As Zaekura stepped onto the dock, she did her best to shake loose the anxieties that clung to her. She made her way to Ga-Koro's cathedral: Kojol was there waiting, but to her surprise, Carna was not.

"Welcome back," the Makuta greeted. "I see Pridak did not have you executed. It went well, then?"

"Mostly," Zaekura said. "Where's my mom? I thought she was going to wait here."

"Carna went to visit the others from Nynrah, I believe. I am sure she will return sooner or later."

"Oh, alright."

Turning to Krika, Kojol said, "You look almost seasick, Krika. Attempting to better your acting?"

Krika looked up slightly. "Simply preoccupied. Pay me no mind."

"I certainly try—are you actually going to make it easy for once?"

"Indeed I will," Krika said, walking over to sit in one of the pews. Not another word came from him.

"…Hm, I find myself quite curious," Kojol murmured. "But then, if I am to remain neutral, your negotiations are none of my concern."

Zaekura paced across the room, thinking, How exactly am I going to pitch this to the others? Really, I'd rather not work with Pridak, but it does seem like the most strategic option right now. And I wonder if I should bring up Mavrah…

She glanced at Krika.

Should I say something? It's too weird seeing him like this. But if Mavrah's the one who sold me out, I don't really feel all that bad…and after all, Krika is the reason grandpa…

Zaekura sighed.

But I've got to make use of him…no, wait, that doesn't sound good. I don't want to manipulate people. It's just…

"You seem rather agitated," Kojol said.

Zaekura stopped pacing. "Uh…yeah. Guess so."

Holding out a hand, Kojol offered, "I could help you with my Peace powers, if you would like."

"…Yeah. I think I'll take you up on that."

With a nod, white light surrounded Kojol's hand. Zaekura could feel the energy move into her, and immediately it helped: her muscles relaxed, her thoughts cleared, and for a moment all was totally calm. She turned to thank Kojol, but paused as she noticed the Makuta staring at her oddly.

"What?"

"Oh, my apologies. It's just that…" She paused to select her words. "Your mind…it feels different somehow, compared to the first time we met."

"What? I don't—" Zaekura stopped and clutched her head as a bolt of pain ripped through it.''Agh! Nnngh…"

"Are you alright?" Kojol asked.

"Yeah, this has been happening a lot lately." Zaekura sighed—while she was no longer entirely calm, she at least felt better than when she had walked in. "It's probably just the stress getting to me, and there isn't really anything to be done about that. This situation is going to keep going until we find a way to make it end."

Her ears perked up as the cathedral door opened. Carna entered, took one look at Zaekura, and rushed forward. "Zae! You're back!"

Hugging her mother, Zaekura said, "Yeah, things went okay. Not entirely ideal, but…okay."

Carna pulled back, keeping her hands on Zaekura's shoulders. "So? Is that Makuta going to work with you?"

"Probably—I figure I need to check with everyone else, though. We can talk about it on the way back to Xia."

Carna's gaze drifted. When she brought it back, she said, "Actually, Zae…"

Zaekura waited until she was ready.

"For a while now, I've been trying to think of a way I could help you. There isn't really anything I can contribute to the fighting, and it's not like I have the temperament for diplomacy. But, I thought back to what happened in Civitas Magna, and that gave me an idea—and after talking about it with everyone from back home, I think it's worth giving a try."

Krika had turned his head now, listening quietly.

"When we met with Yarion, we were downplaying the whole thing, but really, art can definitely be dangerous. It can challenge old ideas and present new ones, and that's exactly what we need right now. So, if a bunch of us from Nynrah fill Civitas Magna with art made from the ideas we're working towards, I'm sure we'll have an impact on public opinion and win you some more support! Or, worst case scenario, we have a little extra money you can use to buy supplies or something."

"An art movement, huh?" Zaekura said. "That sounds like it could work…heh, I'd like to think it would, at least. Sounds like fun."

"Right. So I think, for now at least…I should stay here."

"Huh? Why?"

"I want to make sure this is done right, so I want to personally get it off the ground. Much as I really want to stay close to you…the only real difference between me worrying there and worrying here is that here I have something more productive to do."

Reaching up to grab her mother's arms, Zaekura said, "Mom, you don't have to be productive."

"I know, but…well, the distraction will probably do me good."

"…Yeah. You're probably right."

"Besides, this'll let me keep an eye on the others from Nynrah. I'm still not sure which one of them let your secret out."

Krika sighed. "Actually, Miss Carna, that matter's been settled by Makuta Pridak."

Carna turned. "What? He found out who it was?"

"Yes, it was—"

"It was a traveler," Zaekura interrupted. "Someone who had passed through and saw me working. Probably a scout the Great Beings had sent out specifically to look for people like me. They're locked up in Mahri-Nui, they can't do any more harm."

Krika remained silent. Carna said, "Oh…good. Well, regardless, I still think it's best if I organize our art team."

"I understand," Zaekura said. "Just, before anyone actually goes to Civitas Magna, let us find some guards who can accompany them. It shouldn't take me long to find someone inconspicuous who can make sure you're all safe."

"Good thinking. Alright, we won't leave Ga-Koro until we've got our escort."

"Alright." Zaekura fidgeted. "…Thanks for everything, Mom. Knowing you have my back has really made this a lot more bearable."

"Of course," Carna said, hugging her daughter once again. "Be safe, okay? Don't do anything too crazy."

"Well, I'll do my best."

"I'll see you soon, Zae."

"Right. See you."

Zaekura nodded to Krika, and then the two of them left Ga-Koro to set out across the desert. Once they were outside the city, Krika asked, "Why didn't you tell your mother about Mavrah?"

Hesitating briefly, Zaekura said, "I figured she'd probably blame you, and then be a lot less likely to stay. She needs something else to focus on."

"Ah. I see."

There was a pause. Eventually, Zaekura said, "I think it's a good idea—mom's plan to influence Civitas Magna. Not sure if everyone from Nynrah will join in, but every pair of hands helps. Now to figure out who to send with them…"

Krika had nothing to say, so Zaekura thought in silence until something occurred to her.

"Hey, Krika…mind if we make a stop on our way back?"

After explaining herself, the pair veered northward, their new course leading them to Bitil's outpost. Zaekura asked around to discover that the person she was looking for was currently examining the nearby lab, and sure enough, as she descended the staircase she spotted Natan standing at the console next to a Guurahk wearing a beret and scarf. The Rahkshi of Sonics looked up at her arrival.

"Hey, look who it is!" he said. "Nice to see you again, Lady Zaekura. Well, I hope it's good news?"

"It is, don't worry," Zaekura said.

The Guurahk stepped forward, saying, "Oh, hello Lady Zaekura! I've been wanting to meet you: I'm Ulwin!"

Zaekura unconsciously tilted her head slightly as she shook the Rahkshi's hand. "Ulwin, huh? You can speak…how'd you manage that?"

Ulwin chuckled and shrugged. "Well, once I set my mind to it, I was able to focus all my creative energy and find a way to make it work. All Rahkshi have vocal cords—it's just a matter of figuring out how best to use them."

"Incredible! Then theoretically, you could teach all of the Rahkshi how to speak! Well, if that's something they're interested in, I guess."

Glancing over the various elemental chambers, Krika asked, "What exactly were you two doing here?"

"I'm bodyguarding him," Natan said, jabbing a thumb in Ulwin's direction. "Figure we can't be too careful."

"I wanted to take a look at the data on this console," Ulwin said. "I had heard that it was gibberish and thought I might be able to make some sense of it…but, ah, results have been less than encouraging thus far."

"Don't beat yourself up, mate. Anyway, what brings you here? If you're done in Mahri-Nui, shouldn't you be headed back to Xia?"

"There's something I wanted to discuss with you, actually," Zaekura said.

"Me? Really?"

"Yeah. See, my Mom's starting this plan to use art to sway the people of Civitas Magna, and as I was thinking about it, I realized it'd probably work even better if we had a wider variety of art to use."

Natan inclined his head. "…What? You mean me and the band?"

"Exactly. What do you say?"

Scratching his chin, Natan said, "Sounds…pretty good. Sounds great! I mean, I gotta get the go ahead from the others, and we, uh, still need a name and all…but this could be just what we need! Can you hang around long enough for me to track 'em down?"

Zaekura nodded, and Natan was out of sight in an instant. She turned back to Ulwin then, seeing the Rahkshi of Creation's eyes aglow; he said, "That sounds wonderful…Lady Zaekura, if it's not too much to ask: might I also assist in this process?"

"Huh?"

"Please! Locked up in a place like this, a creative spirit can only stagnate—I need to be surrounded by like minds, artists who can challenge me so I can challenge them in turn! I can't even use my powers on any of my siblings! But the people of Nynrah, the most famed artistic community on the planet…oh, working with them sounds heavenly!"

Zaekura broke into a grin. "…That passion's refreshing, Ulwin. It certainly isn't my place to refuse."

"Truly?!"

"You're gonna have to be just a little patient, though. Once I get back to Xia I'm going to assemble some guards to escort artists to the city, and I think it's best if you and the band wait to meet up with them before heading to Ga-Koro."

"Oh of course, of course! Thank you, Lady Zaekura—you won't regret this! I promise I will craft works you can be proud of!"

Ulwin wandered off to the side, bouncing with glee. Zaekura turned back around, preparing to head back out, but her eyes caught on the console. The same mess of data still raced across the stream, utterly incomprehensible. After staring at it for a time, however, Zaekura furrowed her brow.

"…Hm…" she mumbled. "Is that…?"

Slowly, she stepped over to the console, eyes fixed on the screen. Krika watched somewhat absently as she scanned the display over and then, with hesitance, struck one key, then a second, then three more; her fingers moved steadily across the board as she continued to stare straight at the screen, her face frozen in place, and it gradually dawned on Krika what was happening, briefly shocking him to attention. Not saying a word, he simply remained where he stood until Zaekura's movements finally came to a halt. She faced him with a look of confusion.

"…I understand it," was all she said.

Krika walked over to examine the screen. It still made no sense to him, but he could tell the data had been rearranged somehow, and a small graph was now displayed in one corner. Zaekura typed briefly, and the readings changed at her command. Krika glanced back to her.

"I mean…not all of it. But. Some of it. I…I can actually understand some of what…agh!"

She recoiled then, clutching her skull as another headache began. Krika said, "Of course. I'm such a fool, missing something so obvious."

"Miss…what?" Zaekura asked, the pain slowly subsiding.

"Well, Lady Zaekura…it seems to me that those headaches of yours are not due to simple stress. Instead, I wager they are a side effect of your synapses restructuring themselves, evolving into something closer to the minds of the Great Beings."

Zaekura stared at him blankly. After taking another look at the screen, she muttered, "You mean that genetic quirk? It's causing this?"

"That quirk was but a spark. Now, it seems the fire is being stoked."

"But, stoked by what?"

Krika shook his head. "There is still a great deal we do not understand about this mutation. But whatever catalyst enabled the Great Beings to become what they are today, I believe you have been exposed to it."

"…Kojol did say my mind felt different…I guess she was talking about this." Zaekura turned and took a few steps away from the console. "I can't tell if this is good or bad."

"In any event, your brainpower is increasing, and that will certainly have its benefits. We should act on this discovery."

Zaekura thought for a few more moments, then nodded once. "Yeah. Give me a minute to look over this data one more time…I think I'm starting to come up with a plan."


Gaaki stood before the door, steeling herself as best she could before knocking on it.

"Come in."

The office itself had changed very little. Bur the Toa of Stone slouched at the desk was not Kodan; their new superior had an aura of arrogance swirling around his gold-trimmed Rau, and he spared her only a sideways glance as she approached.

"Ah, Gaaki," he said. "Finished already?"

"Yes, Turaga Ahkmou," said the Ga-Matoran. "Here's the piece you requested."

She held out a stack of paper. Ahkmou gestured, and so she simply set it on his desk.

"…Also."

Ahkmou raised an eyebrow.

"I have a proposal I wanted to run by you. I wanted to take a team to Xia and—"

"No," Ahkmou interrupted.

"But, Turaga—"

"You still don't get it, do you? How many times do I have to explain to you how things work around here?"

Gaaki clenched her fists. "Turaga, our duty is to keep the people up-to-date on current events. Zaekura's forces have taken a city, and nobody knows exactly what that means! The only way to be sure is to go talk to the Xians still living there. Zaekura's been willing to talk before, I'm sure we'll be able to get in and out without any trouble."

"This idea is nothing but trouble, stupid Matoran. It's the same idea that led to your last boss disappearing."

Gaaki froze.

"Our duty is to do as instructed by the Great Beings. You don't want to disobey them, do you?"

"…Of course not. But, Turaga…people trust us. They expect a more complete view from our pages, not the forceful, one-sided articles we've been running. Voriki Post, unreliable as they are, is at least printing different ideas—how long until readers leave us for them?"

Ahkmou smiled. "Voriki Post is doing what? Did you hear that, Makuta Yarion?"

The Ga-Matoran became aware of a presence behind her. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder, seeing the Makuta standing in the doorway, staring straight at her with an expression she couldn't read.

"I did," Yarion said, their voice low and quiet. "Is something the matter, Matoran?"

Gaaki turned fully, now noticing the scuffs and dirt that covered Yarion's armor—they clawed at one spot of dirt momentarily before again falling still. She tried to say something, but when she opened her mouth, no words came.

"Gaaki was just leaving," Ahkmou said. "Isn't that right, Gaaki?"

Eventually, she nodded, and she went on her way.

Leaning back in his chair, Ahkmou said, "Crushing their doubts is proving a real nuisance. Can't you send some Rahkshi to help keep them in line, maybe boost their conviction?"

"Wouldn't that be a bit too heavy-handed?" Yarion said.

"Well, maybe. Anyway, what've you got for me?"

Yarion produced a disk, saying, "The Great Beings have prepared a new outline for your upcoming releases. Also, they mentioned they were discussing some suggestion you had made."

"Ah, must be the kolhii tournament! Good, good, I hope it gets approved."

"A sports tournament? Why would the Great Beings need to consider something so trivial?"

Ahkmou rolled his eyes—it was slight, but he didn't exactly hide it. "The triviality is the point, Makuta. I was put in charge here to control what information gets to the public, and that's important, but it can only do so much. Constantly telling the people to side with us in this conflict is still telling them to think about the conflict—and if they get the chance to do too much thinking, they might just start to think for themselves. So, we need to give them something else to think about. Something safer. Such as a nice, friendly sporting event, one that'll quietly and automatically draw everyone in and make sure they're too distracted having fun to stop and think. Follow?"

Yarion said nothing, simply rubbing one of the scuffs on their armor.

"Oh. Speaking of controlling information! I'd recommend doing something about Voriki Post. They may have a reputation for being disreputable, but every voice of dissent reaches someone's ears, you know?"

"I understand."

"Good. If that's all, then I'll be seeing you."

Yarion made their way out of the building, stepping into the nearest alley they came across. After waiting a few moments, they turned, and sure enough, Vamprah was there clinging to the wall, head tilted to get a clear view of their every move. The sight may have once shaken Yarion, but now, they weren't sure it gave them any particular feeling.

"A news source called Voriki Post has been helping dissenters be heard," Yarion said, hand absent-mindedly moving to work on another patch of dirt. "We must silence them."

Vamprah faded from view. Yarion looked down at their arm, where the stubborn patch of dirt refused to be removed. Trying their best to put the matter from their mind, they returned to their office, staring at the clock until it was exactly the appointed time, and made a call to the Maze.

"Hello there, Yarion," Angonce greeted. "Oh, you're looking a bit worse for wear."

"The result of hard work, my lord," Yarion said. They reached for a patch of dirt, but stopped half-way. "I have made my rounds and taken the necessary actions to keep loyalty on the people's minds—there is one small matter I have delegated to Vamprah, but only because it was brought to my attention mere minutes ago and I did not wish to be late."

"Good, good. So, how are the people of Civitas Magna doing?"

Yarion rubbed a scuff on their knee. "Excellent, my lord. Everyday operations are continuing without the slightest issue, and several of those who are off-duty have been celebrating the Great Beings in whatever way they can, firmly reestablishing our city's dedication to your will. One group even went so far as to burn an effigy of Zaekura."

"You don't say! Ah, I'm so glad everyone's stopped biting the hand that feeds them…and of course, you've cut off all contact with Xia, I presume?"

"Absolutely! When I heard the news, I halted all shipments and informed the necessary personnel, and then contacted Makuta Miserix to begin arranging trade with Atero."

Angonce nodded. "Very good, Yarion, you're really on top of things! Miserix was quick to react too: he put his factories into overdrive without even needing to be told."

Yarion grabbed their wrist to still their hand. "In relation, Lord Angonce, I have begun work on plans to reduce Civitas Magna's needs. I have no doubt that the Aterans will make us proud, but as their city was not designed for such output, I wish to lessen their burden as much as possible."

"Mmmm, probably a good idea. Don't worry too much, Yarion: we don't plan to let Zaekura hold Xia for long."

"Understood."

"Oh, and one more thing. The Xians who fled to Civitas Magna…you've detained them, correct?"

"I have, my lord," Yarion said.

"Excellent. We'll be bringing them to the Maze for questioning just as soon as we can get the logistics figured out."

"Shall I have them questioned here, my lord?"

"No no, we'll take care of that. You focus on keeping your citizens in line."

Yarion's hands shook. "Of course. It shall be done."

"Great! Be seeing you, Yarion."

The call ended. Immediately, Yarion began to scratch at the stubborn patch of dirt. They scratched harder, and harder, but try as they may they could not remove it. Finally, they grunted and used a burst of Heat Vision to melt away the grime, leaving a scorch mark in its place. Yarion winced, and then leaned forward and set their head in their hands.

I will obey.

A distant explosion jolted them to their feet. Running to the window, Yarion looked to the pillar of smoke just beginning to climb into the sky. Reflexively, they went over the city's layout in their head, and quickly realized that the affected area was where Voriki Post was located. Yarion began to claw at the scorch mark on their arm.

We all…must…obey.


ADDENDUM:

-"Ulwin" is derived from "Ul", the name of Guurahk's kraata…in the main universe, at least. I figured our first named Rahkshi of Creation would look like an "artsy" type. He probably has an internal focal point for his power—otherwise I'd want to give him a gigantic paint brush or something, and I think that'd be just a bit too much. I think opening up the possibility of any Rahkshi being able to speak is going to be helpful in the long run, even if I was hesitant at first; there's only so much you can do to characterize someone through hissing.

-The console in the Great Beings' lab seemed the best way for the characters to realize that Zaekura's mutation is progressing, but it may be a while still before I get the chance to properly elaborate on what's causing the change. What I will say is that it's something a bit more…general than one might expect.

-While my history with goal-setting has been spotty, I've decided to aim for at least one chapter of Right of Law each month going forward. Ideally it'll be a bit more than that, it'd be nice to finish this within 2020, but at the very least I want to maintain some degree of momentum. As for the immediate future: there's a few more matters that need attended to, but you heard how eager the Great Beings are, so I doubt it'll be long until we're back to the battlefield.