The Hiatus Chronicles
As Told By Sarda, Former Matoran of Mahri Nui
Recorded by IAMJerry262
The Pit.
Several months before the Toa Nuva reach Karda Nui.
Lesovikk, Toa of Air and Sarda, former Ta-Matoran of Mahri Nui were swimming through the uncharted waters of the Pit. Having just defeated the crazed jailer of Matoran, Karzanhi, they set a coarse for the unknown. Sarda had become mutated by the Pit's tainted waters and now had become a water breather. Lesovikk was now also confined to the mass ocean.
Sarda turned to Lesovikk.
"You're not talking much." He said.
"What do you want to talk about?" asked Lesovikk.
"You mentioned you became a wanderer. What happened all of those years you were traveling around the universe?"
The Toa of Air smiled, ever so briefly.
"Ok I will tell you all the stories I have to tell. I will start at why I became a wanderer. It was because I failed to protect my friends, and it wasn't going to be the last time I did that either."
Unknown island north of Stelt.
Almost 100,000 years ago.
Toa Lesovikk stood on the beach of his island home. He and his teammates were sent by the Great Spirit to protect the island's Matoran population. He was chosen to lead the team of Nikila, Toa of Lighting; Tasar, Toa of Fire; Desba; Toa of Sonics; Feron, Toa of Iron; Potreu, Toa of Stone; Totron, Toa of Gravity; and Galka, Toa of Water. Lesovikk had lived on the island for several years now, protecting the local Matoran from Zyglak attacks and a variety of other invaders.
"Toa Lesovikk!" The Toa of Air turned to see Idris, a local Ga-Matoran of the island. Her eyes were wide with fear despite her tone of voice.
"What is it, Idris?" asked Lesovikk.
"There is a large being here. He wants to speak with you and the other Toa."
"What does he look like?"
"He's…massive. He looks like he could tear a Muaka tiger easily in two and he has red and silver armor."
"Where are the other Toa?"
"Sarda and the others went to go find them. We must hurry."
Lesovikk nodded and followed the Ga-Matoran into the town. There, a massive being stood among the Matoran, making them appear to be the size of Hoto bugs. As he got closer he could see the scratches and chips in the being armor. This being, whoever he was, was obviously very skilled in combat.
"Are you Lesovikk, first Toa of Air and leader of the first team of Toa?" The being asked him in a deep voice.
"I am. And may I ask who are you and your purpose here on our island?" said Lesovikk back.
"My name is Axxon. I am loyal being of the Great Spirit, as you are as well. I have come with a message, or more of a request, from the Great Spirit."
"What is this 'request'?" asked Lesovikk.
"I cannot tell you here. It is supposed to be heard by only you and your team. If you will follow me to my ship." He pointed a massive finger at a large seafaring ship on the shore some 50 bios away. The Toa followed him to the ship, where Axxon lead them into the ship's cabin. He shut the door behind them and turned to the Toa.
"Now, about your mission." He unrolled a map on a piece of parchment onto a table. "You are to travel here, the island of Nyrah." He said, pointing to a island on the map. "It is home to a group of highly skilled Fe-Matoran. They are there crafting special devices and other things for the Great Spirit and his people. You are to check on their progress and report back to me."
"But why us? We must protect the Matoran here. Why could some other Toa do it?" asked Desba.
"The Great Spirit requested you take on the mission specifically. He trusts you above all other Toa. And I cannot go, because I have my own role to fill the Great Spirit needs at this time."
"What about our Matoran friends? Someone must be here to protect them." Said Totron.
"The island here is protected by many natural obstacles. Only those who know of its position are able to enter it. Also, the Great Spirit has placed a protective barrier around the island until you return, to ensure the safety of your Matoran."
"When do we leave?" asked Lesovikk.
"Immediately. This ship is on a automatic pilot. It will bring you to the island in a matter of days, and you may return as soon as you are done viewing the Matoran's work."
Axxon turned to leave.
"Wait!" cried Nikila. But Axxon did not turn back. The Toa watched as he jumped down from the ship and pushed the boat off shore. It gave a lurch and turned away from the island. The Toa watched as Axxon disappeared into a large black and purple vortex and vanished from view. The Toa turned to each other, all wondering the same thing.
What have we done?
Several days later.
Somewhere out at sea.
After days at the sea, the Toa began to worry about their Matoran friends back home. They had left them with out saying goodbye and without warning. Galka was especially worried. She spent more and more time predicting more and more horrible outcomes for the local Matoran. Tarsa had more than once brought her below deck to calm her nerves. Lesovikk held Axxon's map in his hands as he gazed out at the sea. Nikila approached him.
"You think we did the right thing?" she asked, not turning to look at Lesovikk.
"Our duty is to fulfill the Great Spirit's wishes. If that means leaving our island, then we must do so."
"I am just still a little worried about that Axxon character. I had never known any other being close to the Great Spirit. I think we shouldn't leave just because some giant says we have too."
"Quiet. Do you want to set Galka off again?" said Potreu. The Toa of Lighting looked at the Ga-Toa, laughing next to Tarsa.
"She does make a point, Potreu. We did just leave our island without any sound evidence." Said Lesovikk.
"I have heard rumors of an organization loyal to the Great Spirit. I believe they call themselves, "The Heart of Artakha" or something. They are said to be a secret, so as to not attract to much attention from groups like the Dark Hunters and Frostelus."
"Really? A secret group of beings other than the Toa to protect Matoran? Really Potreu? Where did you hear such a thing from?"
"A Matoran from the island of Artakha. He was traveling with some others to sell their goods to other islands. He said several of their members had stopped their with a team of Toa before they left with some supplies."
Nikila looked unconvinced, but said nothing. She turned to Lesovikk.
"How much longer until we get there?"
"We should be there any…"
"LAND HOE!" cried Feron, leaning out of the Gukko's nest. The Toa looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a small island off in the distance. The Toa readied to go ashore as the ship guided itself into a small bay. The Toa watched as the ship dissolved through the bay's side and into a small harbor inside the island. Matoran's cries echoed off the harbor's stonewalls, bouncing and echoing so many times, there was a constant ringing sound, even if no one was speaking. The Matoran tied the chip down and Feron lowered the gangplank. The Toa walked off the ship and were greeted by several Fe-Matoran.
"Greeting Toa of the Great Spirit, and welcome to the island of Nynrah. I am called Waxia. I am head of our operations here." Lesovikk began to introduce himself.
"I am…"
"Lesovikk, first Toa of Air. Yes, our friend Umbra has told us all about you and your team. I see everyone is here. Nikila, Toa of Lighting; Tasar, Toa of Fire; Desba; Toa of Sonics; Feron, Toa of Iron; Potreu, Toa of Stone; Totron, Toa of Gravity; and Galka, Toa of Water. I must say it is an honor to have the first Toa team here to see our work."
"Yes, what exactly are we here to see, Waxia?" asked Feron.
"Axxon did not tell you?" asked Waxia. The Toa shook their heads and the Matoran of Iron smiled. "Well then, follow me to our building chambers."
The Fe-Matoran lead the Toa down a nearby hallway to a large metallic door. One of the other Fe-Matoran entered a complex combination on a keypad and the door opened. Inside the room, it was cool and damp. Several more Matoran were in this room, among them several Onu and Ko-Matoran. The lighting was surprising light, despite it not coming from lightstones or the outside suns. The room appeared at first to be barren, except for six silver pillars around the center, which the Matoran seemed to be working on. Waxia yelled to one of the Ko-Matoran to come down from his pillar. He nodded, set down a strange looking tool and walked towards the Toa.
"This is Grefar, our chief engineer on our project. He was one of the most talented designers on Artakha, and we called him here to help on our project. He was responsible for the creation of your weapons and masks."
"An honor to finally meet you. I assume your masks and weapons are in perfect order and function?" he asked.
"Yeah, the masks work amazing." Said Nikila.
"Yes, yours was especially difficult to get the right combination of disks, but after several bugs were worked out, it was a masterpiece. I believe it was the last one ever created after I left."
"What is this project you've been working on?" asked Totron.
"You didn't tell them?" Grefar whispered to Waxia.
"Nobody has. I wanted it to be more of a surprise."
"So Axxon didn't ever tell them what they were coming here to see?"
"No, he did fail to mention that before he left us." Said Tarsa grimly.
"Well, that will make it all the better. You see, Mata Nui has created six new Toa, and they are the most powerful in existence right now. They need to be transported to Metru Nui, though the Great Spirit wants it done secretly. So he had us come up with these." He whirled around and displayed the six pillars to the Toa.
"We call them simply, 'Toa Canisters.' They are a one-person transport and as far as our research shows, can only be used by Toa or someone of equal power and size. They are lightweight, incredibly fast, can be steered telepathically and can even pass through solid rock. They are the perfect transport for a Toa going anywhere in the universe."
"Very impressive. Is this solid protosteel?" asked Feron, examining the nearest canister.
"Yes. We receive chunks of it from various islands and then melt it down and recast it into the shapes we need." Said Waxia.
"So who wants to test it?" asked Grefar excitedly.
"I will." Said Tarsa.
"Are you sure Tarsa? I think we should check out the rest of the Matoran's works so we can get back to our friends." Said Lesovikk.
"Oh this is all we are supposed to show you Toa." Said Waxia. "Mata Nui wants to make sure these are fully operational, and we need Toa to do that. After that, you may go back home."
"Alright then, let's go before it gets to dark." Said Lesovikk.
The Toa followed the Matoran outside to a small bay where one of the test canisters had been beached. The Waxia was setting up a control booth nearby and Grefar was walking Tarsa through the test run. Lesovikk was on edge. The sooner they got this done, the sooner they could all go home, and it was just taking too long. Lesovikk saw something. It was a flicker of movement among the rocks. He stared at the spot of the movement, but all he could see was the shadow of a cloud passing overhead. He turned back to see Tarsa walking to talk to Desba and Feron. He took this opportunity to approach Waxia.
"How long is this going to take?" He asked in an undertone.
"Not very long. Long enough for you to get the ship ready to leave I suppose." He said, careful to not make eye contact. Lesovikk turned away from Waxia to look at his team. They were grouped together talking animatedly about Tarsa's test run of the canister. He had wrapped his arm around Galka and was laughing out loud with her and Totron especially.
Then he saw it. Another flash of movement. He went to cry out, but couldn't. And then he saw them. Zyglak. Nearly a hundred of the reptilian creatures came pouring over the rocks. He watched as his teammates turned, only to met by their primitive blades. They all dropped to the ground. But there was no time to morn his friends. Lesovikk dove and grabbed Waxia and Grefar. Stuffing them inside the canister, he commanded the craft to sail away from the island. The hatch shut and it drifted out to sea. Lesovikk drew his blade and turned to the Zyglak. A squad was now descending on him. He blasted them away with a jet of air. They went flying, but he knew it wouldn't be enough to defeat them. Zyglak were highly immune to elemental attack. Another one charged at him, and he deflected its attack and kicked it away. He then parried another blow from a Zyglak blade and slashed the creature across the chest. More were now coming over the rocks, crude blades drawn to kill.
There's no other option. Though Lesovikk. I have to go nova.
Sheathing his sword, he closed his eyes and began to focus his powers. The Zyglak were shocked by this behavior. They did not know if the Toa was surrendering or getting ready for another attack. He could hear the Zyglak screeching and garbled speech, the roar of the surf, but they started to fade as he watched his teammates. The sound was gone now. The Zyglak seemed to be moving to slow motion. They bounced nervously as they waited for the Toa's next move. Then one charged. Lesovikk unleashed the blast. Air rushed out from all sides with hurricane force winds. The Zyglak were sent flying in all directions. Most flew out to sea, but some were splattered against the many rock faces around the bay. Lesovikk continued to unleash the blast as more and more Zyglak were sent flying. Finally, the last one flew and struck a rock spire to Lesovik's left, killing it instantly.
Lesovikk collapsed. He couldn't move; the amount of energy he had used had almost depleted him completely. He began to drag himself towards his fallen comrades. It was a sickening site. Totron was clutching a spear in his left hand and holding his mid section with the other. Galka and Tarsa were still clutching each other in a one armed hug, shock expressions fixed on their masks. Then he saw Nikila. She was lying next to Desba, her face to the ground. As he looked closer he saw her chest moving in small, short contractions. He crawled over and rolled her over. She was alive.
"Lesovikk…" she whispered.
"Yes Nikila, its me." He answered, his voice breaking.
"Lesovikk…"
"Hold on Nikila, please just hold on."
"Lesovikk…remember our friends…"
"Yes, were going to go see them. Just hold on…"
"Protect…the Matoran, Lesovikk. Always protect the Matoran…"
And with that, Nikila's heartlight gave a final flash, and stopped. Nikila was gone. They were all gone. He had failed them. He was alone.