Into the darkness

They had been adrift for three days now, and Bina had settled into the ship's usual routine. Meals, system checks, training, drill alarms, and arguing about game rules, verbal scuffles, throwing paper birds… the usual. But this time it was different. And you could feel it every step of the way.

First of all, they had passengers. This wasn't the first time they'd carried visitors, perhaps even more unusual or suspicious ones. But they were different.

Arkan-tar, Doctor Quin, and Rechiza would have in different situation enjoyed their own company, rarely leaving their cabins. Actually, if it was about an ysoki scientist, it was even like that. Arkan-tar was polite but a bit overly curious, and Rechiza looked as if she was constantly afraid of something. This didn't surprise her, after all, they were going to the most cursed part of the galaxy. Though she should have known where she was going and what danger she was dealing with. Bina guessed that her behavior might be related to the loss of her eyes and antennae. She didn't met many Lashunti, so she didn't know what effect such a mutilation might have on them. Plus, she was a witchwarper, the strangest and most unpredictable kind of spel caster. Bina wanted to keep an eye on her, but if she could keep an eye on everything that worried or disturbed her, she would look like a legendary beholder.

The next three interfered much more in the lives of her crew. Dilayla, Rosie and Wrongdak gained a certain level of trust and sympathy among her crew members, which was not so easy considering how distrustful they were. She was happy about it, because she always wanted her charges to open up to the world.

Rosie was a nice, if somewhat naive, girl who managed surprisingly well despite her deafness. She was so different from Bina's kids that it was hard for her to believe someone like that could still walk the earth, though perhaps she had a warped perspective? She was so used to the weirdness and otherness of her charges that normality was something incomprehensible to her. Rosie became friends with the crew, especially Eti. Of course, this caused the resentment of itel, who was jealous of her "just friend". She was glad that Eti had befriend with someone from the outside, and not that she wanted to wound that person. Rosie gladly joined the four friends, ignoring the green-haired elf's grumbling about the fifth wheel on the cart. After a few days, even the solarian stopped being rude to the white-haired girl, though Bina wasn't sure if it wasn't an agreement between Itel and Eti. She was afraid that complications might arise from this in the future.

Dilayla was a mercenary, though different from those she had ever met in her life. The woman had been mutilated in her early youth, supposedly attacked by invaders from deep within the ravaged zone, relatives of the sympathetic white-skined alien. She was very protective of Rosie, albeit in a completely innocent way. She mentioned that she once had a sister herself, but she had lost her long ago ... She herself had never known true sisterly love, but she could understand that now she was transferring those feelings to Rosie. She was also friendly towards Wrongdak, though Bina wasn't sure exactly why, especially since it was his kind that had maimed her.

Wrongdak… She wasn't sure what to think of him. He was a gentle and friendly creature by all means, but… he came from the place they were going to. He was a member of some Horde that was terrorizing the entire Zone. He had been a soldier himself, though not for long from what she could tell. The most important thing was that he was a clone. It made her uneasy, but it shouldn't have been. After all, she herself was one of Jantar's Thousand Daughters, or rather the Thousand Sisters as they were now called. "Maybe that's what it's all about. It's hard to accept that you weren't unique in the hurt you suffered. Somebody else was as crazy a son of bitch as your Father" she thought grimly. Wrongdak even now as he spoke of his creator, this Horde Prime, was full of rage and fear. However, she had to admit that Wrongdak turned out to be a really nice and useful addition to her crew. He was strong, technically gifted and willing to help, although the latter may have been the result of spending a few years among Skittermaders. He also didn't mind Eti for attacking him and for treating him contemptuously. He occasionally watched her surreptitiously and asked the ship's captain questions about the feline girl, though of course he received only vague answers. Eti reminded him of his friend. And that could mean that she had survived Dr. Sidonius's crazy experiment... She should be glad about it, but if Eti met the other one... Will the conditioning kick in?

And there were the other two. Miss Daisy and Lady Cala. The grim elf had something strange about her and was a powerful and dark sorceress. She quickly began teaching them, as per the agreement they had made, and admittedly, she was quite good at it. She taught them the basics of linguistics, rhetoric and even calligraphy and drawing. She taught them the basics of good manners and economics, and even philosophy. In one discussion with Itel, it came to light that he was quite knowledgeable about miltary. She was also an excellent storyteller, though in Bina's opinion there were too many princesses in her stories. She was friendly to Rosie, and the white-haired woman seemed to feel very sorry for her. She and Eti had a certain connection, which was even weirder, and of course Itel was jealous. There was something else. Once she heard whispers between Arkan-tar and Rechiza. Lashunti mentioned something about "Her Face" while glancing at Miss Daisy. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but then she had the impression several times that the woman's face glitched, although it was probably just an illusion caused by the power of suggestion.

And of course there was Lady Cala. The young woman was an absolutely extraordinary aristocrat, a beautiful, strong and smart young woman. Which was probably the most obvious reason why Eti hated her. She could be overwhelming, and the company of a fair-haired aristocrat was a little overwhelming. Only Eti, of course, hissed at her whenever she passed by. She also sprayed hand sanitizer on everything she touched. Eti has always been ... specific and had her weirdnes. It was weird even for her though. She believed the feline ward that she could smell a strange and unpleasant smell, after all, she had an excellent sense of smell and hearing. Lady Cala herself admitted that she suffers from a rare disease and because of this, her body may emit a strange smell. Bina saw no reason not to believe the aristocrat… Well, Eti should sometimes think about how her room smelled after being locked up in it for a few days and not airing it out. Although sometimes when she watched Lady Grayskull, especially during training, when she won exacly three-quarters of her matches with itel and Lilka, she had the irresistible feeling that there was something strange about her ... "No one is so perfect."

Besides, she had the impression that the relationship between Miss Daisy and Lady Cala was much more complicated than it appeared. The aristocrat assured that the grim elf was like a second mother to her, and the one who introduced her to adult life. She was her friend and mentor. The dark sorceress was much more reserved, but she was generally a very reserved person. However, she had an irresistible impression that their relationship was much ... colder. Perhaps that was how well-born behaved. The women whispered among themselves, but did nothing really suspicious… except for one incident

It was the second day of the flight. It was quite quiet, everyone was resting after the systems review. Wrongdak was snoring loudly in the cabin he shared with Dilayla, Arkan-tar was reading some philosophy book borrowed from Eti, and so on. Rosie knelt beside Emily, examining the Skittermanders' drawings on Emily. Her eyes hurt from looking at her if anyone asked her opinion. Then Miss Daisy and Lady Cala entered the saloon where members of her small crew usually socialized. The noblewoman knelt beside Rosie, who immediately turned to her. This Droid was surprisingly fond of the Carurystal woman.

„You see Lady Cala this scar? How you think, how Emily got her. Wrongdak avoids explanation, but it looks like a wild beast attack to me?" the girl asked in sign language. Lady Cala puffed out her cheeks as if considering something. Miss Daisy stood back and looked at them.

"It could have been something much worse, my dear Rosie. A domesticated beast gone feral. Once my dad, may his soul rest in peace, used to tell me about his experiences in the circus. He was there at the performance of a certain tamer who was supposed to tame three wild beasts. A giant insect, a bizarre purple monkey, and a disgusting feline monster. The handler intimidated the insect and the monkey without much effort, but the feline monstrosity pounced on him and crippled him forever. The father was shocked, but another tamer with much more experience sitting next to him said that what he had witnessed was in fact a display of sheer incompetence. Many trainers are cruel to the animals they train, but only focus on intimidating them enough to obey and follow orders. But they remember who hurt them and are just waiting to pay back, all it takes is a moment of weakness ... A real tamer does not stop at submission. He mercilessly breaks the animal so that the mere thought of rebellion is terrifying to it" explained the aristocrat, and the white-haired woman looked at her in horror.

„It's terrible! How… how can someone do such things to another being." she said terrified. Lady Cala put a hand on her shoulder.

„I asked my father the same question and he couldn't find a good answer. The only thing we are able to do is not go to circuses and the like, such people did not earn money and support laws protecting animals." She patted Rosie's back and stood up. Bina would agree by all means, but she had the feeling that she was missing something. Some nuance that only these women understand… Throughout the story, Miss Daisy stood still, her fists clenched tighter and panting heavily. „Why did this story make her so angry? What happened here that I can't see" she asked herself in her mind. As Lady Cala was about to leave, Rosie asked her.

„And this beast, that's what happened to her?

The aristocrat looked at the deaf girl sadly.

„In a better world, someone would have mercifully shot her, but unfortunately, she was adopted by a dorky knight, a follower of Iomadae. Just wait for the tragedy, because once warped personality can not be fixed.

Miss Daisy left exuding fury. „This is too much for me" thought Bina.

And finally, there was their absolutely unplanned companion, Captain Moonshadow. Bina had no real prejudice against pirates and other dark-star types. She herself was literaly „born" into the gang. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cooperate with this woman. According to rumors, she was either a freedom fighter and slayer of the vile Azlanti, or a deranged psychopath who didn't care about any conventions about respecting the lives of captives. Her first encounter with the pirate suggested that both opinions might be true. But then it was time to determine the route of the flight. Captain Moonshadow made contact via the links, and her masked face appeared on the screen. Arkan-tar, Lady Cala, Wrongdak, as well as Eti and Itel were present.

"So, we must reach Etheria, but our task is also to collect enough data on this place for possible future expeditions." Arkan-tar said. Meanwhile, the itel and Lady Cala turned on the holographic map, onto which they had mapped data from the maps in Lady Cala's possession, those given to them by the old leech and found in the accursed observatory, and those at the disposal of Captain Moonshadow. They exchanged their data, although the pirate came out was much better at it. But they didn't want to make an enemy out of someone like that. On the other hand, he won't learn anything new anyway, because the maps largely overlapped.

"My crew is all about wealth, so if we find treasure along the way, I'm willing to go a bit off track." She pressed the word a bit hard.

„We can't promise much." said Lady Cala. "Especially someone like you." Please forgive my bluntness." she bowed politely to Captain Moonshadow.

„Please don't forgive her. We'll throw her out the airlock." Eti interjected suddenly, but Bina glared at her. Fortunately, no one reacted to what the girl said.

„I'm not a noblewoman with a gentle heart, so that I have to sneer hearing a few words of truth." The pirate bit back.

„Erm." Arkan-tar grunted. "Back to our discussion. I suggest we visit a few of these planets first." showed a couple of systems on the way to Etheria. „Rather, there is nothing interesting there, because earlier expeditions would have discovered something, but it's worth checking."

„I agree". Moonshadow said. "Uninhabited planets have some value, and people like me can get some benefit out of them."

„That's nice, but note that we have limited supplies, and our crew has kind of doubled. Bina interjected, crossing her arms over her chest. They still had a fair amount of overstock, but she preferred to be careful.

"I'm sure we'll have an opportunity to restock along the way," said Lady Cala.

„I can give you something too. My crew consists of decent people for pirates." added the strange pirate. Bina had to admit that at least she was kind to her charges, despite their quirks.

„It doesn't matter. There's nothing there, nothing anymore." Wrongdak said in a gloomy voice joining the discussion. They all looked at him as if only now noticing that he was there.

„Please explain?" Bina asked anxiously. She had never seen a alien in such a gloomy mood.

„They rejected the light of Horde Prime. They were unworthy of his love." he said quietly, staring at his feet.

„ What do you mean. Itel asked pale, apparently the first to guess the truth.

„He killed them. all of them. Entire civilizations, entire planets… Sometimes for resisting too much, sometimes because he thought it was the right thing to do. Sooner or later everyone met this fate." he said, and there was a gloomy silence. Bina felt a cold sweat break out on her back. She had witnessed the annihilation of an entire planet, so she could imagine destruction on such a scale. However this was the Swarm, an unrestrained mindless force driven by an insatiable hunger, but here an intelligent being annihilated entire worlds because… He wanted it? Because it was his will? It was incomprehensible to her. She knew, though not personally, one person capable of such a thing, but even he ... But he was guided by logic, cold and ruthless. It was just madness. „Why did I go to this place cursed by devils and demons" she thought in horror. The others seemed to share her feelings. Arkan-tar scratched his cheek nervously, Itel stared at Wrongdak in disbelief, Lady Cala looked down sadly, Captain Moonshadow looked away. "She met the Wrongdak brothers, as did Dilayla." she recognized him…though I don't think she was looking for him." Only Eti was ostentatiously unshaken. This was how she showed her emotions on normal days. By absolute peace. Wrongdak broke the silence. He pointed to two points on the holographic map.

„Icarus is here." pointed to the first place, a star system located in a dense cluster of stars. "That's where my friends come from. Star siblings. After Horde Prime's death, they led a rebellion against him. Their planet was once the center of trade for the entire region. When he… When Horde Prime arrived there, it was all over. The inhabitants resisted and… they were punished. The destruction was… massive, but now they are rebuilding their world. I was there for a few weeks and I have some friends there…. We can also fly to Anywhere…" He pointed to the second point, a moon near the gas giant. He smiled at their confused looks. "It was the place where the guerrillas and others who stood against him hid. Radiation from the moon interferes with most ships' sensors. But I'll show you how to calibrate yours."

They thought for a few moments. Bina spoke first.

„I choose Icarus. This seems to be the place we are used to. Radiation doesn't sound very appealing, and I've had some experience with the rebels, and they're not conclusive.

The rest of her nodded, only Captain Moonshadow added.

„Show my crew how to calibrate the sensors. This may come in handy someday."

Wrongdak nodded. Lady Cala had been inputting calculations on the mapping device throughout the clone story. Finally she said.

"I've mapped out a flight route for us, it will take us three weeks of drifting." With a bit of luck, of course, because Drift is unpredictable.

Bina looked at her in surprise.

„Are you familiar with drift navigation? she asked the aristocrat, who smiled and said.

„Yes, and also in biology, ancient art and many others. I have five faculties. I'm also a first-class swordsman and I'm licensed to pilot starships."

„And I thought you had six faculties. Ethi said suddenly.

„Six?" Lady Cala asked in surprise.

„You know, don't forget the most important thing, the modesty faculty". said the feline girl.

"Good point"

Wrondak was getting impatient during the drift flight. He had been on ships using this drive before, and it was always an extraordinary experience for him. He has traveled in hyperdrive ships like the Darla and time-bending Horde warships. But this was something else. The inhabitants of the Galaxy used combined magic and technology to travel through space. They found themselves in a different world, a plane connecting all dimensions, and they moved over huge distances. The drift was not empty, there were fragments of other worlds floating here. He knew the drive's technical specifications, though not knowing anything about magic, he couldn't understand everything, but he hoped Entrapta would enjoy it anyway... Maybe he'd even look at this ship. He could imagine her screams of excitement at the sight of this technology, and it warmed his heart. But he had other reasons for wanting to return to Etheria.

He wanted to reassure Glimmer with the news that the Galaxy was not a terrible graveyard of worlds ravaged by Horde Prime. But he also wanted them to meet his new friends. Especially these two. Eti had something of Catra about her. Not only in appearance, although they were similar. She… had something in her's heart. Anger, but with her it was deeply hidden. He knew Catra's past, not as well as the others, but he knew she had been badly hurt. Eti had pain in her as well, but another, much more familiar one, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was... But Lady Cala Grayskull was here too... She was beautiful and strong and wise. He had never met someone so extraordinary. And she said her ancestor was Mara, the previous She-Ra, a woman who, like Adora, was one of the First Ibes. This meant that the hero of Etheri was no longer alone, she was not the last of the First Ones They didn't look alike, but at the same time they looked a lot alike… „No, Lady Cala looks like She-Ra" he thought in surprise, and felt a hint of uneasiness in the back of his mind, but then it dissipated.

He felt good on this ship among all these people, so interesting and unusual. He liked to help with test alarms and system checks, cooking and cleaning, and he thought he had won the crew's sympathy, except for Eti, who continued to fuss at him and call him names from the Wormdak. He didn't mind, from Glimmer and Bow's stories, he knew it could be much worse.

Earlier in the observatory, he had not noticed it, but after one of the trainings Eti took off the glove. Then he saw her hand and maimed fingers. He looked away, trying not to stare, although the girl must have noticed it anyway, because she growled at him incomprehensibly. He saw that Miss Daisy was also looking at the girl in amazement and horror. But he doubted if she really understood how much this girl had lost. He knew suffering, and he knew how much pain some people can inflict on others for no reason, just for the sake of pleasure… "Evil did not go away with Horde Prime. Recently, I was able to convince myself of this."

As he thought about it, he felt something rubbing against his calves and arms. He turned around smiling broadly. He saw Toshi, the electric fox and mascot of the crew. He stroked his head, and the animal began to sniff him looking for something tasty, which is probably batteries. When he did not find them, he flew away and wrapped himself around the neck of Eti sitting on the bench. The girl gave Wrongdak a triumphant look.

„The pet seems to like you". said Miss Daisy.

„He just likes intelligent creatures. Eti said, clenching and opening her mutilated hand.

"If my observations are correct, then Mr. Wrongdak is a person as smart as you ... only fulfilling in other fields." said Miss Daisy in a sonorous voice.

„Usually animals like me. At first I was a little afraid of them, as was of Emily, but now I like them… they are simpler than intelligent beings. They hide less and are not as complex. Just like I understand Droids better than biological beings." he said to both women.

- And and everything is right with Emily?" asked Miss Daiy, smiling at him.

„Okay... She's been a bit scared lately. This trip and what happened to us on Saltmarsh must have affected her badly." The woman replied with a smile of her own.

- It's just a Dumbbot! Who would care?" Eti asked contemptuously.

"Emily is much smarter than anyone would have guessed…. She is a good friend who takes care of her friends on her own. Said the sorceress looking at the Droid, who was standing in the corner of the training room, who was staring at her very carefully. In fact, Emily seemed scared and anxious lately. Especially in the presence of a grim sorceress. He had seen the terrible power she possessed. The inhabitants of the galaxy practiced many kinds of magic, often very dark. The Bone Sages of Eox terrified him the most. It wasn't them that he feared, but the terrible prospect that their power offered them. There was nothing in the world he feared more than the return of Horde Prime. Miss Daisy also reminded him of someone terrible he had met a long time ago, but only for a moment. But she died on Etheri as did his Big Brother. He anxiously looked again at the dark sorceress, who watched with concern as Eti irritated the contracture in her hand. "She never showed us an iota of selfless concern. Not an iota of love. There's no point in remembering her," Catra once told him when he asked her about the masked sorceress.

„You mentioned your Older Brother." Miss Daisy asked unexpectedly.

„Yes ... I am named after him ... in a sense ..." he replied, getting ready to do it again

„Rosie told me about it. What do you think is going on with him?" she asked in a slightly bored voice.

„He took up residence on the Beast Island a terrible place, to purify it... He said he did it to atone for his deeds. My friend joined him and they live there together." he replied smiling to himself.

„Together?" the sullen woman asked, surprised, which was… surprising.

„Yes, before they met, my brother was completely lonely for many years, but now he has someone and a very close to one another."

„Hmmm... Well, I'm the absolute last person to judge them." A sad, mysterious smile appeared on Miss Daisy's face.