Chapter 2

Four days later, a small team had been dispatched to Metru Nui with tablets for translation that had been found in the temple as well as orders to find anything they can learn about the Kanoka Nuva or Onarax from the Archives or Knowledge Towers. In the meantime, the Nahi Nui Guard started gearing up for battle. Boats were being constructed, supplies gathered for the Gukko, and maneuvers practiced harder than ever.

Lhikan and Nidhiki sat on a log and watched as Jaller put the Matoran through their paces. Now with a clear purpose for training, the Matoran didn't complain and eagerly practiced. "Now they're motivated," said Lhikan.

"I'll say," said Nidhiki, stretching his legs. "I just hope they're mentally ready for this battle. Have you heard that Takanuva believes we might be able to win this without losing anybody?"

Lhikan nodded. "I have. It concerns me. I know that no one died in their long war with Makuta but I chalk that up to the most luck I've ever heard of in one location. You can't hope for that kind of luck to hold out forever."

"I agree. Something seems off about that conflict. Like Makuta wasn't trying to defeat them, just keep them distracted or something."

"Let's not worry about the past right now," said Lhikan. "Let's focus on the future."

"The future, yes," said Nidhiki with a knowing smile. "Let's talk about that. Like your future with Reymar. You spend all of your free time with her and she obviously likes you."

Lhikan smiled as well. "Yes, things are starting to get more serious."

Nidhiki laughed. "Starting? It's about time! You've only known her eight years!"

The Toa of Fire's face became more serious. "I know, but I wanted to take my time. The eighteen months before my death were very trying and troubling. Coupled with actually dying, I wanted to make sure my mind was right. I didn't want to drag Reymar into something unhealthy. She deserves better than that."

Nidhiki nodded, satisfied. "I suppose that's fair."

"Well, what about you?" Lhikan asked, punching his friend in the shoulder. "Anyone you got your eye on?"

Nidhiki smiled and looked away. "You know me, Lhikan. I'm not one to settle down. That whole life isn't for me."

"You mean that's how you were back in the day. Remember, you're living a whole new life now. Now is the time to make a change."

"Sorry, buddy," said Nidhiki, "but this is one thing about me I'm never changing."

On the island of Metru Nui, the team sent from Nahi Nui made their way through Onu-Metru. It was a fairly small team; Gaaki, Tehutti, Nuparu, and a detachment of the Guard led by Nuhrii for security. They entered the Archives and found who they were searching for: Whenua, Nokama, Nuju, and of course Matoro. "It's good to see all of you," said Nokama. "You appear to be in good health."

"Hopefully it lasts," said Gaaki. "We were visited by a mysterious stranger named Onarax who is hunting for the Kanoka Nuva. We have decided to stop him."

The three Turaga looked at each other nervously. "Is that wise?" asked Whenua. "What kind of forces does this Onarax have?"

"We're not sure but I have it on good authority he has a chair that walks," said Nuparu. "If that's the case, it can be assumed he has a pretty technologically advanced army."

"As far as the wisdom of the plan," added Gaaki. "That remains to be determined."

"You of course know that we cannot help you with this," said Nokama. "The attacks on Metru Nui have been increasing with more and more frequency. The Toa Nuva are needed here to defend the island."

"Of course, Nokama," replied the Rahaga. "We know we have to do this on our own."

Nuju clicked and whistled. "Turaga Nuju says that he hopes Takanuva knows what he's doing," translated Matoro.

"So do we," said Tehutti. "We came here today to gather more information on Onarax and this Hand of Artakha he was apparently a part of."

"I have only heard whispers of a Hand of Artakha," said Whenua, thinking back. "But not very much. It was almost like its existence was expunged from history."

"As have I," said Gaaki. "But I don't know if they were a force for good or evil."

"What about the name Onarax?" asked Nuhrii. "Have you heard of him before?"

"Only as much as the Hand of Artakha," replied the Turaga of Earth. "But anything I've seen has never been in a reverent tone."

"Hm, so maybe this guy really is Onarax," said Nuparu.

"It's hard to say," said Gaaki. "Nokama, we have need of your Mask of Translation. Unfortunately, these tablets have eluded me."

"Of course, Gaaki," said Nokama as she took the tablets from the Rahaga. "These came from the temple you found?"

"Yes, we found them in a small storage room off the main hall."

"What we really need to find is the locations of more of the Kanoka Nuva," said Tehutti. "Or any more information about them."

"Unfortunately I don't know anything else about the Kanoka Nuva," lamented Whenua. "That was always your field of expertise, Tehutti."

"Just another thing Makuta stole from us, Turaga," said Tehutti sadly.

Nuju interjected with a sharp whistle followed by a flurry of gestures. "Turaga Nuju says that this is once again where the future proves its worth," Matoro said. "He will send a messenger to go check the Knowledge Towers for information. There most certainly will be a prophecy regarding the Kanoka Nuva located inside."

Whenua crossed his arms. "Humph. So you say. Very well, let's see if your hunch pays off."

As the two Turaga began to argue, Nuhrii wandered off to look at the artifacts displayed around the room. There were statues, tablets, staffs, tools, and even a Toa stone. One tablet, in particular, caught his eye. It was about the Great Disk of Ta-Metru. Vakama had told everyone the Legends of Metru Nui which involved the search for the Great Disks. That was when Nuhrii had learned he had once been a mask maker; in fact, he was Vakama's mentor. However, instead of taking pride in his student surpassing him in ability, Nuhrii grew jealous of Vakama's success, including being asked to make a special mask for Turaga Dume who actually turned out to be the Makuta. That was when Nuhrii decided to search for one of the Great Disks, to make it into a powerful mask.

Nuhrii was very ashamed of his past actions even though he didn't remember them in the slightest. He knows the other Matoran that knew the locations of the Great Disks felt the same way, with the probable exception of Ahkmou. Nuhrii found himself always apologizing to Vakama but the Turaga laughed it off, saying it was all in the past. But Nuhrii couldn't let it go so easily. Once they returned to Metru Nui, Nuhrii began learning mask-making again. Apparently, it was a perishable skill because he hadn't proven to be very good at it. That was best evidenced when Nidhiki's mask broke from Voporak's attack and Nuhrii made a replacement. It held the same power, but it came out looking much more like a Kualsi because he got some carvings mixed up in his haste. But he persevered on. He would prove himself a skilled mask maker again one day and he would find a way to right the wrongs he had done.

The Ta-Matoran looked at the tablet before him. Reading a tablet much like this one probably set him off on his quest over a thousand years ago. He brushed his fingers against it…

And suddenly his mind was gripped by a vision… or was it a memory? He was in the Archives, reading this exact tablet and conceiving dark and selfish thoughts. "Yes, the Great Disk of Ta-Metru," he was saying. "That's what I need to find. I'll use it to craft the ultimate Kanohi mask, more powerful than anyone has ever seen! And then everyone will see I am the best mask maker, not Vakama! It is my destiny!"

Nuhrii stepped back from the tablet, shaken by what he had seen. He didn't remember that, but it surely happened, it lined up with the Turaga's stories. Why did he get this vision? Was it like Vakama's? Did it mean something profound or did it just mean his mind snapped? Either way, he didn't like it. He backed away fearfully, trying to drown out the new thoughts and ideas invading his mind. He hurried back to the others as Whenua was finishing his argument with Nuju.

"That reminds me, Nuparu. I wanted to show you something." Whenua led the group down deeper into the Archives. He opened a door and they all stepped inside to find the dim lights reflecting off the bronze hide of a large vehicle.

"Whoa," said Nuparu as he stepped forward. "Is that… a Vahki transport?"

"Yes it is," said Whenua. "We found it a few months ago. It's in perfect working order. We also found some old designs for variants that never got put into production. I figured you would be able to make good use of them and now knowing about this quest you'll be embarking on…"

"Oh yeah," said Nuparu. "I'm going to make great use of this. This is going to be amazing. Let's fire it up!"

Dalu looked out to the west and saw a boat coming into view towing a barge behind it. "They're coming back!" she called down to Tamaru who stood at the bottom of the guard tower. "And they're bringing something back with them!"

"Like what?" Tamaru called back.

"I don't know! Looks like a giant bug!"

Tamaru frowned. "Why would they do that?"

"Beats me but they'll need help unloading it."

Within half an hour, the boat reached the docks and the Vahki transport was unloaded from the barge. "What is this?" Takanuva asked Nuparu.

"Turaga Whenua gave it to us! It will be really handy, I'm sure of it! I'm going to get to work on some new ideas immediately! Time to fire up the forges!"

"He could hardly sit still the whole voyage back," said Tehutti.

Nuhrii disembarked from the boat and was greeted by Jaller. "Welcome back," said the Captain of the Ground Forces. "I assume the trip was uneventful?"

"What?" Nuhrii said, looking like he was coming out a daydream. "Oh yeah, it was fine. No problems."

Jaller put his hand on Nuhrii's shoulder. "You okay, Nuhrii?"

"Yeah, just got something on my mind, that's all." Nuhrii walked past Jaller and headed toward the beach.

"We've got information," Tehutti announced. "And it looks very promising."

"Perhaps we should head to the Assembly and discuss all that you have learned," said Takanuva.

"Yeah, you guys should do that," said Nuparu. "I'm going to assemble the Engineers Guild and start building."

"All right, have fun," said Tehutti with a little annoyance. "We'll just be going and actually coming up with a plan."

At the Assembly, most of the leaders and Toa gathered around to hear what the team that had ventured to Metru Nui had learned. "First we have the tablets from the archeological site," Gaaki explained. "Nokama was able to translate them, however, they have nothing to with the Kanoka Nuva. But they do confirm that the temple was indeed made to honor the Hand of Artakha."

"But Turaga Nuju was able to locate a prophecy that proved quite interesting," added Tehutti, looking at a tablet. "It says that a disk of flame that can be crafted into a powerful Kanohi mask is located in the land of the poisonous scourge."

Norik's eyes went wide. "Did you just say 'poisonous scourge?'"

"That's right," said Tehutti.

"Do you know where that is, Norik?" asked Takanuva.

"Unfortunately, yes. It is the homeland of the Visorak."

There was stunned silence for several seconds. Nidhiki gave a visible shudder. "Visorak. I hate those things."

"Uh, do we want to go there?" asked Midak, leader of the Rahi Tamers Guild. He chewed nervously on his trademark stalk of grass.

"I don't think we have much choice, Midak," said Takanuva. "It's our only lead and if we want to get any of the Kanoka, we have to go there."

"But the Turaga's past-stories!" said Kumo. "The Visorak mutated them into ugly-freaks!"

"It's a risk we have to take," said Takanuva.

The Rahaga looked uneasy. "We fought Visorak for over two hundred years before traveling to Metru Nui," said Bomonga. "We know all too well how dangerous they are."

"But if that's where this Kanoka Nuva is," Norik added, "then we will lead you there. We are the best guides you have to fight the Visorak."

"Thank you," said Takanuva. "I wouldn't ask any of you to do this if I didn't think it was extremely important." He turned to Jaller. "Gather the Guard. We will depart tomorrow."

Jaller gave a salute. "On it."

The next afternoon, the Nahi Nui Navy assembled on the shores and the docks, loading up Matoran, Rahi, Boxors, and supplies. Orkahm stood with Malohi and Piruk, making sure everything he needed was in his pack. Nuparu walked up behind him and slapped him on the back. "You're positive you don't want to stay and help with the new vehicles? We could use the help."

"I'm ever-sure," replied the Le-Matoran. "Someone has to keep a watch-eye on Malohi."

The Le-Matoran in question was swinging his axe around wildly. It was fashioned after Lewa's axe that he wielded before he became a Toa Nuva. Piruk had to duck several times to avoid getting struck. "Watch it, Malohi!" he cried.

"Can't stop, won't stop!" Malohi replied.

"Well that's a fulltime job," said Nuparu. "Very well, we'll hold the fort down here and make sure no one decides to move in while we're looking the other way. And when you guys come back with that disk, we'll have some shiny new transports ready."

"I'll hold you to that," said Orkahm as he put his pack on. He clasped the Onu-Matoran's hand. "Good luck."

"I think you're going to need it more," said Nuparu.

"Try not to get captured by the Visorak," suggested Balta as he and Velika joined the group. "That would be most unfortunate."

"I'll keep that in thought-mind," said Orkahm as he walked toward the boats. Piruk and Malohi followed behind him.

"Come on, everyone, we're rolling out!" called Takanuva. "When we return, we'll have the Kanoka Nuva of Fire with us!"

The engineers and guards watched as the boats pulled away from shore. It wasn't much of a navy to speak of, only about fifty boats of only moderate size. They had no idea what Onarax had at his disposal but it had to be more formidable than that. "They'll be all right, won't they?" asked Balta.

"They will," said Nuparu, trying to convince himself. "They have to be."

"During a hurricane, the eye of the storm is the calmest place to be," said Velika, "until the second half of the cyclone strikes you."

Nuparu and Balta nodded. "Hopefully we can weather that storm," said the Onu-Matoran. "Preferably all in one piece."

Author's Note:

Hopefully that answers your question, TFAN. The others on Metru Nui have their hands full, but, they still might make another appearance in the future...