Chapter 3: An Unusual Interview

Tahve was awoken by a light tapping. He had retired to the Guards' quarters last night, and had fallen asleep instantly. Unfortunately, he had slept fitfully the whole night, having dreamt of Turaga Nolox's murder over and over again. He arose from his bed tablet and looked up to see Jalkal at the door.

"Tahve," he said. "We have to talk."

Jalkal was the Captain of the Matoran guard, and Tahve's superior. And the look on his mask was not a pleasant one.

"I heard what happened last night," Jalkal started, frowning slightly. "Already, the Matoran of Keli-Nui have been informed of the passing of their Turaga. However, until the Toa have found the murderer, we are limiting the details released."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tahve asked.

"I do not want you spreading out the word until we are ready," Jalkal explained.

"But... why would I?" Tahve questioned.

"Because you are hereby relieved of your Guard duty," Jalkal said.

Tahve blinked, hardly understanding the words. "What? But Jalkal..."

"I am not blaming you for the Turaga's murder," Jalkal said quickly. "Whatever got past you also got past the Toa and the rest of the Matoran Guard. Only Bohriv is suspicious... and Bohriv is always suspicious."

"But then why am I being relieved?" Tahve asked.

Jalkal put his hand on Tahve's shoulder. "I know you are a dedicated and talented Guard, but last night you lost it. I can't blame you; if I had been in the same situation, I don't know if I could've kept my head. But this affected you, Tahve, and you need time to recuperate and relax. You need time away from the Guard."

Tahve hesitated before speaking again. He couldn't just let this whole thing go; the guilt on him was too great. All night, he had dreamt of Nolox in pain, Nolox crying for help, Nolox blaming him for his death. He had to do something.

"I'm not going to stand back and let the Toa do this on their own," Tahve finally said. "If I am relieved of my Guard duty, then I will have the freedom to help them find the murderer."

Jalkal smiled sadly. "I cannot stop you from doing this, Tahve, but as your friend, I recommend that you go home and rest. We have a dedicated team of six Toa who can solve this case; you don't need to trouble yourself over it."

Tahve entered his apartment on the western side of the city. As he opened the door, he saw that the interior was dark and dusty. He hadn't been to his apartment in a week because of his active guard duty in the Capital Building. If he was going to be living here for a while, he would have to clean up.

Setting aside his equipment, Tahve pondered over the Toa's plan. Rhagre and the others were spreading out across the city, looking for any sign of trouble, while Ihrov and Pyrah stayed behind in the Capital Building. Rhagre was certain Kavihkli was their murderer, but they were also on the lookout for any Gang Matoran. However, when Tahve had offered his help, Rhagre had declined.

"We're mighty Toa, after all," the Toa of Iron had said. "If there's anybody who could catch the perpetrator, it's us. No need to worry your head about it, Matoran."

"Nolox was my Turaga too," Tahve said to himself, as he continued to clean his apartment. "I'm sure that I could help out."

He dusted off his protodermic safe, and entered the code. He pulled out his Kanoka launcher and collection of Kanoka discs, and looked them over. They appeared to be in good condition, even though he hadn't used them in years. But if he was going to track down somebody dangerous, he wanted to be armed and ready.

There was a sharp knock on his door. Tahve turned sharply, the launcher already clutched in his hand. Who would come to see him at this time in the morning? He'd just returned; most people would expect to find him at the Capital Building. Could it possibly be the murderer? After he had taken out the Turaga, was he going after the Turaga's Guard next?

Tahve cautiously approached the door and looked through the peephole. Standing on the other end was a Lightning Matoran. And Tahve recognized her Great Komau mask. He set aside his launcher and opened the door. "Hello, Feli."

The Matoran smiled. "Tahve, I am so glad I found you. May I come in?"

"Sure," Tahve said, stepping aside to let Feli enter. "Sorry that it's so dirty. I just returned."

Feli giggled. "I'm sure it's always like this." She looked uncertainly at Tahve. "So, are you okay?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Tahve asked.

"Well... I heard about what happened," Feli said. "And I heard that you were on Guard duty when... when it happened."

"I'm better," Tahve said reassuringly. "But I am going to track down this criminal. I feel that it is my duty to Turaga Nolox."

"I see," Feli started. "Um, so do you have any leads?"

Tahve looked hard at the Lightning Matoran. "Maybe. Would you like to write this down?"

"Oh, yes, that's a good idea!" Feli said instantly, taking out her woven journal and pen. Suddenly she froze, realizing what she had done. "Oh."

"You were sent here to interview me, weren't you?" Tahve asked, sitting down at his table.

"Just a short one!" Feli insisted, sitting down opposite from Tahve. "They didn't tell us too much in the official report, and the Head Chronicler sent me up because I knew you and..."

"He was trying to use you to get an insider interview," Tahve finished for her.

"You don't understand!" Feli said. "He hasn't let me write anything for the Chronicler's Post since I wrote that article about the Takea invasion."

"But it turned out that there wasn't a massive swarm of sharks in the harbor," Tahve said. "You were just at the docks and saw some fish in the water."

"I thought they were ferocious predators!" Feli said in defense. "Besides, I don't need to get a lot of details. I just need to get the five Hs and the one W."

"That what?" Tahve asked.

"The five Hs and the one W, which describe all murder cases," Feli explained. "You know. How, Hoo, and, uh, Hardy, uh, Hello, Happiness, and Whale Watching."

Tahve looked at her, and Feli tried to hold a smile. "Don't you mean the five Ws and one H?" he asked. "Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How."

Feli broke down, and dropped her mask into her arms, sobbing. "Oh, I'm horrible at this! I'll never be worthy Chronicler! I never get this right!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Tahve said, slightly alarmed. "I'm sure you're good, really."

"This happens every time," Feli whimpered. "Every time they give me a chance, I completely mess up the article and become the laughing stock of the newspaper. Every single time!"

"Well, maybe I can help you," Tahve said. "You just want to write an innocent article to inform the general public. I can help you with that."

"But I was supposed to be sneaky!" Feli said. "I was supposed to 'weasel' it out of you, and I couldn't even do that right! They'll fire me for sure this time!"

"It would've been better if you had just asked me," Tahve said kindly.

Ordinarily, Tahve would've kept quiet, but Feli was one of his closest friends outside of the Guard. He had seen her time and time again fail at writing for the Chronicler's Post, and knew this was especially hard on her because she wanted to be a Chronicler most of all. However, she was clumsy, forgetful, and often too straightforward. She would botch up the simplest article. She never learned from her mistakes either, because the other Chroniclers never helped her correct them. Instead, they ridiculed her until she broke down into tears.

Jalkal had told him to keep quiet, but it wouldn't hurt if Feli knew a few of the inside facts. It could help her make an impression with the newspaper. Besides, there were a few things Tahve wouldn't mind going over with somebody else, if for nothing more than to just clear his mind.

"I can answer a few of your questions," he said, handing her back her journal. "Go ahead, ask."

"Okay," Feli said, wiping away her tears. "Um, so, when did this happen?"

"It happened last night, in the Turaga's Quarters," Tahve answered.

"What happened?"

"There was some sort of energy blast, which killed Nolox," Tahve said quietly.

"Where'd the energy blast come from?" Feli asked.

"We don't know, actually," Tahve admitted.

"Oh," Feli said, looking over her notes. "Um, who did it?"

"We don't know, but there are some suspects," Tahve said. "Toa Rhagre seems to think that the Dark Hunter Kavihkli is the culprit, but the other Toa also suspect the Gang Matoran."

"Why would they want to kill the Turaga?" Feli asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, if you know anything about the Gang Matoran, you know that they hate the administration," Tahve said. "They want the Toa and Turaga gone, so they can run the city the way they want to. And the Dark Hunters are skilled at assassinations, so we can't rule them out, especially a rouge one."

"Anybody else?" Feli asked.

"Well, there is Suni," Tahve said. "The escaped Ga-Matoran chemist. She hated Turaga Nolox because he hindered her scientific progress. She's escaped and on the run, so it's possible that she may have come back for revenge. Or it could be her boyfriend Saith, who blamed Nolox for turning Suni into a fugitive."

"Suni the mad scientist?" Feli asked. "The Chronicler's Post did an article on her the other day. She's pretty strange, but is she a murderer?"

"Maybe," Tahve replied.

"Anybody else with motives against the Turaga?"

"Well..." Tahve started, almost afraid to say what was on his mind. "There are a few others... but this has to be off the record."

"Yes," Feli said, putting down her pen.

"Some of the Toa don't exactly get along with the Turaga," Tahve said. "Both Ihrov and Bohriv disagreed with Turaga Nolox on many accounts. But I don't see anything powerful enough to make them murder him. And then there is also Rhagre. He might've staged the murder so he could take up the top position and get more glory. But I don't see him going that far; he got along with Nolox."

"Surely the Toa wouldn't be that bad," Feli said.

"I sure hope so."

"And anything else?"

Tahve thought about Makuta Krika, and how Turaga Nolox's mood had changed after their meeting. "There could be other beings, with powers we don't know, who could also be responsible."

"Beings with powers we don't know," Feli repeated, scribbling it down. "Anything more?"

"Not really," Tahve said. "But, as a friend, I can tell you this. I am not going to sit aside and let the Toa work this on their own. Turaga Nolox was my responsibility, and my friend. I am going to be searching for this murderer too."

"But won't that be dangerous?" Feli asked.

"Can't be any worst than the campaigns I've been on before," Tahve said. "There was that one time I helped the Toa search for dangerous Rahi in the mountains. That was pretty scary."

"Well, I'd better get this in," Feli said, holding up her journal. "Thanks you, Tahve. And do be careful."

"Good luck," Tahve said, helping her out the door. "And make sure to come by and tell me how it goes. I could use some good news today."