Shakra's office. Several years ago.

Shakra had been numb since she heard the news. Force Captain Tara, the hero of the Halfmoon campaign, rising star of the Horde was dead. And not from battle or illness or even a tragic accident. No, Force Captain Tara was dead....by her own hand.

They hadn't spoken since she'd come across the Desert Elf during a stroll some weeks ago. Tara had been depressed certainly but Shakra had chalked it up as the effects of a particularly intense battle, a feeling she knew quite well.

Her mind swept over the conversation the two had over drinks. The questions of a life outside the Horde. Had she missed something? Had the younger woman been reaching out for help? Shakra couldn't escape the feeling that she'd missed some sign or another & now her friend was....

And the worst part was the treatment of the body. Over the years the Horde had developed a burial right where the body of fallen Hordesmen were lowered into the ground side-by-side in mass graves & a special tablet was placed in their mouth which would break down their bodies so they may provide nutrition for the crops that would be grown in the soil of the graves. It was a solemn ceremony, each attended by Lord Hordak himself, where the fallen were given the opportunity to perform one final duty for the Horde.

A duty that Tara would be denied. It had been determined that by taking her own life, she had robbed the Horde of whatever service she could have otherwise offered. As such she had been deposited in the desert which her ancestors called home. Her body left bare to feed whatever wildlife still survived the polluted habitat of the Fright Zone. When Shakra had tried to intervene, Dreer stopped her saying the decision had come from the "highest authority". There was nothing to be done.

Perhaps there was nothing to be done for the body but there was one thing she could do for the memory of her fallen comrade. Taking the key from her pocket, she retrieved her prized bottle of Fright Zone Tequila -becoming rarer by the day- poured herself a glass & held it up in the "cheers" position.

"Adios mi amiga"

With that she downed the drink & wiped the tears from her eyes. There was work to be done.

Crimson Waste. Present day.

"Tara"

It couldn't be her. It couldn't be her. And yet it so clearly was. How? Why? So many questions ran through her head she couldn't focus enough to get one of them out.

"It's Huntara. Co-Strongest of the Crimson Wastes!" Tung Lashor announced with gusto. His arms held out wide his massive hands balled into fists. Just as suddenly as his proclamation began it was over, his arms powered & a look of confusion crossed his snouted face. "Now seriously, Shakra is that a Plumerian thing?"

His inane question at least had the effect of rousing his partner from her shock. She turned towards him with an irritated expression & pointed towards Shakra.

"That's Shakra you dolt!" She turned back face the woman in question. "How are you here?" She finally seemed to notice Josephine & Scalia. "And what are you doing with these idiots?"

Shakra was about to respond when Josephine cut her off. "Us idiots? You're one to talk. Co-Strongest? That's not even a thing! And I don't know who you two think you're fooling cause when Scalia & me left everyone was talking about how the Dragon had made chumps out of both of you. So if course we joined up with her because that's how you survive in this world, you follow the strongest!" This was without doubt the most passionate Shakra had ever heard the Satyr be in the time since Lord Adora matched them together. She paused to take a breath before fixing the two former gang leaders with a look of disgust. "And the two of you used to know that before you decided to suck up to the Princesses." Her expression changed to one of mockery & focused entirely on Tara. "He'll what I heard is one of you thinks she's a Princess now."

Shakra remembered reading that. That Huntara had styled herself as the Princess of the Crimson Wastes in an intercepted message to Salineas. At the time it had warranted nothing more than an eye roll but now...

The thought died as Tara slammed her hands on the table so hard Shakra thought it may break. "I'm still strong enough to handle you little Billy goat!"

For half a second, the Satyr's face fell in fear but just as quickly it hardened with resolve & she puffed her chest out. "You know Tara, I might have been afraid of you once but after seeing Adora hog tie your bitch ass you just haven't been that scary."

"Well let's see if we can fix that!" A large purple fist reared back & they were mere seconds from this meeting turning into a melee when...

"Sufi'ciente!"

Everyone at the table paused & looked at Shakra. Their stares helping her realize she had indeed been the source of the outburst.

"Um...what?" Tung Lashor asked.

She took a breath to calm herself before answering.

"Enough, sir. I think this little display of chest pounding had gone far enough. We did come here to discuss business" she fixed Josephine with a hard look. "Not trade childish taunts. Right Mr Lashor?" She flashed what she hoped was a friendly smile to the towering Squamatus but she wasn't confident. "Or may I call you Tung?"

"It's... uh... Tung Lashor. You gotta say the whole thing. And yeah we did come here to talk business." He fixed Tara with a firm look. "So let's all just chill out, take a seat & take care of business."

Tara stared at him for a minute that felt like a year before growing out a "Fine" & dropping down in a chair with a thud. The rest of them took their seats & a tense silence overtook them until Shakra decided to break the ice.

"It has come to our attention that the two of you are looking to secure drinking water for your people. Lord Adora & myself both feel that the Horde is best suited to aid you in this endeavor."

Tara scoffed. "Why would we ask you for help? We've already got the Princesses competing with each other to help us with our water problem."

"Oh we've heard about Snows & Salineas little bidding war, and we're also aware of what they are asking in return for their assistance & I must say, given how fiercely my associates tell me the people of the Crimson Wastes guard their independence, I was shocked to hear that you are willing to trade away that independence as well as all the trade your... let's call them "merchants" have established for themselves for so cheap a price."

"Cheap?" Tung Lashor exclaimed incredulously. "Salineas is the biggest trading power on Etheria & Snows uses more First Ones tech then any other Runestone Kingdom. I think our trade will be just fine." He folded his large arms & gave a look that seemed to challenge her to disagree with him.

Challenge accepted.

"With respect, you seem to be assuming that trade with your new mother country would be in addition to your existing trade, when in reality it would replace any existing agreements you already have with a monopoly in their favor. Or did you honestly believe that Salineas would allow you to continue enriching Octopus Cove in spite of the damage the pirates do to Salinean shipping interests on a yearly basis?"

They shared a look that suggested she had taken them off guard. Tara recovered first & asked simply "And what are you offering that's so much better?" She tried to sound sceptical but there was enough genuine curiousity in her voice for Shakra to tell that she was actually listening.

"Do you remember growing up in the Fright Zone?" The lack of surprise on Tung Lashor's face made clear that this was not new information to him. "We were a landlocked Kingdom before... unitng with our neighbors" this earned another scoff from Tara which she decided to ignore. "meaning that we to had frequent trouble securing adequate supply of drinking water. We eventually solved this issue not by giving away our soveignty to another in the hopes they would solve our problem for us, but with ingenuity & creativity." She focused her gaze on Tara "You remember what I'm talking about. Right Tara?"

The desert elf's face bore a look of contemplation that slowly gave way to realization. "The Aqua-drills."

"The Aqua-drills. With them you will not only be able to supply your people with plentiful drinking water but simultaneously provide them with honorable employment. And it just so happens that I already brought the drills with me meaning that they could be in your possession by day's end." She held her arms out wide with a smile on her face. "Now doesn't that sound better than bending the knee to a literal child?"

Tung Lashor leant over & whisperd something in Tara's ear. They had a brief back-in-forth before Tara simply said "We want to see the drills first."

"Of course. If you'll both follow me."

She lead them down to the docks, stopping briefly so Tara could collect a couple of people who apparently had engineering experience. Once there, Tung Lashor & the engineers went into the cargo hold of Jeweler's ship while Tara stayed on the docks with Shakra & her entourage. They shared an awkward silence before Tara spoke up.

"So.... finally made Force Captain, huh?"

Without thinking, Shakra began fiddling with her badge, she wondered how long it would take for her to get used to its presence. "Just before setting off on this mission actually. Lord Adora deemed it fitting as I'm now the head of the foreign affairs division."

The desert elf let out a chuckle. "We'll I gotta hand it to you Shakra, it may have taken you twenty years but you got your idea through. Was it worth it?"

"It's proven quite beneficial so far. And while the wait was long indeed, I'm honored to finally get my chance to change the Horde for the better."

Tara looked like Shakra just told her she'd jumped clear across the continent. "You still think you can change the Horde? After all this time, after everything they've done, every atrocity you've seen them commence in real time, you still believe it can change?" Tara's expression had changed from from shock to something akin to disgust. "I can't believe I used to look up to you. I thought you were smarter than this."

Shakra didn't know where it came from but Tara's words summoned something from deep within her. A rage she had only felt on a select few occasions. "And i thought" she began through gritted teeth "that I had taught you better than this. It's like I told you all those years ago, when things get tough you don't just run away, you stick it out & do what you can to make things better. You were given a chance to change the world Tara, nobody promised it would be easy, or at least I certainly never did. But we were going to get through it together." She let out a scoff of her own. "But I guess that was to much for you to handle, better to run off & play "Queen of bandits" in the desert. I actually grieved for you, you know? While everyone else was dismissing you as a failure & acting like you never existed I mourned you for years & now I find out you've been alive & well this whole time?" She was not crying damnit! "I will not stand here & be lectured by someone who threw away a chance to stand among the best Etheria had to offer so she could crowd herself Queen, oh pardon me, Princess of the worst!"

Tara's said nothing, just stared at her former mentor, former friend with wide eyes. Shakra knew neither Tara or her bodyguards had seen her lose control over her emotions like that.

They stood in silence until Tung Lashor returned. "Well the gear looks good. We might need some help putting it all together but...." He trailed off as he noticed the tension that hung in the air between the two women. "....did I miss something.'

Shakra wiped her eyes & cleared her throat. "Not at all my good man, Tara & I were just talking about old times."

"Oh, well that's cool I....wait old times?"

"The Horde will of course be glad to provide whatever technological assistance you require to get the drills up & running. At no additional charge." She tried to flash a humorous grin but had a sneaking suspicion she ended up giving more of a grimace.

Tung Lashor seemed to struggle to respond. "Uuuummm ok. And what charge are we talking here? You haven't told us what you want."

"Ah yes forgive me sir. We aren't asking for much. Just that when Snows & Salineas come back with to resume talks, you will explain that the issue has been settled & that the Crimson Wastes will remain a free & independent nation. Beyond that just keep the First Ones tech flowing to the Cove as it has been. We'll buy from their market & our two nations don't have to interact unless we want to. Sound like a deal?"

Tung Lashor looked at Tara who gave a nod & said "Yeah, we have a deal."

"Wonderful, we'll discuss how many personal to send after we get this equipment unloaded. Agreed?"

"Agreed" came the almost to quiet reply from Tara. Shakra was just grateful they had reached an agreement so quickly because she needed to get out of the Crimson Wastes as soon as possible.

After Shakra & company had returned to the Fright Zone & delivered report of her success to Lord Adora, who had informed her that she had arranged the meeting that would serve as Shakra's official entrance into Horde Command, she had asked to be relieved citing fatigue which the Dragon had granted without pressing the issue.

And so Shakra found herself sitting alone in her office. She had sent everyone away, even Romeo. It was just her & her thoughts. She thought of the journey she'd taken over the past two decades. Of all the friends she'd lost, of all the difficult decisions she'd had to make along the way. She thought of Tara, who she had tried to take under her wing. Had she failed somehow? Or was Tara always meant to go her own way?

Without a word, Shakra took the key from her pocket & opened her secret drawer. Over the years, Fright Zone Tequila had become almost impossible to come by. Only a select few even knew the recipe & they were often on assignment, leaving Shakra to look for another way to relieve the stress of her job. For a time, when Entrapta was the thought to be a trusted comrade, she had made do with Dryl's interpretation of the drink. It wasn't the same sour where her ancestors brew was sweet with the vanilla replaced with an oak-like finish but it was good in its own way. Of course she had renounced it when the tech Princess's treachery became known.So now she pulled out a bottle of fine Plumerian whiskey which she found she enjoyed with ice. With a silent toast to no one, she downed her first glass of the night.

It would not be her last.