-Begin Part II: The Lost World-

2.1: Nevermore, Said the Raven

ELEVEN

One Thousand Years Ago…

Factoris, Okoto

Ekimu heard someone walking behind him over the clanging on his hammer on metal. He turned around to see a gold-and-purple figure behind him. "Makuta! How are you?" He walked towards his brother, embracing him. "How was your journey?"

"I'm fine." Makuta said.

"Just 'fine'?"

"Yes. My journey was… interesting. I was able to record and transcribe some more runes." He handed his brother a tablet.

Ekimu read it over. "Makuta, this is amazing!"

His brother shrugged.

"I'm almost done shaping this mask, and I'll need your help carving its runes."

"What powers are it going to have?"

"Shielding. I'm thinking of giving it to the guards."

"And they'll eat it up, as always." Muttered Makuta.

"What do you mean?"

"I make anything, everyone goes 'meh'. You can make anything and everyone is 'BY THE SPIRITS THAT'S AMAZING'."

Ekimu hung up his hammer. "Makuta, you know how others' praise means nothing."

"Says you."

"Maybe I can do something to help your masks get more publicity, if that's so dear to you."

"No. No you can't." Makuta turned around and walked away from the forge.

Ekimu shook his head. For someone who wears the Mask of Control, he sure doesn't have much self-control. He ran after his brother, and walked at his side. "Makuta, who kept us alive in our childhood on the streets of this city?"

Makuta didn't answer.

"You did. Who taught me how to make masks after uncovering the old ways?"

Makuta stopped moping and smiled. "I did."

"And who helped me make the Mask of Creation?"

"I did…"

"See, brother? You're the opposite of useless. Without you, I wouldn't be alive. Your name will go down in history-"

"Only because it's in your shadow."

"Makuta…"

Makuta picked up his hammer and hoisted it over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, brother." He walked away, his boots clanking on the stone floor.

Present Day

UNSC Infinity, above Spherus Magna

It had been another meeting with the remaining UNSC Command.

It was so damn hard to think of it that way. All his life, John had been a servant of the UNSC, a guardian of Earth and her colonies.

Now, there was nothing left of it but this ship and its nearly twenty-thousand human inhabitants.

A group of grunts was moving something. At first, John thought it was a bomb, but he realized it was just a stack of supplies.

"Sorry, demon." The lead grunt said with the species' distinctive whiny, high-pitched voice.

He ignored them, walking down the corridor after they finished moving their burden.

He turned the corner, and the Warden was waiting for him. He went to grab his pistol, but the Warden shook his head. "I'm all in your head, One-One-Seven. The others can't see me."

"How? Why me?"

"Why do you have to ask so many questions? Fine, I'll speak." The Warden motioned. "Come. We will talk some more in private."

John walked towards his room and locked its door. "Can Roland listen in?"

"Perhaps. Depends on how good he is at discerning the truth from lies." The Warden leaned his sword on John's bedframe. "You know how I'm in your mind. It was because of her. Indirectly, of course."

"My neural interface…"

"I used it as a gateway to your mind." The Warden nodded. "I heard all about the history of Spherus Magna. Truly interesting. But the most interesting was the figure called 'Makuta'."

"Turaga Cognitis said something about him."

"Yes, she did. I thought it was rather interesting how this villain always worked from the shadows, didn't you?"

"What do you mean? Why are you mentioning this?"

"Because I have a sneaking suspicion 8593 Midnight Exigent is connected to this 'Makuta'. Makuta may have manipulated the distress signal to lure my forces here. To analyze us. To find out how to defeat us."

"And where do I fit in? And why are you helping us?"

"Helping you? One-One-Seven, I am not helping you. You are helping me. And don't try to tell the others- you can't."

John balled his hands into fists.

"Let me tell you my objective, One-One-Seven: To find the Monitor 8593 Midnight Exigent. Do you know your objective?"

"Classified. I am not telling an ene-" A loud metal boom cut him short.

"It appears you have more urgent matters to attend to." Warden said dryly. "I must find out how these enemies manipulated the slip-space network." And with that, the Promethean commander disappeared.

Captain Lasky's voice blared from the intercom: "Crew of the UNSC Infinity, this is Captain Lasky. We are under attack. REQUIEM Protocol."

Payaz fired his plasma pistol ineffectively at the creature that had appeared near his friends. Oddly enough, the thing- it was called a "Rahkshi", if he was remembering correctly- seemed rather uninterested in the Unggoy.

Which was bad for the thing, because a charged shot from his plasma pistol had caused its systems to short-circuit and it screeched in pain.

"You should be scared!" Payaz yelled at it, only to get knocked aside by a yellow-and-green Rahkshi, then blasted by its staff, making his ears ring. He saw a Marine kick something towards him- he expected it to hit him, but it didn't- and Payaz saw that the human had gave him one of their "Magnums". He'd never used one before, but he'd seen it used by the humies before- and, more importantly, he'd seen what they can do. He held it in his hands- it was rather uncomfortable, but he'd rather survive than complain about ergonomics- and took aim at a Rahkshi, firing twice. The recoil was more than he remembered. The Rahkshi staggered, and fell as it was focused-fired down by all the nearby Unggoy. A single plasma pistol blast would only slightly scorch the Rahkshi's armor, but the sheer volume of fire was overwhelming- and Unggoy were known for being a pointless target by themselves but a force to be reckoned in numbers. The Rahkshi's armor and joints melted from the ionized gas, and after another second of the barrage, it died.

"We did it!" Bapip yelled.

"That was only one of them. We've still got a lot to go." A Marine said, loading his assault rifle with a fresh magazine and firing at the advancing Horde.

"Slipspace rupture, Hangar Twelve!" Another Marine yelled into her comm as some four-legged creatures with mandibles larger than an energy sword and a mouth that was more like a grinder than a jaw. "We have Visorak! Repeat: Visorak in Hangar Twelve!"

Payaz turned to his group. "Bapip, Fozap, help me do some covering fire." He turned to the Marine. "Hey, humie? You got any Ghosts?"

"Negative. The only armor we've got are some experimental 'hogs."

"They'll do."

"I thought grunts couldn't drive warthogs."

"Just because no one's ever done it before don't mean it's impossible." He turned to his best pilots. "Nidab, Zusul, get in those warthogs."

The two Unggoy waddled over to where the Marine pointed to while the three other Unggoy helped the Marines fight off the invaders. After the Grunts had run out of ammo, the Marines had tossed them SAWs. The low recoil and decent accuracy, combined with naturally-quick-learning Unggoy, meant that the Marines were given enough covering fire and then some. The Unggoy even staggered firing their weapons to cover each other's reload time.

And then a crimson warthog smashed through several crates, driven by a grunt and another grunt holding onto the turret, its hands held over the triggers waiting for an opening. And then Nidab let all hell break loose with his turret- needler shards the size of human arm exited the barrel, piercing the Visorak's carapace. When several more shards hit the creature, they exploded in a supercombine reaction, sending the corpse flying.

With the combined fire of the Warthog, the Grunts, and the Marines, the Visorak were taken out quickly. But more of the biomechanical spiders kept coming.

Several Gorgon Walkers and Cyclops mechs joined the fight by entering from the outside of the Infinity's hangar, having walked on the side of the ship to get to their objective. The Gorgons fired their Heavy Needlers while the Cyclops' piledrivers crushed the invaders. The carnage was devastating. Visorak climbed on the Cyclops' hulls, tearing into them with their teeth, pincers, and claws. The Gorgons faired slightly better because of their ranged attacks and energy shields, but the combined firepower of heat- and laser-vision Rahkshi caused four out of the eleven walkers.

Payaz's squad was somehow still alive- and Nidab and Zusul were still on the Warthog, amazingly- but the Humans were taking heavy fire.

He saw a Marine get hit by a beam of energy, and from the point of impact, he disintegrated. It wasn't like the Promethean weapons- it was much more brutal. It spread from the impact point, ripping apart the Marine's body atom by atom. He screamed in pain, and a nearby Marine called for a Corpsman while he pulled the wounded man away into cover, only to see his comrade's entire lower body lying on the floor and still disintegrating at the same rate as the upper body.

With the Marines distracted at the terrible fate of a brother-in-arms, a red rahskhi leaped across the makeshift barricade, and killed one Marine with a single swing of its staff, then blasted another Marine- this one wielding a shotgun- with a red beam that emanated from its staff. The shotgun-wielding Marine's eyes widened, and she backed up, screaming in pure fear, clutching her shotgun as if it was the only thing between her and death. A medic tried to calm her down, but was shot in the chest and killed near-instantly by a single shell. The shotgunner started to sob- absolutely aware of what she had done- but it was too late. The Turahk- a Rahkshi of Fear- grabbed a grenade from her belt, primed it with a three-fingered hand, and tossed it to the ground in the center of the Marines.

Payaz looked away from the explosion, and when he looked back, he saw the Turahk standing where it was before, totally unharmed. The Marines, however, were all dead or gravely wounded. The Turahk charged, but was pushed back by some sort of invisible force. A yellow-and-blue Toa slammed into it, grabbing a ceremonial-looking sword, and, with a single swipe, killed the creature.

Several more Toa fanned out, each holding some sort of energy weapon, firing at any stragglers. Payaz could hear the distinct static-y sound of the Matans' language as they seemed to check for any survivors.

"Hey!" Payaz yelled. "Over here!"

A Toa looked, nodded, and said something to its comrades.

Payaz was flooded with relief when the shooting stopped. He shouted at Nidab and Zusul to dismount the Warthog, which the two did rather reluctantly, then turned to the Toa. "You want us to stay here, or what?"

"For the sake of your own safety, stay here until your Captain gives you the 'All Clear' signal."

"Hey, I won't complain about that." Payaz said while looking at his squad. "You got that?"

All the Unggoy nodded, and Payaz started to inspect the SAW he was holding. He'd have to make quite a few modifications to it in order for it to better fit with Unggoy hands- something he'd tell the armorer after this was all over.

The fighting went on for almost another hour. The main invading forces had been destroyed, and the remnants were being hunted down. Lasky looked at the hologram of the Infinity and all affected Decks. "Roland?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Casualty report?"

Roland nodded, then rattled off a list of everyone- human or otherwise- killed in the attack, transferring the list to Lasky as he talked. Lasky forwarded it to the heads of New Harvest and Cheenoh-ee Teedah, reminding to write these names in the Memorial Wall located between the two cities.

A Security Officer walked over to Lasky, looking rather annoyed. "Sir, Turaga Cognitis is here. She wants to see you."

Lasky sighed. This better be important. "Let her in."

Cognitis walked in, her staff's taps echoing throughout the bridge.

"Turaga Cognitis," Lasky said. "I'm sorry if I appear hostile, but your visit interrupted important matters."

"I am sorry," The Turaga said. "But I needed to get onboard your ship- time was of the essence."

"You boarded our ship without permission from the Flight Operations Commander or the Captain- that's me- in the middle of a battle."

"That is why I brought my honor guards."

Lasky decided that he wasn't going to pull any punches with what he was going to say. "Your honor guards aren't going to do shit if they're outnumbered. You can read my mind; you know how many people on this ship died during our boarding, even when we were prepared for boarding. Turaga, you can take your Matan high-and-mighty act and toss it out into the void of space, because here, on this ship, the highest authority is not the Council, but me."

"It if wasn't for my people- the people of Spherus Magna- you and your people would be dead or enslaved to Cortana's will." She said, looking him in the eyes.

"Perhaps we'd be better off!" Lasky snapped, turning away from her.

"Are you going to listen to what I headed here to tell you?"

He didn't respond, but Roland did. "I will. The Captain might not."

Cognitis nodded. "I heard of the mission the Infinity is undertaking on the order of High Turaga Jaller."

Lasky spun around, furious. "How?"

"Because he himself told me."

"And why would he tell one Turaga- a rather low-ranking one at that, if I understand your politics- of our mission?"

"Because I have more experience with your kind than most Turaga, more experience with your language, and a Mask of Translation."

"Couldn't they just give another Turaga a Mask like yours?" Roland asked.

"Because the Mask is limited to translating only what is in its 'database'. I was able to learn your language back in Le-Koro due to being able to look into your minds and provide the Mask with the concepts and words required for it to translate."

Lasky was becoming more and more angered with this Turaga. "You looked into Osiris and Blue Teams' minds?"

"It was only a shallow dive." She said. "It was more or less like skimming through a book, though much more jumbled. If needed, I can have a course of techniques used by Matans and Magnans to shield our minds from intrusions adapted to Humans and taught to your crew."

Lasky shook his head. "To be frank, Turaga, I don't trust you or your kin to come up with a guide they cannot exploit. You would understand if you were in our place."

She nodded. "As I was saying, I am also assigned here as a political liaison. I would have had Toa Ultia accompany me, but she was busy helping out a friend she had thought was lost for the past few decades."

"I can understand that." Roland said. "Tell her 'good luck'- or whatever your equivalent of it is."

Lasky was glad the Toa wasn't here- one less Matan to mess with the operation. "This is a simple search mission. We find where it ended up, record where it is, and head back. Do you understand?"

"Yes." She said.

"Roland, how long do we have until we can leave?"

The AI ran a calculation. "We can leave in three to four days at minimum. We're still making repairs and searching for remnants of the Invader's forces."

Lasky nodded. "Then let's get to work."

One Thousand Years Ago…

Factoris, Okoto

Makuta did not understand. He could not understand.

Why would Ekimu be so mad at him for making his Masks? They may have combined two Elements, but that should have been something his brother should have been proud of- after all, no one before him was able to create a Mask that had such power contained in it without harming its wearer! And that wearer was a simple islander, not a Protector, who had special mental and physical training to harness their mask's powers.

And he had done it, without a Mask of Creation! Ekimu may have created more efficient masks, with little-to-none of the elemental power leaking out during the formation process, but he did not innovate like Makuta had!

Anger swelled through him. His younger brother was beloved, but this recent stunt had lowered how they thought of Makuta. One villager had even called him a heathen, a criminal. It had taken several guards to pull the rabble-rouser away from him, and those words- those insults- stung in his mind.

He'd show them.

He'd show them all.

He felt a shiver down his spine.

{I can feel the jealousy in your mind.} Something echoed in his mind. It wasn't his voice.

{Who are you?} He asked it.

{Someone who can help you.}

Makuta saw a flicker of shadow out of the corner of his eye. {You are darkness. You are shadow.}

{So? What has the light ever done for you?}

{I do not trust you. I can sense the treachery, the deceit in your words.}

{I can give you power beyond your imagination.}

{I do not want power. I want my brother- and the other Islanders- to respect me.}

{If it is respect you want…}

Makuta felt a flash of a vision in his mind. A golden mask, with the energy of all six elements merged into it and controlled by it. {No… It is not possible.}

{Why not? You are skilled enough to make it.} The voice said.

He felt a subtle pressure, a silent humming. {Maybe.}

{I can help you.}

He felt like he should agree with it. Every part of his mind unaffected by the pressure screamed at him not to go with this dark plan, but it was drowned out by the silent humming. {Tell me what to do.}

Region of Stone, Okoto

Makuta walked through the sandstorm, his cloak billowing with the strong winds. The Voice had told him to go here. He knew what awaited him, and a part of him was scared. But he had to push the fear away.

"Drekha'tul Kulta," Yetxavo, Kulta's strongest and most trusted Lieutenant, said. "The scouts have seen a xhaiquo heading towards our camp. It appears unarmed, and may not pose a threat. What shall we do?

Kulta turned around, towering over Yetxavo. "Bring it to me."

"By your command and by the Twin Moons' light, it shall be."

Makuta had several Skull Raiders near him. They had their weapons drawn, though they did not seem like they would attack him unprovoked

The camp, set inside the caverns of the Region of Stone, was lit with torches and had pockets carved into it as living quarters, mess halls, and what appeared to even be a shrine of some sort

He was brought into a medium-sized cave, with a throne of some sort in the back. He saw the glowing red eyes and energies of the throne's occupant, and a shiver was sent down his spine. It was their leader- Kulta, Warlord-Priest of the Skull Raider

The throne's occupant listened to the guttural tongue of one of the Raiders, and dismissed it. Kulta stood up, staff clenched in his hand. "What brings you here, xhaiquo?" Kulta said, its voice booming through the cavern. The words were spoken in a broken, contorted way, but Makuta was surprised that it could speak Okotoan.

Makuta opened his mouth, but Kulta walked closer.

"I know you," The Warlord-Priest said. "You are one of the xhaiquo warriors who seek to prevent us from reclaiming what was once ours."

"I do not understand-"

"You cannot understand." Kulta said. "Now speak your purpose."

"I came to seek an alliance."

Kulta's staff slammed into the ground, making Makuta jump. The Warlord-Priest laughed. "You fight us, and now you seek to ally with us? You are a curious creature." He knelt down. "And I do not appreciate curiosity."

Makuta looked Kulta in the eyes. "I seek a mutually beneficial relationship." He said, and began to explain his plans. Kulta listened intently.

"Your mask-magic is powerful, but uncontrollable." Said the Warlord-Priest. "What makes you believe you can control all six elements?"

"Because I have made Masks that control two elements. It will take some time to practice, but it is possible to do so."

Kulta grinned. "Perhaps." He sat up, sitting on his throne. "And what of me and my people? What do we get from your plan?"

"You will gain some territory for your people to live in peace, mainly around the coast."

Kulta nodded. Those terms were not the best nor were they what Kulta had wanted, but they would do for now.

Makuta broke the silence with a question. "What does 'xhaiquo' mean?"

"Trespasser." Kulta said.

"I was not aware Okoto used to be where Skull Raiders lived."

"We call ourselves kvatro. 'Skull Raiders' is a term you gave us." Kulta said, annoyed. "We did not live on this land. Hundreds of thousands of moons ago, my kind lived in peace across many islands. We prospered beneath the light and guidance of the Twin Moons.

"And then, one day, a cataclysm struck. A continent fell from the sky, crushing one of our once-great islands. Its impact sent out waves hundreds of times the height of even the most giant warriors, and ash blotted out the sky. Our society collapsed, and we could no longer see the Twin Moons. The One-Hundred-Year Darkness nearly destroyed us, and when the ash settled, we saw your island where ours once were. And so, my ancestors began a crusade to reclaim what we had lost." Kulta said, picking up his staff from the ground. "Now do you understand our hatred towards you?"

"Yes…" Makuta said.

"Now go, little xhaiquo'tavuk." Kulta said. "Go make your Mask-Magics, and let my people gain some solace for the spirits of the dead."

Makuta nodded. "What did you call me?"

"'Xhaiquo'tuvak'. In my tongue, it means 'Conqueror of Trespassers. A name fitting of your plan."

Makuta did not reply, simply nodding, and walked back.

Okoto Magna, Okoto

Makuta watched as the crowd gathered in front of him. City-Chief Elopi looked at Makuta. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," He said. "I am rea-" He was cut off as the crowd turned their gaze to an airship. Makuta recognized those markings, and his chest sank. His heart burned with rage. How dare his brother disrupt his moment of glory!

He saw a speck fall from the airship, and Ekimu landed on the stage. "Makuta, stop!"

"How could you?!" Makuta asked. "This was my moment! Not yours! Why does this always have to be about you?!"

"Please…" Ekimu said."

"No." Makuta said, taking off his mask. "NO!" He placed the Mask of Ultimate Power on his face, and felt the power of all six elements surge through his body. And then he heard a humming in his mind as a sickly green blast of energy radiated from him, knocking over the crowd and Ekimu.

Islanders were screaming, running, trying to get away from this chaos.

He looked at his hand, and saw that it was turning red and black, becoming more and more sinister. "No… no." His eyes widened, and he looked at his brother. "Ekimu, help me!"

And then the darkness took hold.

Ekimu ran towards his brother. Makuta's screamed in pain as his body grew larger. The Mask that Makuta had replaced his Mask of Control with was no longer gold, but covered with shadow.

He was sent flying back by another, more focused burst of energy hit him in the chest, emitted from Makuta's hand. Now, what used to be his brother was a titanic figure clad in red-and-black armor.

Makuta's orange eyes were replaced by a pale green. "Your brother served his purpose well," The titan said, its voice much more raspier and ancient and powerful than his brother's. "Now, this world will be under my command, and nothing can stop me."

"Who are you?" Ekimu asked as he tried to get up.

"I am Teridax." It said. "The Corruptor; the Demolisher; the Enlightener; the Creator; and many things more."

Ekimu stood up. Wordlessly, he charged, dodging a green beam of energy that was fired from Teridax's hand. Teridax fired another, but Ekimu held out his hand, catching it in an invisible field. His Mask of Creation glowed, and the beam collapsed into a circle on Ekimu's wrist. As it stopped glowing, it became a shield with ornate runes and a circular saw-like protrusion that freely spun as Ekimu moved. As he charged, he blocked and deflected the energy blasts before throwing the shield, knocking Teridax off-balance. He hit the titan with a hammer swing to the right side of the face, sending Teridax down. "Now," Ekimu said, hatred and vengeance filling his voice. "Get the Abyss off my Island."

Ekimu swung once, hitting the titan at the right angle to cause the mask to fly off. Milliseconds later, energy burst out of Teridax, and Ekimu was sent flying.

Agil, Creature of Light, watched the battle, and had seen the entirety of Okoto Magna become swallowed by darkness and disappear in an instant. Only a crater with a Maskless Ekimu remained.

It landed next to Ekimu's body, and saw that, miraculously, the Mask Maker was still breathing.

It heard the sounds of airships and carts being brought to the site of the crater. Agil looked at the sky, and started to fly.

Ekimu's eyes opened. He was surrounded by an endless white plain.

A golden figure appeared in front of him. "Who are you?" Asked the Mask Maker.

{My name is Mata Nui.} The golden figure said.

"'Mata Nui'? I have not heard of anyone called that before."

{Your brother has been taken by a powerful darkness.}

"'Teridax'."

{My brother.}

Ekimu's jaw dropped. "Are we just pawns to you?"

{No.} Mata Nui said. {Teridax may be banished for now, thanks to your efforts, but he will return, more powerful than before.}

"Will my brother be able to be saved?"

{I do not know.} Mata Nui waved his hand, and six orbs appeared- one blue, one green, one white, one black, one brown, and one red. {But when my brother returns, there will be ones to fight him. Six great heroes who served my people well.}

"How will they be summoned?"

{With this invocation: "When times are dark and all hope seems lost, the Protectors must unite, one from each tribe. Evoke the power of past and future, and look to the skies for an answer. When the stars align, six comets will bring timeless heroes to claim the Masks of Power and find the Mask Maker. United, the elements hold the power to defeat evil. United, but not one."}"A riddle?" Ekimu asked. "A riddle is all we have to fight back against the darkness?"

{Have hope, Mask Maker. Have hope.}

And with that, Mata Nui vanished.

In the skies above Okoto, six dots appeared- one red, one blue, one green, one white, one black, and one brown- in the heavens. To those not on the world, six small stars- even smaller than red dwarves- had blinked into existence. But no one could see that within each new star resided a humanoid figure, sleeping and floating in the core of the star, waiting to be awakened.

BEGIN MESSAGE

DEAR BELOVED BOARD MEMBERS,

It appears that there is some sort of Non-Euclidian Gate(NEG) in Old Aphrahka. Attached files are what we've been able to uncover- after all, the Unwelcome Visitor's sweeping changes to the Origin System, along with the hostile proxy forces designated "V-5/22" has made it quite difficult to even excavate any of the structures(thus my additional request for higher-tier security, such as the full-production models of "Raptor" Aerial Proxies and "Hyena" Quadrupedal Proxies)- appears to warp space-time in odd ways(similar to the V-5/22s), punching a hole through the fabric using means unknown to us at the time. Any relics recovered appear to predate the Unwelcome Visitor's visit by millions of years while originating on Ierph, and are distinctly different than the NEG in terms of architecture and design. From what we can see, the "Onisca" that created the relics seemed to have some concept of how the NEG works and rudimentary abilities to manipulate the "Slipspace" the NEG uses to link two spatial-temporal coordinates together, and proves that the Onisca civilization had Faster-Than-Light travel, something we have only in limited use with Solar Rails, which only reach until Yeires and not past the Origin System. We have also seen the Gilden Remnant forces- designated "Guardians"- fighting against the Scavengers- designated "Fallen"- attempting to claim the NEG.

My plan- and that of my subordinate staff- is to activate this NEG, enter it with a scout proxy, and see what lays on the other side. This is why I require additional funding. If successful, there may be untold riches and new territory to build factories and warehouses in.

May our ledgers become ocean, our margins see Centauri.

In the name of profit,

Betul Sa, Terraprima Expeditionary, Inc.

END MESSAGE