Haamata te Pouri

[Kopaka]

Kopaka landed on the sterile, plastic floor of the nexus with a growl. Immediately he was aware of the familiar weight of his sword and shield strapped to his back. Reaching into himself, Kopaka could feel the thrumming power of Ice coursing through his body. He was once again a proper Toa, and in being so, it was time to tend to his Duty.

The Fountain loomed large behind him, glistening in all of its frozen glory. Kopaka walked up to the reflective surface, running a metallic hand along the damp firmness of the glacial monument. The biomech caught a glimpse of his mask in the ice as he did so. The corrosion, whatever it was, had become even worse since the last time he had checked. It was curious that the grey rust did not manifest anywhere else on his chassis. What exactly did it indicate?

Kopaka was drawn from his reverie by a smug sounding chuckle from behind him. The Toa turned around to see a pair of storm troopers leaning against a pair of EPD swoops, idly talking to themselves.

"What." Kopaka seethed, curling his fists into tight balls. This only encouraged the troopers to burst into yet another peal of mocking laughter. Eventually they were able to compose themselves enough to answer.

"Fuckin' Kopaka. Most worthless Prime in Coruscant."

"Yeah dude. You are literally the only Prime to ever wash out of EPD recruiting. It's supposed to be a goddamn shoe-in for your kind." the troopers chided. Kopaka turned on his heel, and approached them with a steady gaite.

"What do you mean...'washed out?'"

"Means Brath gave up on you man. You had Valentine in the bag and you just ditched the stake out, just like you ditched the Colosseum. Worst kind of coward there is." said the trooper on the left. Kopaka's eyes widened ever so slightly. So...time had indeed passed since Teucer abducted him into slavery. Then the Spirit had rendered the Toa's failure complete. There was no sense in trying to defend himself against these EPD officers. They wouldn't care. Why should they? All Kopaka had managed to do so far in the Omniverse was fail repeatedly.

Without saying a word, the Toa turned on his heel and began to walk in an aimless direction. What now? Where did his Destiny lie? He continued to feel a pull towards serving the people of Coruscant. Was there a way to salvage the situation? A way to go above and beyond the depth of his inequities?

The mouse.

Kopaka stopped in his tracks. Mickey Mouse. The Prime still hadn't been killed by his hands...and thanks to the Spirit, he might never be. However...there was more than one Mouse wanted by the Empire. Calling up his Dataverse client, Kopaka began to pour through all content relevant to either of the diminutive convicts. There. On the service called 'OmniTwitter'. Minnie Mouse had publicly posted her location as being in Ambrosia. The messages had been submitted quite some time ago, but it would be a good place to start.

Once again changing direction, the frost warrior wheeled towards the gate for th Tangled Green, with grim determination in his stride. All the laughter...all the derision. It could all be dispelled if Kopaka played this right. He could still serve his Duty. He might still meet his Destiny. The goal was simple. Simple enough to give his undulating pangs of rage focus.

Banish Minnie Mouse.

[Kopaka]

It had been days since Kopaka had started staking out the gate to the Nexus from the Tangled Green, and not a single Prime had passed through. Patience was one of Kopaka's greatest assets, but at some point, one simply had to admit that sitting around wasn't going to resolve the problem. As such, Kopaka had picked his way through the underbrush between his campsite and the swirlin vortev and reemerged back into the soothing white eternity of the Nexus.

The Toa was aware that many found the blank canvas of the Nexus to be disconcerting, but it reminded Kopaka of a field of fresh-fallen snow against a mid-morning sky. An enveloping sheet of perfection, begging to have a catalogue of footsteps etched into it. As Kopaka walked, his protosteel feet clapping loudly on the enamel ground, he pondered on what his next move might be. His aimless geas had seen him turn subconsciously towards the gate to the Endless Dunes, and the Toa of Ice didn't really have any reason to argue against the tug he felt in that direction.

When logic and tactics failed to resolve a situation, it was the way of the Toa to fall back on spirit and intuition. Destiny was a fickle force of the universe, and trying to justify the tides of fate was often a vain pursuit. Or...perhaps it was just that Kopaka was desperate to take action, afraid that remaining idle would see him fade into a complacent stupor.

No...it could not be allowed to happen. So in spite of better judgement, Kopaka maintained his course for the Dunes. Perhaps Minnie did not lie in this direction, but surely Mickey himself had been freed from Teucer's Prison by now, at least if rantings on the Dataverse were anything to go by. Each step felt the tug of urgency strengthen, and Kopaka honestly had to resist the urge to start jogging, sprinting even, towards the dusty gate.

If he could just dispatch one of the Empire's most hated enemies, if he could just prove himself, Lieutenant Brath and the EPD would surely reconsider their refusal for the Toa's assistance. Only time would tell, but either way, action was required first...

[Kopaka]

Vagrant. Wanderer.

That was what he had become.

For months he had languished in the filth of Nippur's back streets, feeling lost and hopeless. Children of the dusty neighborhood would come and play in his vicinity as he sat slumped against a sandstone wall, day in and day out. The chill that radiated from him never fully faded, despite the desert climate. Perhaps it might have brought him some solace that he was still able to serve a purpose to someone, however insignificant.

Duty. Unity. Destiny.

Kopaka felt as if he had none of these things in his live. He was without purpose, without company, and had no future in sight. He could not go back to the EPD at this juncture. He had already been absent for too long; doubtless they had written him off as nothing more than another migrant Prime, unable to settle down and commit. It was bad enough he had been a laughingstock. Now he was a deserter as well.

Eventually, somehow, his disgust at the squalor he found himself in had compelled Kopaka to overcome the inertia of misery and depart the hopeless city of Gilgamesh. There was a place in the Omniverse called the Frozen Fields. If the Toa was to be nothing more than a wanderer, at least he could allow himself the comfort of an agreeable climate. It would be good to see snow and ice again. Thinking on it, Kopaka realized that he hadn't seen either such thing since coming to the Omniverse, aside from the self-made snow squall he had summoned in the Tangled Green.

So now Kopaka found himself in the Nexus once more. The blinding white sheen of this world had once matched the pale sections of his armor well, but now they were dirty with sand and muck from his nadir of willpower. His mask, too...he could feel it flaking and peeling, revealing a corroded subsurface. He didn't understand the implications of this, but he did know that he felt the Darkness in him growing. Hydraxon had warned of the Darkness, how the Makuta used it to corrupt Toa and Matoran to their will. Had Kopaka brought such Darkness with him into the Omniverse, then? Dour thoughts clouded his ability to reason. It was easier to just keep his shoulders tucked and head down. Keep walking. Don't think. Get to the snow.

[homin-Ratione]

“That process still bothers me.” Ratione shivered as he sprinted out of the white void that was the Nexus gate. The armor came to grinding halt on the blank canvas, Jana rocking back and forth in her perch.

 
“Ya see I got over it really quickly!” She objected, “I don’t see why everybody keeps getting weirded out by it.”
 
“It is everything changing so suddenly.” The old man explained, raising his hand in a small gesture, “Suddenly you are in a completely different place. Different everything.”
 
“I guess, but maybe I’m just used to from all the arenas I used to fight in.” Janna unslung her rifle with surprising ease as she put one foot on Ratione’s shoulder and the other against the side of his helm, head submissively leaning out to the side. The yordle scanned the lacking horizon with her scope, occasionally twitching back and forth. “Don’t see anyone that would bother us, don’t think.” She dropped her weapon in front of the old man, arms swinging up reflexively and bringing it back up.
 
“You dropped this.”
 
“No shit Sherlock, I need you to carry it.”
 
“Why can you not?”
 
“Oh I can, but you can without having to worry about the weight, right?”
 
“…Yes, you are correct…” Ratione held up the rifle again, a bit higher, “Sling it onto my rear pack, or something behind me. I can’t reach that far.”
 
“Ugh, fine!” Janna snatched her boomstick and scurried over the Furtumin’s suit for a better position. Eventually, she hung the thing across the back of his jump pack, strap caught between that and the backplate. “All set,” the yordle returned to her perch, resting one arm on top of Ratione’s helm. “Alright, where to now…?” Her eyes snapped from gate to gate, playing eenie-minie-moe with each verse.
 
“I figured you had somewhere to go. Or are you a wanderer?” The veteran inquired. Janna pat the steel with her small blue hand.
 
“Nah, I got a place we can hide out, I think.” She rested her hand in her chin, “Don’t wanna run into my old boss though.”
 
There was a short moment of silence, Janna kicking her feet out back and forth, Ratione still and expressionless beneath his visor.
 
“If we run into them-“ Janna’s ears twitched as her ride spoke up, “I will take care of them.”
 
Janna raised an eyebrow, before grinning and giving a light chuckle, “That’s alright big guy, I’m not gonna put you into my bu-“
 
“I said, -“The old widower interjected with a deep growl, “I will take care of them.”
 
Janna sat as still as a stone in her spot, eyes wide and ears flattened to her head. “U-uh, yeah… sure…”
 
“Where is this hide out now?”
 
“I-it’s-“The yordle breathed for a second, gulping down some air before relaying the directions, “That one, start heading straight across.” She held out her index finger, and Ratione began sprinting his way over.

[Kopaka]

The Toa kept a steady pace towards the distant, frosted gate. Normally he didn't walk with his telescopic lens focused on a distant objective, but looking upon the glistening facade of the portal assuaged the sense of anxiety hanging in his gut. Snow. He just wanted to see some natural snow again. Much like a Muaka never liked to be far from its den, a Toa never enjoyed being out of their Element for extended periods of time. Kopaka had been away from snow and ice for several months now, and he ached for its clean touch.

The bionic warrior startled slightly as a dark shape passed in front of his telescopic visor, causing everything to go black for a moment. Resuming his normal view of the world, Kopaka shook his head slightly and blinked slowly at what had passed in front of him. It was some sort of transport vehicle, similar in configuration to those used by the Golden Cross in Nippur. Unlike those 'trucks' however, this one bore no specific insignia that Kopaka could see. The vehicle had stopped just a short distance away; apparently some of its cargo had fallen loose from an insecure gate at the back.

The package's contents had scattered over the pristine floor of the Nexus. They were some sort of electronic storage unit, and they appeared pitch black against the solid white substrate. As Kopaka approached, two purple automatons hopped out of the vehicle and started gathering them clumsily back into their crate. As he got closer, one of the yellow eyed robots shot the Toa a furious glare.

"Nothing to see here, chump! Keep moving!"

Kopaka gave the metallic mook a hard stare, but eventually broke eye contact and kept on his previous course. It wasn't until he had almost passed them by completely that the Bionicle suddenly felt a sharp pain emanating from the surface of his Kanohi. It was odd; the Great Masks weren't supposed to deliver sensory feedback unless they had been damaged. Kopaka was aware that the Akaku had become corroded over the past few months, but nothing until this point had triggered that sort of response. The Toa suspiciously glanced back over his shoulder at the purple robots, who were beginning to start up their vehicle again. Inside the cab, the two Darklings both buzzed with agitation.

"Step on it! We can't stay behind schedule!" DK-12a griped, slamming the passenger door of the truck. DK-19d shot a yellow glare at his operating partner and let out an irritated grunt.

"Well, if you hadn't made us leave late in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem!" the lead Darkling spat back, igniting the engine and pressing on the gas. There came a hollow roaring sound and the truck refused to move. DK-12a sighed.

"What now."

"Shut your modulator and go find out!" DK-19d shouted, kicking the subordinate Darkling out of his side of the truck with a single, fierce kick. DK-12a clattered to the eggshell ground and clambered to his feet, grumbling softly. As he stood, he came face to face with the rust-faced Toa. Kopaka was clutching one of the darkchips they were transporting in a cold fist, scrutinizing it with the microscoping lens of the Akaku. DK-12a glanced at the rear of the truck, which was now encapsulated in a veritable glacier.

"Ohhhhh buddy. You don't know what kind of trouble you're in." DK-12a muttered, whipping his left arm out to the side. There came a digitized whirring sound as it morphed into the shape of a very large cannon of some kind. Kopaka simply offered a single, soft laugh.

[homin-Ratione]

“What is going on over there?” Ratione turned up his speakers so that Janna could hear his voice. She had her rifle propped up on his helm, googles over her eyes against the rushing wind, peering at an interesting scene unfolding less than a kilometer away through the scope.

“Looks like some kind of- oh shit!” Janna stood up straight, using her own two eyes to look at the incident. “One of those robots just pull a piece on that dude in armor!”
 
“Armor?” Ratione rotated his head over, eyes focusing on a figure encased in white plate. He could only see the back of their body, yet his eyes squinted as they focused on its weapons. The shapes of a sword and shield were made apparent.
 
“Shield-bearer!” The Furtumin brought their left foot forward, shoving it sideways against his momentum. His legs ground against the white floor as the suit redirected itself in a wide arc, each step pulling in the direction of the vehicle and robotic looking figures.
 
“What the hell!” Janna chastised him, “The Deep is that way!” She extending her arm and finger to indicate their previous course.
 
“That man! He looks like one of my own! Looks like Novan armor! Or at least a little!”
 
“And you’re getting involved in some other guy’s business just on that?!”
 
“Would you not want to see your own kind here?”
 
The yordle fell silent, grudgingly mumbling to herself as Ratione sprinted over.

[Kopaka]

As the Darkling raised his cannon arm, Kopaka instantly stepped inside the robotic minion's footing, checking him with his left shoulder while simultaneously drawing his sword and shield. The Darkling's amber shot went wide, soaring off into the white infinities above, but the shadowy mook himself was quicker on his feet than the Toa had been expecting. Dk-12a hopped a few feet backwards and allowed his metallic feet to slide on the smooth surface of the Nexus, bringing his cannon to bear again.

Kopaka reflexively hunkered down behind his Ice Shield and backed up behind the truck as two more golden shots bounced off of the whirring bastion. The Bionicle called upon the power of the Akaku and watched Dk-12a begin to circle around in a wide arc. The penetrative sight granted by the Great Mask of X-Ray Vision also revealed that the driver of the vehicle was arming himself as well. He could only deal with one problem at a time. With an irritated hum, Kopaka called the power of winter into his sword and directed a brilliant blue-white flare at the driver side door. The entire left side of the cab frosted over in a thick sheet of ice, preventing DK-19d from emerging, at least for the moment.

The Toa of Ice had not forgotten about the other Darkling, however, and quickly wheeled around to face the direction he predicted his foe to be. Kopaka was surprised (a rare thing indeed), when he saw that the purple miscreant was not in fact preparing an attack against him. The Darkling appeared to be fussing with one of the small black electronic devices Kopaka had picked up, fitting it into the weapon on his left arm. Curious, Kopaka watched through the bulk of the truck with his mask. After a moment, a small surge of shadowy power seemed to begin crawling over the Darkling's body, before accumulating in the arm cannon. There came a flash of blood red fire soon after, directed at the glacier Kopaka had used to ensnare the vehicle.

The Toa's ice fractured and weakened instantly under the intense heat of the blaze, crumbling to the ground. Kopaka's eyes widened, and the icy warrior began to prepare another hoary blast of energy when a shattering sound came from the truck. The driver Darkling had shattered both the window and the ice with a single punch and fired off a quick burst at the Toa. Kopaka dove for cover, but one of the shots still caught him smartly in the leg. Intuition superseded tactics as Kopaka switched the Kanohi Akaku for the Kanohi Hau, and the Toa looked up just in time to see and incoming burst of hellfire from DK-12a. Naturally, the blood-red flames of darkness washed harmlessly over the protective blue veil granted by the Hau, allowing the biomech the time he needed to get back on his feet.

By that point, of course, the truck transporting the mysterious devices had peeled out and was speeding off towards the gate for the Pale Moors. Something caught Kopaka's eye as he turned back around, and zoomed in on what appeared to be some sort of tiny creature riding astride what appeared to be...a Toa of some kind? They were coming this way at a concerning pace, but Kopaka could not afford to be distracted right now; he was already in one fight. Whatever power had been fueling the crimson blasts from the Darkling seemed to have ebbed by this point, but it was entirely possible that the Toa's opponent had another one of the foul devices up his sleeve. His opponent fought at a distance, but it would be a few more moments before Kopaka was able to fire another blast of wintry power. His servos whirred softly as he brought his shield back up, ready to defend against whatever tricks this fiend had left...

[homin-Ratione]

“Hey! That truck’s gettin’ away!” Janna grinned, “Wonder if it’s got any goodies...”

“I should focus on helping the person currently under pressure from what seems to be an alien in power armor and with another one of those exploding rods!” Ratione unsheathed his blade, tossing it in the air and re-gripping it inversely by the blade, right hand where the base met the guard.
 
“Uugggh! You’ve got a hero complex guy! Slow down a bit!” Ratione did as he was instructed, taking heavier and heavier steps until he was at a moderate pace. The yordle clambered onto his free arm, pointing at the truck that was speeding away. “You stop that truck, I’ll help the guy in white!” The Furtumin nodded in agreement, and his partner in crime slid off to the ground. The old man turned back to see her tiny body roll across the ground, exploding rod tucked close, before righting herself. The girl lay in a prone position, taking aim and tapping her finger against the trigger guard as the guy in white armor came into her magnified view.
 
Ratione turned back to his target, commanding his suit to commit to a long, hard burn. The jump pack heated up, roaring as raw-energy was let out full-throttle. His strides became longer, steps quicker, until eventually he only needed to push himself back up every few moments with a swift kick against the ground.
 
The strange machine moved along the ground on two pairs of wheels, made of some black, squishy substance that allowed it to push itself along as they spun. Of the two front seats, one was occupied, and it did not take an engineer to figure out that this individual, clad in dark colored plate, was operating the strange machine. That would be Ratione’s target.
 
The power armor closed the distance and intercepted. The Novan veteran took one final, long leap into the lack of sky, killing his jump pack and descending, hands gripping at the tip and middle of his blade, guard held high above him backwards.
 
The operator of the strange machine looked up, jumping in their seat, and proceeded to fiddle with some controls with a dashboard. They pushed as hard as their robotic legs could against the acceleration pedal, but the it was already at the floor.
 
Ratione closed in further.
 
The operator of the strange machine whipped out their forearm mounted cannon, firing light and rapid bursts of yellow energy at the aerial target.
 
Ratione closed in further.
 
The operator of the strange machine cried out in a mix of frustration and fear. He inserted a small, square chip into his armor, which began to transform-
 
The guard of the sword was the first thing to connect with the front of the machine, a millisecond before Ratione’s boots crushed the roof of the front seats underneath him. His armor sank straight through the entire cabin, ripping the operator’s right arm off their body and busting everything in the under carriage out of place. The guard and pommel followed suit, stopped only by the main engine block, but ripping everything else in its path apart.
 
There was a very loud, very sharp screeching sound as the metal was torn open like a tin can. Multiple pops and bangs as every single part of the machine was suddenly shifted out of place. Then the almighty slap and grind of Ratione’s boots scraping against the ground, momentum carrying him and his target forward still. All of this drowned out the high-pitched wail of pain from the operator.
 
The back end of the machine suddenly came up and over, contents either spilling out the sides or being catapulted further downward. The entire rig was then skidding along the white ground, upside down, sparks flying, a suit of power armor sliding to a stop with top and bottom of the cabin wrapped around their torso. A hunk of solid steel, pistons and crankshaft frayed out, weighed down his guard as it dragged behind him.

[Kopaka]

A sudden, distant crash sounded from behind Kopaka, and the Toa watched as the Darkling's aim drooped somewhat. Kopaka kept his shield raised but hazarded a glance behind him to see the truck, which had seemingly hit something in the middle of the blank and open space. Had that figure that Kopaka had spied advancing on him been a third party, then? Such fortuitous occurrences were not something that the Bionicle was entirely familiar with. It did, however, remain to be seen if the interloper was more than just a powerful opportunist.

A loud crack brought the Toa's attention back to the fight at hand. When he turned to face the Darkling, however, Kopaka was surprised to see that the purple automaton had been knocked clear on to his back. DK-12a was beginning to sit up, and was clutching a taloned claw at a smoking hole in its metallic carapace. The Darkling muttered something obscene under its false breath.

Kopaka did not hesitate. The power of winter channeled itself into his blade once more, and a blast of snowy energy engulfed the Darkling. A moment later, an immense mound of ice encased the droid, its arm stretched out in front of it in a fruitless attempt to defend against the freezing power. The Toa glanced around once more, this time spotting the source of the shot which had dispatched his opponent. The creature that had been riding atop the armored warrior was slowly approaching, a sleek looking firearm clutched in her diminutive hands.

Janna kept a tight grip on her rifle, ready to blow this shiny warrior away just like the purple guy if she needed to, but all Kopaka did was stare at the yordle. It was kind of uncomfortable.

"Nice shot right?" she shouted out, pointing a quick finger at the entombed Darkling. The Toa just continued to stare, but at least this time he said something.

"Was it you that halted that vehicle?" Kopaka's synthetic voice buzzed. Janna uttered a short scoff.

"Uh you're welcome. Also no. That was my buddy." Janna said, nodding back towards the smoking wreckage of the truck. Kopaka nodded, which was honestly about as courteous as he ever got, and briskly strode past the tiny woman. Janna's eyes widened in anger as the Toa passed her, throwing her arms out in exasperation. What was with the wannabe knights around here?

By the time Kopaka reached the truck, Ratione had finished prying himself out of the wreckage and was wiping flecks of engine oil off of his powered armor. The biomech took a moment to peer inside the shattered cab to confirm that the driver was dead before acknowledging the Furturmin's presence. When Homin-Ratione and the Toa finally stood face to face, there was a moment of silence that passed.

"Ah. Well. Greetings."

The disappointment in the other Prime's voice was evident, but Kopaka wasn't exactly sure what it was that Ratione had been expecting.

"Is it habitual for you to destroy things in such a manner or were you trying to..." Kopaka flinched as a sharp explosion sounded from the truck, engulfing most of the cargo bed in intense flames. The acrid black smoke rose high into the white sky of the Nexus, mixing and swirling in furious patterns. Being that both Primes were safely protected by thick layers of metal, the explosion was more of a nuisance than anything.

"...help." Kopaka finished, his blue eye running over the blazing wreckage. It was a good thing he still had at least one undamaged sample of the strange devices these secondaries had been using. The rest of the cargo was likely destroyed by this point.

[homin-Ratione]

The Novan whispered expletives at himself, in his own tongue, as his hands slipped his helm off. Hydraulic pistons relaxed into the collar as the locks came loose, angled eyes staring at the strange alien before him in unusual armor. He could swear that it appeared to be see-through at places, perhaps some sort of camouflage technology yet undiscovered by his own people.
 
Janna strode calmly up to her partner’s side, raising an eyebrow first at him, then at the Bionicle. “What? What were you expecting?”
 
“Shield-bearer, a foot man of the Novan army.” Ratione gestured towards the other prime’s weapons with the hand that held his helm. “He appeared one from a distance. I was mistaken.”
 
Janna rubbed her index and middle fingers into her temples, squeezing her eyes shut. “Yeah. Awesome. Totally worth the detour, amirite?” The yordle continued her sarcastic tirade even as she moved past the two, investigating the debris around them. The old man watched with a slight wince as some of her words were directed at him.
 
“As for your question, yes, I thought you were one of my own kind.” Ratione turned back to the alien. “I... guess I still assisted you then.” He extended his left hand, “I am Ratione. Novan Furtumin, of the 33rd Ropium Battalion. What world are you from?”
 
“...World?” Kopaka failed to return the gesture, binocular eyes extending and retracting as they studied the soldier. “You mean, like another planet?”
 
“Erm, yes.” Ratione’s took a step back as his personal space was invaded by the strange armor. “What is your name?”
 
“Kopaka. I am from Artakha. I am a Toa who serves Mata Nui.” After examining his power armor, the prime looked back up to Ratione’s eyes. The Novan turned away from the contact. “What is Novan? Furtumin? Ropium? Any of what you speak.”
 
The Furtumin stiffened up a bit, standing as if at attention to inform the alien, clearing his throat with a deep cough. “We are the Novan Empire. We seek to bring order and peace to the galaxy. We take on the responsibility of preventing major conflicts such as wars or other large-scale violence.” He put a hand on his chest, “I served in the Fifty Years War against the Sar-khun.”
 
“I don’t have a clue about any of this.” Kopaka’s response was instant, eliciting a jolt from the Novan. “And your ‘Empire’ sounds like it needs to get over itself.”
 
This comment provoked a furrowed brow and grit teeth from Ratione, both swelling with pride as much as shame. Well, you’re not wrong.
 
“You’re lucky, lumpy.” Janna made herself known once more, dragging along a crate full of tiny flat pieces of metal. “This stuff might sell for a bit in the Deep.”

[Kopaka]

The Prime that stood before Kopaka seemed affronted by his lack of knowledge regarding this alleged empire. Though a fleeting part of Kopaka was indeed curious, he couldn't be expected to collect every scrap of trivia from every denizen of the Omniverse that he encountered. The Toa turned to regard the small creature that appeared to be Ratione's companion. The miniature creature seemed to be looting the wreckage of the truck, which Kopaka found vaguely repulsive. Such behavior was unheard of, even in the backwater villages of Mata Nui. Theft, Greed, Envy...these were the tools of the Makuta. Though it was not his place to impede the actions of his erstwhile allies, neither was it Kopaka's Duty to turn a blind eye to it. Besides, it had been made clear enough that Kopaka was not what Ratione had been searching for.

The Bionicle slowly stowed his sword and shield, which whirred and clicked as they fastened onto his back. Disregarding the other two for a moment, Kopaka turned his attention to the still far-off gate to the Frozen Fields, and then down to the electronic device he had appropriated from the two purple automatons. It seemed to glow and pulse with an inner power, a power that felt wrong and good at the same time. It was a sensation Kopaka had never really experienced before, aside from when disobeying direct orders from Hydraxon. It was concerning.

As much as it pained him to admit, Kopaka knew of only one service in the Omniverse that might be of use in deciphering the power behind these objects. The EPD in Coruscant more than likely had an idea of what these things might be capable of, if they hadn't already encountered such devices before. A small storage panel opened on Kopaka's torso and the Toa sealed the pulsing artifact inside with a soft click. Ratione eyed this action with some bewilderment.

"That is not...armor you are wearing. Is it?" the Furturmin asked. Janna shot him a look of slight disbelief.

"Looks like one of those 'Droid' things I've heard about. People made entirely out of metal. Spooky." she quipped, shuffling through her salvage. Kopaka secretly bristled at being compared to the lifeless puppets utilized by the Empire, but stilled his emotions.

"Nothing so simple as a machine, no. Like I said; a Toa." Kopaka said in a snippy tone. Enough of this. These two had nothing more to offer him, and he now had a definite task set before him. With a brisk turn of the heel, the biomech began marching directly towards the gate to Coruscant. If Ratione and Janna were so desperate for company they could either tag along or be on their way. Kopaka very much hoped it would be the latter, and that he would not encounter any other opportunists along the path to the endless city.

As his metallic footfalls faded into the distance, Janna stared after him for a while before shrugging.

"Weird robot." she said, and went back to sorting out her swag. Ratione was, characteristically, flustered into silence.

[Kopaka]

Kopaka marched out into the eternal blankness of the Nexus, glancing once behind him to make sure that Skeletor was still following. The bare-chested warlock emerged from the whirling screen of the portal a moment later, the tip of his staff leading in the form of a walking stick. The Toa was not one to judge a person by their looks. After all, his own brother Onua had been a creature of caves and darkness, his protodermis as dark as night, and yet, the Toa of Earth had been one of the wisest and compassionate among Kopaka's siblings. The fact that this fleshy, blue humanoid had all the appearances of something sinister was lost on the biomech.

The layout of the Nexus was intuitive to Kopaka by this point, so the Toa turned slightly to the right, heading directly for the gate of the Frozen Fields. Though it did not show outwardly, the Toa was rather excited to finally have unhindered progress towards this dimension of snow and glaciers. Much in the same way all Primes felt a pull to return home, Kopaka felt a pull towards the cold regions of the Omniverse. Perhaps he was lucky in that regard; home for him was not a place with a name, but a place with ice.

After some time, it occurred to Kopaka that it might be prudent to learn at least a little more about his ally. He assumed that Skeletor knew his name, but the bionicle was slightly embarrassed that he hadn't even bothered to learn the sorcerer's.

"In what manner should I address you?" Kopaka said, not even bothering to turn to face his comrade. His tone was dry, but not necessarily snide. The fact that this Prime was at least willing to try to brave the Frozen Fields already put him on Kopaka's good(ish) side. Hastily, Kopaka also added "...what are your capabilities?"

[Skeletor]

Skeletor was surprised at the Biomech’s change of attitude. Just leaving behind that insufferably cramped city had seemed to do wonders for his companion’s temperament. Skeletor paused for a moment, deciding whether he would drop his disguise in front of a single other prime. At present The Heroes of the Omniverse were quickly catching on to his schemes, and Skeletor had taken a spear through the chest for his pains. Perhaps it would be better to continue the ruse for longer.

“You may call me… Keldor, Prince of Eternia. I am a magical warrior of great power, but my wretched brother Randor was able to steal from me the mantle of rulership, and I find myself trapped in this…” the irritated Warlock gestured at the blankness that surrounded them, “This farce of a world!” Skeletor ground his teeth in frustration before continuing. “I am the strongest Sorcerer on Eternia, and even here with my power diminished by whatever strange being rules this place I have faced down numerous other primes in close quarters when the situation called for it.” He laughed a hearty cackle as he noticed the Fountain of Infinity in the distance. Barely moments after being drained of his power he had successfully fended off that oaf of a warrior, Thor. Skeletor's face darkened slightly, as he recalled just how little he had been prepared for the strangeness of the Asgardian's hammer. Perhaps he be more careful in the future...

Skeletor studied his travelling companion, trying to get some more details on just what he had agreed to work with. He was still having a hard time anticipating this strange mechanical being. Its movements were far too fluid for it to be purely robotic, but it was clearly at least partially mechanical. Perhaps it was some sort of advanced armor?

“I’ve told you my secrets, Robot. Now It’s your turn. Musn’t take advantage of my trust now… That would be dishonorable indeed! Nyheeheehee!”

[homin-Ratione]

“Perhaps there could have been something worth hauling all this way, ya know? You and your power armor, could have dragged that whole damn truck with us to sell for scrap.” From Ratione’s shoulder, Janna slowly waved her hand over the wreckage the duo was now travelling away from a high speed. “But noooooooooooooooo! You don’t give a shit about that do you? I don’t think you’ve had to worry about resources once in your life, have you!”
 
“A few times, but not for long. It’s hard to fall low on things like weapons and transportation when we don’t use boomsticks or strange machines. Just food. And parts.”
 
“Nah nah nah!” Janna turned around in her perch, bare feet deftly gripping the few sharp corners the armor had, before poking her finger into the Novan’s visor. “I betcha top dollar you don’t even know what the hell is going on with your suit!”
 
“Just that it keeps me alive and I can punch through solid steel plate.” The veteran continued taking accelerated leaps toward the pairs’ original destination. “I’m running low on power though, soon enough we’ll have to leave it behind.”
 
This information elicited a sudden and different reaction from the yordle. “Well... if that’s the case, yer gonna have to ditch soon as we get through...”
 
Ratione slightly tilted his helm towards his companion, “Why?”