Part 2:
A Means to an End
The Templars led the assault, He-Man and She-Ra at the fore of the charge, hacking and slashing their way through Hordaks troops with swords and axes. With General Bow and his troops in support, it caused a momentum that soon broke the enemies lines, and as the combined firepower of all six Dreadnoughts gathered overhead, He-Man and the Templars were soon enough inside the outer perimeter of the stronghold.
XXX
The eastern perimeters control-room was in ruins, destroyed by blasts of energy and crushing blows. Soldiers and officers lay scattered all about, twisted and smoldering. Skeletor was watching the Templars breach the defenses on one of the last still functioning screens. He grinned and chuckled at the sight.
"I knew you couldn't be trusted" Shadow Weaver hissed as she entered the control-room.
Skeletor turned to face the witch and leaned against his staff as he did. "Hordak has lost. I do not intend to get killed just because of his vanity."
Shadow Weaver slowly began to move in an arch around Skeletor. "We held them at bay. It was you who doomed us! You betrayed us! It is your cowardice that will get us all killed!"
Skeletor chuckled, a most sinister laugh. "Yes, I doomed you all. I will get you killed. But not out of cowardice, but hunger. A hunger you know all too well."
"Power?" Shadow Weaver asked, halting in her step. "What deal have you struck with the Templars? What power will they grant you for this treason? Share it! Share it with me, Skeletor, and I pledge you my allegiance and council. What are you planning?"
Skeletor merely grinned. "Power shared, is power wasted."
"Then you will die with the rest of us!" the witch cried out and focused all the energy she could muster and her arms exploded with fire.
Static lightning shot along walls and ceiling, frost gathered on pieces of broken glass. Skeletor did little in the face of this. Lunging the flames engulfing her arms forward, Shadow Weaver unleashed a tremendous blast of fire and flame that struck Skeletor with such force that the floor beneath him melted to glass. But as the thick smoke began to fade and vanish, Shadow Weaver could not believe her eyes. Skeletor, holding an arm up to shield his face, had survived a blast that could have leveled a building. Smoke rose from Skeletors arm and shoulders, his hood had tiny flames burning here and there, sot was smeared over his mask, but the evil creature appeared unaffected by the destructive spell. Shadow Weaver stood amazed as Skeletor merely studied the veils of smoke leaving the arm that had shielded his face. Skeletor then turned his attention, slowly, at the witch across the room, his pale eyes looking out beyond the mask. And as Skeletor began to laugh, a sinister, cruel and evil laugh, the laugh of a demon, the witch felt fear for the first time.
XXX
The blastdoors leading to the command-center opened and Colonel Blast hurried inside to allow the heavy armored doors to slide shut behind him once more. His armor was scorched and covered with sot, and the colonel required a moment to catch his breath. From beyond the strategical holographic map, Hordak was aiming enraged eyes at the colonel.
"I was too late" Blast eventually said. "They have broken through. My men are holding their positions at various places, but as one checkpoint falls, three others are forced to regroup. We can hold out no longer than an hour at this rate."
Catra snarled like a jaguar. "Master" she said and turned to Hordak. "We must escape now! Let us head for the shuttles."
"Where is Skeletor?" Hordak inquired, although calm it was all too clear that he was furious.
"He has not been found or seen" Colonel Blast informed. "And I have not been able to contact Scorpia either. I do not know why the cannons along the eastern perimeter did not engage the enemy as they charged our walls."
Panic suddenly overtook Mantenna. "We must run... We must flee!" and the centaurish creature started heading for an archway leading to a flight of winding stairs.
"You will go nowhere!" Hordak demanded and aimed his cybernetic arm at Mantenna, the arm coming apart and rearranging itself as parts spun around, retracted and were replaced from within. A bolt of energy was fired by the gun that had been constructed and Mantenna was violently flung to the floor with a huge gaping hole in his back; the scent of burned flesh began to fill the room.
As the cybernetic arm began to readjust itself for its hand component once again, Hordak turned to Colonel Blast once more. "What of Grizzlor?!"
"He is cut off" Blast was forced to admit. "He will not hold for long, if hes not already defeated."
"How is this possible?" Catra snarled, studying the holographic overview of the battle.
"General Sunder must have given them every bit of information on this place he knew, when he surrendered to them" Colonel Blast concluded, reminding everyone that they had indeed lost their most brilliant commander more than two years before.
They all jolted as a window, located high up on the walls of the room, shattered and in flew a humanoid with massive batwings on its back. Wearing the armor of Hordaks forces, they all recognized the creature as Vultak, the living gargoyle. Landing amongst them, bleeding from several wounds, panting heavily, it was obvious he had barely escaped the enemy with his life intact.
"They are upon us" Vultak said between breaths. "Here and now."
His words were confirmed when something began to pound the blastdoors leading to the command-center from the outside.
"Milord" Colonel Blast implored his master. "Please, withdraw now and escape."
Hordaks face twisted with rage and malice. "NEVER! These maggots will not have me run like a coward!"
The blastdoor came lose with a terrible noise of bending metal, and as everyone turned to watch, they stood in terrified awe as they saw a single man lifting the door of several tons over his head and eventually throwing it to the side, crushing several of Hordaks soldiers beneath it. Everyone recoiled at the sight of the man, a man they all knew all too well.
"It is over, Hordak" He-Man said and took a few steps further into the command-center. "Your evil empire has fallen, your troops are scattered and you have no more allies to turn to. You are defeated. In the name of the free peoples of the Seven Galaxies, I hereby arrest you to stand trial for your crimes in a court of justice."
Hordak let out a menacing cackle. "It is not over, He-Man" he then said. "This is merely the beginning. Colonel... Blast him!"
Colonel Blast acted on the given order immediately, having a heavy blaster extend from his backpack to reach over each shoulder, as well as one extending around his waist on either side. Combined with the two blasters fixed on his forearms, within a second he had six deadly weapons aimed straight at the Grand Master of the Templars. Within the blink of an eye, Colonel Blast filled the command-center with blaster fire, sending a multitude of energy-bolts towards He-Man. Reacting instantly, He-Man ran and lunged himself towards the large holo-projector situated in the middle of the command-center, rolling into cover. The blaster-bolts detonated on impact with everything they struck, ripping the command-center apart utterly as Colonel Blast swept his guns to track his target. Everyone did as He-Man; ran for cover.
When She-Ra appeared in the open doorway, where the blastdoor once had been, Colonel Blast wasted no time and aimed his fire that way, forcing She-Ra back into cover. This distraction was enough, for Colonel Blast noticed something in the corner of his eye and turned to look. Leaping through the vast holographic projection, came He-Man flying and body-slamming the colonel to the ground. She-Ra acted at once and ran inside, but found herself immediately under attack by Catra. The feline lashed out time and time again with her claws, snarling and growling as she went after the female Templar. However, as soon as She-Ra saw the opening, she acted on it and thrust her sword into Catras gut, running her clear through.
He-Man was walking confidently towards Colonel Blast as he was trying to get back on his feet, clearly groggy from the hard hitting tackle. He-Mas was just about to grab the colonel, when taloned feet grabbed hold of him instead and hoisted him up by the shoulders. He-Man grinned from the pain of the sharp talons piercing his flesh as Vultak, with his taloned feet, dragged He-Man around, using his wings to stay airborne.
"Shoot him, Blast!" Vultak yelled at the colonel. "Shoot him now!"
Colonel Blast quickly picked up on the situation and took aim with both his wrist-mounted blasters. He-Man managed to grab hold of Vultaks belt, and dragged him down with a powerful pull, just as the blasters opened fire. Holding Vultak between himself and the incoming fire, He-Man felt the body violently jerk as the blaster-rounds exploded against the body. Feeling how Vultak grew limp in his hands, He-Man tossed the body away from him, aimed for and striking Colonel Blast, toppling him over in a heap.
"He-Man!" She-Ra shouted as she was running across the command-center. "Hordak is getting away!" she continued and pointed at the winding stairs at the far end of the large room.
"Go after him!" He-Man said. "Ill be right behind you!"
And as She-Ra headed after Hordak, He-Man moved on over towards the now even groggier Colonel Blast who was trying to push the body of Vultak, and its wings, away from him. He-Man decided to give him some help and pulled Vultaks body to the side; almost immediately did Blast try to aim his weapons at He-Man. The Grand Master of the Templars wrestled the colonel, bending arms and weapons to the side as best he could. In the end, He-Man grabbed Colonel Blast and tossed him with all his strength back across the room. Colonel Blast crashed into the holographic projector, causing it to explode in a geyser of sparks and smoke, sending forked lightning arching out of the projector to scorch the ceiling. A few smaller explosions followed before it all settled in a bonfire, with the colonels armored legs sticking out of it all.
Meanwhile, She-Ra was climbing the stairs as fast as she could in her pursuit of Hordak. Allowing him to escape was out of the question, so she increased her pace even further. Reaching the top, she found herself in a small hangarbay, holding only four shuttles. Beyond the open hangarbay doors was a spectacular view of the landscape, as well as the ongoing battle. Realizing none of the shuttles were being prepared for liftoff, she proceeded cautiously with her sword ready, knowing that her prey had to be hiding here somewhere.
"Give it up, Hordak" She-Ra said as she moved out into the space between the four shuttles. "Our navy will not allow you to escape this world in a shuttle. You have no place to hide. It is over."
"It is never over" Hordaks voice was heard saying, echoing in the hangarbay.
She-Ra spun around as she tried to locate the origin of the voice, locate Hordaks hiding-place.
"You think you can destroy evil?" Hordak continued and laughed from his hidden location. "You think you can have light without darkness? How can there be good if there is no bad. How can there be purity, if there is no filth."
"I may not be able to destroy evil" She-Ra replied, "but I can fight it whenever it appears. And that is what I intend to do. Or die trying."
"My sentiment exactly."
Something caught She-Ras attention, and turning she spotted something in the corner of her eye. It was with but an inch to spare that she ducked the incoming blast fired from Hordaks cybernetic arm, now turned into a cannon. The next blast was deflected by She-Ras sword, as were the five following blaster-rounds. With each blast deflected of the sword, She-Ra was pushed back a step, and each step took her closer to the open hangarbay-doors. When She-Ra was standing no more than a foot away from the edge itself, wind blowing in her hair, several hundreds of yards above ground, Hordak stepped out of hiding, a vicious grin on his face.
"Now, young Templar, you will die."
The cannon in Hordaks arm opened fire, sending a blast of deadly energy towards She-Ra. The Templar threw herself forward, ducking in under the blast meant to send her flying out into the air, rolling over her shoulder and coming up on a knee. Hordak could only watch as She-Ra let her sword go into a throw, the blade spinning as it flew in midair across the hangar, eventually sinking into Hordaks chest, to the hilt, with such force it threw his body two full yards into the shuttle behind him, nailing his body to its hull.
Hordak coughed up thick black blood that poured down his pale, white skin. He looked perplexed over the situation. "Impossible." And with a final sigh, he let out his last breath of air, his body turning utterly limp around the blade of the sword that kept him from falling to the floor.
She-Ra walked up to the body her sword had impaled, watching the now dead form of Hordak; the last tyrant in the Seven Galaxies. The last threat to peace and justice in the universe.
"It is over" she heard herself whisper. "The galaxies are free."
