Enemies we know.
As soon as they landed and left the ship, she heard a sound. It was painfully irritating, seeping into her bones, into the core of her dark, twisted soul. She shuddered, she had already forgotten how much this place scared her. She had only been here once with Hordak and barely escaped with their lives. That's why over the years they have sent countless unfortunates here under the guise of a research mission... it was a way to circumvent Hordak's conditioning against issuing death sentences. They all died terrible deaths, much worse than she could have imagined. Only Mikah survived, by a miraculous and terrible twist of fate, having lost the love of his life. It was another crime that weighed heavily on her conscience. But not only hers, as she could see. A narrow strip of coastline has been cleared of this strange metal flora. From what she had heard, something similar was covering the First Ones cities on Abbalon ... It explained so much and at the same time led to more questions. In front of them stood a clumsy castle, as if made of scrap metal and random devices. According to Wrongdak, it was Entrapta's new castle . It was called Castle Junk , and she had to admit that it was an extremely apt name. Hordak's kinder brother dropped his ears as soon as they reached the shore. But as soon as he saw the building on the island, he smiled broadly.
"My brother and Entrapta live there." he said with delight in his voice.
"We'll be happy to meet him. Go ahead and announce us, and we'll take a look around the island at that time." she said in a gentle voice.
"Be careful." said Mr. Ilemshaw in a metallic voice through one of his drones. "I cannot scan the interior, but I detect various disturbances coming from inside and a signal that is probably the product of extremely advanced technology. Additionally, I sense the presence of many forms of life, both organic and non-organic. And considering the name of this place, they are probably very dangerous."
"It's a bit like someone combined Castroval with Abbalon . Wow, a two-in-one trip." Ireanis exclaimed, looking around curiously. She smiled happily like a child at a festival. The instinct of self-preservation was not her strong suit...
"Said the woman who sold her soul to the eldritch evil and is now going to make arrangements with the person who has already sentenced her to death once."
"Don't worry, Mr. Ilemshaw, we are really resourceful women." she said, smiling cheerfully, although honestly she preferred not to stay here long. Although she was stronger now than then, and her body was much healthier, but from what she overheard when Adora and the others talked about this place, she had never experienced the worst, and the confirmation of their story was the vibrating sound that caused she felt as if someone was drilling a hole in her soul. Plus she wanted to drink. However, she couldn't afford to be so weak before meeting Hordak
They moved away from the landing zone, and Wrongdak moved forward, eager to meet his brother. Emily stayed back and watched her triumphantly with one eye, clearly believing that her creator would defeat her. "Unfortunately, little one, you are late. Now I'm the one dealing the cards." Then the bot or Droid as they call them in the galaxy left and they were left alone.
"So again... You were born into this world and worked for this guy we're going to visit now, right?" Ireanis asked. She nodded. Earlier on the ship, she had revealed some of the truth about herself to the elf, without revealing who she served or saying much about what she had done when she was second-in-command. It was a bit of a risk, but she figured she could either let her in on some of the truth or get rid of it. In the past, she sometimes organized tragic accidents among her competitors, but in this case it would be too suspicious, and after all... She was trying to be someone better... Perhaps the Elf's help would come in handy, she tried very hard to convince her to do so.
Strangely, Ireanis took her news surprisingly well. She wondered if the sorcerer understood what she was saying. Due to alcohol abuse, Ireanis was not one of the brightest stars in the sky, euphemistically speaking.
"To put it very simply, you're right. – confirmed the sorceress's question. She only said "Aha" and did not pursue the topic further.
"It really doesn't surprise you that you're traveling with a woman who comes from a planet that has been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for thousands of years and happens to be same place where we're going"
Ireanis shrugged.
"Stuff like this happens all the time. For example, I cast a spell incorrectly and from the Mwangi jungle I was transported to the future and to a planet attacked by big bugs."
She looked at the elf, trying to see through her, but all she saw was a broad, cheerful smile.
"Are you serious, you really believe in this nonsense." she said, incredulously.
"I believe because it's true, even if I imagined it all. You know, some peoplw say life is a dream." Ireanis explained in a cheerful tone. She looked at her and laughed darkly.
"Maybe you're right... Although sometimes it can be a nightmare."
"Child! Could you please stop behaving in such a ridiculous and insubordinate way!" he said in a commanding tone, but the Child pushed his hands and head away with they prehensile hair. They were belligerent after him and independently after Entrapta . A perfect combination of genes. He loved them as much as he never thought it is possible... But now he had to wear them after they got covered in oil He sighed and said in a pleading tone, "Dad is asking, let him change your clothes!"
The Child calmed down a bit, so he was able to get dressed, although he was still out of breath. Then he gave him an old broken clock that was supposedly a gift from the ruler of Eridani or something, but of course Catra broke it. They have so many of them. The child liked to tinker with them and last year she made a catcher with which she could remove the balls when they fell behind the furniture. He couldn't say from whom it inherited such practical sense He sighed and sat down in the chair, then sighed heavily. Being a parent could be extremely exhausting...
As he sat and rested, watching the child work intently on the remains of the clock, he felt an overwhelming longing for Entrapta again . At the same time, he was glad that she could be among her friends for a while, even if it meant being with Catra. He exiled himself to the place where he had sent so many, but he didn't expect that Entrapta would go with him ... that they would get married and have a baby together... He was happy, and that made him feel terrible. He knew that this exile was much harder for his wife than for him...
Recently, a ship landed on the landing pad. That was another reason he wished Entrapta was here. She always took better care of guests. He could only hope that the visitors would fly away at the sight of a castle or an island. But then a voice came from the speaker.
"Brother! I came back!
It was Wrong Hordak, his younger brother with an absurd name. He left them a few years ago, wanting to explore the galaxy and collect data for Entrapta ... Since then, there has been no news from him, apart from the fact that he apparently flew away with some furry creatures, he suspected that something terrible had happened to him, although he did not share his fears with Entrapta . He himself encouraged him to go on this expedition. He wanted some privacy with his partner, and his younger brother could be very intense. Now he understood that he had been driven by childish selfishness and that if anything bad had happened to Wrong Hordak, he was responsible for this. But now he's back, so everything will be fine.
"Come in, brother." he smiled, feeling a surge of relief. "I am glad you came back." he said and gave the command to open the outer door. - You're about to meet Uncle Wrong ... Hordak - he said to the Child, realizing that he would have to explain a lot to him when he got older.
He waited for his brother for a few minutes, obviously he had to find his way in the castle, which had grown during his absence. He was waiting for him in the living room, the place where Entrapta kept the things she worked on when she received guests... When he saw Wrong Hordaka, his eyes widened. He was... colorful, weird and absurd. He even dyed his hair rainbow. He walked up to him and hugged him tightly.
"I'm so happy to see you after all these years. I have so much to tell you." he exclaimed. At first he stiffened, but then he responded with an equally strong hug
"I'm glad to see you too. I need to introduce someone." he smiled and moved away from him and pointed to the Child. "This is the Child, brother. Child this is my brother Wrong …"
"Wrongdak" his brother interrupted "Now everyone calls me that." And he kneel down next to the child, looking at him with fascination. The child was also watching him with his eyes open. Emily stood next to her, looking at the baby.
"Hello... I think I'm your uncle." said his brother gently, and then the Child yelled "Wrongdak. Uncle Wrongdak!" and they climbed onto his back and wrapped they hair around his neck. Wrongdak laughed, but Emily started talking to him. However, he didn't have time to understand what exactly she wanted to tell him, but then his brother spoke.
"I also need to introduce someone to you. I have come here with many extraordinary people, but most of them are not with me now... But I have brought two great Sorceresses. Misses Daisy and Ireanis Toromech Called the Silver Flame.
He sighed. He was in no mood for guests, even less for sorcerers. But if he had to…
"Good Morning, Lord Hordak." came a mocking voice. He knew him very well. For decades, he had accompanied him in his war against the people of Etheri... His brother... Wrongdak frowned, obviously seeing what emotions he was feeling now.
"Take the Child." he said sharply.
"But brother... What happened?" the younger clone asked, but was interrupted by a loud scream
"Do it!"
Wrongdak cringed, but obediently grabbed the little one who was about to run to the new arrivals and dragged them away.
"Do as your Brother wants, Mr. Wrongdak" Shadow Weaver said in that falsely polite voice she liked to use when she wanted something.
He turned around, standing between the child and his brother, and the dark sorceress. When he looked at her, he blinked in surprise. Shadow Weaver wore no mask, and her face was unscarred. He had seen her without her mask several times and it was never a pleasant sight. Now she looked completely normal for... Saihe. That was the name of her species, if he wasn't mistaken. She had green eyes and dark green hair and gray skin. She looked quite nice, he noted anxiously. Next to her stood a black woman of the same species. She had long silver hair and a green strapless robe. She smiled happily at him and waved her hand. Wrongdak took the Child in his arms and left with Emily.
"You too, my dear, could you leave us?" Shadow Weaver turned to the other woman, who inhaled sharply.
"Ah yes, after all these years you want to spend some time alone." She said in a conspiratorial tone.
His former right hand looked at the silver-haired woman in surprise.
"What are you insinuating, Ireanis?" she exclaimed indignantly.
"You know, you were a couple for so many years and then you were separated... Now you'll probably want to make up for time." Ireanis replied and winked knowingly.
"WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" they shouted at the same time and Saihe said.
"Okay, of course... and she went out in the opposite direction as his brother, whistling cheerfully. When they were alone, he smiled. He was a trained warrior, his body was functional again, and he was wearing powerful power armor. It wasn't a combat model, but it should be enough. In one bound he was right next to her and slammed his metal hand against the wall.
"Shadow Weaver... I should have known that someone like you couldn't act like any proper being and stay dead."
The dark sorceress smiled. She didn't look scared.
"The bone sages of Eox would find your words offensive and politically incorrect."
"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, confused, and his former right hand sighed heavily.
"Exactly, Lord Hordak. For years you considered the people of Etheri ignorant, without even understanding the extent of your own ignorance."
He growled, feeling that he was losing ground under his feet.
"Give me one reason to spare you. No one would blame me if I killed you."
"But you didn't." she looked at him contemptuously. "And that's a good thing, because you would be harming your family"
"You dare threaten my loved ones in my house!" he shouted at her, but she didn't even move. She used to be afraid of him, even when she was at the height of her power. Now she looked tired… even resigned.
"I'm not threatening you, I'm just warning you, and believe me, it's not me you should be afraid of."
The tone of her voice made him step back.
"What do you want from me?" he asked in a slightly calmer tone, but he was still ready to kill her at the slightest provocation.
"I thought you were one of the few people on Etheria who would listen to me, and as you can see, I was not wrong." the smile disappeared from her face. "Your Brother's actions and especially his fall did not go unnoticed. The greatest powers of the galaxy sent a fleet here to explore the Ravaged Zone, as Horde Prime's empire is called, and especially a certain planet that had recently appeared in the Galaxy. It is commanded by Lord Admiral Antares , a mercenary of galactic fame, widely regarded as a hero, but whose heart is as black as your brother's.
He snorted contemptuously.
"No one on Etheria will be afraid of someone who is willing to sell himself for a few coins."
Shadow Weaver laughed, clearly amused.
"When I ruled the Horde on your behalf, I often used those who fought for money. From what I know, Catra did the same." she thought for a moment.
-"She's so similar to you." he said, and his former right-hand man glared at him.
"Skip these personal attacks. Lord Admiral Antares is not just any thug who will stab anyone you point at him. He was once the ruler of the planet Tarak , before he was expelled from there. He then faced the Swarm for thirty years and survived." she said with absolute seriousness, and the way she spoke about the Lord Admiral made him feel like he was losing his self-confidence
"Who is the Swarm?" he asked, confused.
"Or rather, what the Swarm is. It is a Hunger that cannot be satiated. Thousands of thousands of maws ready to devour everything that stands in its path. This is the greatest plague of the Galaxy, an enemy that makes the power of the Galactic Horde pale in comparison. And this man had been fighting him for decades, not only ensuring his survival, but winning victories while we were stuck in our ridiculous war on Etheria."
It pained him to call his attempt to conquer Etheri ridiculous, but he couldn't deny its validity, which caused him even more pain.
"If he is such a great commander and a great Hero, why are you so afraid of him? Someone like that will be useful to the Queen when she fights against my silly brothers."
Then Shadow Weaver laughed, but not in the triumphant or mocking way he had heard from her so often, that had always irritated him so much, but in a way that was completely devoid of joy, but full of pure desperation. She pressed something on the back of her neck and her face blurred, and then he saw her as he remembered... But she had changed. There was no anger or pain in her face that always pushed her to the worst horrors. "What happened to her over the years."
"Lord Admiral Antares is a monster that I helped bring here through my ignorance." she said quietly. "He waged a brutal civil war on his home world and dropped nuclear warheads on his own planet as he left it." she looked into his eyes and he saw a tear roll down her cheek. Then he felt real fear.
"What can I do? I have no power on Etheria I was lucky to be allowed to exile here. Many want my head, both those who fought for me and those I wronged. For not reporting that you were back, I could have lost what little freedom I had left." he said completely honestly. He felt the most powerless and useless he had felt in five years... since he had met Entrapta .
Shadow Weaver did something she had never done in twenty-five years of knowing her, she put her hand on his shoulder and said.
"You have experience. You wagged war for Thirty Years, and there is no more experienced commander on the planet. However, you have something, determination, something to fight for. I saw Adora, Glimmer and the others fight with nothing else, and I know that was often enough for them. You have a family you need to protect. But also something else. We were both given a second chance to make up for our mistakes, to make up for the wrong we had done. Prove to everyone that you have changed, that you have become a better person. – she moved away from him, but without taking her eyes off him, he considered her words and slowly nodded.
"Agreement. I will help you, but if you cheat on me... " he threatened her, but she just smiled sadly.
"If I fail, beings old and powerful beyond imagination will claim my vile soul and give me a punishment that will make whatever Horde Prime did to you feel like a friendly nudge. Or maybe they will let me live, knowing what a pathetic and contemptible creature I am. I'll try to contact you... It would be nice if you managed to get to the Victory Day party."
"I'll try, but I don't promise anything." he said carefully, and the dark Sorceress went to the exit, but took a step forward. He wanted to confess... To confess the terrible sin he had committed five years ago, which no one knew about except him and that poor unfortunate creature, if it survived, but he had no courage. Instead he stated.
"You've changed, Shadow Weaver."
She stopped and replied.
"Death changes mortals..." she turned and asked again. "How is Catra? Are she and Adora happy?"
He smiled sourly.
"Our relationship is not very good... But she seems happy, but she doesn't remember you very fondly."
She nodded slowly.
"I don't deserve anything else."
After Shadow Weaver left, he moved into the next room. The Child was drawing something on Emily, and his little brother was struggling to keep from bursting into tears. He stopped as soon as he saw him, he just started crying
"I am really sorry. I didn't know it was her, I never talked to her. Emily guessed, but she didn't know what to do, she was afraid that if the truth came out, she would do something to me and other crew members... And then she forgot. She was so nice to everyone, especially Rosie and Eti. Eti is..." his voice broke down. He sighed, he came here with the intention of yelling at his brother for endangering his family, but he realized it was pointless. Instead, he helped him up and gave him a big hug.
"She can be extremely nice when she knows she can get something out of it. She cheated in front of you." he sighed heavily, because he was about to ask Wrongdak for something that could turn out to be very painful for him. He moved away from his brother and spoke seriously.
"You have to do something for me. For me and Entrapta" he sighed again, because he was aware that she was asking a lot from him. – Return to the ship and keep an eye on Shadow Weaver.
Wrongdak blinked several times as if he didn't understand what he was saying, he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted from him.
"But… we have to inform the others, warn them about her…" his brother protested, and he sighed heavily in response.
"It's not that simple. What she told me... we need her... at least for now. I know her well... Better than anyone else on Etheria... And I know what to expect from her. If what she says is true, then... we have bigger problems than a lying sorceress." he said, feeling chills spreading through his body. "I don't know how she managed to fool everyone so well... But she's known Catra and Adora forever. She exploited the weakness she had instilled in them, much like Horde Prime did to us. "Beware. She once had great power, and now... But her most dangerous weapon is her mind, warped and twisted. You can't trust a word that comes out of her mouth."
"If she is so dangerous, we need to inform others even more." Wrongdak exclaimed, and his words sounded reasonable, but… he knew that she was definitely telling the truth about this Lord Admiral.
"Sometimes, brother, the enemies we know are better."