Comic 20: Struggle in the Sky

"I am a Dark Hunter. My friends call me Nidhiki...or they would, if I had any friends. The hulking figure next to me is Krekka. Not the brightest lightstone in Metru Nui, but strong enough to crumble a Knowledge Tower with one blow. We came to Metru Nui for our favorite sport: Toa Hunting."

- Nidhiki's inner monologue

Struggle in the Sky was the twentieth issue in the original BIONICLE comic series and the fifth issue in the Metru Nui sub-series, as well as part five in the City of Legends storyline. It was originally mailed with the September/October 2004 edition of the LEGO Club Magazine, and was later collected in BIONICLE 3: City of Legends. This comic revolved around the Toa Metru's battle with the Dark Hunters.

Opening
''Hunted as imposters and suspected in Toa Lhikan's disappearance, the Toa Metru are forced to flee for their lives. Stowing away aboard a Le-Metru airship they mistakenly believe themselves to be beyond the reach of Vahki order enforcement squads.''

''Meanwhile, a far more dangerous threat is looming in the shape of Nidhiki and Krekka, the Dark Hunters. Dispatched by Turaga Dume to capture the outlaws, they are determined to bring the Toa in alive--if not necessarily undamaged.''

''For the Toa, capture would mean both Lhikan and the city itself would be lost forever. But can they hope to survive against beings that live to hunt Toa?''

Plot
Nidhiki and Krekka skulk through Metru Nui, looking for prey. While Toa Lhikan was easy enough to capture, the two Dark Hunters are experiencing difficulty with the Toa Metru. Nidhika notices the airship above and deduces that the Toa have hidden there. In the airship's cargo hold, Vakama strategizes with the others. Unfortunately, the Vahki have tracked them down and attack. Matau draws their fire, while Nokama blindsides them with her Toa Tools. Vakama tries to reason with the robotic enforcers, but Matau crushes the law-bots with a metal crate. Nidhiki interrupts and taunts the Toa of Fire. Vakama attempts to attack the Dark Hunter, but Krekka freezes him with a Kanoka. Matau catches his fallen teammate, but must absorb the brunt of an energy blast to keep Vakama safe. Elsewhere, Turaga Dume waits at the Coliseum for an update from his personal Rahi Nivawk.

In the airship, Matau catches the frozen Vakama. Nidhiki instructs Krekka to finish off Vakama, while he himself tackles Nokama. While Nidhika shoots energy blasts at the Toa of Water, she throws one of her Hydro Blades at him. The Dark Hunter dodges the blow and taunts her for the apparent miss. Nokama stands tall, uncowed by the mockery. Her strategy is revealed as the blade shears through the structural supports under Nidhiki, bringing him down in a loud crash. Krekka shoots a Kanoka at Matau, trying to incapacitate him as well. Vakama melts through his frozen prison and hits the hard-hitting Dark Hunter with a teleportation disk, rematerializing Krekka outside the ship in mid-air. Nidhiki drags himself from the rubble, ready for a second round of combat. The Toa instead chose to leave, using Matau's Air powers and Vakama's Fire abilities to fly away from the airship. Nidhiki watches them leave. He knows where their destination is, and he's willing to bide his time.

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Randy Elliott - Artist
 * Pete Pantazis - Colorist
 * Ken Lopez - Letterer
 * Jaye Gardner - Editor
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Layout & Design

Characters

 * Dume
 * Krekka
 * Lhikan - Mentioned only
 * Matau
 * Nidhiki
 * Nivawk
 * Nokama
 * Nuurakh
 * Vakama
 * Zadakh

Locations

 * Metru Nui
 * Archives - Mentioned only

Objects

 * Airship
 * Chute
 * Disk Launchers
 * Kanohi
 * Great Huna
 * Great Mahiki
 * Great Rau
 * Noble Kiril
 * Kanoka
 * Freeze disk
 * Teleportation disk
 * Knowledge Tower - Mentioned only
 * Lightstone - Mentioned only
 * Toa Tools
 * Aero Slicers
 * Disk Launcher (Vakama)
 * Hydro Blades
 * Vahki Staffs
 * Staff of Command

Organizations

 * Dark Hunters
 * Matoran
 * Rahi - Mentioned only
 * Lava Eel - Mentioned only
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Fire
 * Toa of Water
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Metru/Toa Hordika
 * Turaga
 * Vahki

Miscellanea

 * Chutespeak
 * Destiny
 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Air
 * Fire

Quotes
"The time is drawing near, and still three Toa plague me with their interference. They cannot be allowed to block the destiny of the Matoran. You know what to do. They will attempt to free their friends. They must not succeed."

- Turaga Dume

"You kidnap a Toa, threaten Matoran, and try to harm us--and you dare talk about what's "fair"? Take a trip, Dark Hunter!"

- Vakama

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: Two-page spread encouraging fans to build their own fight scene between the Dark Hunters and Toa Metru using their sets.
 * Comic end: An interview with the illustrators and designers behind BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui, New BIONICLE Legends are Born section discusses the Toa Lhikan & Kikanalo set, updates to the BIONICLE.com website.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for the BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui movie.

Continuity

 * This comic takes place in parallel with BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui.
 * This issue sees the comic debut of Nidhiki and Krekka, along with fellow summer titan set Turaga Dume and Nivawk. While this is the only place in the City of Legends storyline where the Dark Hunters appear, their organization's backstory will be explored in other media.

Trivia

 * On the first page where the opening narration brings the reader up to speed, Nokama's Toa Disk can seen at the top of the page.