The Start of It All (Prologue)
"Guys! You've gotta see this!" Bow called out to his friends over the ship's coms. The Best Friends Squad had been flying through the vast emptiness of space for two months now, helping planets, driving out remaining Horde sympathizers and exploring galaxies. In his spare time, mostly when the ship was drifting through space, Bow spent hours looking over degraded data files that Mara had left behind. Everything he had found so far had been too damaged to read but these files were completely in tact.
Adora, Catra and Glimmer came running into the control room, skidding to a halt as Bow found the earliest clean file.
"Okay, what exactly was so important that you had to scream for us over the coms? I was in the middle of a nap." Catra growled, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"I was digging through the data files when I came across some entries completely untouched. They look like they were left just after the ship crashed."
Bow opened the file. A sad sigh came from behind the friends, making everyone turn. A woman sat in the captain's chair, dressed in battered soldier's armor, her helmet resting on the right arm of the chair, while what hair she had left beyond her undercut stuck out at odd ends. She looked tired, beaten and defeated as she laid back and closed her eyes briefly.
"I finally found it." The woman breathed, opening her eyes and directing them downward, "Took me nearly a month to find this place, but I've finally found it."
The woman looked up, staring between Catra and Adora, "If you're watching this, then I am most likely gone. Mara is dead... oh, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to... I wasn't supposed to lose her."
Her eyes began to fill with tears; it was obvious that this woman and Mara were more than just friends and fellow freedom fighters.
She shook her head, "Never mind that now. I'm running out of time. The Colonizers have been hunting down Grayskull ever since this ship went down. From what my sources have told me, they intend on bringing the remaining members of our team to Eternia to face punishment. What that entails, I don't know, but they're coming for me, just like the came for the others. These recordings are quite possibly all that Etheria may have left of us, so I might as well start from the beginning and see how far I can go before I'm captured... First thing's first, names. I am Sorin, codename Red Sun, Commander of the Rebel Squadron Grayskull. I was Mara's second in command, and, as of now, I am the only surviving member of my team.
Before our rebellion began, I was one of the Rangers of Stormpeak, a group of elite warriors dispatched for various missions by the Princesses, Kings, and Queens of Etheria. Since their creation by the ancient King Tolomin of Minotos, the Rangers of Stormpeak have been trained to fulfill the requests of both elemental and non-elemental rulers. They draw from all over Etheria, with no prejudice, so long as recruits can withstand both the mental and physical training that all Rangers must undergo. Unfortunately, by the time I left the Rangers, they had all but dissolved as the Colonizers had begun to dismantle every aspect of Etherian society..."
Sorin ran a gloved hand through her mussed, short hair and gave a heavy sigh, "You should know that before She-Ra pulled Etheria into Despondos, this planet resided on the outer edge of a galaxy called Orpheus. For tens of thousands of years, the planet was untouched by outsiders, allowing the native inhabitants of the planet to flourish and expand. About five thousand years ago, the twelve kingdoms were formed by channeling the planet's natural magic through runestones that enabled the rulers of each kingdom to protect their people from threats beyond their control and for a while, no threats emerged. Then the Colonizers came and everything changed. They claimed they were here to study Etheria's magic, that in doing so they could help us protect ourselves from invaders. But it was a lie. All of it was a lie. If it hadn't been for Mara, this planet would be gone forever. Hopefully these entries will help you understand why we did what we did, why we chose to rebel, and ultimately why Mara pulled our home into an empty dimension. So now that introductions are taking care of, I suppose I should go back to the start of it all: the day I first met Mara..."
1008 Years Before
Sorin sat at the edge of the Ereland River, carving an Etherian Deer from a piece of driftwood. The Ranger squad had stopped for the evening in a small Colonizer village a day's ride from Bright Moon and planned on resuming their journey the following morning. The Colonizers were celebrating the arrival of one of their heroes, someone they had given the title of She-Ra to. Whoever it was, they didn't deserve it, in Sorin's opinion. The Colonizers weren't of Etheria, they had come from another place in the universe to study the planet and its magic. Cheers erupted from the village, making Sorin glance over her shoulder.
'The warrior She-Ra cometh.' Sorin thought sarcastically, scoffing aloud before returning to her carving.
"So that's where you've been all this time, eh?" A friendly voice called out to her, interrupting her once again. She turned her head to see a large bipedal cat gliding toward her, his charcoal gray mane perfectly manicured, his armor shiny and new.
"Better than praising a false hero with the Colonizers." Sorin drawled, brushing a loose strand of her honey-brown hair from her emerald eyes as she looked down once again at her work. Sorin's fellow Ranger took a seat next to her and sighed, flopping onto his back and letting out a content purr.
"Sorin, whether you like it or not, the Colonizers are here to stay until further notice. You might as well get used to it."
"Cole, my opinion will remain unchanged until I'm convinced otherwise. Now, what was so important that Mordok sent you to find me?" Sorin asked her feline companion.
"The Colonizers have invited us to join in their festivities. Mordok is requiring everyone to attend, no exceptions." Cole replied, baring his pointed teeth in a playful grin. Sorin groaned and threw her knife down, letting the blade drive itself into the dirt.
"You can't be serious!" She whined.
"I'm afraid so. He thinks it would be a good opportunity for a few Rangers to meet the new She-Ra." Cole drawled, plucking a flower from the grass and flicking it dramatically into the river.
"You mean the fake She-Ra?"
"Sorin, you better be nice." Cole scolded, his molten silver eyes glaring over at his friend, "As Rangers, we were bound to come across her at some point in our travels. Might as well get it out of the way now."
Sorin huffed, pulled her knife out of the dirt and tossed her carving into the river, "Fine. But only because I'm required to."
"Great!" Cole jumped up and grabbed Sorin by the collar of her undershirt, hoisting her up, "Let's go!"
Standing at the outskirts of the village, Mordok stood waiting with the rest of his team for Sorin and Cole to return. A grizzly old man now, the Ranger commander had been one of the best and brightest in his youth, leading some of the most well-known Ranger expeditions in history. Now, he was graying and his skills with a sword diminishing from what they once were, which was why he was placed on escort duty, transporting younger Rangers to and from various points around Etheria to partake in the missions he used to lead. It had made him bitter, not that anyone really cared.
As the two youngest approached their team, Mordok watched them with ire. Sorin and her strong distaste for the Colonizers was amusing when she first joined the Rangers of Stormpeak, but as the years passed it became more of a nuisance. And Cole's willingness to follow his friend around like some lost child had always been irritating to Mordok, but that wasn't he issue at hand.
Sorin was the issue, she had always been an issue. Only two reasons remained for Mordok allowing her to remain on his Ranger squad. One, there was only one more day remaining in her tenure with his team before she arrived in Bright Moon to seek out new recruits at the Etherian Academy for Military Arts. And two, aside from himself, there was no greater rider, no greater swordsman, no greater combatant in the Rangers of Stormpeak than Sorin. It pissed him off; the fact that this arrogant, irritating, little parasitic worm of a fighter that was upstaging his legendary skill in half the time it took for him to split his first arrow.
"Alright, Rangers, listen up." Mordok grunted as he fixated his dark eyes on the rest of his team, "We are guests here. Have some drinks, talk with the Colonizers, be on your best behavior. Let's not make any trouble where trouble's not needed. Is that understood?"
Mordok sent a glare in Sorin's direction, but everyone replied with a short, "Yes, sir!"
The graying commander nodded once, a signal to all of his Rangers that they were dismissed. Sorin relaxed and glared daggers at her leader, sticking her tongue out at him childishly once he was turned away from her. Cole nudged her in the ribs gently, then took her by the elbow and dragged her into the village.
The village was tiny, tinier than most that the Rangers had encountered on their most recent expedition to the Crimson Waste. Only a handful of thatch houses stood on either side of the dirt road that split the village in half, with a couple of fruit carts, a tavern and a small forge to liven the place up a bit. Hanging from the eves of the houses were bright violet banners with Colonizer sigils in an electric blue. Pennants and flags hung in windows and in children's hands as Cole and Sorin walked through the tiny town. A small crowd, probably the entire town, was gathered in the center of the village where a golden glow rose up from the center of the street.
"It's the Rangers!" Someone from the crowd shouted, when they caught sight of the armored explorers coming toward them. Everyone in the crowd turned to see them, children climbed up on their father's shoulders to catch a better glimpse as one of the villagers approached Mordok. He was a portly man, obviously well-fed growing up on his home world and clearly brought up in a place of nobility.
"Welcome, mighty Rangers of Stormpeak! I am Castor, leader of this village. Thank you for accepting our invitation to join us in our festival." The middle-aged man greeted cheerfully. He flashed a bright white smile, which Mordok didn't return.
"It is our honor to participate in such an event with your people. We thank you for extending your hospitality to us on our journey." Mordok said with a bow, "I am Mordok, Ranger squad commander."
"Mordok, Rangers, please help yourselves to our stock of ales and spirits, our traditional Eternian foods and you are more than welcome to partake in our dances." Castor continued kindly, "Let the festivities begin!"
The villagers cheered and began to disperse as music began to play. The moment Castor mentioned ale, Cole made a beeline for the tavern, leaving Sorin standing alone in the street. The golden glow that had been in the center of the street began to fade away as the crowd spread apart. Sorin didn't bother to wait to meet She-Ra, rather she followed Cole's example and headed into the now busy tavern as Mordok walked up to the Princess of Power.
Sorin had found a seat next to Cole at the bar, where he was nursing an untouched pint. The former tapped on the bar to gain the barkeep's attention and asked him for a stein which he drew up and handed off to her silently. She tipped it back and chugged half the stein before setting it back down and wiping the foam from her lips.
"You know, just staring at the stuff won't make it fill your stomach." She told her friend, keeping her eyes fixed on her own drink.
"No. But it'll remind me of all the reasons why I'm not drinking it." Cole replied quietly, sliding it toward his fellow Ranger and getting up from his seat. For a moment, Sorin considered following him, but decided against it, grabbing Cole's stein and setting it next to her half-full one. As she raised her mug to take a swig, a stranger walked up to Cole's stool and cleared their throat.
"Is this seat taken?"
Sorin swallowed and shook her head, her eyes staring down at her drink. The stranger took a seat.
"Thanks. I'm Mara, by the way."
Sorin exhaled sharply, finished off her drink, and slammed the empty stein onto the bar, "Sorin."
"I saw you in the street." The stranger, Mara, said, "You looked pretty pissed off."
"Yeah, well, my opinion on Eternians isn't exactly a positive one." Sorin sighed, picking up Cole's stein.
"All of us?" Mara asked with a smirk. Sorin was growing tired of this woman trying to strike up a conversation with her. She slammed her stein down, not caring that half of her beer had sloshed onto the bar, and whipped her head around to face the Colonizer.
"Now listen-" She froze, mouth agape as her green eyes met a pair of thundercloud gray orbs. Mara didn't look like some entitled Eternian explorer, or some overly joyous Colonizer that was so sweet it was glaringly obvious that they were faking it. Instead, her features, while angular and defined, were friendly and welcoming. Her eyes were filled with curiosity and kindness, the type of gaze that led Sorin to believe that she may actually give a damn about others that weren't her own kind.
When Sorin didn't finish her response after a moment, Mara's delicate smile began to fade, her eyes began to fill with concern.
"Are you alright?" She asked softly. Sorin shut her mouth, grabbed her stein and chugged the rest of the amber liquid. The alcohol kicked in as she set the mug back down and she nodded.
"Yes, yes. Sorry, but I... I have to go." She replied, as the barkeep set another full stein down. Sorin slid the mug toward Mara and tossed a few gold coins down on the bar, "First round's on me. See you 'round."
"Hey, wait!" Mara called out to her as she walked out of the tavern. Outside, she saw Cole sitting with Mordok's second, Pius, and one of the other Rangers, Tullia, at a bonfire, talking to a few of the locals while children danced around the flames. Music continued to play as Sorin walked out of the town to where the Rangers had let their horses graze for the night. There, she found Mordok, much to her surprise, sitting under a tree, feeding himself slices of apple as he watched the horses.
"Of all the people I expected to see avoiding 'friendly' interactions with the locals, you were the least likely." She remarked with a cheeky grin, "Why are you here?"
"To intercept you." Mordok answered through a mouthful of fruit, "I figured you would duck out as soon as you possibly could."
Sorin snorted, her brow furrowed, "I'm riding ahead to Bright Moon."
"No, you're not." Mordok replied, in an abnormally calm tone. The old commander stood up and tossed his apple core toward the horses, taking long strides toward his subordinate.
"Why should I entertain those Colonizers?" Sorin spat at him, "They're only here to exploit Etheria's magic."
"Whatever the reason may be for them being here, it's of no concern to you!" Mordok snapped, "You're a Ranger, a soldier for hire. That's all. You have no place trying to interfere with the Colonizers. Now, get your ass back to that village. That's an order from your commander."
"You're not my commander!" Sorin shouted, letting her voice echo off the trees, spooking a few of the horses. Her face swung sharply to the side, her left cheek suddenly began to sting as Mordok's hand returned to his side and drew his dagger. The old man held his blade up to her neck and sneered at her.
"Now you listen to me, you ungrateful little girl! Either you return to that village or I slit your throat before you take your first step toward your horse." Mordok growled, his face filled with an insurmountable amount of anger.
Sorin locked eyes with Mordok, a battle of emerald green and obsidian. The former pondered her options. She could disarm the old man, disobey his orders, ride to Bright Moon through the night and be free of the senile monster, or she could swallow her pride, return to the village and face that beautiful woman in the tavern. She thought about those thundercloud eyes, how her gentle gaze had caught her so off guard. She had to see her again.
She exhaled sharply through her nose and gritted her teeth, "Yes. Sir."
As Mordok and Sorin returned to the town, the majority of the inhabitants had turned their attentions to the bonfire which had nearly tripled in size. Couples danced around the fire as the music still played and drunks sang their shanties. Sorin attempted to head back to the tavern, but her commander grabbed her by the collar and dragged her toward the bonfire.
"I can't do this sober." She told him quietly. Mordok growled, pulled a silver flask from his belt and handed it to her. After a few hearty swigs of the mystery contents of the flask, Sorin handed the container back to Mordok and walked off to find Cole. While she weaved and bobbed through the crowd, trying to avoid being run over by dancers and stepping on children, she collided with someone not paying attention to their surroundings.
"My apologies," Sorin said with a slight bow, "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Oh that's alri-"
Sorin looked up and locked eyes once again with gray orbs. It was Mara, the Colonizer from the tavern. She seemed just as surprised as Sorin was, but her shocked look quickly turned to the expression she had in the bar.
"It's you!" She smiled, "You know, for a moment, I thought you didn't like me."
Sorin blushed, her eyes widening "I- I never said-"
"Relax, Ranger, I'm just messing with you." Mara assured her with a beautiful, light laugh. Sorin found herself smiling at the sound of Mara's laugh, although the alcohol may have played a part in it.
With a sudden surge of confidence, she held out a hand to the Eternian and asked, "Drink with me?"
Mara's face became hesitant as she looked from Sorin's face down to her hand and back up again. Her hesitation melted away in a split second, replaced by a bright smile as she took Sorin's hand. The Ranger led her through the crowd, taking every precaution to avoid Mordok's line of sight as she led Mara to the now empty tavern. They stepped inside and saw that the barkeep had left, but had hung a note on the center shelf.
"It says as long as you pay, you can drink." Mara explained, taking a seat while Sorin stepped behind the bar. She grabbed a bottle of clear liquid off the top shelf, took off its cap and tasted it. It was gin.
"Do you drink hard liquor?" She asked Mara, grabbing a pair of shot glasses and setting one in front of her. Mara smiled at her and grabbed the bottle from her hand.
"I do now."
Present
The Best Friends Squad was enthralled by Sorin's story. She ran a hand through her holographic hair as she continued on.
"That night was the first time I had ever held any doubt about the people of Eternia. I learned that Mara wasn't like the others, she gave a damn about the people of Etheria. At the time, I didn't know that she wielded the Sword of Protection. I wouldn't know for several months after our first meeting, since the morning after I left for the Etherian Academy of Military Arts to begin recruiting a new class of Rangers. I would not see her again until their training was complete."
Sorin pulled something out of her pocket and looked at it for a moment, before looking straight ahead once again, "It appears I may live to see another morning. I will record another entry after some much needed rest. Until then, entry complete."
The hologram disappeared, leaving the ship in silence.
"Bow." Adora called out quietly, "Play the next one."