Federation of Fear

Federation of Fear was a 2008 BIONICLEstory.com serial about the covert mission in which the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe. freed MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. from his volcanic prison on ArtidaxArtidaxArtidax was a volcanic island in the southern islands where Makuta Krika imprisoned Miserix instead of killing him, and where the Visorak horde later met its end.. The mission was carried out by a team of imprisoned villains under the command of BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix., and it freed the deposed Brotherhood leader at the cost of several team members and one of the Order's agents. (Federation of Fear)

Background#

MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. had led the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to build Rahi and keep order in his universe, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. until TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. overthrew him. He had been ordered executed, but MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. KrikaKrikaThe cautious Mistika leader who survived by never taking unnecessary risks, until Teridax's Plan forced his hand. instead chained him up on ArtidaxArtidaxArtidax was a volcanic island in the southern islands where Makuta Krika imprisoned Miserix instead of killing him, and where the Visorak horde later met its end., a volcanic island far south of anything on any chart, and rigged the island to sense and react to any Makuta who came near, so that Miserix couldn't escape and no other Brotherhood member could find and finish him. (Federation of Fear)

The Order wanted him freed so it could use him against his former organisation. Brutaka was blunt about it: Miserix wouldn't be a general, a hero or a rallying symbol, but a weapon, like a Rhotuka launcher, and the Order meant to aim him right at the Makuta fortress on DestralDestralThe headquarters island of the Brotherhood of Makuta, which could teleport from place to place, until the Order of Mata Nui stormed it in the Destiny War.. (Federation of Fear)

The strike team#

Brutaka gathered five prisoners in a cell and told them what they had in common: dealings with the Brotherhood. RoodakaRoodakaShe spent the entire Visorak arc letting everyone think they were using her, then walked away having beaten the Brotherhood and the Toa at their own game. had betrayed the Brotherhood to the Dark HuntersThe Dark HuntersA band of mercenaries and thieves founded on Odina by the Shadowed One and Ancient, hired out across the Matoran Universe, and left a battered ruin by the time Teridax ruled the universe. and then betrayed the Dark Hunters too, so both sides wanted her dead. CaraparCaraparOne of six Barraki warlords imprisoned for 80,000 years, Carapar sought the Mask of Life and became expendable muscle for a final, fatal mission. and TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat. were BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit., whose armies the Brotherhood had crushed 80,000 years earlier. SpiriahSpiriahA Brotherhood Makuta exiled for a failed experiment who briefly controlled an outcast strike team before his death by absorption. was a MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. who had botched an experiment on ZakazZakazThe island where Skakdi civilization developed, shaped by isolation and harsh Makuta rule. so badly that his own people marked him for death. VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset., the half-Skakdi split from Vezok, had no idea why he was there at all. (Federation of Fear)

Three days out to sea, Brutaka told them the plan, and why they'd been chosen: they were expendable, and no one would care whether any of them lived or died. The Dark Hunter LariskaLariskaDark Hunter defined by discipline and tactical competence, Lariska was one of the Shadowed One's most dependable operatives before joining Brutaka's desperate mission., who had been shadowing the team since Stelt, joined later, introduced with the warning to treat her as they treated Brutaka and to expect that she would treat them even worse. (Federation of Fear)

The route to Artidax#

The team's first stop was SteltSteltAn island in the Matoran Universe known for producing ruthless warriors like Sidorak and Krekka., where Brutaka needed a bigger boat. He offered Roodaka to a trader as the killer of Sidorak in exchange for his fastest ship, then knocked the trader out once the deal was done, while Takadox hypnotised the ship's crew into jumping overboard. (Federation of Fear)

Spiriah had worked out their goal and passed a message to Zyglak allies through channels on Stelt. A Zyglak fleet surrounded the ship, Spiriah held it in place with his weather powers, and he took command and set course for Zakaz to take revenge on the Skakdi. For three days he played captain. Off Zakaz, beings like Takadox's old ally EhlekEhlekA Barraki warlord with electrical powers who led aquatic forces against the Brotherhood of Makuta. rose out of the water and sank the Zyglak ships one after another. Brutaka explained that they were a water-dwelling species his employers had modified to kill Makuta. (Federation of Fear)

The operation's first loss came before the team was even armed. BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold. and the nine-foot Order warrior TrinumaTrinumaA no-nonsense Order operative with the Mask of Charisma, Trinuma recruits the chaotic Vezon for a suicide mission to Destral. had been sent with a cache of weapons, but IcaraxIcaraxHe thought scheming was for the weak and said so out loud, so the canon made sure the thing that finally killed him was a scheme. spotted them and attacked. Botar was crushed by the Makuta's magnetic power. Trinuma barely escaped, stored the weapons at the first place he came to and took the news back to DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat.. (Federation of Fear)

The encounter with Tren Krom#

The place Trinuma had stored the weapons was a barren rock that turned out to be the prison of Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui., a purely organic being the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had created before Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna. was born to watch over the universe until the Great Spirit was ready. A writhing crimson mass of tentacles merged with the stone of his cave, he seized BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. and then LariskaLariskaDark Hunter defined by discipline and tactical competence, Lariska was one of the Shadowed One's most dependable operatives before joining Brutaka's desperate mission. and searched their minds. Lariska screamed. (Federation of Fear)

CaraparCaraparOne of six Barraki warlords imprisoned for 80,000 years, Carapar sought the Mask of Life and became expendable muscle for a final, fatal mission. raised his sword to strike. A third eye opened on Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui., a shaft of energy shot from it, and the Barraki was destroyed. Tren Krom said he had helped birth a world of order, but from what he had seen in Lariska's mind it had become a universe of madness and fear, not worth saving, but the one they deserved. (Federation of Fear)

The team gathered up Brutaka and Lariska and fled as the stone walls around the island sank back into the sand. (Federation of Fear)

The traps of Krika#

ArtidaxArtidaxArtidax was a volcanic island in the southern islands where Makuta Krika imprisoned Miserix instead of killing him, and where the Visorak horde later met its end. was an island of black sand and jagged rock, with volcanic peaks and strange RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. wheeling in the sky. Despite the bright light on the water around it, it seemed to sit in perpetual shadow. (Federation of Fear)

The first trap struck as soon as SpiriahSpiriahA Brotherhood Makuta exiled for a failed experiment who briefly controlled an outcast strike team before his death by absorption. walked onto the beach. The black sand formed a hand and began dragging him under, until RoodakaRoodakaShe spent the entire Visorak arc letting everyone think they were using her, then walked away having beaten the Brotherhood and the Toa at their own game. fired a RhotukaRhotukaRhotuka were wheels of pure energy generated by living beings, shaped by the user's nature, and launched through natural or artificial launchers. that mutated the sand into a swarm of fireflyersFireflyerInsect Rahi of Ta-Metru that swarm with lethal stings when provoked.. Brutaka realised Krika had rigged the place to sense a Makuta. LariskaLariskaDark Hunter defined by discipline and tactical competence, Lariska was one of the Shadowed One's most dependable operatives before joining Brutaka's desperate mission. suggested using Spiriah the way Skakdi use a kinlokaKinlokaSwarming rodent-like Rahi native to Le-Metru, engineered by the Brotherhood of Makuta and known for hurling Weaken Kanoka at close range., sending the rodent through first to set off any traps. Brutaka talked Spiriah into it by hinting that the Brotherhood would need a new leader when all this was over. (Federation of Fear)

The path led to a tunnel through the volcano. Inside, TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat. slipped away and cut a vine that brought an avalanche of rocks down on the entrance, trapping the others in the tunnel. (Federation of Fear)

Deeper in, the team crossed a bridge over a canyon whose floor turned out to be thousands of crimson insects, which swarmed up and blocked both ends. Spiriah tried his power to control Rahi and failed: the insects were already under a stronger will, which he guessed was Miserix. Roodaka found the answer, firing mutation Rhotuka into the swarm. The rest of the insects killed the changed ones on sight, and the gap let the team through. (Federation of Fear)

Miserix freed#

MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. lay chained in a vast chamber as a huge dragon-like beast, surrounded by sonic-screaming klakkThe KlakkThe bat-like sonic Rahi engineered by Makuta Mutran whose scream shattered the inner barrier holding back the Light in a Shadow Matoran, used by Takanuva to cure Karda Nui's corrupted Av-Matoran. that he had spent ages absorbing until their screams no longer hurt him. When he saw SpiriahSpiriahA Brotherhood Makuta exiled for a failed experiment who briefly controlled an outcast strike team before his death by absorption., one of the first Makuta to side with Teridax against him, he reached out a hand of living shadow and pulled Spiriah into his body. (Federation of Fear)

Lariska recognised the chains, which grew and shrank with their prisoner and fed on his own power. BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. and RoodakaRoodakaShe spent the entire Visorak arc letting everyone think they were using her, then walked away having beaten the Brotherhood and the Toa at their own game. concentrated fire on a weak link until it cracked. The klakk attacked the team, and Miserix's power scream brought them down along with most of his rescuers. He then smashed open the side of the volcano with his fists and his fragmentation power, and grew wings. (Federation of Fear)

RoodakaRoodakaShe spent the entire Visorak arc letting everyone think they were using her, then walked away having beaten the Brotherhood and the Toa at their own game. made a last move, telling MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. that Brutaka meant to sacrifice him as a pawn and that she wanted him as an ally. He answered that he was Makuta Miserix, no one's pawn and no one's ally, and his roar drove her into the rock. BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. loaded the stunned team onto the dragon's back, noticed that their boat was gone with Takadox, and Miserix flew north. Brutaka's last thought was that a storm was coming to the universe, and when it hit, there would be nowhere to hide. (Federation of Fear)

Consequences#

MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. carried the survivors to DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat., then shrank, changed colour and went hunting for Teridax, starting with a trader on SteltSteltAn island in the Matoran Universe known for producing ruthless warriors like Sidorak and Krekka.. (Destiny War)

VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. was locked up on DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat. afterwards and soon released by TrinumaTrinumaA no-nonsense Order operative with the Mask of Charisma, Trinuma recruits the chaotic Vezon for a suicide mission to Destral. for another job that needed someone who could die without being missed: he was taken to DestralDestralThe headquarters island of the Brotherhood of Makuta, which could teleport from place to place, until the Order of Mata Nui stormed it in the Destiny War. as part of the Order's plan to attack the island. (Destiny War)

The operation cost BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold., CaraparCaraparOne of six Barraki warlords imprisoned for 80,000 years, Carapar sought the Mask of Life and became expendable muscle for a final, fatal mission. and SpiriahSpiriahA Brotherhood Makuta exiled for a failed experiment who briefly controlled an outcast strike team before his death by absorption., and lost TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat. to desertion. It delivered MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne. to the war against the Brotherhood. (Federation of Fear; Destiny War)