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The Ptah, part 3

The devolution of the Ptah has occurred far, far more slowly than expected.  In fact, the blast of electromagnetic energy released during the Shattering slowed the process nearly to a halt.  Nearly.

The Vorox and the Zesk, are today's remnants of partly-devoled Ptah.  The Zesk are made up of the Guardians, the Brawlers, and the Assassains.  The Vorox are what have become of the Elites and Royals.  These vile, repulsive creatures are the result of the betrayal of their creators, the Great Beings.  The Great Beings devised a life-form on a whim, they encountered an unexpected problem with them, they devised a solution, and then they decided the solution was too costly, and abandoned an entire civilized population in the process.

Today, what are left of the Ptah, the Vorox and Zesk on re-united Spherus Magnus, remain unwanted outcasts of society, a tormented in-between form of what was once great and proud, and will one day be merely mindless pests again, if the survivors aren't all hunted and destroyed by another of the Great Beings' creations.

There is much beauty and wonder in existance thanks directly and indirectly to the actions of the Great Beings, and yet, there is also so much evil, and so much pain.  One can only hope that in their new homeworld they will reflect upon the grave mistakes of their storied pasts, learn from them, and not repeat them!  Let it be understood, that life is not an object to be played with like a toy or experimented with like a selection of chemical compounds!

The Ptah, part 2

The Ptah were a most fascinating species!  So, so dramatically different from their original form.  Every single Ptah was a warrior, though they never, ever warred.  They retained the stoic, fearless nature of the Sa, as well as the silence.  It was silence to others, at least -- the Ptah communicated amongst themselves telepathically.  They developed a social class system that directly correlated to their various martial disciplines.  There was a Guardian class:

A Brawler class:

My favorite were the Assassin class, who would sometimes ride Rahi mounts:

Then there were the larger, even more serious and dedicated Elite class:

And finally, among the Elites there were the most shining (literally and figuratively) examples of Ptah culture, honor, and values, the Royals:

Make no mistake, though.  The Royals were not kings or leaders of any sort.  They served no higher purpose in Ptah society than any other class.  They simply had to take their lives quite a bit more seriously (as if that were possible).

The Ptah formed orderly societal communes -- towns, if you will.  Still Sa at heart, they continued to scavenge, though with much more pride.  However, instead of multiplying so readily after reaching a certain physical size, a Ptah would continue to grow for many years, and then he (she? it?) would suddenly stop injesting raw materials, except as needed for fuel and bodily repairs.  The Ptah would never create offspring, and thus, their numbers no longer increased.

The Great Beings had successfully transformed an uncapped population of nuisances into a proud, honorable, respectful and respectable, planet-wide peacekeeping force.  Oh, but there was a catch.  Always a catch, there, is.  The electromagnetic "treatments" the Great Beings had employed, somewhat of a digital genetic therapy, had to be continually re-administered, else the Ptah would slowly begin to devolve back into Sa.  To lessen the burden, the Great Beings had treatment transmitters created at regular distances in a grid around the entire planet.  Each had a fixed range of effectiveness, and they were arranged such that there wasn't a footprint worth of land where a Ptah could stand and not receive the treatment.  Each transmitter required only a modest amount of energy to power it, but with an enormous global network of them in operation, the cost in resources was prohibitive.  The Great Beings together decided the experiment was no longer worth their effort, and they took the transmitters offline, vowing to figure out some other way to deal with the Sa population problem, whenever it became a problem again.

The Ptah, part 1

Untold generations ago, the Great Beings thrived in their desert oasis on Spherus Magnus.  In vast, sprawling laboratory complexes, they experimented -- no, played -- with life itself.  Played with it like children do simple toys.  Their imaginations ran wild as they sought out new ways to use their powers of creation, and simultaneously learned of new powers that they possessed. Most of their experiments were what you and I would call, simply, "failures."  In this age of wonder and possibilities, the Great Beings showed no remorse for the disfigured creatures and faulty digital intelligences they spawned.  All that they made, could simply be unmade and converted back into raw materials.  For that which could not so easily be recycled, a new creation could be formed to do the task.

After countless years this "playing," the Great Beings found themselves surrounded by life.  Their backyard was all of Spherus Magnus and about it roamed hundreds of thousands of robotic and organic things -- things that had escaped being recycled after millions of individual experiments.  Among these things, was a species of small, semi-robotic, scorpion-like creatures called simply, "Sa."

Legend has it, this name is nothing more than a sound uttered by a Great Being upon first seeing the creature completed.  The Sa were scavengers, much like what you would know as "ants," and they generally helped keep the planet clean by collecting and devouring waste and scraps and shavings of unused materials cast out from the Great Beings' labs.  The one problem with the Sa, was that they were able to multiply quite readily.  Upon collecting sufficient raw material, a Sa would simply spawn a clone of itself.  Soon, they were everywhere.  They were not harmful, but nor were they shy.  They knew no fear, and would never scatter and flee, not even when a Great Being approached.  As such, they became quite a physical nuisance, as they would always get in the way.

A few of the Great Beings decided that to counter this nuisance, rather than developing a natural predator (that would be too simple, and sensible), they would attempt to evolve the Sa population into something more intelligent and deliberate, a species that would, perhaps, form social groups, and well-defined dwellings, instead of randomly roaming everywhere with little purpose other than to feed and multiply.  A treatment was devised that could be delivered through electromagnetic pulses to the Sa.  It would slowly alter their metabolism and cause them to evolve over time into higher-level beings that could think for themselves, communicate, and eventually form societies.  The creatures they would become, would be known as the Ptah.

The final piece of the puzzle

At last, I have been in contact with Milethi once more.  The price was exhorbitant, but the information she has presented has priceless, though intangible value.  Milethi, a highly skilled scientist in the highly controversial field of Bionicle evolution, first determined the anatomical design of the ancestors of the Vorox, based on evidence in the recent fossil record.  She then did the same for the Zesk, with peculiarly identical results. 

In this newest exploration, Milethi has calculated the eventual evolutionary destiny of the Vorox.  The first image she showed me was this:

I was, unamused, to say the least.  Aside from some slightly altered proportions and colors -- colors, how useless -- this might as well have been an image of a modern-day Vorox!  I had delivered the heads of eight nearly-extinct giant, predatory insects for Milethi's bizarre alchemic experiments, and this was my reward??

Thankfully, for her sake, Milethi quickly explained in more detail how her methods could only determine the likely anatomical details of a past or future creature, not its habits, and certainly not its specific posture.  She then offered the following alternate rendering of the same creature:

Now this, this was the result I had expected.  Ah, yes.  Walking on four legs, prone.  Head forward.  Stinger up.  Like the Zesk!  With the passage of further millenia, I have no doubt whatsoever, that the Zesk and Vorox will one day be but one species again, just as they were countless generations ago, before...

Hrmm.  It is time, I see.  I must... visit an old friend.  He is holding onto some... pictures... for me.  Very valuable pictures.  Pictures, that the Great Beings would very much like to see destroyed, forever.

LEGO Bionicle Proto-Toa, the TRUE "first Toa"

Toa Helryx.  Celebrated, and rightly so.  But the first Toa, she was not!  How readily history can be distorted in the minds of the many, when the Great Beings want it to be so.  The Great ones are not quite so pure and faultless as they would have you believe.

Like the first Makuta, the first, Proto-Toa, was created in one of the great experimental energized protodermis pools by a number of Great Beings working together -- I believe there were four.  Like the first Makuta, the first, Proto-Toa, did not... behave... as designed.

Genderless, a perfect prototypical physical specimen, the Proto-Toa was the perfect starting point, if you will, for the creation of any and all Toa to follow.  It was aligned to no specific element, but it could adapt to work with any.  It had no Toa tools, but it could learn to use any.  Its motivation was incredibly strong, seeking to adopt any cause to serve, and to work towards any purpose.  This motivation was exactly what deeply disturbed and worried several of the Great ones. 

The Proto-Toa's level of independent emotion was entirely unexpected.  What if it could not be controlled?  What if it was given a task, and it completed that task, only to then choose another for itself?  What if its choices did not agree with those of the very Great Beings who created it?  How large would this risk be with a full team of Toa?  What of multiple teams?  What if they chose to unite against the Great Beings?

Debates over these concerns consumed the entire order of the Great Beings for weeks.  Some of them believed it was time for a more independant class of new beings, while others believed the Toa needed to be purely loyal servants.  The debates grew into increasingly heated arguments, eventually splitting the Great ones into two opposing factions, until...

Hrmm.  This is where, even my information, loses clarity.  I have heard that it was caused by one of the Great Beings who feared the growing division amongst their ranks, who saw only one way to restore peace.  I have heard that it was one of those who opposed the creation of a mentally independent Toa race, filled with spite and rage.  I have heard that it was an accident.  I have even heard that it was the object of all of this in-fighting, itself, feeling solely responsible for the dissention, and just wanting it to stop, for the greater good.  How ever it happened, the Proto-Toa was returned to liquid oneness with the protodermis pool from whence it was created.

The Great Beings eventually returned to constructive discussion, and reached an agreement.  The rest, hmm, was history...

Bionicle Dark Mirror: Toa Gali & Nokama

In the Bionicle alternate universe you refer to as "The Dark Mirror," you know of Toa Gali and Toa Nokama as teachers, in the Re-Education Center.  Indeed, this was fact.  By day, they tought.  By night, they stalked, and they killed.  A particularly close-knit team, they were -- truly elite assassains, masters of their craft. 

Nokama, short in stature, spoke few words, slowly stalking a target with her peripheral vision, never looking directly until the final moment she struck.

Gali, in contrast, was taller than most male Toa, hot-headed, impatient, and enjoyed a fight.  She would even toy with her opponent, to prolong the encounter.  While Nokama approached from water or low shadows, Gali preferred to cling to shaded nooks and corners and pounce from above.

The two had acquired personal sheild units, and the help of Karzahni, these were repurposed and connected to their Toa of Water powers.  Using the refractive powers of their medium, the shields became cloaks -- bubbles of invisibility.  How do you run, from something you do not see?!

Evolutionary origin of the Zesk

A full cycle of your moon has come and gone since I last heard from Milethi, and finally she has produced new information.  I find the results of her latest research to be simultaneously surprising and not.  When her calculations of the earliest evolutionary form of the Vorox revealed a petite insect-like Rahi, I suspected that the Zesk may have had rather modest beginnings as well.  What I did not expect, was to be shown something so nearly identical in overall shape and size to the prehistoric Vorox.

From this it is clear to me, and Milethi agrees, that the Vorox and Zesk had a common evolutionary ancestor.  In simpler terms, long ago, they were one and the same.  I had actually heard long ago that this was the case, but the information was heavily disputed and speculation on the matter is widely considered taboo.  Fortunately my personal web of contacts and information spans great distances and time alike, and I have been able to assemble quite many useful pieces of this puzzle.

I need but one further bit of research from Milethi, a further confirmation of sorts, to complete this story.  She has agreed to my new request, thankfully, but unfortunately for me, this time she has requested more difficult "errands" in return. 

Now, I have a bit of travelling to do, but I will of course return at the earliest convenience...

Shadowed Vengeance, new leader of the Bionicle Dark Hunters

With Teridax's shocking rise to complete power over the Matoran Universe, Vengeance, the Dark Hunter with a life mission to fell the treacherous Makuta, grew more hateful, wicked, and erratic with each passing day.  As the realization grew clearer that his last chances to fulfill his goal may have passed, wreckless fury brewed within him and began to dominate his existance.  He grew increasingly inpatient and disobedient, drawing the ire of The Shadowed One himself, who ordered Vengeance to take time off from his duties to... contemplate... his allegiances.

Vengeance reluctantly obliged, retreating to a solitary shoreline cove at the northwest corner of the island to gather his thoughts.  There he sat, silently, staring aimlessly at a point on the ground just a few paces in front of him.  For four days and nights he sat, pondering future possibilities, running scenarios through his head.  Just before dawn on the fifth day, he stood.  He realized that the only possibility of gaining the upper hand on Teridax would be if the Dark Hunters all united in singular pursuit of this goal, something that would never happen without a leader who was completely dedicated to the task. 

Eight nights later, The Shadowed One was walking back to his throne room after a day of surveying the land, when suddenly, Vengeance sprung upon him from a dark perch above.  Vengeance charged his rhotuka, but before he could fire it, The Shadowed One destroyed it with a blast from his Staff of Protodermis.  The two separated and The Shadowed One fired off several more blasts, but Vengeance easily deflected the attacks with his incredible shield.  The Shadowed One reared back and charged with all of his might, his weapon pointed straight forward.  They met with a thunderous clash and the very tip of the Staff of Protodermis just barely penetrated Vengeance's shield.  The Shadowed One fired a blast, sending a small stream of Protodermis directly into Vengeance, but with much of it reflecting back from the shield.  The substance instantly hardened on both Dark Hunters, and The Shadowed One could no longer control the staff.    Protodermis continued to stream out and immediately harden, encasing the two in an ever-growing, solid mass, until all of the energy of the staff had been drained.

For several minutes there was complete and utter silence, until a faint reddish-orange glow began to emanate from the folds & creases of the protodermis mass.  Vengeance was using his telepathic powers to activate The Shadowed One's powerful eye beam attack.  Incredible heat and pressure built up in the core until the protodermis completely liquified from the inside.  The outer shell glowed intensely and the chamber began to shake.  Fractures appeared on the surface of the mass, and then, in an instant, it burst in all directions, sending a concussion wave rocketing down all corridors of the lair.  Splatters of molten protodermis re-hardened on the walls and ceiling of the chamber, but where two encrusted Dark Hunters once stood, now there was only one.

The intense concentration of power from The Shadowed One's eye beams not only liquified the protodermis, but energized it.  Trapped inside, he and Vengenace combined into a single being, now known as Shadowed Vengeance.  He bears Vengeance's shield and telepathic powers, has The Shadowed One's eye beam strike and Staff of Protodermis, and small wings that aid brief gliding flights.  Strangest of all, he contains the combined, conflicting consciousnesses of both warriors.

Time will tell how this shocking development will affect the future of the Dark Hunters, and whether what remains of Vengeance will manage yet to take down the powerful Makuta Teridax.

Last Bionicle Titan of Bara Magna: Valtys

How quickly we forget.  Ackar may have been the first Glatorian in history, but he was never one of the greatest, nor the most influential.  The Element Lords, during their reign, paid much attention to the actions and accomplishments of their lieutenants, the highest among the warrior class.  The strongest, hardest-working, most righteous were promoted in a secret ceremony attended by a single Great Being, transforming them into titans.  Within the jurisdiction of the Element Lord of Fire, Valtys was the first and only of these titans.

Valtys was strong of mind, body, and will, not one to be crossed.  At the same time, he was unshakably pious and just, always looking out for the best interests of his people before all other things.  When the Core War broke out, Valtys initially wanted no part in it other than to protect the Agori of his land from a secondary invasion by the overzealous forces of other tribes.  However, as the fighting intensified and broadened across the entire planet, it was Valtys who formulated the plan to assault the northern region and claim the energized protodermis, and it was he who led the successful charge. 

Why such a dramatic change of desires?  Why from shunning the war would he dive directly into it?  His plan was to secure the energized protodermis, extract it, and deliver it directly to the Great Beings to transport if off the planet.  With the object of the war removed from play, the war would surely end.

Well, end, the war did, didn't it?!  Not the way Ackar had planned, obviously.  Rapid extraction of energized protodermis enhanced the pressure differentials in the planet's core, ultimate leading to the Shattering.

Valtys was thought by some to have been destroyed by that horrific event, but this is not so.  He survived, battered and ashamed, swearing to dedicate the remainder of his years to the protection of the remaining Fire Agori, and to never forgive himself for his horrific mistake.  He died many, many years later, standing his ground against a marauding horde of Bone Hunters, allowing a band of Agori and Glatorian, Ackar among them, to safely escape.

Some Agori are said to have seen Valtys's spirit in the form of a nearly transparent silhouette roaming the desert in the last moments of light after the sun sets.

Bionicle Vorox: True evolutionary origins revealed

Earlier I noted that I had come into contact with Milethi, a highly skilled Bionicle evolutionary scientist.  I tasked her with determining the earliest calculatable form of the Vorox of Bara Magna, and her work has borne fruit:

Based on recent and fossilized remains I provided, Milethi has assured me that with very little margin of error, this diminutive creature, barely larger than a Bohrok-Va, is the ancestral Vorox as it would have appeared between 50,000 and 80,000 of your "years" before the Shattering. 

Most troubling this is, indeed, as it flies in the face of history as we know it.  The Vorox are said to have once been proud, upright-walking, talking, very intelligent beings who received particular attention from the Great Beings themselves, only to later devolve into the beasts we know of today as a result of the cataclysm.  What we see here looks like a perverse larval form of a Zesk!  What could possibly be the explanation?

Hmm, the Zesk.  "History" tells us that the Zesk have a parallel story to that of the Vorox.  If the Vorox had such humble origins...

I must contact Milethi again.  I have a new assignment for her!

The Hordika

Have you heard the story of the Hordika?  Be not quick to answer, when you may not understand the question.  I speak not of the Toa Hordika.  I speak of the actual, rahi, Hordika.  You see, there exists a reality in which the Toa fought on the side of good, but the Rahaga did not.  When the Toa Metru were infected upon their return to Metru Nui, the Rahaga of this reality saved & befriended them as in the more familiar story, but here, it was a trick, and a trap.  The evil Rahaga led the Toa on an exceedingly long quest to find a mythical plant they claimed could counteract the Hordika venom.  In reality, the plant did not exist, and the quest was merely a diversion to give the poison enough time to complete its work.  The Rahaga were successful, and the Toa devolved fully into Hordika before they even began to suspect foul play.

The genetic differences between the six Toa caused them to assume new unique characteristics when their transformation was completed.  Whenua become short and stocky in his build, with strong shoulders and upper arms, but relatively weak hind legs that made him the slowest runner.

Nokama grew long and sleek, able to leap great horizontal distances.

Matau's transformation seemed to have stalled before it was complete, as he continued to walk primarily on two legs.  He was also the most diminutive of the Hordika, and the most greedy.

Nuju's new form was uninteresting, but his personality was most unusual.  His nerves were shaky and he became the most passive and easily frightened of the group.

Vakama, predictably, was the most ill-tempered Hordika, prone to overreaction and fits of rage.  He felt himself superior to his brethren in every way, but the deep evil & hate within him clouded his judgement and limited his ability to act on his feelings.

It was Onewa, exceedingly strong of body and clear of mind, who proved to be a natural leader.

The numerous deadly Rahi that inhabited Metru Nui in its darkest days made survival difficult for any and all creatures, and the Hordika found that they were best off sticking together to find & hunt food and to defend themselves. Onewa's consistent good judgement, combined with his prowess in battle, caused him to gain strength rapidly and he could feel pure power coursing through his veins.  Eventually, he was able to undergo a second transformation, becoming the very first Great Hordika.

An enormous beast oozing raw physical strength, Great Hordika Onewa was not a creature to challenge, and yet, with his newfound power came no change in his demeanor.  He continued to lead his fellow Hordika, but freely shared all food he gathered or caught, and demanded nothing in return but respect and loyalty. 

Vakama, meanwhile, grew ever more jealous of Onewa, and irritated by the others whom he saw as increasingly weak and subservient.  He turned to the mischievous Rahaga Iruini for solace.  In private meetings they mocked the other Hordika and fantasized of a day when the others would be but obedient slaves to the clearly superior and more capable Vakama.  Over time, the tone of these conversations became more serious, and the two actually began to devise a plan to turn Vakama's dream into a reality.

Over the following year, Vakama pretended to slowly acquiesce to Onewa's leadership and even began doing favors for the Great Hordika such as bringing him his favorite fruit.  Into one of these delicious treats, Iruini secretly injected a mutated form of the Hordika venom.  Upon injesting it, Onewa quickly felt a new surge of energy as the venom briefly boosted his strength as it took hold.  Not long later, though, he started to become terribly disoriented, and he instructed the group to rest at a camp while he broke ranks to collect himself alone where the others would not witness his wavering condition.  Vakama quietly followed a safe distance behind.  Onewa became increasingly concerned about what was happening to him, and his walk turned into a frustrated jog.   His eyesight began to fail and he crashed and tripped through bushes and vines, eventually collapsing to the ground in a small clearing.  This is when Vakama revealed himself and what he had done.  Onewa summoned the strength to come to his feet and angrily charge after the treacherous Vakama, but nearly blind and with weakening joints, he couldn't mount any form of effective attack.  Vakama merely sidestepped and smiled before pouncing visciously upon his poisoned victim, brutally assaulting him and bringing him to within an inch of his life.  Standing over the head of the defeated and nearly lifeless Onewa, Vakama himself underwent the dramatic transformation into a Great Hordika, while Onewa simultaneously shrunk back to normal size.

Onewa would actually recover from his physical injuries, but the mutated venom left him blind and simple-minded.  From then on, the heartless Vakama would subjugate the Hordika and lead them with an iron fist, or should I say, four iron claws.

A personal quest

In a much more recent development in my research, I've managed to finally make contact with a most peculiarly evasive individual. Her name is Milethi and she is a scientist of very advanced age and intellect. Unfortunately she makes herself very scarse due to the severe criticism and harsh rejection she has received among many communities. The problem, for many, is the particular branch of science that she studies -- Bionicle evolution.


Milethi has studied countless species of rahi plus a handful of higher-order creatures and mastered a process of determining what she calls "evolutionary momentum." With this momentum calculated, she can predict the future form of a species. Even more intriguing to me, she can actually determine the evolutionary origin of a Bionicle being if its physical form has altered over time. The process requires significant and accurate data about the subject, and can take many weeks of work to complete, even with the help of an impressive array of electronic computational devices. The results always have a margin of error, but that margin can itself be reasonably calculated.

It has taken me many years and quite a significant pool of resources to track Milethi down. Now that I have finally made her acquaintance, though, I have managed to convince her to conduct some research on my behalf, in exchange for some... let us say, errands. I have always had a keen interest in the story of the Vorox (and, by affiliation, the Zesk). Genetic experiments by the Great Beings, the Shattering, regression, yes, yes, I've heard it a thousand times but there are holes in those stories the size of a Kleetha whale's eyes. There is a bigger picture, a deeper story, and I must discover it.

My first request to Milethi is to calculate the earliest possible evolutionary form of the Vorox. I will report back when she has results. It may take... awhile.

The Rilovians, Chapter 7: Out of thin air

The morning was young; the skies, barely beginning to brighten. Most inhabitants of Rilovi were yet at rest. The rahi, though... the rahi stirred across the land, rustling leaves and rippling pools. The air grew unsteady with the faintest chorus of shreiking sounds.

The chorus grew louder.

It drew nearer.

The rahi cried out in unison in their countless voices. They scattered, they ran, they froze in fear. They seeked to escape, but no direction offered a safe route.

The Rilovians awakened.

Across the territories of the Rallo, the Novi, the Foran, the Tiallo, and the Mikau, small groups of vessels of The Unknown flew, descending directly towards their scouts' earlier landing sites. Thedon, now jogging beside his personal rahi transport, his body utterly exhausted from a frantic, but successful night of seeking out and summoning Gelaeus's staff, saw one of the Unknown formations pass directly above him, proceeding in the exact direction he was headed, back to his city of residence and work. Realizing that the fate of the planet could rest in the hands of five gigantic, sleeping robots, Thedon summoned the strength to climb upon his rahi and charge forward at a galoping pace. All he could do was try to aid in the defense of his people and hope the Maxxa could be activated before all hope was lost.

At the landing site in Foran territory, a dozen Unknown established a perimeter around a circular area the size of a small city block. Most citizens of the area stayed back and took shelter, but a handful of police & local government members gathered and prepared to do what they could to push the intruders back. Their numbers doubled when former warriors from the area joined the scene and distributed old spare swords and bludgeoning weapons. They quickly agreed upon a divide & conquer strategy to charge together, but then split into two groups, each attacking one side of the perimeter and to disable as many lone Unknown as possible before the conflict converged. The warriors were ready & anxious for a fight, the others, not to the same extent. Yet, they all realized equally the gravity of the task before them, and agreed to a single countdown.

Four...

Three...

Two...

One...

The Rilovians bravely charged towards a gap in the invaders' perimeter, then split apart before crossing it, each half of them turning the opposite way and attacking a lone Unknown sentinel. The first two enemies were quickly overwhelmed and easily overcome, but the others took notice. The Rilovians continued to plan and charged towards their next targets. This time, there was resistance. The Unknown readied their handheld energy weapons and began to fire, striking down several Foran before being overrun themselves. Four were defeated. Eight remained -- eight who were by now fully alerted, fully aware, and fully prepared, weapons charged. The brave Rilovians weren't able to advance even twenty more paces before being overcome. Their hand-to-hand weapons and metallic shields were completely useless against the invaders' blasters.

The remaining Unknown redistributed themselves equally around the same perimeter they had originally occupied, keeping their weapons fully charged. Shreiks could be heard from the sky once more, though lower in tone this time, and louder as they drew close. A large transport arrived with an escort of 5 more Unknown scouts, landing in the center of the defended area. The vessel was roughly saucer-shaped, but hollow in the middle and deeply textured with symmetrical spire-like protrusions around its circumference and on its upper surface. Four of the newly-arrived individuals took the places of their fallen comrades around the perimeter, while the fifth approached the large vessel and activated a panel, apparently to input some commands. Quickly, the vessel began to transform. Its outer ring turned downward. The inner spires spread apart and to extended twice their height into the sky like an ominous, blossoming flower.

After a brief pause, something began to power up in the mysterious machine. Winds picked up and began to swirl about violently. Arcing electricity surged through the upright structures of the machine, growing in intensity until a beam of unrecognizable energy shot straight up into the sky. The beam was barely visible in the fully lit sky, but a rising cloud of dust made it discernible. Directly above, the sky began to slightly darken, and soon a completely black spot could be seen at the precise point where the beam was pointed. As the wind continued to tear through the immediate area, it was soon apparent that air was not being expelled from the machine, it was actually being drawn into the beam.

As Thedon arrived at his own home town, Tiallo citizens were under attack after a massive, concerted attempt to repel the invaders failed even more miserably than the smaller attempt by the Forans. The Unknown were in counter-attack mode and were brutally assaulting locals in all directions, broadening their perimeter with the help of two squads of reinforcements. Thedon abandoned his ride and deftly snuck past the invaders by staying low and hiding behind structures. He made it to his house and quickly pulled out his proud old set of armor and his weapon and shield. He cautiously peered out the corners of several windows to be sure that the area was clear, then rushed out the front door. There, directly in front of him, standing in wait with its weapon draw and charged, was one of the Unknown. Thedon barely started to swing his double-sided sword when he was struck down. As the under-manned and under-armed resistance around each of the five landing sites across Rilovi systematically fell, the remainder of the beam devices landed and were activated.

At Gelaeus's facility, the last of the workers arrived to a frantic scene. The first Maxxa had been powered up and was undergoing automatic diagnostics to ensure that it was fully prepared for battle. Three of the others were still being readied, and one hadn't yet been touched; there just weren't enough available workers to keep up with the numerous preparatory tasks. Gelaeus, himself, worked on updating the shared intelligence databank that would be distributed to each Maxxa before it was released. Information about changes in city landscapes, deployed civilian technologies, and expanses of population centers all had to be updated from the years the Maxxa had been completely offline. If kept in a fully ready state, the Maxxa update themselves. Upon being activated after a long rest, they are capable of reacquiring all needed information on their on as well, but this requires that they emerge and travel about the land to survey all changes. Rilovi didn't have time for this, plus Gelaeus strongly felt that the element of surprise was critical given the unknown capabilities and numbers of the invading force.

At the landing sites, the Unknown sentinels stood their ground, not moving an inch. The winds were slowed, as the air was growing thin. Though it was still daytime, all things had picked up a strange shading, as if... as if lit by darkness, if such a thing was possible. Directly above, the dark spot in the sky had grown immensely. At the Foran site, nearly half of the sky was darkened and in the center of this frightening occurence, stars of the night sky could be seen with the naked eye.

The Unknown, you see, had befallen troubles quite similar to those of the Rilovians. After millenia of expanding their population, they had run out of inhabitable space on their planet. Rather than fighting over what was left, though, they decided very quickly to simply go find a second planet to expand to. Rilovi was merely the first planet they happened upon that fit enough of their criteria (sun exposure, relative flatness of terrain, mineral makeup, and level of gravity). In fact, Rilovi only had two problems for the Unknown -- it was already populated, and it had a full, thick atmosphere. The Unknown do not breathe and are adopted to live in a very low-pressure environment. Because some of their industrial efforts produce copious amounts of gasseous residue, they developed machines that could remove these gasses from their planet by ionizing the molecules and shooting them straight out into space. These were the machines the Unknown had brought to Rilovi. The dark patches they were creating in the Rilovian sky were actually holes in the atmosphere. If the process was not stopped, Rilovi would soon enough be completely devoid of air, and all of the lifeforms that depended upon this irreplacable element... would die.

Over the course of two more restless days & nights of continuous work, Gelaeus and his crew had finished preparing the Maxxa fleet. The five proud, glorious machines were lined up and ready to take to action on the surface of Rilovi for the very first time. With all personnel waiting in the adjacent lab, one final command was issued and the Maxxas went into fully autonomous mode. Immediately, #2 and #4 stepped forward, readied their weapons, and blasted out nearly the entire ceiling above the room. A large mass of air was sucked out of the facility due to the effect of the Unknown machines, propelling a mushroom-like cloud of dirt and paperwork straight up into the sky. One after another, the Maxxa lept up to the normal ground level above, then each rushed off towards one of the invaders' landing sites, using the medium-duty repulsor units in their shoulders and upper legs to help them glide incredible distances through the air between strides.

The first site was neutralized within 20 minutes of the departure of the Maxxa from their home base. The second, just over 30 minutes later still. The remaining sites were increasingly distant and took significantly longer to reach. Groups of Unknown reinforcements began to descend upon all five sites in waves, but the Maxxa were able to dispatch them, no matter how many approached. The fighting intensified for four days, but the Maxxa held their ground. Casualties among the Unknown were enormous, and mounting.

And then, it all stopped.

The Unknown evidently concluded that this planet was more trouble than it was worth, and gave up.

The Maxxa each froze in place, still alert & ready in case more trouble surfaced. Silence captured the land. Only the wind could be heard, fading ever so slowly after the destruction of the invaders' atmosphere-expelling machines. Night fell and the Maxxa stood watch while the Rilovians remained sheltered.

When the morning came, citizens slowly started to appear again on the streets, cautiously surveying the damage to their towns, reeling at the site of endless piles of fallen Unknown fighters, and shuddering upon noticing that above them, instead of a familiar light sky color, they saw a shade of dark violet-blue, textured by a speckling of stars.

Though the battle was deciseively won and the invaders had been repelled, the damage to the atmosphere was irreparable. Had Gelaeus's warnings been heeded decades before, the Maxxa would have been on standby alert when the Unknown arrived, and when the first of those five ionizing machines touched the ground, it would have been in a smoldering mass of twisted metal and ashes. Instead, the entire planet was left hopelessly crippled, doomed to die a long and painful death.

The thinned atmosphere let in damaging cosmic radiation that damaged or killed many smaller forms of life, starting a devastating breakdown of the planet's food chain. Even worse, the planet began to rapidly cool. A year-round ice cap developed at the northern pole and began to spread southward, freezing away valuable inhabitable land. The variety of usable crops diminished as only the heartiest plants could survive the colder temperatures, especially through the night. Species of rahi were going extinct faster than could be documented.

Within one hundred years, the Rilovian population diminished to less than three thousand. Ten years later, this number had plummeted to less than 500. Only three years after that, the very last Rilovian, a Foran, passed away overnight in a lonely burrow.

So, tragically, ends this Bionicle epic. I am, very sorry, if you were expecting a... "happy ending" to the story. Unfortunately not all civilizations can survive infinitely, and in fact, quite many do not. Even in some of the best of scenarios, there's a character flaw among the people, or an important decision that is made wrongly (or not at all), or an unforseen and devastating consequence to the smallest & simplest oversight. Myself, I can only share the learnings and hope that as a result, some of the great mistakes of history, will not be repeated.


Today, Rilovi is a barren ice planet, still under the protection if the five proud Maxxa.

The Rilovians, Chapter 6: The Unknown

Twenty-two more years passed on the crowded, but peaceful planet of Rilovi, and little changed. Crime was non-existant, but for the most petty of offenses. The air and sea remained healthy. Leaders were praised by common citizens. Customs, ethics, regular events, industries, technologies... everything about life seemed comfortable and settled. Then came The Unknown.

Witnesses first spotted this unidentifiable individual streaking across the sky on his personal air vehicle on a quiet afternoon. He never landed, but apparently covered a significant amount of terrain before disappearing, as he was seen above the lands of the Rallo, Nofi, Tiallo, and Mikau. The Forans weren't known to look to the sky very often; if they did, I would assume they'd have seen the visitor as well. Ten days later The Unknown returned, this time landing first in a busy Tiallo town square, surveying the area quickly, and mysteriously travelling to 4 other locations spread far around the planet, repeating the same behavior with apparently no delay between each stop. All attempts to greet & communicate with it failed, and it again disappeared as quickly as it had first appeared.

The elder council quickly convened with most of its members plus a handful of advisors and local officials to discuss these odd events. Among the gathered was a commerce administrator named Thedon who handled various affairs in the Tiallo district The Unknown had visited. A retired battlefield commander from the old warring days, Thedon approached the investigation of the incidents methodically. He did his best to pinpoint all five landing locations by correlating witness accounts, and then plotted them onto a world map. As he began looking for some sort of pattern indicative of a premeditated effort, he noticed that many pairs of points were identical distances apart. As he started following them in an arcing motion around the Syanic Sea, he also noticed that the angles between sets of three points were identical. Then, suddenly, it all became crystal clear. Stepping some distance back from the map, he saw that the points in fact formed a perfect pentagon around the land. As more witness accounts streamed in, something even more disturbing became apparent. At least three of the contacts with The Unknown had occurred at the exact same time, and the remaining two overlapped. The Unknown was not an individual, it was a race, of which five members had been sent to size up Rilovi after first discovering the planet.

The room went silent. If one of The Unknown had come the first time, and five the second, how many would arrive next? Immediately an order was given to warn all police forces to be on full alert. The elders, for the first time since the beginning of the global civil war, were terrified, and speechless. Thedon excused himself from the meeting and hastily sped off on his rahi mount. He had always firmly believed in the elders' assertion that Rilovi would be forever in peace. And yet, what he had just seen challenged that notion. It appeared that The Unknown could be scouting in preparation for an invasion. Thedon sincerely hoped he was wrong, but he was not about to wait & see. He had to find Gelaeus.

Ah, Gelaeus. Visibly aging with each passing day, the giant had retired years before and now spent alternating days tinkering with theatrical robots in his small home workshop and taking them out to "play" on his plot of wild land. When Thedon approached on his steed, panicked, but exhausted, Gelaeus was conflicted. Half of him was offended that someone would tresspass on his protected land, while the other half was delighted to be receiving a visitor -- something that had become increasingly rare over time. The second half won out and he prepared to warmly greet his dismounting visitor, only to be immediately interrupted.

Thedon: "Gelaeus! The Unknown are coming. You must prepare your robots."

Gelaeus: "The Unknown?"

Thedon: "Surely you haven't become such a hermit that you've not heard of their visits.

Gelaeus: "Their visits?"

Thedon: "Just one the first time, but five at once the second. They were scouts. Their landing sites where at equal distances apart and formed a circle around the entire land. It's no coincidence. They're preparing something. Now, where are those robots?"

Gelaeus, pointing to his miniature performers on the field: "Robots, do you mean these?"

Thedon: "This is not the time for modesty, brother. I cannot believe I could even think this, but today may be the day you've always warned of. I've heard of your secret lab, and I've heard that you built quite a wide assortment of war machines years ago. You're too smart, and too passionate about your work, to have destroyed them. Now, let's go get them out. I fear Rilovi is going to need all of the help it can get, and soon."

Seeing the ruse was up, Gelaeus punched a button on a small remote transmitter in his right hand, deactivating the playful little machines he had been enjoyably observing just a minute before. He began to walk towards a nearby rocky cliff.

Gelaeus: "My 'wide assortment of war machines' has long since been dismantled, brother. Come this way, and I will show you if you don't believe me."

Thedon: "Surely you jest! It is not like a Giant to abandon his dreams, his conviction!"

Gelaeus: "No, it is not. My dreams were simply... upgraded."

The two entered the unassuming cave just above the base of the cliff, rode the cleverly hidden elevator, and walked through the half-barren underground factory floor to the lab, both very dimly lit. Gelaeus opened the wide, sliding doors to the testing chamber, but did not enter. He reached just inside the door to activate a switch on the wall, then walked back to a drafting table and calmly began writing something down. In the next room, the sound of electrical devices powering up drew Thedon's attention, and he slowly and cautiously approached the doorway. In a timed and deliberate sequence, all of the celing lights came on, revealing the first Maxxa, then the second, on to the fifth.

Thedon: "I... I..."

Gelaeus, handing off a piece of paper: "Names and locations. These were my closest colleagues. Find them, tell them they're needed in the shop. I'll start dusting things off."

Thedon, caught in what seemed like a gasp that would never end, couldn't muster a single word, but forced himself to take the list from Gelaeus and hastily depart.

The two would never meet again.

The Rilovians, Chapter 5: The Maxxa

Gelaeus pushed himself to develop a range of robots that would fully cover the varying situations that could be encountered in defense of Rilovi. He developed concepts & prototypes for more 2-legged and 4-legged walkers, heavily armored tank-like vehicles, light & agile hovercraft, and aircraft similar to what I believe you would call "helicopters." The options for each individual 'bot were incredibly varied, and the possibilities for combinations was practically endless. Galeaus even reduced his normal work schedule to give himself more daytime hours to conduct his research, but with every variable of development he figured out, another surfaced.

At the yearly Syanic Sea Festival, the ultimate Nofi cultural celebration, Gelaeus was present in body, but not in spirit. He avoided the gathered masses and watched from a distance, all the while dwelling in his mind on the grave importance of his secret activities. As he watched a lively parade snake through the crowds, he worried that if he could not achieve success, one year the festival might no longer occur. Oddly, this is when a new wave of inspiration struck. Among the parade, you see, were large groups of commoners & former warriors together carrying tall, hollow effigies honoring historical Nofi figures. Gelaeus looked directly at the festive statues, but his eyes saw giant mechanized fighters. He realized that all of his plans had focused on a strategy of multiple, distinct, specialized robots of modest size. Never had he considered a defensive army of large, immensely powerful machines, produced and deployed in small numbers. He immediately excused himself to return to his lab alone and begin sketching designs for this new concept of a super-robot, a fearsome megalithic sentinel that could single-handedly defend an entire region. As the concept blossomed, it would gain a name: Maxxa.

A Maxxa-class defense robot would embody a number of important characteristics:

• Size. The chassis would need to be durable enough to withstand damage without being disabled, and sturdy enough to cary any needed equipment & large weapons. Extraordinary height would also give a Maxxa the ability to see and strike at great distances, and had the potential to demoralize an enemy with its presence alone.


• Firepower. The Maxxa's battle strategy would be to strike first and suppress multiple targets with devastating force.


• Agility. This was something of great personal interest to Gelaeus, as I earlier spoke of in relation to his modifications to his own form. A slow-moving hulk of a machine would be too easy of a target and could not defend a large area. To keep the number of needed Maxxa to a minimum, they would each need to move about quickly and easily.


• Familiarity. An enormous robot of completely unfamiliar form would never be accepted by regular citizens -- they would fear it and it would never be accepted. The Maxxa would take the form of a 2-legged, walking warrior, the ultimate hero fighting on behalf of the general population.

Gelaeus spent just four months designing Maxxa version 1. In the meantime, he had already started making preparations for its construction. The factory area of his underground facility was sufficiently well-fitted to handle production of parts, but the ceiling wasn't nearly high enough to assemble the giant machine. One of his supporters who worked in the facility made the excellent suggestion of digging the testing chamber significantly deeper for the task. Completed components could be easily shuttled from the factory floor to specially-built assembly rigs in the testing chamber.

Once all design was complete, Gelaeus tasked all of his supporters on production of the very first Maxxa while he, himself, worked on a small-scale portable, but working demonstration model. Coming up very soon was an elder council meeting, open to the public, and this would be the occasion he would use to make his final, triumphant pitch to both the elder community and the general populus.

The finished mini-Maxxa included low-power blasters and an autonomous artificial intelligence that allowed it to function without any controlling input. Upping the ante, Gelaeus repurposed a selection of his earlier robot models as a mock "enemy" force to demonstrate a realistic invasion & defense scenario in miniature size.

On morning day of the elder council meeting, Gelaeus and his supporters loaded up their robot fleet onto beast-drawn, covered carriages and headed out on foot. When they arrived at the auditorium 3 hours later, they were delighted to behold an excellent turnout. All pre-arranged topics had been covered in early sessions and public comments & questions were now being entertained. Items of conversation ranged from a proposal for a new floating entertainment facility to be built at the southwest edge of the Syanic, to the ever-moving & morphing line of separation between religion and science. The waiting line to speak at the floor podium was short, and Gelaeus took his place.

When it was the giant's turn to speak, the crowd cheered and the council welcomed him warmly. Gelaeus gave praise to all five Rilovi affiliations for achieving ultimate peace years before, and more importantly, for committing to maintaining it for all of eternity. The crowd applauded wildly yet again, then respectfully returned to silence. "Now," Gelaeus proceeded, "picture this very arena, during this very event, one year from today." On cue, two of his colleagues carried a crude wooden model of the auditorium out to the middle of the floor and then retreated. "Imagine you, the elders, are giving an address," Gelaeus continued, "and these fine, peaceful citizens of Rilovi are sitting, happily, attentively, safe, comfortable, when..." On this cue, the robotic miniature "invasion force" appeared from scattered locations around the auditorium and beared down on the model of the structure, drawing surprised gasps from many observers. The robots opened fire with real (though small) weapons, utterly obliterating the wooden miniature. Only smoldering splinters remained.

After a dramatic pause, Gelaeus went on to explain with increasing passion in his voice the perils that could exist far beyond Rilovi's field of gravity and how devastating their arrival could be. He repeated his warnings about the weakness of Rilovi's protective force, an argument many in attendance had heard before, either from him directly or through word-of-mouth. He reiterated the need for a reserve force, an emergency defensive backup to protect against the unknown. Just then, heavy footsteps were heard approaching behind him. He struggled to hide a smile of confidence as the small Maxxa approached, stopping directly by his side. Continuing the brilliantly planned theatrics, Gelaeus and the mini-Maxxa looked at eachother, then at the "enemy" bots, which reacted by turning to attention and preparing to defend their space.


The hero of the performance charged its weapons and lept into the field of battle, firing its energy dual pulse weapons with great precision and deftly avoiding all counter-attacks. Within seconds, all but one of the "invasion" robots was disabled. The remainder fired directly at the Maxxa, which took no damage and merely walked directly towards it. Approaching a point-blank stance, the Maxxa kicked the miniature enemy onto its back and delivered a single disabling shot. The auditorium burst into thunderous applause.

The performance complete, Gelaeus resumed his speech, detailing the size, design, capabilities, and deployment strategy of the real Maxxa he wished to build (never revealing that the first was already under construction). Mid-sentence, he was interrupted by a member of the council.

"Gelaeus, young brother, Great Engineer, you have brought great entertainment. Thank you. But Rilovi is safe. Forever it will be. Does any disagree?"

The elder motioned to the crowd, and no-one responded.

"Then leave peace at peace."

Devastated inside, Gelaeus maintained a calm demeanor and respectfully replied, "I understand, and I thank you all." His accompanyment slowly re-emerged from the crowd with looks of despondency on their faces. They lackadaisically collected the debris off the floor and followed Gelaeus and the expressionless miniature Maxxa out of the arena.

Even with the realization that his efforts might never be officially sanctioned in his lifetime, Gelaeus changed nothing in his plans. The Maxxa program would continue on, full speed ahead. Soon enough, Rilovi would gain the defense it sorely needed.

Seven years later, not only was Maxxa #1 (nicknamed "Rett") fully built and operational, but four others were as well, completing the fleet. Significant data had been gathered from simulations and small-scale tests with "Rett" in the underground facility and the later models incoproprated a host of enhancements and upgrades.

Gelaeus had achieved his goal. The planet had a formidible defense system, laying in wait in an underground lair, ready for a more cautious leadership regime to activate them. Gelaeus's age was beginning to wear on him, and he did not know if he would live to see the day that the elders would recognize & accept the need for the Maxxas. No worry, he had younger supporters who would keep the dream alive and ensure that it would be carried forward through the generations if needed. Powered off and safely sealed away, the Maxxas would be able to last for thousands of years.

The Rilovians, Chapter 4: Gelaeus

The entire planet of Rilovi rejoiced as militaries disarmed and former warriors took up civic duties. Everyone was completely convinced that this was the right thing to do, and strict laws and procedures were created to ensure that this peace would never fail.

After three generations, the warrior class had dwindled to a small, scattered assortment of local police and rangers; armies were no more. This thought did not rest comfortably in the mind of a Nofi giant named Gelaeus.

An unsung, visionary hero in Bionicle history, Gelaeus was a veteran Great Engineer who specialized in the design of advanced agricultural equipment. His varied inventions helped to grow, harvest, or process nearly one-fifth of all foodstuffs produced on the planet. Early in his career, he had suffered a tragic accident with a malfunctioning harvester prototype that severely damaged both of his legs, requiring a double amputation. He was fitted with artificial limbs and though these worked perfectly well and restored full mobility, they didn't fully satisfy Gelaeus. With his engineering knowledge, he began modifying and upgrading his own prosthetics in his spare time, improving his speed and flexibility alike. Though eventually he became happy with his limbs, he still wanted to do more, and began experimenting with Bionicle-form robots. Here is one of his first:


It was a fairly simple creation, remote-controlled and capable of not much, but if you've been following the story since the beginning, you know that there's something very wrong with this picture. Do you see it, yet? The Rilovians, remember, thought of the use of energy weapons as sacriledge. Gelaeus agreed with this belief, but with a... catch.

This giant of the Nofi celebrated and praised the worldwide disarmament as sincerely as any other self-respecting citizen. However, he feared it had been taken too far. Surely, Rilovians would never again war with Rilovians. But, what of others? What of villanous beings from another world, of threats to Rilovi of which no Rilovian knew or ever could know? Gelaeus believed that the disarmament left the planet in grave peril. There had been dozens of contacts with outworlders in Rilovi's history, but all had ranged between delightfully enriching and brief & uneventful. If, Great Beings forbid, the next encounter were to be with an invading force, the planet would surely be overrun.

Gelaeus pleaded his case to elders from all five regions and though they allowed him to continue his research and experiments on his own time, they did not fundamentally agree with his viewpoint. Furthermore, they plainly refused him permission to fit any of his creations with either working energy weapons or any artificial intelligence that could be used for combat.

Frustrated, but not deterred, Gelaeus pushed on with his designs, building harvesters by day and robotic Bionicle warriors by night. Here is his half-scale prototype of a lightweight mechanized walker:


This next curiosity combines a 4-legged walking weapons platform with an independent driver 'bot that could be programmed to operate many different types of equipment.

As decades passed, Gelaeus never received the clearance he needed from the elders, yet his concern for the safety of his planet, his beautiful, peaceful home planet, grew each and every day. As a Great Engineer, he commanded a great salary, yet he lived a very modest life, allowing him to accumulate a significant pool of currency. Much this lifetime of savings would be spent purchasing a parcel of pristine protected land from the governmental council. He said it was to be a place of meditation, to experience the plants and the rahi in a sliver of rare, untouched habitat. Nothing could have been farther from the truth.

Gelaeus obeyed his sworn oath to leave the landscape untouched, but at night he and a small band of anti-disarmament sympathizers tunnelled from an unassuming small cave entrance at the edge of the property. They went first straight down, and then horizontally beneath the terrain to form an elevator shaft and an absolutely enormous underground cavern. I actually believe most of the work was done by Gelaeus's robots, but that is neither here nor there. In this cleverly hidden space, the giant and his supporters built a prototyping lab and a small factory to proceed with the secret development of more complete and capable war machines, along with energy weapons for them to use and artificial intelligence programs to give them autonomous "life." Next to the lab he hollowed out yet another open cavern, this a testing and training zone for scaled-down versions of his creations. His plan was to develop a cohesive range of finely-tuned defense machines programmed to be incapable of aggression against Rilovians or any other peaceful beings. With real, working examples, he hoped to be able to finally persuade the elders to sanction his research and allow him to begin official production for planetary defense in the event of a hostile incursion.

He just had to develop those perfect examples...