BZPB: Future

<Vizima>

Icarax sat up on the ground, trying to see if he recognised his attackers. One of them seemed familiar somehow, but without an eye, trying to tell was so much more difficult.

His train of thought was interrupted by Blackout lifting him off the ground and hurling him into some trees. "Are you okay, Knight?" he said to Vraice.


"Yes, of course." Praxter said. "Let's get him back to the camp." He carefully lifted Carter and slung him over his shoulder.

-----

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

The shuttle was suddenly spat out through another space bridge. They had arrived at Teruga Prime.

A warship flew by, and scanned the ship. Upon noting the emblem of the Malchiorian Foreign Office on the hull, the captain hailed them. "State your intent."

-----

<User HQ>

Smiling, Charvak headed for the exit. "Wait! Are you just gonna leave me here, like this?" the Architect said. "I'm an old man. You know what that means. Arthritis, back pain....."

"I'm sorry, but I can't release you yet. I have matters to discuss, paperwork to file."

-----

<Orbit of Slizeros>

*Stollercon waved his arms around mysteriously*

Stollercon: "We are messengers from the gods. Let us pass. We must bring our message to your people if they want to survive."

---

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Slightly injured, disoriented. I'll live. What about you? What was that thing?"

*Lily followed Praxter intently*

---

<Shuttle to Teruga Prime>

*Klak motioned to the pilot, letting him know to allow the Makuta to speak*

*He walked up to the nearest comm-link*

Klak: We are here for diplomatic business, if you understand what I am implying. I'm sure your superiors notified you of Operation Quadron X.

<Vizima>

"No idea, mate." Jimmy said, rifle still trained on the bushes. Icarax suddenly stood up, and Blackout and Jimmy immediately aimed their weapons on the warrior.

"We have you surrounded." Blackout said. "We can rip you apart, and if we don't, there are a hundred others who will."

Icarax didn't respond in time, which was a fatal mistake. Blackout and Jimmy immediately opened fire, tearing his armour to shreds with volleys of laser blasts.



Praxter and Lily arrived at the edge of the camp. Several guards immediately blocked their path, in case they were enemy soldiers. "Out of the way, out of the way!" Praxter cried, as he ran towards the medic's tent. The guards, upon recognising their leader, moved aside to let him and Lily through.

-----

<Near Teruga Prime>

"Quadron X? What is this?" the captain said. "No one told me about any operation. But, seeing as you have diplomatic credentials, I'm allowing you to enter our airspace. Under escort. Lock course to ours and do not deviate." The captain closed the channel, which was a rude but effective way of saying that the conversation was over. The warship headed for a large space station in orbit of Teruga Prime.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

Praepositus awoke lying on the ground on a dirty back street. Only a second ago, he was at the Wayland space port, when something had exploded right in front of him. He should be dead.....shouldn't he?

Instinctively, he checked his belt to make sure his weapon was still there. It was. In fact, he had everything, including all his limbs. He certainly didn't feel like someone who'd just survived a bombing.

He looked up at the sky, and immediately realised one thing. There were three moons in the night sky, rather than Wayland's one. He wasn't on Wayland anymore. What kind of bomb can blow you all the way to another planet, he wondered. He then turned his attention to the inhabitants, who were also unlike those of Wayland. They were still humanoid, but also cyclopean.

Shaking his head, he half-walked, half-stumbled into the nearest bar. This was too much to take in. He needed to take a minute to recover.

And, on the far end of the street, a completely bald man wearing a black suit and a fedora observed with quiet satisfaction.

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Is....Is it dead?"

*Lily motioned for the medic to approach them*

---

<Near Teruga Prime>

*Klak shape shifted into a young Terugan man*

Klak: We will lose the escorts after your diplomatic session, Raul. If things go south, make your way to the ship. I'll join you after.

*Klak's colour changed to that of the wall behind him, blending in. For all intents and purposes, he was never there.*

<Vizima>

As if to answer Vraice's question, the smoke cleared, revealing a wisp of antidermis floating where Icarax stood.

"It's a Makuta." Jimmy hissed. He reloaded his rifle, replacing the burnt-out power cell, and prepared to fire, when Blackout blocked his aim. "No! We should take him for interrogation."


A nurse approached them, and took Carter off Praxter's shoulder. He carried him to the medical tent, where a medic was already waiting.

-----

<Near Teruga Prime>

The shuttle docked with the space station, which had the appearance of a giant grey mushroom. The hatch opened, and three Terugan Elites stepped in. Raul showed them his diplomatic passport.

"I'm a Malchiorian diplomat. I have to see the President." he said.

"The President?" one of the Elites laughed. "You have some nerve. But that looks real. Come on. We'll take you to the Spire, and you can figure out your way from there."

-----

<Teruga Prime>

The bar Praepositus had entered was a dirty one, almost empty. It reminded him of home. There wasn't a Terugan in sight, just a Skrall here and a weird purple guy there. Behind the bar, a blue boxy robot stood idly, as if waiting for an order. Praepositus wasn't going to leave him waiting.

"One beer, please. They have beer on this planet, right?" he said. The robot sprung into action, and poured him a nice looking pint.

"Mate, where'd you come from?" the Skrall said. His voice surprised Praepositus. He sounded like an elder on his deathbed, yet he seemed quite youthful, even if it was hard to tell with aliens.

"Ailyb-Gypte." There wasn't much point lying. It wasn't likely any of them were HYDRA.

"Damn, how many have you had already?" The purple one decided to join in. "Ailyb's sealed off. Some sorta epidemic. Has been for six months."

Praepositus sighed. Something was terribly wrong here. How long had he been out after that explosion?

-----

<Vizima>

*Vraice nodded at what the human said*

Vriace: "Exactly. He might be one of F-Klak's spies."

*Lily silently watched as Carter was taken away to the medic*

*Carter inched towards consciousness, seeing a blurry white figure chattering about his wounds.*

---

<Near Teruga Prime>

*The invisible Klak flew out of the ship, and silently followed Raul.*

---

OOS: Waiting on Stoller-KoN

<Vizima>

"Eh, shame. This is a new rifle, you know? I wanted to test it out a bit more." Jimmy said. Instead, he started digging around in his backpack, and returned with a silver thermos. He opened it, and Icarax's antidermis was immediately sucked into it. Blackout felt something tugging at his antidermis, but had a much easier time resisting, since he had a shell.

"It's not perfect, but it'll do until we get back to camp." Jimmy said.

"Make sure you don't get it mixed up with your whisky." Blackout fired back.

-----

<Space station over Teruga Prime>

Raul was led to a round door, which seemed to lead right into the cold vacuum of space. To his extreme surprise, he was still alive. Across, he could see a tall silver spire, which stretched from the surface and past the edge of the atmosphere. He figured it had to be the Spire the Elites had mentioned.

Upon further examination, he'd realised that the station and the Spire were connected by a chute of sorts, which was protected from the void by a force field.

"Come on. I know it's not traditional but it's quick. You can ponder on it later." the Elite from earlier said.

Raul reluctantly stepped in, 'encouraged' by the heavy rifle in the Elite's hands. The second both his feet had passed the edge of the chute, he was sucked in, and essentially fired in the direction of the Spire. The speed with which this had happened didn't allow him any opportunity to think about what might happen if the force field suddenly failed while he was halfway through, or if such a thing had already happened, which was probably for the best.

-----

<Bar on Teruga Prime>

"You alright, mate?" The purple being walked over to Praepositus, and put his hand on his shoulder. "You lost?"

"Well, kinda. I just remember being on a completely different planet, and then a bomb went off.....and next thing I knew I was on this planet." Praepositus replied. "I have no idea how I got here or how long I've been out. I've just got this vague inkling, like I need to do something, or kill someone....."

"Well, you're certainly equipped to do that." he said, glancing down at his gun.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Me? I'm Barnax. You?"

"Praepositus. Nice to meet you, Barnax. Say, I've just remembered a thing. You don't know a Klak, do you?"

Barnax was taken aback. He'd just gotten friendly with an assassin out to kill his master.....or the Malchiorian clone. He had no idea which.

"Guess not, then." Praepositus said, interpreting his silence as a denial. "I guess it was a long shot. Thank you." He turned, and left the bar. He hadn't paid for his drink, but both Barnax and Evelin were too surprised to do anything about it.

"Call Mirage. Now." Evelin muttered. "That ain't good."

OOS: Waiting on Spark for Ynot

[Jaxidak's Ship]

Leahf sighs, with an air of familiarity to this, "I figured. Had a couple of those back on the force. Don't mind myself, S'long as they keep what's private to themselves. We Ent have a particular affinity for detecting those with higher senses. They tend to glow slightly." Shifting in his chair slightly, resting one leg on top of the other, bark scraping a bit, he changes the subject, "So how far out are we?"

<Jaxidak's ship/The Heliospear>

*Jaxidak turns to Aeoh*

Aeoh: Closer now, yessss.

*The ship's hyperspeed engines switch off. Looking out of the window, the crew finds themselves above a purplish dwarf planet. Jaxidak flips some switches, and they descend into its atmosphere. A few minutes later, as they near the ground, they notice that most of it not solid at all - in fact the majority of the surface looks like jelly. Jaxidak types something into the control panel*

Jaxidak: Well, the air's breathable to us so it should be fine. We'll have to scan fer solid ground to land on, though... preferably near our target. What the hell would 'e be doin' here anyway? Aeoh, you sure about this?

Aeoh: Close he is, so close now.

*Eventually, they land the ship on a patch of solid ground which is mostly made of giant clumps of purple moss. They get out, and Aeoh leads them north. As they journey, they are being observed by several sets of eyes belonging to heads that are sticking out of some of the jelly-like substance behind them*

--------------------------------------

<Orbit of Slizeros>

*The silver Slizer with red markings, named Sizzler, is taken aback. His demeanour suddenly turns from confident and authoritative to afraid*

Sizzler: The gods? They have not touched our people for eons!

*He grabs his faceplate and pushes it up, revealing his natural organic face. He then puts it down again and seals it so that he can breathe*

Sizzler: You don't look like the gods. You're not small and purple, with wicked teeth. The Watchmen do not play games with foreigners.

*He forms an energy disk in his hand, and the others do the same*

<Orbit of Slizeros>

Stollercon: "*His voice and visage changed. He seemed vexed* HOW DARE YOU?! I AM THE GREAT GHOST!!! YOU TEST A MESSENGER OF THE GODS!"

*He silently hacked into some of the systems of the Slizzerans. A few lights went off. The hologram of Stollercon materialized in front of the Slizzerans, but this time, he wore a style armour beyond the wildest Slider dreams*

Stollercon: "Let us pass, or damn your planet for an eternity."

---

<Vizima>

Vraice: "What he said. If there's anything Jimmy likes, it's whiskey."

---

<Near Teruga Prime>

*Klak shape shifted into a visible Terugan soldier, and was jettisoned through the bridge force-field apparatus.*

<Vizima>

Blackout, Jimmy, and (presumably) Vraice arrived at the camp, Jimmy holding the thermos high above his head. "We got him!" he yelled, as a small group of Knights gathered around him. "We got the little tard."

He pushed past the adoring mob, and entered another tent.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest, Teruga Prime>

As Raul approached the Spire, he could feel himself slowing down, until finally he was brought to a complete stop at the edge of the chute. He stepped out, and immediately collapsed, breathing heavily. Next to him, an Elite laughed. "You get used to it, dude."

"I'd.....rather not." Raul replied, slowly picking himself up. "Who do I talk to about meeting the President?" He held up his diplomatic credentials.

"You don't have an appointment? My oh my, something big's going down." the Elite smiled. "There's a receptionist on the floor below. Talk to her."

-----

<Teruga Prime, outside Barnax's bar>

Praepositus stepped out of the bar, and was about to walk away in whichever direction seemed most likely to lead anywhere, when someone shouted at him from behind.

"You. Stop there."

He was a hooded man, wearing purple robes with an intricate golden pattern on them. The pattern seemed to glow slightly, but Praepositus was sure it was just a trick of the light.

"You seek a Klak." he said. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

With that, the man drew a sword, and approached Praepositus menacingly. The warrior panicked, and drew his gun. He pulled the trigger eight times in total. Mirage fell to the ground, bleeding out. Praepositus fled into the dark streets, before any more wannabe assassins showed up.

-----

OOS: DUN DUN DUN!

-----

<Orbit of Slizeros>

Sizzler: Fine! If you so desire to bring damnation upon our world, you may gaze upon the chaos and destruction that already exists upon it yourself!

*He turns to face the planet which sits inside its gigantic artificial atmospheric shell. From here, it appears to be as it has always been; a colourful world split up into eight different elemental continents. With one concentrated swing, he throws the recently conjured energy disk towards the atmosphere. It soars towards the planet solidly for a few moments, after which it bursts into yellow flame, followed by an explosion. It turns out that it had hit and destroyed a square piece of machinery fastened to the shell, and with the destruction of this machine, the whole face of the planet changed before their eyes. The atmospheric shell was revealed to be nothing more than millions of screens, which together displayed an image of the world as it was hundreds of thousands of years ago. One by one the screens disconnected from the rest and floated away into space, peeling back to reveal the current state of the world. Its eight bright colours had been replaced with only a few dark ones, with hundreds of lights flickering across its surface at any given time, presumably explosions. The Slizer annex at the North Pole had been damaged beyond recognition*

Sizzler: Father forgive me...

*He turns back to Stollercon*

Sizzler: Enter at your peril, would-be-god, through our annex at the North Pole. Anywhere else and you'll be shot down, though I cannot guarantee your arrival will not be met with resistance. Now begone.

*He waves a hand as if to shoo them away*

---------------------

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for the Leahf/Jaxidak plot

<Vizima>

*Vraice entered with Jimmy*

Vraice: "How do you interrogate mist, exactly?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest, Teruga Prime>

*A soldier approached the Terugan Elite, and rolled his eye*

Klak, disguised as the soldier: Humans, am I right? You always have to hold their hand for everything.

---

<Orbit of Slizeros>

*Stollercon gets back into Kakamu's spacecraft*

Stollercon: "Hey, it worked!"

*The spacecraft made its way to the planet below*

<Vizima>

Inside the tent, in front of them, stood a tall glass tube surrounded by machinery. Jimmy opened the tube, and released the contents of the thermos into it. Before Icarax could escape, Jimmy re-sealed the tube.

"That's what all the machines are for." Jimmy said. He walked around the tube to the computer console connected to it, and typed a question into it. Before long, an answer appeared on the screen.

"What'd you ask him?" Blackout asked.

"His name. Icarax. Either of you heard of him?"

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

The Elite suddenly frowned. "I puked the first time I tried that. Can't blame him."


Raul walked down the stairs, and arrived at the next floor. A receptionist sat behind a desk, idly painting her nails. Upon seeing Raul, she immediately leapt up from her chair, so glad was she to receive contact from the outside world besides passing Elites.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I want to talk to President Vea." Raul replied, showing his diplomatic credentials.

"Certainly, sir. To the elevator."

-----

<Teruga Prime, outside the bar>

Evelin stepped out of the bar, only to find a bleeding Mirage and a fleeing Praepositus. He looked over Mirage, realised he had to be dead, and ran in Praepositus' direction instead. "Hey! You didn't even pay!"

While Evelin wasn't looking, something began to happen to Mirage's corpse. The golden pattern on his cloak glowed more strongly than before, and suddenly, his whole body burst into flames. The assassin's fists clenched, and he began to rise.

"No matter, Evelin....." he said, in a strangely distorted voice.

The Skrall turned to see a perfectly fine Mirage waving his fist in front of him. The fire had now almost gone out, leaving just a few burning spots on his cloak that soon went out.

"That was a cheap shot. He won't be so lucky next time." Mirage said, his voice back to normal. Evelin gasped, and promptly fainted.

-----

OOS: DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!

<Orbit of Slizeros>

Kakamu: Looks like it!

Guided by Stollercon, the ship sails through the atmosphere. As they get closer to the surface, the sounds of warfare become ever more noticeable. On their way to the north pole, they soar over many of its ruined cities and burning forests. Kakamu peers over the side of the ship to take a look for himself, and sure enough, he sees Slizers of every colour fighting to the death against each other, and ferocious creatures made of the elements themselves. Some of the Slizers ride machines of war not dissimilar to the flying motorbike he is mounted on now, and he observes other Slizers mentally combine with others of the same colour to form giant robotic warriors capable of combating the bigger threats. While the ship continues on its way, Kakamu unintentionally uses his power of far-sight to focus on one of the elemental monsters that is being desperately fought against by a squad of green Slizers armed with vibro-swords. By now the scene must be hundreds of miles behind him, but he could still see it clear as if it was taking place right in front of him.

Kakamu: That creature... a man made of ice... seems familiar...

Suddenly, a new bunch of memories tear away from his unconscious and imprint themselves on his waking mind. These new memories are images of the Element Lords of Spherus Magna, in conference around a table. A Kestora was present, though standing, not seated. The Kestora looks at Kakamu, and speaks in an alien language. Kakamu looks down at himself and finds that, in horror, he is small and wears purple skin with silver claws. Stollercon snaps him out of the vision with a jolt, and Kakamu leans upright.

Kakamu: I have memories of a Kestora in here... why?

Eventually, the bike reaches its destination, an arched entrance to an ancient metal building protected by a slightly damaged and ill-fitting door. Kakamu is about to blast his way through to the complex, but turns around and spots several motorbikes racing towards his location. He glances back and forth from the door to the motorbikes.

Kakamu: Collerston, what should we do?

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Sounds familiar. Maybe something I read in a history book once, I don't know."

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak, as the Terugan soldier, laughed*

Klak: I didn't!

*Klak's eyes widened, and he stepped away for a moment to a nearby trash can. While the Elite was not looking, he vomited.*

---

<Orbit of Slizeros>

Stollercon: "GAH! Aren't you a Makuta? F-fight them!"

*Stollercon panics as he tries hacking into the other motorbikes*

<North Pole of Slizeros>

Stollercon's hacking attempts seem to have worked on at least one of the bikes, as it loses its grip on the terrain and spins out of control. It crashes against a rock jutting out of the ground, throwing its occupant high over Kakamu's head. The driver collides with the outer wall of the annex behind them head-first. The impact crushes the front of his robotic head completely, which causes a vaguely green liquid to drip out of the gaps in his visor once the corpse drops to the ground. He does not get up.

Kakamu is still torn about what choice to make, and this is made obvious with his body language, as he looks back and forth between the other two motorbikes and the entrance to the annex every few seconds. Eventually, he decides on the door. Summoning some of the stored energy within his body, he blasts the metal door with several consecutive bolts of chain lightning. They damage it further, and one of its hinges breaks loose. He is about to finish and enter the annex when something shines in the corner of his vision and catches his eye. Facing the glimmer out of sheer curiosity, he finds it is the reflection of the planet's sun against the metal visor of another dead Slizer.

But wait... this is no ordinary Slizer. Its head is of a similar construction to the others, yes, but the being's body is similar to the motorbike that was quickly approaching him and his AI friend just moments ago. No. It IS the motorbike. A motorbike with a head attached to its front. Kakamu approaches the bike with caution as the horror slowly starts to set in. He lifts up its visor to confirm his suspicions, and sure enough, there is a face underneath it. A blue, muscled face with a gash in it, leaking alien blood. Its eyes meet Kakamu's, and for its final moments, it makes a connection with him. A tear runs down its face and its eyes close for the last time. Kakamu rises to his feet, barely containing the reawakened rage within him and the urge to dispose of the other two bikers in equally gruesome ways - but it's not their fault. The Slizers, while walking around in incredibly technologically advanced bodies, are not capable of performing biomechanical surgery of this nature. The bikes they ride must be discarded experiments of the Kestora - just another monstrosity to add to their already impressive list of crimes.

Without a second thought, he summons a whirlwind out of thin air to suck the bikes away. He commands the whirlwind to carry them several miles away and drop them in a ditch somewhere.

"Stollercon, it's time to finish this. Follow me." Kakamu mutters as he kicks down the door of the annex, lighting his hand with fire to illuminate the dark corridor ahead.

<Vizima>

"Never heard of him." Blackout lied. Of course he knew. He'd had him killed a hundred millennia ago. He shouldn't be here, but somehow, he'd survived. But why wait so long just to get revenge? Or did he have another motivation?

"Ask him why he's here."

Jimmy happily complied, and soon got a response.

"BLACKOUT IS ALSO HERE." the answer read.

Just then, Praxter entered the tent. "What's going on? Did you get him?"

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

Raul didn't quite believe what was happening around him. He was in the Spire of Conquest, talking to the President of Teruga.

Well, 'talking' was a stretch. He barely got a word out before Vea had laughed at him, and proceeded to give him a speech about how the Malchiorians and Xindi had antagonised them for years, and oppressed the poor population of Akalo. Once she was finished, she all but told him to get out.

After leaving the conference room, he sat down on the bench nearby and put his head in his hands, laughing hysterically.

-----

<Teruga Prime, outside the bar>

Barnax woke up to find Mirage still standing over him. He screamed, and started backing away from him, only to be telekinetically lifted into the air.

"Listen, now. I should kill you, to make sure you can't tell anyone. But, well, I like you. So I won't do that. But if I find out you told a single person what happened here, I won't be so forgiving. Is that clear?"

The terrified Barnax nodded, and Mirage released him, letting him drop to the ground.

"He won't get away next time." the assassin sneered.

-----

<North Pole of Slizeros>

*Stollercon nodded, and went into his "walking" form. He followed Kakamu intently.*

---

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Jimmy's interrogating him. Our assailant is a Makuta named Icarax. Sound familiar? Maybe someone Praxter knew?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Raul suddenly heard Klak's voice near him*

Klak: I see things did not go well. Wonderful.

*Klak made his way to Vea's office. He was completely invisible.*

*He slipped in through the door, and stood in front of the desk. He reverted back to the form Raul met him in.*

Klak: President Vea, I presume?

<Slizer annex interior, North Pole of Slizeros>

Kakamu pauses to look over his shoulder, checking that his holographic ally was still taking part in his quest into the unknown. Affirming that Stollercon was close behind, Kakamu strides into the darkness ahead, piercing it with a ray of light emanating from the tip of his index finger. Now, the two have a clear view of the corridor ahead; it was concrete-built with many metal pipes running across the walls in various patterns. After walking straight for several minutes, they finally come to an intersection. There is absolutely no way to tell which corridor leads to the data storage room... in fact, the only possible directional sign in view is a white sign stuck to the wall on the north entrance. It is written in the Slizer language, which Kakamu believes to be the same as the one the Kestora spoke. After all, they built this annex and used it to store backup copies of many of their creations' minds in case they were driven insane by suddenly waking up in biomechanical bodies.

Kakamu throws his arms up in the air in frustration, and then brings them back down to cover his face. The annex covers the whole of the north pole of the planet, spanning thousands of miles, with a layout that offers no directions. The datacenter could be anywhere here... and even if he found it, who knows how long he could spend looking for the right file? After all, when he was created, he was one of many thousands of Matoran.

Just as he was about to give up hope, the ancient chrome warrior spots something on the floor of the east corridor, just out of the corner of his vision. Turning on the spot to face it, he approaches the corridor entrance and kneels down to examine the object. It's another Slizer head, covered in dust. Turning it over in his gunmetal hands, he inspects the severed neck. To him, it appears as though it was a completely clean cut, as if someone had decapitated this poor Slizer just with one swing of a blade.

"Stollercon, I think we might have found the way." Kakamu called over to his holographic friend, and motioned for him to follow. Kakamu gets to his feet and walks further down the corridor, nearly tripping over a headless corpse on the way. He proceeds further down, passing another corpse but stopping at the third. The third corpse, while being the same height as your average Slizer, is completely organic with wrinkled purple skin. The Kestora was slumped against the wall with a very familiar crescent blade lodged in its abdomen. Kakamu pulls it out, recognizing it instantly and dropping it in horror.

"Oh no. No no no, not you too!" The ancient shouts, taking off down the corridor. Sprinting along it, he turns into a room only a few hundred yards from the Kestora corpse and illuminates it with light energy, now pouring from every part of his body. His worst fear is confirmed as he kneels down beside the fourth and last corpse he would see today... and this one had four arms.

Stollercon catches up to him, and pokes his holographic head around the doorway into the room. Before he can say anything, he recognizes the corpse and bows his head to let Kakamu pay his respects to a very old friend. A few minutes pass, and Kakamu finally summons the will to pick up the stone tablet in one of the corpse's hands.

<Vizima>

"No, I haven't heard of him." Praxter said.

Just then, Jimmy raised his head from the screen. He was pale as a sheet of paper. "He says Blackout is here."

Praxter looked at Blackout/Benjamin, then at Jimmy. "What?! Tell him he's wrong."

Jimmy did, and soon received a response. "MY SPY SAYS OTHERWISE. HIS SHIP IS IN THIS SYSTEM."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

Vea jumped in her chair, and dropped her cup of tea. Thankfully, it was caught in the saucer's anti-gravity field, and hovered above the table gracefully, letting only a few drops still. "Nokaija! How'd you get in here?" she yelled. "Guards! Guards!"

A trap door in the ceiling swung open, and an Elite jumped in, aiming his gun at Klak's neck. "Don't move." he hissed.

-----

<The streets of Teruga Prime>

Praepositus finally dared to look back. No one seemed to be chasing him. More images kept flashing in front of his eyes. A barren wasteland, Blackout's face, and, for some reason, a fedora hat. He immediately decided it was a bad idea to stay where he was. He certainly wasn't going to find out what he was doing here, or kill Klak like the voice in his head was telling him if that swordsman's friends got him first.

Without thinking too much, he jumped into a nearby truck just as the tailgate closed. He climbed into an empty crate, and prepared for a long drive.

-----

<Slizer annex interior, North Pole of Slizeros>

*Stollercon silently raised his arms, and began typing on a holographic screen that appeared in front*

Stollercon: "Accessing computer data. Codes 2800-2899."

*The screen showed multiple "folders". Stollercon tapped his chin, and selected the one labelled "2805".*

Stollercon: "Found you."

---

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Praxter, do we double up on defenses or something? Are we under some sort of Makuta invasion? Is it F-Klak?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Oh, I won't.

*The guard began to feel pressure on his shoulders, as if a large invisible weights were being dropped on him.*

Klak: Put the gun down.

<Slizer annex interior, North Pole of Slizeros>

"Excellent. I'll start up the data transfer machine in a second."

Holding the fragile stone tablet in his hands, Kakamu blows the dust off it and examines the language. The writing is in ancient Matoran instead of the multiversal common-speak, so few but Kakamu could read it... though that was probably Mocax's intention.

"Well there wouldn't be much point reading it now, I wouldn't remember it anyway... the machine first, it is."

He walks over to the cube-shaped data transfer machine next to Stollercon's holographic interface. He brushes the dust off that too, revealing a large sticker on the top which reads "One-Way Permanent Transfer System". Kakamu shrugs and takes the top panel off of it, peering inside and wondering how to start it up. After flicking a few switches and linking a few wires, he thinks he has it figured out. Finally, he takes from the box a bowl-shaped apparatus connected to it by a long tube, and puts it over his head. Kakamu feeds the machine a jolt of energy and turns to Stollercon.

"Alright, Stolly... let's blow this popsicle stand."

Without further ado, Kakamu's holographic friend links the data archives with the OWPTM and the machine comes to life. A ridiculously large amount of data is streamed from the file directly into Kakamu's biometal form, which interprets the data without error and incorporates it into his consciousness. The colour of his eyes flashes through every colour of the spectrum, and instantly his form becomes less blurred and more defined. A minute passes and the machine turns off as Stollercon's interface receives a system message which says "Download complete". The chrome champion rises from his seat and stumbles across the room, rubbing his head. With the voice of the same old man, but this time tethered to reality, he speaks his first words since losing his sanity all those years ago.

"Oh man... I have a terrible headache."

He looks back to Mocax's body and the same air of sadness surrounds him again. Although he'd gotten all his memories back, he decided to wait a while to read his old companion's final goodbyes. There is still much to be done, and many mysteries to be solved... one of which was the mystery of his new companion. Kakamu approached Stollercon not angrily, but rather curious.

"Stollercon. You are obviously an ally, and I can't thank you enough for getting me here. But now that I'm back to my... usual self, the most obvious question no longer evades my mind. Who sent you to help me? It can't have been Telemecus, as he wanted to come with me himself... can't have been my son, because news has it that he's passed away... so care to explain?"

<Vizima>

"He's here looking for Blackout." Blackout said. "That means he has reason to believe Blackout is here. And that means someone here is feeding him information. Or disinformation."

"He said the spy is on Blackout's ship, though." Jimmy replied. "Praxter, I think we should send a scout ship. We can't risk him being right."

Praxter waved a hand. "Do that." He left the tent, soon followed by Blackout, and entered Praxter's personal tent instead.

"Explain yourself." the Toa hissed.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

The Elite did his best to stay on his feet and keep the gun firmly pressed to Klak's neck, but promptly collapsed. The gun slid across the floor, to Vea's feet.

"So tell me why I shouldn't call more guards." the President said, her voice unspeakably soft.

<Slizer annex interior, North Pole of Slizeros>

Stollercon: "Well, I-I....w-well...see, it's a long story! But enough of that, are there Slizers coming? We have to run!"

*He floated towards the door*

---

<Vizima>

Vraice: "I'd go, but space is not my thing. Who do we send, Jimmy? And how do we know we can trust this Makuta?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Because I am incredibly fast. Tell me, President Vea, what has been motivating you to do all of this?

<Slizer annex interior, North Pole of Slizeros>

*Kakamu frowns*

Kakamu: I'll take your word for it. After all, you probably couldn't harm me if you tried.

*He looks out of the room and sure enough, two purple Slizers are coming at them from the other end of the corridor. He forms a forcefield around the doorway, which deflects their energy disks back at them*

Kakamu: We need to get back to the ship! Follow my lead!

*He walks towards the forcefield and it moved forward with him. Eventually it expands to hit the first Slizer, short-circuiting it. Kakamu dissipates the forcefield and grabs the second Slizer's arm as it comes down on him. It forms an energy disk but Kakamu pushes its hand into its face, instantly destroying half of it. As the corpse falla to the ground, Kakamu takes off towards the annex entrance/exit, and motions for Stollercon to follow. Upon emerging into the outside world once again, they find that the bike-ship is surrounded by more Slizers. Sighing, he teleports behind each one, disappearing and reappearing until none remain. He motions for Stollercon to get on the ship*

Kakamu: I thank you for your help but... I won't be taking the ship. It can't get to where I need to go now in time, and I can't exactly teleport you with me, you're not even a solid entity. The ship is yours, and I extend my gratitude to your master. If you wish to meet with me again, you can follow the co-ordinates I'm about to give you.

*He enters the co-ordinates to the Sabre on the ship, and stands back. He gives Stollercon a salute as he reactivates his teleportation powers*

Kakamu: It's time I got back in the world.

*He disappears in a flash of blue light*

--------------

<The Sabre>

*Kakamu appears on the bridge following the same flash, and turns to a random crewmember*

Kakamu: Blackout! Where is he?!

<Vizima>

"I thought those things had fixed crews? Go talk to Merax, he's in charge of the rosters." Jimmy said. "And of course we can't trust him. But we can't afford not to."


"So." Praxter said, arms crossed. "Who's Icarax?"

"He's an old rival of mine. Really old. From a hundred and fifty thousand years ago. I thought he was dead." Blackout replied. "I guess I didn't do the job right."

"And now, thanks to you, I have a good Knight in the hospital. I suppose I shouldn't be blaming you.....but, I will."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"I'm not required to answer your questions." Vea hissed. "But I will. The Terugans are a proud people. They deserve better than to be locked in the current order, bullied by the likes of the Malchiorians or the Xindi. The aliens came here, they blew up our Town Hall, and then screeched when we struck back."


A truck arrived in the underground car park below the Spire. Two workers got out of the cab, and started unloading crates into the elevator.

-----

<The Sabre>

Kakamu suddenly felt someone put a gun to his head. "A better question would be 'what the hell are you doing on my bridge?'." they said.

-----

<Slizer annex interior, North Pole of Slizeros>

Stollercon: "He must never know."

*Stollercon downloaded himself into the ship, and it flew away.*

---

<Vizima>

*Vraice left, and made his way to Merax*

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Town hall? Explain yourself. I'm losing my patience.

---

<Teruga Prime, Near Mirage>

*A being emerged from a portal behind Mirage. He wore a set of dark blue armor, and a brown cowl with a hood covering most of his head. He appeared to be human, for the most part, save for the pale skin.*

Namassus: "Mirage, I need to speak with you. It's urgent."

<Vizima>

"So, what's the plan now?" Jimmy said after greeting the returning Praxter and Blackout.

"We stay on guard. If this guy has friends, or Blackout decides to show up, we need to be ready." Praxter replied. "Did you send word to the scout crew?"

"If I knew who they were, I would. Vraice went off to talk to Xin. We really need to put the rosters somewhere more visible."

"Why? Where are they?" Blackout chimed in.

"Well, you see, that has been the subject of much debate." Jimmy smiled. "Some claim they're on the weapons tent, but no one has ever found them there. Others claim they're in the secret tunnels of the Nephilim, guarded by fearsome creatures....."

"That's enough, Jimmy!" Praxter suddenly snapped.

"Did he say Nephilim?" Blackout asked.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"Typical Malchiorian arrogance." Vea sneered. "You came here without bothering to find out anything about the conflict. The Xindi committed a terrorist attack in the middle of our capital. They destroyed the town hall, killing the mayor and thousands of innocent Terugans and tourists, just to scare us into submission. And when we strike back, you dare condemn us!"


Praepositus pushed on the top of his crate, to no avail. The workers must have put another crate on top of his, he figured. Even though he now had trouble breathing, he was doing his best not to make too much noise to avoid being discovered.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

Mirage turned. Upon recognising Namassus, he smiled. "Ah, it's you. It's been a while. Come with me, we can talk in private." With that, he headed back into the bar, and (presumably followed by Namassus), went behind the bar and upstairs, into a surprisingly well-lit room. Mirage sat down on one side of the mahogany table, and invited his ally to sit down on the other.

-----

<The Sabre>

"Wait, I recognise you....." the figure said. "You're Kakamu! You ran off on us." He lowered his gun, and shook Kakamu's hand instead. "I'm Captain Ferak. Unfortunately, Blackout isn't here at the moment, but we can send him a message to let him know you're here."

<Vizima>

*Vraice kept looking for Merax*

Vraice: "Leave it to the scouts to disappear. Damn it."

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: *laugh* I'm not what you would call a Malchiorian. *pause* Xindi? Hmm....

*Klak walked in a semicircle, tapping his chin. He turned his back to Vea*

Klak: Truly a shame. Though I fail to see why Malchior is at fault. Then again.

*He turned around, and sauntered slowly towards Vea.*

Klak: What difference does it make? What does it matter? They're all the same, those two-eyed freaks. It is time for you to show the universe how strong you really are. So you will take on anyone! Your people will love you for it. They will all believe you to be a strong willed leader who spat in the face of duplicitous diplomacy. But what they will never know is that you trembled in fear when a Makuta showed up in your office.

*He held his keyblade to Vea's face*

---

<Teruga Prime>

*Namassus sat down.*

Namassus: "Crap just hit the fan. I've been trying to reach Klakk, but he hasn't responded. It's been days! And the worst part? There are reports that a Klak was in a hospital on Malchior, but I have no idea which one it is! We have no idea whether or not our leader was successful in killing the clone."

<Vizima>

Merax waved at Vraice from across the camp.



"Yeah, there are Nephilim tunnels here. There even used to be Nephilim." Jimmy said. "It was before my time, though."

"We managed to get the Nephilim out of the tunnels recently. He just up and left of his own accord." Praxter said. "We searched the tunnels, before you ask. He just left a few pets." That was a lie. They hadn't had time to search the tunnels yet, and had no idea if he'd left anything, but he certainly wasn't going to admit that in front of Blackout.

Blackout felt something in the back of his head. A message of sorts, sent via the Sabre's crude electronic telepathy. "Excuse me, I need to see to something." he said, and left the tent.

"What is it, Ferak?" he 'said'.

"Kakamu's back, Premier. And he's.....sane."

"I'll be right there."

Blackout poked his head back into the tent. "Actually, I'm gonna need to leave for a bit. I'll be back!" He immediately ran away, back into the forest, so as not to be seen being teleported away.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"What.....are you hoping to humiliate me somehow?" Vea laughed. "There's nothing you can do. You won't kill me. Even if you got out of the Nebula alive, my people would connect the dots. Malchior would be razed within a month. You won't risk that. You won't risk that, so there's nothing to fear."



Praepositus woke up, still in the crate. Must've blacked out, he thought. Immediately, he pushed on the crate. To his surprise, it swung open. He jumped out, and immediately headed for the exit.

-----

<Teruga Prime>

"I haven't heard anything either." Mirage said, a hint of worry in his voice. "There are two options. Either our master failed and died, or he succeeded and is playing a long game without telling us. Catalyx!"

Catalyx entered the room carrying a tray with two glasses, both filled with a dark blue liquid. He slowly set it down on the table, and left without saying a word. Mirage took a sip of the liquid, and smiled. "Black Hole Juice. Teruga's finest cultural treasure."

He put the glass down, and continued. "We won't know which Klak survived until we can speak to him. The Malchiorians will seek a diplomatic solution to the current conflict, and if they do, they will send Klak to do their bidding. I can get us into the negotiations. Can you stay here?"

-----

<The Sabre>

Blackout re-appeared on the bridge, still clad in his Void Armour. He warily approached Kakamu. "Kakamu? It's me. Blackout." he said.

<Vizima>

*Vraice went over to Merax*

Vraice: "Where have you been?! We're looking for you! There's Makuta about!"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak laughed. It was a laugh Vea would have never expected from him, at least after the legends she had heard about Klak.*

Klak: Malchior IV has survived many invasions and attacks. It will no doubt persist after a civilization of beings that lack depth perception send their ships to it. And even if it dies, it'll go down fighting. Now, President Vea, you've killed and maimed a lot of people. Sure, you're an inspiring figure, but we all know that if someone disagrees with your plan, you unleash extremist dogs on them. You're the head of the totem pole, aren't you? Which means that your death must be slow. Painful.

*He fired a tiny blast of plasma, slightly burning Vea's skin*

Klak: Of course, I'm open to suggestions. Letting you live is what I should do. But killing you is also what I should do. I'm a fickle man, Vea.

---

<Teruga Prime>

Namassus: "Yeah, sure. But be careful. If it's the wrong Klak, we're dead."

<Vizima>

"Makuta? Where?" Merax said.


"You found us a strange ally." Jimmy said.

"He is strange, I'll give you that."

"And at the same time Blackout has supposedly come here.....Are you sure we can trust him?"

-----

<The Sabre>

"It's really good to see you well." Blackout said. "The sides are simple. Ynot has gone insane. He destroyed an entire planet just to get rid of a few of his enemies. I tried to bring him to justice, but I failed, in part because you ran off. Also, F-Klak is rising. I can feel his machinations subtly affecting the universe, driving us into chaos."

Blackout drummed his fingers on the table, agitated by the thought of his recent defeat. "I'm trying to form a grand alliance to counter them. I believe I have almost succeeded with the Knights of the Keruvim. Your presence would help prove I'm not out to destroy them."

-----

<Teruga Prime>

"When have you known me to be anything but careful?" Mirage whispered. He downed the Juice in one big gulp, stood up, and opened a portal behind Merassus's chair. "I need to talk to one of our allies. It shouldn't take long. Twenty minutes, at the most."

Mirage walked through the portal, completely unprepared for his destination.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

Vea hissed in pain. "You wouldn't dare."

Suddenly, a portal opened in front of Klak, loudly sucking in air. Mirage stepped out, and immediately reached for his sword. "Have I come at a bad time?" he said with a smirk.

<The Sabre>

Kakamu: The Knights are a noble sect. I doubt there are many of them still alive today who would remember me, but I am sure I have a place in their history books as a guardian of the greater good. I am sure I will have their trust upon meeting them again. The news about Ynot however is troubling... I considered him a friend, though I admit that I always was wary of his growing power. 

*He rests his chin on his hand, deep in thought*

Kakamu: I was already aware of the danger that F-Klak does - and always has - posed, so consider me a part of your alliance against him and Ynot. If the Knights are still untrustworthy of you, I can travel to Vizima to speak to their leader alone... if you like.

---------------------------

<Nauru, Earth>

*User Kon enters a café called The Yellow Pencil and sits down at a table. He looks through the menu and strokes his stubble while he contemplates what to order*

<Vizima>

Vraice: "We captured one, and it suggested that Blackout, yes, Blackout has a scout ship near us or something. Come with me, I'll let Praxter brief you."

---

<Teruga Prime>

*Namassus tapped his fingers on his knee*

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak turned to Mirage, and raised an eyebrow*

Klak: One of yours, Madam President? He doesn't look like he belongs here.

<Vizima>

"But I'm just a clerk.....fine. I'll come with you." said Merax. He followed Vraice, lost in thought.

-----

<The Sabre>

"Their leader is already halfway convinced. It's the rank-and-file that need reassuring. They still fear me. If Praxter shows up with me alone, they'll lynch him and then try to go after me. They need someone they can look up to." Blackout said.

"Speaking of people they can look up to." he suddenly added. "We need to talk about Muta."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"I should've mentioned him, Klak." Vea smiled. "We have our own Klak now."

"I don't want to be called that.....Klak?" Mirage shouted. "Klak?" He telepathically transmitted a single codeword into Klak's brain, one which his master would recognise but the clone wouldn't understand.

<The Sabre>

A chill ran through Kakamu's form as Blackout's words dislodged some... unpleasant memories buried within and brought them to the surface. His eyes widened as he realized what he'd done, and anxiously drummed his foot on the floor while he relived the memories. After they had passed, Kakamu's form shifted slightly, as if he suddenly became uncomfortable in it.

"I... don't see how that's relevant." He replied, avoiding Blackout's gaze.

------------------------

<Nauru, the Yellow Pencil>

*User Kon is approached by a slightly overweight middle-aged British man in a brown jacket. He spots him, and the two grab hands before embracing in a hug. They sit down on opposite sides of the table*

User Kon: How goes it, Derek?

Derek: 'S alright. Gwen's been giving me grief as usual, sayin' that I don't do much around the house anymore. But it's hard work, y'know? Pretty sure I nearly broke me back while unclogging the pipes under the sink yesterday morn.

*Kon nodded thoughtfully. After a few minutes a waitress comes along and says hi to Kon, as he is a regular. He orders a bacon sandwich and a glass of mint coke as usual, which costs him three times as much as we would expect. He wonders what Derek, or Gwen, or Katia the waitress would say if they knew that he wasn't human. After Katia leaves to deliver his order, they return to their conversation*

Derek: So how're you doing these days, man? Everything good back home?

*Kon looks to his left and over the endless blue ocean. The sun is rising, heralding a new day. Truth be told, he had been a bit neglectful of his duties - he had long since been a part of the universe he helped create, but he had perhaps given his characters far too much freedom over their own lives. He can't remember the last time he checked up on Kakamu, but it most have been a long, long time for him. His order arrives, and he takes a swig of mint coke before turning back to Derek and smiling*

User Kon: I hope so, mate. I hope so.

<Vizima>

*Vraice led Merax to where Praxter was*

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak smiled at Mirage as soon as he received the codeword*

Klak: Right. A Terugan Klak. Wonderful. He doesn't look like me, though. Perhaps you need to take some time on him to really make him an impostor, one that no one would know about. Tell me, Mister Terugan Klak, where do your loyalties lie?

[The Barraca]

*Malygos and Anzu are expelled from Ynot's mind as he stirs, lunging for Sasuken's throat*

Sasuken: Hngr! I...thought..Hollow...was tamed....

Ynot: He is. Phyrexia. Do you remember what I told you? YOU keep me IN CHECK. WHY did you let me get that far?

Sasuken: Fear...mostly fear.

*Ynot drops his first mate*

Ynot: You feared me? Then I have failed you as a leader. I quit.

Kurenitsu: What do you..

Ynot: I mean I QUIT! I'm not doing this anymore. Someone else can maintain balance. It's time this old man retires. I'm enacting the Deadman Protocol.

Sasuken: You have them all? And you never used them?

Ynot: Somethings Ynohtna doesn't know. Malygos, I apologize, but at this point, no one can know what follows. I'm sending you back to your empire. I thank you again, but from here on out, we wont see each other again. Vultran, if you will.

*In the control room, Vultran flips a few switches and opens a portal below Anzu and Malygos*

Ynot: Fairwell, friend. Enemy. Ally. Rival.

*They are sent to the Throne of Malygos' empire*

Ynot: To Aeon.

*The crew take their positions, piloting the behemoth one last time*
----

[Swamp Planet]

Ever in tune with his environment, Leahf takes note of the eyes, "We are being observed. Is this a cause for concern?"

<The Sabre>

"Oh, but it's very relevant." Blackout said. "Such a matter could destroy the alliance if it ever became public. We must be upfront with each other, now that we are allies."

-----

<Vizima>

"Yes, Merax? What is it?" Praxter said.

"I don't know. He just dragged me here." Merax replied, pointing at Vraice.

Jimmy facepalmed. "Damn it, Vraice, I told you to ask him who was on scout duty this week. Not bring him all the way here."

"Oh, that's what you wanted to know? It's Nick and Sam." Merax then left, presumably to bring the two scouts to the tent.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"They lie with Teruga." Mirage lied. "Which is why I'd like you to leave the President alone." Even if this Klak was his Klak, they still needed to keep up appearances in front of the President.

-----

<Vizima>

*Vraice sat down on a nearby chair.*

Vraice: "Sorry, I'm a bit shaken up."

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak rolled his eyes*

Klak: Come now, these are diplomatic talks. But if you want to stand guard, then do so by all means.

<The Sabre>

"That, my friend," Blackout said. "is a wonderful story. I knew what had happened, of course, but it's nice to know the details."

Blackout put his hand on Kakamu's shoulder, and smirked. "I understand you, Kakamu. But others might not. Just keep that in mind."

He got up, and left the office, still smiling. "Come on, Kakamu. The Knights of the Keruvim await."

-----

<Vizima>

"We all are, Vraice." Praxter said. "I wonder where the hell Ben has gone?"

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"I'll stand guard. Inside." Mirage hissed. "With your permission, Madam President."

"Certainly, Mirage." Vea replied.

-----

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Good question! I hear he's been busy with his cover identity or something."

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Now, Madam President, I can give you a planet that you want in exchange for not attacking Malchior IV. Of course, I am willing to negotiate. I'm sure you would be too. But, you see, unlike your lackey here, my loyalties lie with myself. At least officially. Keep in mind that I'm willing to cross lines for what is necessary.

<The Sabre>

Kakamu: Gladly.

*He follows Blackout out of his office and across the bridge, nodding at Ferak on the way out*

------------------------------

*Yun and Zax both get attacked by Parasitic Fluff and die*

------------------------------

<Vizima>

*A ghostly apparition appears in front of Vraice and Praxter, which resembles a robed Middle Eastern man*

???: Eet is me! I have come to warn you! Terrible things habbening, yes!

------------------------------

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for the other stuff...

<The Sabre>

"Alright, then. Send us back." Blackout said. A crew member duly obliged, teleporting Blackout and Kakamu out of the ship. They re-materialised, safe and sound, inside Praxter's tent.

"Hello, lads. I'm sorry about this." the Makuta said. "I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine. Makuta Kakamu."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"Oh, so now you're willing to negotiate?" Vea frowned. "Very well. In exchange for us leaving your worlds alone, you will honour the referendum on Akalo. If they choose to join us, then they will be allowed to. Understood? In addition, you will leave us free reign in dealing with our neighbours. No sanctions, no protests, nothing. We will deal with our enemies as we see fit."

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak shook his head*

Klak: No. I will deal with Akalo as I see fit, without any interference from you or Malchior IV. But no worries about the sanctions.

---

<Vizima>

*Vraice spluttered*

Vraice: "Is that the Kakamu? Wow, lots of people look up to you here!"