Chapter III: Into the Maelstrom

LORD HORDAK'S JOURNAL

FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF MY OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA

For the past days I have been silent, hoping to take the Rebellion by surprise and then crush them once and for all.

While I was busy plotting today, Shadow Weaver, came into my throne room with some interesting news.

"My lord, I have something to report," she said as she floated into the room, even though she hid her disfigured face behind her red hood, I could sense she was smiling.

"This had better be good, Weaver," I said as I looked up from my battle plans, I was no mood for her stupid schemes and wanted results.

"It is, my lord, I have sensed a being of dark power has arrived on Etheria, he could be a great ally in our war against the rebels," she said as she produced an image of a tall being dressed in black armor with computers hanging from his torso and belt and his face obscured with a black mask.

"The last being you said would help us was that miserable little upstart Keldor, and he betrayed me," I informed her as grabbed her by the neck of her robe. If I ever set foot on Eternia again I would make Keldor pay for his betrayal.

"Keldor was untrustworthy, I admit, but this time I shall make up for that, I assure you this being is the key to defeating the rebels," she said pleading me to trust her.

"Very well use your magic to bring him here, but I warn if he betrays me, it will be you who will pay," I told her as I summoned a Shadow Priest and destroyed him just by looking at him, to remind her that I have control over her fate and smiled as I released her.

Awhile later, she returned to tell me that she had teleported the being to the Fright Zone Interogation Room.

I left my throne and went there; the being was even more fierce in person, perhaps it was the way the darkness shrouding him like a phantom; perhaps it was the dark energies around him projecting an aura of evil around him; or the harsh mechanical breathing hinting at a life support system, whatever it even made me a little faint as I walked up to him.

"Who are you, and where am I?" the being asked, he was strapped to a chair and was trying break free, I could see it took my forces awhile to restrain him as the remains of several Horde Troopers were strewn across the floor.

"No one can break those straps, they are made of pure Eternium," I informed him proudly, but I was soon proven wrong as he almost effortlessly broke the straps as if they were made of wood.

A group of Horde Troopers swarmed around him but I ordered them to stand down, "I'll handle this," I said as I dismissed them.

"I'll be asking the questions here, now tell me who you are and why you are on Etheria," I asked him.

"I am Lord Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, and apprentice to Emperor Palpatine of Naboo," he said as he summoned his weapon to him, a hilt to some sort of sword and pressed a button making a blade of red energy to extend from the hilt.

I turned my prosthetic arm into a clenched hand with a sword in it and attacked the being; I must admit that I was taken aback when he mentioned the word 'Sith', my father told me about them; they were magicians who utilized the dark destructive energies of an energy field known as the Force.

The Sith ruled for millennia, using this Force and its destructive dark side as their ally, a distant galaxy. Theirs was an empire which was said to equal if not larger than the Horde's territory, but their rule was coming to its end.

Their own thirst for power combined with an ongoing against war their hated enemies, led to their downfall, "it was as if the very universe screamed in pain and terror for a brief instant and was silenced instantly," was how Horde Prime described their destruction.

"Impossible, the Sith are long dead, their legacy in ruins and their empire broken!" I said as I pulled back my sword before he could destroy it.

"One survived the Great Carnage at Russuan, to rebuild the Order, now where thousands stood, now only two exist and those two restored the empire and made it stronger," he said as he swung his sword and destroyed mine.

I fell to my knees in pain as the electricity surged from my severed arm; I looked up at him in shock.

"You are defeated, now you will give me the information that I seek," he told me.

"No one defeats Hordak and survives," I said as I closed my eyes and chanted a spell, but at the same time he must have cast a spell for we both went flying into the air, this Force he uses, if he is a Sith, must be or at least related to Essence whose destructive side I use to power my dark magic.

"Vader wait, it is obvious we are matched in power, but perhaps instead of fighting we might team up and we could crush this planet," I told him as I stood up, hoping he would see things my way.

"That is not in my best interest now, it would be waste of my time and power, to help conquer a planet that offers so little to the Empire," he said as he got up and left the room, my troops wanted to stop him but told them to stand down, it is better to let him go than to have a war that would decimate our troops, but I would keep my eye on this Darth Vader in hopes he would do my dirty work without knowing it.

PRINCESS ADORA'S DIARY

FIFTH DAY IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE HORDE'S OCCUPATION OF ETHERIA

I left the Crystal Castle and searched for this Vader, I still shudder at my last encounter with him, sometimes I think I'm still feeling the effects of the torture I was put through, I wished I could have died then and there, but the powers of Grayskull gave me strength to get through that ordeal with my life and secret intact, now I would have face Vader in battle and fear the outcome.

I was outside Brightmoon, when I saw what appeared to a being dressed in black armor, something told me that I had found Vader.

"Land near the woods Swifty, I want to try and take Vader in surprise," I told Swift Wind as he began the descent; once he landed I dismounted and went to hide behind a tree.

When he came closer, I drew my sword and jumped out, "I don't know how you got here, but you're not welcomed on Etheria," I told him as went to attack only to find my sword blocked by his weapon, an energy sword of some sorts.

"Finally, a warrior of competent skills, and strong in the Force too," he said as we broke the deadlock.

"For your information, the name is She-Ra, and I'll show you what force I'm capable of," I said as I swung my sword at him only to have blocked again, it was as if he was predicting my moves.

"You have great power She-Ra, I sense anger in you and hatred, yet you do not use them," he said as he lunged at me.

We fought for sometime, I thought that I had the upper hand, until that I noticed that his sword was cutting through the Sword of Protection, I was so shocked by this that I did not noticed that he kicked me in the gut sending me flying.

I hit a nearby tree, my back screamed in pain, but I couldn't focus on that now, this enemy had to be defeated.

"It'll take more than a kick to stop me," I said as got back, drew my sword and attacked him but once again he blocked my attacked, I tried to get the upper hand, but just as I thought I was winning, I was taken aback as I felt his sword cut through and then destroy my sword.

I fell to the ground, I looked up at terror as I saw Vader's saber pointed at my throat, for the first time it seemed there seemed no way to win.

"I sense your fear She-Ra, now use it, strike me down," he said as his moved his weapon closer to my throat.

I didn't know what to do, part of me wanted to continue fight but the more sensible side told to flee into the whispering woods, where I could hide.

I backed away slowly and when I was far enough from the blade, I got to my feet and ran into the forest.

THE LOG OF DARTH VADER, DARK LORD OF THE SITH

21 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS

I have faced many warriors before, some were Jedi, some were bounty hunters, some were Dark Jedi and would-be Siths, but none of the equaled this power of this She-Ra, she was truly a formidable warrior and the Force is strong with her, such potential begs for Sith training and would be a much better to train than that weakling Adora.

Yes, I could train her as my apprentice and then kill the Emperor then I would be the master Sith, it is the way of the Sith and has been so for thousands of years, Darth Necrous taught Darth Plagueis then Plagueis killed his master and found his own apprentice, the Emperor who is also known as Darth Sidious; my master trained two apprentices before me, but I shall return the cycle to the way it should be and kill him to take on my own apprentice, this She-Ra and together we will rule the Galaxy!

While I was thinking about this, I heard the voice of my master, "Lord Vader, are you alive can you hear me?" it said ringing through Force to reach me.

I knelt down, "I am alive my master, I can hear you," I answered back.

"Lord Vader, why did you not go to Falleen for your meeting with Prince Xizor, he was concerned for you," my master asked, I could not help but laugh mentally, the only reason he was concerned is that his shipping company, Xizor Transport Systems (XTS) is in the lead to ship materials for the new Death Star that my master wants to build and if I don't show up, he might lose it.

"My shuttle crashed on another planet, but I have made a discovery, this planet is home to a powerful warrior, powerful enough to crush the rebels, I need only a few items to turn her to the Dark Side," I informed my master, hiding my true intentions from him.

"What do you need?" he asked curious to turn She-Ra to the ways of the Sith.

"I will need a several legions of Stormtroopers among them my 501st; some Cruisemissle Troopers; and some AT-ST's, I believe there is a Sith spell that can transport these items here my master," I informed my master.

"That is a lot of equipment, is this warrior really worth it all, Lord Vader," he told me, I informed him that is was and that this ally could crush the rebels.

"Very well, I will give you what you want, my apprentice, but I expect to see results," he told coldly.

"You will my master," I told him; he would see results, however it would not be the results he wanted.

Once my master, ended the communiqué, I stood up and prepared my plan to bring this She-Ra to the Dark Side.

THE ACCOUNT OF THE SECOND SITH EMPIRE AS TOLD BY IT'S MERCIFUL LEADER, EMPEROR PALPATINE.

22 YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE CLONE WARS

I have finally made contact with Darth Vader, is his outside the galaxy on a planet called Etheria, that name is familiar, but I cannot remember where I heard it from.

What was interesting was that I sensed another Force Presence besides Vader, it appears that Jorus C'Boath was not as crazy as the Jedi Council made him out to be when he proposed the Force existed in other galaxies, this could be important to the future of the Sith, but that is for another time.

Vader had asked me to send him supplies and troops, it will be difficult the spell of Darth Mortus had not been used in over 12,000 years and could be deadly to the user if done incorrectly.

"Commander Jerjerrod," I called through the comlink on my throne, Commander Jerjerrod was in charge of military supplies.

"Yes, your highness," he answered back.

"I want some supplies to be ready for transport at once," as I told him as I told him what I wanted.

"Yes, your highness it will be done," he answered as I turned off the comlink, opened up a compartment in the throne revealing ancient scroll, and got up to see the order.

As I was getting up, my advisor, Sate Pestage came before me and said, "my lord, is it wise to give Vader his order, he is a Sith and the way of the Sith is that the apprentice kills the master, he is no doubt planning to supplant you, my liege."

"Vader knows his place, I sensed no treason in him, and as for supplanting me Vader is in another galaxy it would be foolish for him to attack now, especially when his distance would enable us to prepare for an attack, no Vader's loyalty is certain," I told my advisor as I went to inspect Vader's orders and prepare to send it to him.

I walked out to the balcony and saw the troops, walkers, and ships ready to be deployed; all that remained was to cast the spell.

I opened the scroll, closed my eyes and chanted, "Powers of the Dark Side, come to the aid of your master, keeper of the Arcane Knowledge of Darth Bane that he passed to his pupil and that came to me from my master. Take these items and send them to my servant so that the will of Sith be done!"

I opened my eyes, I could feel the very essence of the Dark Side in my being, and raised my hand and in a blinding darkness a portal opened and Vader's order had vanished.

"It is done," I said as I collapsed to the ground, luckily my guards heard me and helped me up, "Take me to my personal sanctum, I need to rest," I told them as they took me to my quarters to rest.