Rex (ToaFairon)

Rex is a mutated Toa of Air and warlord on the planet of Estron.

Originally a Le-Matoran from Dracia, he joined Filius and Acritus when they migrated to Arcturus Magna to train new Combat Masters. There, he received his Toa Stone, and was trained by Filius. Quickly proving a successful student, Rex graduated rather quickly, and chose to broaden his horizons.

He travelled to Estron, where he became a representative of the Estronian government in the Planetary Alliance and one of the planet's most formidable military commanders. His status as prestigious military commander was only strengthened when he helped quell an uprising from the bazaar owners relatively peacefully.

When Dracia fell, however, and word reached Estron that Darkness had returned to the universe, Rex was forced to defend himself as representative of the Planetary Alliance. His prestigious reputation fell as mass panic ensued and, eventually, a coup d'etat took place. In what was supposed to be an assassination attempt, opponents of the Planetary Alliance sent an assassin to make Rex drown in an acid bath.

The results of the acid bath, however, were Rex becoming a hideously mutated Toa of Air instead of dying. He grew vengeful on the population of Estron and on those who had betrayed him, and became a warlord in the end. Renaming himself "Rex" as a result of his hideous mutated form, the former Toa of Air took to arms in the resulting Estronian Civil War, where he became a commander of some forces allied to him. His military skills led him to re-establishing a large portion of the original government's rule, but his war crimes against those who had betrayed him became apparent in the massacres of the enemy population.

He disappeared from the public eye in Estron, instead establishing an empire in the territories that had been conquered by him. In the years after, Rex's government and its way of coming to power were increasingly seen as inappropriate by the newly-founded Galactic Council, which ruled Rex' government a "band of assassins and pirates". Though he tried to appeal to the Galactic Council to change their opinions of his system of government, the Galactic Council declared him null and insignificant.

When the Temporal Empire rose to prominence in the galaxy, Rex's Estronian government was disestablished, and he was forced into hiding by the Undead forces of Krataxus'.

Early Life
Rex was initially created as a Le-Matoran on the planet of Infina Magna, where he served as one of the civillians in the city of Hava Dersa. It is unknown what his actions in the Second Great Infinus War were, and it is generally unknown what his daily life looked like.

Once the War was over and Kronos had appeared, the memories of the majority of the former Infinian population were wiped, with only the vague memory of a terrible War instigated by Darkness having happened remaining. The populations of Infina Magna were also moved into the Realm of Light with the assistance of Hendrax, Filius and Acritus, who initially moved the populations to Dracia, and later outwards to other planets.

Rex ended up living on Dracia for most of his early life, where he served as an engineer working for the Royal Dracian Shipworks under Zirix and Shadon. He was one of the few who theorised the original engine designs and the principles upon which they be built.

Growing bored of the job and hearing that Filius and Acritus were planning on leaving Dracia and establishing a new Combat Masters' training centre on Arcturus Magna, Rex resigned from his job and applied to join the two Combat Masters. His application was accepted by Filius, and he was invited to come to join the small battleship that was to establish the base on Arcturus Magna.

Training on Arcturus Magna
He became one of the first Matoran from Dracia to join Filius and Acritus on their journey to establish a new base on a new planet, choosing Arcturus Magna for its inhospitable climate and the fact that it had little inhabitants up until that point.

Establishing their base in a small valley, the Combat Masters first established a small, direct democratic society to manage the small Arcturan population, in the form of the Common Society of Arcturus, modelled after the Infinian Common Society.

Shortly afterwards, to start his training, Rex was handed his Toa Stone, turning him into a Toa of Air and giving him stronger elemental powers of Air. Filius and Acritus taught the young Toa in elemental theory, the history of the universe, and basic skills to be used in Combat, while Rex developed a unique Combat style centred around the usage of dual weapons.

He was trained extensively in duels against the two elder Combat Masters, later on also being sent on missions to Estron and other planets of the Planetary Alliance to duel others there. While on Estron, he gained an affinity with the desert planet, despite his element being Air. He believed that Estron, as a free society, was the way to go forward for the galaxy, and swore to return to Estron once his training was finished.

Filius and Acritus, noticing growth in Rex, elected to have him be the first to undertake an actual Mastery Exam since the last one had been taken by Velnax before the Second Great Infinus War. Rex graduated from his Mastery Exam and was named a Combat Master, becoming a member of the Combat Masters' League and gaining the choice to broaden his horizons or help Filius and Acritus on Arcturus Magna.

Estron
Rex opted to broaden his horizons and travel back to Estron, the planet with which he shared the most affinity, and shortly after, left Arcturus Magna for Estron.

On Estron, the newly graduated Combat Master was welcomed as an old friend by many in the Estronian government, as well as the Estronian population themselves, who revered him as the ideal hero.

Seeking to uphold his own standards, Rex joined the Estronian government in their efforts to reduce the Estronian crime rate and strengthen the Estronian economy, while keeping the power of the bazaars and coffeehouses in check. During this time, Rex rounded up many a coffeehouse owner under the suspicion that the coffeehouses were illegal drug dens, resulting in the elimination of many illegal drug rings on Estron itself.

Gladiator fights, which Rex had despised since the time he arrived on Estron, also gained an established rule set that prevented the gladiators from outright murdering one another, and curbed the illegality with which many gladiators had come onto the field.

This popularised Rex as a Toa of true justice, who fought crime while simultaneously making the air cleaner and giving the population something other than gladiator fights to live for. The criminal underworld and the owners of the gladiator arena's, though, loathed Rex for his establishment of law and order.

Being a staunch supporter of intergalactic cooperation and eventual unification, Rex also took up a career in Estronian politics, becoming the Toa that argued for tighter regulations in general, as well as cooperation with Dracia and the other planets.

When the Planetary Alliance was founded, Rex was the first Estronian citizen to openly declare his support of the newly-founded organisation, opting for the Estronian government to join the Alliance. The Estronian government acceded, and joined the Planetary Alliance, with Rex becoming their legal representative.

When a group of bazaar owners thought of this as an opportunity to re-establish their powers over Estronian markets and Estronian society, Rex himself travelled from a meeting on Dracia to Estron to quell the uprising himself. The Estronian Bazaar Uprising was quelled under Rex's command, and resulted in even more bazaars than ever being closed down.

Though this angered the bazaar owners, Rex's public popularity enjoyed an all-time high, and his position of prestige and status in Estronian society seemed infallible.

Fall of Dracia
When Rex heard that a crisis was taking place in Dracia, he was the first member of the Planetary Alliance's Council to call upon a meeting to discuss the imminent problems that the galaxy was facing if Dracia were to collapse.

When a meeting finally took place, however, the Dracian government had all but collapsed and the Dracian population had already been evacuated. Rumours and fears that the Darkness had returned were soon being spread all over the galaxy like wildfire, and before Rex knew it, the Estronians also caught up with the news of the return of Darkness.

The resulting mass panic that ensued prevented any legitimate Planetary Alliance Council session to take place, the Estronians started to doubt their government sincerely.

Seeing their opportunity, the bazaar owners hired an assassin to murder Rex. In the middle of the night after the failed Council session, Rex was kidnapped from his home and taken to a secret lair where Rex was to be splurged in acid.

Though he was splurged with acid, the assassination attempt on Rex failed to kill him, and he ended up severely wounded and mutated. His limp body was found by some street cleaners. They asked the mutated Toa who he was and, upon stating that he was, in fact, Rex, the cleaners laughed at him and insulted him, stating that "it's impossible for a hideous mutant like you to be the representative himself!"

Rex, completely demoralised and infuriated, attempted to find a mirror to see what had happened to his body. When he found a mirror and discovered what he had transformed into by the kidnapping, he swore revenge on those who had brought him down.

Attempting to get back into the government, his access was denied on the basis that he did not look like his Toa form anymore, and he was banned from entering any government-related space.

With their strongest opponent horribly mutated and unable to regain control over his government offices, the bazaar owners declared a war on the Estronian government in the name of protecting the planet from Darkness.

Estronian Civil War
Once the bazaar owners declared their way on the Estronian government, Rex swore to exact revenge on those who had brought him down from his position of government. He contacted a weapons master to build him a proper weapon that he would be able to utilise, and, in doing so, he started to train himself in combat with a single sword while using his claw as a supplement.

He quickly established himself as an assassin, utilising his swords and his newly found acid powers to mutilate and brutally torture several bazaar owners who he personally held responsible for his fall from grace.

Though remaining a bounty hunter for most of the war, he was later recruited by pro-government forces who discovered that he was working for his own pro-government agenda. The pro-government forces, realising his potential as commander, but failing to realise he was, in fact, Rex, instated him as a military commander. It was during this time that he gained the name Rex, and he became one of the most fearsome fighters on the pro-government side.

He helped re-establish major military routes for the Estronian military, and also helped to reestablish an Estronian government that attempted to hold legitimate democratic elections.

Though he ran for office initially, he was discouraged to do so by his allies, who stated that his ways of handling affairs were too brutal, and his appearance too fearful, for the average Estronian to vote for him.

Not accepting being set aside, Rex thus eventually started planning a coup of the pro-government forces alongside other senior commanders. The coup succeeded, and Rex was elected Imperator of the Estronian State, a position in which he effectively held all command posts over all the ranks in the military forces.

He established the Estronian State as a new alternative to the bazaar-funded anarchic system that the coffeehouse owners and bazaar salesmen wanted to establish. Pro and anti-Estronian State bazaars sprang up out of nowhere, and the Estronian Civil War intensified.

Once the Dracian refugees started entering Estron, too, the anti-Estronian State forces started massacring the Dracian refugees en-masse as a retaliation against the increasing land gains that Rex's forces were making.

Realising that he had no other choice but to give up the war if he wanted the anti-State forces to stop massacring refugees, Rex called for a meeting with the senior leaders of the revolt, in which they established a peace treaty that would bring an end to the Estronian Civil War and the massacres, and divide Estron into the Estronian State and the Free Land of Estron. The Free Land would be bazaar-funded and anarchic in politics, funded mostly by local warlords and drug smugglers. The Estronian State became more authoritarian in the process, cracking down on its enemies.

The Galactic Council recognised neither the Free Land of Estron nor the Estronian State as legitimate representatives of the Estronian population, even though both had legitimate control over their own territories. This forced the two states to denounce the Galactic Council.

When the Universal Paralysis occurred, the Estronian State's government dissipated and Rex went into hiding. The rest of his government, too, fled. Although this was seen as a victory by the Free Land, the Undead forces soon established themselves on Estron, while dark Matoran increasingly took over the drug dens of the former Free Land's leaders.

What has happened to Rex since the establishment of the Temporal Empire and its authorities remains unknown. According to some Estronians, Rex is in hiding, waiting for the Temporal Empire to be defeated so he can return to lead Estron properly.

Abilities and Traits
Being a Toa of Air, Rex has control over elemental powers of Air, which include allowing himself to glide, using the wind to push others away, and several other Air-related powers. Because he is mutated, however, some of his Air powers have been disabled, and he is no longer able to utilise all of his elemental Air powers. His mutation has also brought about the control over Acid powers, allowing him to bite beings with his acid-drenched teeth, a practice which can either poison or mutate the victim of the bite severely.

His Combat technique used to involve dual Air Swords while utilising very fast, rapid swings to tire his enemy's defences. Since his mutation, however, he relies more on his acid powers and strength.

Mask and Tools
It is unknown what Kanohi Rex wore before he was mutated. His tools, however, were a set of dual Air Swords. After his mutation, his Kanohi became fused to his face. He no longer uses dual Air Swords, instead relying on his claws and a new sword.

Personality
Before his mutation, Rex was an amiable Toa of Air with a well-developed sense of humour and a strong sense of justice and what was right for the universe. He strongly believed in the principles of law and order, and was of the belief that galactic cooperation and eventual unification were ideal goals.

Post-mutation, his personality has become slightly careless in the face of being deposed from his prestigious position. The Toa Code, which he formerly swore by, was denounced as limiting his ability to enforce the laws properly, and he became a mercenary for a living before becoming a warlord. As a warlord, he believes his actions are what is right, and he believes in undying loyalty to the causes of the greater good. Those who stand in his way, however, are often disposed of in gruesome ways.

Unlike Filius, another being with a very strong sense of justice, Rex believed that not a single rule was strong enough to stand in the way of justice. As such, Rex freely broke the rules in order to do what he believed was right, and often even denounced laws as "an obstacle to greater justice". This vigilante attitude has led to him being denounced by Filius as "a savage vigilante who has not an ounce of honour". In response, Rex denounced Filius as "a weak president who does not know what true justice is".

Trivia

 * Rex is based on the darker side of law and order, and his descent to vigilante law-enforcement was inspired primarily by Two-Face, albeit without the dual personality.