Family Matters, part one

She was lying on the border between wakefulness and sleep and was purring, cuddled up to Adora . She had several moments in her life when she wanted to stay in this blissful state, because she knew that as soon as she opened her eyes, she would have to face the terrifying reality. This was the case after Adora left the Fright Zone or when she was kidnapped by Horde Prime. This time, however, it was different. She had her friends who would help her face any danger that came her way. She was no longer alone against the world.

But this time it was different in another way too. The danger was much less obvious, perhaps it wasn't there at all. She didn't know if this man was truly a threat to them, or that Shadow Weaver was actually returned. After all, in such a large universe, there could be hundreds of sorcerers wielding shadow magic who had probably never even heard of the dark sorceress. Now, in the daylight, the idea that this evil woman had risen from the dead seemed like one of those stupid campfire stories. Her father didn't have to be a bad person, and besides, the line between good and evil wasn't always so obvious. She knew it best herself. However, something else was different than last time. Now she was in the center of all events and it was up to her how everything would unfold. The fate of everyone rested on her shoulders. She looked at her beloved, who was sleeping soundly, snoring loudly, and thought. "So that's how it is… How do you deal with it, my love. With this weight crushing you to the ground?" But she knew the answer. She couldn't cope at all, it wasn't something that could be dealt with. All you could do was fight to keep the weight from crushing you.

They didn't make love that night, they just fell asleep cuddling each other right away. It was already late, probably around four in the morning, and the day had been long and tiring. It was now about nine o'clock and her head was hurting. She was sleepy, but she had to get up. This will probably be much more difficult for Glimmer, the ruler of Etheria liked to sleep until noon and go to bed after midnight. To be honest, it was similar with her, only the queen was not used to the brutal wake-ups they were given in the Fright Zone. She leaned over her future wife to kiss her, but as soon as she moved, Adora opened her eyes in slight fear. Adora, contrary to what some might have thought, had a lighter sleep even than her. Sometimes she felt like she never allowed herself to fully relax

„We have to get up, beloved... „ she said sadly, although she was smiling. "Glimmer will probably want to discuss wedding matters with you, and I… . „She sighed, and Adora embraced her and started stroking her neck with her fingers, making her shiver."

„Maybe we can order breakfast in bed and lie there for a while."

She sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around her fiancée's waist.

„I'd love to, but I really can't... He's waiting for me... „ There was much more worry and anxiety in her voice than she wanted.

„He's been waiting for you for twenty years, nothing will happen to him if he waits for you another hour or two..."

„Are you going to eat breakfast for two hours?" she asked, baring her fangs. Her hand slid a little lower, to Adora's buttock.

„ Not only breakfast, darling." said the heroine of the Galaxy and kissed her hard and long. When she finally interrupted her, she said.

„You're idiot, if we start making love now, we'll eat a big breakfast, after which we'll want to take a nap, and then when we get up, we'll start... taking care of ourselves again and we'll lie here until noon. Or straight to dinner."

Adora giggled and said.

„ I'm not idiot, but cunny girl!"

They laughed together, but then they got up and took a quick shower, then got dressed, kissed each other goodbye, and went their separate ways.

In fact, she was very hungry, yesterday she only ate travel rations and until noon, because she was preparing for the sumptuous welcome dinner that she and Glimmer would eat. Melog was waiting for her outside the door, for obvious reasons they preferred him not to sleep in their room, but in his own small room. The cat-like creature practically didn't need to eat, it fed on pure magic in the air, but it could sense when its mistress was hungry, so it was concerned. So she came up with an idea. She went to the kitchen and asked if the Lord Admiral had had breakfast yet, and when they said no, she ordered the cart of food back and went to where their new guest was supposed to be.

Antares was placed in a small guest house built in the outer part of the castle. It provided as much privacy as possible in Brightmoon . They had certainly been very hospitable towards the Admiral, but she wasn't sure if it was reasonable.

In front of the door of the cottage stood two guards and the woman, Lady Ka, who threw the knife and caught it as it fell. This must have been extremely irritating for the guards.

„Hey." she said carefully, hoping not to disturb the other woman's rhythm, which could result in her hurting herself.

„Hello." said Mrs. Ka and looked at her, smiling mockingly. "You have to wait a while because the Lord Admiral is taking a shower and shaving and stuff like that."

She nodded and was silent for a moment because she wasn't sure what she could talk about with the other man's companion.

„So you are…„ she asked carefully, and Lady Ka replied cheerfully.

„His intelligence and information officer. His left better hand... The Lord Admiral is left-handed, probably like you." the woman stopped throwing the knife and pointed to her left hand, which she was leaning on the food cart. She also looked this way. In the Horde, being left-handed was a bit of a handicap because everything was made for right-handed people, although it was Shadow Weaver who was most irritated by it. When she was learning to write, in a fit of meanness, even for her, she order her to tie her left hand behind her back so that she could write like any intelligent creature. Of course, she failed to achieve anything, as she always did when she tried to bend her to her will.

„So… how long have you been with the Lord Admiral." she asked carefully, in a not very confident tone, because she had absolutely no idea what to talk about with this woman, if anything at all. But she could be a useful source of information about her... about the Lord Admiral. There was just something wrong with her...

„It depends on what you're asking, if you mean whether the Lord Admiral is my guy, then no, he's not, so if you and your fiancée would like a little experiment, I'm free." said Lady Ka and winked at her.

„Experiment?" she asked, honestly shocked. She did not condemn such relationships, nor did most of the inhabitants of Etheria , even Sea Hawk's mother lived in such a relationship, but she was not used to such... straightforwardness.

„Ha! You blushed... I was just joking. Maybe the Lord Admiral isn't the type to kill you for sleeping with his daughter, but the gods are guarding careful ones." she said and giggled again. "As for your question, it will be about five years. Since the Fall of Kesler and the death of Jantar. My Father and creator." she said and became thoughtful.

„Creators? In what sense?" she asked. She didn't like the sound of that word.

„Well, creators. He created us. We are his clones, just like Horde Prime's younger brothers, although our dad always introduced a few improvements and more." she pointed to her breasts.

Instinctively, the fur on her tail stood on end, and Melog flashed a warning green-yellow. She didn't think there was room in the universe for another fuck like that.

„So he... That Jantar was some kind of your Horde Prime?" she asked with a mixture of pity and horror.

„Uh, no. Not this scale of power and madness. Our Father was the underworld boss on Atrax, and we, the Thousand Daughters, were his gang. Well. He was a cunning bastard, but in the end he ended up just like your Horde Prime... Although we turned out to be much more sensible than the long-eared ones." she said, grabbing the knife tightly and throwing it at the tree, right next to a very cute squirrel "We killed him." she looked at her sideways, and the visible half of her mouth twisted into a very nasty smile. "But please don't follow our example. It would be very difficult for me to find an equally good employer now."

"If Double Trouble had a child with Shadow Weaver, it would be like that woman... I don't like her' she thought with Irritation. There was something nasty about Lady Ka. Something that brought back very unpleasant memories. Melog looked down at her, his hair all ruffled. He didn't like this woman either. She must keep an eye on this woman.

„I think the Lord Admiral has probably washed and is ready for breakfast...„ she said coldly. Lady Ka tilted her head to the side, like a predator wanting to take a closer look at a newly encountered animal, and said unexpectedly happily.

„You really look like him!"

She blinked and touched the cat's ears reflexively.

„Really?" she said skeptically. "I didn't notice when I looked in the mirror recently."

„Then look again, especially at the glow of the blue eye. But it's not about looks. You have something inside you. Something very familiar" she said and opened the door with her foot, and then in a slightly exaggerated, even mocking way, motioned for her to enter.

Lord Admiral Antares sat on the back porch, basking in the warm sunlight. He was happy, for the first time in years everything was going according to plan… No, that wasn't the right word. Yes, the war was going extremely well, although no one declared it to anyone, just like the realization of his more... personal ambitions. But what he found here… It changed everything. Until now, all his actions had been dictated by his desire to create a legacy that would last after his far too quick end, and to secure the future of his soldiers, but now… Now it turned out that there was another path, bright and clear. The destiny of the Antares family once again lay before him bright and clear. And not only in front of him, but also in front of his successor ... but he must be very vigilant. It would take great care and considerable effort, and probably many sacrifices, to set her on the right path, but was it possible to achieve true victory without shedding some blood?

Then she came in. He smiled involuntarily, which didn't happen to him very often because he always tried to control himself. Here, however, a slightly more open display of emotions was welcome.

She stood there with one hand leaning on the food cart. Normally, he was supposed to be brought by the servants, but he guessed that she needed an extra excuse to come here, because it couldn't be that she was here just to see him. Like him, she had some trouble showing her true feelings... and controlling them. The girl wore a red vest and fingerless leather gloves, and her hair, which was tied in a ponytail, was of a dark color inherited from Ashera, stiff and wild like a real Pahtra's, although it grew like a human's. The eyes, although cat-like and multi-colored, had the alertness and intelligence of the Antares family . She stood stiffly, nervous, hiding her uncertainty behind a proud, slightly arrogant posture. She had a hard look in her eyes, one hand on her hip, and a small smile on her face. But the tip of her tail was trembling nervously, and her companion, this strange cat with a translucent mane, was red and blue. He wasn't sure, but probably these colors reflected his emotions. Did they also show what his owner was feeling? At the sight of the unusual animal, Resh stood up, but gestured for it to return to its seat.

„Good morning... Daughter."

The girl's ears twitched nervously, she still probably hadn't fully accepted that he was her Father, but otherwise she maintained her composure. She was brought up well.

„I brought breakfast for Lord Admiral Antares and his companion. "she said in an official tone.

„Companions. Although Lady Sorrowflame separated from us after landing and went to explore Etheria on her own, and Ashurk, my PR specialist, left early in the morning, she is probably still looking for access to the network, but they are my subordinates. But that's not important now. Please sit down. I would like to talk to you, I would like to meet you. „ he pulled a chair for her and she sat down with some hesitation. They started helping themselves to breakfast, each one separately. There were steamed buns with sweet, fruit and bean fillings. Semi-hard-cooked vegetables, cream cheese, smoked fish and coarse grain pancakes. To drink there was sour milk and hibiscus tea. Lady Ka said she would eat later and stayed outside, watching what was happening in the castle. They ate in silence for some time until he finally broke the silence."

„It's nice here, definitely nicer than on Atrax, not to mention places like Eox or Aukturn."

„Where I grew up, in the Fright Zone, nothing was pretty... Well, almost nothing." she smiled for a moment, but then became serious.

„Yes. Star Siblings told me a bit about your childhood. It's from them that I learned about you."

This time she looked at him in surprise.

„Do you know Star Siblings? Jewlstar and the rest?" she asked, and he nodded and said

„Yes, they were the first people from the fallen empire I encountered. Very nice, although Starla has a weak head. They joined my fleet." he said and started spreading cheese on another piece of pie. This news broke the ice a bit, because Catra visibly relaxed, probably without even realizing it. After a few moments she asked.

„How did I end up here if this place was cut off from the galaxy?" there was hunger in her voice, an answer to a question she had probably been wondering about for a long time.

„I don't know the exact answer myself, but I know that Dr. Sidonius, an ancient and extremely lousy vampire, but also a great scientist, was involved in everything."

„A vampire... A non-dead creature that feeds on blood...„ she said, and when he nodded, she added. "Once, not so long ago, I thought they were creatures from fairy tales that scare children so that they obey and do not rebelled Against superiors." she said, as if she was referring to some very unpleasant memory. "But where did I come from? We are not alike. We're not even the same species." she looked at him sharply.

"Now I have to be very careful."

"My family... our family has ruled the planet Tarak for centuries, more or less fairly. Not all members of our family were noble rulers like in legends, and there were a few tyrants and even simple fools among us, but overall we were not that bad. When I took over after my tragically deceased father, the situation in our part of the galaxy was extremely complicated. There was a Cold War between the two greatest powers in the region, the freedom and individualism-valuing Pact Worlds and the militaristic, conquest-hungry Veskarium . Both sides avoided direct conflict, instead fighting proxy wars. Tarak has always been on the side of the Pact Worlds, so we naturally became the enemy of Veskarium. So they sent specialists in overthrowing governments, the siblings Igzar and Ashera. They were part of the Pahtra species, warrior and independent catpeople who had been conquered by Veskarium years ago. They were… really good at their job. Taking advantage of old animosities, mistakes of local leaders and sometimes terror, they started an uprising. Igzar commanded the army, but Ashera led the troops and carried out most of the military operations." he may have been almost entirely truthful in this part of story. After his descendant's reaction, he realized that he was referring to her memories. It's a pity he didn't know her story more thoroughly, because then it would be much easier for him to… win her favor. "Igzar was ruthless and cruel, he did not hesitate to resort to any kind of brutality to achieve his goals. But Ashera was a bit different. I wouldn't say she fought honorably, none of us did. But… she had some scruples. And she was insanely brave, she was not afraid to jump into flames just to get her way, although she was also very cunning and could easily outsmart most of my generals." he noticed that Catra liked the story he was telling him… Perfect. "We met several times on the battlefield and began to respect each other. At some point we even started corresponding and became very close." the girl twitched her ears, and her cat raised its head curiously, as if it understood what the story was about. Maybe that's what it was like. He had to remain very vigilant and couldn't underestimate anyone. "I won't lie to you, it wasn't romantic love. Neither I was interested in her in that way, nor she in anyone else, which is quite common with Pahtra. But... a bond was created between us, a very strong one. However, before the day of the battle that would decide everything, Igzar ordered her to assassinate me. She almost made it." he pointed to the scar on his face and the cybernetic eye. "But I survived, although I lost the war and had to evacuate with my supporters to avoid reprisals from the victors. And Ashera … Igzar did not tolerate failure. He decided that Asherah didn't kill me because of the sentiment she felt for me and ordered her to be killed." Now was the more delicate part, where the truth gave in to necessity. "Igzar committed many war crimes... or maybe he was simply too effective and his former superiors and allies began to fear him... In any case, he was forced to leave the planet. However, he took his sister's body with him... And since he had access to my DNA stored in various places... He took it with him and decided to contact a certain scientist from Atrax, Jantar... Lady Ka told you about him, I see„ he said when he saw how the girl reacted to the name of the mad scientist. Fortunately, she and Mrs. Ka had agreed on the appropriate version in advance.

„Yes, your companion told me about him. This was the man who created her… and me, right." she asked, and her cat began to look at him suspiciously.

„Yes, he created you in his laboratories. Igzar had large funds at his disposal, which he looted during the war... And which he earned by commanding his company of mercenaries, the famous Shadows of Tarak, so he had no problem paying for the work of the mad scientist-gangster. Igzar came up with the idea that if he created a child that was a combination of his sister and me, it would be able to inherit some of my former influence, as there were still many supporters of my family left on the planet, especially after the new government began to make the planet similar to Veskarium in terms of laws. civic. He hoped that in this way he would take revenge on his former colleagues and return to the big game. But that wasn't his whole plan. He wanted this child to be a murderess, an ideal warrior who would command the Shadows, and perhaps in the distant future go to his species' home planet to fight the Vesks to liberate his planet. After that, you had one more task. Igzar decided that it would be a very poetic end for me if I died by the hand of my own daughter.„ He poured himself a cup of tea and waited for his descendant to digest what she heard. Catra stared at her hands in disbelief and pain as her pet rubbed against her comfortingly.

„So I was just supposed to be a tool, a weapon created for fighting, right? The sword of Vengeance? But why... Why didn't he take me... and I ended up here... „ she looked down. He sighed and said sadly.

„Because you were a baby and he couldn't wait for you to grow up, so he didn't want to take you. In this case, Jantar wanted to cut his losses and sold you to a research facility owned by the servants of Nyarlathotep , an ancient dark entity, that was run by Doctor Sidonius ... This is where my trail ends"

He looked at her questioningly, and he looked down, and she thought for a long moment, and then she started talking... About her childhood in the Fright Zone, being raised by an evil sorceress called Shadow Weaver, about the difficult life of a cadet. The only thing that allowed her to survive that time was her friendship with Adora . Then her only friend found the sword that gave She-Ra's power, left and joined the Rebellion, and she began her career as a captain of the Horde, and then as the right hand of its leader. The more success she achieved, the more hatred and anger burned in her heart, until finally the terrible incident of the opening of the portal occurred. Then her story was no longer bright and clear, but it all ended with the death of Queen Angela, the mother of the current ruler, and the establishment of contact with the galactic Horde. Then the war escalated more and more, and finally... Here he hesitated for a moment, as if she wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth, but after some thought, she said that Glimmer had unknowingly activated the Heart of Etheria, a terrible weapon created by the First Ones to cleanse the Galaxy. Adora then broke her sword, but Etheria was torn from Despondos and the Horde occupation began almost immediately. His descendant and queen were kidnapped by Horde Prime . There... Catra watched the Empire's operations closely and eventually found out that Adora was looking for Glimmer, so she helped her free herself, but was punished terribly for it. At this point, Catra fell silent and trembled, reliving the terrible memories. He knew some people had trouble dealing with these types of wounds, so he waited until she was ready. When she calmed down, she said that she was freed by Adora , who had regained She-Ra's power. Her friends convinced her to stay with them. On Kryat she found Melog, who became her companion and then they returned to Etheria, where they continued to fight, but it was difficult because many princesses were Chipped. Shadow Weaver also returned and tried to separate them again. Adora agreed to a terrible sacrifice. The final battle took place when Horde Prime decided to activate the Heart on his own. At first she wanted to leave, but then she changed her mind and forced the Dark Sorceress to take her to Adora. She did it at the last minute, because her friend was fighting a guardian powerful enough to kill She-Ra . They only defeated him thanks to Shadow Weaver sacrificing herself, but Adora was poisoned nonetheless. Regardless, her beloved decided to deactivate the heart, even at the cost of her life. Then she confessed her love and Adora somehow found the strength to survive and unleash the magic. Endowed with full power, She-Ra defeated the Horde and annihilated Horde Prime ... And now they are together.

There was silence. He knew he had just obtained the information he had been sent here for, but he didn't care. He didn't come here to follow the orders of these or other politicians. All that mattered was his goals, and now the future of his house. So he stood up and placed his hand on Catra's shoulder and said the words she wanted to hear.

„I'm proud of you, daughter."

"I'm proud of you, daughter." When she heard these words, a shiver ran through her body and tears came to her eyes, and it was only with a supreme effort of will that she stopped herself from bursting into tears. Perhaps she should let her emotions flow, as Glimmer and Bow would have advised her to do, but she heard her sister's voice in the back of her mind. "Don't trust him. Everything he says is a lie." But how much could she believe her? Or him? She felt torn between distrust, or caution as she called it, and her desire for this man to be… He was as he seemed. She really wanted someone who was to her like Mikah was to Glimmer. Who would replace Shadow Weaver in her memories. But she was afraid of disappointment and that the feeling that pricked her soul like a splinter stuck in her finger would turn out to be real. The feeling that everything is too good to be true... Is it really that good?

It was created by a crazy individual no better than Horde Prime... for money. She was created not out of love, but to fulfill her uncle's ambitions. She was a weapon, a blade like a sword of protection…. Like Adora in the hands of Shadow Weaver. For years she had envied her beloved for her uniqueness, at least in the eyes of her "guardian", but now it turned out that she could share her fate.

However, this was not the right time to dwell on the past and its origins. Her father was here and she still had questions for him that needed answers.

„So I was created almost twenty-five years ago. During all this time, hasn't Jantar been trying to create... another person like me? – she asked and looked hard at her father, dismissing all the recent sadness. She had to be strong to find out the truth. The Lord Admiral hesitated and sat slowly in his chair. She felt Melog watching him carefully. The resident of Kryat did not trust this man. He couldn't recognize a lie, especially one hidden among the truth. He had told her that the other man was very composed and concealed his emotions, but now her question unsettled him. It reminded her that she had to stay vigilant and that she couldn't completely trust Antares ...

„Yes, I know of one who survived.„ he said, and she felt her heart begin to pound in her chest and heat spread throughout her body.

„I need to explain to you that our family has a genetic flaw that has made genetic engineering extremely difficult." she paled when she heard about the genetic defect, because she wanted to have children with Adora one day, but seeing her reaction, the Lord Admiral smiled sadly and said in a reassuring tone. „Don't worry. You didn't inherit it. That's why creating you was so difficult. A few years ago there was a Swarm Attack on the Kes-Atr-On system, where my forces covered the evacuation of civilians from the planet Kesler, and then I fought a victorious battle on the planet Atrax, where Jantar lived. Igzar fought there too, and I would be lying if I said he didn't show great heroism. However, he was primarily interested in the glory that he could use to regain his influence over Tarak. A year earlier, Jantar finally created a teenager that met his standards of perfection. The girl was not only more mature, but also had knowledge about military, leading others and... killing. However, Jantar was too brutal towards his daughters, so they came to me to help overthrow him. I managed to do it, but before Lady Ka gave me your sister, Igzar kidnapped her and, although he died, that girl ended up in the hands of Tarak's shadows. I hadn't heard anything about her until recently, butLady Ka spotted her trail near the Zone a few weeks ago, so I put my finger on it. Perhaps I will be able to find her... „ he finished and drank the curdled milk. She crossed her arms over her chest. For a moment she wanted to tell him that she had met her sister. But… She didn't want to take any chances. The girl didn't want their father to be told about their existence, so she figured he would listen to her. If her father was a good man, or at least not a bad one, then he would understand her. And if it is otherwise, it will protect Eti from Admiral Antares.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement in the bushes and what appeared to be a fragment of purple hair. Apparently Entrapta couldn't stand it anymore and went on spying missions to spy on the technology in their guests' possession. Fortunately, the Inventor could move extremely quietly when she wanted to... But she had to not lose control herself before catch the first Gadget that came within the reach of her hair. Normally she wouldn't mind, but the former ruler of Dryl wasn't very good at keeping secrets. It's time to get ready and take Entrapte with you . But she had to ask one question first.

„ Are there many sorcerers in the universe who practice shadow magic? – she asked carefully, and the Lord Admiral looked at her in surprise, then thought better of it and answered.

„Quite a lot. Although I am not a specialist in the field of mystics, as the most popular type of Magic users is correctly called. This is one of the more common types of dark magic, although that does not mean that its users are evil. From what I know, it is especially popular among the followers of Lao Shu Po, the goddess of deceit, theft and murder, and Zon-Kuthon , the God of Darkness, jealousy and suffering, but also among ordinary thieves or scouts, and other people who rely on hiding in darkness. „ said the Lord Admiral and became lost in thought.

She felt great relief. Although she didn't like all this talk about gods, apparently such practices were much more popular in the galaxy than she expected, but at least there was at least a small chance that it was just a coincidence and her sister didn't end up in the clutches of that bitch. That Shadow Weaver is dead and will never come back. But then Antares added.

„Theoretically it was supposed to be a secret, but we sent a reconnaissance mission first. It was led by Lady Cala Grayskull , who claimed to be a descendant of Mara , who, like your fiancée, was She-Ra, or so she claimed. She was accompanied by her mentor, a woman who had joined her five years ago on a planet called Carurystal, a master of magic, including dark magic, named Miss Daisy."

She felt cold sweat break out on her.

„Was this woman Saihe?" she asked, but seeing the lack of understanding in her father's eyes, she added. "Pointed ears, sharp facial features… And does he have scars?"

Antares looked at her thoughtfully"

„You mean she's an Elf? Yes, she is, although she also has a large admixture of drow blood. As for the scars... I didn't see them on her face, but I allowed myself to gather some information about her employer, so I also learned a lot about her. It is a common fact on Carurystal that she wears a holographic mask to hide the scars and deformities that cover her face. Most believe it's the result of some tragic magical accident and feel sorry for her."

"They feel sorry for her. They feel sorry for Shadow Weaver" felt like laughing hysterically, but somehow she held it back, even though Melog flattened his ears and emitted the blue of sadness and the yellow of fear. She got up and headed for the exit. She had to think everything over and of course intercept Entrapta before she said something she shouldn't, but her father stopped her by speaking.

„We both know you came here with one question. "Is he a good person," he looked at her carefully.

„Are you a good person?" she asked, answering her father with an equally attentive look.

"No, I'm not." he replied in a polite, dispassionate voice. She nodded and left, much more confused than before.

This planet irritated Lady Ka. It was… pastel… and definitely too nice. Perhaps she had spent a little too much time in the stuffy, filtered air of her transport, but the air here made her feel slightly drunk. Moreover, this place felt like a fucking folk park, or some shitty place in the Galaxy, worse than Carurystal or even Saltmarsh. It was a damn fairytale castle, with a damn fairytale princess, a damn fairytale prince and an equally damn fairytale knight. Only the damn cat was definitely dragged out of her world. She was able to recognize Jantar's work at first glance. She wonder if she also felt that she didn't belong in this place cursed by Devils and Quilpoths

The worst thing was that she felt useless here. The construction of a new intelligence network in the region was going quite well, but here she was cut off from its resources necessary for its work. She wasn't entirely sure why the Lord Admiral had taken her here. At first she thought that her boss didn't trust her and didn't want her to be left alone without supervision, but now she came to the conclusion that it wasn't the case, at least not only that. Antares needed someone he trusted to stand by his side. Although the locals didn't seem too dangerous, on the contrary, they were so pleasant that she felt like vomiting rainbows, but even here someone like the Lord Admiral needed support. Someone to watch his back, keep an eye on everything, and inject him with the damn drug. And of course, someone who would look at everything with a sober eye, that's what he needed most... Sometimes the greatest men and women became soft when it came to the issue of their offspring. She saw it in her boss too, how he softened at the sight of that girl. He needed someone to remind him who he was.

It didn't change the fact that she was bored, so she threw a knife for fun, annoying the strangely dressed guards, and listened to the conversation with the Cat. Her boss told her to install a listening device so he wouldn't have to tell her everything again. The kitten's story was interesting and even quite funny, although the reminder of the fact that Horde Prime liked to chip his clones made her think a little more fondly of that bastard Jantar. She would also like to meet this Shadow Weaver woman so that they can exchange experiences about parenting methods, like cat lady with cat lady. But at the last question, the kitten wasn't sure whether to laugh or gnash her teeth. She didn't like being made an idiot.

And then, almost by accident, she saw movement among the bushes and drew her weapon. She was about to shoot the bastard on the spot when the boss's daughter came out of the house and called.

„Entrapta, please leave… „ and then she looked at her and said sharply. What are you going to do?

Without removing her hand from the gun, she replied in an irritated voice.

„Someone is sneaking into... „ she didn't finish, because the head of a woman with long and surprisingly flowing purple hair appeared from the bushes.

„Hey Catra! I just came here to check out our guests' technology, but quietly so as not to disturb anyone! the purple-haired woman exclaimed.

„One moment and she might shoot you." she growled and out of the corner of her eye she saw Catra extend her claws and start talking very slowly.

„Entrapta can be curious and a bit... careless sometimes, but she is a friend of me, Adora and the queen, and if anything happened to her, you would have to deal with us."

The sight of those claws made her shudder involuntarily. However, she refrained from touching the mask. Entrapta waved her hair and said.

„I was in no danger. When we were returning from our last expedition, I set up a portable force field in case something buried me again or we were ambushed.." she looked at her gun, squealed irritably, then jumped up to her and grabbed the gun from her holster.

„"Leave that!" she growled, but the purple-haired girl undressed him in a few moves.

„ This is a fascinating device! Plasma microcapacitor with subgravity magnetic field generator, although it does not have maximum efficiency. If you gave me an hour or two, I could increase the stopping power of this weapon by two hundred percent. There was a time when I would ask you out on a date, but now that I'm married, I don't think I can, although I don't know if Hordak would mind... I know! Let's have a girls' night out! It's basically the same as a date.

" she exclaimed happily. She smiled at the purple-haired woman with the visible part of her mouth. If it were up to her, such people should be thrown into the river with a stone around their necks. Catra gave her a warning look and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You know Entrapta? Come with me. I need to talk to someone now.

The purple-haired woman nodded, sighed sadly and gave her the weapon, or rather parts of it, back and went with Catra, but as they walked she gave Lady Ka a longing look and a friendly wave. She had to admit that seeing Catra was a strange experience for her. The girl was sexy, there was no doubt about it, but she wouldn't go to bed with her. Not because she was afraid of the Lord Admiral's reaction. Whatever you say about her boss, it didn't bother him when people around him slept together, he was much more irritated by conflicts and excessive competition. No, this was about something else. She looked too much like her sister, the little freak that Jantar had created, and in her opinion such creatures should end at a party with birds.

The Lord Admiral sat at a table and wrote his diary in a self-encrypted journal that he could only read with his cybernetic eye. Of course, it only contained the "correct" version of events. Apparently he wanted to publish it someday. Then he will read them with joy and laugh out loud.

„You told her a beautiful story, boss, congratulations on your imagination." she said with sincere appreciation.

„Politics is basically telling stories that others want to believe." replied the Lord Admiral without looking away from his journal.

„So it's almost the same as a scam.„ said Lady Ka, raising one eyebrow.

„Partly, yes. But at the same time, you have to believe in your story, even if you know it's a bunch of nonsense. Sometimes this faith can make lies become truth." Antares said and looked at her. She considered his words for a moment and then said.

„What will happen when he finally discovers the truth? Because I think we both know that this will happen."

A Shadow of a smile appeared on the Lord Admiral's face.

„Weave the golden threads of lies into the tapestry of truth so that they become inseparable and impossible to divide one from another. And to put it less poetically, before she knows the whole truth, she must be so closely connected with us that she either doesn't care anymore or will prefer to choose lies. Either way, until then we have to work hard to convince her of... our goals."

She thought about his words for a moment and asked.

„You don't mind that she's marrying a demigoddess."

There was a spark of joy in his blue eye.

„What a great choice. It will definitely strengthen our genetic line in the future. I promise that I will be the cutest father-in-law in the galaxy.

She nodded, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't all be that simple, after all, nothing related to gods was like that.

„There is also the matter of the Heart. She claims that this weapon was destroyed. Do you believe her?. she asked, approaching her commander.

Lord Admiral Antares thought for a moment and said in a thoughtful voice.

„Yes, I rather believe her. Anyway, it doesn't matter anyway. These types of artifacts are dangerous and do more harm than good. Whoever possesses them becomes a target for all reasonable people."

There was silence again. The Lord Admiral interrupted them, speaking in a solemn voice.

„I wasn't lying when I said I was proud of her. The story she told shows that she was a strong, tough and ruthless leader. If she is properly polished, she will lead her housetowards a golden age and create a true empire. Of course, first we have to remove the obstacle which is Queen Glimmer"