Wolf of War.
Thanks to the bearings given by Dilayla , they found fleet relatively quickly and simply, but they didn't expect it to be a real armada. They saw at least five warships. Such large warships had only been seen in the Horde fleet. One of these ships was even bigger than anything the deranged tyrant had, except Velvet Glove . They stopped at a safe distance and broadcast what Dilayla thought was a galactic signal of friendly intentions. Soon, several smaller ships were sent their way and surrounded them.
"Who are you and for what purpose are you coming?" one pilot asked.
"I'm Jewelstar , and these are my sisters Tallstar and Starla. Here we come… we want to provide information about Horde Prime's Empire , or rather what's left of it." her brother said.
"And Glory is also with us, our flashyowl." Starla interjected. There was a silence that lasted for a good quarter of an hour. They were nervous and just scared. They didn't know if the commanders of this flotilla simply wanted to knock them down as a precaution. After all, they could be some crazy Prime loyalists who want to commit suicide attack or spies. Hell, she'd shoot herself in their place... Their ship was fast but poorly armed, for they preferred to rely on maneuverability and stealth. Their cloaking systems were pretty good too, and allowed them to hide from Horde ships if they didn't get too close, and from all the pirates, but she didn't know if those ships didn't have super-advanced scanners . They looked damn modern.
Finally, they heard the announcement. She jumped up and hit her head.
"This is Commander Reese, Right Hand of Lord Admiral Antares . I'm glad to meet the first Denizens of the Ravaged Zone we've encountered... I mean, the Ravaged Zone is where you live... Although, actually, you're probably the inhabitants of this Prime's empire ... Actually it seems he's dead... So actually, it's hard to say where you actually live. I'm sorry, this is the first time in my life that I'm doing this. I'm talking to people from a newly discovered part of the galaxy. Hello, inhabitants of the most cursed area of the galaxy. It's not implying you're cursed or anything like that. Anyway, on behalf of the Research and Exploration Fleet, I welcome you and invite you to… breakfast? Lunch! With Lord Admiral Antares . You have to dock aboard the battleship Glory of the Fallen... Ugh ... That's the biggest one... Then we'll see you there." And the message ended. They sat together in the cockpit for a few moments, stunned.
"It was… surprising." Jewlstar said slowly .
"To me, the commander sounded quite nice, certainly better than those madmen from Bellum." Starla said with a radiant smile.
"Well, we can certainly be sure that they are not preparing a trap for us. That sounded far too… awkward" Tallstar said thoughtfully.
Docking went quickly. Then some soldiers boarded them and searched them and their ship, though not very thoroughly. In their place, she would have had their stripped naked and interrogated for three hours. They hadn't even checked their necks, though on the other hand, they hadn't been seen much chipped since Prime's demise. Glory caused them the most consternation. They watched Starla's pet for several long moments before they stepped aside and made contact with captain, and then officer-looking one said.
"Unfortunately, it's best if your pet stays on your ship if it's not a problem. He could get hurt on the ship." he said in a polite and matter-of-fact tone that made her blink at hearing such polite words. They agreed and the Starla said goodbye to the Glory and boarded the warship.
The interior of the ship looked much different than they had expected, quite unlike the sterile ships of the Horde. Everything was illuminated with a warm light, the walls were covered with some kind of substance imitating wood. He even had a holographic painting on the wall of some predators howling on a hill.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? The Lord Admiral paid a lot of attention to interior finishing. Glory of the Fallen is our flagship and it needs to look right to represent the Fearless Armada… Now a Research and Exploration Fleet." said the man, the same one they had heard earlier. in a gala uniform beaming with pride. He was well-built, had short-cropped hair, and looked somewhat like her brother. "I'm Commander Reese. Lord Admiral Antares is waiting for you. I will take you to him." he said and motioned for them to follow him.
"I'm Jewelstar , and these are my sisters Tallstar and Starla. Lead us to your commander." her brother said, shaking the officer's hand.
They walked for several minutes, passing numerous crew members going about their business.
"I'm sorry you had to wait so long, but there is confusion around here. It's knocked the entire fleet out of Drift all at once, and they're all having to reconfigure the drift drive and then re-sync it." the commander explained.
"Drift?" she asked a bit confused.
"Drift, you know... a hidden. magical dimension where ships move. It has been discovered over three hundred years ago, almost all over the Galaxy at once. You don't know about him?" Commander Reese asked in surprise "Damn, he's younger than Jewlstar and he got that position." She thought and said.
"Until recently, until the fall of Horde Prime, magic was something that only exists in fairy tales." She gave her siblings, especially Starla, a warning look not to blab anything about the Heart. The commander looked at them surprised.
"The galaxy is full of wonders beyond imagination. As a child myself, I did not expect to see what I have already seen and so much more to come." he said cheerfully
"You joined the fleet looking for adventure?" Jewelstar asked curiously .
"No, my family farm was destroyed, only I survived. Lord Admiral saved me." The commander became extremely serious and as if sad. They were silent for a moment, until her brother spoke thoughtfully.
"Our home has been devastated by the Horde. Only us and our uncle survived. Do you have someone similar? Those who sent us to you spoke of some Azlanti…. Was it them?" Jewelstar asked.
The commander winced and shook his head.
"The Azlanti are a bunch of imperialist speciesist bastards, but it wasn't them. They are rarely so brutal to humans. No, it was the Swarm. The galaxy's greatest scourge, worse than Azlanti, Corpse Fleet, Dominion of Black, or even the Great Old Ones." The officer's voice was hard and grim. They looked at each other in disbelief. "There can't be that much evil in the universe. He just doesn't know Horde Prime . He does not understand that no one in the galaxy can match the wickedness of this monster. It's good that there isn't and won't be anyone in the entire galaxy that's nearly as bad." Tallstar thought , and she was about to ask about the Swarm, but then they entered a large room where Lord Admiral Antares was already waiting for them ...
Lunch, breakfast, or whatever that meal was supposed to be was a huge surprise for them. First of all, it was much less formal and lavish than expected. In fact, it was more like a pleasant meeting with friends than a solemn dinner with officials. Even on Etheria, etiquette was more closely watched, not to mention those pompous assholes from Eridani. They were served some roast meat, vegetable curry, some legume soup, biscuits, and green fruit mousse for dessert. The last one made them especially happy, the last time they ate something like this at Glimmer's dinner, almost a year ago. The food was simple and made from ready-made semi-finished products, but tasty. The only more exotic thing served was wine. Just the smell of him made her dizzy with the richness of the aroma.
"Please, drink it, it's elven wine from Castroval . It may not be as exquisite as their dream wine, but it is very good." said the Lord Admiral, personally pouring them the drink.
"I don't remember ever drinking wine. Horde Prime forbade alcohol from his subjects, except for a trace amount of wine, which he ordered to produce for himself." her brother replied and drank the glass with a smile.
"It is interesting, most dictators prefer their subjects to be drunk or drugged. Then they are less willing to rebel. No wonder he fell." said Asindesa di Vir, Lady of Blades.
"And the biggest bastards are teetotalers. Never trust people who never drink." said Lady Ka, reaching for the second bottle of wine and drinking it straight from the bottle.
Their hosts, however, surprised them much more than this simple and tasty meal. The Lord Admiral had a cybernetic eye similar to her brother's. He was an intimidating man, the first true space admiral they had ever seen. He exuded strength and confidence worthy of a true leader. However, she sensed a ferocity from it greater than that of the huge, semi-cybernetic wolf-like creature that sat next to his legs. There was also Asindesa di Vir, a woman who introduced herself as the Lady of Blades from the Order of the Eclipse. She was a powerfully built woman, a warrior who did not shy away from fighting on the front lines, as evidenced by the acid scar on her face. She didn't know what this eclipse order was, but the woman came here in full armor that looked extremely menacing. She was somewhat like Adora , though much more intimidating and confident, as tough as the armor she was clad in. It also had its own armed forces. Her relationship with the Lord Admiral also seemed as cool as the blackness between the stars. However, they did not want to get into what was going on between them.
It was Lady Ka, however, who almost tore a startled exclamation from their throats. Dilayla had hinted to beware of her, which she had no doubts. judging by her nasty smile, but a mercenary forgot to mention one important detail. Bina and Lady Ka were identical, like twin sisters or… clones. The latter was a truly disturbing prospect. She and her brother somehow managed to control themselves, but Starla stared at her with her mouth open until she had to kick her in the ankle, but the twinkle in her one eye indicated that she suspected something. Well, you should have warned us.
"So you were freedom fighters?" the Lord Admiral asked after their first hunger had been appeased. Jewelstar smiled sadly.
"Yes, but rather unsuccessful. For almost fifteen years, we haven't had much success. We traveled from one planet attacked by Horde Prime to another, trying to join someone who could resist him, but no one was strong enough. We had to pay a high price for our struggle and stubbornness." He pointed to himself and Tallstar . "Eventually all hope died in us and we became scavengers capable only of hiding from the enemy, until we met Adora and her friends from Etheria, who showed us that the fight was not lost yet. We returned to Icarus and resumed the fight there, and not long after Horde Prime was destroyed and now fighting its self-proclaimed successors, but we weren't very successful here either."
After listening to her brother's story, the Lord Admiral nodded understandingly and spoke slowly." Etheria... Our scientists observed the appearance of a mysterious planet in the center of the Zone, where Lady Cala's family is supposed to come from, you must have just met her, I presume?"
When he mentioned the name of a beautiful blonde woman, the Lady of the Blades flinched slightly, She raised an eyebrow, but did not comment on it, only replied to Antares .
"That, that's where we met her and the Skittermander'rs ship she rented." will predetermine that they will stick to this version to fulfill Dilayla's request . "Etheria… as far as we know, this place has been hidden in another dimension for a thousand years. They didn't forget about magic therelike we did. Somehow a part of the Horde got there, and they faced it for decades until they were torn from their hiding place. Etherians are friendly to everyone, but they are also brave and combative. They defeated Horde Prime and restored peace to the universe, at least in partialy. she explained to their hosts, trying to tell them only as much as was necessary
"And they have She- Ra!" And princesses! Starla shouted suddenly, contrary to what she had previously agreed. Her sister drank half a bottle of wine, and she always had a bad head. She wanted to kick her leg and tell her to keep quiet and then redirect the conversation to another topic, but the Lord Admiral asked.
"She-Ra? Who is she?"
Datapad in her hands and began to talk in a joyful voice, showing the photos she had uploaded there.
"This is Adora. She turns into She- Ra , but when we took this picture, it was the first time we met, back in the days of Prime, she couldn't do that. And here is Adora as She-Ra." As she spoke, Lady Ka, Commander Reese, and Lady of Blades approached her and looked over her shoulder at what she was showing. "This is Glimmer, the Queen of Etheria , and her boyfriend Bow. This is Entrapta. There are Scorpia and Perfuma ... It's the whole alliance of princesses. And this is Adora with her girlfriend Catra . They are about to get married, on the 5th anniversary of Horde Prime's defeat . We will try to fly to their wedding. Oh, maybe the Lord Admiral will come too, there's going to be a great party!" Starla squeaked so much that her brother winced. However, Tallstar noticed something very strange. When Starla displayed the pictures of Catra and Adora, the Lord Admiral paled, and Madame Ka's face became indescribably furious.
"Perhaps I will cme." The fleet commander said quietly and stood up. Commander Reese watched him with a concerned look, and Asindesa asked Jewelstar .
"You mentioned Horde Prime's heirs, what can you say about them?"
Her brother frowned thoughtfully.
"There are Horde Ultimate and Seven Heavenly Brothers. The first one is smarter. He considers himself a prophet of Horde Prime , but rules much more leniently and simply. He admits non-clones to power, his right-hand man is Saihe ... Drow woman. He is weaker, but more careful. The Seven Heavenly Brothers are true Horde Prime fanatics . They have a larger army and can create monsters, but they lose their strength in senseless attacks, even on Etheria. Most clones, however, wait entrenched in their strongholds and do not cooperate with the heirs or with each other."
Then her brother briefly described some of the strongholds of these most hardened clones. The Lady of Blades listened to him, then asked in a somewhat timid voice.
"Are Lady Cala and her guardian, Miss Daisy, all right?"
Her brother nodded.
"Is that the elf sorceress? Yes, she's fine."
Relief appeared on the face of the tough warrior. Then the Lord Admiral spoke.
"You will return to your ship. An officer will be dispatched to you shortly to give you all the information you need, and then an assignment will be worked out for you if you will swear allegiance to me. Now go away, everyone." His voice was commanding and irresistible. They all followed his instructions, though the Lady of Blades did so with some reluctance. However, as they were leaving, the fleet commander asked one more thing.
"Starstone, does the name mean anything to you?"
Jewelstar shook his head.
"No, what is it."
The Lord Admiral smiled slightly.
"Nothing, just the most powerful artifact in the galaxy."
They were now aboard the Honor, digesting their food and conversation. Commander Reese then gave them six more bottles of wine and told them to pack plenty of food.
"It's nice of the commander to give us such a gift." Starla called out, definitely in the tone of someone already heavily drunk.
Jewelstar looked to the side, smiling sheepishly
"You have to admit, he's a very nice person." he said with some shyness. Starla's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply.
"You like him so much, I see that!"" Youngest Star sibling's giggled and her brother blushed.
"Starla, I think you've had enough of this wine." Tallstar said, taking the bottle from her sister.
"You liked this mercenary too, you won't deny it!" Starla elbowed her sister in the side, and she replied with a sad smile
"It's not important, we'll never meet again anyway... Speaking of which, what do you think about our hosts?" she asked in a thoughtful voice.
"This could be a chance, a chance for all of us to finally do something big, but you don't look convinced?" her brother asked. She shook her head, still thoughtful.
"There were a few things I didn't like about it. First, they learned much more from us than we learned from them. And secondly, remember what Lady Ka said about non-drinking tyrants? The Lord Admiral didn't drink a drop."
The Lord Admiral's ship was Glory of the Fallen. Lady Sorrowflame had her workshop aboard Invincible , the dumb knight had her order's cruiser, and even that imbecile Commander Reese chose the spacecraft carrier Unbroken for himself . But Lady Ka didn't need a warship for herself. She didn't know anything about space battles, after all. When needed, she used a light, fast and nearly undetectable ship that could take a dozen thugs aboard, and on a daily basis she was aboard a freighter converted into a transport ship and barracks. He was called a Dumpster. Here were her subordinates. Now she was walking through a wide corridor and everyone who looked at her got out of her way, knowing full well what could end up getting in the way of a woman wearing a half mask... Almost everyone.
"Hey boss, why boss is so angry" the tall half-orc asked, smiling friendly at her. She also answered him with a smile as warm as the heart of winter and, grabbing a metal club from her belt, gave him a mighty blow to his leg until the bone came out, the half-orc screamed and she gave him another and another, with each strike there was a crackling sound broken bones. Finally, he was standing over a barely breathing man weighing more than twice her weight.
"Anyone else want to be nice to me and comfort me?" she screamed at the top of her voice. Everyone who was within earshot of her voice began to seek new occupations, as long as they were away from the Lord Admiral's left hand. Except one person.
"Are you better now? "Lady Sorrowflame asked as she stepped out of the shadows.
She thought and said.
"You know, not really. Comewith me to my cabin."
They went to the cramped room where they had spent some quite pleasant moments together. But now she was too angry for that. She briefly told the ancient necrotechnics about the events of the dinner, and above all, about a certain photo.
"It turns everything upside down. All our plans." She stabbed the knife into the bunk several times. Lady Sorrowflame smiled full, like a philosopher explaining basic truths to the little ones.
"Well, in life, you always have to be ready for big changes. I've been through more times than you can imagine."
Lady Ka snorted hearing these words.
"It's easy for you to talk about it. You'll make it anywhere, no matter what happens."
The flame-haired girl walked over to her and hugged her tenderly around the waist from behind.
"Look at it from the other side. Both cats will be within your reach, and the Lord Admiral only needs one."