Chapter II: Secret Warnings
THE MUSINGS OF LIGHT HOPE
14,0090 YEARS AFTER THE WAR OF ILLUMINATION
Something has happened today, an evil unknown to Etheria has arrived and it must be stopped before it is too late.
I first sensed it while I was contemplating the Essence, the collective consciousness from which everything in the Universe came from, when I felt a wave of dark energy overshadow it.
I wanted to investigate this , but before I could I heard a voice proclaim, "Light Hope, make yourself known to the Cosmic Enforcer!"
I came back to this world, and saw Zodak standing in front of me, "Zodak, what brings you to Etheria?" I asked him curiously.
It is odd that a Cosmic Enforcer would appear on Etheria as they considered Etheria to be safe from evil thanks to magic of the ancient Gnostics, who founded the planet.
"An evil force has arrived on Etheria," he told me bluntly.
"I know I have sensed it, I was going to investigate it and call for Adora to look into it," I told him, did he not think that I could handle it; I have guarded Etheria for millennia and know how to handle these things.
"That is why I have come, this darkness will test her, if she fails and follows the darkness, you are to take her powers from her so they can not be used for evil," he told me.
"I know that," I informed him plainly.
"There is more, if she follows the darkness, you are to by order of the Cosmic Enforcers, kill Princess Adora," he told me, staring at me.
"I will not, I am a Gnostic sworn to uphold and defend life, I will not take a life," I told him with a sense of indignation in my voice, I would not break the principle vow of Gnosticism, "Bious Preservum Defendio Sacrus Mortem- I swear by the Unknowable One to preserve and defend life till the day I die," all Gnostics must take this vow and must never break it, under pain of bansishment.
"You will do it, it is the will of the Cosmic Enforcers that if Adora fails, that you are to kill her," he declared.
"You were once a Gnostic, Zodak, and you dare to forsake your vows. I see why you Enforcers fled to the Universe, so not as to pay the price for your apostasy, leave this sacred place, Zodak and never come here again!" I spat at the Cosmic Enforcer and threw a bolt of energy at him sending him flying into a wall but not powerful enough to kill him.
Zodak got to his feet, I thought he was going to attack, but instead he just looked at me see and said, "you cannot disobey the Enforcers, Light Hope, you will obey our orders," he said as he vanished into light.
I knew he was right, even though the Enforcers have no power on Etheria, I knew Zodak, known for his fits of anger and vengeance, would waste no time in getting his fellow Enforcers to extend their control to Etheria, and the battle would ensue would devastate the planet far worse than anything that Hordak could do.
THE ACCOUNT OF SECOND SITH EMPIRE AS TOLD BY ITS MERCIFUL LEADER EMPEROR COS PALPATINE.
22 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS
I was mediating, probing the Dark Side for the secrets told my master took to his grave, the secret of immortality, a secret that has eluded me for too long, but I shall ensure my immortality other ways if I cannot to find the secret.
A few years ago, I made a deal with an evil warlord named Atha Prime, that in exchange for his secrets of cloning, which his knowledge is said to even rival that of the Kaminoans, I made him Overseer of the planet Byss in the Deep Core. Using his secrets I have begun to make clones of myself, and using this along with the holocron of the ancient Sith Lord, Exar Kun, I will be able to survive death, but I hope not to resort to it, and instead discover the secret of decoding my master's texts and learn his dark secrets.
While I was mediating, the light on my throne indicating that an incoming message is on my private holochannel went off.
I activated the projector and an image of Prince Xizor appeared before me.
"Xizor, what do I owe this visit to?" I asked the green skinned reptoid with a faint smile.
"Darth Vader has failed to arrive at the meeting, my liege, and there has been no trace of shuttle," the Dark Prince replied in his usually cutthroat way.
"This is unlike Lord Vader, I will get to the bottom of this, my friend," I told him as I cut the transmission off and closed my eyes to search for my apprentice through the Force.
I scanned the galaxy and could find no trace, it was if he vanished from the Galaxy, so I widened my search to include the universe, and begun my exhaustive search to find my wayward apprentice.
THE LOG OF DARTH VADER, DARK LORD OF THE SITH
22 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS
I made my way to the cockpit, there I found the pilots slouched in there seats, the bio readout built into my mask indicated that both pilots had been killed; I would probably would have perished as well if weren't for my life support systems.
I examined the readouts on the consoles, the screens looked burned as if the circuits had been fried by electrical energy, I removed the cover on the console and examined the circuitry.
The damage was extensive and beyond repair, my guess is that we encountered a cosmic storm and the vast energies fried the circuits and the pilots in an attempt to regain control were electrocuted, the storm would have fried the circuitry in my suit had it been for the fact that they were hooked up to the meditation chamber's reserve power supply that has been shielded against power spikes in case of such an emergency.
While I was examining the damage, I sensed something about this world, I sensed we were no longer in the Galaxy and yet I felt a presence in the Force, how could that be, both Jedi and Sith philosophy states that our Galaxy is the only one where the Force has made it's presence known, unless Master C'Boath had been right and we are not the only ones who know of the Force's will.
I decided the best thing to do is go and collect information, and find out just what planet I am on and if they willing to help the Empire.
I walked for several kilometers until I came to a tavern, I entered it, no doubt I took the locals by surprise, a few of them looked at my mumbled some things about and a few even spoke up, I could ended their talk with a mere thought, but I did not have time to deal with them.
I approached the bar and waited for the barkeep to come my way.
"What can I get for you sir?" he said his voice trembling as he tried to stare into the lenses of my mask.
"Information, you will tell me where am I," I said waving my hand to perform a Sith Mind Trick to extract the most of information.
While I was interrogating the man, a group of armored troops walked up to me, "Attention citizen you will cease and desist your questioning," one the troops ordered me.
"You will drop your weapons and walk away," I told them trying to influence their thoughts it did not work, either these troops have will made of the strongest metal or they are robotic, I guessed the later, since no will can resist a Sith Mind Trick, only one has ever resisted that, and that was Princess Leia, and that came from years of training, something these flunkies lacked.
"Once again, citizen, by order of Lord Hordak you will cease and desist," one of the troopers demanded.
I removed my saber from the belt and said, "As you wish."
The troopers fired their blasters, but no blaster is a match for a lightsaber, I deflected the blaster bolts and sent them back at them, "this was hardly worth the effort," I said as I dispatched the last of them and went back to finish my integration.
I found out that I was on Etheria in the Eternian Star System, I had heard that name before, of course the woman whose ship crashed shortly before the Death Star plans were stolen, perhaps there was reason for my ship crashing here after all.
PRINCESS ADORA'S DIARY
FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA
I am still in the infirmary in Castle Brightmoon, Queen Angella is still looking for a cure but has found nothing, although one book seems to catch her intrigue her more than the other, it is entitled, The Account of the Whills and the Dialogues with the Force, I had heard that eons ago on her homeworld of Celestia, in addition to her people there were a group of beings, beings of pure energy known as Whills, they were said to be founders of the universe's great religions, including Gnosticism.
They had long ago, evolved beyond the need of bodies and spent all their time in meditation, probing a mystical energy field called, Deim Foerce or the force of the gods, over time this became corrupted Dieum Forcoe which means the force, and finally into the Force.
Once they felt they had studied it enough, they left Celestia and were never seen again, I wonder what could the Whills have to do with my visions.
I had little time for think, for soon I received a message from Light Hope, She-Ra was needed at the Crystal Castle.
I went up to Angella, and told her I had go take care of something, she asked me if I was well enough to go, "I have little choice but to go," I informed her as I left for the stables.
Once there, I unhitched Spirit and went to a secluded corner of the stables.
I looked around to make sure no one was watching me then I raised sword and proclaimed, "For the Honor of Grayskull!"
A brilliant light surrounded me and Spirit as the power of King Grayskull filled us, I felt renewed as the power came over me, I was no longer Adora.
"I AM SHE-RA!" I proclaimed pointing my sword, now glowing with power and knowledge of the ancient Gnostics, at Spirit.
The energies removed the enchantment his ancient owner placed on him long ago, and soon his magnificent wings and horn appeared, like I was no longer Adora, he was now no longer Spirit, but Swift Wind!.
Once the light subsided and the transformation was over I mounted Swift Wind and made my way to Mount Consecro and the Crystal Castle.
We flew for some time, before we reached the Mountains of Immortality and began the ascent to the summit of the Sacred Mountain to reach the Castle.
When we reached the top, I dismounted my steed and approach the gates and declared, "For the Honor of Grayskull, I command thee, Light Hope, king of Infintia and last of the Gnostics to raise the gates of thy Crystal Castle and bid the Restorer of the Honor of Grayskull and Protector of the Defender of the Castle of Grayskull entry!"
The large bejeweled doors swung open, and I slowly walked into the castle.
Despite the amount the times I've been I still get a chill up my spine when I come here, just site of thousands of living crystals, containing the souls of the Etheria's ancient rulers, creeps me out, but right now I had other things to worry about.
I respectfully approached the altar crystal, and knelt silently praying, "Light Hope, oh great king of Infintia, who gave his life freeing this world make yourself and thy will known to the servant of the lineage of Grayskull before this altar," and waited for a reply.
The Crystal began to glow and soon a beam multicolored energy shot out and the familiar voice of Light Hope replied, "Rise, She-Ra."
I asked him why he had summoned me here, he told me an evil being as entered Etheria and I was needed to stop him.
"What does this being look like?" I asked curious to know what I was going to up against.
"This is what he looks like She-Ra," he said as he produced the all too familiar image of Lord Vader.
Light Hope noticed I turned pale, "Yes, this the same Darth Vader whom Adora faced when she was stranded in another galaxy, his ship crashed here and you know he is dangerous," the ethereal entity told me.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of Vader," I told him confidently as I drew my sword.
"There is one other thing, She-Ra, there is more than Etheria at stake," he told me as I made my away to the exit, I did not understand what he meant but something told me it wasn't good.