1.2: An Omen of Something

TWO

Kolen's Stand, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna

There was something different about the stars. There was something new. Something that was not there before. He didn't recognize it… And it scared him.

As a Ko-matoran, Bora sought out any morsel of knowledge he could get, but his curiosity had been replaced by fear in this instance. He hopped into his Quadwheel, and sped down from his mountaintop observatory into the village below.

Srax, an Ice Tribe Glatorian, watched as some vehicle raced towards the gate and the Turaga's hut. He recognized the registration symbol on the front, and sighed after realizing who it was.

The Quadwheel parked in one of the designated lots, and a white Matoran hopped out. "I need to see Turaga Korpu!" He said, panting.

The Glatorian towered over the Matoran, but he leaned over, looking at the Quadwheel. "No, you need to pay your speeding fine."

"Listen, there's something wrong. I don't know how to describe it, but it's some sort of… thing in the sky. I need to alert Turaga Korpu."

"By the Great Spirit, it's probably a comet or something."

"Go to Kharzani."

"I could fine you for profanity."

"There's no laws stating that profanity is finable."

"Well, it's still not polite. Please, go away."

"I need to see Turaga Korpu. This is an urgent manner."

"That's what you said last time."

"I mean it this time!"

"Listen, you're wasting my time, and I don't really want to continue this conversation. I'm giving you five seconds to go away."

"I need to get to the Turaga."

"Five."

"You're kidding me."

"Four."

"I hate you."

"Three."

"Fine, here's the Widgets for the speeding fine. You happy?"

"Two."

Bora sighed.

"One."

Turaga Korpu walked out of his hut, as slow as a turtle. With the snowshoe-like feet that all Ko-Matoran, Toa, and Turaga had, walking on normal ground was difficult. "And what is this commotion about?"

"Bora says he has an urgent matter for you." Srax checked his repeating blaster. It was set to stun, so it wouldn't be much of a problem to shoot the Ko-matoran a few times.

"Does he, now?"

"Yes. Just like the past fifteen times in the past month."

"A stuck clock tells the time correctly twice a day. Perhaps it is so with Bora. Let him in."

"Not much stopping him."

"Then you're a terrible bodyguard. I'll cut your pay in half."

"Hey, not my fault Orak was off-duty today. He said he needed to take a break."

Bora walked in, holding the pictures he took of the object in a bag on his hip. "Why do you still hire him?"

"Who?" Korpu sat in his chair.

"Srax."

The hut was small and humble. A Communicator terminal lay in the corner, and a bed in the other. A cooking pot was directly opposite to the door, and a desk was flat in the center. A haphazard assortment of paperwork was lying on it- running a village, even one as small as Kolen's Stand, was difficult.

"He may be a smart-alec, cranky, and a bit too trigger-happy, but he's good at what he does. And for all the attitude he gives you, he likes you." The Turaga said.

"Doubt it." Boru said, looking at a plate of food. "Do you mind?"

"Have whatever you want."

Boru nodded and started to eat the food. While they were not entirely organic like the Agori and Glatorian, the Matoran- and, by extension, the Turaga and Toa- were more fleshy than their predecessors. Because of this, they had biological eyes, hearts, stomachs, and skin, but the armor covered most of it. They did, however, require to eat food more than their ancestors.

Bora reached into his bag with his armored fingers and took out the pictures. "There's this object above Spherus Magna." The Ko-Matoran said.

Korpu focused his eyes on it. He had lost one of his eyes during his Toa days, and it was replaced by a cybernetic eye that had telescopic vision. "This is… interesting."

"It could be an omen of something bad. We need to alert the other Turaga."

"I will send messages out to the other villages and cities. But I cannot assure you that they will respond."

"Can't you mark them as 'urgent'?"

"That was what I was going to do."

"So what do you think that object is?"

"In all honesty, I do not know. I was hoping Turaga Jaller had an idea, but he most likely will not. He is ancient, but I doubt he's seen anything like this before."

Spherus Prima, Magna Nui, Spherus Magna

"Hahli? Any idea what this is?" Turaga Jaller asked. The five of them- Nuparu, Jaller, Hahli, Kongu, and Hewkii- stayed mainly in their tower in the capital city of Magna Nui, Spherus Prima. They were the highest authority, but they did little. The lower governmental houses- the three houses of Agori, Glatorian, Toa, Turaga, and Matoran- were in charge of creating most of the laws that of large planet's main continent.

"No. I would say that it is perhaps a vessel, but…" The Turaga of Water said.

"Sister," Nuparu put his hand on her shoulder. "Do not eliminate any possibilities. We have sent things into the Void, and we know Mata Nui was able to navigate it."

"But Mata Nui's body was made by the Great Beings. So, unless this vessel was made by them, too, there's no civilization we know of that is advanced enough to make something like it." Halhi seemed adamant that this was not possible.

"If Matoro was here, he'd point out that just because we don't know of such a civilization doesn't mean it can't exist." Hewkii said.

"And he'd be right." Jaller agreed with the Turaga of Stone, and all of the Turaga seemed to remember their fallen comrade. It had been millions of years since he had sacrificed his life to resurrect Mata Nui.

"So what should we do? The Magnans will want us to make a decision." The inhabitants of Magna Nui had settled on a name for themselves, unifying the inhabitants of Bara, Bota, and Aqua Magna- now reunified into Spherus Magna by Mata Nui in his battle with Makuta Teridax- with the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe.

There was a crackling sound behind the Turaga, and a portal appeared. Brutaka and Axonn stepped out, with a gold-and-white Makuta behind them.

"Axonn. Brutaka." Jaller welcomed the two former agents of the Order of Mata Nui. Looking at the Makuta, he nodded, saying a name that should not be associated with such a being. "Teridax."

"I go by that name no longer." The gold-and-white Makuta said. "Call me… Ierax."

"Ierax. Very well. Why are you here?"

"Because we thought it would be wise to council with you on the matter of the void-vessel." Axonn sat down on one of the three thrones and began sharpening his axe on his forearm armor. His armor was stronger than any metal on Spherus Magna, and unbelievably ancient.

"What Axonn's saying is that we want to discuss what in Kharzani we should do about the thing in the sky." Brutaka sat in his throne as he talked.

Teridax- no, it was Ierax, the Turaga had to get used to call him that- sat in his throne, between Axonn and Brutaka. The three beings dwarfed the Turaga- you could have put all of the Turaga on each other's shoulders and they still wouldn't reach the same height. "I can organize a ship of Rahkshi to delegate with them."

"Would the Rahkshi allow such a thing?" Jaller asked.

Ierax made a "hmph" sound. "They are a curious race, unlike their ancestors. They want to learn and escape the legacy Teridax left behind."

"Their newfound agency has made them do the most... interesting things." Axonn said. Instead of being suits of armor piloted by Kraata, the new versions were technorganic, just like the other inhabitants of the Matoran Universe.

"Yeah, a bunch of Rahi Control Rahkshi had a bunch of Rahi put on a show for an Agori village. Heat Vision Rahkshi used their powers to make a light show, and a Hunger Rahkshi played her staff like it was some sort of instrument."

"So, they put on a concert." Nuparu said, chuckling at the mental image.

"Totally improvised."

"It was most impressive," Ierax said with pride.

"Can we get on with this council?" Jaller asked.

"Ah, yes. I suggested a delegation."

"I don't think a delegation would be the smartest first move we could make. Could we communicate with them first, like through a terminal?"

"I doubt they have the technology for it," Nuparu said. "Even if they did, it would be incompatible."

"Great," Brutaka moaned.

"I have an idea." Axonn spoke up. Normally, when Axonn said he had an idea, it was normally a good one. "Is it possible to get a translator and someone to shield Brutaka and his translator from microbial infections and teleport into the void-vessel?"

Brutaka's eyes widened, and though his mask blocked them from seeing it, he was smiling. "Just like how we did it back on Kiera Nui?"

"Exactly."