The Great Rescue

The Great Rescue was the campaign in which the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety., having reached the island of 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. with the sealed Matoran spheresMatoran SpheresThe silver hibernation pods used by Teridax, posing as Turaga Dume, to capture, store, and transport the entire Matoran population of Metru Nui during the Great Cataclysm. recovered from the Coliseum, returned to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. to free the rest of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population from VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax.-occupied territory and bring them out to the surface. The campaign mutated them into the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety., introduced them to the RahagaToa Hagah and RahagaThe Toa Hagah were appointed to guard Makuta Teridax, mutated into hybrid warriors, and mysteriously restored., set them the parallel objective of recovering the mythical KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. as a cure, and ended with the broken VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. hordes pushed off the city and the entire surviving MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population evacuated to the place that would become Mata NuiMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. island.

The two-stage problem#

The Great Rescue was the second half of a job the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. had not been able to finish on the first attempt. During the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. they had reached the Coliseum, recovered the spheres Turaga DumeTuraga DumeThe Turaga of Metru Nui for sixteen thousand years, a former Toa of Fire who saved Lhikan's life and was abducted and impersonated by Teridax. (then revealed as TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. in disguise) had locked the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. into, and escaped the collapsing city with only the spheres they could carry. The rest of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. were still in the city, still inside their pods, and now scattered across the abandoned metru rather than concentrated in the Coliseum.

By the time the Toa MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. were ready to come back, the city had changed. The VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax., under the SteltianSteltAn island in the Matoran Universe known for producing ruthless warriors like Sidorak and Krekka. overseer SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. and his viceroy 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 occupied Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. in the interval. The hordes had spun fog-like webs across the metru, broken open the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. so that its stored 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. and at least two RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. were loose in the streets, and seated their command in the Coliseum itself. The second return was therefore not a return to the city the Toa had left; it was a return to occupied territory in which the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. they had come back for were the static population the occupiers would dispose of at their convenience.

The crash landing and the cocooning#

The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. returned by airship and crashed onto the shore near Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships., the air-transport district, to the annoyance of the local 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.. From the wreck of the landing they walked forward into the city proper, and MatauMatauA former Le-Metru test driver who became a Toa Metru, Matau wielded air, illusion, and shape-shifting before sacrificing his Toa power to wake the sleeping Matoran. noticed the strange fog-like webs covering the streets before any of them had registered what kind of occupation they were dealing with. A scout VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. spotted them, the web carried the alert outward, and the hordes appeared in numbers. WhenuaWhenuaToa Metru of Earth and later Turaga of Onu-Koro, formerly an Onu-Metru archivist whose career in the Archives shaped his role across the rescue of Metru Nui and the long residency on Mata Nui. remembered the legend of the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. only at that point, and VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. rebuked him sharply for not recalling it earlier, the first open friction inside the team since the Cataclysm.

The combat went badly. Two RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. appeared in the same square, confirming that the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. had been ripped open, and the VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. then hit the Toa with their paralysing RhotukaRhotukaRhotuka were wheels of pure energy generated by living beings, shaped by the user''s nature, and launched through natural or artificial launchers. spinners. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. dropped, were wrapped in cocoons, and were hung high above the streets where the venom in the webbing would change them. The change began on schedule. One by one the cocoons started to fall as the venom finished its work, and one by one the RahagaToa Hagah and RahagaThe Toa Hagah were appointed to guard Makuta Teridax, mutated into hybrid warriors, and mysteriously restored., six diminutive hunter-figures who had spent years living in the city's sewers and webs preparing for exactly this contingency, snagged the falling cocoons from the strands and brought them down to safety.

What the Rahaga unwrapped was not the team that had crashed into Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships.. The venom had mutated the Toa MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. into the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety., bestial half-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. versions of themselves with feral instincts and RhotukaRhotukaRhotuka were wheels of pure energy generated by living beings, shaped by the user''s nature, and launched through natural or artificial launchers. launchers built into their arms. The Rahaga, led by NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored., introduced themselves, explained the mutation, and informed the Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. that there was a cure: a mythical sage 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. called KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. was capable of neutralising Hordika venom. Finding him was the price of recovering their original forms.

The Rahaga and the KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. objective#

The introduction of the Rahaga reframed the campaign. The Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. now had two simultaneous objectives the Rahaga proposed they pursue in parallel rather than in sequence: rescue the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body., the original purpose of the expedition, and locate KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. before the Hordika personality replaced the Toa one permanently. The Rahaga had reasons of their own for both. They had spent years in the Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. sewers planning the eventual reclamation of the city, and the Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. were the reinforcements they had been waiting for.

The period that followed was a running campaign of skirmishes, scouting, and 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.-pacification through the occupied metru. NujuNujuNuju served as a Ko-Metru seer, Toa Metru of Ice, and Turaga of Ko-Koro who spoke only in bird calls translated by Matoro. and KualusKualusKualus is a Toa of Ice and member of the Toa Hagah, formerly serving as one of the elite bodyguards of Makuta Teridax before dedicating himself to the protection of the Matoran. White and metallic blue in color, he wields a Sub-Zero Spear and a Rhotuka Launching Shield, and wears the Great Mask of Rahi Control, granting him the power to direct the minds of animal life. He resides on Spherus Magna. descended into the sewers when a VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. ice dome cut them off above. The others pursued the Battle Ram leads and the deeper Archive sweeps. 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., tracking the movements from the Coliseum, assessed that the Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. were trapped by the role of hero and would inevitably come to her seat.

Vakama's defection and the road back#

The friction inside the Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. that had started in Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships. worsened across the campaign. VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years.'s Hordika side was the loudest, and at the midpoint of the operation he broke away from his team and entered the service of SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. 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., briefly assuming the position the VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. overseers offered him at the head of the hordes. His defection was a Hordika-side decision made under the influence of the venom and reinforced by the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe.'s open offer of power, rather than a VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. decision. The remainder of the team had to fight through it.

The defection was reversed during the closing assault. NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras., MatauMatauA former Le-Metru test driver who became a Toa Metru, Matau wielded air, illusion, and shape-shifting before sacrificing his Toa power to wake the sleeping Matoran., OnewaOnewaOnewa served as Toa Metru of Stone, led Po-Koro through the Dark Time, and constructed the Metru Nui statue honoring the fallen Toa Mahri Matoro., WhenuaWhenuaToa Metru of Earth and later Turaga of Onu-Koro, formerly an Onu-Metru archivist whose career in the Archives shaped his role across the rescue of Metru Nui and the long residency on Mata Nui., and NujuNujuNuju served as a Ko-Metru seer, Toa Metru of Ice, and Turaga of Ko-Koro who spoke only in bird calls translated by Matoro. took the Coliseum approach, recovered VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. from the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. command, and brought him back in time for the final battle. The parallel Rahaga track had also closed by then: KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. had been found, had agreed to come to the city, and had identified SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. as a target consistent with his own code.

The battle for the Coliseum#

The final engagement at the Coliseum brought every thread together. KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. faced SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. in single combat at the centre of the seat of VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. command, and the 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.-appointed SteltianSteltAn island in the Matoran Universe known for producing ruthless warriors like Sidorak and Krekka. overseer was killed by the 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. he had once attempted to hunt for his trophy hall. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. Hordika, restored to operational unity with VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. back among them, faced the VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. ranks in the open arena. The combined elemental discharge they used to clear the field broke the VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. presence as a coherent fighting force.

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., the only VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. commander with the long view in mind, had positioned herself precisely to absorb the elemental discharge into a personal channel she had prepared in advance. The energy she absorbed shattered the protodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form. seal that the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. had placed on MakutaMakutaA glossary entry distinguishing the three referents of the word Makuta: the species, the individual Teridax, and the title held by every Brotherhood member. at the end of the first escape from the city, freeing the BrotherhoodThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. leader's spirit. Her own physical defeat at the Toa's hands followed, but the strategic objective of the entire VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. occupation, framed by 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. herself as her quest to free MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate., had been accomplished in the same moment the VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. lost the city.

The evacuation and the TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. transition#

With the Coliseum taken and the hordes broken, the Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. executed the operation they had come back for. The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. spheres scattered across the metru were collected, the spheres already in their possession from the first escape were loaded with them, and the surviving population of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. was put aboard airships for the surface. VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. broke off the convoy at the silver sea and dived back to recover the Mask of TimeMask of TimeThe Kanohi Vahi is the Matoran Universe's deadliest mask, capable of stopping or accelerating time, and its creation nearly tore Metru Nui apart., which had fallen during the earlier battle with TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.. He located it on the seabed before VoporakVoporakVoporak is a mutant member of Sidorak's species and a servant of the Dark Hunters. Clad in dark red, black, orange-yellow, and silver, he wields Rotating Blade Tools and a Rhotuka spinner and commands the power of time. He resides on Spherus Magna. intercepted him and took it; the rest of the convoy completed the journey to the island of 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..

The transition that followed completed the rescue. KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. reversed the Hordika mutation on the surface, restoring the Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. to their Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. forms. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. then chose, individually, to pour their elemental power into the spheres to wake the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. inside, a deliberate act of self-reduction that transformed them into TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities.. The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. woke on the surface of an island that would now be their home. The rescue that had begun with a crash landing in Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships. ended with a sleeping population brought, in the bodies of the spheres themselves, into the daylight of a new world above the city the rescue had failed to save.