Thode (Fractures Alternate Universe)

Thode was a Su-Matoran who became a Toa of Plasma and later a freelancing bounty hunter in the Fractures Universe.

Early Life
Similarly to most other Toa of Plasma, Thode began his life as a Su-Matoran on Spherus Magna, where he aided in the construction of the Matoran Universe. Upon the completion of his labor, he was placed on the Tren Krom Peninsula, along with a number of other Matoran.

It was here that Thode took up the profession of a Trapper, a line of employment which required him to hunt some of the more dangerous Rahi in the area to use in everyday life.

However, whilst trailing a rabid Brakas Monkey out of his village and into a stretch of dense jungle foliage, Thode was caught in the crossfire of a Steltian huntsman, who was visiting the Tren Krom Peninsula on a hunting expedition. A bullet fired from the Steltian Predator Rifle caused severe damage to the right half of his skull, lodging a piece of shattered Kanohi debris in his Core Processor, causing Thode to lose consciousness. Fearful that he would be accused of murder, the Steltian disposed of Thode's body beneath a patch of shrubbery before fleeing the scene. Whilst in this state, Thode received severe brain damage and underwent a process of intense change. In his struggle to survive, a primal, more ruthless side of his character manifested in his subconscious mind, causing him to awake two days later as a hardened, immoral, embittered Matoran, when he was found and revived by Kualus, who had ventured out of the village on an evening stroll.

Critically injured and severely weakened by the loss of his mask, Thode was dragged to the nearest settlement, where his injuries were treated and he was given a Kanohi Miru. Gradually, he returned to health and details of his attack were reported to the local Toa Team, who launched a fruitless investigation into the Steltian hunter's activities.

Life as a Toa
Approximately 79,100 years ago, a wandering Toa of Magnetism named Jovan appeared on the Tren Krom Peninsula in search of worthy Matoran to pass his Toa Power over to. Having impressed the Toa with the swiftness with which he captured a rampaging Fader Bull, Thode was given a Toa Stone and was transformed into a Toa. Though details of his transformation and actions in this period of his life remain largely unclear, it is also known that he became a part of Toa Kualus and Gorta's original Toa Team.

Varis
Early in his days as a Toa, Thode held himself responsible for training a Su-Matoran named Varis and played a significant role in the Matoran's interest in mechanics and, more specifically, projectile weaponry. During this period, there was talk that Thode intended to train Varis to succeed him as the village's Toa of Plasma. However, as these rumors began to spread, Thode was forced to distance himself from the Matoran and eventually stopped training him. This led to Varis feeling he had disappointed his mentor and leaving the settlement to train elsewhere in shame.

Corruption of Gorta
Around 40,000 years ago, the team was informed of a disturbance in the Southern Island Chains. Unwilling to leave their region unprotected, two of Thode's teammates - a novice Toa of Water named Gorta and an unknown Toa of Sonics - were sent to investigate the situation. However, they soon discovered that the island had been overrun by Visorak and were swiftly ambushed by a patrol. Gorta was captured and mutated while her partner was killed on the spot.

Although she survived the transformation into a Toa Hordika, Gorta turned sour and blamed her fellow Toa for her mutation, convincing herself that they had betrayed her. Enraged, she returned to the Tren Krom Peninsula and began to terrorize her former team mates.

Fortunately, by this point, Thode had approached the local Turaga and had a "disagreement," which led to him leaving the settlement. Hence, Gorta was unable to track him down and kill him.

Life as a Bounty Hunter
Having left his native village, Thode situated himself on Stelt, where he protected the island for a brief period of time between 35,000 and 32,000 years ago.

However, the Toa swiftly became bored of the righteous, moral ways of the Toa Code. Whilst travelling through Xia, Thode played a part in designing and developing a revolutionary long-distance firearm whilst working closely with a group of Vortixx weapons designers.

Early Missions
On several occasions, Thode shadowed Dark Hunters on interrogation missions and assassinated their victims prior to the interrogation, purely to annoy them.

Furthermore, Thode was often involved in a number of political assassinations on Xia and Metru-Nui, with potential leaders attempting to create too much change for their respective ruling class societies.

Additionally, at one point, Makuta Krika attempted to hire Thode to retrieve the Kanohi Ignika from Voya Nui, though his mission proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Thode later claimed he had assassinated an Av-Matoran whilst on the island to justify his failure.

Later Experience
Later into his career, having gained more experience, Thode began to swiftly ascend from his amateur bounty hunter status to one of the Matoran Universe's most unique, elite assassins.

Thode was responsible for assassinating the original Makuta of Stelt and his two successors until the point where Makuta Miserix decided not to bother assigning the island another Makuta guardian.

Toa/Dark Hunter War
Roughly 3,000 years ago, when the Toa/Dark Hunter War broke out in Metru-Nui, Thode was contacted by a Ko-Matoran living in Metru-Nui, who had originally been from his home island and remembered him. Desperately, the Matoran begged him to join the war effort and financed him to travel to the island to defend Ko-Metru. Reluctant to rejoin his fellow Toa in a conflict that did not concern him, Thode decided to side with the Toa in the effort against the Dark Hunters, where he helped defend Ko-Metru by firing at Dark Hunters from atop Knowledge Towers, assassinating a considerable number of enemies before the end of the war.

Brotherhood Invasion
Due to the fact that Makuta Teridax never existed in the Fractures Universe, the Brotherhood did not form The Plan and, instead of waiting for events to fall into place around the Great Cataclysm, accelerated their invasion of the Matoran Universe. In spite of this, Mata Nui was still able to safely land on Spherus Magna. By this point, Thode had left Metru Nui, returning to Stelt.

War
Thode survived the brunt of the War on Stelt. However, he was forced to flee around 2,600 years ago when the island was invaded by an army of Rahkshi.

Fortunately, he was then contacted in person by an Order of Mata Nui operative, giving him orders to participate in the conflict. However, when the agent mentioned that it was "his duty as a Toa," Thode crippled the messenger and, in turn, ordered him to return to the Order to inform his superior that he refused to take part in the battle.

Roughly ninety years ago, when the Order of Mata Nui caught wind of a Brotherhood strike team targeting the fortress of Marlott in search of the Kanohi Avohkii, Thode was contacted and employed to both ensure the handling of the Kanohi, and to eliminate Toa Hordika Gorta, his sister Toa who had joined the strike team.

Thode observed the settlement from a distance for some time before finally intervening and rescuing Toa Jekkai from drowning, mistaking him for a Toa of Lightning in the process.

Thode then accompanied Jekkai to the lakeside of the village, where a number of Matoran were being attacked by Toa Leontes and Field Marshal Oltab, two high-ranking Cult of Darkness operatives. Thode proceeded to disarm the Skakdi, then later intervened to prevent him from killing Alika.

Over the course of this period, Thode was known to have come into contact with Gorta once more, who attempted to kill him. However, it would seem that the Toa of Plasma emerged the victor of this conflict and spared his sister Toa.

Under unclear circumstances, however, Thode returned to his normal life and, most likely, kept personal possession of the Kanohi Kraahkan. Upon catching wind of a new Toa Metru team forming in Metru Nui, he traveled to the City of Legends and swiftly heard of the team's leader, Toa Tollubo.

As Thode had previously made acquaintance with the Toa of Light, who had once attempted to hire his services out to him, the Toa of Plasma kept a watchful eye over his activities. At around this point, he also resolved to situate himself in Metru Nui permanently and took up residence in Onu-Metru.

After being contracted to assassinate a number of illegal weapons dealers and to disrupt a shipment of ill-gotten Cordak Blasters from Xia, Thode became acquainted with Racasix, a female Vortixx who worked for the Xian Secret Service and learned of the political climate in Xia.

The following day, the Toa of Plasma was contracted by a Turaga of Stone in Turaga Matoro's High Council, who requested that he sabotage a delegation between the Vortixx and Matoran representatives, hosted in the Coliseum by assassinating Racasix, who was acting as Xia's official liaison.

The Toa of Plasma was able to successfully infiltrate the Coliseum by posing as one of the Toa Metru and adopted the name "Jovan" after a Toa of Magnetism and was present at the delegation. However, his plan was uncovered by Racasix herself, who then proceeded to engage him in a brief battle, proceeding to shoot Thode with his Plasma Rifle, then stealing the weapon in the process.

Several days later, after the mercenary had recovered from his injuries and the conspiracy to disrupt the negotiation was brought to light, Thode returned to Onu-Metru and resided in the local casino. Fortunately, Racasix decided to show mercy and returned his Plasma Rifle to him in a large crate.

Shortly after hearing this news, Thode resolved to track down the Vortixx and followed her to the Golden Ruki, where he discovered that she had entered a relationship with Toa Tollubo. Fascinated by this unique development, the Toa of Plasma decided to follow her partner, aware that he was in an interesting and highly-coveted position. However, the Toa of Light was then attacked in the street by two disgruntled male Vortixx, forcing the assassin to intervene.

When Tollubo had returned to consciousness, Thode had dragged him to the darkened warehouse that served as his headquarters, then revealed to him that both the male Vortixx responsible for his assault had been tortured and maimed as punishment. After a brief discussion about Tollubo's situation and the state of the Cult of Darkness, Thode revealed to the Toa that it was in his interests for him to succeed in defeating the Cult of Darkness, though he made no mentioning of Racasix and eventually allowed Tollubo to leave, the main purpose of their encounter being to scare the young Toa of Light into keeping his distance from Thode and to make it clear that he was not interested in aiding his fellow Toa. However, the mercenary made it somewhat clear that he would be loosely watching over Tollubo in future.

Vendetta
Six months later, the Cult of Darkness received information relating to Toa Tollubo's current actions in the Toa Metru taskforce from a currently unnamed informant. Thus, Vunto, one of the anarchist group's newer recruits, was chosen to hole up in Po-Metru and wait for the Toa of Light to arrive at the manor of a Steltian Trader turned crimelord known as Sidorak then assassinate him. However, before Vunto could pull the trigger, he was ambushed by Thode, who swiftly appeared above using his Kanohi Miru then shot Vunto in the head.

Thode then destroyed all evidence of Vunto's activities in the sand dune and left the Zeverek's corpse in his vehicle, which he then covered with a canvas cloth, but left a flap open that was big enough to attract smaller insects to decompose of Vunto's body.

Alternate Versions
In the Core Universe, Thode continued to operate in Stelt for a number of years. However, during the Toa/Dark Hunter War, he chose to become involved, taking the side of the Toa and luring three high-ranking Dark Hunters into a trap. From this point until Teridax's rise to power, Thode managed to evade Dark Hunter capture and later chose that his fellow Toa needed him. As such, he lurked around both Metru Nui and Stelt, rescuing Matoran and picking off lone Exo Toa in order to counter Makuta Teridax's forces. During the Battle of Bara Magna, he fought alongside Toa Krakua, Dalu, Turaga Whenua and Toa Kualus, once again reunited with his old teammate. Following the Reformation of Spherus Magna, Thode was convinced to continue his alliance with the Toa, where he aided in the construction of New Atero and later served as one of the guard company's foremost officers.

In the Toa Empire Alternate Universe, Toa Thode swiftly sided with Toa Tuyet and gained a position of her trust. For many years, Thode enjoyed life as the superior species in the Matoran Universe and often continued his practice of tormenting Matoran, though this was now done at a leisurely pace or at times when his skills as a mercenary were required in order to pick off a particular Matoran or enemies of the empire. During the Battle of the Coliseum, Toa Thode was responsible for destroying Makuta Kojol's essence. However, when the Toa were eventually overwhelmed, Thode was taken captive and, like so many other corrupt Toa, had his Toa Power drained, forcing him to spend the rest of his life as an embittered Turaga of Plasma to witness a new generation of Toa fix the damage that his generation had done to the universe.

Abilities and Traits
Cold, callous, cruel and sadistic, Thode is a lone wolf. He despises teams though rarely expresses emotional attachment towards others.

As a Matoran, Thode possessed a minuscule amount of Elemental Plasma energy, which he could manifest through means of weak heat resistance.

Upon becoming a Toa he gained full control over his element, allowing him to create, control, and absorb Plasma energy.

Mask and Tools
As a Matoran, Thode wore a powerless Kanohi Miru. As a Toa this mask was transformed into a Great Miru, granting him the power to levitate and limited flight capabilities.

Thode's original weapons were a pair of Plasma Shortswords, which he could use to channel his Elemental Plasma Energy through. However, he abandoned these weapons when he arrived in Stelt and, instead, donned a series of projectile firearms, eventually choosing a sniper rifle, of his own creation, as his primary weapon.

Quotes
"When there are too many Scholars taking up the job vacancies in the Knowledge Towers you take to the streets far below."

- Thode, Zero Hour: Chapter 4.

"I am not the villain in this piece, neither in this universe or yours. If you seek vengeance, seek the architect, not the hired gun. Do not waste your hatred on a mere messenger – which is all I am essentially."

- Toa Thode describing his role, Over Your Shoulder.



"I keep tabs on all you Toa, making sure you don’t ask me to join your little band of losers."

- Toa Thode to Tollubo, expressing his disdain towards returning to the Toa, Over Your Shoulder.

"These two fine, Xian jerks were there and took it as a personal insult. By chance they left before you then hung around and tried to, as one of them so poetically phrased it before I removed his tongue – ‘teach that damn Toa-scumbag some respect for his betters’."

- Toa Thode, Over Your Shouler.

"Do not adopt such tones when addressing your savior. I have some spare chains left over and a short temper for the youth of today’s Toa. Remember, Tollubo, I have been a hero for far longer than you. I am your elder, and you are never too old to receive a spanking."

- Toa Thode threatening Tollubo, Over Your Shoulder.

"Make no further entreaties of me. If you are incapable of dealing the final blow, I shall do so in my own time. One must never expect another to extend the hand of mercy on his behalf."

- Toa Thode, Over Your Shoulder.

"It is not an easy task, being the most feared person in an island like this. I have had to work for my reputation. But I am only an occasional assassin. When I'm in the mood, or if an old acquaintance asks. Most of the time I kill for my own reasons. I am a pioneer. I was one of this universe's first serial killers, back in the days before it was fashionable. For more than 40,000 years I've blazed trails others can only dream of. I have adopted more guises than the oh-so-benevolent Order of Mata Nui can count. I've taken life in every corner of this world, rich and poor, young and old, male and female, Turaga and Vortixx. I kill because I am a killer. It is that simple. It is who I am, what I do. When I kill, I am being true to myself. There are no hidden motives, no perverse longings. Do you think it is wrong, Toa Tollubo? To be true to oneself?"

- Toa Thode describing his motivation, Over Your Shoulder.



Trivia

 * Originally, BobTheDoctor27 intended to feature Thode as a Turaga of Plasma and write a short extract at the end of Whispers in the Dark where he was murdered by Toa Gorta, leaving her intent on tracking down Kualus. However, this idea was scrapped as it required too much planning of Thode's character for such a minor part.
 * Chicken Bond wrote a short story called Perspectives featuring Thode, which featured the Toa's earliest appearance in the Fractures Universe and remains the Toa of Plasma's only stand-alone story.
 * Thode owns his own Airship, which will be utilized in Judgment Day.

Appearances

 * Zero Hour
 * Perspectives - First Appearance
 * Over Your Shoulder
 * Frozen Calling - Mentioned
 * Vendetta
 * Judgment Day