BZPB: Future

<The Spire of Conquest>

"A vote is a vote. Malchior and Teruga are democracies. Unless you're questioning that." Vea said darkly. Mirage found himself trying to suppress a giggle. 


Praepositus walked out of the storage closet, only to find an Elite aiming a gun at him on the other side of the door.

"I thought I heard something. Put your hands in the air." the Terugan said.

-----

<Vizima>

"Well, well, well. I never thought you and Kakamu were friends." Praxter said.

"There's a lot of things you need to learn about me." Blackout smiled. 

"Maybe." Praxter furrowed his brow. "So, Kakamu. Have you come to help us with Icarax and F-Klak?"

-----

<Vizima>

Vraice: "Well, er, not much. He was a really powerful Makuta that fought with you back in the day, right? Perseus told us some tales. Is it true that he's arrogant?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Of course I am. When you have lived as long as I have, you'll find yourself questioning a lot of things. *He smiled* But very well, Klak will not harm Akalo.

[Swamp Planet]

Leahf chuckles a little, "Our business?' He looks to Jaxidak and back to their captors, a grin growing on his face, "Our business is murder." At this quip, roots errupt from the ground and ensnare the lot of them, suspending them from their legs, shaking until they dropped their tridents. "One should not attack an Ent in a swamp."

<Vizima>

"We....." Blackout began to say something, only to stop mid-word as he realised exactly what had just had come out of Kakamu's mouth. He could feel Jimmy and Vraice staring at him, while Praxter just looked down at the floor in shame. 

"So. Blackout, I presume?" Jimmy said.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"And Vea is very pleased." Vea said, going along with what she believed was a joke. 


Praepositus was led, at gunpoint, to the security office. "Look, boss." the Elite said, holding up Praepositus' gun. "I found a terrorist."

"How do you know he's-" the commander said, before he noticed the gun. "I see. Send him down to the Hole. He's a two-eye, no one will miss him anyway."

The Elite grinned, and led Praepositus into the elevator. "It's your lucky day, mate. You get to see our catacombs up close."

Praepositus simply sighed in response.

<Vizima>

Vraice: "...huh. Well, this is awkward. I suppose we won't try to kill you because you haven't tried to kill us."

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: *He laughed at Vea's response.* Any other terms that you wish to discuss? What are some of your future plans? How'd you hire 'Klak' over here?

---

<Teruga Prime>

*Namassus tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. Was Mirage taking his time? Did he find their leader?*

<Swamp Planet>

The alien squad's leader writhes against his constraints, but it makes no difference. The grip of the branches is too tight. "You'll pay for this!" He chokes at the group.

"I don't think so, mate. We're mercenaries... we get paid, for this." Jaxidak said, walking forward until he makes eye contact with the alien. "But we're not 'ere for you. We're 'ere for a couple a cyclopses. Know what I'm talkin about?"

The alien grimaces and continues to meet his stare. "You were the first to come here for a very long time. If we had even more offworlder scum on our territory, we would know by now."

Aeoh the Vortigaunt walked up to the group, joining Jaxidak. He closes his eyes and summons vortessal energy to meditate with. After a few seconds he opens them again, somewhat alarmed.

"Right he is. But how? Not good... not good... a darker force waits to meet us on this world." He mutters, and on the horizon a large cloud in the sky appears to descend.

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

<Vizima>

Kakamu sits down in a chair and drums his fingers on the armrests. "I apologize to both parties. I was not aware your identity was something of a secret, Blackout. Well, for whatever reasons this may be, it matters not in this time of great need."

The ancient then turns to Vraice and gives him a knowing stare. "I understand your apprehension towards him. After all, he has gone down in the ancient histories of many worlds as a ruthless god. But we can trust him for as long as we have a current enemy - and now we have not just one, but two. F-Klak and Ynot. Another reason why we propose this alliance is because if these threats are left unattended, soon there may be no land left to squabble over for any of us. The way I see it, ahead of you now are two choices. You can either side with me and Blackout, or choose to go it alone and hide out on your homeworld, praying that we might be able to deal with the threats ourselves. Right now, the worst case scenario is about to begin. You have to choose the lesser of two fates."

[Swamp Planet]

Leahf raises an eyebrow, then smirks slightly, "Darker forces? This just got a whole lot more fun. What you want to do Jak?"

<Vizima>

"He's right. I realise I'm not terribly popular with you, but we have to join forces. Our survival depends on it. So, for your sake; for all our sakes, please join us." Blackout said. 

"I think that's the most honest thing you've said your whole life." Jimmy said. 

"We'll have to convince the other Knights." Praxter said. "That won't be easy."

Meanwhile, behind them, the surface of the ignored antidermis vat began to frost over.....

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"No, that's all I wanted to discuss. Thank you." Vea said. She got up, and left the board room.

"She's nice, isn't she?" Mirage said once the door was closed.



The elevator hurtled downwards, into the basement of the Spire of Conquest and beyond. It finally stopped, and the doors opened abruptly, releasing them into the fetid air of the underground. Praepositus stumbled out, and promptly vomited all over a rock while the Elite guarding him laughed.

"Don't worry, you get used to it. Not that you'll get the chance." the Elite said. He stepped back inside the elevator, and returned to the Spire.

Praepositus looked around. All around him, he could see ancient ruins of what had clearly once been a city. On the floor, he could make out the contours of bones.....

<Vizima>

*Vraice sighed*

Vraice: "We did see you as a tyrant, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And yes, the others will be pissed!"

*Meanwhile, Praxter felt a strange chill down his spine, as though a ghost were reminding him of something*

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Completely cordial.

*He chuckled*

Klak: Sadly, she left after I would raise some other concerns or terms. Oh well.

*Klak walked uncomfortably close to Mirage*

Klak: What was your name again?

<Swamp Planet>

Jaxidak bit his lip in frustration before turning around to face Leahf and Aeoh.

"Well, depends what 'darker forces' are worth back at the station, don't it? Gotta make a living some'ow." He said, still irritated at the sudden disappearance of his targets. Aeoh looked contemplative and seemed as if he was about to respond, but he was quickly distracted by something on the horizon. Immediately, the Vortigaunt pushed his way past Jaxidak, Leahf and even the alien squad, standing in front of them with his arms stretched towards the clouds... or rather, one cloud in particular.

"Get back! They descend!" He shouted atop the aliens' chatter as vortal energy flickered between his fingers.

"What the bloody hell is that?!" Jaxidak scoffed as he saw the cloud descend towards the group.

"They have ridden on the winds of alien worlds for an eternity, and they come for our flesh!" The Vort responded with alarm. "Back to the ship you must go, quickly! I will buy you time, though the energies I can conjure against them will only do so much".

However, the alien leader made sure his voice was heard too. "I have a better idea. If you free us, we can take you to our city far below, and protect you from this menace." He grinned.

Jaxidak looked at Leahf with a worried expression. "Guess it's up to you then, mate."

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

<Vizima>

While Kakamu waited for Vraice's response, he looked around, admiring the arcitecture of the room and the various artifacts it contained. But one thing stuck out as particularly odd.

"Gentlemen... is that a pool of antidermis? And who is freezing it?"

After a moments hesitation, Leahf responds, "I like underground. Let's go underground." On their way, Leahf falls back with Jaxidak and whispers, "I am more useful around the earth. They try anything, I can hoist them by their petards again."

<Vizima>

Blackout turned his attention to the antidermis vat. "No, no, no, no!" he yelled, as the vat began to frost over and crack. Finally, it shattered, releasing Icarax's antidermis back into the air. Blackout fired plasma bolts at it, but it was already too late. The Makuta floated out of the tent, unbothered by Blackout's attacks.

"Damn it!" Praxter shouted. He ran out of the tent after Icarax, but the cloud was nowhere to be seen.

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

Mirage stared back at Klak, appearing unbothered by him. "My name's Mirage."

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

Praepositus entered the abandoned city. Everywhere, buildings were in ruins, collapsed or crushed by boulders. The streets were paved with bones, to the point where Praepositus had to practically tiptoe to avoid crushing a skull. After all, he didn't want to disturb the dead any more than he already had.

Meanwhile, behind him, a small critter scuttered around, chewing on someone's hip bone. It ran into a dark corner, only to be crushed under a big, nasty foot.....

<Vizima>

*Vraice ran out of the tent and gasped.*

Vraice: "Damn it! Do I alert the others?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Hmm....Mirage. Good name. What would convince you to stop working for the Terugans?

<Vizima>

Kakamu followed the others out of the tent and held two fingers to his temple. His mind wandered the vicinity until it found Icarax's, who was fleeing the scene as quickly as possible inside his antidermis. Kakamu was only able to establish contact with Icarax's mind for a second before the Makuta detected the mental intrusion, blocked it, and flew out of range. However, a second was enough for Kakamu to catch the escapee's name.

"Icarax? He one of yours, Blackout?" He asked with mild concern.

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

<Swamp Planet>

Jaxidak gulped and threw his arms up at the aliens as they were released from their woody tethers.

"Alright, you 'eard the man, get us outta here!" He shouted at them, frantically. Their leader snickered as he climbed over the uneven soil to Jaxidak before he grabbed his trident and stabbed into what looked like random locations in the ground. After a few moments, bright green symbols flashed above the spots of ground that were hit and the ground gave way to a circular silver platform. As he was closest to it, Jaxidak jumped on the platform immediately, but several of the other aliens were not so lucky. There was a mad scramble to the platform, during which the aliens at the back of the queue were consumed by the descending white cloud, screaming in horror as they were dissolved inside. Aeoh managed to make it to the platform by blasting his way through several of the aliens, followed by Leahf. Once our three heroes are safely on the platform, the alien leader taps the center with his staff once again and it begins to descend. Unfortunately, there is still a circular hole in the roof which the fluff is beginning to fly into.

"Seal the breach. Now! You must, oak-man!" Aeoh grumbled at Leahf.

Leahf pulls the ground closed with roots of the nearby trees, sealing the hole. "Life was so much easier a week ago."

<Vizima>

"No, he's not one of mine. He's an old enemy....a very old enemy. I thought him dead. I don't know how he survived." Blackout said. "He can't get far without a body. I think we should let him go. There are more important things to do."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"I work with the Terugans, not for them. Big difference." Mirage smiled. "And it'd take more than you could ever give. Will there be anything else, Klak?"

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

Treading carefully to avoid stepping on a bone, Praepositus made his way down the street. The city was completely silent, apart from a squeak from the odd critter, up until the horrifying crunching noise.

Praepositus whipped around, to find a beast behind him, growling and spitting. It slowly approached the warrior, crushing bones beneath its feet as it did so.

<Vizima>

"Yes... yes indeed." Kakamu mumbled as he turned around to walk back to the tent. However, his mind was taken away from the current interplanetary negotiations when his biometal fingers brushed against the stone tablet he had recovered from Slizeros. It had been stuck to his hip ever since his return journey, and although that was not long ago at all, his adventures with Stollercon on the war-torn planet already felt so far away. Despite this, the image of Mocax's corpse seemed to be branded onto his conscious mind, as it was something he could not shake.

He arrived at the tent and sat down inside it, waiting for the others to get back. While doing so, he took the tablet in his hand and looked it up and down. The inscribed text was written in the Slizer language - one that he had not yet learned. Kakamu solemnly traced his finger over the circular indent of one of the runes, and suddenly the tablet lit up with a yellow power. He gasped as thousands more images spilled into his mind... but this time the images were not from any of his memories or his subconscious even; they were projected from the tablet itself. The images organized themselves into a film of sorts in his mind's eye, and he heard a familiar voice as it began.

"Hello, old friend." A vision of Mocax said as he put his hands together, walking forwards and looking into Kakamu. He looked just like he always did - four arms (one pair behind his back, the other gesturing at Kakamu as he talked), rusty armour, a wicked mask but a kind demeanour - but his voice was so much older than the one we know.

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

<Kakamu's mind>

"Mocax..? I-Is that really you?" Kakamu stuttered in disbelief. The vision of Mocax did not reply and carried on talking as if he was not there.

"Kakamu. I'm talking from a point in time where it has become... necessary to help you, because you can no longer help yourself."

Mocax turned around and patted the side of a ship. Kakamu's field of view expanded somewhat until he could see the room Mocax was in. His friend appeared to be in an old, wooden hangar bay, with a sleek Sunstroker-class Malchiorian ship next to him. A bronze plate on its side labelled it as "The Expeditor". Mocax looked back to Kakamu and smiled.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" He chuckled. "I thought you'd like it. Maybe when this is all over I'll let you take it for a spin. That's what I'm going to do now, Kakamu. I'm going to finish it. I'm going to make you better."

With that, he climbed up the rungs on the side of the ship and stepped into the open cockpit. "I'm recording this on a Memory Tablet given to me by User Kon in case something goes wrong. Remember how he refused to intervene this time? He refused to help us get your sanity back in case he made a mistake like before. He only gave me this tablet, and disappeared."

Kakamu stopped to think, and for some reason, the vision paused with him. At least now he knew why User Kon wasn't around to help. Kakamu knew that it was likely that one day the others would punish Kon for his continued meddling in the timestream, but damn if it wasn't a bad time! He was ready to resume the recording after a few moments, and it responded to his thoughts by resuming itself.

"I'm on the way to Slizeros now." Mocax spoke, facing Kakamu, but from his end he must have been talking to the tablet. "Like I was saying, in case something goes wrong... like I am killed or your datacentre is corrupt and I can't give you your memories, and your sanity, back... I want you to know it wasn't your fault. That's why I'm recording this. It wasn't your fault."

The glass cockpit slid shut over Mocax as he started up the booming engines of the Expeditor. The recording finished, but it seemed the Memory Tablet still had something else to show him. Before Kakamu could wake up, he was whisked off to another place, even further back in time.

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

<Swamp Planet>

The breach was closed just in time. A few pieces of fluff got through, but were distracted by the yellow vein-like roots in the walls of the soil around them. The fluff attached themselves to the roots to feed off their energy and forgot about Leahf, Jaxidak, Aeoh and the aliens. Wherever this underground city was, it must be pretty deep, as at least five minutes must have passed with the group just standing on the platform waiting to arrive at their destination.

There wasn't much to be done on the way down apart from look around. Jaxidak inspected the garb of the alien soldiers with his reptilian eyes while standing still, and spotted something alarming. At the center of the "prong" end of each trident was a familiar symbol - the symbol belonging to the Dominion.

Jaxidak's eyes widened and he nudged Leahf with his elbow. "Y'see that? That's bad news" He whispered. "Do ye recognize it?"

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

<Dominaria, throne room>

Anzu tried to place a hand on Malygos' shoulder, but the mage angrily shoved it off and stepped away. He was not used to being... displaced so promptly.

"Should we pursue him, my lord?" The ever-faithful fallen angel asked apprehensively.

"No. He has made his decision. And now I will make mine. The Dominion shall continue to expand, and if the people of Aeon stand in our way... then may they be burned with Heaven's light."

Anzu bowed his head and retreated, leaving Malygos alone in his throne room once more, drumming his fingers on the armrest in anticipation of events to come.

<Vizima>

*Vraice nodded. When he returned, he stared at Kakamu with a puzzled look.*

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

Klak: Yes, have a good day, and good luck on your mission.

*Klak started to walk out, but then stopped. He looked at Mirage and smiled.*

Klak: And another thing, Mirage. Vae victis.

OOS: Apologies for the short post.

<Vizima>

Blackout and Praxter walked away, leaving Kakamu and Vraice to their own devices.

"You say you're trying to build an alliance against F-Klak. But so far, you only have me and Kakamu. We need a wider front." Praxter said. "I hope you have someone else in mind."

The Makuta smiled. "Of course I do. The only person left in this universe who can rally millions to our cause."

-----

<Dominaria, throne room>

The sound of a knock on the door broke Malygos out of his rueful silence. Before he could even turn, the door swung open, and Xintrix burst in, followed by a confused aide doing his best to explain himself. "I'm sorry, sir! He insisted!"

Xintrix stamped his staff on the floor, a respectful way of asking the aide to shut up. The Makuta stood before Malygos, and bowed respectfully before the Emperor of the Dominion.

"Greetings, your highness. I come on behalf of Blackout, seeking your help once again."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

"Yes, yes. But who will be the vanquished?" Mirage muttered under his breath. He turned, and opened a portal, returning to the bar and to Merassus.

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

Praepositus' eyes widened, and he began to back away, all consideration for the dead now gone as he tried to put some distance between the beast and it. "No, no! You cannot be here!" he cried out, as if anyone could hear him.

He knew the creature, of course. Not so long ago, when he was just a simple platoon leader, he and his squad were captured by the Daedra. They set them loose, then released the beast to chase them. He was the only survivor.

And now it was here. How could it be here?

<Kakamu's Mind>

Still looking through the "eyes" of the memory tablet, Kakamu sorrowfully watched his old ally take off through the roof of the hangar bay, who was sitting comfortably behind the controls of the Expeditor. Kakamu knew Mocax would not return from his journey, but he was helpless to intervene. He wished more than anything that he could just fly up to the ship and pull Mocax out of the cockpit before he went any further. The present-day memory tablet acknowledged Kakamu's frustration and the "tape" rewound to show him something else, even further back in time... but little did the device know that what it was about to show him would be even more painful.

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

<Many years ago...>

"FALL BACK!"

The cry of the commanders echoed throughout the once-lush Forest of Prosperity on the eastern continent of Archon-7. Rebel soldiers clambered over the charred corpses of the fallen in a desperate attempt to escape the oncoming machines of destruction. In a matter of hours, the woodlands once revered as a sanctuary for retired rebels had been reduced to flaming ash by the ruthless forces of F-Klak. The remaining commanders, defiant to the very end, screamed words of courage above the sound of explosions as bombshells hit the camps. Unfortunately, their inspiring speeches fell on the deaf ears of those trying to escape the slaughter before they were gunned down themselves.

Above the battlefield, a rectangular black ship which bore the markings of F-Klak's regime (as well as purple flair to signify the ship of a general), touched down between two exo-suits on the side of the enemy. The hatch on the front opened with a hiss of steam and folded down to form a walkway for the figure inside to use. The ship's occupant stepped out into the light, and it reflected off his chrome purple armour. The rest of his body was covered in pitch black, which neglected to shine like the purple - in fact, if anything the black looked like it was absorbing light rather than reflecting it. He took a moment to breathe in the air - how he did that while wearing his terrifying mask is anyone's guess - before clenching his fists and marching down the ship. The pilot of one of the exo-suits dismounted and took off his scorched helmet before going to meet the new arrival. The pilot did the standard salute but the newcomer ignored him, instead eyeing the remains of the battlefield with a cold stare. Regardless, the pilot coughed before giving his report.

"M'lord. The rebels have been destroyed and the area has been levelled. We've found no trace of a Toa, although we are sending out scanner drones now, as per your instructions-"

"No." The newcomer interrupted the pilot with what sounded like a grating, husky voice. "I've changed my mind. Now that I'm here in person, I know that he is here. I can feel him..."

The pilot looked on in uncomfortable silence as the newcomer tapped the side of his robot-esque head with an armour-plated finger. "In here..." he clarified. "He doesn't know it yet, but I can feel him. It's a shame I arrived so late, Ellstrom. I really would have liked to go through his friends first."

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

<Dominaria, throne room>

Malygos leaned forwards on his throne, glaring at Xintrix. After several moments, he spoke.

"If you had not kneeled, I would have made you." The mage said with a tone of disgust. "You have all of sixty seconds to state what he requires of me... and if it's worth my time, you get to live."

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

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for Swamp Planet

<Vizima>

*Vraice paced out of the tent, and noticed a tear in space. Out of it emerged...*

Vraice: "....Klak?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Klak shook his head, and communicated telepathically to Raul*

Klak: Raul, I have some business to attend to. I trust you will have a safe journey back.

*He opens a portal, and leaves*

---

<Teruga Prime, Elsewhere>

Namassus: "Mirage! Finally! Where have you been?!"

<Dominaria, throne room>

"'Tis very simple, your highness. I'm sure you've heard of F-Klak. He is rising now. His agents are manipulating empires into war, like the Terugans and their war against the Xindi. This can only be the prelude to something far, far worse. My master wishes to build a coalition against this threat, and we want your help." Xintrix said. "Fifty-five seconds."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

Raul sighed, and slowly made his way back to his ship.

-----

<Teruga Prime, Mirage's bar>

"The Spire of Conquest." Mirage said. "I have found Klak - or at least, a Klak. He was being all cryptic. But I think it was ours. We can move on to the next phase."

Before Namassus could ask, Mirage already began to explain. "The current President is quite the nationalist, but not what we need. We need a real despot. I know just the one. We just have to get rid of Vea first....."

<Vizima>

*Klak greeted Vraice with a hug*

Klak: Hello, Vraice! How are you? My, how you've grown!

*Vraice laughed, then abruptly stopped laughing. Yet another joke about his powers.*

Vraice: "*sarcastically* Haven't heard that one before."

*Klak laughed heartily*

Klak: How is everyone?

Vraice: "We have all been preparing. Praxter told us about your clone who has run amok, and a Makuta attacked us. Also, Blackout and Kakamu are here!"

Klak: Kakamu, eh? Wow, it has been years since I last saw him! *He suddenly realized what Vraice had just said* Did you say.....Blackout?

*Vraice acknowledged the mistake he had just committed.*

---

<Teruga Prime, Mirage's bar>

Namassus: "How will we do that? And how do you know it's our Klak? He would have killed her if he were our Klak, but he let her live. He is that Malchiorian clone, I tell you. The false Klak, the hermit."

<Dominaria, throne room>

Malygos smirked. "Yes, F-Klak is a lingering nuisance, but you underestimate my new dominion. We will take his territories one by one, like pawns on a chess board."

At that moment, Anzu flew in through the roof, brandishing his sword and screaming an ancient battle cry as he tried to divebomb Xintrix. His descent was stopped when he collided with the outstretched arm belonging to the aide from earlier (who was still present), and the angel fell to the floor. Anzu clambered to his feet and grabbed his sword again before realizing what was going on, and it was plain that he was embarrassed, though perhaps not quite as embarrassed as his master. Malygos covered his face with his left hand before continuing.

"Ignore him. As I was saying, while I don't need, or particularly want, to join with you, I am curious as to who you have already presented this idea to. Is the groundwork of this coalition already formed? How many worlds do you have the allegiance of?"

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

<Many years ago...>

The present-day Kakamu was experiencing the Battle of Archon-7 through the eyes of the Memory Tablet, which must have been placed in a bush to conceal it, as the edges of his vision were adorned with tinged shrubbery. He had seen the devastation of the forest and the arrival of the general from this position, and he had a good view of the surrounding area below. When the general and Ellstrom had finished talking, they moved forwards through the clearing and out of sight, followed by their accompanying forces. Suddenly, Kakamu heard a whisper from behind him, belonging to the voice of a child.

"Is it safe to come out yet, Mr. Shen?"

Another voice replied, this one belonging to an old man. "Yes, yes, but quietly now. Don't make a sound."

"Is the memory tablet ok?"

"I should think so, unless my powers have started to go as well! Ha ha!"

It was then that Kakamu looked down at the ground the tablet was perched on. While everything he could see in front of him at the bottom of the hill had been burned to the ground by the forces of F-Klak, the ground around the tablet was covered in squashed, but very much intact, bright green grass. It suddenly occurred to him that the small circular area around him had been protected from the flames - as if someone had generated a fireproof bubble to protect them... or just commanded the flames not to come closer. When he looked back up, he was face-to-face with his son, who picked up the tablet and smiled.

<Vizima>

Blackout and Praxter walked back to the tent, when they saw a familiar-looking figure talking to Vraice and Kakamu.

"Is that....." Blackout asked.

"Yes. Klak's alive." Praxter ran towards Klak, and hugged him. "Klak!"

-----

<Dominaria>

Xintrix turned and smirked at Anzu, then returned to his speech.

"Well, your highness." he said. "We are only just beginning. We already have the support of the Knights of the Keruvim, and Kakamu, the Makuta. Several other ambassadors are en route to other worlds now."

-----

<Teruga Prime, Mirage's bar>

"He responded to my codeword. Either he was bluffing, or he's our Klak pretending to be theirs." Mirage poured himself another glass of Black Hole Juice, then sat down. "In any case, it doesn't matter." he continued. "The pawns are already in place, we cannot afford to back down now. Even if he is gone, those who serve him will still reap the spoils."

He took a sip of the juice, and smiled. "I will need you to go and talk to the Speaker of the Parliament, Tox. Tell him we're holding up our end of the bargain. He'll understand."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

In these alien corridors, surrounded by soldiers and without Klak to hold his hand, Raul felt distinctly out of his depth. He was now almost at his ship, and was about to enter the docking bay, when two soldiers blocked his path. Before he could protest, one of them jabbed him in the gut with something, and he blacked out.

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

Praepositus shot a glance to the left, then to the right. He noticed a small dagger lying on a wall, grabbed it, and waved it in front of the monster to scare it. The beast stopped, and growled at the human, before suddenly speaking in an almost human voice.

"Let me feeeeeeeeeeeeeed....."

-----

Leahf: Aye, that I do. Seen it plenty of times in the Corps. My instincts for responding to it may not be the same as yours, though. I'll follow your lead.

<Dominaria, throne room>

Malygos's smirk vanished as he heard the names being listed off Xintrix's fingers. He then rose from his throne, and his body flickered with purple energy as his expression changed from one of smugness to one of anger. He gritted his teeth and pointed an accusatory finger at Xintrix.

"Kakamu? He is but a madman. Long lost on some rock far away. He cannot possibly help you, nor you him. Are you trying to trick me into siphoning off my assets, Makuta?"

The mage's terrifying voice filled the room as he spoke, his feet now lifting off the floor as his body filled with ancient magical energies. Anzu panicked and ran over to Malygos, kneeling in front of his master and begging him to stop.

"My lord, Blackout has helped us before! Do you wish for war with the Makuta? Please stop!" The angel looked up and pleaded. Malygos answered, still staring at Xintrix with an enraged expression. His eyes welled with yellow power.

"War. War never changes." He said as a yellow bolt of lightning shot from the tip of his finger towards Xintrix. Before it could make contact, it was deflected back into the mage by Anzu's sword. Malygos was seemingly snapped out of his power trance and the energies dissipated as his feet landed on the floor again and he looked at Anzu, shocked.

"Please master, my love, I will go if you are this paranoid about your enemies." Anzu said, sheathing his sword. "If their intentions are pure, I will let you know as soon as I can."

Malygos did nothing but nod, still somewhat shocked that Anzu had stood up to him after all these years.

"I... think that would be a good idea. Get out of my sight." He spat at his assistant. Anzu nodded and grabbed Xintrix by the arm, pulling him out of the room. While walking down the corridor outside the throne room, Anzu took a deep breath.

"Take me to your ship. I will command what is left of the Fleet of Umbra to accompany us."

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

<Swamp Planet>

Jaxidak: True that. Let's just 'ope they don't 'ave me on RewardWire.

He looks around to see if any of the guards are listening, but they are too busy chattering amongst themselves to care about their conversation.

Jaxidak: Technically speakin', the Heliospear is a Chargebolter-class vessel, made on Coridan III for the Dominion only. Picked it up free of charge. The bloke selling it didn't ask for money... though they don't need to know it's because I punched his windpipe in, eh?

The reptilian merc playfully elbows Leahf with one of his four arms. Eventually, the lift stops and a large, circular metal door in front of them opens, revealing a collosal hangar bay containing hundreds of different models of ships, many of which had been repainted to fit the Dominion colour scheme.

Jaxidak: Well I'll be...

The two are poked with the tridents of two of the aliens and forced to walk forward along a path separating both sides of the hangar. One of the aliens sniggered.

Alien: You're lucky we haven't got the energy staffs this week.

<Vizima>

*Klak hugged Praxter, smiling widely*

Klak: Praxter, so good to see you, my boy!

*He looked at Blackout, and nodded*

Klak: Blackout, good to see you as well. It's been a while.


---

<Teruga Prime, Mirage's bar>

*Namassus nodded*

Namassus: "Where will I find him?"

---

<The Spire of Conquest>

*Meanwhile, User MK grunted in pain for some strange reason.*

<Vizima>

"What, seriously?" Blackout said, surprised. "That's all? I just showed up, the so-called worst villain ever, and all I get is "good to see you". Are you alright?"

-----

<Dominaria, throne room>

"Very well, Sir Anzu. Thank you for your help."

Xintrix left the throne room, then immediately stopped and shook his head. "Nah." He then teleported them both to his shuttle.

-----

<Teruga Prime, Mirage's bar>

"The Parliament building, second floor, third office to the right." Mirage opened the curtain, letting Namassus see the building. "Just visualise it. It works for me."

-----

<The Spire of Conquest>

The soldiers caught Raul as he fell, and half-dragged him back onboard his own ship. They dumped him in the storage room, next to the pilot, and locked it.

As they left, a portal opened, and Evelin, Catalyx, and Nemesis emerged, carrying heavy weapons. They immediately gunned down the Terugan soldiers, then moved into the cockpit. "Nemesis. Radar. Has the President's ship left yet?"

Nemesis walked (or floated, no one really knew) over to the radar, and checked. One signal, which seemed to match the size of Vea's cruiser, was moving towards the space bridge. "Yeah. We gotta hurry, it's heading towards the space bridge."

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

Praepositus dashed over to the beast, and stabbed it in the gut. The skin around the wound suddenly began to turn into black jelly, as the beast seemed to smile.

Leahf continues speaking to Jaxidak in hushed tones, "I'm equally surprised I have not been recognized. I made quite a name for myself before retiring. Guess it doesn't extend this far into the pits of hell, then."

<Vizima>

*Klak laughed as he walked over to Blackout*

Klak: Sorry! Want a hug?

*He put his hand out for a handshake*

Klak: Vraice tells me you're here to stop my evil twin. We're allies for now....again.

---

<Teruga Prime, Mirage's bar>

*Namassus nodded, and made his way through the crowd that was walking near Mirage's bar*

*Several minutes later, he arrived at the Parliament building, and entered it. Namassus slipped into a lift, and pressed the button for the second floor*

<Xintrix's shuttle>

Anzu looked around him, admiring the interior of the shuttle for a moment. He then turned to Xintrix and shrugged.

"You don't want the fleet to accompany us? The threat of war must not be a concern for you. Take me to your leader!"

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

<Swamp Planet>

Jaxidak raised an eyebrow, only paying half attention to his wooden friend. He was too busy admiring all of the different kinds of ships that were being worked on in the hangar around them.

"Guess not," he said rather absent-mindedly while being prodded to march forward. He then noticed a blue, spherical pod-ship of intricate design. "Bloody hell. Is that a third-generation Agrippa spaceshifter?

Aeoh the Vortigaunt nodded. "Yes... I shudder to think what the captains of these here ships would say if they knew their life's work was to be used for the Dominion."

The travellers finally came to another large circular door. One of the aliens from the squad walked over to a control panel and put the palm of its translucent hand over the touch-screen. The door rolled open, revealing a room which heavily contrasted with the rest of the hangar bay: the interior of this room was made entirely of ornate stone and decorated with ancient runes and demonic drawings. At the center was a pit filled with lava. The aliens forced our heroes forward by jabbing their backs with their handheld spears, but the temperature was almost unbearable. After a few moments of suspense, a red-skinned demonic being rose from the pool of lava and wiped away the molten residue from his pitch-black eyes as he squinted at the group.

"These are not the ones I asked for," the being rumbled at one of the aliens, who stammered as he gave his response.

"M-my lord, we have reason to believe that th-the Terugans are dead. Consumed by the fluff up top, sir."

Fire shot from the demon's nostrils at the alien, which caused it to jump back in surprise, dropping its spear.

"Be faster. Fight stronger. Brave the fluff winds if you have to. I want the scum alive. They must only die by my hand."

"Y-yes, my lord," the alien said, then bowed and ran out of the room.

Jaxidak shielded his eyes from the brightness of the lava as he stepped forwards to talk to the demon.

"Who're you then, eh? Why'd you want Yun and Zax?" He spoke with more bravery than the last person to approach the demon, who gave Jaxidak an inquisitive stare as he grabbed onto the sides of the pit and pushed himself up, revealing his full form.

"They have stolen something from me," the demon said. "Something ancient, like me. You may address me as Kil'Jaeden of the Runefire Fleet, and you will tell me everything you know about these cyclopeans, or you will taste these cleansing flames yourself. Your move..."

He then turned to Leahf.

"...Tree-man."

<Vizima>

Blackout reluctantly shook Klak's hand, and smiled. "Welcome to the coalition, Klak. Have you encountered your twin yet?"

-----

<Xintrix's shuttle>

Xintrix was about to say something, when Anzu interrupted. He glared at the angel for a good long while before finally facepalming. "You do know you can.....?" he said, and then gave up, shrugged, and teleported them both back to the corridor.

"Fine. Take us to your ship. I thought you were gonna tell them to follow us." the Makuta said, dragging his hand down his face.

-----

<Terugan parliament>

Namassus arrived to find the second floor completely empty, except for a lone Terugan in a suit locking up his office. It was Tox.

-----

<Chasing Vea>

The presidential cruiser entered the space bridge, and the shuttle soon followed. The space bridge was driven haywire by the extra ship's sudden arrival, and dumped them both at the edge of the system, in the Oort cloud.

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

To Praepositus's shock, the beast collapsed into a pile of black slime, and then immediately reformed, this time as a perfect copy of himself. It smiled again, and began to speak, in an indistinct, growling manner.

"Let me out....."

<Dominaria>

Anzu chuckled and motioned for Xintrix to follow him. "Very well. Off we go!"

The two walked down another corridor and through a large set of double doors onto a bridge which overlooked a waterfall. While strolling across the bridge, Anzu admired the surrounding landscape, occasionally pointing out areas of interest and commenting on them, such as statues of ancient Dominarian figures and battle sites. Oddly enough, at the other end of the bridge, there was a circular pit instead of another building in its place. The pit had no ladder or tools to help them descend, so Anzu kicked Xintrix in before flapping his wings and swooping in after him. After a lengthy fall, the angel caught Xintrix metres from the metal floor at the bottom of the pit and put him on his feet.

"Here we are!" He said enthusiastically as he put his fist into some kind of scanner on the wall in front of them. "The Fleet of Umbra!"

With that, the wall slid backwards and to the side to reveal a large hangar containing two hundred ships that appeared to be made out of stone and fueled by magical energy. Anzu led Xintrix halfway down the hangar before picking out a two-man ship and climbing into it. He motioned for Xintrix to join him in the parallel seat.

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

<Many years ago...>

Kakamu couldn't believe his eyes. There he was! His son, alive and well. He made a conscious effort to put aside his near-overwhelming emotions for the time being, as what the Memory Tablet was about to show him was obviously very important.

Trantoshen picked up the Memory Tablet and brushed aside a bit of ash and debris that laid on top of it. Holding it up to his mechanical eye, his iris contracted as he examined the artefact. Satisfied that it was still working, the old Toa sat it back on its perch just as the child also came into view. He was a dark red and orange Ta-Matoran, obviously a newcomer to battle as he seemed scared, wringing his hands. The Matoran reminded Kakamu very much of himself in that matter, and brought back some very old memories. He had been drafted into a war that he wanted no part of when he was just a few years old, and in some ways he'd been fighting ever since... but in this recording, Trantoshen was the wizened warrior, fighting for the light against unstoppable odds.

Trantoshen put his hand on the boy's shoulder and told him that this was not the end. "Life will live on", he repeated in several different ways before noticing the boy's cracked mask. It was split down the middle, probably due to weapons fire, so Trantoshen removed it and reached for the Spear of Fusion that was mounted on his back. As he was about to take it to fix the boy's mask, he paused... before removing his own mask instead and crouching down, facing the youngster as he held the Kanohi Daran in his hands.

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

OOS: Waiting on Ynot for Kil'Jaeden

<Vizima>

Klak: Actually, I need to speak with you all on that.

*Klak sat on a tree stump.*

Klak: It seems that my other has pretended to be me all this time. At some point in the past, I knew that the other Klak's rise was imminent, so I decided to become a hermit to find ways to stop him. Around this time, he was impersonating me. He might have even fought by the side of my friends, and your enemies, without anyone being able to tell. He did it so well that no one noticed that I was gone, and any rumors of a doppelganger running around were just that, rumors. He was charismatic, impressive, daring, and powerful. He was willing to take the risks that I abandoned centuries ago. This helped convince the Users to use him as a deterrent against someone like Ynot going mad. They gave him power and authority. *He laughed* I mean, can you believe it? An ambitious, evil, and twisted version of me with authorization from on high. He would be unstoppable....or so I thought...

Vraice: "Hmm?"

Klak: I fought him on Malchior. I was nearly destroyed by his tremendous power, but at the last second.....he is gone now.

Vraice: "Really?! So we're safe!"

Klak: I wish I could believe that, but no. His agents are all throughout the universe, furthering their plans. I crossed paths with one while on a mission, and tried to lead him on. Anyway, there's more. Either I changed history, or I simply delayed the inevitable. Just as my friends feared many millennia ago, I might become the very monster I have destroyed.

*Klak shivered.*

---

<Terugan parliament>

Namassus: "Hello, Tox. You're in for a promotion. We're keeping our end of the bargain."

[Swamp Planet]

Leahf: Me? I don't know schist. I'm just a tag-along here. Merc gave me a job to help him with. Oh, but there is one thing...

*A stream of branches erupt from the ground and ensnare Kil'Jadeen, pointed barbs at his neck*

Leahf: The name's Leahf. I am an ENT. We are of a much higher caste than the lowly 'tree-man'. Show a little respect, as a week ago I'd have this entire place on lock down. Fifty some solar sweeps before that, I'd have simply converted your corpses into fertilizer. I am just trying to make a living.

<Swamp Planet>

Kil'Jaeden's pointed, yellow fingernails ran across the branches. He tapped them on a few specific spots, examining them... before grabbing a few branches on either side in each hand and ripping the "cage" apart in one motion. Jaxidak expected him to retaliate against Leahf by using powers of his own, but instead, a smile spread across the demon-lord's face.

"Ah, the ents. Yes, I know of your kind. Ancient like me, and "higher caste", as you said. So why are you working with such filth?" He chuckled, gesturing at Jaxidak and Aeoh. Coils of vortal energy began to charge between the latter's fingers behind his back. Kil'Jaeden breathed through his nose and pressed a few bricks on the ceiling above him before continuing.

"I was expecting a group of Terugans to land on this planet for me to propose to, but now I see that is no longer necessary. You have skills that I need, ent. Someone with your powerset would be of great usefulness to the Runefire Fleet. Making a living by killing is vastly more thrilling."

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

<Many years ago...>

Kakamu continued to observe his son through the memory tablet. Trantoshen squatted down on the burnt grass in front of the boy, holding the Kanohi Daran in his hands. After a moment of pondering silence, the Ta-Matoran spoke.

"Uh... Mr. Shen? You never take off your mask."

Trantoshen smiled. "You're right, I don't". He turned it over in his hands a few times before sighing and putting it back on his face. He then reached over his back and drew the Spear of Fusion.

"I just want you to know that this is not the end. We should not be afraid of confronting our destiny. I'm an old man, but perhaps it still feels like it's come around a little sooner than I expected it to."

The Ta-Matoran looked up at Trantoshen, confused. The Toa charged up the Spear of Fusion and placed the tip of the spear on the forehead of the boy's cracked mask. Almost instantly, the two parts fused back together again. Trantoshen placed the fixed mask back onto his friend, and then put a hand on his shoulder.

"I want you to run away from here as fast as you can. I'm going to face my destiny now by myself, as I should. You have a long life yet to live, my son, and if it's anything like mine it'll be wonderous. You will face rolling waterfalls as far as the eye can see, countless victories for good, the return of light to the universe. And now I have to go to so that that happen."

The boy held back tears as Trantoshen rose to his feet. "Make haste! Run, my son! Meet Sarah at the docks. She will take you home." He called over the hill as the Ta-Matoran took off and ran. Trantoshen turned back to face the devastation caused by F-Klak's forces, and he sat down with his face in his hands. A few moments later, a fallen tree blocking the entrance to the clearing was blasted to dust as the "General" marched in with Ellstrom by his side. He surveyed the scene, and found Trantoshen on the hill.

The General cracked his armoured knuckles. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this".

<Vizima>

"That was a most unfortunate decision, Klak." Praxter said.

Blackout chose to be blunt. "You ran and hid. You allowed the clone to take your place. You could've stayed. You could've stopped him. It's thanks to you that we are now in this mess."

"That's enough, Makuta! Praxter snapped.

"It's true, though. Had he been around, the clone would never have replaced him!"

-----

<Dominaria>

Xintrix shrugged, and took his seat beside Anzu. "Could you get one of them to pick my shuttle up? I don't want to leave it here, I'm sure you understand."

-----

<Terugan parliament>

"Really now?" Tox smiled. "In that case, tell Mirage he's getting a new job too."

The Terugan strolled away, not caring to elaborate.

-----

<Chasing Vea>

The presidential cruiser drifted aimlessly through the Oort cloud, its crew trying to figure out exactly what happened. The shuttle, meanwhile, attached itself to the cruiser's hull, and Catalyx began cutting into it with a laser.

-----

<Beneath the Spire>

Suddenly, a tiny clown appeared, grabbed Praepositus, and disappeared.

OOS: This plot was stupid.

<Vizima>

*Klak looked at Blackout with a face full of sadness and rage*

Klak: I had to prepare. Do you really think my clone was a walk in the park? You know what I'm capable of. He was capable of twice as much. But what if I did take on him once he appeared? I would have failed. Who would have taken him on? You? Hmm? Ynot? Zev? Please.

*Klak walked closer to Blackout*

Klak: And don't lecture me on inaction. You have had plenty of chances to stop him. Remember the Uterio War? Remember how we stood victoriously after the treaty? You could have cut me down that instant. Your nemesis was next to you, yet you chose to go the route of the convoluted scheme. He was born not long after that. And even before then, rumors of an evil, future Klak were known by you, yet you did nothing to stop it. Neither did Zev, nor Ynot, nor Kakamu, nor Malygos, nor Osseron, nor ANYONE! Not even David Robert Jones, who saw it all coming and is twisting in his grave knowing he was right.

*He paused, and looked to the ground. The sadness in his face lingered. The rage was gone.*

Klak: The blood of the people killed by Klakk's forces and his own extreme actions deemed necessary by the universe...is in all of our hands. Mine, yours, even Nadle's. You let it happen....

Vraice: "Give him a break, damn it. At least we are halfway through this ordeal."

---

<Terugan Parliament>

*Namassus smiled, and disappeared.*

<Dominaria>

"Of course!", Anzu said enthusiastically as he put on a winged helmet. He proceeded to put his fingers into slots in front of him on the stone "dashboard" of the ship, like one would put their fingers into a bowling ball. The ship suddenly flared to life, and they felt themselves being lifted off the ground. The expansive metal wall in front of them folded away, revealing the Dominarian landscape beyond. Anzu hummed to himself as the ship shot forward out of the hangar and into the sky. Each of the other ships belonging to the Fleet of Umbra followed them in an arrow formation, and Xintrix's shuttle was picked up by one of the larger ones in the middle with a tractor beam.

<Vizima>

"Very well. And now we've all paid the price for our failures." Blackout said. He walked out of the tent, and got out of his suit of Void Armour. Looking up at the sky, he sent a signal to his ship, which immediately answered by teleporting his old armour back down.

He opened his mouth, allowing his antidermis to flow out of his human body and into the armour. The human gasped, and tried to run away, only to be teleported away in turn.

Blackout then returned to the tent. "I thought it'd be best to return to a more familiar look. So, tell me, Klak, where did you meet this agent of Klakk's?"

-----

<Anzu's ship>

"Nice." said Xintrix. "Okay, take us to Vizima. You know the place, right? It's just by Ceti Alpha."

-----

<Chasing Vea>

Catalyx jumped in through the hole, soon followed by Barnax and Evelin. "You know the drill, folks." The Skrall muttered. "Get in, shoot, send the signal."

<Vizima>

Klak: Teruga Prime, of all places. Things have gotten uglier there. We might have a war with them soon. I suspect Klakk's agents are going to use the war to depose both governments and install their own. We need to make a battle plan. I don't want any more Malchiorian deaths.


OOS: Short post is short.

<Anzu's ship>

"Ceti... Alpha... okay," Anzu said while seemingly deep in thought. Putting his fingers in a couple of the holes on the dashboard, several circles with a series of runes on them rose up beside the holes. The runes were indecipherable to most modern men, as it was a language originating from near the dawn of time, but Anzu could read them with perfect clarity. On the first small circle, the runes listed a flight plan which contained Xintrix, the cargo, but only ONE Anzu. The second was a set of directions which would lead them straight to Vizima by the next post.

"I imagine most people hate this kind of ancient technology... I mean, they'd have a hard time figuring it out for a start," Anzu called to Xintrix over the noise of the engines, "but I like it! It  reminds me of home and my own time."

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

<Many years ago...>

Kakamu gritted his teeth - or at least felt like gritting his teeth but he couldn't, as he was watching a recording of events long past inside his head - as the General approached his son. As he got closer to the Toa, he shapeshifted into a more familiar form, and lightning crackled inside his hands. Trantoshen turned to face the General, and walked over to him using the Guardian Fire Spear to support himself in his old age. After a few tense moments, the two were face-to-face, and Trantoshen sneered at the General through the Kanohi Daran.

"Kivalon." he muttered with a tone of digust. "It looks to me as if you're having plenty of fun already."

"Oh, I am." Kivalon responded, his glowing purple eyes narrowing slightly. "But why should it end here? My position in this army is as a berserker... it's my job... but I'm going to kill you as a hobby. Nice and slow."

With that, the tip of the Guardian Fire Spear burst into flames, and Trantoshen thrust it upwards into Kivalon's chest. He had hoped that Kivalon had dismissed the spear as nothing more than a walking stick, thus letting his guard down, but this was not the case. The Makuta grabbed it and crushed it in the palm of his hand. Its white-hot fire had done absolutely nothing to his hand - presumably due to his power of Fire Resistance. Kivalon struck Trantoshen across the face, sending him sprawling backwards, before unleashing a devastating chain of lightning from the same fingertips. The Toa grabbed the Kanoka Disk of Teleportation from his back, and held it up as a shield against the lightning. Protected by the disk, he crouched behind it and began to advance forward - but Kivalon saw through his plan, and switched to his power of Fragmentation to destroy the ground below his opponent. It exploded, leaving a small crater... but when Kivalon walked over to investigate, there was no body to be found.

Ellstrom and the other man in the adjacent mech gasped in surprise, then looked around them to see if Trantoshen had teleported to another part of the battlefield. The two mechs swivelled around in all directions, but they could find no trace of the Toa - until Ellstrom spotted the old man clinging to the back of the other mech.

"He's on your back!!" He shouted, powering up his matter cannon. The man in the second mech screamed for Ellstrom not to shoot, but the soldier had already made up his mind. An energy blast from the arm of Ellstrom's mech hit the back of the other, just next to Trantoshen. The poor soldier piloting the other mech was ripped in half along with the cockpit due to the blast. Trantoshen disappeared again as the fuel tanks on the other mech exploded, turning a once-powerful machine of war into burning, twisted chunks of scrap metal.

The Toa then reappeared on the top of Ellstrom's cockpit, slashing at the hinges with the sharpened Spear of Fusion. The arms of the mech reached up and plucked him off, before extending him in front of Ellstrom so he could get a better lock on his target. His matter cannon powered up once again, and fired at Trantoshen - but the old man was too quick. The blast destroyed the mech's fingers just as he disappeared again.

Kivalon grimaced and awaited Trantoshen's reappearance. Sure enough, he popped back into reality on the ground behind Ellstrom's mech, aiming the Spear of Fusion at it. Kivalon combined his Kraata power of Accuracy with his power of Shattering to send a bolt of energy at Trantoshen which would not miss. It hit the Toa's arm... his shield arm. The Kanoka of Teleportation was blasted into mere fragments of what it once was.

Trantoshen cried out in grief upon losing another one of his most prized possessions. He took a moment to recover as Ellstrom's mech swivelled round to face him before getting to his feet, aiming the Spear of Fusion at the human like it was a gun.

"Return to the darkness from whence you came!" He called up at Ellstrom before releasing its power. The soldier covered his eyes with his arm to protect them from the searing brightness of the spear's energy... only to find that he could not lower it again. When he opened his eyes, his arm was fused to his forehead.

"You brought this on yourself for stepping into the light!" Trantoshen continued as he hit Ellstrom with another burst from the Spear. This time, the human's body became fused to the back of the machine's cockpit. He swore in his native language and let go of the controls, allowing the mech to topple over. Trantoshen closed his eyes while holding his spear up, knowing what would happen next. The Spear was driven straight through the organic part of Ellstrom as he fell, killing him instantly. Trantoshen pulled it out and stepped aside, allowing the mech to fall on the ground next to him.

The next thing he knew, Kivalon was behind him with his armoured hand on his throat.

"That was pretty brutal for a Toa. You know, that spear was never intended for Toa's hands." The Makuta said as his grip on his throat tightened.

Trantoshen simply smiled while he was being choked. He still had one trick up his sleeve. Activating the Kanohi Daran, the Mask of Confusion, Kivalon became slightly disorientated but retained his grip. That was the window of opportunity Trantoshen needed. Without further ado, his entire body began to glow a bright white colour as he prepared to release all of his power in one last attempt to destroy Kivalon once and for all.

The lonely Memory Tablet sat atop the hill across the battlefield, overlooking the scene. Through its "eye", Kakamu observed the final moments of his son's life. If he was not weeping inside his mind, then his physical body back on Vizima surely was. He just wanted to say how proud of him he was - oh, what he would give for one last chance to make his son feel like a hero. But Trantoshen already knew that. While he powered up his Nova Blast, simultaneously choking from Kivalon's grip, he managed to look over to the Memory Tablet.

Kivalon, however, quickly shook off the effects of the Daran. "You never know when to give up..."

Trantoshen smiled. Not a sarcastic smile, not a triumphant smile. A smile of pure happiness. He would be at peace. And so, on that day, Toa Trantoshen uttered his final words.

"Neither do you."

Kivalon gasped and tried to teleport away as Trantoshen's body erupted with pure light energy. The explosion was grand, and beautiful - wiping away all traces of the previous battle, all traces of death. The charred remains of trees were instantly vaporized, as well as the metal of the mechs, and all the grass around them. The entire forest glowed as bright as the sun, and the Memory Tablet was blown away, far away from the battlefield. And then there was silence.. until, for the first time since the battle began, the birds began to sing.

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

<Vizima, present day>

Kakamu woke from his vision with a jolt, and the Memory Tablet was flung out of his hands and smashed into pieces on the ground. He began to weep.

<Vizima>

"And do that we shall. But not yet. I'm waiting to speak to another potential ally." Blackout said. "Hopefully he'll show up soon."

-----

<Anzu's ship>

"Do the other ships work like that too?" Xintrix asked. "I imagine that would get very annoying, very fast for the crew."

He yawned quietly, then changed the subject. "Listen, mate, I don't suppose you've got a pillow in here?"

-----

<Vea's cruiser>

Barnax pulled a small saucer out of his pocket, and pressed a button, deploying a holographic map. "Engineering's to the left!" he hissed over to the others.

"We're not going to engineering! We want to shoot Vea!" Evelin replied. "Moron!"

"No, listen. We could-" Barnax began to reply, but was promptly interrupted by footsteps in the distance. He looked around, but after seeing there was nowhere to hide, he aimed in the direction of the footsteps instead.

Klak: ....Please tell me you're not inviting him.

Vraice: "Who?"

Klak: After thousands and thousands of years of the vicious cycle of alliance and betrayal, you still trust him? That's admirable.

*He heard the sobbing of Kakamu in a nearby tent.*

*Klak ran to the tent, and saw his old friend kneeling.*

Klak: Kakamu?

<Anzu's ship>

Anzu shrugged. "For anyone less than a few billion years old, maybe. And sure, something like that."

He then twisted round another of the raised runeplates like a dial on an oven, and the back of the ship opened up. A section of the wall to the right folded down, revealing a crudely-made bed which was, in fact, just a stone rectangle with a few layers of animal fur on top which served as sheets. 

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

<Vizima>

Instead of Kakamu explaining it all to Klak, he projected what he had seen into Klak's mind instead. Not waiting for a response, he stood up and clenched his fists.

"I've already mourned him once before. If I have to do it again, it shall not be with words, but with actions. F-Klak must fall."

<Vizima>

"No, I trust him to act in his own self-interest. And I'm reasonably confident I can convince him that F-Klak's agents are a threat to him." Blackout said.

Upon hearing the sobbing, Blackout and Praxter followed Klak, and looked on, confused, as Kakamu made his declaration.

-----

<Anzu's ship>

Xintrix looked at the bed, and shrugged. If he were organic and had a normal spine, he wouldn't have even gone near such a contraption. But being a Makuta, a flat surface and a pillow were ideal.

He got up, and walked over to the bed, carefully so as not to disturb any runes.

-----

<Vea's ship>

Two Elites came round the corner, chatting quietly and not really looking ahead. This proved to be a fatal mistake when they almost walked right into Barnax.

"Hands in the air, morons." the Barraki hissed.

The Terugans looked at each other, shocked, and put their hands in the air. Barnax promptly gunned them both down. "Sorry, lads." He turned to his companions. "Let's run."

<Vizima>

*Klak nodded somberly, and placed his hand on Kakamu's shoulder.*

Klak: Kakamu...he is gone. I have slayed Klakk. However, his agents are still out there, and they must be stopped. Justice will prevail, my friend. Trantoshen's death will be avenged. I am so sorry...