Behold, The Horde Ch 1

ONE

  Earth Year 2015

   With high expectations, Human beings leave earth to establish a thriving colony on the moon, the first step toward expanding into the solar system, then the galaxy. The wars that plagued mankind for generations finally came to an end in the eleventh year of earth's twenty-first century. Following the abolishment of the United Nations, a new World government arose. The President of the World Nation was elected from the leaders of the individual countries. All governments retained their own autonomy to govern their peoples. In matters dealing with disputes between two or more nations, the World Nation stepped in to settle things. If force was required, an army was raised with men and material from all the governments who consented to contribute. Those assets were permanently transferred to the World Nation armies with the full understanding that any nation contributing may end up facing those forces later. The people selected had to be carefully screened because their duty in the new army may require they oppose their own nation in settling a dispute.
   The ideals upon which the new nation was built endured its first year of existence better than expected. Only one major confrontation requiring the active use of force reared its ugly head, and was quickly put down. With a stabilized, if fragile, peace settling across the lands, Humans looked to the stars to continue and thrive.
   In the earth year 2015, the Hubble telescope, having been towed from earth orbit into a stationary position beyond the moon, chanced to catch site of strange alien ships entering the solar system. Their design spoke of a vastly more advanced and superior race. The grace and somewhat ugly beauty of the vessels disguised the evil force within.
   With the known universe under his dominion, Horde Prime remembered stories of a world Skeletor once visited briefly in pursuit of He-man and the second Cosmic Key constructed by Gwildor. A shining blue/white planet known locally as Earth. A brief recon mission showed earth's technological level to be inferior to the Horde. An easy conquest. Lacking new targets to conquer, Horde Prime gives the order to send a small force to earth. Their orders are to take through diplomacy first. A departure from the normal procedure, but Horde Primes investigation into Skeletor's visit revealed the strength of these human's will. If diplomacy failed, the robot armies loaded into the starships were more than sufficient to eliminate all resistance.
   First contact with the Horde ambassador, someone called Catra, went well enough. Most communicating took place while they were in earth orbit. After days of talks, Catra agreed to a face-to-face meeting with the World Nation President outside the former United Nations building.
   The landing went like clockwork up until touchdown when all hell broke loose. No one knew exactly how it started, but a single shot rang out just as Catra appeared in the open hatch of the grounded shuttle. The metal slug ricocheted harmlessly off the hull scant inches from the Horde woman, who ducked quickly back inside. The hatch slammed shut in the faces of the assembled World Nation leadership and roared off into the sky on power atmospheric engines. An outraged Catra growled and spat about human duplicity and deceit and called for retribution.
   All six Horde warships dropped from orbit toward pre-selected targets. All military bases. An example of Horde military might the pitiful humans would not forget. Dropships and fighters disgorged from the warships. The fighters flew cover for the landings strafing the enemy troops coming out to meet the invaders. Dropships grounded right on the runways and parade grounds were scores of robot troopers and tanks rumbled down loading ramps.
   The fearsome Horde Tank mounted twin laser canon, antipersonnel-mine ejectors and lasers, and each bore the ugly visage of Hordak on the front. The fighters mounted heavy lasers, bomb bays and the same grim visage. The troopers all measured seven feet in height; a blood-red batwing crest painted on the breastplates, and was armored against all known weaponry. Their domed heads housed the computerized brains with narrow red slits for eyes. Standard arms were flat black laser rifles, which could be reversed to use the bladed spear where the butt stock would be.
   All but one base fell within a matter minutes. Last base to fall under attack actually repelled the invaders due to a little blind luck on the part of a few courageous people who had no training in heavy weapons. After taking serious losses, the troopers and tanks withdrew to their dropships and blasted for the sky under a protective screen of fighters.
   Horde Prime withdrew his force to the Horde World, promising to return with suitable forces to conquer earth. No amount of negotiating would spare them this fate. Conquest had been his goal all along.
   Such was the state of affairs when another alien ship appeared in the solar system shortly after the Horde departed. The ship drifted dead in space just beyond the moon. Although it appeared badly damaged, the configuration was vastly different from the Horde warships. Rumor had it when the boarding party entered the derelict they found someone, or something, alive. The rumors drifted toward a humanoid, but no one could ever confirm that. The ship was then towed down to a secure facility on the moon and the discovery shuttled off to earth, never to be heard or spoken of again.

  Cheyenne Mountain, United States, Earth
  13 March 2017

   General Eugene 'Mean Gene' Hammond sat in his office buried twenty-five stories under the Cheyenne Mountains reviewing the highly classified report on the incidents that took place two years before. Evidence of the setup precipitating the Horde strikes was circumstantial at best, but it did shed light on the matter. Conquest was their aim, not peaceful co-existence. And time was running out on their planned return to finish what they started. The information obtained from the alien spacecraft now secured deep beneath the moon's surface provided invaluable. However, it didn't reveal a viable way f defending against the Horde's superior technology.
   Oh, Area 51 and the secret labs on the moon have been reverse engineering the captured weapons and puzzling over the few troopers and tanks destroyed in battle, but they were no closer to an answer than the top military and civilian planners. And their 'Guest' could only provide some much information. The galaxy had changed much in the time the starship was lost – wherever it was.
   There was one hint, though. A tidbit of information the Guest imparted and verified against decrypted data from the starship's computers. Legend held of six mystical suits of armor each with incredible firepower and durability used by six noble warriors in the days before the rise of Horde Prime and his empire. These people -called Guardians -were defeated by Horde Prime, but the armor was spirited away before it could be destroyed. That was all great and fine, but there was no clue as to where to begin looking. It was a big universe, after all.
   General Hammond dropped the thick report on his neat and orderly oak desk, leaned back in the comfortable leather chair, and swiveled around to look at the trinkets given to him upon departing previous assignments. Mementos of past commands whose experiences molded him into the general officer he was today. "The more I look at those reports, the more questions I come up with. A legend no one believes in. Two people whose power has been all but extinguished from the universe. And one planet about to be caught up in a galactic war. When the President of the United States personally called me out of retirement, I wish I had never answered that phone."
   "The end is not near," a quiet voice spoke from deep shadow across the spacious office. "The birth of a legend is at hand."
   "But I have no idea where to start looking! Even if your ship is space-worthy, where do we start looking?"
   A hesitation. "I am still working on that. We know the armor is somehow calling out to six individuals. Maybe that will help plot the first course. My visions are sporadic at best. The woman I speak with is someone I thought long dead. She isn't exactly forthcoming with details."
   "Do we know who five of the six are?" General Hammond asked, returning to the desk, leaning his elbows on it.
   "Yes. I'm told they are being brought here. They should all be assembled by the end of the week."
   "All right. We'll all get acquainted at that time. The starship crew, the Delta Force unit – everyone all at once and proceed from there." He was going to politely ask the Guest to leave him to his thoughts, but the shadows had already lost much of their inky blackness indicating a presence. "I hate it when she does that," the general sighed.

  Cheyenne Mountain, United States, Earth
  19 March 2017

   The auditorium was just over half full by the time Adrian arrived. He didn't much like large gatherings, and the amount people, especially the Delta Force members, made him uneasy. He just didn't like crowds. Five other people, only one of which was an enlisted man like him, also gravitated toward the back. Quiet conversation broken occasionally by brief laughter pervaded the auditorium. Many glanced at the five newcomers, but none gave the five much thought. That everyone had to sign an affidavit of confidentiality before entering the auditorium meant they had some purpose here.
   "ROOM! ATTUN-HUT!" a master sergeant announced. All conversation ceased abruptly and all but the three civilians at the back snapped to attention. The civilians had been briefed to stand as a courtesy when General Hammond and a cloaked figure arrived not on the stage as expected, but walking around the arched front.
   "Please, take your seats." The general waited until everyone got him or her self situated.
   Adrian watched the cloaked figure quietly slide off the viewer's left well out of the way. He couldn't tell anything about the shadow except by a brief glimpse of booted feet. Blue suede, by the look of it, and the cut of those boots indicated feminine feet. Adrian returned his attention to General Hammond, but kept an eye on the cloaked person of the corner of his eye.
   Adrian's casual observation did not go unnoticed. The Guest, secure in the deep shadow of the hood, observed everyone openly especially the two military and three civilians at the back. These were the ones to whom the mystical armor called out to. Although he couldn't see, the Guest met Adrian's gaze and stared deep into his soul. Yes, he's the one, the one with a warrior's strength and a leader's heart.
   "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I realize the arrangements to get you here were short-notice in some cases, so I'll try to get this over with as quickly as possible so you can get settled in. As I'm sure most of you are aware, the time limit for the return of the Horde forces is almost at an end. We believe the attack two years ago was engineered by them as an excuse to assault and conquer this world. It is my job to see to it that doesn't happen."
   Murmured comments rippled throughout the room. One of the Delta Force people raised their hand. General Hammond acknowledged him. "Sir we didn't have much of a chance against the forces they landed two years ago. If they come with an army, what chance will we have this time?"
   Hammond expected such a question, and prepared for it. "We have completed reconstruction of the alien ship discovered beyond the moon after the Horde left. It is almost ready for space flight. I know, one ship against what they can field is nothing, but that isn't the mission of this ship. Colonel Jojo Majourney-" a striking woman in her mid-thirties with a touch of gray rose half out of her seat, hand raised to identify herself  "-is the captain of the starship. She and her crew are to transport this Delta Force unit and the five individuals and our Guest on a mission to revive a legend."
   The lecture droned on about the legend of the Guardian Armor, the specifics of the starship, the roles of the crew and unit, and the apparent state of affairs on the planets Eternia and Etheria. How they new the state of those two worlds had not been explained, but Adrian suspected it had something to do with the mysterious guest. All this took place as if the five at the back of the auditorium had already signed on. Maybe the others had, but Adrian had not. Dreams of a powerful suit of armor haunted his dreams calling to him just like the others. While they might be all but ready to accept being chosen by the armor to wield their power, Adrian had yet to be convinced.
   Question everything, but do it respectfully, Adrian's first jet engine trainer had constantly harped on. Take nothing at face value. Indeed, words to live by, especially now.
   General Hammond ended his briefing and introductions, and asked for questions. Adrian's hand shot up immediately. The recognized him, and he stood up to address the many eyes turned his direction. "Sir, you mentioned six people have been chosen by the armor to wield its power. I see only five chosen ones including myself."
   "Yes, that's correct," General Hammond acknowledged.
   "So, who's the sixth person?"
   General Hammond's gaze darted immediately to the cloaked guest, who nodded almost imperceptibly. "We are still working on that. For now you five are all we have."
   "Then we should all be acquainted in the interests of becoming one, big happy family," Adrian replied before another question could be taken. "Does the lady have a name? Or are we to call her 'Guest'?"
   That drew more than a few astonished stares. How could he have known the cloaked person's gender when said cloak was styled to prevent such a thing? Several looked the motionless figure up and down, and still could not see whatever it was Adrian saw. Or decided he may be guessing at the individual's gender.
   "All that will be revealed in due time, sergeant," General Hammond replied neutrally.
   Adrian opened his mouth to say something, shut it again. General Hammond solved that indecision for him. "Go ahead and say it, Cobra. Get it out in the open now. That's why this meeting was called," the general replied gently. He knew he had to be gently with these people; the five to whom the armor called out to especially.
   "I'm not comfortable committing to something without any data to go on, general. Makes for pretty sloppy engine maintenance, and could cost a pilots or aircrews their lives."
   "Fair enough, but I can't reveal anything further unless I know you are in this all the way. And that goes for everyone in this room. I'm sorry I have to play it this way, but once the full scope of what we face is known, you'll understand why." Hammond explained to the audience as a whole.
   "I guess I'm just not ready yet," Adrian replied, turned away from the assembly, and quickly exited through the nearest set of doors.
   Everyone in the room felt the same way to one degree or another. Adrian simply voiced what was on all their minds. When the meeting broke up fifteen minutes later, General Hammond waiting for everyone to leave before conferring with the alien visitor. "How could he have known you are female? There was no way to tell through that cloak. Even I couldn't guess if I didn't already know."
   "He is a very perceptive individual. He sees everything without looking like he is looking. That's why he took the position he did when everyone assembled."
   "Like taking a position in a tavern to survey the whole for potential trouble."
   "Essentially, yes. And knowing thus about him, he undoubtedly saw my boots when I walked in," she replied in that same enchanting voice she commonly used.
   Hammond's eyes immediately dropped to the booted feet barely poking out from under the cloak. Though there wasn't much to see there was enough to deduce the slender cut of the blue-dyed suede material as fitting a woman's foot.
   "With perceptions and attention to detail like that, I'm glad he's on our side," Hammond replied. The cloaked woman agreed.

   Cheyenne Mountain, United States, Earth
   20 March 2017

   Adrian Cobretti tossed and turned as the dream once again gripped him in its terrifying embrace. This one was the worst yet. Adrian walked through streets of devastation that were once New York, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and hundreds more across the world. Trains of slaves linked with neck chains marking slump-shouldered through a gauntlet of mixed Horde troopers. Most were the standard hulking gray-armored types with black leather in the jointed areas, bloody batwing crest on the breastplate, and domed head. Mixed in were thinner troopers all in black with the armor cut reminding Adrian of some sort of medieval knight in a strange sort of way. The hulking troopers sported laser rifles with standard butt stocks and stun batons clipped to utility belts. The black troops also carried laser rifles, but the stock was replaced with a wicked-looking dual-pronged spear end. And they carried bean sabers clipped to their utility belts.
   The scene shifted to other worlds. The images came rapid-fire, too quick for the eye to follow. Adrian figured they were the many worlds crashed by the relentless expansion of Horde armies. Two worlds in particular came to mind then. Etheria, with its forbidding Fright Zone, from which Hordak surveyed his domain, and Eternia where the once human King Hiss ruled from Palace Eternia.
   The last stop was before a mighty castle. Adrian stood at the edge of a bridge with twin arches staring across a bottomless expanse to wide for a mortal human to jump even with a running start; not that there was anything like a ledge on the far side to leap to. The entire structure looked like some kind of alien arachnid with towers at the front corners framing a skull face. The closed bridge he somehow knew as the jawbridge slowly began is rickety decent. Thunder roared and lightning flashed throwing unearthly shadows against the gray/green stone structure. The bridge came to rest with a crash. It looked ever inch like its name. Stone teeth lining the edges and rippled down the center like the bridge and archways leading up to it. A glowing blue nimbus pulsed just within the open mouth. As Adrian watched, a deep-throated laughter filled the air as a mechanical three-fingers hand reached through the nimbus straight for him;

   Adrian snapped full awake and upright strangling a scream. Sweat glistened on his body and the sheets were soaked in it once again. Struggling to dispel the nightmare, Adrian levered himself out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Standing before the sink his splashed cold water onto his face for a minute or two while the nightmare released him from its terrifying grip. Staring long and hard at his own reflection, Adrian came to the only decision left open to him.

   General Hammond called a meeting bright and early that morning. Those who were committed were to attend. The cloaked visitor was there along with four of the five people the mysterious Guardian armor called out to.
   Jake Rockwell, the only other military person of the five, Army through and through, and survivor of the attack on Rhein Mein Air Base in Germany. Lithe, black-haired Sonya Boradni from the former Soviet Union survived the assault on Moscow. Brad Johnson and Jeromy Ironwood witnessed the attacks on New York and Edwards Air Force Base respectively. They were also told that Adrian Cobretti was the one who turned the tide in the battle at Edwards AFB, although he was later charged with cowardice in the face of the enemy when he took off to commandeer a humvee that had been looked with weapons by the base security forces, but was ambushed before it could reach the battlefield. Adrian brought it into the fight and, with others aiding him, found weak points in the trooper and drove the invaders back to their dropship.
   Colonel Majourney attended representing her entire command crew. As was Colonel Jonathon Markson, commander of the Delta Force unit, representing his entire command.
   General Hammond took his place at the head of the oak conference table and was about to start by revealing the appearance and identity of the 'Guest' when Adrian Cobretti burst into the room unannounced. He walked to end opposite the general, leaned on both hands and stared straight at Hammond. The disheveled look about him and the look in his eyes confirmed the nature of the nightmares just recently discussed. Colonels Majourney and Markson were skeptical, but that vanished upon looking into the man's eyes.
   "Are you all right, Adrian?" Hammond asked, even though the very look of the man indicated otherwise.
   "Just tell me one thing, general. We're going out there to stop them, right? Not to make concessions with, or make peace with, but to stop them. To get this armor and end the tyranny of this Horde Prime once and for all." Adrian had to concentrate hard to get it all phrased right. The nightmare still tried stubbornly cling to him making coherent thought difficult.
   To punctuate his point, General Hammond rose from his chair. "That's the plan straight from the President of the United States. You have my word on that, son."
   Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Adrian said what would probably be the most prophetic statement heard in that room. "All right. I'm in." As with the conference yesterday, Adrian left abruptly before anyone could say a word.
   General Hammond could almost feel the Guest's desire to chase Adrian down and find out the cause of his sudden change of heart. At his nod, the cloaked figure rose and departed after Adrian Cobretti in impossibly fluid motions for one so shrouded. The general continued the meeting using stock photos of the individual's true identity until a more formal introduction could be made.
   Adrian heard the booted footfalls seconds before the cloaked figure caught up to him from behind. Adrian stopped and waited for the person to catch up. The figure rounded the corner seconds later and stopped, seeing Adrian waiting ten feet away.
   "Tell me of your nightmare, Adrian Cobretti," the shroud asked. Another might have made it a demand, but the soft feminine, almost motherly voice made it sound anything but.
   Adrian hesitated. Who is this person that I would talk to so readily when I don't even know what they look like? "I see images of cities in ruins. The earth destroyed by Horde armies, its people enslaved. I see other planets that have met a similar fate. A beautiful, blonde-haired woman bent under the strain of torture and imprisonment. A once powerful blonde-haired man who has lost his way. I see a forbidding-looking castle with a skull built into the front face; the entrance a kind of jaw bridge. And images of a beautiful woman old in mind and spirit, yet young in body dressed like a bird, or-"
   "Falcon?"
   "How did you know that? Are you telepathic?"  Adrian asked, suspicious.
   "Among other things. Do your dreams revolve around any one thing?"
   "Yes. The Bird-woman. I don't know why, but I feel as though I must seek her out." Adrian crossed his arms tightly at his chest. "I can't explain it. Nor do I even know her name."
   The hood nodded. "Then your search is over, Adrian Cobretti."
   Shapely hands emerged from the cloak sheathed in blue and edged with oversized feathers colored red on both sides except the outer edge feathers on the backside; just like in the dream. Those slender hands scooped the cloak and hood back over the shoulders in one smooth motion before falling beside firm, yet shapely thighs the upper half of which were covered by a white feather-like skirt pointed front, and presumably back, and angling gently up to the hips. The blue from the sleeves crossed the top of the outfit around the collar and plunged to a point at the end of the sternum. White filled in the rest rising up to mark the breasts. And black 'V' shapes passed for what may be discolored feather strewn sparing from the lower ribs to skirt. The most startling feature was not the beautifully, almost lovingly, sculpted features, but the falcon-like headdress framing those features. It was impossible to tell whether or not it was a part of her or removable.
   "And my name is the Sorceress."