After the great wars of the ancient times, the Seven Galaxies suffered for generations under the rule of vicious warlords and sinister tyrants whom had risen to power throughout the universe during the terrible turmoil of those dark centuries. It was an age of strife and suffering, of torment and darkness. But then, the Great Rebellion began. The Templars, guardians of justice, sentinels of liberty and protectors of the innocent, set forth into the universe to free the shackled peoples of the Seven Galaxies. One by one, the forces of evil were vanquished, warlords destroyed and tyrants brought to justice. It was a long and costly war, but in the end, only one stronghold of evil remained; planet Etheria and the fortress headquarters of the cruel tyrant known as Hordak.
Part 1:
The Siege of Etheria
Rays of bright light erupted with the crack of thunder as energy and particle weapons opened fire from the half dozen Dreadnoughts that hovered in midair, surrounding the cruel looking fortress currently under siege. Large artillery pieces had been positioned on hills and ridges all around the targeted stronghold, unleashing a continuous bombardment to bring down the protective energy shields that so far had prevented the siege to crumble the stronghold to ruins. Retaliatory fire was sporadic from the fortress, its large cannons ripping the ground apart and tossing rock and soil high into the air with each massive explosion. Missiles impacted against the shields of the Dreadnoughts, rattling each vessel with tremendous shock-waves as explosions strained the bubbles of energy that protected the heavy warships.
Princess Glimmer stood on the bridge of the flagship, holding her own torso tight, the sight of the fearsome, yet awe inspiring, siege and all its explosions and bright lights gave her a terrible chill. She had waited her entire life for this, but now that the moment had come, it was not what she had expected. Her father had died in battle against the forces of Hordak, and her mother was currently held captive by the sinister tyrant. Bright Moon, her home, had for as long as she remembered been under the terrible rule of Hordak. Then, the Great Rebellion had arrived, and everything had changed.
"It wont be long now."
Glimmer turned her head as the general walked up to join her by the large view-port.
"Ive just received word that the Templars are in orbit and will begin their assault soon" General Bow said as he studied the devastating exchange of fire between his forces and the cruel-looking fortress. He leaned forward against the bulkhead. "I just hope this plan of theirs will work. I have never seen anything take this kind of beating. The amount of fire we have poured into this place, would have leveled a city."
"I guess you would know" Glimmer said, sounding slightly distanced as she watched the siege.
"Cheer up" General Bow said with a hint of a smile. "This will all be over soon."
"Indeed, general" a female voice said from behind and both the general and the princess turned around as the woman approached them. "I have just received word. The Templars have entered orbit. The assault will soon be under way."
"Excellent" General Bow said and straightened his back as he then watched the bombardment of the fortress. "I just hope your plan works, She-Ra."
"As do we all" the woman said, her posture and body told of her stamina and her great beauty, as the valkyrie dressed in armor placed a hand on Glimmers shoulder. "You will reunite with your mother soon, you have my word."
The princess of Bright Moon sighed and managed a smile at the end. The Templar before her filled her with hope. She-Ra was one of the great heroes of the campaign, of the entire war. She had liberated more worlds than any other Templar, and now she was here to challenge Hordak. It gave Glimmer hope.
"General" the Dreadnoughts captain said and attracted everyones attention. "We have received word from the fleet in orbit. The Templars are landing. The assault has begun."
"Finally!" General Bow said and hit his palm with his fist. "Inform all units; Attack!"
General Bow and the captain hurried to take charge of the situation, but Glimmer remained behind by the view-ports. She-Ra watched the princess for a moment, but was soon forced to leave to tend to her duties during the final assault on Hordaks fortress.
XXX
The command-center shook and trembled with each blast that struck the fortress protective shielding, sending muffled booms echoing through the strongholds corridors and hallways. Lights flickered and dust fell from the ceiling.
"Twelve ships have entered our atmosphere!" Colonel Blast informed over the noise.
"Templars" a female feline humanoid hissed where she stood and watched the main hologram that depicted the fortress and the enemy forces surrounding it.
"Aye" the colonel said, dressed as he was in a suit of heavy armor. "They will arrive shortly at our gates."
"General Bows forces have begun a determined attack against our east perimeter" a centaurish insectoid-creature said and pointed at the hologram. Turning its head, its giant batlike ears stood on end and its huge yellow bug-eyes gave him a most manic appearance. "Could it be a diversion?"
"Calm yourself, Mantenna" a hoarse and grim voice said. They all turned to face the elevated throne at the far end of the command-center. Resting calmly in his throne, the lord of the fortress appeared almost nonchalant in the way he studied the strategical situation on the hologram. "They know our big guns cover that approach well enough" Hordak said, watching the holographic icons move with his devious, red eyes; the light of the holographic projection lighting up his pale white features. Leaning forward, he reached out with his cybernetic right arm and pointed. "Our northwestern tower, how ever, has been assaulted by three of their Dreadnoughts for the past eight hours. A decisive strike there, and they could gain control of almost a full quarter of our fortress. Who better to lead such a charge than the Templars... and their Grand Master, He-Man."
"Should I reposition our regiments accordingly?" Colonel Blast asked.
"Yes, colonel" Hordak said and leaned back once more in his throne. "At once."
The colonel bowed and then turned to prepare for the imminent assault on the northwestern tower.
A woman approached Hordak, dressed in a tight fitting red dress that followed her female curves, with a hood that obscured her face utterly. "Milord" the creature said, her voice a chilling hiss emitted from the darkness within her cowl.
"What is it, Shadow Weaver?" Hordak asked the witch.
"Is this wise?" the sorceress said. "We do not know if the Templars intend to attack from that direction. Could not the Dreadnoughts be a diversion, just as easily as General Bows groundforces?"
"Unlikely" Hordak concluded, ever leisurely resting in his throne. "General Bow would not waste the firepower of three Dreadnoughts for something so simple as a diversion."
"But the Rebellion values its soldiers" Shadow Weaver pointed out. "They would not senselessly waste them in a diversion like Colonel Blast or..."
"Or Skeletor?" Hordak cut in and chuckled menacingly. "What do you think?" the evil overlord then said and turned to one of his minions found in the command-center. "Would the Rebellion sacrifice their own, Skeletor?"
Cold, pale eyes looked out from behind the facemask of gold depicting a grinning skull, its appearance frightening, even more so beneath the hood the man also wore to cover his features utterly. Walking over towards Hordak and the throne, Skeletor supported his strides with a staff crowned by a rams skull.
"On the contrary" Skeletor replied from behind his golden mask. "It is not General Bow who sacrifices his troops for the Rebellion, but the troops themselves who sacrifice their lives FOR the the Rebellion. They gladly die for the greater good of their cause. Mindless drones, just like our own troops... the prime virtue of any soldier."
"But how can you be so sure, Skeletor?" the feline inquired with a meow.
"Trust me, Catra" Skeletor said and then turned to Hordak. "Master, we should lure the enemy into overconfidence to ensure our victory here."
"How?" Hordak asked, sounding quite intrigued as he leaned forward.
"Give me a regiment" Skeletor said, looking up at the elevated throne. "I shall command the defenses of the eastern perimeter personally. When General Bow sees me commanding the defenses, they will think that their plan has succeeded."
"And will never expect the forces of Colonel Blast to greet them at the northwestern tower" Hordak said and slowly began to laugh at the prospect of utterly slaughtering the enemy.
XXX
The ground shook with each detonation and explosion, making it hard to maintain a footing. She-Ra was moving along the trenches leading up to the main assembly point where the detachments of General Bows forces were massing. Dust and rocks rained down over her, hurled into the air by each explosion as Hordaks stronghold opened fire on the besiegers. Following closely behind her was another Templar, Wun-Dar, armed with a giant battleaxe and a shield depicting the heraldry of the Templar Order; a giant red iron-cross.
"This better work!" Wun-Dar growled as a cloud of dust swept over him. Clearing his mouth, he spat out a gob of spit full of rock-particles. "If not, those blaster-cannons will massacre us before the day is over!"
"He-Man assures me that our contact on the inside is trustworthy!" She-Ra shouted over her shoulder to be heard over the cacophony of battle.
"Trustworthy?!" Wun-Dar said, hardly believing her choice of words. "We are talking about Hordak and his closest officers! Who among them is trustworthy?!"
"Well, you better trust He-Man!" She-Ra replied as she made her way through the trenches, war raging all around. "For if not, as you said, those guns will kill us all!"
They moved on and soon the trenches and pits began to get full of soldiers in armor, armed to the teeth with weaponry. Everyone was ducking and keeping low as the fortress bombarded their position, while the Rebellions own big guns returned fire with great intensity. She-Ra and Wun-Dar made their way through the tightly packed trenches until they found General Bow, the general studying the fortress with a pair of magnoculars.
"General" She-Ra said as she took a knee next to the man in the safety of the trench, Wun-Dar doing the same behind her.
"She-Ra" Bow said and handed the female Templar his magnoculars. "The ramparts, next to the burning shield-generator."
She-Ra took the device and stuck her head over the trenches. Scanning the enemies positions on the walls of the stronghold, she soon enough found what General Bow was talking about.
"Skeletor" She-Ra said, watching through the magnoculars how the infamous officer in Hordaks army was directing troops to take up positions. Returning the magnoculars to the general, she took cover once again. "Then it is time" she then affirmed.
General Bow simply nodded. "The Templars will land in two minutes" he said.
She-Ra reached back over her shoulder and unsheathed her power-sword, the crystal at the base of the blade reflecting every flashing explosion.
"Time to end this" Wun-Dar growled.
XXX
In Hordaks command-center, the Templars ships were clearly visible as they flew in over the besieged fortress. As the ships circled the stronghold, firing down on the enemy fortress as they did, everyone in the command-center turned their attention to the hologram. Hordak himself even lost his calm nature and leaned forward with quite some interest as he watched the icons of the Templar vessels moving in the holographic projection.
"They are landing!" the insectoid known as Mantenna hysterically said and pointed.
Catra trilled like a cat as she realized exactly where the Templars were settling down. "They are attacking the eastern perimeter! Skeletor has not enough troops to hold!"
"Let them land!" Hordak barked angrily. "My cannons will vaporize them as they disembark! Inform Colonel Blast to relocate his regiments! NOW!"
XXX
The first landing-barge touched down with a great roar, sending a wash of heat and dust in all directions around it. While She-Ra and General Bow hid their faces behind an arm, Wun-Dar took cover behind his shield. As the ramp began to lower and finally hit the muddy and rocky battlefield, the three of them moved up to the ship. All around, the remaining vessels landed, shaking the ground like an earthquake with each landing.
Several dozens of large men, muscular and intimidating, barbarian in appearance, began to head down the ramp of the first vessel; all clad in armor and cloaks and fur, armed with swords, axes and spears. At the fore of the aweinspiring barbarians, walked their leader; wearing only simple armor with the great red iron-cross on his chest, he was armed with a mighty power-sword. The blasts of air and dust created by the landing-barges all around made his cloak wave and flutter behind him, tugging on his shoulders.
"Lord He-Man" General Bow said with utter respect.
"We are ready, Grand Master" She-Ra followed up.
He-Man said nothing, he merely stepped past the trio that had come to greet him. Studying the vile spectacle that was Hordaks last stronghold, he frowned. As the Templars began to disembark their landing vessels, He-Mans eyes narrowed as he watched the siege.
XXX
Skeletor entered the control-room overseeing the gun-batteries defending the eastern perimeter of the stronghold. There was full chaos as officers and soldiers began to recalibrate their weapons to deal with the new threat that hand landed just beyond the main enemy army. As Skeletor appeared in the control-room, the commanding officer turned her attention directly at him.
"Skeletor!" the part woman, part scorpion yelled. "Move your forces to the third rampart! My cannons can not protect them where they are!"
"Calm yourself, Scorpia" Skeletor said, quite a contrast to the agitated and almost panicking people around him, as he made his way into the control-room. His calm voice mimicked the unchanging expression of his mask perfectly.
Shaking her scorpions-tail, Scorpia snapped her one claw at Skeletor. "Damn it! We have not enough troops to hold against so many Templars and my cannons can not help your forces and destroy the enemy army at the same time. Pull back so we catch them between our fire!"
"Scorpia" Skeletor said and shook his head theatrically. "You always were too frantic for your own good."
Skeletor struck the ram-skull of his staff into Scorpias chest, unleashing raw energy through the staff into her body, sending the scorpion-woman lunging through the control-room, crashing hard into the far wall and falling onto the floor in a twisted, limp heap, smoke rising from body and staff alike. All work in the control-room ended and everyone watched in amazement at the remains of Scorpia and at Skeletor and his smoking staff.
Skeletor turned his head slightly, his eyes looking out from beneath the rim of his hood, his face ever hidden behind the skull-mask, straight at the second-in-command. The officer did nothing at first, merely looking at Skeletor in turn. The hooded disciple of Hordak then slowly held out his arm and hand, and bluish green veils of energy began to gather around the limb and travel towards his palm. The officer desperately reached for his weapon, but before he had time to free it, Skeletor grinned viciously and unleashed a blast of energy from his hand.
XXX
Hordak stepped down from his throne and the stairs leading to it, and moved on over to the strategical holographic projection at the center of his command-room. He was anything but pleased by the situation depicted.
"Skeletor was wrong! He was wrong!" Mantenna frantically pointed out and struck a panel with a fist out of frustration.
"The Dreadnoughts are moving" Catra meowed, studying her data. "They seem to gather to support the Templars position."
"My guns will destroy the Templars before the Dreadnoughts can cover their advance" Hordak said with his hoarse voice, a low growl could be heard in his throat. "Look" he then said and pointed at the holographic map. "Skeletors regiments are holding their ground, making the Templars easy targets for Scorpia."
"Except" Catra said and took a closer look. "Our guns are not firing."
Hordak grew furious. "WHAT?!"