Into the Darkness

Into the Darkness is a story by Varkanax39, detailing the beginning of the Xaterex Civil War.

Prologue
The dark Elemental stood at the helm of the Corpse Fighter, watching the thousands of glowing lights flash by the starship. His eyes gleamed in the darkness, and he stood erect and tense. He gazed at their quarry disdainfully, as if he was pondering snuffing out the life of an inesectoid Rahi. His body was quadrapedal, and his armor shone a deep jet-black.

A large number of Corpsians stood beside him, their black robes concealing their faces and bodies. Only their Corpse-like hands could be seen, gray and tinged with green, like those of a corpse. Their eyes shone red in the darkness, deep pools of garnet. They radiated a fierce, dark charisma and shadowy power crackled at their fingertips.

"Lord Skorpix, we are closing on the Xaterex Starcraft. Soon we will run them down and destroy them." The Corpsian's voice was nasal and devoid of all emotion. A thin, long scythe suddenly materialized in the Corpsian's hands. It was made of Obsidian that shone as bright as the Elemental's armor plates and gleamed in the darkness.

"No! Do not destroy them." The Elemental snarled, lashing his scorpion's tail from side to side. "We need the Shadow Orb. Our masters instructed us to find and return the Shadow Orb fragment. We cannot fail." The Corpsian nodded in acnowledgement, and returned to his post. In the clicking, nasal language of the Corpsians, he relayed Skorpix's orders to the other groups of Corpsians. The Corpsians made no sign of acnowledgement, but turned as one and readied their scythes.

Beams of pulsing blue light streamed from the Corpse Fighter and slammed into the Xaterex Craft, smashing the starship off-balance. The Corpse Fighter fired again, slamming into the ship's port fender. The Xaterex ship was flung off-balance, and the Corpse Fighter readied to ram the smaller ship.

"Crush them." Skorpix snarled. "They shall be examples of what happens when anyone defies the might of the Empire." The sleek Corpse fighter slammed against the dangerously drifting Xaterex Starcraft, and both the ships were flung off-balance.

"Crush them!" Skorpix screeched, and the Corpsians charged onto the Xaterex Ship. It was a small, realatively weak ship, that could not hold up to the might of a Corpse Fighter. Skorpix boarded the ship last, watching as the Corpse Fighter struck the Xaterex Craft, causing flames to erupt across the Xaterex ship. The Corpse Fighter did not burn. It was impervious to fire, and most of the other elements. Skorpix watched as fire danced along the edge of the Corpse Fighter before vanishing completely into smoke, then dissapearing. He then rasied his jet-black hands, and twin blades materialized in his hand. They glowed with power, dark black tipped with silver. Skorpix watched as his shadowy power spread along the tips of the weapons. The Corpsians raised their scythes and charged onto the burning starcraft, scythes extended. Skorpix followed.

Three Toa of Ice stood guard at the edge of the ship, and turned in shock and terror as they saw the Corpsians. A tall, black-robed Corpsian rasied his scythe and cut down a Toa before the others could even move. The Toa collapsed dead to the ground, and the other two attacked. Their swords glowed an icey blue, and bolts of hail rained from their swords, striking the Corpsians dead on and felling three. The Corpsians raised their scythes, and red bolts of shadow were flung from their sickles, cutting down the Toa in seconds. More Toa of all types charged from all sides, engaing the Corpsians in melee combat. Their leader, a tall toa of fire, stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching grimly as his forces were cut down by the Corpsian's merciless Scythes. Skorpix smashed the Toa he was fighting to bloody shards, then charged the Toa, his blades raised. The toa cried out as the blade buried deep in his chest, and Skorpix raised the other above his head. Skorpix glared at the Toa, and a mental ray of immense power invaded the Toa's conciousness, crushing out all hope of escape.

Where is the Shadow Orb?! Skorpix screeched telepathically into the Toa's mind.

"I'll tell you nothing, traitor!" the Toa snarled.

"You know nothing." snarled Skorpix. His Kanohi gleamed with power, and blood exploded from the Toa's body as Skorpix cut the Toa to the ground. He turned to the Corpsians, who had overcome the Toa, and readied his gleaming Shadow Blades. The twin swords crackled with evil energy as Skorpix unleashed his shadow power, crushing a nearby table to dust.

"Come" snarled the Elemental, and the Corpsians followed, gliding over the ground like spectres rather than walking. Their darkness pervaded the Xaterex Starcraft, and the stench of death clung to them. The Corpsian's robes were stained with the blood of the Toa they had killed, and red lightning crackled from the tips of their scythes as they readied to kill once more.

Listra could not believe how fast things had gone from good to worse. She and her group, under orders from Atarus, had taken control of a new-class Xaterex Starcraft owned by the Empire and taken the Shadow Orb fragment, the heart of the Corpse Empire's power.

She looked around the desterted chamber, trying to identify where the sounds of battle were coming from. She had to get the Shadow Orb away from here, and fast. She could tell the Corpsians were closing in. She held the Shadow Orb in her hand tightly, waiting for the Corpsians.

The Empire was ruled by an inner circle of seven dark lords known as the Shadowy Ones, who owned the great Weapons of Evil, dark tools created by a dark Makuta for his old empire. The three items of the Weapons formed the Core of the Shadowy Ones' power. Then came the Night of Fire and Death, when one of the Shadowy Ones, Arcturas, turned on the others and scattered the Weapons of evil, destroying the power of the Shadowy Ones in a single swift stroke. Then came the rise of the Empire, which secured the last of the Galactic Universe that still resisted the Shadowy Ones, and recovered most of the Weapons of Evil. However, the Shadow Orb, the most powerful of the Aligned weapons, had been shattered, and one of the fragments had been taken by Listra and her group, who worked with the Elemental Prince Atarus, who was one of the few Elementals who had not pledged loyalty to the Shadowy Ones. They had made good progress, and had almost reached the Solis Magna System when the Corpsians had come. Listra rasied the Shadow Orb to the light, and realized even in light it was still darker than the darkest obsidian, and at its core, a single ray of fire shone at the center of the stone.

There was a clatter and screams, followed by the clash of steel on steel. A tall, slender Toa of Air charged toward her. He held a Tri-Bladed Scissor in one hand, a golden mask in the other.

"Corridax? Ion?" Listra whispered. Two beings entered the chamber. One was a slender Toa of air, holding two Tri-Bladed Scissors. The other was a tall, yellow armored being with a prehistoric-looking red head with tentacles and three eyes.

"Listra. The Corpsians are closing." The Toa replied. We were trapped in a small corridor and overwhelmed. We didn't stand a chance." His voice broke. "Vaerak was killed."

"We have to get the Shadow Orb out of here. Ion, Corridax, take it to Xaterex."

"Xaterex? The heart of the Empire's power? It is madness to send it there!" said Ion, and Corridax nodded his agreement.

"But the Hand of Mata Nui is there. Silencer will destroy the Orb."

"Ah, yes. The Hand. You are sure the Empire hasn't crushed them yet?"

"They have not. Silencer, Melnox, and the others will make sure that the Orb remains out of the Empire's grasp."

"I helped found the Hand." Ion said. I know where they are based. It should be easy enough to locate them."

"Take care, Corridax, Ion." Listra whispered. "Some of the Shadowy Ones still remain there."

"I fought a Shadowy One for three days." Ion snarled. "I can handle them." But even his voice carried a tremor of doubt.

Ion grabbed the Orb, and the three warriors raced for the exit-

The door was flung off its hinges as a tall, dark being entered the chamber. His mask gleamed with power, and his eyes were twin pits of merciless red.

"Ion, run!" Corridax screamed, then gasped as a Corpsian materialized beside him and struck him a blow to his side. The Toa fell dead to the ground. Listra saw the Ion, still cluching the Shadow Orb, vanish into the darkness. Skorpix did not.

WHERE IS THE SHADOW ORB! Skorpix screamed at her mentally.

Listra looked into directly his eyes. They blazed with dark, malevolent power.

"I'll tell you nothing, Skorpix."

"Then feel pain like you have never before, fool." Skorpix's Kanohi gleamed, and Listra was flung to the ground.

Skorpix did a quick mental glance at the chamber, and felt no sign of the Orb.

"Take her!" He snarled at the Corpsian. "And the Toa as well. Then use a Shadow Lightning to destroy this ship. We can at least make a demonstration out of it."

Skorpix's eyes drifted to the small, drifting minisphip, flying, badly wounded, toward the Xaterex System, then vanish. His Kanohi glowed, and Skorpix quickly acessed the Shadow Orb's location.

Xaterex IV. Skorpix thought. ''My homeworld. Ironic that the Toa would send it there.'' Bolts of shadow rippled from Skorpix's fingertips as the Corpsians returned the Fighter. Skorpix strode to the damaged Corpse Fighter, the Corpsians following him. The dark spectres watched as the Xaterex Starcraft disintegrated into nothing and disspeared into the Wall of Stars.

Skorpix glanced at the Corpsians. "Take the prisoners to the hold. We have the Shadow Orb to recover."

Chapter 1
The forest was silent. Dark shadows cast shapes across the undergrowth, and the tall trees stood like grim sentinels against the cold north wind. Shardak, creeping quietly through the undergrowth, watched as a small serpentine rahi wound its way up a tree, hissing as it went. The Rahi's hiss was soft, and like the Toa, he made no sound. Shardak watched for a few more moments as the Rahi vanished into the canopy, and turned away, his Kanohi gleaming in the darkness.

"Shardak!" A girl's voice rang through the forest. "Arcturas wants you back at camp!"

"Coming, Nightshade." Shardak called back. His voice disturbed many rahi, and the forest came alive with the chattering of a thousand insectoid rahi. "I'm coming!" Shardak turned away, and raced into a clearing, where he knew Nightshade and Arcturas would be waiting for him to return.

Nightshade stood by the edge of a large cavern that opened into a darkened maw. She was a tall, slender Toa who wore gleaming silver armor. Her eyes were a gleaming dark green color. Shardak's eyes were green, but a paler shade, and his armor was golden and black. "Arcturas wants you." she repeated. Shardak raised his gleaming sword above his head, illuminating the darkened cavern. Nightshade followed, and the two Toa paused as they reached a small, lighted chamber. Arcturas stood before the doorway. He was a tall, golden armored Toa with glowing blue eyes and an air of mysterious power about him. He carried a long dagger and a smaller knife in his hands, and his eyes glowed as he saw Shardak. He had created the Toa from the forces of the Kanohi Shardak now wore, the Ignika. They had found Nightshade cornered by a pack of Shadow Wolves. Arcturas and Shardak had chased them off, and offered Nightshade a place with them. They were always on the move, for obvious reasons. If the Empire ever found out they were Toa, they would be forced to swear fealty to the Empire, or be killed ruthlessly. Shardak knew that the Empire would not hesitate to kill any Toa they found. The only Toa left today were the Toa of Shadow who served the Corpsians, and the few other Toa who still lived hid in a state of perpetual fear that Imperial spies would find them and kill them. That or...worse.

"There you are, Shardak." Arcturas said. He had a powerful, deep voice, but his voice was also friendly and calm, though Shardak would not want to be one of his enemies.

"I thought I'd take you both to Shadrus Nui now. It's time you saw the capital of Xaterex IV." Nightshade's eyes gleamed with excitement, and Shardak's blade burst in to crackling flames in his excitement. Arcturas had usually avoided inhabited areas, though recently he had taken them to Avarus, a small coastal city near the Silver Seas. It was rather quiet, except for the Imperial soldiers, who led the Matoran slaves away from Avarus to the Shadrus Nui, where they would work until they died. Arcturas hated the Empire, but said nothing of it. Talking about the Imperial takeover of the Galactic Universe always upset Arcturas, so Shardak learned never to bring it up.

"Now?" asked Shardak, hardly beliving it.

"Yes." said Arcturas. "We have to move fast. It's three days journey at least. I don't think we'll be able to make it any other time. Nightshade's already gathered our belongings."

Arcturas grabbed his pack and led the way out of the cavern. Shardak and Nightshade followed, and the three toa, two armored in gold and one in silver, walked into the night. It was dark, and a half-moon shone in the sky. Black clouds obscured even the half-light, and at times even covered the moon. Nightshade's eyes gleamed in the darkness, but Shardak could barely make out the forms of Arcturas and Nightshade in the darkness. Arcturas rasied his long knife. The blade enlongated, and burst into flames, illuminating the trail ahead.

Suddenly, Shardak noticed lights gleaming in the sky. He saw fire tear across the darkness, and a streaking starcraft hurling off-balance, into the atmosphere of their planet.

"What the..." Shardak gasped as he noticed the flames. The ship was burning, burning with dark fire. Arcturas was watching the ship with a look of horror. "A Xaterex Starcraft." he whispered to Shardak. "A D-9764"

"A new-class cruiser ship?" Shardak gasped.

"Not quite. It's a smaller starcraft, launched from a D-9764."

"And the flames?" Shardak asked.

Arcturas' voice fell to a whisper. "The Starcraft was attacked." Then, almost to himself, he muttered. "I knew they would find me one day."

"Who are they" Shardak asked, feeling for the first time that night a twinge of fear. "And why would they want to catch you?"

Arcturas' eyes flared. "We need to return to camp now." he whispered urgently. "There's no chance that anyone is still alive on that Starcraft." But his voice carried a tremor of doubt.

"But-" Shardak asked. "Don't ask any questions." The golden-armored Toa asked. "We need to go. Now."

Puzzled, Shardak turned away from the burning starship, that was now streaking across the sky toward the distant forest ahead before vanishing from view. Shardak rasied his sword, wondering what Arcturas meant to accomplish by fleeing back to the camp, while in reality they would be safer at Shadrus Nui. The Empire commanded a virtually indestructable army, and even if the burning starship was carrying invaders, the Empire would soon find and destroy them.

The forest now seemed sinister. Dark shapes glided through the forest, and the sinster calls of Shryth Birds could be heard in the distance. Shardak found Arcturas' stony silence unnerving. There was no way for them to reach camp now. They were too far away. Any logical being would have attempted to reach Shadrus Nui.

Unless it's the Empire Arcturas is trying to avoid. The thought came to Shardak before he could stop it, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He's trying to avoid the Empire...the Empire knows that the Xaterex ship is in Xaterex IV, and now they're trying to take out any of the survivors on the starcraft.

Suddenly there was a clang of metal striking metal and a flash of darkness, and Arcturas was thrown backward. The tall Toa did not collapse, but Shardak saw a scythe flash out of the darkness, slashing through the night. The Scythe was made of gleaming obsidian that glowed even in the darkness, and Shardak gasped when he saw the weilder. A Corpsian stood before them in a its dark glory. It was a dark, hooded figure with clawed, corpse-like hands that held a long sickle. The Scythe slashed out again, and blood spurted along the blade as Arcturas staggered away from his attacker. More Corpsians appeared in the darkness, their cloaks concealing them in the shadows. Arcturas' blade exploded into flames, illuminating the Corpsian's skelatal face for an instant before Arcturas slashed it to the ground. The dark robed figure collapsed benearth the blade. Arcturas whirled around as a second Corpsian lept at him, and the other Corpsian, his robes smouldering, stabbed Arcturas through the back.

Shardak couldn't watch any more. He rasied his sword, and the blade glowed with power. He looked back for the briefest instant, and saw that Nightshade was nowhere to be seen. Had she been taken by a Corpsian? Shardak rasied his glowing sword and stabbed at the Corpsian. Faster than lightning, the Corpse soldier whirled around, his daggerlike scythe stabbing into Shardak's forearm. The pain was excruiating, and just as Shardak thought he was going to die, the pain was replaced by a feeling of icey numbness, deadening his arm. He stabbed at the Corpsian again, but the soldier disarmed him in a single move. His sword, bent and damaged, fell to the ground, gleaming for a single moment before going dark. Shardak saw Arcturas throw an attacker off him and raced to Shardak's side. His face wes set in a grim line. Too late, Shardak saw the Corpsian he'd been fighting a second ago appear out of nowhere, the scythe raised to cut Shardak to the ground. Arctuas raced out of the darkness and slammed the Corpsian with his shoulder guard, knocking the soldier backward. Shardak saw another Corpsian, his scythe gleaming a bloodred color, stab out at Arcturas. Arcturas narrowly blocked the blow, and stabbed out at the Corpsian. Suddenly a dark blur apperated behind Arcturas like a phantom. Shardak opened his mouth to cry out a warning, but was unable to get the words out before the Corpsian had stabbed the dagger into Arcturas' chest. Arcturas fell to the ground, blood pouring from a ragged wound in his chest. The Corpsian stabbed out at Arcturas again, and the Toa collapsed on the ground.

Shardak raced over to him. The Corpsian raised his scythe to decapitate the younger Toa, but Shardak flung out his hands and rays of fire struck the Corpsian. The soldier blocked the first blow, but was unable to stop the second from striking him. The Corpsian vanished into the darkness. Shardak looked up and saw more of the Corpsians standing in the shadows, firing dark pulses from their weapons.

"Arcturas!" Shardak said urgently. "We're under fire! Run!" Arcturas opened one eye. "I am dying, Shardak." He gasped.

"No!" said Shardak. "We'll get you to Shadrus Nui, we can invent some story-"

"The wound is fatal, Shardak. I cannot move, or I will hasten my passing."

"Take this," he said, placing the blade in the hands of Shardak. The Blade of Arcturas. Normally Shardak would've argued, saying he wasn't worthy of the legendary weapon, but now he reached out and touched it. A bolt of energy shot up his arm, and his vision went out of focus.

"We can still escape." Shardak said desprately, and for a moment he was oblivious to the Imperial soldiers firing at them, to the noises of the night, to everything but Arcturas.

"No. Run!" Arcturas gasped. "You have to live. Then we may still have some hope." His voice softened. "You can survive. Just- don't hate me in the end. When you know the truth."

"What truth? What-" Shardak was cut off by the sound of fire as the Corpsians fired more dark red pulses at them.

"Flee..." Arcturas gasped, his speech horribly slurred. "They'll not follow you, they only want me. Run!" The effort of speaking made the blood flow faster from his horrible wounds. Shardak knew then there was no way to save Arcturas. If he fled with the Toa, the Corpsians would follow them, and kill them both. And Arcturas had said he must live. For what reason, Shardak did not know, but he guessed it went beyond the bond they shared.

"Get to the starcraft." Arcturas' voice had become quieter, and Shardak saw the Corpsians charging up the slopes. The Imperial soldiers held their daggers tightly, and their dark red eyes gleamed malevolently. Shardak turned and fled into the night before the Corpsians saw him, racing into the darkness. Brambles whipped at his face and plants sought to entangle him, but still he ran. He could see the Corpsian's flaming obsidian scythes even in the darkness, and he cursed the Empire over and over again in his mind.

Why would they kill Arcturas? Shardak wondered again. "Get to the Starcraft." Arcturas had said. But surely the Starcraft was under control of the Empire? No new-class cruiser ship, even a miniship, would be flown by any other nation. Not that there were many nations outside Imperial rule. The lawless, sandy realm of Bara Magna was nominally under Imperial rule, but it was a deadly place that was hard to conquer. Xaterex III, blighted by wars for so long, had become a haven for mercenaries and other warriors. Many armies still clashed on Xaterex III, though there were no real commanders, only soldiers fighting for the sake of fighting. The Empire was unable to send large numbers of Corpsian soldiers without joining one of the many armies that fought eternally on the war torn planet.

''The ship is Imperial...but why would Arcturas send me into the hands of my enemies? He was not going mad in his last hours...it was as if he knew what the starship was doing, and that it signaled a Corpsian attack. ''Shardak shook his head. None of this made sense.

Well, I can't remain here much longer. Shardak thought. The Corpsians know that I was with Arcturas, and they don't like to leave loose ends hanging. Once they were finished with Arcturas, they would come after him.

Shardak drew the Blade of Arcturas and vanished into the darkness.

Skorpix's gleaming red eyes shone in the darkness as the Elemental watched the Corpsians overwhelm Arcturas. They'd crushed the other Prince quickly and ruthlessly. Skorpix now strode over to Arcturas. His eyes were no longer red, but a pale shade of blue, and blood poured from the horrible wound the Corpsian had inflicted on him. Skorpix eyed his former friend coldly, watching as the being he had hunted for twelve long years after the defeat of the Shadowy Ones bled slowly to death on the ground.

"So, Arcturas." said Skorpix, his voice as icy and pitiless as those of the Corpsians, "I see you've kept busy while I hunted you for years and years."

"And you finally caught up to me. I knew, one day, you and your Empire would."

"Oh, did you?" asked Skorpix mockingly. "I'm going to stop with this useless talk. Where is the Shadow Orb?" Skorpix's voice was calm, but layered with menace.

"I do not have it."

"Where is the Shadow Orb!" Skorpix screeched, and raked his claws down Arcturas' shoulder, lacerating his side. Blood welled from the open wound, and Arcturas' eyes began to glaze over.

Skorpix siezed his chance. A mental ray of immense power invaded Arcturas' consiousness, and Arcturas was unable to block in time. The first thing Skorpix saw was the Toa, the one who had stood beside Arcturas, then fled when the Corpsians began to fire on them. Oh, we'll deal with your Toa friend soon enough, don't you worry about that. Skorpix spoke into Arcturas' mind and laughed menacingly. Arcturas tried desprately to block out Skorpix's mental probe from delving deeper into his consiousness, but Skorpix crushed his defenses with deadly power that spoke of years of using his powers. Where is the Shadow Orb? Skorpix snarled, losing patience. As soon as the dark Elemental mentioned the Shadow Orb, Arcturas' memories surfaced. The golden warrior quickly regained control over himself, but Skorpix was faster. Seizing control of Arcturas' mind, Skorpix ripped the memories from Arcturas and absorbed them into his won memories, reliving the Elemental's recent life. Skorpix saw Shardak's creation, and their first meeting with Nightshade.

Shardak will regret that decision you made. Skorpix hissed mockingly. What do you mean, traitor? Arcturas asked, but Skorpix could tell his life was fading fast. His voice was distant, and blood still poured freely from his horrible wounds. Skorpix did not answer, instead he quickly absorbed what Arcturas knew, which was surprisingly little. He knew of the rebels that had taken the starcraft, but had never been aquainted with any of them, although he may have met them not knowing they belonged to the organization. He had guessed that the Shadow Orb was on board the crashed fighter, and he knew that nothing could have survived the crash. So, what do you know about the Hand of Mata Nui? asked Skorpix menacingly, his voice a soft, but barbed with poison more deadly than that of a Doom Viper. Arcturas was unable to sheild his thoughts in time, and the Elemental quickly absorbed the location of the Hand of Mata Nui base. Skorpix withdrew from Arcturas' dying mind.

"What should I do with you?" Skorpix hissed. "I admit it would be more satisfying to leave you here, insane and lost, but I don't want to take that chance. Goodbye, Arcturas. You evaded us for twelve long years, but in the end we found and killed you. Die knowing this: no one escapes the might of the Empire." Skorpix's Kanohi glowed, and a lance of black lightning burst from his hands, striking Arcturas dead-on and killing the Elemental instantly. His body writhed on the ground for a few minutes, then fell still. Skorpix gestured to a nearby Corpsian. "Hang his body on a pike before our next attack. He will show the Hand and all of the rebels that no one escapes us. Ever."

Chapter 2
''The Empire has destroyed everything I have ever loved. ''

So thought Shardak as he tore through the darkened forest, headless of the thorns and briars that snagged on his armor and impeded his running. He could not think properly, much less rationalize, without a fresh wave of shock, terror, and sorrow washing over him, as deadly as a real wave. He was still in shock of all that had occured. So many Corpse soldiers, apperating from nowhere...and killing Arcturas. He could hardly believe that the Toa was dead. And what had happened to Nightshade? She'd possibly been killed or captured as well. Their small Toa team had been ruthlessly crushed. As soon as the sounds of battle faded, Shardak stopped, letting out his breath in long, ragged gasps. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath.The unthinkable had happened. While they had discussed it happening, and taken many precautions against it. But it hadn't mattered. The Corpsians were deadly enemies, and another wave of panic washed over Shardak.

I can't survive with the entire Empire against me!. Shardak thought, imagining what the Corpsians were doing to Arcturas now. Ripping him apart, devouring him, imploding him...

Shardak shook his head. His thoughts were painful, so he put them from his mind. Instead, he thought of Arcturas' last instructions.

Get to the Starcraft!. Starcrafts, especially the Xaterex Cruisers, were a rarity on the entire Xaterex System. The Empire controlled the entire universe. They could not allow any rebels to travel between the planets. On their rare visits to the small Matoran towns, the villagers often told stories of revolutionaries, a small group of firebrands who had managed to steal small numbers of starships from the Empire, and fleeing to hidden strongholds. One small group, the Hand of Mata Nui, was based in Xaterex IV. However, they were small and scattered, with no starcraft. The Empire always eliminated their outposts whenever they found them, but the Hand was still scattered, but arguably active. Then they would fall silent, knowing what the Empire had done to Xaterex I. Did the unthinkable.

The Shadow Cataclysm. A pure, raw blast of annihilation that utterly destroyed the planet, leaving nothing but a large black blot in its place. A genocidal weapon that had killed thousands of Matoran and Toa in a single instant, leaving nothing alive. It had even destroyed hundreds of Imperial soldiers based on that planet, and still remained a horrible black blot on the universe, a demonstration of the Empire's utter commitment to it's goals.

Shardak shook his head, trying to keep himself from sinking once more into his pit of despair. He realized that all his hopes hinged on reaching that Starcraft, and if he couldn't, the Imperial soldiers would follow him and finish him off. He was a loose end that they needed to tidy up.

A loose end. Shardak thought. They make it sound so innocent.

Suddenly, a blinding light scalded his eyes. When the world came back into focus, Shardak saw the flames from the starcraft burning a tree. He knew he was drawing near to the craft. If he could reach the Starcraft before the Empire realized his location, he would possibly survive. But Shardak knew that realistically, there was little chance for survival. The fire devoured the world around him, tearing across the forest like a ravenous demonic rahi. The flames bit at his eyes and charred his armor, and Shardak was lost in an incoherent world where he had only one thought, one purpose.

Get to the Starcraft.

Shardak's exhuasted body slammed against another hot substance-metal. Why is it not burning? was all he could think, before it fell apart and he was flung inside another chamber. The world spun in circles around Shardak, and his body collapsed onto the ground. Why am I not burning? He thought.

Then he was gone, and the Toa vanished into the dark realm of unconsioussnes, a realm beyond life, death, or emotion.

Shardak awoke to pitch blackness.

The Toa's first thought was confusion, wondering where he was. Then he remembered the events of the past day. Nightshade was gone, possibly dead or imprisoned, while Arcturas was dead. He remembered racing through the woods, fleeing from the Corpsians, and the fire. Then-nothing.

Shardak reached for the Blade of Arcturas, then realized it was not beside him. He looked around in the darkened chamber, trying to find his Toa friend's sword. A lantern suddenly appeared in the gloom, and Shardak's eyes recoiled from it. As he became used to the light once more, Shardak made out a massive being standing in the shadowy illumination.

He was stocky and tall, with charred, dull yellow armor protecting his body. Two razor edged wings jutted from powerful shoulders. His hands were clawed. But while his body resembled a Toa of massive proportions, the head was horribly squidlike, with viscious sensory tentacles across his face. A cold, chill slime coated the head, and three gleaming, sunken blue eyes, two normal and one set above the others, completed the primeval image. What this being was, Shardak did not know. But it was obvious that this was no Toa, Matoran, or villager. This was not what Arcturas had expected. Only the Empire could use such a hideous creature as a slave, and Shardak wondered if he had been captured by the Empire and submitted to horrible tortures.

"Do you serve the Empire?" Shardak managed to make out, trying not to focus on the creature's staring blue eyes.

The being raised the lantern to illuminate the pitted surface of Shardak's Kanohi Ignika.

"No. If I did, I could have killed you or tortured you long ago. I am Ion."

The being's words made sense, but Shardak could not believe them. He had heared tales of Imperial servants who pretended to be friendly to Toa or Matoran rebels, then betray or kill them after they had revealed the information they were looking for.

Ion realized this as well and sighed. "Once, I was a Toa, like you. But during the War, the Empire sent one of their agents. I managed to overcome him temporarily, but he teleported me to The Pit, a dark prison far below the darkest oceans. I had an antimutant armor peice on, but it could not prevent my gradual transformation. Eventually I escaped the Pit and returned to the surface before I became a true water-breather."

"This may be true, but why should I trust you?" Shardak asked, hoping he sounded defiant.

"You are aboard a Xaterex Starcraft miniship under the control of the Xaterex Resistance. If you need more proof, follow." Ion raised his lantern, and Shardak hauled himself from the floor of the Starcraft. The lantern illuminated the starcraft. It was a simple design, with only one room and one set of controls. A clear protodermis glass was set above the controls. The Starcraft was small, not suited to flying long distances, and most of the walls were damaged badly by fires. One had entirely collapsed, only rubble from the ship's ceiling and walls kept the Starcraft in darkness. The corpse of a Matoran bearing an Imperial insignia lay near the helm, and dried blood splattered the rubble-strewn floor.

Ion smiled, if such a word could be applied to the primeval Toa. "The Empire thought they had killed me, and if I had been any other being, it would have. But the Pit granted me endurance that allowed me to survive what would have killed almost any other being."

Shardak glanced at the torn, crushed armorplate and realized that this was true. But he still did not completely trust Ion.

The Toa-being read his thoughts. "I cannot force you to trust me. But we may stand a chance."

"Who are we? Shardak asked. "My Toa friends, Arcturas and Nightshade, are dead or imprisoned. Our home will be looted by those who find it. What, exactly, do you want?"

"Arcturas told you nothing of his past?" Ion asked. For the first time since Shardak had known him, Ion seemed shocked.

"No, nothing. Simply that we were Toa and that we must avoid the Empire, for they hate and kill Toa on sight, and have thousands of Bounty hunters who have been hired to destroy Toa stones, and enslave or kill Matoran."

Ion sighed. "It is far more complicated than that. The Empire is essentially a dictatorship over the once-great Xaterex System Union, as well as over twenty other star systems. The farther you go from the Drakos System, the Empire's capital, the more unrest there is. However, there is no organized rebel movement. Small organizations appear on planets and attempt to fight against the Empire using hit-and-run tactics, but ever since the last great uprising and purge, the rebels have not caused extreme trouble to the Corpsians. That is, until now."

Ion paused for a minute, then continued, his voice lowered to a whisper. "I belong to an organization called the Xaterex Resistance, one of the only two factions who still oppose the Empire actively. We made our first offensive move in the twelve years since the Night of Fire and Death. Under my command, four other Toa and eleven Matoran accompanied us to Darkos City, the capital of the entire Empire. We wrested control of a new-class Xaterex Cruiser and fled, along with a peice of what is considered the heart of the Empire's power. But even more important, we were with a young Veythari girl, one of the most powerful of the Veythari. We believed that she might have been able to destroy the Shadow Orb fragment completely-"

"A Veythari? Shardak cut in. "They exist?"

"They exist and live in hiding on Veythari III, the last remaining planet of the Veythari system. The Empire nominally controls it, but the planet is in a state of war, as neither side can gain the upper hand. Now, with the capture and possible death of Listra, who was one of their finest warriors, they are in danger of falling into chaos."

Shardak absorbed this information, then told Ion to continue.

Ion's expression grew sad. "The Empire caught up with us. They persued us on one of their nightmarish Corpse Fighter starcrafts. They slaughtered our three Toa of Ice warriors and killed Vaerak, a Toa of Fire. Listra was captured, as was Corridax, a Toa/Glatorian warrior. I escaped, but the Empire torched my starcraft. I only survived because of my supernatural endurance and strength."

Shardak nodded. Ion's tale had come full circle.

"However." Ion said. "They did not get this" Ion opened his other clawed fist, and revealed a gleaming obsidian stone.

It was made of pure darkness, and seemed to gather the darkness into it. It did not reflect the light of Ion's lantern, but rather absorbed it and turned the light around it into darkness. It's edges were rough, as if they had broken off from a larger jewel. It was about the size of a Matoran's fist, and it radiated an almost tangible evil.

"The Shadow Orb." said Ion, "Can only be destroyed by sacrrificing the live force of two beings. Otherwise it will regenerate inside another obsidian stone. It, along with the Scepter of Evil and the Mask of Evil, the Zanoth, make up the Weapons of Evil, which were created by the leader of an ancient empire, a Toa of Fire/Makuta named Krataxus. Eventually, they became part of the Shadowy One's empire, and now they form the core of the modern day Corpse Empire."

"But why would they kill Arcturas? Did they believe he had the Shadow Orb?" Inquired Shardak.

"Possibly. Arcturas was one of the Empire's greatest enemies, and when my Starcraft crashed on Xaterex IV, they believed Arcturas would come and take it."

"Where will you go now?" Shardak asked.

"To the Hand of Mata Nui base. The Corpsians know now that Arcturas does not have the Shadow Orb, and they believe now that the Hand has it. I am one of the founding members of the Hand, so they will believe my warning. Afterward, I will try to free Listra and Corridax from the Empire. They cannot be allowed to hold a Veythari prisoner, for the Veythari know many secrets, many that could be used against our growing resistance."

"And what of me?" Shardak asked.

"You wear the Ignika, the mask of life. Life is everything that the Corpsians hate. They will attempt to kill you if you remain on Xaterex IV any longer. Untrained, you are dangerous, but will more than likely eventually be captured. The Empire's plans are long-term, and even if you thwart them over and over again, eventually one will find you. Arcturas spent twelve years hiding from the Empire, but still they caught him in the end. And so they will do to you. The only option is for you to accompany me."

Accompany Ion? Leave everything behind? Leave Nightshade to fend for herself? Shardak's head was spinning. All these revelations were throwing him into turmoil.

REVENGE! The thought tore through Shardak's mind like a bolt of lightning. He would avenge Nightshade, Arcturas, and Ion's toa friends. Ion could train him, teach him how to use the mask's power. And eventually, he may be able to meat a real Veythari...

Ion knew what Shardak would say a moment before he said it.

"I will come."

Chapter 3
The short, burly Glatorian glared his opponent, hoping to break his accursed concentration with an intense glare and a flick of his curved dagger, and surveyed the grimy tavern. A few eyes were watching their deul with interest. His eyes fell on the gleaming Flamesteel that was his prize. Suddenly, he saw his opponent, a gaunt Matoran, raised his knife- and shattered the Flamesteel to bloody shards.

"I win again!" laughed the Matoran, though it came out a hacking cough.

"How do you always Shatter the Flamesteel on the first try?" snarled the Glatorian. He sighed. "How much do I owe you?"

"One twenty." came the quick reply.

"One twenty? I thought I only owed you sixty?" protested the Glatorian.

"You know how much you owe me, fool!" rasped the Matoran. "Fork it over, or things will become...unpleasant."

Sighing again, the Glatorian counted out the coins, passing them to the Matoran's grimy hand. His erstwhile opponent examined the coins carefully, passing them from hand to hand.

"One twenty." He said, satisfied, then spun around and stalked away.

Shardak watched the Matoran vanish into the crowd through his tight-fitting Glatorian helmet and breathed an unseen sigh of relief. If the Matoran had attacked his opponent, or vice versa, the Corpsians would kill everyone in the tavern. Armed conflict, in both Xaterex IV and II, was strictly fobidden, punishable by eternal slavery or, if you were more lucky, death. Only in Intrax Nui did it happen with alarming regularity. Shardak was against coming to Intrax at all, and wanted to proceed directly to the Hand base to warn the rebels, but Ion had refused.

"There are people there who deal in information. And I need to know what has been happening in this system." He had said.

"But what about the Corpsians? Won't they have exterminated the Hand by then?" Shardak protested.

Ion had smiled grimly. "The base is well hidden. To attack them there, they will have to proceed through the Forest of Gahandur, which is a virtual fortress. You could lose an entire army in there. The Corpsians won't get lost, of course, but it will take at least a few days for them to reach the base itself."

Something about that reasoning bothered Shardak, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Instead, he had agreed with Ion. And, he admitted, he was curious about what had happened in the Xaterex System. Arcturas had kept them as far from civilization as possible.

There! Shardak spotted Ion talking to a tall Glatorian with gleaming blue armor. A small group had gathered to watch them talking. A snake-headed Taxtron, a reptilian Svaalith and three Agori traders were all watching intensely. An Irax, a tall, thin Glatorian-like being with vestial wings and dull brown armor, seemed less interested. Shardak realized that Ion must be gaining information about the latest goings-on in Xaterex. Interested, Shardak moved closer to his mentor.

"So where do you come from?" hissed the Glatorian. "I don't recognize you."

"I am Ion, of the Drakos System."

"Ah, you have that Drakos look about you. So you know about the theft? asked one of the Agori.

"What theft?" Asked Ion, feining ignorance. "I stopped in the Calos System, but they knew nothing of any theft."

"A few weeks ago, a small group of rebels stole a Xaterex Starcraft. Word is out that it was completely destroyed, but the Black Veiled Ones seem tense and ready to snap into violance. In fact- The Agori lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper- "They say that it crashed onto Xaterex IV. I don't believe them, at least not yet, but I saw strange lights in the sky last night. Did you?"

"Yes. Red they were, flames. The Western Reaches were entirely burned."

"The Western Reaches. Those are forests, right?" asked the Glatorian.

"Yes. Completely burned." Ion replied. "Some friends of mine were killed in that fire."

"Aren't those rebels, the- he whispered- Hand of Mata Nui active in those parts?" the Glatorian asked.

"The Hand. Who are they? I've heard whispers, but no one has told me exactly who they are." Asked Ion.

"You don't know? The Hand is a small group of Matoran, Glatorian, and some even say Toa, who have joined together to destroy the Empire. Not that they ever could. For that, they'd need a starcraft, and the Empire keeps the few starcrafts they have here to itself."

An Agori laughed. "The resistance is too scattered to ever become anything, remember that, Ivrel." He said to the Glatorian. "We all know you have dreams about going off to war, but the reality isn't quite so glamorous. As for me, I hate the Veiled Ones, but what can we do about it? They've just put down a rebellion on Bara Magna-"

"A rebellion? On Bara Magna?" Shardak asked, excited.

"Yes." said the Agori, turning to Shardak. "A large group of Glatorian mercenaries joined together to free Bara Magna from the Empire. The rebellion was over before it began. The Veiled Ones came in force, and killed every one of them before they could make an attack."

"Typical Imperial slaughter!" yelled another Agori. "They killed three of my friends three days ago. One moment, they were standing next to me, the next, they were lying with their throats cut out on the streets. They left me alive so I could spread the word."

"One thing's certain." said Ivrel. "Something has seriously annoyed the Veiled Ones. They're doing double rounds around the city, killing any Agori who speak out against them."

"Then you don't know." said a new voice. It was a tall Matoran in gleaming red armor. "There's a rumor going around that a Burning Arm has defected from the Empire and is now running free in Xaterex IV. Sounds like a load of Rahi Dung, but it's the only thing that can explain the Veiled One's erractic behavior."

Ion looked rather shocked. "A Burning Arm? Surely one could never betray the Empire. They're completely mindless."

"I know." replied the Matoran. "It sounds unlikely, but I still can't find any other explanation for the Veiled Ones' recent behavior."

Shardak shot a questioning look at Ion. The mutated Toa mouthed back: unlikely.

Suddenly, Shardak saw the burly Glatorian, the one who had lost the Flamesteel to the elderly Matoran, jump onto the Matoran, knife drawn. The Matoran let out a scream of terror and raised his hand to fend off the blow. All of the tavern-goers edged away from the fight, trying to avoid any bloodshed.

Emerging from the darkness, Shardak saw the Corpsian materialize behind the Glatorian. His mouth opened to call a warning to the Glatorian, but Ion clamped a hand over his mouth.

Raising a sickle, the Corpse soldier brought it down on the Glatorian, tearing through his armor and burying itself up to the hilt. The Glatorian convulsed once, then fell still. The sight repulsed Shardak, but he could not tear his eyes away. He watched as the Corpsian ripped the bloody scythe from the Glatorian's corpse, trailing drops of blood across the tavern's floor. With a start, Shardak realized that three more Corpsians had gathered behind the original Veiled One. In full armor, they carried sickles and stabbing spears. But Shardak had eyes for only the Corpsian who was standing behind the others, a Corpsian that radiated an aura of dread and despair so great, it froze his very soul.

It was very tall and thin, robed in cloaks of pure darkness that gathered the light into it, as if it were mocking the sun itself. Unlike the armored, veiled soldiers who had killed Arcturas, this Corpsian was robed completely in black. Only its hands could be seen, pale and tinged with blue-green, like those on a true corpse. It was a being of pure darkness, and it glared at the group of tavern-goers from underneath his hood, from where an evil raspy voice spoke.

"Let this death remind you of what will happen if you ever try to fight here again. This is the law of the Empire. If you raise a weapon here again, we will kill you all and drag you through the streets so they run with your blood. But those who fight will not be allowed a quick death, but will become slaves forever."

A Corpse Soldier grabbed the body of the Glatorian. The robed Corpsian raised his clawed hand, and the Glatorian exploded, drenching the group in blood.

"Next time, it will be your blood." promised the robed Corpsian. Then he and the soldiers vanished into the darkness.

Shardak released a long breath. He hadn't realized that he had been holding it until now. He watched as the Matoran's blood dripped from his armor and onto the floor. If there was one thing he knew about Corpsians, he knew they did not make empty threats. They would kill all of the tavern-goers if another fight broke out. Their lives had been spared by mere chance. If the Corpsian had been more annoyed, then they would have all been slaughtered. Shardak watched as the Agori traders, followed by Ivrel and the Fire Matoran, returned to their table. Shardak made no move to join them.

"What is it, Shardak?" Ion whispered.

"It's just...I've never seen a Corpsian elitist before. They're so..." He searched for the right word.

"Emotionless? Brutal? Pitiless? Chilling?" asked Ion. "All of those words describe Corpsians. They care nothing for the lives of Glatorian, Matoran, or Agori. They've virtually exterminated the Toa. Those who survive live in hiding."

Shardak realized that Ion was right. They cared nothing for any other being, and were absolutely pitiless.

"What was that Corpsian?" Shardak inquired. "The Corpsians who killed Arcturas were all soldiers."

"That was an Aspect of Corpse." replied Ion. "They are elite overseers and make up the commanders of the Corpsian armies. They are much more then the soldiers beneath them, and control entire villages. That Corpsian was probably a high-ranking official here."

Ion turned to Shardak, realizing that most of his words were lost on the stunned Toa. He lowered his voice into an almost inaudible whisper.

"Come. We will go and warn the Hand."

Ion spotted the flames first.

They had made good progress through the forests of Gahandur, and had almost reached the Hand of Mata Nui base, when Ion caught the scent of burning. Then he had seen the inferno that was devouring the forest ahead. The entire forest was burning. Explosions rippled through the forest, followed by flames. They were everywhere. Leaping, tearing, charring, burning their way through the forest, leaving nothing but dead ash in their wake.

"No!" screamed Ion. "No!"

"What has happened?" Shardak screamed above the explosions.

"They're attacking!" The Toa yelled. "They're destroying the forest!"

"But why? Why would they destroy it? They believe the Hand has the Shadow Orb!"

"The Shadow Orb is virtually indestructible. It could not be destroyed by their firebombs."

Shardak and Ion watched as the forest consumed itself in an inferno of glaring light. It bathed the woods in an eerie orange gleam, and it was hard to believe that these flames had brought destruction to so many. Slowly, Shardak noticed the Corpse Fighters flying above the inferno, dropping their fire bombs and obliterating the Hand of Mata Nui base forever.

Ion's eyes suddenly gleamed. Shardak shot him a questioning look, wondering how Ion could be excited at the destruction of the resistance on Xaterex IV. Then Ion turned away from Shardak and called out in a loud voice.

"Hand of Mata Nui, it is I, Ion, agent 47, code D432472. And Shardak, toa warrior. He is not a servant of the Empire."

Shardak shot a questioning gaze at Ion, wondering what he had spotted, but the mutated Toa's face remained unreadable. A minute went by, then two...

And slowly, reluctantly, the survivors emerged from the trees. There were five of them, all wearing torn, ragged armor. Behind their Kanohi, their haunted eyes stared out fearfully at Ion and Shardak.

Shardak let his eyes sweep over the surviving Hand agents. Two of them were Matoran, one armored crimson, the other gleaming silver. One was a half-mutated being simular to Ion, and another seemed to be half-toa, half-rahkshi. He was the only one of the group who dared to meet Ion's eyes. Another was a tall, half-mutated warrior with a blunt, tan head that seemed out of place on his gleaming red shoulders. The final member of the group was a tall, powerfully built Toa. His armor was silver and black, and he wore a Ruru. He carried a sickle, simular to the dager-scythes the Corpsians carried, though it was more crudely made, tied to the end of a charred metal rod.

"Ion, greetings." said the Rahkshi/Toa. I am Silencer, agent 12, code D432483. These are Melnox and Blaze" he said, gesturing to the mutated Toa. "Silver and Dust" he said, pointing to the Matoran. "And Blast." he said, gesturing toward the Toa, who nodded in reply.

"We have to get undercover." said Ion, his voice tense. "The Veiled Ones will realize you have escaped."

"We have a small shelter a few bio east from here." said Silencer. "It was made by a Veythari and is impervious to most damage. We will be temporarily safe there." Turning away, Silencer and his agents vanished into the forest. Shardak and Ion followed, tearing through the forest while it was lit by the flames of its own destruction. Once, Shardak came so close to a burning tree that he could have reached out and touched the flames, but he managed to stay out of reach.

Later, Shardak would realize he had very few memories of the race to the shelter. He could faintly remember racing through the burning trees and trying to breathe, but the fire tore even that away from him. When his strides faltered, Ion steadied him, dragging him forward whenever he tried to stop.

Slowly, Shardak's world came back into focus. He was standing near the edge of the shelter, a small, gleaming metal fortress. Silencer was opening the barred door. Twice he whispered a few inaudible words, and the door swung open.

Ion led Shardak inside, The fort was small, with only one room. Gleaming metal walls surrounded Shardak on all sides. But most shocking of all was the fact that they were not alone. Four other beings stood in the room, with the same haunted eyes as Silencer, Melnox, Blaze, and the Matoran.

One was a Toa of Air. He carried a massive hooked spear and shield. His armor had fared better than most of the other Hand agents, and seemed mostly intact, save for a crushed shoulderplate. Another was a massive being wearing ragged silver armor. He carried a massive axe that could cleave a Matoran in half. The others were a Water Matoran and another, smaller Toa of Air, who carried two hooks. He was badly injured, and sat slumped against the wall, his eyes glazed with pain.

"Ion and Shardak, these are the remainder of the Hand of Mata Nui, Nidhiki (Varkanax39), Axonn, Nardris, and Echo."

"Enough pleasantries." growled Ion, who had little patience for small courtesies. "You need to know what Shardak and I know. It is imperative if you wish to survive."

Ion gestured to Shardak, who recounted his life with Arcturas and Nightshade, the Corpsian attack, Arcturas' death, the Aspect's threat, and finally, their search for the Hand of Mata Nui. Ion then told Silencer of the rebel's assult on Drakos City, their theft of an Imperial Starcraft, and the capture of Listra the Veythari. Finally, he told them of his meeting with Shardak when he crash-landed on Xaterex IV, followed by their search for the Hand.

"So." said Silencer when Ion had finished speaking. "Listra has been taken, the rebels are in danger, and Shardak is Arcturas'...friend."

"Got it in one." Ion growled.

"Then, what's our next move?" asked Silencer. We can't all remain here. The Empire will eventually find us and kill us. even if they do not know we survived, they will still be searching for the Shadow Orb. They'll tear apart entire villages. We need to leave Xaterex IV, but we can't let the Empire catch us. But they must know that we are alive, for otherwise they will kill may innocents while they search for the Shadow Orb."

A gleam lept into Ion's three eyes, a gleam that Shardak had not seen before in the mutated Toa.

"Is it not obvious, old friend?" asked Ion. "We commandeer a Starcraft."

Chapter 4
''Silencer was right. This is madness.'' Shardak thought as he, Blast, Silencer, Ion, and Melnox were escorted by three tall, armed Shadow Matoran bearing the Imperial seal to an open doorway. After going through at least a hundred security tests, they were about to enter a tall, domed chamber with a glass roof, through which shone the stars and planets beyond Xaterex IV. The Matoran turned to Ion, a sneer on his lips.

"So you wish to buy passage on a Matoran Trader's Starcraft bound for II?" he asked. "May I ask what business two Glatorian and two weak male Vortixx have there?"

"Trading." said Ion quickly. "We wish to bring our tools from Bara Magna and the Xia System to the capital of Xaterex. Then we will buy passage to the Solis Magna System, then on to Xia."

"And which planet in the Solis System?" sneered the Matoran guard.

"Bota Magna."

Whether the Matoran believed them or simply didn't care Shardak would never know, but in any event, the Matoran waved them through into the chamber. Another guard stood before them, weapons raised.

"Dock D. The ship is Profit Bringer. Three Imperial guards will accompany you to Xaterex II. If you try anything, They will kill you. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." said Ion. The Matoran sneered at them. "And don't try any pulling any thefts. I know what Glatorian are like." He stepped aside and let them pass into the massive domed chamber.

Shardak whispered desprately to Ion. "What are we going to do? They've taken our weapons and while you've managed to hide our elemental powers, they've tagged us so that, if we ever use Elemental powers, they'll be alterted."

"I'll explain our plan once we're on board the Profit Bringer." He whispered back.

Shardak was still uneasy as the small group continued through the glass chamber.