'Guardians, you move ahead. Cover fire. Keepers, you're with me, assault on my command. The creature goes down at any cost' commanded the High Captain of the Eternian Imperial Forces through her headset.

Stealthy shadows moved at once following the strategies indicated. The silent ruins of old Imperial Palaces sighing whispers of war and decay as they passed by, leaving no traces of their presence behind. The burning sands of Skeletor had made the common citizens and survivors of Eternia's fall a living hell. But for the hardened soldiers under Teela's orders, it had become an element of disguise. Another weapon to use against the Great Enemy and his undying armies.

Teela, daughter of Duncan Man-at-Arms, High General of the Imperial Armies, had lost count of the scars she bore under her rusty gold vest or the sleepless nights she'd had to endure for the greater good of protecting what little civilisation was left for Skeletor to violate and anihilate. She'd also lost count of how many soldiers she'd seen die and despair in agony at the hands of the Evil Dark Lord and his Giant monstrous beasts and undead armies. She'd lost count, but still she saw them each time she went to battle in the deserts: their hollow eyes reminding her that in this time, there was no peace or honour even in death.

With Emperor Randor and his Empire vanquished, the soldiers of the army that made it alive after the defence of the Palace, were scattered and helplessly demoralised. It took her father and herself a long time to organise them again. To arm themselves amonst the ruins and start fighting back for control. A desperate task, but one that kept hearts beating and spirits hoping against hope.
Maneuvers under the blood-red sky moved everyone into positon and the veterans awaited the last command.

'Shall we wait for The Wanderer to attack first?' whispered one of the Keepers by the side of the Captain.

Teela gave him a sidelong look of disdain.

She hated that Barbarian. That He-Man that had failed to protect his people and vanquish evil. The Wanderer that travelled the lands announcing nothing but death. For wherever he went, the armies of Darkness would be close at hand. His only task, to destroy it. Collateral damage and strategy mattered little for the lost hero, Teela believed. His carelesness reminding her of the lost Prince Adam.

'No', she replied 'we attack as planned and let him do whatever he pleases; he will anyway. If anyone is endangered by his recklessness, shoot him.'
The vox-sets clicked in affirmative response and Teela blessed her warriors' loyalty. Many, she wouldn't see again after tonight.

The Great Worm gave out a sound like a million screams combined when he was assaulted by the Forces of Eternia. Turning quickly around, its saggy skin blotched with ichor from the wounds inflicted by the energy blasts of the Guardians' cover fire, it sank into the sand, going for the ruins with unnatural speed.

The Keepers jumped onto its back, Teela leading, and again the Demon was caught unawares. Its contortions threw various soldiers form their grapples' holds and they screamed as they were crushed by the body of the creature, leaving blood trails and guts scattered in the desert. More carrion for the armies of Skeletor, Teela thought.

The energy guns kept blasting away as the creature tried to fight back and Teela waved the Keepers to hold their fire in one spot of the Worm's body and keep it as intense as they could. She knew it wouldn't be long before the creature became transdimensional and then they wouldn't have protection at all whilst it devoured their souls.

The fire of the Keepers opened a gap the size of a crater and the blood spattered blinded some of them, whilst other fell and were crushed. Some unfortunate Guardians were already engulfed by the great devouring mouth of the beast, their bodies twisted and torn apart by a thousand teeth and acid digestive substance.
Teela armed her grenades and gave the order to retreat. The Keepers left the great Worm's back as it was beginning to lose material consistency and the Guardians took shelter amongst the ruins.

The High Captain as seen from the ground, appeared mythical: a goddess in Golden Armour, riding the back of the Devil's demon in defiance of its terror. Her red hair, mixing with the blood hues of the sky, her eyes focused and her hands steady as she threw the grenades into the wound of the beast.

An flash of pure white light blinded the troops. And then, silence.

Amongst the vapourised remains of the Worm and the warm spray of blood in the air, The Captain emerged.

'One down', she said. 'More to go. Move ahead. Guardians, cover fire. Keepers with me.'

Book 22, Chronicles of Twilight,
"Books of Eternia: The Old Days"

Well, folks, I'm sorry it's been long without an update, but I wanted to do this one right. And following my string of reimaginings of the Masters of the Universe, I now bring you Teela, Captain of the Eternian Armies.
I thought my hand would stray to Man-At-Arms first, or Evyl-Lyn, but Teela grew on me the moment I thought abot the military aspect of her; one that wasn't too developed in the show as so many things.
I always envisioned her as a Sarah Connor: a fighter that had given up almost all of her life to fight in the defence of the people. Quite a sacrifice.
And in this Twilight, she's lost even more, and buried his emotions een deeper. If she once felt admiration for He-Man, she now loathes him as a dissapointment to the only thing he was bound to do and couldn't: protect the people. And perhaps, even deeper, he couldnt protect her, nor offer any consolation. It's as if he didn't notice her at all. And perhaps that, as a woman, was more terrible.

Definitely a relationship I'd like to explore more and I hope you hop along!

There's details I've loved to render, such as adding pouches and military gear to Eternians, and designing their armours (they have a WHOLE explanation behind them as well ) or writing about their ranks. I think the technology-to-medieval ratio is a bit more balanced now than it was...

As usual, let me know what you feel, regarding the tale and the imagery. And let me know if you want to see more!

Nic.-