Conclusions

He barely managed to avoid a bump on his head as they raced to the ship as if an enemy were chasing them. He tried discreetly to ask Bina to turn back, because he had something important to say, preferably to show Adora, but the captain paid him no attention. She was terrified, though he didn't quite understand why. After all, what happened wasn't their fault. Whatever Captain Moonshadow did…Queen Angela…Captain Queen Angela Moonshadow did, there was definitely an explanation for that… It must have been a mistake. Some terrible but explainable mistake. Only if Lady Cala not hadn't said it was true... She wouldn't lie to them, and she couldn't be wrong.

He wished he had said everything when he had the chance. He was just waiting for the right, perfect moment, and it turned out that he had waited too long... But that wasn't the only thing. Eti was very... Specific... Secretive and distrustful. For a brief moment he managed to get close to her, and then she discovered his secret, and he became Wormdak again... He wanted her to show them who she was, and then... He just realized that he had no idea what would happen then. He thought that Adora would be happy if she knew Eti's identity, after all, she already liked her... But he had no idea who this girl was. She was like him, artificially created, just like Bina... But why would this Jantar create someone like Catra? And how, if he counted correctly, although measuring time was never his strong point, Eti was created about six years ago... That is, when Etheria was still hidden. He had absolutely no idea how to understand it.

"We're here, and we haven't even run over anyone". the captain called when they arrived and she laughed nervously.

"It's a disgraceful failure." grumbled Crushey in an offended voice. They were greeted by a drone guided by Mr. Ilemshaw. They began to hurriedly unload onto the ship, and the transporter came aboard, but then Eti gave a loud cry.

"Oh no, we have to go back. We left a packet of onion crisps there!"

"What the fuck?" Bina yelled furiously at her ward.

"Excuse me, but you always warn us against wasting food. Lilka wanted to give them to Vegie , because she is vegan and didn't want to eat bacon crisps, but she didn't want to eat them either and we lost them, by the way." Eti said, but Bina didn't let her finish and screamed at her.

'STOP PISS ME OF." and then she took a deep breath and continued in a calmer voice. "You've done enough already. First of all, you bunch of lunatics, you've got yourself caught up in a battle between a deranged pirate captain and... who knows who this She-Ra girl is."

The feline girl tilted her head and replied the captain with complete calmness in that strange, aristocratic accent she got when she was a bit… flustered….

"Excuse me, but I must point out that the course of events was completely different. It was we, during a completely routine and security patrol, who made friends with this She- Ra and the two princesses, which would greatly help us in our mission, and it was you, my dear Bina, who yelled at them, exposing us to their unbridled revenge."

Bina looked at her coldly and spoke, her voice both calm and hard.

"Never address me as "my dear", and secondly, Eterna , go to your cabin and wait there until you calm down. The rest is to prepare the ship for departure."

"And where are we actually going..." Arkan-tar asked. "Because now it's not so obvious." he explained, smiling slyly.

Bina thought for a moment before answering.

"To Etheria, exactly as planned. This is probably the safest place for us right now." She looked after Eti entering the ship, behind who Toshi flew. "She's right, we have high-ranking friends there now. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on her. And you, my dear, are you coming inside with me, because we have a lot to talk about." she pointed at him.

"I guess I'll go with you too," said Dilayla, and then he had the impression that Rechiza and Arkan-tar gave her meaningful looks.

"Well, as the captain prefers. he said cautiously, feeling a bit guilty.

"Doctor Quin said she has some important information for all of you related to her research." said Mr. Iemshaw via one of his drones.

"We'll deal with that in orbit, one problem at a time." Bina said, rubbing her forehead with her hands

Dilayla felt… no, not guilty, that was far too mild a word… She felt like a despicable traitor. The one who betrayed all the values that guided in life. Her faith...was never very strong, but it was part of her. She was the anchor that kept her from drifting into the sea of cynicism and vice that other mercenaries wallowed in. And now she was crossing its fetid waters alone, and she definitely wasn't feeling good about it. She had betrayed the goddess, the Inheritor, or at least someone who was her local incarnation. For a brief moment, she was ready to tell them the truth, to warn them about the Lord Admiral and the darkness he brought with him, but she hesitated, afraid that the others would judge her. That they will see a traitor in her.

Arkan-Tar approached her, and Rechiza stood behind him, piercing her with a glance.

"You're not going to tell our captain the truth, are you?" he whispered to her. None of the crew members were paying attention to them now, so apparently the scholar thought this was the perfect time to talk about important matters.

"I don't know, if I was a better person, I would say." she snapped back at Verthani, who only smiled indulgently.

"And what would you achieve by doing so? Bina would kick us out here, including our lovely Rosie, and then what? Will we go to Etheria on our own or will we forget about our, I remind you, extremely important and very profitable mission, and then what?" he said in an irritatingly polite tone.

"I don't care about this mission." She barely kept from screaming.

"And the Lord Admiral cares a lot, better not to make an enemy of him." There was a warning note in the scholar's voice.

"It's better we get punished than those innocent kids." she drawled, clenching her metal fists.

"It's doubtful that someone like Antares would want anything from this pack. He's a great commander, someone who thinks on a global scale. Anyway, all you can do is put them in real danger."

She frowned and asked.

"What do you mean?

Arkan-tar smiled broadly and said.

"If you warn Bina, she'll do something stupid like want to leave the Zone, she'll only put herself in danger from the Lord Admiral, if there is any, which I sincerely doubt. The captain was right. Etheria is now the safest place in the region. Its inhabitants defeated Horde Prime, compared to which our principal was like a girl with a knife. He'd probably never even think of going to Etheria, he'd be too busy… fighting for peace and freedom."

Verthani's words sounded reasonable, and so comfortable.

"All right, I'll do as you say. But remember, if the situation changes, I will not be silent. she said in a firm tone, hoping to convince herself

When she saw Calamity kneeling before Carsai the King and trembling with fear, she remembered another but similar scene when she threw Catra at Hordak's feet, hoping that he would use his vacuum machine on the defenseless girl, as he had done on her many times. The similarity of the two events made her uneasy, afraid of returning to her old ways, to her old self. Perhaps the context of the whole scene was slightly different, but everything was similar enough that she felt an uncontrollable nausea of self-loathing. The outcome of these events also turned out to be quite different.

"I'm begging for forgiveness. Oh creeping Chaos, I…" Calamity said , but stopped when Nyarlathotep's avatar ordered her to be silent.

"Don't beg, it's unworthy of either a mortal or a -divine monster like you, our dear Calamity . We don't blame you for what you did, but for your base motives. You were like a little child who wanted to break the window of a person she didn't like or couldn't stop herself from eating candy. And all this at such an early stage of your mission, and yet much more difficult trials await you."

"It will never happen again." the aristocrat was saying, but the great Outer God interrupted her.

"Of course it will happen again if you ever get the chance. It is possible to change the nature of a mortal, although sometimes it requires drastic methods, but not a monster like you, our dear Calamity. That's one of the many reasons we assigned you someone like our wise and righteous Shadow Weaver." Nyarlathotep said. She didn't have to look at her charge to know that there was pure hatred in those beautiful blue eyes of hers. She didn't care much and knelt before the Creeping Chaos.

"Thank you for appreciating my contemptible self. However, although in your infinite kindness you have bestowed upon me many favors, I would like to ask you for one more favour." she lowered her eyes, and a smile appeared on the face of the ancient being.

"Ask about anthing, our clemency is limitless, as is the severity of the punishments we impose."

She took a deep breath and said the words she had been preparing for some time.

"Recently I learned the true nature of Lord Admiral Antares, of which in your immeasurable wisdom you are probably aware. We can use it for our Cause. There are still a few people on Etheria who will listen to me, and whose love for their loved ones and common sense may outweigh their hatred of me. Please allow me to pursue my own plan as long as it does not interfere with your other plots."

The Great Outer God tilted his head to the side as if he were amused.

- We will agree to your idea out of pure curiosity. Know that we always plot many schemes. Many plans are guided not only by foresight, but also by love for the infinite ingenuity of mortals and their determination. I'll give you one more gift… There's a conversation going on in the cockpit right now that will warm your heart. And you Calamity remember, our patience has limits. " As they said this, the Nyarlathotep melted away as if they had never been here. She cast another spell, leaning over the obsidian countertop, and Calamity stood beside her curiously.

When they boarded the ship, Ireanis was sleeping in her hammock, snoring so loud she seemed to be sawing a tree, and Miss Daisy took Lady Cala to her room, to which Itel replied with a crooked smile. She and Bina went to the cockpit, where she closed the door and spoke sharply to him.

"When were you going to tell us you were from Etheria?"

He frowned.

"But I'm not from Etheri!" he said. Meanwhile, Dilayla leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't piss me off anymore. I'm tired of Eti nitpick the words." Bina growled at him.

He sighed and said looking at his feet.

"When your friends freed me, I didn't know you were going to Etheria, and then when I found out, I thought he'd wait until you knew the truth for yourself. My brother asked me not to tell anyone about Etheria, She- Ra and her secrets. This planet has suffered a lot and my brother was very worried that some other dark forces might want to get the power that is there... I... I thought it wouldn't change anything, you'd see for yourself how wonderful this place is... " he explained and smiled at the Captain, but she gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"It wouldn't change anything you say… Except we wouldn't worry about flying into the damn heart of the Abyss, where the Lady of Chaos rules and a fate worse than death awaits. You know, I'm immune to propaganda crap, but itel and the rest of my kids were terrified, okay, Eti isn't afraid of anything and not because she's brave. You cannot imagine how many fears, worries and sorrows you caused us with your silence."

Now he looked sad. He understood that others might not understand what a good place Etheria was. The lies, hideous and vile, that the Horde Ultimate spread might not have sounded as false to others as they did to him. He was about to apologize to her, but then Dilayla cut in.

"I knew everything too... I mean, not everything, but that he was on Etheria, and it's not such a bad place at all." She closed her eyes and continued. "They destroyed Horde Prime, the one who took my family. If they feel they have reason to hide the existence of their planet from the rest of the universe, I will respect that. To be honest, i'm actually going to give them a thumbs up. I've served too many sons of bitches in my life not to believe that every good deed will sooner or later be punished.." She looked sideways, her eyes the same as his brother's when he broods over the past. Bina massaged her forehead between her eyes and said.

"Well, what has been done cannot be undone. Just tell me with your hand on your heart, you didn't know who Captain Moonshadow was."

He shook his head sadly.

"I had no idea. I've never met her. She left before... Before I was given my freedom. She... She was very loved on her planet... I don't understand why she wanted to kill Adora ..." He felt so down and felt tears come to his eyes. It was all so…. Sad

"Sentient beings change, that's one of the things that distinguishes them from objects. What can change its nature? Sometimes all it takes is just the right amount of despair, suffering and hopelessness." Bina said in a thoughtful tone.

"Maybe it's something we're not seeing. We don't know what else was done to her... What did the Azlanti did to her... Besides enslavement. Sometimes that alone is enough to break someone and make them a stranger. I've seen it more than once in my mercenary life." Dilayla added, approached him, and then placed her metal hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "But there's always a chance to save someone… I believe your friends can handle it. But I guess we need to discuss another matter... Who is Catra? Why did you think they are similar to Et? What connects them?" said the mercenary looking at the two interlocutors. He sighed, frowning, and said.

"I've never been very good at distinguishing faces. We were created in such a way that only one face mattered to us... That's why I was wrong. Eti… She is very similar to Catra, although they are not identical. Catra... I met her at the same time I was liberated... Her friends, Adora, Glimmer, Bow and of course Entrapta came to Velvet Glove to save her... To tear her out of His hands. Horde Prime's Hands ." he swallowed loudly and continued. "Catra and Adora grew up together in the place where my older brother Hordak ruled. He wanted to conquer Etheria in the name of Horde Prime and trained orphans like them to be soldiers. It was very difficult for them, especially Catra. The training was hard and brutal. They were very wronged. There was a sorceress there... She wore a mask because her face was covered with scars. She raised them, conditioned them, but she was very bad to Catra..." From the corner of his eye, he saw Dilayla suddenly turn pale. "When Adora found the sword and became She-Ra ... They separated. Catra fought ruthlessly for power in the Horde until she became my brother's second in command. She waged war, regardless of the cost, until almost everything was lost..." He smiled serenely and looked at the women. "But everything is fine now. Adora and Catra are going to get married! It's so wonderful!

Bina smiled crookedly.

"Yeah, truly wonderful." she laughed, but it was a laugh completely devoid of joy. "Now you probably want to know what's going on with Eti... Okay, so I'll tell you part of the truth, because you haven't earned the whole truth yet... It's too dangerous both for you and for us. This Catra of yours... She's like an older sister to our Eti. Twenty-five years ago our Father received an assignment. He was supposed to create a human- Pahtra hybrid , a very specific hybrid... With very clearly defined features... He managed to create one child quite quickly, but... it did not meet the demands. Perhaps it was because the child was a baby, or perhaps it was something else... Jantar treated it as a personal insult. He could have easily made a lot of money by giving such an extraordinary child to a family that would love her, but since our father was a bastard, he sold her cheaply... to some dark and cursed laboratory. There it ended up in the hands of bloody Dr. Sidonius . The same one who built that observatory... He was supposed to send some extremely valuable cargo to a planet hidden in another dimension ... that is, your Etheria... I don't know what the cargo was supposed to be, but it was obviously more valuable than the baby, because he sent it to test it. device... But there was a terrible accident and Sidonius' Elven wife died. It was this Old Leech who copied the Jantar's serum, and that's how we learned the truth about Eti's sister. No one except Sidonius believed that the child had survived the experiment, but from what you said, this girl did..." Then Bina laughed in such a bitter and sad way that he felt her pain. "Only for some damn monster to make her suffer the same fate! Do you understand how fucking unfair this is? Eti had no childhood, just the way she was created, the amount of terrible knowledge that was poured into her mind and the cruel training that she was subjected to... Just so that she could finally live up to our Father expectations, satisfy his perfectionist ego. " She wiped tears from her eyes. "You know, I hoped in my heart that girl survived, that she was found by a nice, loving family, that she grew up to be a joyful and happy young woman who didn't experience what we did, but... But there is no escape from destiny. Our fate is determined by the blood in our veins... your story only confirms this."

He and Dilayla looked at each other, not quite understanding what the captain meant, but then smiled serenely and said.

"But. This is all in the past. Now they can be together, like sisters…" Bina interrupted him by putting her hand on his shoulder. Instinctively, he tensed, because he wasn't used to being touched yet.

"It's not that simple, because you see... Jantar was much more cunning than your brother. He hedged, each of us, upon seeing another who has been separated from our family, must kill her. This is how we were conditioned by our insane father. We... overcame it with great effort, but Eti... You know how she is every day, and if Jantar had drilled into her head a stronger conditioning than we had, which is very possible considering how much our father hated his first imperfect creation, then when accidentally stumble upon each other... I'm not sure if this should be allowed."

Then Dilayla spread her arms wide and gesticulating strongly, she said in a raised voice.

"Then why the fuck are you going there? You can go anywhere in the galaxy, there is no need to go there.

Bina shook her head and sighed.

}I often ask myself that. Maybe part of me wants them to meet, maybe I want to find something like a new home for my kids, or maybe I believe a bit in Itel's crazy mission and hope to win the war with the swarm? Don't ask about the latter. I can't tell you about that either, but maybe it's just a pipe dream and we'll never heal Captain Blazebringer . Maybe this will be better for the galaxy..."

She arrived just in time to listen to Bina's story . Her suspicions about the connection between Eti and Catra were true, although it raised further questions. Who was this mysterious client of Jantar and what connected him with Etheria, Catra, all of this So who this Doctor Sidonius was was a mystery, the only certainty was that he was a son of a bitch like few others in the galaxy... Though probably not as much as she was, but did such comparisons make any sense? "Yes, I was a monster who almost ruined her life, destroyed her, broke her, twisted her into my own image. She will always bear the scars I caused her that even She-Ra's power cannot heal, though perhaps love will make her forget the pain I caused her. I could have been good to her, or at least better, it wouldn't have cost me anything. But I was just an angry, power-drunk, moonshine-drunk bitch who in her conceit believed she held the key to power, but then the walls of the cell closed around me. I built the palace of my power on a foundation of sand and salt, on foundation of betrayal andpride... and children's tears." She thought, feeling a burning hatred towards herself. Indeed, Crawling Chaos was right, it warmed her dark, rotten heart. However, she learned one of Nyarlathotep's secrets, another piece of this intricate puzzle fell into place.

"You were the doctor's precious cargo…" she said in a low voice.

"Yes, it was me ..." admitted her ward, and for the first time after all the years she spent in her company, she heard pain and sadness in her voice, or something that resembled them very much.

"So that's why you hate it so much." she asked finally learning another fragment of the dark story that was Calamity .

"I hate her like nothing in the world. – said the blonde woman. "You can't imagine what it's like to know that you came into being and live only to fulfill a destiny that has been taken away from you, making your existence meaningless and pointless."

She smiled sadly at Lady Cali, feeling a little sympathy for her.

"I abandoned the destiny that was chosen for me." she confessed to her ward, who smiled at her gently.

"And as a reward, you ended up here with me and we'll have to endure our company for a while..."

Dr. Quin straightened her clothes and looked at the crowd. Rechiza and Arkan-tar were here, the thinking part of their expedition. They were joined by Dilayla and Bina, blue-collar workers who most likely won't be able to get anything from her lecture, but at least they will be able to listen to someone intelligent speaking. There was also Palidus Valgu , the first specimen of his race they had encountered, though she had to admit sadly that while he was quite smart, he had been a huge disappointment. But now his presence could prove useful. Ilemshaw was also listening to them, who was an interesting creature in itself that would also be worth studying in the future. The aristocrat and the sorceresses weren't here, and neither were the kids who flew this ship. She didn't regret the latter, they would just disturb the adults, but unfortunately they took Rossie with them. She must have gotten used to the lack of any help from the lazy intern.

"So, my dears, we are gathered here to summarize the knowledge we have acquired about the Ravaged Zone, or if you prefer, Horde Prime's Empire." she cleared her throat and turned on the holographic display. "Horde Prime's Empire was created between two and four thousand years ago, it is difficult to say exactly when, because this region of the galaxy was also affected by the Gap although to a much lesser extent. This in itself bodes well for future research, although history and xenoarchaeology are not my main areas of interest. From the very beginning it was centered around a huge flagship, the latest incarnation of which was known as the Velvet Glove, and the navy surrounding it. This arrangement is extremely important. To an untrained eye, devoid of knowledge in the field of xenobiology and entomology, the initial actions of the Horde resemble the functioning of locusts moving from place to place and devouring all the resources they encounter, but in fact this is only an appearance. The organism that most closely resembles the Horde in nature are some varieties of nomadic ants, although, like any comparison of organisms occurring at different stages of development, this is too much of a simplification. It is significant that the galactic Horde avoided planets devoid of intelligent life or inhabited by civilizations with a low degree of technological advancement. Initially, they were classified as objects of low or negligible threat, but at some point the phrase "To primitive to receive Prime's light " and other similar phrases in this convection began to be used. Horde Prime himself is also quite interesting. Initially, his name appeared only in internal communications. Even then he was treated with humble respect, but then he was not worshiped as a god, like we saw in modern times. In fact, it's a bit like Horde Prime is hiding among his clones, as if he's too carefull to reveal his true nature. Horde Prime's emergence as the ruler of the known universe coincided with a change in the nature of the empire. Initially, each civilization encountered was conquered and its resources exploited for a short time until the limits of productivity were reached and the entire population that survived the period of occupation was eliminated. But then the pattern changed. An almost normal conquest began to be carried out, somewhat reminiscent of the way the country was managed by the hobgoblins from the lost Golarion, with the total subordination of the entire economy to the military effort, at least at first glance, because in fact, the management of the empire was not only far from rational, but bore all the hallmarks of madness. Sometimes specific tracts of conquered lands were destroyed or spared, it seems only for aesthetic reasons. The occupation was never complete due to limited resources, and sometimes entire areas were left to their own devices, adding to the erratic chaotic nature of the empire. However, every planet, no matter how obedient or strategically important, was left devastated at the end. Plasma and vacuum bombs were used for this purpose, but not nuclear warheads, as if to leave them for future colonization, which never occurred. In general, Horde Prime's actions bear the hallmarks of internal compulsion, as if he was con..." she said, but Arkan-Tar interrupted her.

"An compulsion that has cost the lives of billions... tens or hundreds of billions of lives. Well, what for some is sadistic madness, for others an interesting eccentricity. But how does that relate to the fact that he had three on one side of his face?" the scientist asked and she rubbed her cybernetic eye. Meanwhile, Bina and Dilayla sat deep in thought, probably not following her intelligent argument, and Rechiza smiled sarcastically, probably to hide her intellectual shortcomings. Only Horde Prime's clone took note of everything she said.

"Well, it seems that each of his subsequent incarnations, because from what I understand he has died many times over all these millennia, has been more and more degenerate, like a program accumulating more and more bugs and glitches. This is apparently a feature quite typical of all extremally long-lived beings."

Rechiza let out a short, wry laugh.

"It would be best for all of us if you were wrong."

The witchwarper clearly did not meet the intellectual challenge of her lecture.

Rosie, learning from her recent mistake, knocked on the door before entering Eti's cabin. She and Itel decided to visit the cat girl, after all, Bina had not forbidden it. They heard the rustle of sheets and Eti called from inside.

"You can come in if you want."

They did as she asked and the intern was glad she knocked because the cat girl greeted them wrapped only in a blanket. Her golden eyes with blue flecks gleamed from under the covers, just like Toshi's grey-blue eyes

"Hello, Eti. Itel and I came here to see how you are feeling and everything.? she said, smiling happily. Itel smiled too, although she looked distressed.

"Because Bina treated you too harshly. After all, this whole expedition was my idea... The one on Icarus too, she should be mad at me." ad the solarian

The cat girl shrugged.

"I feel... I'm not sure how I feel..." she said and Itel seemed concerned by her words. "I'm not mad at Bina . Sometimes I can be... tiring. I was just hoping that I would come up with some excuse and we would go back to the princesses, so I was talking about whatever was on my mind, hoping that I would come up with something sensible, but you know how I am, once I start talking, I can't stop. I just hoped that the Blondie... Adora would maybe come back and tell me what was written on my hand, because she is one of the Starlings, that is, the First Ones, and she sees the signs on my hand, so I thought she could read them." She explained, looking ahead with sad eyes.

Itel thought about something for a moment and then said.

"You know, there in the monastery I found out that Rechiza could read... The Language of the First Ones. I didn't tell you because I didn't believe her, but you can ask Lilka or Miss Daisy if it was true."

Then Eti burst out laughing. She didn't hear what it sounded like, but judging by Itel's reaction, it must have been a very unpleasant laugh.

"It's good that you say that, because when that She-Ra vanished, something very funny happened to my hand. "said the cat girl and stretched her hand sharply in front of her. Rosie jumped back in fear and then she and Itel looked at the feline's arm. The elf immediately hissed in fear, but it took her a good while to understand what had changed. Eti's metal arm had grown and now reached past her elbow.

- It's nothing to worry about. It's happened twice before... The problem will be if it reaches the heart or the brain... or maybe not?" Eti wondered

"Don't say such things! Eti, please!" She screamed in true horror this time. The feline girl hid her hand under the covers and looked at them.

"But I don't want to die, if that's what you're worried about. I'm just... different." she said and for the first time she saw sadness on her face. "You see, my soul… my heart is torn in two. When I'm balanced, I don't feel much. I take medications to maintain this condition... But sometimes even they don't help, and then... Then rainy or stormy days come. When there are rainy days, I see the world as it is... I see how dark and sad a place it is. That there is no good and no hope, that everything tends to darkness. You don't see it because you look away, close your eyes, cover your ears, hoping that the monster will go away. But I can't look away, I look into his eyes. I lie in my cabin all day long, surrounded by the dark truth... But it gets worse, at least for others, when the stormy days come. Then… oh then I am strong. I see the beauty of the world and the pathetic weakness of my enemies. I understand that I am absolutely perfect, awesome and unique. Then I am unstoppable, invincible and I am ready for any madness, any meanness to achieve my goal. Because I know that I am the storm that is raging in my heart... The cold fire that burns inside me" a single tear rolled down her face. "You know, Rosie, there was once another person like me. Only… She was created a child. She could develop normally and explore the world on her own. She didn't have what I had crammed into her head. What it is like to hurt and kill is not shown. For many years I believed she was dead, which made me sad and happy at the same time. But now I know she's alive, don't ask me how, I just know. You see, sometimes I hate her so much. For being able to be whoever she wanted. That he doesn't have the same taint as me. That she can be happy..."