start. After a triple check, he grabbed onto a handrail nearby and gulped. "What would wanna eat- What readings?" OOC: @Unreliable Narrator IC: Knichou Knichou walked in the grassy mountainside surrounding Kini-Nui, looking onwards at his accomplishments below. There was always more time to design a better future for the Matoran, and there was no better place than the peaceful valley refuge that he had furnished for his people. Even from this distance, the bustle of the village was evident, with streams and crowds of citizens flowing to and from various buildings Knichou had created. The settlement almost had a pulse to it. The Taku sat atop one of its airdock’s landing pads, a landmark and a reminder that the matoran were protected by the watchful eyes of the commander and his crew. The evening light’s warm glow illuminated the city, but the shadows of its protective mountains were clearly encroaching. The ex-Ghost closed his eyes, inhaled the fresh air, and… heard… waves? Having lived on islands for so much of his life, the lapping and crashing of waves were familiar to the Nynran. Intrigued, Knichou began to hike towards the new sound. Before he knew it, he had crested the top of the peak, and was surprised to see a beach of all things. Just a few dozen meters away, no less. Perhaps the only part of this more surprising than a new beach was that Knichou wasn’t the first to find it. Reclining in a lawn chair, watching the endless ocean, was a familiar Toa of Stone. The ancient Toa’s seat was in the shadow of a large fabric shade, and he was sipping a flamboyant beverage with a miniature umbrella and a slice of a citrus fruit to add some zesty flavor. Nearby, Nale was relaxing on a blanket in the sand, a magnetically levitating mirror redirecting more warmth to her while her Kakama's lenses tinted to protect her optics. Further along the beach, Arkius was helping Kanohi build a rather impressive sandcastle. Knichou blinked... …and saw six misshapen shards of shining stone scattered in the sand before him. Before he could move closer to inspect the trinkets, he watched as a Ko-Matoran Knichou hadn’t met, Stannis, and an unfamiliar, shadowy Toa each approached the mysterious fragments. Each plucked a piece from the ground and walked past the ex-Ghost. The Po-Toa slurped his cocktail in an unamused fashion, paying Knichou no mind, as the engineer’s gaze tracked the impostor with the utmost precision. Only a few steps behind them was a familiar former dark hunter, who also reached for the remaining stones, only for them to sink beneath the sand before she could grab any of them. Sidra dug desperately at the sand, muttering a string of colourful curses, then sprang to her feet and ran past Knichou, face filled with fear as she raced after the others. Knichou didn’t quite understand what the four beings just did or why, but seeing the NUVA of guilt in distress was satisfying to a degree, even if the Nynran wouldn’t admit it in any pleasant company. He turned around to continue observing the unusual proceeding, but saw nothing but another empty expanse of beach behind him. Beyond the sand, half-submerged in the water, was the familiar silhouette of a ruined Metru Nui. Only now an ethereal light burned in the skull’s empty sockets, sickly green fumes rising from deep within. The waters churned as the mighty mechanical jaw of Mata Nui began to move, raising waves that crashed upon the shore like thunder. “You are still mine, Lightbringer. I own you. Tren Krom may have removed the blinders to your shimmer, but you are mine so long as you linger within this Time Between Time. Only the cycle can release you. I have ascended. I am your Mata-Nui.” The ex-Ghost felt dread creep through his spine, but stood firm. Not out of bravery, but paralysis, as if each word the titan uttered was a spear that pierced and utterly restrained the Toa of Iron. A grisly slick of gore rose from the depths, acidic vapour wafting on the waves of Mata Nui’s words, splattering the sand with the ruined remnants of the city’s slain inhabitants. “Heed my wish: One silver thread. Two bodies dead. Three broken yolks. Four severed heads. Five promised lies. Six scattered stones. Seven stars torn. One world born.” “That’s what we’re up against,” Knichou felt a tentative hand on his shoulder, as Sidra’s voice issued from behind him. “That’s what destroyed Metru Nui, what created the Untethered, what attacked my village, and what claims ownership over us all.” “Go away, little yolk,” Mata Nui’s final words struck directly at Knichou’s mind, a demand that could not be denied. Knichou would have screamed in anguish, had he a voice to do so with. “Goodbye, light of mine. Glow somewhere else. I have no need for you.” The jaw of Mata-Nui's skull ceased moving, and the seas settled. Sidra moved around Knichou to stand before him. “That was a memory. That was today.”

What a shame... Maybe they should try getting a mech.

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Boarding Ramp Berys felt calmer as Captain Vella took control again. He didn't quite sigh, but it was nice to breathe without any focus on him after a run on sentence like that, because when a sentence goes on for so long eventually you start to run out of air and even if you're just reading it it really makes you want to stop and take a deep breath to refocus, like Berys just did. After Skyra's interruption, the pilot turned to Triage, puzzled. "Is she talking about some kind of medical thing?" Berys wasn't quite sure what he was hearing, or if what he thought he heard was even possible, depending on the reader's interpretation of protoderm biology and/or the canonicity of such details. While the pilot had long since figured Nale and Knichou would probably know more about this, if anyone was a subject matter expert it would obviously be the local doctor.

IC: Berys, Kini-Koro Braver than she thought? Berys didn't speak up to ask if that bravery comment was a compliment or a light jab. The pilot gave the Ga-Matoran a meek wave at her introduction. This must be the leader? Or perhaps just the bravest of those who were transformed, willing to speak up first. After the apocalypse, it wasn't that hard for any Matoran Berys met to feel familiar. Metru-Koro was sizeable enough to make it feel like society still functioned, but at it's heart there were so few survivors compared to the hustle and bustle of Metru-Nui that everyone felt like a neighbor. Even if Berys knew none of their names, the faces of all these Matoran that had been quarantined for so long reminded him of a simpler time. Whatever Triage had pulled off to cure them, it was well worth Knichou allowing the medic to take up residency in Ko-Pou for so long to assist in that investigation and their rehabilitation. “If this is an evacuation I’d say you need all the help you can get,” the Ga-Matoran continued. “Just give us some extra tools and point us at something broken.” Berys glanced behind him to see Niidak hard at work installing one of the levitation engines Knichou had built. Beneath him, Berys could feel the ship vibrate with the clangs of Kilo's regeneration Kanoka as the rear landing gear were installed. Looking back towards the assembled group of Matoran, Berys began to speak, with a tone and amount of pauses that clearly indicated just how unsure of himself he was. Berys was a pilot, not a leader, after all. Not a fighter either, or a fighter pilot. Everyone seemed to forget that, particularly Knichou whenever the commander was showing off. "Well, uh, we have our top people... and robots... on that already and we'll be fully fit to fly soon. The biggest thing you can help with might be... taking anything that we'd want salvaged from the outpost? If it's going to sink, best to not leave anything we could use behind. Otherwise, make yourselves comfortable until we, until we uh..." The pilot looked to Nale, unsure what the next step in her and Knichou's master plan was.

Zataka makes her own fate... (P.S. Great to have you back up to speed again!)

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Boarding Ramp The Le-Matoran beamed back at Triage, but suddenly turned to Nale with wide optics at her last statement. It felt rather... ominous, and the concerned expression on the pilot's face matched that severity. It might have been something more innocent and not worth mentioning, but the day's apocalyptic events still lingered over the Le-Matoran's mind. "What?" he interjected. "Landsinking or friend-seeing?"

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Boarding Ramp "Great," a relieved Berys said. "So... you're coming back? I guess everyone comes back for evacuation..."

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku Berys sighed, annoyed by Niidak's indignance. As she moved away to begin the work of replacing the units with relative ease, Berys did his best to get the last word. "Complain about you doing the most difficult repair work or complain about me not trusting a Vortixx to install a few engines... just don't complain about both at once. Pick a lane." He grumbled and began to stroll back towards the front of the airship. Knichou being unappreciative of Berys's work at times was something the former commercial pilot had grown used to, but on top of that, talkback from a stranger who hadn't been through the crucible of battle earlier that day really began to grate on his nerves. To be honest, Berys wasn't surprised that yet another straggler who found their way on this airship didn't even pretend to care about the proper safety checks of equipment, doing test runs, ensuring that hasty repairs were fully evaluated before a long voyage, et cetera. It was always "evacuate" this and "suicidal charge" that, nobody cared for proper flight check protocol anymore, and the last thing the risk-averse pilot wanted was more potential hazards to worry about. Plus, Berys really needed a break and fixing the main engine was not his idea of a good time. The matoran stopped his frustrated muttering a he approached Captain Vella and several more Toa. Triage was among them? The Bo-Toa doctor was always one of the pilot's favorite co-workers in his time on the Taku. There was a smile behind the dark green Kaukau as the pilot gave a wave. "Heya Triage, longtime!" he opened, a more natural and cheerful twang of chutespeak evident in his voice. "Ship scratched, but garden's not. Still water it." "Howgo matoran here? OOC: @Tarn

IC: Berys & Arnex, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Cargo Bay "Well aren't you perceptive," the Le-Matoran said, unamused. "I need to be double checking that everything you install is properly communicating with the bridge's computer system, and testing everything you install to make sure everything is nominal." Arnex, meanwhile had wandered off between the repair crew at the back of the ship and the visitors at the front. She began moving various crates around to create some seating for the incoming refugees.

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Cargo Bay "The boss man? Was on the bridge last time I checked," Arnex answered with a shrug. "Captain Vella is on the ramp meeting with other Toa, catching them up on the situation. Maybe you should tell all of them the good news." Berys, meanwhile, was focused on finishing welding a beam Knichou had created onto the airframe, to increase the strength of the place where the cargo bay doors used to be, when Kilo finished the job early with the application of a single regeneration kanoka. Knichou's new engines still needed to be installed, but the actual structural integrity of the rear of the airship was no longer in jeopardy, looking brand new. The Le-Matoran did a double take at the power level of that kanoka. "Hold on, that has to be mislabeled... that's not a great disk, is it?" The pilot's mind raced. "The hull and cargo bay doors are repaired... but we still need to install the rear landing gear and fix the engines," Berys turned to Niidak. "You look like you can do some wiring - get all three levitation engines installed -" he began, pointing in the direction of all three. One was nearby, the other on the opposite side of the ship, and one directly on the deck above them. "- and stocked with levitation and weight increase kanoka, and then fix one of our broken main engines on the upper deck with those spare parts." The matoran then gestured to Kilo. "This machine can carry the landing gear and use that disk to connect it to the underside of the airship. With that, we should one hundred percent back in shape. Who needs a drydock when you have a legendary kanoka and great disk? This could go by much faster than I thought." Berys looked to the longest-serving crew member among them. "Arnex, rearrange our supplies to make room for whoever is coming along in the evacuation, I have a feeling we'll need more space." The Onu-Matoran turned back to the pilot, nodded, and began to move out and get to work.

IC: Berys & Arnex, Ko-Pou, The Taku The two matoran were surprised by the sudden appearance of the Krahli and Toa, pausing their work on the repairs. They were relieved that everything must have gone well - while Skyra's safety may not have been their biggest concern, the riteborn's threat on their city had never left the back of their minds. After Niidak's protestation, Berys jumped in. "Don't worry about it Niidak - the Toa's with us. Plus, I think the repairs will go fine without Skyra's help."

Yeah I get the confusion given how the hafu statue used it. EDIT: Yeah, I don't have a problem with bunnying Arnex/Berys for the repairs, go for it.

IC: Knichou, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Bridge "Just rest a moment, Okuo and Triage are here. I'll go speak to them." "Rest here, Captain's orders, got it," Knichou chuckled with a sloppy salute to his equal. Soon after Nale let go of Knichou's shoulder, both of their armors began to shift back to their natural coloration in the places where it had been temporarily altered. The moment had passed once more. "Go get 'em, Muaka," he encouraged as she left the bridge. The Fe-Toa visibly paused. Did that sound too corny? Knichou looked to Berys. The Le-Matoran noticed the gesture and rolled his optics before he and Arnex left the bridge to assist Niidak in the repairs. Yeah, that definitely sounded strange. Maybe not the phrase itself being unheard of, but the Toa saying it? The slightly slurred delivery of an overworked mind? It all added up to make Knichou wish he had been hacking up his own guts like a minute before instead, that would have felt more natural in this dire hour for their ship, crew, and friends. Knichou sat in silent embarrassment. With Berys's departure, the commander was left alone on the bridge of the Taku once more. It was a familiar feeling, yet also alien, since while it had been the norm for so long, it was now spooky to not have his partner or crew by his side given the past month and a half's events. He could hear commotion in the other rooms, and if he wanted to, he could join in or observe Nale's meeting with Triage from the Taku's camera system, but the Nynran truly was exhausted. He slowly walked to his comfortable chair, double checking every step as he still felt uneasy from almost falling earlier. The ex-Ghost sat down and immediately slumped into the fabric. He knew Nale was right... but that didn't make his view wrong. Well, it was wrong but not wrong wrong, y'know? Sure, he didn't need to cross that line, he could have done it in smaller shifts, or made less after taking stock of what parts needed replacing instead of replacing entire components... He could have, but he didn't. That's what he still thought - nay, wished - a real Toa-with-a-capital-T would do: go above and beyond their limits for the sake of protecting the Matoran. After all, that's what Datrox did, wasn't it? From the standpoint of the war, of the guard, of his own life, did it make sense for Datrox to do what he had? By any calculable metric, Datrox was a tactical imbecile for letting himself get in such a compromising situation and refraining to fight back. Did the matoran remember him that way? Did Knichou think of him that way? Did Nale think of him that way? Did that make Datrox any less of a hero? Of course not. On the contrary, it was what made him less of a villain. From everything Nale told Knichou about Datrox beforehand, there was no hope for him. A murderer, breaking the Toa code and Nale's heart. Taking the easy path at the cost of the lives of others and the dignity of himself. There was a lot about that Toa that Knichou couldn't relate to, but what worried him were the components that were similar. Knichou may not have killed (Well, we don't talk about that one unfortunate victim) but Knichou had certainly enabled murder, no matter how many excuses the engineer had developed over the years to distance himself and his guild from the deeds committed with their products. How many had been slain by the weapons he had contributed to? If Knichou had only created one percent of one of the Ghost's weapons, and that design smote thousands over it's service to any and all bidders, how many of those bodies would Knichou's soul have to answer in Artakha, the Red Star, or whatever other afterlife one believed in? Knichou had grown to recognize that he had been selfish instead of selfless, hoarding knowledge instead of sharing. Were those not just Knichou expressing different symptoms to the same core flaws that lead Datrox down his dark path? That was one of many worries the Nynran had. Knichou wanted to learn from the Ta-Toa's mistakes, not become another cautionary tale. Easier said than done, but Knichou tried with all his might. That was why Knichou drove himself to the point of exhaustion countless times to prepare to defend Kini-Koro, and did the same once again now. There was always more to do to prepare. Knichou knew that his work was not done, despite his partner's orders. While the Taku would be ready for the evacuation now that Niidak had all the parts she needed, there was another matter that Knichou needed to prepare for: Aurax. Knichou needed to make sure Nale was ready for their meeting with the freshman barraki. If the Fe-Toa was honest, part of him also wanted her to be looking as stunning as Knichou knew she was. One more jab at his old nemesis, that the colleague Aurax had betrayed had grown to love and be loved, instead of doubling down on the selfish ways of his flawed ancestors as that traitor had. The engineer knew his magnum opus by heart, and conjuring the adaptive armor was easier than what he had summoned minutes before. Despite it's increased complexity, Knichou knew it better, having prepared for weeks to perfect its materialization with his kanohi, and even modify it in some ways that were not yet apparent. Knichou opened his eyes and his hands was a heavy slab of metal, an impractically thick chestplate that looked more like a buck for a mold, or some kind of suitcase, than any piece of armor anyone would ever be able to wear. Knichou rested the compressed slab on his lap then closed his eyes and imagined the next steps to make his beloved the best set of armor he had ever made. Knichou had already made the best set of armor in the matoran universe before, but he knew that he had learned so much since then, from Nale and others. He was sure that he could make the best set of armor in this new universe. Nale would need to continue to have mobility, and she already had an assortment of weaponry, but it was all rather low-tech. There were so many forms of projectiles - from simple slug throwers to advanced energy directors - that could prepare Nale for any encounter. The Fe-Toa leaned back in his seat as his mind raced through the dozens of alternate prototype designs that he had been feverishly creating over the past month. Oh yes - and the Ghostblaster! Should the shoulder mount be a cordak blazter or perhapz a zamor launcher? zzzamor spherezz have ammo zwappa- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

IC: Knichou, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Bridge The Nynran panted as he struggled to reacquire his balance and stand on his own two legs again, determined to not be another burden for his partner to carry. His head made a shivering nod in the captain's direction, not that gestures were needed to show his gratefulness to her. While this incident continued, his armor shifted in distribution, thinning out near the top as nanites flowed to the bottom to lower his center of gravity to aid his poor balance. Nale's hand passed through the ex-Ghost's armor with no resistance to massage to the smooth dermis underneath, with the navy liquid metal of her gauntlet diffusing throughout Knichou's metallic grey cuirass like clouds of ink in water. Her motions were repeated by the armor itself, each move rippling throughout every layer of the adaptive armor plating like waves formed when one serenely swims in a pond. The solid streaks of white in parts of Knichou's armor warped and twisted like lines of foam along the massing deep blue waves as Nale's soothing presence was spontaneously echoed by the instinctual bonds their armor shared with both Toa within its deep layer protocols. "I can... am... can... handle... yes..." the commander mumbled as he now was standing under his own power. He swallowed with a gulp to clear his internals from the uncomforting feeling that lingered after his sudden coughing fit, and shook his head quickly for a moment like a hapaka shaking off water. When he felt her touch leave, Knichou looked to his partner. Gazes locked. Apertures widened. Worry. Love. Calm. Words were unnecessary. They would soldier on. As they always had. For everyone counting on them whether they knew it or not. They would do it together, as they had in the most recent times of the long journeys. They would soldier on, but they were stronger. For everyone, yes, but now also for each other. Heroism was a valuable trait, but love was another type of highly motivating drug. Optics broke contact. The brief moment of calm had passed, yet another silent victory of the captain. Knichou was here. His mind was no longer lost in the sea of designs. The job was done. The new job was to rest. Knichou could do that. Nale reinforced that limit, as she had in the past when he worked on Kini-Koro and the Taku well into the night, far past the point of any efficiency. Sometimes he needed that nudge to take a back seat from his work, and Nale was an expert in knowing when and how to provide that reminder. "It's a lot... but we need it quick... they need it quick," the ex-Ghost self-exonerated, with an arm sweeping out in a motion towards the settlement out the front window. The movement lacked finesse and control - the arm swung limply, propelled by inertia and not precise coordination. It almost threw him off balance again, but Knichou stabilized himself before Nale could try to catch him again. "That much at once after this long a day is more draining than usual, but don't worry... I'll still have enough juice for your special order," the still-slightly-delirious Toa continued, tapping his kanohi. "I'll be back up and running at nominal levels in no time, I swear..." "I know I should have paced myself, but we both know these people need help now."

@Daniel the Finlander, I'm pretty sure a Miru only lets the wearer levitate, not actually levitate other objects. That's stuff a mask of telekinesis can do.