Through the dark and cold void of space, an ancient, golden mask flew…

Seen from far away, it might be difficult to identify the object. Had someone been close enough to see what it really was, they might have wondered how such an object could have ended up among the stars. The answer would take years to tell, if one were to explore every mystery of it. But, if the history were to be told in short, this is all the observer would truly need to know:

Once, there was a great ruler named Mata Nui. He was incredibly powerful—his body was made of metal and stood 40 million feet high. He traveled through space, exploring new worlds. His creators, known as the Great Beings, intended for him to fulfill a vital mission. But first, they wished him to learn as much as he could about the universe around him.

Unfortunately, while he focused on that universe, he ignored another one—one that existed inside his metal shell. Millions of beings lived inside of Mata Nui, and their labors gave him power. In return, he was to protect them from harm. But he grew so fascinated with the wonders of other worlds that he paid little attention to those who depended upon him.

As so often happens, neglect allowed evil to breed. A conspiracy grew in Mata Nui's inner universe. Those who hungered for power—beings known as the Makuta—struck at him, casting him into a deep sleep that lasted for a millennium. When at last he woke again, it was to find that his greatest enemy, the leader of the Makuta, had stolen his body. Mata Nui's mind and spirit were trapped in the golden Mask of Life and hurled into space.

Now he flew through the void, with no control over his course, knowing that his people were under the hopeless rule of a dark and unforgiving master. He had failed all of them. By not being vigilant, by not being wise, he had allowed himself to be forced from his body and exiled. In this new form, he had no hope of defeating his enemy, let alone engaging him in a fight.

Any other being would have surrendered to his fate. But Mata Nui knew he had a destiny to fulfill. Somehow, he vowed, he would find a way to return and free his people. It might take a thousand years, but only death would stop him from trying.

The mask's direction shifted now, as the gravitational pull of a giant planet took hold. It sped up, diving toward the surface, its outer skin heating up as it entered the atmosphere. The next few moments would tell the tale…would the mask survive the heat and the impact of a crash-landing, or would it shatter, taking Mata Nui's spirit with it to destruction? Would his quest begin on the world so far below, or would it end there?

Within the golden mask, Mata Nui could do nothing now but try to hope…

X X X

Just a few days after the Vulcanus raid, Gelu was already back on guard duty for traveling caravans. He enjoyed the usual life again (as "usual" as the desert could be, anyway). He tucked his head low behind a rocky bluff, just barely dodging the two Thornax that ricocheted off overhead. He peered over to get a view of his attackers, but instead thrust himself right back down to avoid being hit by another Thornax.

After the Skrall attacked Atero, Gelu saw the remaining villages taking a different turn. The Glatorian system would be viewed with more skepticism, and trade caravans would want even more protection with the Skrall's openly aggressive stance. That was when he left his role as a Glatorian and became protection for hire. One most days, it was good pay for pretty easy work.

This was not one of those days.

Well, I thought this was going to be an easy job…small caravan, short route, far from Vorox nests…a cinch, he thought. He should have remembered—this was Bara Magna. There were no easy jobs here. He fired a Thornax at the rocks in front of him, slowing the Skrall platoon attacking him. With the distraction, he took note of the uninteresting rocks around him.

"Okay, if I can make it to those rocks up there, I can hold them off for a while," he muttered, spotting a cliff with a better vantage point—higher, and with a sharp corner for cover. "It's not far, right? Few hundred feet." A stray Thornax flew overhead, Gelu took only a split second to look behind before dashing forward. He jumped and rolled, dodging the other Skrall attacks. "Only it seems like a million miles!" He leaped forward, grabbing onto the ledge and pulling himself out of view.

The Skrall weren't far behind. "Drag him out of there…piece by piece if you have to!" the commander ordered.

"Now that's a truly disgusting suggestion!" Gelu yelled back, firing at the first two Glatorian that appeared on the rise. One immediately ducked back under, but another returned fire, hitting some of the stone above Gelu's position. Having returned to cover himself, he looked up at where it hit. Thankfully, it would hold. "I just wish I knew how to stop them, but that might take a miracle. And—"

Suddenly, high in the twilight the sky, a brighter light than even Solis Magna's showed. "What is—?" Gelu began.

"—that?" a Skrall asked at the same time, gesturing with his shield. Likewise, the other warriors were pointing with their swords.

"It's falling to the east!"

"Is it a weapon?"

Gelu thought fast. Now, while the Skrall are distracted, time to move, climbing down to circle back to his clients.

Later, Gelu led the regrouped convoy to the safety of their destination. He explained that they endured an attack from a venturing Skrall patrol along the way, barely escaping into the Dunes of Treason. The tale brought him a bonus payment of rations, which he didn't hesitate to take. Thinking back to the strange phenomenon, then grinned. I'm not sure what made that light in the sky, but it just became my favorite thing in the world. Ever.

X X X

For months now, the Skrall had been capturing Vorox and training them to be "guard animals'' for the city of the Skrall, Roxtus. They were posted here and there around main entrances, and kept angry and low-fed in order to make them aggressive watch animals. The training was brutal and some Vorox didn't even survive.

A trio of Vorox called in wailing tones from a Roxtus prison. It had been so long since they'd hunted, been fed, or seen the open sands of their home. Vorox were desert dwellers. They were used to open sand and endless sky, and they hated to be chained. The dark, stone confines of Roxtus, with a ceiling and walls was not where they were meant to be. On top of that, they hated to be chained.

As it turned out, some hated it more than others.

One couldn't take it anymore. It rocked its arms back and forth, straining the chains until the shackles on its wrists were finally freed from the links that held them. With newfound energy, it let out a cry louder and more confident than that of a captive beast.

Even among the Skrall, a maddened Vorox could be a menace.

At least sometimes.

The Vorox only made its way down a single corridor before it was stopped.

"What have we here?" a voice said off to the side.

The Vorox barely turned to face the voice of Stronius before he grabbed it by the throat and lifted it off its feet. "On your leash, you're a piece of Skrall property. Off it, you're just one more miserable beast to be put down." He lifted his spiked club, ready to skewer the beast.

"Stronius!" Tuma approached behind the elite warrior. Stronius hadn't moved. "One of my elite warriors…one of my top in command…do you have nothing better to do than torment the livestock?"

Stronius was well-known for his brutality, and strength, but also for his hatred of Vorox. In fact, if the Rock Agori Atakus could be said to have a "hero," it was Stronius. When not on duty Atakus stayed close to Stronius, hoping to pick up combat techniques or other tips. Stronius, for his part, didn't have much use for Atakus but couldn't be bothered discouraging him, either. If he got bored, Stronius would sometimes have Atakus torment the caged Vorox for his amusement. And here he had been given a reason to finally enjoy killing one.

Stronius looked over his shoulder at his leader, still gripping the Vorox so tightly that while it struggled, no sounds came out of its pincered mouth. "Would you rather I let it run loose? You know the damage these filthy animals can do."

"This is what we have warriors for—to clean up the mess," Tuma answered, gesturing to two other warrior-class Skrall that had answered the sound of the prison break. "Put it down. Now."

Stronius' strong and armored form never wavered or strained as he lowered the creature back to its feet. Immediately, it tried to escape or attack again, but the two warriors grabbed its arms and began to subdue it. Stronius frowned, saying, "I must have some amusement. It has been weeks since Atero, and the army is chained to this place just as much as those Vorox are. When do we attack?"

"So impatient," Tuma chided. "The Glatorian and Agori cannot eat or sleep, as they wait in fear for our next strike. Where will it come? When? These questions torture them. Let them sweat a while longer while we prepare unhindered."

"They live in a desert…they are experts at sweating already," Stronius muttered. "Meanwhile, our legions lose their edge, like blades too long unused."

Tuma took a step closer, reminding Stronius (if nothing else) how much taller he was. "Do you question my—what is that?" the Skrall leader said, responding to a bright light that suddenly blazed over the city of Roxtus.

Stronius shielded his gaze with his Thornax launcher, though he tried to get a good look, too. "Some Glatorian trick? An attack on us?"

"Not unless they can now travel through the heavens," Tuma said, watching the bright light focus from an incoherent source into a concentrated streak. "No, this is no doing of theirs…but double the patrols anyway."

Stronius chuckled and lowered his weapons. "Ah, I see it now—only a shooting star," he said, watching the streak of light fly overhead. "Nothing to worry about. After all, how important can it be?"

Stronius left to train with the other elite warriors, and later would break in new Skrall warriors…although occasionally there was a literal "break" here and there. The two Skrall warriors took the Vorox away to be punished and reacquired in its old dungeon. Giving it a new one would be too nice: the other prisoners would get to see that the attempt failed (along with whatever physical punishment was inflicted) and the offender would have the same views and space as before.

Tuma oversaw all this transpiring and knew that it was good. He thought about Stronius' dismissal of the shooting star overhead, which had already passed away, as most things did in this world. He grinned. Make a wish, he thought. And then force it true. Stars are not important, nor will they change anything here.

X X X

From behind a rocky ledge, Fero watched a group of Jungle Tribe members walk by. Only one was a fighter he recognized from his recent battle, but one was enough to make him shake with anger. An attack on the village of Vulcanus had ended in failure—a handful of Glatorian had been sent to stop him, and had succeeded. He wasn't sure how this had happened, but he was humiliated in front of his tribe. Pride wouldn't allow him to live with such shame. There would be time to rectify that mistake against Vulcanus here soon, but for the time being, regret weighed on his shoulders.

Shortly after the failed raid he'd left his camp, although he had no intent to hunt or plunder the Agori caravans. No, Fero would track juicier prey—the Glatorian who had beaten him days earlier. He had vowed to himself that he would pursue them. His revenge would end when the desert sand consumed them all.

X X X

Tarduk walked on the outskirts of Tesara with Vastus and Gresh following behind. The repetition of his story didn't make it any more convincing to either of them.

"I'm telling you, it's true! I saw it!" the Jungle Agori insisted. "It was amazing! The piece of metal was important somehow. That's what started my journey to the north."

Gresh laughed as he caught up. "Come on, Tarduk. We've all heard tales of strange things up north. Why should we believe yours?"

"Because I was there, along with some other Agori!" Tarduk replied. "You can ask them—Crotesius and Kirbold can back up my story!"

"I know you aren't one to make things up, Tarduk, but…shapeshifting monsters? An entire valley that's a maze?" Vastus asked. "I mean, I remember the Element Lords from the old days of the war, but beyond that, it's all a little far-fetched. Anyway, we have too much to worry about here these days to go running off searching for myths."

"Vastus is right," Gresh reminded the Agori. "There are Bone Hunters all over the place the last few weeks. We need to get new walls built."

"Right, like that will stop the Skrall when they come," muttered Tarduk.

"Well, all we can do for now is keep our eyes open," the veteran Jungle Glatorian replied. No sooner had he finished his sentence than he raised the bottom of his staff and fired a marksman's shot from the Thornax Launcher at the end. The hardened projectile slammed into the torso of a Hunter not far away with such force it threw him from his perch. He let out a grunt of pain from the impact and flew backward into the rocks behind him.

"That was…incredible!" Gresh commended his mentor. "How did you know the Bone Hunter was there?"

"Well, if I was a Bone Hunter, that's where I would have been," Vastus replied with a grim smile, as the trio of Jungle dwellers approached the Hunter's unconscious form. They didn't find much with or around him. It was strange for a Bone Hunter to be alone, as they tended to move in packs. He was likely a scout, a messenger, or maybe even a deserter, but whatever the case, Gresh made the most interesting find.

"Hey, look at this shield…" the young warrior called, lifting the protective equipment off the ground. It was circular with a razor edge running around the circumference, and its surface was colored with black and red tribal designs, but not those that belonged to the Hunters. "This bears the Rock Tribe symbol. What would a Bone Hunter be doing carrying a Skrall shield?"

Vastus gave it a look. His apprentice was right—it was a Skrall piece of equipment, strange as that was. "I don't know…maybe he scavenged it by looting a dead Skrall, or stole it."

"Or maybe…a Skrall gave it to him, or he beat one in a fight?" the Agori suggested.

Vastus disagreed with a shake of his head. "I think the 'giant maze' story made more sense than those, Tarduk. You can't really—what?"

His rebuttal was cut off by a pinpoint reflection he saw on the shield. The reflection got bigger and brighter over time, until a bright glow hung overhead. All three of them looked skyward to see a meteor descending to Bara Magna. It wouldn't be the first time, but was certainly uncommon.

"Hmmmm. Looks like the Bone Hunters aren't the only thing falling today," Vastus stated poetically.

X X X

Raanu watched as Kiina dodged a swipe from Ackar's fire sword and flipped over, nearly striking a hit with her trident. "Ha! I'm faster than you remembered, Ackar—stronger, too. It's all that practice with Tarix."

Underneath her aerial attack, Ackar replied, "Unnnh—maybe. Or maybe I'm slower than you remember."

"You're not giving up, are you, old friend?" Kiina taunted, cartwheeling into a kick.

"No, just taking a rest," Ackar answered, grabbing her legs and throwing her behind him. "You look like you could use one, too."

"Hey!" Kiina yelped, landing in the sand. "Ow!"

Ackar laughed. "Good match."

"Next time, I won't go so easy on you!"

The Fire Glatorian paced over and helped her up with a chuckle. "'Easy' isn't in your vocabulary, and you know it. 'Overconfidence' is, though."

Kiina pointed a firm finger at him. "It's only overconfidence if you can't back it up. And you know I can. I almost had you. If you hadn't ended it there I could've come back."

"I know," admitted Ackar. "You've got the years on me."

Raanu chose that moment to approach and not-so-tactfully interject. "Speaking of which, if you two are quite finished…Ackar, you have a match with Strakk later." The fire elder was always cautious about bringing up Ackar's age. "How are you feeling about that match? You know…after all Vulcanus has been through, we need the win. And you're going to need to be sharper than that if you are going to be the victor."

"Don't worry, Raanu," implored Ackar. "I've still got even more tricks some of the Agori haven't seen yet."

"Well, then," Raanu answered, still not convinced, "that sounds just great."

The Water Glatorian whirled on the elder. "Hey, sand mite, this Glatorian just saved your village from Bone Hunters a few days ago. Show a little respect!"

"Kiina, it's alright. Calm down," Ackar said, grabbing her shoulder to restrain her. "You may even want to place wages this time. Raanu has a point—Strakk is quick, and he fights dirty. I'll need to be—" He stopped, abruptly looking high into the sky. "Kiina, look at that!"

Kiina, along with Raanu, turned to see a ball of fire soaring overhead. Its streak split the tapestry of midnight blue robes that dressed the sky. It was only in view for a few moments, but such a spectacle was a rare gift on the surface of Bara Magna. "Wow, what do you think it is?" Kiina asked. "Maybe a flying ship—something I could use to get off this sand pile?"

In under a second, Ackar gave her a glance before returning to watch the object. Kiina never really was happy on Bara Magna—no one was—but she was the only one who ever fostered ideas or even hopes of worlds beyond. No one on the entire planet of Bara Magna had any idea how to begin to get the technology for that kind of travel, but Kiina had always been the most ambitious one.

Ignoring her unpopular suggestion, the Glatorian replied, "More likely a dead star plunging to a last resting place in the desert…" Kind of like me… he added to himself.

"Yeah, I guess that's all Bara Magna is good for," Kiina said sadly, as the star's light faded from view in the wastelands. She turned to enter Vulcanus, finishing, "A place to die."

Ackar walked with her when she turned back to where the object had flown. "One day, Ackar," she promised and wished at the same time. "I'm leaving this gross planet."

Raanu rolled his eyes and walked inside. Ackar simply smiled, looking back to where it had been also. "What are you going to do if someplace else comes here?" he asked her.

"Tell it to leave," she answered, "while it can."

X X X

Metus steered his wagon across the desert sands, still marveling at what he had just heard. He had been certain that Vulcanus would be destroyed by the Bone Hunters, and that everyone in it would be killed. How so few Glatorian managed to stop a marauding band of raiders and save the village, he did not know. But the Vulcanus Agori he had run into—a youth named Kyry—assured him it was so.

Some things had changed since the events at Vulcanus, some had not. The Bone Hunters had been badly mauled, and their raids had become less frequent. No one doubted they were out in the desert somewhere, plotting their revenge. Gelu figured that if they hit another village, it would be in much greater numbers to prevent a repeat of Vulcanus. The Glatorian hoped it would take the Bone Hunters a good, long while to assemble that big a force.

Of course, that still left the Skrall to worry about. Since the fall of Atero, they had not mounted any major attacks, but everyone knew it was just a matter of time. There had been plenty of raids by small Skrall squads, mainly to steal resources and capture Glatorian. What they were doing with the fighters they grabbed, no one seemed to know.

The loss of so many fighters was bad for the villages, but good for Metus. There was a bigger need to recruit more fighters, and it meant that the ones he managed could get higher pay for their work. You couldn't find a Glatorian under every rock, of course, but now and then, you stumbled across someone with real potential—if you knew where to look.

A flash of light in the sky caught Metus' attention. At first, he thought it was a shooting star. But no, against the night sky he realized it was too bright for that. Some kind of meteor, maybe? The mysterious object was headed for the desert sands not far from Vulcanus.

For a moment, he dismissed the whole thing. It had nothing to do with him, after all. But then some instinct kicked in—the same instinct that had led him to amazing success so often in the past—and it told him to check this out. Maybe it wasn't just a hunk of rock from space…maybe it was something really valuable.

What are the odds? he said to himself, even as he drove in the direction of its likely impact. He shook his head, chuckling at himself. What was he thinking? With all of Bara Magna's troubles, did he really imagine the answer was going to fall down from the stars?

To be continued in "BIONICLE - Phase 08: Revolution - Part III: The Legend Reborn"...

(Iron Frontier was compiled from the online podcast Riddle of the Great Beings, the online serial Empire of the Skrall; Graphic Novel 9: The Fall of Atero, containing Glatorian series comics 2-3: The Fall of Atero, and A Hero Reborn; the guide book Makuta's Guide to the Universe, and another guide book; and the novels Raid on Vulcanus, and The Legend Reborn)