Kopaka (Spherus Imperus)

Toa of Ice and chief scientist amongst the Toa Confederacy.

History
Kopaka was the first Toa of Ice on Spherus Magna, and was directly trained by Artahka to one day make great discoveries for his people. Like his teammates, he was rigorously trained and briefed on every single aspect of the civilisation he would help create and then organise. He then went into a deep sleep, and was to awaken when his people would need him most. He and the rest of the Toa were to remain in this state for millennia, until a false signal given off by Teridax (Spherus Imperus) finding the Kraahkan (Spherus Imperus) awoke them and dispatched them immediately to the surface from deep underground. Arriving fully armed and ready for combat, they found themselves in a far more unknown environment in what was still peace time.

However, they wasted no time in making the most of their awakening, and quickly helped bring more oppressed societies into the fold of the Toa Confederacy. Kopaka made numerous scientific advancements and discoveries as to the nature of Kanohi masks, as well as how elemental powers could function, how to construct cybernetics to assist the handicapped, and was one of the few who purveyed the opinion that dual-element beings were of great use to the Confederacy due to their increased stores of elemental energy. Kopaka therefore became known as the great thinker in the Toa Primis. This prosperity and age of unrivalled peace was not to last for the Toa Confederacy.

When Teridax began his initial conquest, each of the Makuta he sent to destroy the decaying empire equalled one of the Toa Primis. At a significant disadvantage, the Toa were forced to resort to more extreme methods. The previous discovery of the Avohkii (Spherus Imperus) gave the Primis an immense advantage, and Tahu was the most frequent user of the mask, his natural goodwill supplementing the mask's main powers highly effectively. However, it became clear that the Toa Confederacy could not resist an attack on Teridax's scale even with the use of the Avohkii, and so the Primis made a last-ditch effort to draw the bulk of Teridax's forces to Midnight Ridge, a mountain pass just south of the capital of Spherus Magna. Kopaka personally conducted tests with both the Avohkii and the Ignika (Spherus Imperus), and it was he who came to the conclusion that a combination of the both was the only sure way to defeat Teridax. He also made several adjustments and improvements in the way Magnum Steel conducted elemental energy to bolster the armies of the Confederacy.

As the combined forces of the most powerful Toa at that time, the Primis, Gripas, and Titan, landed blow upon blow on Teridax, their blows were reciprocated and the Toa were left mostly helpless. However, Artahka himself intervened to wrestle with Teridax long enough for the Avohkii to be used and stun Teridax, and Kopaka utilised his ice powers, in conjunction with Artahka's and Pohatu (Spherus Imperus)'s efforts, to hold Teridax in place long enough for Tahu (Spherus Imperus) to make use of the masks. Teridax was then defeated. When Teridax's energy exploded outwards in a torrent of elemental strength, Pohatu and the other Toa Primis absorbed the majority of it and this fuelled their transformation into becoming the Toa Primis Major, which massively boosted their mask powers and latent abilities. It also allowed them to access the Avatar Stones which Artahka had previously entrusted to them, giving them the ability to call on the powers of a Great Being.

In the shaky era of peace that followed, Kopaka ensured that military and technological research was conducted so such a war would not be so painful to witness again. He spearheaded a scientific campaign to research organic life and minerals on worlds across the Confederacy and experiment with them to find a suitable alternative to many metals which were powerful but inefficient. He also supported heavily the rights of dual element beings, believing that the contributions of the Gripas were not to be ignored and that that, if nothing else, proved these beings deserved a second chance. It was at this time he was known to have had a daughter with a dual-element being, making a tri-element Matoran. This destroyed his reputation to the public, but many in scientific circles whose greater wisdom meant they supported dual element beings anyway continued to support his work and his career.

When the Makuta resurfaced in the form of the Apex Conglomeration, Tahu did not permit Kopaka to join him, lest his reputation impact the morale of the public, and Kopaka was left behind in Ko-Koro's deepest laboratories to continue research. He emerged some time after the Conglomeration was dealt with, having fostered a deep bitterness for Tahu and the way he had treated him. He discovered the death of Pohatu, and why many said it occurred, which led to him officially cutting all ties with the Primis and going into self-imposed exile deep underground, where Onu-Matoran researchers took him in and valued his advice. He occasionally resurfaces to give an unofficial opinion on matters the Primis Council discuss.

Tools and Abilities
Kopaka, prior to his transformation, wore the Akaku, which allowed him to magnify most objects and could do so to an almost microscopic level. Whilst doing this, however, he lost his sense of hearing, due to the focus on one particular sensation. He carried carried a Frost Spear and a large shield which he primarily used for defence, rather than offensive actions. After his transformation, the Akaku Nuva allowed him to magnify objects to the sub-molecular level, allowing him to examine in detail any given atom and its components. However, the increased sensitivity meant that using the ability for long periods of time would exhaust him physically. He carried a Glacier Blade and a wrist mounted device which could be used for communication, analysis of a situation or object, and housed a small electrical discharge port as a ranged weaponry alternative. His primary weapon was his Avatar Stone, which allowed him to channel the abilities of a Great Being of Ice and use their powers to supplement his own.

Personality
Kopaka was a lonesome, anti-social character who, like many of his Ko- brethren, preferred to be left mostly alone. Whilst he was usually quite adept at controlling his emotions, he was prone to violent outbursts in extreme situations which rivalled Tahu's anger in scale. He was extremely displeased with the actions of most of his brethren, save for Pohatu, whom he decided was perhaps the most informed member of the group. He was cold and failed to be a comforting presence most of the time, but was nevertheless dedicated to improving the quality of life for the people of the Confederacy and beyond and, underneath his uncaring exterior, was a true humanitarian, like Pohatu.