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| - The massive twin thrusters of the Special Forces Explorer roared to life as the heavy engine was ignited with a sudden blast. The deafening boom it produced echoed resoundingly through the hangar bay in which it rested. The sound reverberated off of the concrete walls so intensely that it was hardly bearable from inside the small transport vessel, where a team of six Toa readily sat. Inside the cockpit, the team of heroes called the Special Forces Toa strapped themselves into their seats. Silently to themselves, each of them was deep in thought, imagining their task at hand. Their mission involved a trip away from Daxia, their home, out of the Matoran Universe, and into the deep void of space beyond. Once the team had arrived in space, a course would be set for the mysterious planet of Odessha. There, a small group of Matoran colonists were in needed help and security, and the Toa were to assist them and watch over them until the Matoran colonization was complete. At the ship's control panel, Tanuva was eagerly shouting orders to the rest of his team, despite the loud noise. “Strap in!” he ordered while tapping a holographic button on the control panel. “Get ready for liftoff!” One seat behind Tanuva, Toa Sanurak sat anxiously. Being a Toa of Stone, he preferred steady ground to flying. He apprehensively asked, “How are we supposed to get into space?” Getting out of the Matoran Universe was no ordinary feat. The Order of Mata Nui, which the Special Forces served, had developed a way to exit. The method was potentially dangerous, but it was the only way to get into outer space quickly. The Toa team would have to open a portal in the sky and hit it head on at impossible speed, then launch through a wormhole and shoot out of it on the other side. If it worked correctly, the Toa would emerge into a vast universe outside their own. Just the thought of the procedure urged a slight smirk to spread across Tanuva’s face. He had been waiting to lead his team through an exciting mission for quite a while. Ever since his brother died and the Special Forces needed a new leader, Tanuva had trained himself and pushed his limits to the max, hoping he could some day test out his skills. He was considered a natural leader, and today he would begin his long-awaited, noble task. He tapped a row of multicolored holographs on the dashboard and grasped the steering control as the Explorer began to hover. The metal door to the hangar crawled open, revealing an bright blast of light from the world outside. Tanuva steered the ship out of the hangar and into the sky. As it climbed higher into the sky, the island of Daxia becoming more and more distant with each second, the ship gained speed. When the island was but a tiny speck of land on the vast ocean far below, Tanuva returned Orion’s question. “How do we get into space?” He repeated the Toa of stone’s query. He paused a few seconds, then responded. “The dangerous way!” As Sanurak gulped with unease, Tanuva shot a beam of energy from a small cannon mounted to the side of the ship. About a hundred meters ahead of the small vessel, the beam had opened up a swirling mass of shockingly bright matter. Tanuva sped the ship up to high speed, heading right for the churning portal. Brilliant beams of light flooded the ship, casting blinding brightness across each member of the Special Forces Toa. Tanuva squinted ahead and increased the ship’s speed. The engines roared with power as maximum velocity was reached. “Brace yourselves!” Tanuva shouted. Suddenly, the ship plunged into the mass of light and energy. In an instant, the portal began to grow smaller and smaller as it closed up. Within seconds, the intense light dissipated, swallowing up the Toa into the depths of darkness. The Explorer surged through a wormhole at breakneck speed. All around the Toa, things began to look distorted and blurred into the very fabric of space as the ship zoomed impossibly fast. Everything began to rattle and shake as the surroundings turned completely black, save the few crackling streaks of energy shooting by every which way. “Very bumpy fly-ride!” Grik, Toa of Air, shouted with a thrilled smile as he bounced wildly up and down. Unlike Grik, who seemed to be enjoying the chaos, everyone else tried steadying themselves by grabbing onto their seats, but their efforts proved futile as the ship shot uncontrollably bumped around. At last, the end of the wormhole drew nearer. Tanuva steered the ship right towards a small opening in the blurry darkness. “Get ready!” he cried, pushing the speed of the ship beyond its limits. Accompanied by a massive flash of light and vibrations, the ship shot out of the other end of the wormhole. Instantly, the bright portal they just exited swallowed itself up and disappeared. When the chaos had settled, each Toa was breathing unsteadily, trying to calm themselves down and lower their heart rates. “What…a…rush!” Tanuva said in between excited breathing. He let go of the controls as the Explorer drifted quickly ahead, though the ship had slowed down a bit after it exited the wormhole. Tanuva turned around in his seat and looked at his team. “Everyone alright?” “Yeah,” Sheliss responded. She was shaking slightly from the adrenaline rush. “We’re fine.” "Yes, very good-fine indeed!" Grik broadcasted, pumped with energy from the experience moments earlier. "Agreed!" Toa Nutak said, accompanied by the voices of other team members. A few moments of chatter followed, as everyone was too excited to stay quiet. Destrik interrupted the noisy moment, and the various conversations subsided. “Well, then. Now that the fun is over, shall we begin our mission?” Tanuva looked at Destrik and responded, "The fun has only just begun." He swiveled back around and hit a button on the control panel. Numerous digits were entered in to the ship’s coordinate locator as his fingers flew across a holographic keypad. Tanuva muttered a series of locations to himself as he entered in data to the ship's computer. “Themis Tau cluster...Jukari System...there! Set course for Odessha,” he proclaimed. The Explorer's engines climbed higher in noise as the ship prepared for high speed travel. In an instant, the Explorer blasted into light speed and initiated its course into the expansive void of dark space beyond.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)