Seacat (She-Ra AU) (Complete)

[Starfox5]

Summary: Life was good for Seacat. Sure, losing your memory in a Horde attack a few years ago wasn't exactly easy, but she had rolled with the punch and rebuilt her life. She's got a name, a spot on a ship - as long as she could keep it from burning - and a sort of family. But now, just when she was trying to chill in one of Sea Hawk's favourite dives, some blonde weirdo was hugging her and babbling about having thought her dead years ago.

Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra and the Princesses of Power or any of the characters in the series.

Author's Notes: This story is set in an Alternate Universe. A number of canon events didn't happen or happened differently in the series.

I'd like to thank elpenor for his help with this chapter.

Cover:

Author Note: I commissioned a picture of Seacat by Carnivalkitten:

Spoiler

*****​

Prologue: Four Years Ago

She was the first who heard it, even over the screams and explosions. A whine that made her sensitive ears hurt and her fur stand up. She turned around, hissing, her hands pressed on her ears, as she tried to find the source of the noise.

It didn't take her long. The weird bot in the middle of the village was the source - the whine came from it. She hissed again as the whining grew louder. This was unbearable! She turned, growling, and started to run away.

Horde Soldiers with weird helmets tried to grab her, but she ducked, sprinting on all fours, her claws digging into stone and soil as she raced through the village, not knowing, not caring where she was running as long as it was away. Away from the noise. Away. Away. Away.

Gasping, she drew to a stop on the beach. The sea was there. She couldn't run further. But the noise was still in her ears. And she was boxed in by cliffs.

No choice. She dashed forward, jumped into the sea, tried to dive into the shallow water. Anything to get away from the noise.

Until everything went black.

*****​

She woke up with a gasp, her fur drenched with sweat. Shaking and panting, she wrapped her thin blanket around herself. She had to calm down. It was just a dream. A nightmare. She wasn't there. Not anymore. She wasn't surrounded by the corpses of Horde soldiers and villagers, fallen where they had fought.

She wasn't alone in a dead village.

"Hey, kid!"

She gasped again, scrambling back, away from whoever had startled her, pressing herself against the wall behind her mattress, one hand raised with her claws out.

The man bared his teeth - no, he smiled at her. "Hey! It's me! Sea Hawk! The one and only! You had another nightmare?"

She shakingly nodded. "Y-yes."

"Don't worry, that'll get better." He kept smiling but didn't approach her. She saw the bandage over his nose and winced. She hadn't meant to hurt him. He had found her in the village. Had taken her on his ship. Taken her away from that horrible place.

"We'll be in Seaworthy soon. Don't worry, we'll find help there."

Once more, she nodded. More firmly this time.

"So, ah… do you remember your name now?"

Her ears dropped, and she swallowed as she shook her head. "N-no." She didn't. Didn't remember any part of her life before the Horde soldiers attacked her village and killed everyone she knew.

"Ah." his face fell for a moment. Then he perked up. "Well, until you do, I'll be calling you… Seacat!"

She blinked. "Seacat?"

"Yes!" He beamed at her. "Because I fished you out of the sea and you're a cat!"

She stared at him. Then she slowly nodded. And tried to smile.

He patted her shoulder, and she barely flinched. "Don't you worry, once we're in Seaworthy everything will be fine! There are no Horde soldiers there - you'll be safe!"

Safe. She nodded. "Yes."

But she gripped his hand with hers, and when he tried to pull it away, her claws dug into his skin, forcing him to stay.

Safe.

*****​

Chapter 1: The Weird Girl

"...and then I said: 'Damn the blockade! Onward!' and we smashed through their blockade!"

"Wow! Really?"

"Yes, really! Left them drifting with broken oars and ruined rigging as we sailed off into the sunset!"

Seacat rolled her eyes at the silly waitress listening to Sea Hawk's boasting. Sure, they had broken through the blockade put up by those deserters from Mermista's kingdom, but it had left the Dragon's Daughter III with a damaged stern. And that had cost more to fix than breaking the blockade had earned them. Which meant they were broke again and looking for a cargo in Seaworthy. Preferably one by desperate people who needed the best ship on the sea. Or gullible idiots with more money than sense who could be fleeced for all their worth - Seacat wasn't picky. She couldn't afford to. Not with a captain like Sea Hawk doing his best - or worst - to sink their ship to ruin whenever he got a chance.

She clenched her teeth, suppressed the urge to growl, and took a deep breath. And a large swallow from her ale. Sea Hawk was a decent man. He had taken her in after her… well, after the attack. Taught her to sail the seas. Gave her a home.

If only he wouldn't keep trying to set her home on fire. And were a little more responsible.

She took another swallow before her mouth could decide whether it was meant to frown or smile. That hit the spot. But now her tankard was empty. Sighing, she set it down and stared at the waitress. The silly wench was still looking at Sea Hawk as if her eyeballs were glued to the man's lips.

Seacat cleared her throat. Neither reacted. She did it again. And again.

"Are you well, first mate? You're not coming down with something, are you?" Sea Hawk asked. "Or are you coughing up a hairball?" He laughed at his own joke.

She groaned - briefly - at his old, stupid joke. Then she flashed a toothy grin at him that had him wince. "Just wondering what Mermista would think about you flirting with another woman."

He gasped in his exaggerated manner, jumping up and holding a hand to his heart. "What? Me, flirting? Never! My heart belongs to my dear Princess Mermista!"

She snorted in return. "Sure, sure." And tried not to feel guilty about the way his eyes had looked at her for just an instant. It wasn't her fault that the prissy princess didn't return his feelings. Not that Mermista would be a good match for Sea Hawk, anyway. Far too straight-laced. Sea Hawk would be good for her, of course - people like Memista needed some fun in their lives or they'd bore themselves to death 'doing their duty'.

Sea Hawk snorted as well and sat down again. "Perhaps you're a little grumpy because you aren't flirting?"

That made her roll her eyes. "No, I'm just grumpy 'cause my tankard's empty and the waitress has run off." And was now busy with another table.

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. The hand that wasn't suddenly gripping his own tankard tightly before she had managed to grab it. Drat. "That's your own fault."

"Yeah, yeah." She stood. If the Maelstrom didn't come to the ship, the ship had to go to the Maelstrom.

She made her way to the bar - carefully. Her bare feet were perfect for the deck of a ship in heavy seas, and her claw marks just added character to the ship, no matter what Sea Hawk claimed, but there was nothing worse than stepping into spilt ale. Well, except for stepping into vomit. That just felt icky on her feet and fur and was hell to get out of her leggings. Even if the stains didn't easily show on the black fabric.

Some low-life nobody - looked like a sailor down on his luck - stared at her. Or rather, at her blood red tied-off shirt. She tossed her mane back and put a hand on the hilt of her cutlass, then bared her teeth with a growl. The man paled and looked away, hunching over.

Good. She neither wanted nor needed such attention. Nor did she need another attempt of Sea Hawk to play 'protective captain'. Or, worse, prospective matchmaker. She wasn't looking for a relationship. Or love.

The bartender was talking to a trio of landlubbers. Rich landlubbers, she thought - the little girl wore expensive clothes. Probably worth more than she was paying her two bodyguards.

Seacat smirked. Time to show the visitors who was at the top of the pecking order here. She deliberately stepped between the shrimp and the blonde bodyguard, forcing them out of the way. Ignoring their surprised protests, she leaned over the bar top and flashed two coins at the bartender. "Two more ales! And hurry!!"

"Hey! Who do you think you are?"

Oh! The shrimp just handed her the perfect opening. Seacat turned, leaned against the bar and grinned. "Me?" She laughed. "You've never heard of me? I am…"

"...Catra? Catra?"

What? Seacat blinked. That wasn't how this was supposed to go! The blonde guard she had elbowed to the side was staring at her and... Were those tears in her eyes? What in the Ocean's name was going…

"Catra! I thought you were dead!"

The blonde lunged, quicker than Seacat had expected, and tackled her. Pressed her against the bar with enough force to drive the air out of her lungs, actually.

"I thought you were dead! For years! They said you were lost! Oh, Catra!"

Yes, she was crying - on Seacat's shoulder. That would get her shirt wet. And her hair.

"You're alive! You're alive!"

Not for much longer if the crazy woman kept trying to crush her ribs. Seacat managed to force out: "Need to breathe!"

"Adora! You're hurting her!"

"Adora!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I still don't know my new strength, I mean… sorry!"

The woman finally released her and Seacat took a deep breath. A few deep breaths. Air had never tasted sweeter than right now. Not since her first swimming lesson with Sea Hawk. She flashed the woman a toothy smile that usually served her well to keep grabby sailors away before she had to claw their faces off and make another bartender mad.

It didn't, not today. The woman - or girl, she looked much younger with a watery smile - beamed at her. "Catra!"

"The name's Seacat," she corrected the girl. Unless… No. Her village had been wiped out. She had been the only survivor. If anyone had known her, they'd have found her. Sea Hawk had asked around in every port for months after he had taken her in.

"Seacat?" A dumb expression made the girl look even more… well, dumb.

"Yes, Seacat," she repeated herself.

"Like sea and cat?" the guy asked.

She glared at him. It was a perfectly fine name. Sea Hawk's choice, but still. It might not be the most original name, but it was hers. She had earned it.

The blonde was shaking her head. "No, no… it's been years, but I wouldn't mistake… it's you! Catra! My best friend!"

What?

"Don't you recognise me? It's me, Adora!" The girl gripped her shoulders. "We grew up together! You used to sleep on my bed!"

What?

"What?"

"Adora?"

Seacat winced and shook herself free while the shrimp and the other guard stared at the blonde. She suppressed the urge to rub her shoulders - the girl had a grip of iron. Could probably weigh a frigate's anchor by herself.

But… Seacat wet her lips and took a deep breath. This was just a misunderstanding. It must be. Neither she nor Sea Hawk, not even Mermista had ever found any other survivor from her village. On the other hand… "You're from... Gullpeak?" Her voice faltered a little saying the name, and Seacat clenched her teeth in frustration. She was stronger than that.

"Uh… Gullpeak?" The blonde blinked at her with her mouth half-open.

"Our... my home village," Seacat said, doing her best not to show any disappointment. Not that she'd have actually harboured any real hope. It was just a misunderstanding, as she had thought. Or… was this a con? Some scummy lowlife trying to trick the amnesiac girl? It wasn't as if Seacat's past was a secret. Not with Sea Hawk having made up a shanty about it.

"Home village?" The blonde was still staring at her.

But the other guard was rubbing his chin. "Gullpeak… I think I've heard the name before."

Seacat sighed. Loudly. If they were con men, they weren't good at it. At all. "Yes, my home village. The place I was born and raised, you know?"

She pushed off the bar and got into the blonde's face. You had to get up and personal if someone crowded you - it threw them off balance. And you were close enough to sucker-punch them - or gut them - if you had to. Few people who didn't know her expected her claws to be able to cut through leather and light armour.

But Blondie didn't look off her game. She looked confused. "But… we were raised in the Fright Zone. Together."

What? Seacat leapt back, somersaulting, and landed on the bar top, hissing. "You're Horde soldiers!" It was a trap! The blonde flinched - Seacat knew it! She drew her cutlass and lit the blade.

The other guests flinched, and the closest bunch moved away. Seacat ignored them, growling at the Horde soldiers with flat ears. They had wiped out her village!

"Nonononono!" The boy stepped in between them, waving his arms as if he were capsizing in a skiff. "She isn't a Horde soldier! We aren't Horde soldiers!"

The shrimp joined him. "We're members of the Rebellion. I'm Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon."

What?

"Are you in trouble, first mate?" Great. Now Sea Hawk had to butt in. And he struck a pose. "Don't worry, your captain has your back! The sacred laws of the sea bind captain and crew together!"

Flashing his teeth, the captain stepped closer to her and mumbled. "What's this all about, anyway? Friends of yours?"

"I've never seen them before!" Seacat hissed in reply, crouching on the bar top and keeping her cutlass pointed at the group.

"What? Catra! Did you lose your memory or something?" The blonde pushed through her friends and stepped so close, Seacat would just have to lean forward to pierce her stupid face.

"Of course not!" she growled, unfortunately at the same time Sea Hawk blurted out: "Why, yes, she did, in fact. Didn't you know that?"

She glared at the captain as the three newcomers gasped. As usual when he was in full form - and slightly drunk - he ignored it.

He took a deep breath, struck another dramatic pose, hand on his cheek, and said: "She lost her memory in the same attack in which she lost her family. A poor orphan, the sole survivor of her village! When I first saw her, I knew I could not abandon her to a life in an orphanage and decided to take her in and raise her as the second-best sailor in all the seas!"

He had planned to find her a foster family until Mermista had commented that she wouldn't have expected him to be so caring, but that was neither here nor there. "Don't tell my life history to strangers," she spat. At least, he wasn't singing.

"But it's dramatic!" he retorted. "Besides, it makes me look good. And it makes you more likeable."

She growled at him - she didn't need nor wanted pity. "Yeah, yeah. It's ancient history."

"It's been four years," he said. "Although time flies when you're on an adventure! And life's an adventure!"

"That makes… no sense," the male guard commented. "Wouldn't it…"

"Four years ago? That's when you disappeared!" Blondie blurted out.

Seacat snorted. "What a coincidence!" Even a dumbass con man would've known to say that.

And yet, the blonde nodded with an earnest expression that almost looked convincing. "Yes! There was a mistake during a field exercise! You were sent to the wrong coordinates and never returned!"

"Mistake?" Seacat snarled. "Field exercise? Are you trying to claim that I was a Horde soldier?" She hopped down from the bar top and landed in front of the girl. If she dared to...

"Yes!" Blondie blurted out. "Well, a cadet - like me!"

Blondie was a Horde soldier? Hadn't they just denied that? "You're a Horde soldier?"

"She deserted!" the other guard butted in. "Before her first mission!"

That seemed to finally make the idiot realise that Seacat was about to claw her stupid face off and she took a few steps back, shaking her head. "I'm fighting for the Rebellion."

"Anyone can say that!" Seacat snapped back.

"Indeed," Sea Hawk added. "Taking on a fake identity is quite common on adventures. While I prefer to solve my problems with blade and bravery, guile and trickery are not without merit."

"I'm Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon," the shrimp repeated herself. "A member of the Princess Alliance."

"The future Princess Alliance. Or the reborn Princess Alliance," the guy added.

"You don't look much like a Princess," Seacat told her.

"And you've seen many Princesses, have you?" the shrimp shot back with a scowl.

"Oh, I'm very familiar, practically family, with Princess Mermista!" Sea Hawk blurted out, as Seacat had known he would. "And as my trusted first mate, she's also very familiar with Princess Mermista."

Too familiar, for Seacat's taste.

The shrimp made a frustrated noise - and disappeared in a cloud of sparkles to reappear in the booth Sea Hawk had vacated. A moment later, she returned to her guards' side in the same way. "There!"

"Oh...a demonstration of a Princess's power!" Sea Hawk hit the palm of his hand with his fist and nodded several times. "Impressive!"

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, impressive. But it doesn't prove anything else at all." It probably didn't prove that the shrimp was a princess, either, but Seacat didn't know enough about magic to know if a sorceress could do the same.

And it certainly didn't prove Blondie's story! Seacat wasn't a Horde soldier!

"Catra!" Blondie tried again as if she had read Seacat's mind. "You've lost your memory! At the same time, my best friend disappeared! Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yes, it does," Seacat replied. She waited until the girl's expression brightened before she added: "It tells me that you didn't think your story through. Not even the Horde sends children into battle!" Mostly because they had more than enough bots and soldiers already, but that was neither here nor there. The girl looked more hurt than foiled, though. And that made Seacat feel… nothing. Certainly not guilty.

Blondie shook her head, sending her silly ponytail flying. "It was a mistake! You weren't supposed to be there - you were supposed to go to a safe outpost like me and get some field experience!"

"Gullpeak!" Guard guy slapped his fist like a miniature Sea Hawk. "I remember now! That was a village that was totally wiped out by some secret Horde weapon four years ago! Yes!"

She was about to claw his face off for his stupid smile - that was her family's death that he was smiling about! - but Sea Hawk's hand on her shoulder held her back.

The guy had the grace to flinch. "Uh… sorry. I got carried away. History is kind of… not my thing, but one thing of mine."

"I am not a Horde soldier," Seacat repeated herself through clenched teeth.

"No one here is a Horde soldier," the guy said quickly, clapping his hand. "So… how about we continue this very informative talk with a little more privacy?"

Right. Half the tavern was staring at them. Seacat groaned - she should've known better than to hash things out at the bar. She would never live this down.

*****​

"So! Introductions!" the shrimp said as they sat down - with the three strangers on one side, and Seacat and the captain on the other side. "I'm Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon. This is my best friend, Bow, and our best friend, Adora."

And they made fun of her name? Seacat clenched her teeth. A deep breath later, she snorted. That made the shrimp frown at her and Blondie look… she couldn't place the expression. "The Horde cadet."

Blondie winced at that before rallying. "I'm not with the Horde. I mean, I was - but not anymore." She sighed. "It's complicated."

"She deserted," the shrimp said, "and joined the Rebellion." There had to be more to the story, going by the glance she shot at the other two.

Seacat made a mental note of looking into that. You could never know enough about potential friends and enemies.

"And you were looking for your long-lost best friend after you heard the famous shanty of Seacat!" Sea Hawk clasped his hands to his chest and beamed at the three.

Bow-guy smiled, rather weakly. "Actually, we never heard that shanty."

"If we had, we would've come at once!" Blondie added.

Sea Hawk's eyes widened, as did his smile. "Ah, it's really...Ow!"

Seacat glared at him and pulled her claws from his thigh. This wasn't the time. Actually, it never was the time to sing that particular shanty.

The princess cleared her throat. "We came here because we need a passage to Salineas."

"To see Princess Mermista," Bow-Boy added.

"And you naturally chose me! The best and bravest captain sailing the sea! And the one whom Princess Mermista holds so dear in her generous heart!" Sea Hawk flashed his teeth at them in what he thought was a dazzling smile.

Seacat smirked when she saw the slightly embarrassed expressions on the three.

"Uh, actually, we ever heard of you, either." Bow-Boy looked like he wanted to apologise for that. As if a landlubber would have heard of Sea Hawk. Well, a bounty hunter probably had.

Which was why they couldn't trust any stranger. Though… these guys weren't bounty hunters. And Seacat didn't think that the captain had ever set a princess's boat on fire. Apart from Mermista's, of course.

"Oh." Sea Hawk's face fell - but only for a moment. "In any case, you came to the right people! I and my first mate are the crew to hire for a trip to Salineas. Or to anywhere, actually. As long as it's on a coast." He stood, put one boot on the table and pushed his chest out. "No matter the danger, no matter the odds, the Dragon's Daughter III will always reach her destination!"

"What happened to the Dragon's Daughters I and II?" Bow-boy asked.

"They went down in flames," Seacat replied.

"After reaching their destinations!" Sea Hawk was quick to add.

"While reaching their destinations," Seacat corrected him. She ignored his confused glance. They needed money, but they didn't need those weirdos' money. And if the shrimp was desperate enough to hire them anyway, that meant they could charge more money - enough to make it worth travelling with Blondie. The way the girl was staring at her made Seacat's skin… crawl. Definitely crawl. Not shiver.

"You're hired!" Blondie declared.

"Perfect!" Sea Hawk replied at the same time that the shrimp blurted out: "Adora! We haven't made a decision yet!"

"But they have a ship, they know the princess, and it's Catra!"

"Seacat," she corrected Blondie through clenched teeth.

Instead of being taken aback, the girl's smile grew. "That's the same hissing I remember!"

"Uh, we can't agree on hiring them before we know how much this will cost," Bow-Guy cut in. He seemed to be the least stupid of the three. Not that that would make him smart, of course - Blondie was obviously dumb, and the princess was, well, a princess. And anyone who knew princesses knew that they weren't smart. Mermista was the best example of that.

But this gave her another opening. Seacat smiled, showing her fangs - which, unfortunately, made Blondie's smile grow even more sappy - and quickly noted a number down on a scrap of paper. "Here's our fee, Brain!" she announced as she held it out to the boy.

It was very satisfying to see their mouths drop after they read the note. Guess your allowance doesn't cover this, huh?

"Those are… many zeroes. Very many zeroes," Brain managed to say.

Seacat grinned at him. "Operating a ship isn't cheap." Especially if your captain had the habit of setting it on fire whenever he had the chance.

"Oh, yes," Sea Hawk agreed - for once.

"But… this much?" Shrimp held up the paper, and Seacat winced.

She reached out to grab it, but the captain had already seen the number. "What? Oh, that must have been a mistake. That's two zeroes too many, actually," he said. "You must forgive my first mate - I was the one who taught her maths."

Seacat slapped her face and growled while the three weirdos blinked in surprise.

"Uh… OK… so, we can definitely pay the fee then," the shrimp told the captain.

"Marvellous! To adventure!" Sea Hawk declared, holding out his hand.

Seacat sighed while the two shook on it. Now she was stuck travelling with a weirdo - a Horde cadet - who thought she was their long-lost best friend or something. And a princess, but that particular pain in the buttt paled compared to travelling with Blondie. Besides, the shrimp couldn't be as bad as Mermista, could she?

*****​

After having their three passengers pay their bar tab - they actually believed Seacat that this was how things were done! - they made their way to the harbour. Seacat led the way, next to the captain, with the three members of the Rebellion trailing behind them. She wasn't actually trying to lose them, but if they couldn't keep up…

Not that she was losing them, anyway - she could hear them talk behind her.

"Are you sure that she's your friend, Adora? She doesn't seem to like you at all."

"That's just how she is. You have to know her better to, uh, know her."

Seacat rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth again as she felt her ears twitch. She didn't have to glance over her shoulder to know the stupid expression Blondie had.

"Well, she is firmly set against the Horde. That's a good thing," Brain said.

"Except that she is so firmly set against the Horde, she doesn't like that Adora was part of the Horde."

"Right. That's not a good thing."

"But we both left. Why won't she accept that?"

Because it wasn't true! Seacat balled her hands into fists, almost piercing her palms with her claws.

"She will. Once we can talk about this, once I can tell her all about our friendship, she will understand!" Shrimp said.

No, she won't. "I can hear you," Seacat sing-songed through clenched teeth without looking back.

"Uh…"

"Right, I forgot all about her hearing! I mean… sorry?"

Seacat huffed and stepped up her pace. Fortunately, the trio remained silent until they reached the Dragon's Daughter III.

*****​

"Alright," Seacat said, loudly, as soon as they had boarded the ship, "stay on this deck and don't touch anything but the railing. Especially don't meddle with the rigging - we don't want to capsize because you unfurl the sail in the middle of a gale."

"Indeed, we don't. Losing a ship to capsizing is one of the worst ways to lose a ship," Sea Hawk added. "I should know, for I have experienced them all!"

Seacat closed her eyes, then blinked. If the weirdos reconsidered...

"What?"

"Are we sure about this guy?"

"I trust Catra! She loathes water. She would never board a ship that's at risk of sinking!"

What? She laughed. "Your Catra hated water?"

Blondie looked confused. "You hate getting wet."

"What?" Seacat glared at the girl. "I don't! I like to swim! I love to swim!"

"You can swim?"

"What sailor can't swim?" Seacat retorted. Swimming was an important skill for a sailor - especially for a member of Sea Hawk's crew.

She felt the captain's hand on her shoulder - he had snuck up on her again, somehow - before she was pulled into his side. "I taught her personally! It was an adventure! I've been bloodied less fighting pirates, but after a long, hard and painful struggle, I succeeded!"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged his arm off. "Yes. I can and like to swim." As long as she could clean the saltwater off her fur before it dried.

"Really?" Sea Hawk blinked. "You like it?"

"When I'm not forced to because our ship's on fire," she quickly clarified.

"Oh." Sea Hawk looked sad for a moment - but Seacat wasn't fooled. She knew him too well. "My first mate likes swimming!" Yes, there he went, hanging on the rigging and all but singing.

"Are we really sure about these guys?" Brain asked.

"They just need to get us there," Shrimp replied.

Blondie, though, was staring at her. Seacat met her gaze with narrowed eyes, cocking her hip. Maybe now the girl had realised that she was Seacat, not Catra.

But the girl beamed at her. "That's exactly how you used to stand when we were cadets!"

Oh, for Maelstrom's sake! She growled at the idiot and turned away. "I'll cast off the lines."

"And I'll set course for Salineas!"

*****​

"Ahem…"

Seacat hissed as she turned her head to glare at Blondie. "Don't disturb me while I'm working. Do you want us to capsize?"

"Uh… I thought you were just storing ropes…"

Seacat scoffed. She had managed to keep Blondie at bay by busying herself while they left port, but it seemed that the annoying girl didn't get the message. She just had to meddle, had she? "The lines control the sails. And the sails are what drives the ship - uncontrolled, they can wreck a ship."

"Oh." The blonde took a step back with a dejected expression. Seacat briefly felt the urge to apologise but suppressed it.

"Even a ship as advanced as the Dragon's Daughter III doesn't sail herself," she said instead. "Do you think sailors spend their time doing nothing between ports?"

"No, no, of course not! I just… wanted to talk…" Blondie's shy smile was a pitiful sight.

Seacat pressed her lips together as she finished tying up the spare lines. "Are you going to try to talk about your missing friend again? The Horde soldier?"

"No? Yes? Maybe?" The girl's smile grew forced.

"Save it!" Seacat snapped. "I'm not her. I'm not a Horde soldier. I never was a Horde soldier. I'm not your friend. And I don't want to be your friend!" she hissed in the idiot's face.

Blondie gasped. "But…" Seacat saw her swallow and blink - and were those tears in the blonde's eyes? "Sorry…"

Once more, Seacat had to suppress the weird urge to apologise as the blonde turned and walked away. She scoffed at her own weakness. She hadn't done anything wrong. She wasn't this 'Catra'. She wasn't a Horde soldier. The sooner Blondie accepted that, the better. For both of them.

*****​

Seacat liked being the lookout. Climbing the rigging was fun - and no one was as fast at the top of the main-mast as she was. No one not cheating by using magic like the shrimp, that was. She scowled at the show-off, but not for long.

Here, she felt on top of things. On top of the world. At peace. Just her and the sky and the sea. If the wind was blowing strongly enough, she wouldn't even hear the captain's shanties. She took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the ocean. Soon, they would be arriving at Salineas, and the three passengers would go and annoy Mermista. And Seacat and Sea Hawk could set out again, and leave all this… stupidity behind.

She grinned. After all, the three hadn't hired them for a round trip.

"Oof."

What? Seacat quickly glanced around. The sea was calm. They were still a good way off the reefs that dominated the straits of Salineas and made the Sea Gate the key to controlling sea trade. So…

She glanced down and growled. Blondie was climbing the rigging. And smiling widely at her.

"Ahem. Sorry… I just felt the urge to climb."

Oh for Maelstrom's sake! "Really?" she replied, putting all the doubt she could muster into it.

"I used to climb a lot in, ah, the Fright Zone."

Seacat growled, and the girl winced.

"Usually to follow, uh… my friend."

Of course. Seacat smiled. "So, you're used to high places and strong winds?"

Blondie nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"

"Good. You can take over lookout duty until dinner." Seacat bared her teeth at the idiot. "And don't slack off, or we might hit a reef and sink!" she snapped as she slid down the other side.

As soon as she hit the deck, she chuckled. That should keep Blondie out of her hair for a few hours - the girl wouldn't slack off. She was far too serious for that, Seacat knew. Always doing her duty…

She frowned, then scoffed. The girl was an open book. Everyone would've known that after spending a few hours with her. Yes.

"Uh… what's Adora doing?" Brain asked,

Seacat rolled her eyes. She didn't want to talk about the annoying girl. "She relieved me from lookout duty so I could do my other jobs on the ship."

"Really?"

Honest and gullible. No wonder he was a friend of Blondie. "Yes, really," she replied.

"And what does a lookout do?"

"Looks out for ships, reefs and other dangers," she explained.

"Reefs?"

"Yes, reefs," she repeated herself.

"But… the ship flies."

She sighed. Landlubber, yes. "It sails over the sea," she told him. "It doesn't really fly. Steer it over land - or a rock, or a too shallow sea - and it'll crash. The magic holding it afloat over the water doesn't work over land."

"Oh. That's why we only have small skiffs on land, not big huge cargo ships."

"Exactly. That's a completely different magic." Honest, gullible but smart. She flashed a smile at him. "You're the brains of your group, aren't you?" A little more information about the trio wouldn't hurt at all.

He blushed a little. Adorable. "Ah, well… I'm a master bowman and a tech master. Well, working on the latter, but I'm close."

"Ah." She cocked her head and looked at his quiver. Men loved to talk about their weapons. "You made the arrows yourself?"

"Ah, right." He beamed. "I've got a wide range of arrows for all occasions! Whatever we'll face, I'll have an arrow for it!"

She snorted. "Really?"

"Oh, yes!" He pulled out a shaft with a hefty arrowhead. "This one shoots glue!"

"Glue?" She took a step back. Glue and fur didn't go well together. Not at all. "Don't point it at me!" she hissed. She didn't want to have to shave off her fur ever again!

"Uh, sorry." He smiled weakly. "Didn't want to scare you."

"I am not scared," she growled. She wasn't scared, She hadn't had nightmares in months. Huffing, she turned away. "I'll be busy doing… stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Important stuff."

Like napping in her hammock. Away from bothersome passengers.

Seacat couldn't wait until Blondie and her friends were gone from her ship.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 2: The Battle of Salineas

"Hey, Adora! Look what I found!"

"Catra?"

She raised her hands, gripping the struggling mouse tightly. "I caught it!"

"Oh! How?"

"I was faster!" She smiled, showing her fangs. She had caught the stupid mouse! It would never eat her rations again. Or Adora's.

"Great!" Adora scrunched up her nose - she was thinking. "Now what do we do with it?"

"Uh…" She hadn't thought about that. "Eat it?"

"Ew!" Adora made her icky face.

"Kill it?"

"Kill it?" Adora looked scared.

She shrugged. Wasn't the mouse bad? And it ate their food! But to kill it…

Suddenly, the mouse twisted in her grip - and bit her!

She yelled and threw the bad mouse away - at the wall. It hit with a crunch and fell down. And she was bleeding! "I'm bleeding!" she sobbed.

"Oh, no!" Adora was there, gripping her hand. "We need to go to the infirmary!"

She shied away. That was a bad place!

"Come on!"

"No!" She shook her head.

But Adora didn't listen. She dragged her away!

*****​

Seacat blinked. What a weird… what dream? She squinted at the porthole in her cabin. Was the sun setting already? Dinner time, and no one had woken her up? Between that and Blondie being dumb, no wonder she was having stupid dreams that made no sense!

Shaking her head, she climbed out of her hammock and went out on the main deck. Everything looked to be fine. Blondie was still up in the rigging - how long had she stayed up there? It had been hours! - the other two passengers were staring at the sunset, and the captain was at the wheel.

She blinked. Wait! They had set out from Seaworthy to Salineas. The sun shouldn't be setting that close to their bow - not if they were on course...

She pressed her lips together and quickly climbed up the stairs to the conn. "Captain!"

Seacat saw him flinch, as she had known he would - he knew her tone. "Yes?" And she knew the too-wide smile. "Isn't it a brilliant day for adventure?" He spread his arms and puffed up his chest, briefly letting go of the rudder. "I mean, it's now a brilliant evening, but you know what I mean."

Oh no! She sighed as she frowned at him. So that was why he hadn't set a course directly for Salineas. As if she wouldn't notice - she knew the local seas as well as the back of her hand! "We're not on an adventure - we're transporting passengers to Salineas," she reminded him.

"It can be both! Instead of a boring cruise our passengers could have a harrowing adventure!"

She closed her eyes while Sea Hawk posed, flexed her claws, then grabbed the captain by his bandana. "We're not being paid for adventure! We're being paid for transporting the Shrimp and her friends to Mermista. And we need the money!"

"Ah… now that you mention it..." His smile widened. "Offering them an adventure should liven up the voyage and make them hire us for the trip back as well, don't you agree?"

"No, I do not." she spat. "Change course to Salineas!"

"Hey! Who's the captain of this ship?"

"And who handles the money?"

"That's a good point!" He raised his index finger in her face. "However, I have a counterpoint!"

"What?" she growled.

"Reef ahead!" Blondie's voice rang out - she had strong lungs. "And wrecks! Many wrecks!"

"See? We've already arrived! Adventure!" Sea Hawk yelled. He let go of the wheel and pointed to the sky.

"Shipwrecker's Reef? Turn about!" she snapped back, grabbing the wheel herself. Then she saw the sea serpent emerge from the water. "No…" Too late. Now they had to fight a monster. And with a bunch of useless passengers on board. Damn Sea Hawk!

"It's a monster!"

"It's a sea serpent!"

"It's an adventure!"

"For the Honour of Grayskull!"

"Everyone, hold...what?" Seacat tore her eyes from the approaching monster and saw an impossibly tall blonde woman in shining - literally shining - armour rush towards the railing. And she was wielding Blondie's sword.

She kept staring as the woman jumped incredibly high - as if she had grown wings - and came down on the serpent's head, shattering teeth with her sword. "Maelstrom's maw!" Seacat cursed as both disappeared underwater. "She's crazy!" And damned… She forced that thought away.

"Oh, no - she does that all the time," Shrimp said in a rather smug voice.

"Don't worry, she's got this," Brain Boy added, leaning against the railing as if he had no care in the world.

"Got it!" the blonde yelled from the water as if she had heard them. "Wait, no!"

And she was pulled under - or dived, Seacat couldn't tell.

Fighting a sea serpent by herself? With just a sword? Seacat shook her head.

Then Blondie surfaced. "Now I've got it!" she announced with a beaming smile. Blondie? The weird girl had slain a sea serpent? And had changed into a giantess for it??

Behind Seacat, Sea Hawk dropped the harpoons he had taken out of storage. "I guess my brilliant plan to impress our passengers didn't account for that twist," he said.

Seacat couldn't help it - she laughed. "But your plan to entertain them so they'll hire us again might've worked," she said as Blondie, helped by her friends, climbed back on board, babbling excitedly about her fight.

Wait - that was a bad thing, Seacat reminded herself. Then her eyes widened as she realised what she had seen. There was only one explanation for this.

Blondie was a princess! A bloody princess! A former Horde soldier was a princess? How was that possible? Princesses were born to royalty! Did they lose her as a baby? No, that only happened in stories. Stupid stories for little girls who hadn't yet learned that the world wasn't a tale, and that no one would be coming to claim them as their lost grandchild and take them away to a life in safety and luxury.

Seacat shook her head. "How can you be a princess?" she yelled, claws digging into the railing where she stood.

Blondie blinked at her. "I'm She-Ra, Princess of Power."

"I don't care about your title," Seacat growled as she handed the conn over to Sea Hawk. "How can a Horde soldier be a princess?"

"Former Horde soldier," Brain Boy cut in.

Seacat ignored him as she jumped down to the deck and stalked towards Blondie. The girl had shrunk to a more normal size, and her clothes covered her arms and legs again, hiding those toned muscles. Well, being all wet, they didn't hide them completely. A white undersuit wasn't the best choice for swimming or diving, and her ponytail was limply hanging down her back. Not that Seacat cared.

"Ah, well…" Blondie grimaced as she tugged on her jacket. "I found this…"

"That's a secret," Shrimp interrupted her, teleporting between them with her arms spread. Did she think Seacat would attack a woman - a princess! - who could take out a sea serpent with just a sword? Well, they were rebels...

"Really?" Seacat narrowed her eyes at the shorter princess. "A secret?"

"Yes, a secret." The princess frowned at her - and then at Blondie. "Crucially important information for the Rebellion that cannot get out."

Blondie looked surprised and then guilty. Seacat almost laughed at her expression.

Instead, she nodded. That something was a secret was valuable information by itself. But it was obvious, of course - everyone knew that the power of the princesses had kept the Horde away, even when they were just defending their own realms. And it wasn't as if anyone but the Horde would profit from spilling the secret. She still wanted to know the secret, of course. But this wasn't the time. So she scoffed. "Two princesses. We should've charged more for this trip."

"Hey! Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I've got money!" Blondie protested. "We didn't have any money in the Horde! I actually don't have any money now." She blinked in that stupid manner of hers. "I don't need money, do I?" she asked her friends.

"Bright Moon will cover all your expenses," Shrimp replied.

Seacat huffed. Some people had all the luck while others struggled and earned their keep. "Whatever," she spat and turned around to find something to be busy with. Anything to take her mind of stupid impossibly tall and toned blonde princesses straight out of a children's tale!

"What is this place, anyway?" Shrimp yelled after her. "I didn't read about a ship's graveyard on the way to Salineas when I planned this mission!"

Seacat stopped and grinned without facing them. "The Captain set the course," she told the princess. "Ask him."

"What?"

She hid her smile and climbed the rigging while the three passengers went to question Sea Hawk. It wouldn't teach her captain a lesson - she knew him too well to hope for that - but it would at least be amusing to watch.

*****​

They reached Salineas without too much delay, but the captain wouldn't be bragging about this trip when he next claimed the Dragon's Daughter III was the fastest ship on all the seas. Which was more or less correct, of course. Though she was also one of the smallest ocean-going vessels.

Salineas's port was emptier than usual, Seacat noticed as they approached the breakwater - which would also break any ships that foundered on it, of course. Instead of the dozen ships usually waiting to pass through the gate after reprovisioning, she could only see two - and those were ships of Salineas's navy. And the guards on the mole outnumbered the people fishing there.

"Something's not right," she muttered.

"Hm?"

Seacat felt her fur bristle, but she managed not to jump. How had Blondie snuck up on her? She turned around especially slowly to face the princess. "What?"

"What's not right?"

"Eavesdropping," Seacat answered with a toothy grin.

"What?"

Blondie just had to ruin her quip, didn't she? "Eavesdropping isn't right," Seacat explained.

"Oh." Blondie blinked. "I wasn't. Eavesdropping, that is. Not intentional, I mean." She bit her lip, then smiled again. "I just wanted to talk to you."

But Seacat didn't want to talk to her. She frowned. "We're about to make landfall - I'm busy here."

"Oh."

That should've been obvious. Seacat cocked her head, pointedly looked at where the other princess and Brain Boy were standing at the railing, and nodded. "So, can I go back to keeping us from ramming the pier?"

"Oh. Of course! Sorry! We can talk later!"

Seacat sighed. She should've told the girl to get lost. But then Blondie would've cried or something. And that would have made a bad impression on the other princess, who still had to pay them. And on Mermista as well. Probably - it was hard to tell with the Princess of Salineas.

The Dragon's Daughter III came to a stop right at the pier, leaving less than a handwidth between the hull and the wall. It was a perfect example of great seamanship by Sea Hawk - not that the landlubbers would have realised that. But Seacat did, of course.

She jumped over to the pier and secured the ship with the lines hanging there. "She's tied up, captain!" she yelled with a smile.

"Good work, first mate!" Sea Hawk replied before swinging on a line to land next to her. "Ah! The shores of Salineas! Fairest port on all the seas, and home to the fairest princess in the world!"

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." Of course, the man had done this just to impress the princess. Who wasn't at the pier, anyway. Ah well. She turned to their passengers. "I'll have the gangplank ready in a moment so you can disembark!"

"No need!" Blondie yelled back and jumped herself, followed by her friends teleporting directly on to the pier.

Seacat frowned - they didn't have to act as if they couldn't wait to leave the ship, did they? Before she could say anything, though, Blondie was in her face. "So… the ship's all secured now, no danger of sinking? So, can we talk now?"

Maelstrom's mother! Seacat clenched her teeth. She couldn't blow up at the idiot - they hadn't paid their fare yet.

"Adora! We need to speak to the princess first. We can't leave her waiting, or she might be offended," the shrimp called out.

"Oh…"

"And we have to deal with customs," Seacat said. "Sorry," she added with a toothy smile. The harbourmaster of Salineas was usually a pain in the butt with all her required paperwork, but today they only had three passengers to declare, so it shouldn't take long at all. Just long enough to see the trio well on their way to the palace.

"That can wait!" Sea Hawk declared. "Mermista can't wait!" Before she could stop him, he turned to the approaching guards. "Ho! Dear fellows! We require an audience with the princess! Tell her Sea Hawk has arrived with a diplomatic delegation from Bright Moon!"

Seacat shook her head as the guards snapped to attention. Well, even if that meant Sea Hawk wouldn't be here to help her deal with customs, it would also stop Blondie from bothering her.

But Sea Hawk slapped her on the back. "Come on, first mate! Dear Mermista will be overjoyed to see you as well!"

Oh, no.

*****​

The city wasn't as lively as usual, either, Seacat noted on the way to the palace. She saw fewer guards about, and fewer merchants boasting about their wares. Very few merchants, actually - most of the shops she saw were closed.

Something was wrong. They hadn't been to Salineas in some time - enough time to let Mermista cool down after the latest 'unfortunate misunderstanding', as Sea Hawk called it - but the last time they had visited, the city had been buzzing.

Even so, Blondie seemed impressed, Seacat noted - the girl was looking around as if she'd never seen a port town other than Seaworthy, and she was probably not listening to what Shrimp and Brain Boy tried to tell her about Mermista and about making a good impression.

Well, that was none of her business. Seacat stepped up her pace until she was walking right next to Sea Hawk. "Captain," she said in a low voice, "do you know where all the people are?"

"Oh?" He blinked, then looked around. "No, can't say I do!"

She sighed, but it wasn't as if she had expected anything else.

At least the palace looked the same, and the majordomo had the usual frown on his face when he saw Sea Hawk and Seacat. "Princess Glimmer!" the arrogant prick sad, beaming at Shrimp before he bowed. "Princess Mermista will be receiving you and your friends. If you'll follow me?"

"Thank you," the shrimp replied.

Seacat frowned, then stepped closer to Blondie. "Shouldn't you rate a welcome as well?" she asked in a whisper, "being a princess and all?"

"Ah… It's complicated." Blondie smiled at her. "But I don't mind."

Yeah, right. A princess not minding not being treated as a princess? Seacat snorted. On the other hand, perhaps Blondie wasn't used yet to being a princess. The way she acted, she must have been a recent pick or however you became a princess.

"So… you've been here before, right? Sea Hawk told us about your visits." Blondie beamed at her.

Seriously? Was she trying to get information like that? Or was she trying to chat? Seacat narrowed her eyes. "We've visited before," she said carefully.

"Oh. So..."

Fortunately, they reached the throne room, and Blondie fell silent as the majordomo announced them. "Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon. And friends."

"And the one and only Sea Hawk!" the captain added in a loud voice.

Seacat grinned at the way the prick's frown deepened.

But then Mermista loudly sighed. "Ew. Who let him in?"

Seacat winced - it seemed they hadn't been away long enough.

"Guards!" the majordomo bellowed at once. "Remove the captain at once!"

"No, no!" Mermista raised one hand, the other still propping up her head where she was slouching on her throne, "if he's already here he might as well stay."

"My dearest Mermista! It's been too long! I've dreamed of you..." Sea Hawk stepped forward with a wide smile.

"For now," the princess added with a frown, which shut him up.

Seacat frowned - that was typical of the princess; stringing Sea Hawk along with mixed signals.

"And look what the cat dragged in." Mermista nodded towards her.

"They're a diplomatic delegation," Seacat replied, deliberately misunderstanding the princess's intent. "From Bright Moon."

"I know that. I didn't mean them." Mermista's glare was lacking her usual intensity, Seacat noticed.

"I'm Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon," the shrimp announced, taking a step forward. "Our parents fought in the Rebellion together."

The Princess wasn't impressed, though. "Yes, that particular disaster is well known in Salineas. Let me guess: You want to renew the alliance and fight the Horde together." She sighed.

Shrimp was taken aback, and before she could say anything in response, Mermista stood and walked over the wall behind her. A wave of her trident turned it into a window showing the Sea Gate. "We could've used help before the Sea Gate started crumbling right when Horde flotillas increased the pressure on my kingdom."

Seacat felt her ears perk up. That was news. Very unwelcome news. "Is that why the port's deserted?" she blurted out.

Mermista glared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "People don't want to stay in a city that will fall as soon as the Sea Gate stops working. Who would have guessed?" she added with a cynical smile.

That was more like the Mermista Seacat knew. But her attitude was… she wasn't giving up, was she?

"My dearest Mermista! As long as my ship is sailing the waves, no Horde vessel will reach your shores!" Sea Hawk declared, pointing at the ceiling.

"So… that'll be for about half an hour until it's burned to the waterline?" Mermista shot back with a wry smile.

"Make it an hour," Sea Hawk replied with a grin.

Mermista chuckled with a wry smile. "Thank you."

This was very alarming. She had never seen Mermista like this. And Seacat very much didn't want to die in a futile charge against an enemy fleet that only served to prolong the battle for half an hour. No, she didn't want to die, period, she reminded herself.

"That's why we're here - to rebuild the Princess Alliance," Princess Shrimp declared. "Together, we can beat the Horde!"

"Sure, like our parents beat them, right?" Mermista sighed again. "Without the Sea Gate protecting us, we're pretty much dead."

And if the Horde controlled Salineas, they'd control the sea routes - the Sea Gate protected the only safe passage between the Maelstrom and the Eastern Reefs. That would spell disaster for any independent captain.

"We're here to help you!" the shrimp tried again. She was stubborn, Seacat had to admit. Of course, that stubbornness might get her killed here. Well, she'd be in good company - it wasn't as if Seacat would abandon Sea Hawk, and her captain would never abandon Mermista. Not when she was fighting for her life.

"This is First Ones' writing…"

Seacat turned - she had almost forgotten about Blondie. The girl was staring at a colourful display with… runes?

"Who's she again?" Mermista asked.

"She's Adora. She's got a magic sword," Brain Boy said.

Seacat really needed to reconsider his nickname. On the other hand, Shrimp and Blondie were even worse, weren't they?

*****​

As it turned out, Blondie could read the lost language of the First Ones. Which supposedly meant she could repair the Sea Gate, which apparently somehow had lost or was losing its connection to the runestone.

It didn't make much sense to Seacat, but she wasn't a sorceress. She wasn't really interested in knowing details. This was just a way to pass the time until Mermista either sent the three weirdos away or made an alliance and then spent a few days encouraging Sea Hawk before blowing up at him and driving him away again. Sea Hawk would never change. The sooner Mermista realised that, the better for both of them.

On the other hand, she needed something to keep her from being bored while waiting for the inevitable breakup. "So, you can do magic?" she asked as the group walked over towards the Sea Gate, to check if Blondie was correct.

"Ah… yes?"

"That didn't sound very confident."

"It's a theory," Blondie replied, frowning a little. "But a sound one."

"Yes," Shrimp butted in, "Magic is connected to the runestones."

"And how are you going to repair it? Hit it with your magic sword?" Seacat joked.

"Uh…"

"Seriously?" She started at the girl. "You're planning to hit to repair it?" That wasn't how repairing anything worked.

"Not directly. But I will use my sword." Now Blondie was pouting. She looked almost adorable like that. Seacat snickered.

"What's so funny?" Blondie asked, frowning at her.

"Nothing," Seacat chuckled again, "I'm just imagining how you'll repair the gate with your sword."

"Hmph."

Before the other girl could think of a response - or Shrimp could butt in again - they reached the Sea Gate. "Up close it does look different," Seacat remarked.

"Oh? Are you an expert?" Shrimp asked.

Seacat rolled her eyes. She didn't like the princess's tone. Or expression. Or attitude. At least when it was aimed at herself. "Any sailor passing through the gate as often as we do would notice such changes," she said.

Mermista cleared her throat, glaring at her as if it was Seacat's fault that the princess's gate was failing. "As I was about to say, the gate's magic has grown weaker since my father's time, and the process goes on. If you think you can restore its power, feel free to try."

Blondie nodded with a determined expression. Seacat was tempted to ask if they had agreed on a reward yet, but it was none of her business if Mermista decided to get some free help without committing herself to an alliance. And if the princess had decided to do that, she'd be angry at Seacat for spoiling her plan. Which would put Sea Hawk into a bad spot.

"For the Honour of Grayskull!"

Seacat didn't gasp as she watched Blondie turning into some seven-foot warrior with coiled muscles and legs that didn't seem to end. She just took a deep breath. And stared. So, that was a princess's magic at work.

"Uh... now… how best to do this…" Blondie said as she eyed the barrier.

"Don't ask me - you're the one with the magic repairing sword," Seacat replied with a smirk.

"I wasn't asking you!"

Hah, she got a rise out of Blondie! Seacat chuckled. "You didn't exclude me, either."

"She didn't have to," Shrimp added, "this is serious. If you don't have anything helpful to add, you're not supposed to interrupt!"

Seacat sighed and rolled her eyes. "I was just joking."

"And this is no joking matter! The Horde will conquer the kingdom if we can't restore the gate!"

"I know that!" Seacat snarled at the shrimp.

"Just… point it at the barrier, or the runestone, and direct the magic like that?" Brain Boy suggested as he stepped between Seacat and his friends.

Obviously, the princess didn't mind him interrupting. Seacat scoffed and walked over to where Mermista and Sea Hawk were standing.

"She's going to use her magic sword to repair the gate by hitting it," she told them.

"I know! Isn't it impressive?" The captain was always too optimistic.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Mermista, of course, was more realistic. "Sea Hawk told me that Adora claims to be a childhood friend of yours."

Oh that damned… Seacat pressed her lips together. She wouldn't insult her captain in front of Mermista. Not now, at least. "She also claims that we both are former Horde soldiers," she said after a moment.

"Why would she lie about that?"

That was a good question, but Seacat didn't have to answer any question if she didn't want to. And she very much didn't want to answer this question.

Fortunately, Blondie finally did something right and distracted the Princess by pointing her sword at the gate and… pushing some light through it? Magic? Seacat felt her fur bristle again and quickly ran her hand over her tail - no need to let everyone know she was a little… impressed. Certainly not worried. Or afraid.

"It's working. The leaks are closing!" Sea Hawk yelled.

"That's the least of the gate's problems," Mermista replied.

Well, it seemed that Blondie wasn't just good for beating up monsters, but could also restore ancient magical artifacts to their original power. Well, she couldn't sail a skiff through a storm!

Brain Boy joined them. "Adora's at it, but fully repairing the gate will take some time," he told them. "I hope it won't take too long, though - even She-Ra gets tired."

"She can always take a break," Seacat said, shrugging.

"Ah… that might be problematic," the boy replied. "She's kind of stuck."

"Stuck?" Seacat looked at the blonde again. "What do you mean, 'stuck'?"

"Uh…" Brain Boy's smile grew a little forced. "She can't pull out. The, uh, magic is too strong."

Seacat took a step back. That was bad. Pretty bad. On the other hand, it was also a little funny. More than a little. To see Blondie - She-Ra - stuck like this, unable to pull out… She chuckled before she reminded herself that this was important. "I hope she slept plenty, then," she said.

"Oh, yes. Don't worry about it! As long as no one bothers her, she will be fine."

That was asking for trouble, in Seacat's opinion and experience. Just as she was about to point that out to the fool - perhaps with the help of her claws to make a point or three - a bell started ringing.

The bell from the lighthouse.

An enemy fleet had been sighted.

Mermista took off towards the lighthouse, with Sea Hawk in tow. Seacat glanced at Blondie, who was still standing there, pouring or pushing magic or whatever into the gate, then ran after her captain.

She couldn't do anything here, anyway.

"What's the enemy's position and composition?" Mermista barked as soon as a commander of her guard came into view.

"They're approaching from the south and are about half an hour out. Six frigates, half a dozen troop transports," the woman replied, "and one bomb vessel."

Mermista cursed, as did Seacat. A bomb vessel was useless in naval combat, but it could shell fortifications into rubble - or crack the Sea Gate. That was an invasion fleet, not a raiding fleet. "And with most of our fleet escorting the evacuation convoy…"

"Fear not, my love! We will stop them! No matter the cost!" Sea Hawk declared.

"And how?" the princess shot back, apparently unimpressed. "We have one frigate and a sloop available."

"And the Dragon's Daughter III!"

"Which is a fast courier," Mermista pointed out. "Not a warship."

"Every ship is a warship if you know how to use it!"

Seacat groaned. "You're going to set her on fire and ram the enemy, aren't you?"

"Exactly! I might have missed out on a harrowing adventure on the way here, but I shall not shy away from this one!" Sea Hawk put his foot on the nearest railing and pointed to the sky. "The sea is my witness: They shall not pass while I still draw breath!"

The captain was entirely serious, Seacat could tell. As could Mermista - she wasn't scowling any more. In fact, she was smiling at him.

Seacat sighed. "I'll get her ready to sail, then."

Sea Hawk blinked, turning his head away from Mermista - who had probably been about to kiss him - and looked at Seacat. "I think you should better…"

She gave him her best glare. They were a crew! If he actually told her to stay here...

His smile turned a little forced. "...uh, hurry, then."

Satisfied, she nodded, then started running towards her ship. The evacuation of the civilians proved to be quite handy - if she'd had to deal with a terrified mob of people trying to escape…

"Hey! Seacat!" Princess Shrimp appeared in front of her in a shower of sparkly lights.

"No time!" Seacat yelled as she jumped over the girl, landing on all four and continuing to dash like that towards the pier. Getting the Dragon's Daughter III ready to sail - ready for battle - would take some time. Time they didn't have.

"Wait!" Once more, Shrimp appeared in front of her.

"No time!" Seacat took the next corner.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to fight!" she yelled back as she once more had to dodge the stubborn princess. Wasn't it obvious?

"We can help!"

No, they couldn't. They weren't sailors. They didn't know how to sail a ship into battle. On the other hand, they could fight. Probably.

"What about Blondie?" Seacat reached the ship and jumped on board, not bothering with the gangplank.

The shrimp appeared on deck, panting even though she hadn't actually run. "She can't join us; she tried - she's stuck there until the Gate is restored."

"So, she can't pull out until the Gate's satisfied?" Seacat's joke went over the shrimp's head. It wasn't really funny, anyway - if they ever needed a bloodthirsty, slightly insane giant warrior with a magic sword on their ship, it would be now. "Who's watching her?" If the fool was stuck, she was pretty much helpless, after all. And she would be an easy target for Horde scum hiding in the city...

"Uh… drat!" Shrimp disappeared.

Seacat quickly started to set sails. The wind was, fortunately, in their favour - the Horde would have to tack against it to approach them. As she pulled on the line with all her strength, she saw the sloop was also setting sails, but the frigate was lagging behind. Great.

"Here we are! Set sails! Onward!"

The captain had arrived. "I'm already setting sails," Seacat replied.

"I know, but it was the thing to say!" He flashed her a smile as he scrambled up to the conn.

Seacat shook her head, not bothering to hide her smile, as she tied the line, fixing the mainsail. The captain would never change. And she didn't want him to. Even if he was about to get her killed alongside himself - the odds of pushing through half a dozen Horde frigates, even with the Salinean vessel helping, were bad. Very bad. And the odds of surviving the battle...

A column of water shot up in the air next to the ship, startling her. What the…? She flinched and dodged to the side as the water arched towards here, then hit the deck, splashing her. What… no, who?

Mermista stood there, trident in hand, smirking at the drenched Seacat.

"You aimed for me!" Seacat yelled.

"I didn't see you," the princess lied with a grin. "Sorry."

Seacat huffed but was smiling herself.

With the princess on board, their odds had just improved. Greatly.

They might actually survive this.

*****​

As expected, they were the first out of port. With the wind blowing steadily, Sea Hawk then slowed down to let the others catch up. Well, at least the sloop; the frigate was still setting sails. If that were her ship, Seacat would keelhaul half the crew. Or all of them.

"Raise the Princess's flag!"

"What?" Seacat turned from watching the Salinean ships to stare at her captain.

"We're the flagship; it's only proper that we announce that fact," Sea Hawk replied. "You wouldn't want to enter battle improperly dressed, would you? That's the same for ships."

Seacat hissed in annoyance at the reminder of a particularly embarrassing incident in Crimson Port. "We don't have a flag like that!"

"We do, actually! I commissioned one for exactly such a moment!" he announced with a wide smile.

"For sailing to face an enemy fleet that outnumbers us four to one in a desperate battle to the death?" Mermista asked.

"Well… I was more thinking of a honeymoon cruise, but this also works! Adventure!"

Seacat opened the chest with their spare flags with a kick and started going through them. And yes, there it was: A Salinean flag with a crown. Huffing, she scaled the rigging and raised it on the mainmast.

She slid down a line to land next to the captain and the princess. "This will draw the attention of the entire Horde flotilla."

"Good!"

She rolled her eyes. As if Sea Hawk would have it any other way. "So, what's the plan?"

"We'll go after the bomb vessel," Sea Hawk said.

"Yes," Mermista agreed. "The troop transports and escorts don't matter as long as the Sea Gate stands. The real threat is the bomb vessel. With She-Ra restoring the Sea Gate, we just need to keep the Horde from destroying it before it's repaired, and that requires taking out that ship." She pointed at the horizon, where the enemy fleet was rapidly advancing.

Sea Hawk nodded with a smile, and Seacat couldn't tell if he had come to the same conclusions or if he simply had wanted to hit the enemy flagship. It didn't matter, anyway - this was a solid plan. Or, as solid as they could get in their position. "So, we just need to evade the six frigates already manoeuvring to cut us off, and then sink a ship about… five times our size?"

"Exactly!"

Well, she'd faced worse odds. While playing cards, mostly. And she had lost most of the time.

Glancing back, she saw that the sloop had caught up, but the frigate was just leaving port. "What a bunch of layabouts!"

"The ship's performance so far is lacking," Mermista agreed. "I'll have to rectify that after the battle."

"First, we have to make it through the battle," Seacat reminded her.

"Naturally." The princess scoffed as if that had been too obvious to mention.

"You're suddenly…" Seacat trailed off, glancing at Sea Hawk. She bit her lower lips. Pointing out that the princess wasn't as gloomy any more, even though they faced death in battle, would only cause problems. Perhaps even sink what small chance they had to survive this.

But, oh, she wanted to rub it in the princess's face. Or not - that would give her more ideas about Sea Hawk.

Scoffing herself, she jumped over the railing, landing lightly on the main deck, and ran towards the bow. They'd soon be in range of the screening frigates, which had formed up in a line now, still headed to intercept them. She ran a quick calculation in her mind. It would be close, but if they timed it right, and if the Horde was unprepared for their actual speed…

"Signal the Salinean Shark to change course and head east, then south!" Sea Hawk yelled.

She quickly grabbed twe flags and started signalling. That would force the enemy to split up their ships. If only the dumb frigate were here. Then the sloop could draw two away, the frigate would keep two more busy, and they would only have to outsail two enemy ships Instead of...

She watched as the flags on the Horde's lead ship changed. She didn't know their code, but it wasn't as if they had too many options. There! The last two ships in the line changed course, tacking as they did so, and were on the way to intercept the sloop.

That left four frigates still bearing down on them. Four to one. Not good odds. Definitely not good odds. The only thing that would give them a chance to pull this off was Mermista's magic.

Seacat was sure the princess would never let them forget it, either.

If they survived.

A loud explosion made her jerk and her tail puff up before she realised what had happened.

The bombardment had begun. She turned and watched the Sea Gate. How long would a shell take to hit it? Oh. That long.

The explosion covered the Sea Gat in smoke, but the steady wind quickly cleared it. And the gate had held!

Seacat's smile vanished as she remembered that Blondie was stuck to the gate. If the gate blew up with her right next to it…

They had to hurry and sink the bomb vessel!

But there were four ships between them and the - now anchored - bomb vessel. Four frigates, every one of them carrying enough cannons to blow the Dragon's Daughter III out of the water if they managed to get close enough.

The Dragon's Daughter III was faster and had the wind at her back, but that wouldn't be enough to break through. Not if the Horde commander was even somewhat competent. The cannons on Horde frigates had a reach of about one mile. Effective range was about half that, but if they put out enough shots, some were bound to hit anyway.

So far, both the Horde ships and the Dragon's Daughter III were headed almost straight towards each other, bow facing bow. That meant only the lead frigate could fire, and only their chase guns - and with the wind directly at their back, Sea Hawk could easily swerve enough to throw off their aim. The Horde flotilla was tacking against the wind, which slowed them down, but they could always turn away and present their broadsides.

The Dragon's Daughter III could outrun them - but they couldn't outrun them and get close to the bomb vessel. Which fired again, making Seacat flinch. That was a huge gun on that damn ship.

They were still closing. Now there were about four miles left between them and the Horde lead ship. She licked her lips as she estimated their speed. A few more minutes, and they would be in range.

She spotted two small flashes at the bow of the Horde ship. They were firing already? Had they improved the range of their guns? Then she saw the splashes, far ahead of them, and grinned. No, just an overeager crew. Or an impatient captain.

Mermista joined her, gripping the railing with one hand. "How competent is the enemy?"

"Hard to say," Seacat replied. "Unless they are trying to bluff us, they aren't the best sailors on the seas." She glanced at the princess. "You wouldn't happen to be able to conjure a huge wave to sweep them away, would you?"

Mermista snorted. "Sure. I'm just waiting to use my power to make it more dramatic."

Seacat had to chuckle herself at the joke. "Pity," she said.

"But I can raise waves powerful enough to reach the decks of the enemy. That should throw off their aim. And some of them overboard."

That would help, but it wouldn't decide the battle. And... "On all four frigates?" Seacat asked. The leading frigate fired again. This time, the shells hit closer to them, but still about a mile short.

Mermista winced. "Not unless I make the wave weaker."

"Great." Seacat clenched her teeth. "You told the captain."

"Yes."

The bomb vessel fired again. Now they were going head to head with the frigates. If the enemy started to turn away from the wind now to present their broadsides, the Dragon's Daughter III would be able to quickly turn the other direction, evading their field of fire - and the Horde leader would block the other ships. And if the enemy turned into the wind… well, that would slow them down so much, they would be able to sail around them.

But the closer they got, the more dangerous it would be to try and evade them. The enemy would be able to close the distance quickly enough to catch them with a broadside, and that would be the end of it. And of them.

"What's his plan?" Seacat asked the princess. He better have a plan!

"We'll fly past them."

"What?" She whipped her head around and almost missed the next salvo from the leading horde ship. This time, they fell short a few dozen yards.

Mermista grinned at her like Sea Hawk used to when he was pulling off a stupid stunt that might get them killed - or become the talk in all the ports.

They were about a mile out, and at their speed, that was shrinking rapidly. Soon, the enemy would turn. And Seacat realised what the captain was planning. "If we survive this, I'm going to kill him," she spat as she quickly wrapped a line around her arm, tying herself to the ship.

Mermista laughed as she copied her. "Not before I get him!"

Less than three quarters of a mile left. The Dragon's Daughter II was now swerving back and forth rapidly, and the chase guns spoke again. One shell went wide, but the other shell hit the sea so close, a column of water drenched both Seacat and Mermista.

And the enemy was turning away from the wind.

"There they go!" Seacat yelled as the guns of the enemy came into view.

"Hold fast! This will be our finest adventure!" Sea Hawk yelled back.

Seacat held her breath as she saw the full broadsides of four frigates turn their way. They were about six hundred yards away from the leading ship. What was the captain waiting for?

"What's he waiting for?" Mermista echoed her thoughts.

Then the guns started to fire, and Sea Hawk yelled: "NOW!"

Mermista waved her trident, and the Dragon's Daughter III was lifted up, far above the sea, by a huge wave, and propelled forward.

"Yes!" the captain shouted as the first frigate's broadside passed beneath them, the shells harmlessly punching through the wave.

The second frigate fired her own broadside, with the same result. And the third and fourth were rapidly trying to turn away from the wind to bring the flying Dragon's Daughter III into the arcs of their guns - without success.

They were shooting past the bow of the first frigate, so close that Seacat could see the Horde sailors struggling to bring the chase guns to bear without success. As soon as they cleared the bow, the enemy captain had the other broadside fire - but they were too close and too high for the cannons to get a bead on them, and the magical wave wasn't affected by mere shells.

The second frigate had still been turning away from the wind and was now turning back into the wind to bring her other broadside into play - but they were too slow; the Dragon's Daughter III was opening the distance too quickly for them. And the other two ships were still too far away.

Yes, they had…

"Ugh!" Seacat heard Mermista say.

A moment later, the wave crashed, and with it their ship. They hit the water hard - Seacat could hear wood cracking and splintering even over the roar of water splashing around them - and if not for the lines wrapped around her limbs, she would have been thrown overboard. Even the mainmast seemed to sway far more than it should be able to.

But they were still going fast. Still had the wind at their back. And there was no enemy ship left between them and their target. No warship, at least - even damaged, the Dragon's Daughter III could outsail a troop transport.

Guns fired behind them - the three trailing frigates finally having been able to aim their cannons - but they were too far away. And too slow to catch up.

Seacat untied herself and dove for the hold. If that cracking had been any indication…

She dropped into the hold and cursed. Cracks ran along the hull, centred on the keel. Sooner or later, the keel would break - or the ship would snap in two.

She jumped, grabbed the lid of the hold, and pulled herself out. "She's done for, captain!" she yelled. "Keel's cracking!"

"She'll hold on for a few more minutes!" the captain yelled back. "Long enough! Set her on fire!"

"What?" Mermista all it shrieked. "Now?"

"Yes, now!" Seacat snapped, running towards the oil barrels. Next to them, a splash showed that the enemy was now firing their chase guns.

It wouldn't do them any good, though - they were eating up the distance to the bomb vessel. Seacat barely registered that the sloop was fighting two frigates now as she started to splash oil around the hold and deck.

"Where's the dinghy?" Mermista asked.

"We don't have one," Seacat told her.

"What? Where will we be going once all this is on fire?"

"Overboard, of course!" Seacat replied, pouring the last of the oil on the spare sails in the bow. Hadn't Mermista expected this?

"Sea Hawk failed to mention that part!" the Princess confirmed her suspicion.

"He tends to do that." Seacat drew her cutlass, the blade glowing as she stuck it into the deck. Flames erupted from the tip at once, rapidly spreading over the oil-soaked deck.

Seacat was already scrambling up to the captain, who was still handling the rudder. "Ship's set on fire!" she reported, sketching a salute.

"Noted!" he replied, laughing loudly.

With the wind at their back, they didn't have to deal with smoke reaching them, but between the sails and the smoke, steering the ship would be difficult. Not that that would be a problem - the enemy ship was still anchored and hadn't set any sails yet.

"First Mate, prepare to abandon ship."

"Aye aye, Captain!"

They were about four hundred yards out now. Seacat saw the horde soldiers running around in apparent panic. Still no sails going up, but someone must have cut the anchors loose.

It wouldn't save them, though it meant they had to steer the ship even closer to ensure they'd hit it.

And that would be cutting it a little closely.

Two hundred yards. More creaking and cracking filled the air - did the mainmast just shift?

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Adventure!"

Seacat cursed and flung herself over the railing. She hit the water, going under, then swam for the surface. Treading water, she glanced around. Where was… there! Sea Hawk broke the surface, followed by Mermista!

"I was supposed to be the last one to leave the ship!" Sea Hawk complained.

"I wasn't about to leave you there!" the princess retorted.

"Look!" Seacat shouted, interrupting the argument.

The Dragon's Daughter III, now fully ablaze, rammed into the bomb vessel. Her bow crumpled, stuck in the enemy's iron-plated hull. Then the mainmast fell - onto the Horde ship, scattering crew and burning pieces of rigging all over the deck.

"It's beautiful!" Sea Hawk yelled. "What an adventure! Look at her burning!"

The fire was indeed spreading quickly - very quickly. Half the enemy deck seemed on fire, and the crew was already jumping overboard, which was… Oh no!

The first explosion ripped the ship's forecastle apart and toppled one mast. Another blew part of the main deck away.

Then the entire ship vanished in a fireball, and everything went dark.

*****​

She woke up sopping wet and retching, coughing out water from her lungs. And she was on a deck - she could feel hardwood beneath her.

"Are you alright?"

Some sailor - Salinean; she could tell from the uniform - was staring at her. She nodded and waved him away. She was fine.

"...did my duty! I came as fast as possible, Princess!"

"You arrived when the Salinean Shark was still fighting two enemy frigates! And you ran from the enemy!"

That was the princess chewing out someone. Seacat was very familiar with that tone thanks to Sea Hawk.

Sea Hawk! She gasped, jumping up and almost falling down as she slid over the wet deck until her claws found purchase. Where was the captain? Oh. There he was. Standing next to and slightly behind Mermista as she was snarling at a Salinean captain.

"I had to save you, Princess! That was the only reason I retreated behind the Sea Gate. Besides, the Shark was beyond hope."

And that was Captain Slowpoke. Or Captain Coward.

"It was beyond hope because you couldn't get your ship out of the port in time!"

"Indeed - that was among the sloppiest feats of seamanship I've ever seen," Sea Hawk chimed in.

"But princess! This is a frigate, not a sloop, or a courier ship! Getting ready to sail takes some time!"

"And why weren't you ready already?"

Seacat chuckled, then coughed some more, spitting out salty seawater. Blergh. So, they were safely behind the Sea Gate, which apparently - she checked; yes, it shone as if new - was restored completely. That meant the invasion had failed.

They had managed to beat a Horde fleet with a fast courier! And a princess and a sloop, but who was counting?

People would hear about this for weeks!

*****​

"Catra! There you are! I was so worried!"

Seacat closed her eyes and clenched her teeth in frustration. Blondie. Of course she had to be at the pier to welcome them back! Sighing, Seacat turned to face the girl. "I told you before, my name is… Maelstrom's mother! What happened to you?"

Blondie looked like she had fought an entire tavern in a brawl - and lost. One eye swollen shut, multiple bruises - and those were just the visible ones - and she was limping. Seacat took a few steps towards the blonde, reaching out to her before she realised what she was doing and stopped, snapping her arm down.

But Blondie was beaming at her. "Oh! I'm fine. Some Horde spies attacked us, but we fought them off. Well, Glimmer and Bow did - I was stuck while I restored the Sea Gate, so I couldn't defend myself. But I'm fine!"

"Those bloody cowards!" Seacat spat.

"But what about you? You look like…"

"Yes, I look like a drenched cat," Seacat replied, rolling her eyes.

"No! I mean, yes, you do, but… you look hurt!"

She was hurt, but like hell would she tell Blondie that. "I was a little too close to the enemy flagship when it blew up, and the shockwave hit me."

"Oh, no!"

"But I'm fine - it doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Oh." Blondie nodded, as if she believed her. Maybe she did. "Sorry about your ship."

Seacat shrugged. The Dragon's Daughter III had lasted longer than she had expected. "You get used to it."

"And you sunk the bomb ship and saved the Sea Gate! And all of us!" Blondie flashed a stupid smile at her. "This was so brave!"

And Blondie was far too close for comfort. If she hugged Seacat's aching ribs… "I didn't do it for you!" she snarled at Blondie.

"That's exactly what Catra would say!"

Seacat clenched her teeth and fought the sudden urge to claw the blonde's face off.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 3: The Outposts

She was facing her enemy with her staff raised across her body. Ready to strike and ready to parry a strike. Just like the trainer had said. And shown.

And her enemy was doing the same, blue eyes staring at her over bared teeth and under a blonde lock of hair.

She licked her lips in response, flashing her fangs. Stay cool. Cool. Her tail flicked back and forth behind her, but there was nothing she could do about that.

The blonde took a step towards her, staff held ready, still baring her teeth. Threatening her.

She started circling the blonde, her claws scratching the padding on the floor as she sped up. She was faster and quicker on her feet. She just had to wait until her enemy stumbled and then she could…

The blonde attacked! Striking with her staff. Fast!

She parried, and almost got her staff hit out of her hands. And there came another blow! Once more she parried, as she had learned, but she was driven back anyway - and she stumbled! The blonde thrust her staff at her, and she jumped to the side, her top almost getting caught on the tip.

Close. Close! Closer!

She darted forward, her staff sliding over the blonde's, but before she could strike, her enemy twisted her grip, lifted - and her staff went flying.

But she had claws! She ducked under the staff and jumped, headfirst, into the blonde. Both of them fell down, and she started scratching.

Until the trainer pulled her away, holding her at the neck. It hurt, but all her hissing wouldn't make him let go.

"I said staff training, not… biting and scratching like an animal!"

"But you also said anything goes in a fight!" Adora piped up as she rubbed her scratched arm.

She cringed - talking back to a trainer meant getting punished. But the man nodded, even if he growled, then dropped her on the ground. "Again. And this time, staves only!"

Adora's beaming smile turned into a smirk as she gripped her staff again.

"This time I'll beat you, Catra!"

She snorted in return, and then it was on.

At the end of the training, they were covered in bruises - and some scratches for Adora - but they were friends.

*****​

Seacat shook her as she woke up. Another stupid dream. Stupid Blondie. Even when she was half a world away, the girl managed to bother Seacat.

She stretched, resisting the urge to dig her claws into her mattress - Mermista didn't like it if her guests left holes in the bedding. Or scratches in the furniture, no matter how fragile they were built. Then she rolled off her bed and went to get dressed. Breakfast waited.

She left her room, still retying her hair into a ponytail, and made her way to the kitchen. She didn't bother knocking on the captain's room - he hadn't slept a single night there since the Battle of Salineas. At the big doors that separated the princess's quarters from the rest of the palace, she stopped and cocked her head, her ears twitching.

She couldn't hear any yelling or furniture breaking, so Mermista hadn't lost her temper yet with Sea Hawk. Which was, for a change, a good thing - they were still waiting for the ship the princess had promised them to replace the Dragon's Daughter III, and while Mermista probably wouldn't go back on her word, you never knew with princesses.

"The princess is resting," one of the two guards Seacat had ignored so far told her.

"Just checking." She grinned in return and went on towards the kitchen. She was hungry, and the kitchen staff, even with half of them not yet having returned after the evacuation, made the best breakfast, ever: lots of fresh roasted fish!

She felt her nostrils flare as she approached the kitchen - yes, that was the heavenly smell of fish covered with the special palace sauce. She licked her lips, then wiped her chin, just in case she might've been drooling, and entered. She'd risked her life for the whole kingdom, so she deserved a special breakfast!

The kitchen staff agreed with her - they were smiling at her and even had a plate already ready.

She thanked them - always be polite to those who make your food, as Sea Hawk had taught her - and left again, carrying a plate and a pitcher of some red fruit juice she'd claim was blood if someone bothered her.

Life was good for a hero!

*****​

"And this is the Dragon's Daughter IV!" Sea Hawk said, spreading his arms wide. "A marvel of shipbuilding, the crown achievement of the Salinean Royal Yards!" He stood at the princess's private pier, staring at the small ship tied up there.

"It's a refurbished courier ship," Mermista said in a flat voice. "Originally built in Seaworthy."

"But rebuilt here!" Sea Hawk wasn't going to let a small thing like reality dim his enthusiasm, Seacat knew. "A token of your love for me!"

"I couldn't exactly let you get stranded here, could I? I'd never be rid of you."

Seacat frowned. The princess was smiling as she spoke, but this sounded as if Mermista was already getting sick of the captain. "It certainly looks fast enough," Seacat said. "Though it's a little wider in the beam unless I'm mistaken." She wasn't, of course - she had checked the ship last night.

"It is, but it also has a bigger cargo hold!" Sea Hawk confirmed it.

"So, we're going to make good money shipping cargo," Seacat said. If the ship was nearly as fast as the late Dragon's Daughter III but could hold about a fourth more cargo, then that would result in good profit margins. They just needed a few easy runs from Seaworthy to the Kingdom of Snows, for example.

"Not just any cargo, but important cargo! Crucial supplies for the Rebellion!" The captain beamed at her. "Delivered straight to the soldiers fighting the Horde on the frontlines! It'll be an adventure!"

There went Seacat's profit margins. "Usually, dangerous deliveries pay extra-well," she commented, glancing at Mermista.

"Exploiting the fact that my love's kingdom is at war would be extremely gauche, first mate! Especially after Mermista gave us such an excellent ship as a gift."

"As a replacement for the ship we sank saving her kingdom," Seacat corrected him.

"We saved her kingdom together with my dear Mermista!"

"Without my powers, you'd have ended on the bottom of the sea without getting to ram the Horde bomb vessel first," the princess commented with a grin. Seacat bared her teeth in a matching grin and was about to enter negotiations when the princess grew serious. "I hate to ask this of you, but almost all Salinean ships are currently busy transporting our evacuated people back to the kingdom - or guarding the transports. And what ships we have available would take too long to supply our forward posts."

Which would mean they would have to be abandoned - or they'd fall to the Horde. Seacat suppressed a growl. That would be unacceptable. The Horde couldn't be allowed to advance further into Salineas - or anywhere else. So, as much as it grated, they would have to do this. Afterwards, though, they could return to making money.

"Rest assured, my love, we will fly to supply the Salinean eye!"

"'Salinean Eye'?" Mermista sounded confused.

"Aren't your outposts the eyes of your fleet, looking for Horde ships?" Sea Hawk beamed.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. But there's more than one such post."

"But that wouldn't rhyme!"

Seacat sighed. The captain was about to sing. "I'll check the ship," she said. "See if there are any issues that need to be corrected before we can sail." Trying to plug a leak in a hold full with cargo was a nightmare.

"Duty calls, evening falls, out we sail into the squalls…"

Seacat jumped down, grabbing the rigging to slow her fall, as a shanty started behind her. The captain was a great man, but he was a much better sailor than singer.

*****​

True to Sea Hawk's shanty, they were leaving port in the evening - to better hide from Horde spies, or so Seacat had been told. It made sense - she was sure that the cowards who had attacked Blondie and her friends hadn't been the only traitors in port. On the other hand, anyone would have noticed the cargo delivered to their new ship, and it wouldn't take a genius to realise where they might be going. Now, whether the Horde had any ships left to try and catch them was another question. The Horde generally weren't the best sailors, to say the least. And the favoured firepower over maneuverability.

"Ah! Adventure! As much as I love my dear Mermista, I cannot resist the call of the sea!" Sea Hawk declared, pointing at the horizon.

Seacat made some noncommittal noise as she scaled the rigging. The basic build of their new ship was the same as that of the Dragon's Daughter III, but there were a few differences. It wouldn't do to miss a line in the middle of a storm - or a battle. And her eyes saw perfectly fine in the dim light of the moons. Perks of being a cat. Like claws and superior balance. Blondie would be half-blind in her place.

She froze for a moment, growling with anger at herself. Blondie was gone. Back to Bright Moon. Far away from the sea. Why was she still thinking of the idiot? She had a task to do! An important task!

*****​

"About ship!"

Sea Hawk's command rang out over the deck, and Seacat moved to get ready for the turn into the wind. "Ready!" she yelled.

In response, the ship began to turn into the wind, losing speed as the sail stopped moving her forward and the wind started to push back on the bow. But they were fast enough to complete the turn without having to pull the lines to help the turn along, and soon the Dragon's Daughter IV was sailing along the next leg of their course as they tacked towards their first destination.

Seacat checked that the lines were fastened and everything else was in order, then dropped by the cabins, grabbing a bite to eat - dried fish - from the pantry before joining the captain on the afterdeck.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Sea Hawk exclaimed with a beaming smile.

"Our new ship or the princess?" Seacat asked with a grin.

"I was talking about the ship, although, of course, my dear Mermista is a beauty without equal on all the seas!"

Seacat reached out to hold the steering wheel in place as the captain put one boot on the chest nearby and pointed towards the sky.

"I guess so," she said. "She runs well enough," she added - they had put the ship through her paces all morning after a rather quiet night, "but she could be a little faster."

"You only have to be fast enough to evade dangers and catch your enemies! The closer you shave it, the better the adventure!"

"And the more dangerous," she replied before swallowing the rest of the dried fish.

"That's what I said!"

"Just don't set this ship on fire until we've got enough saved up for the next." Wait! That wouldn't stop him. "And remember that people - Mermista's soldiers - depend on us delivering them their supplies."

He blinked as if he'd forgotten this. Then he nodded. "You're right! The love of my life would never forgive me, at least not for months, if I let her down!"

She couldn't resist. "Unless you do it gently," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She bared her teeth in a grin, but he wasn't deterred.

"Ah!" He beamed at her again. "You shouldn't be jealous of our relationship! As I've told you a hundred times, love will find you, too! One day."

"Yeah, sure." She snorted, almost turning it into a scoff. "I don't need that kind of stress in my life." Just watching Sea Hawk and Mermista wrecking their relationship every few weeks was enough to know that.

"Ah! Shying away from a challenge, first mate? I wouldn't have thought you were a scaredy…"

She growled at him in return, making a point of flexing her claws next to his hand on the wheel.

He coughed, holding a fist before his mouth. "Although, seriously, romance is nothing to be afraid of. Romance is the spice of life! The soul of adventure!"

"I'm not afraid," she hissed. "And I've got plenty of adventures." Especially with Sea Hawk.

"Of course! But there could always be more! More passion! More adventure! More life!"

"More food," she retorted. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't found anyone interesting - interesting and interested - yet. "I'm going to grab some more fish. Do you want any?" He wouldn't - he didn't like fish as much as she did - but she always asked.

"I'll get some hardtack later."

She made a face at that. "Bleargh."

"A sailor's stomach can easily handle hardtack!"

"But a sailor's tongue shouldn't!" she shot back before jumping over the railing and landing on the deck below.

Unfortunately, by the time she returned with some hardtack for the captain and more fish for her, Sea Hawk had found a new subject that Seacat hated even more than her love life.

"So!" He nodded at her. "That passenger claimed to know you."

"She's stupid. And a princess. And a former Horde soldier!"

"Well, why would she lie about you being a missing friend of hers?"

"Just because she thinks something is true doesn't make it true!" Not even princesses could do that. "You know how I was found - I wasn't wearing a Horde uniform. And not even the Horde uses child soldiers, anyway!"

"Oh! Now you admit that you were a child?" He grinned at her.

She snorted in return."I was young and stupid." And she had wanted a berth on a ship. His ship. To wait on land, not knowing if he'd return…

"And now you're old and wise?"

"Just wise," she shot back.

"Disillusionment isn't wisdom," he told her.

"Close enough," she replied, eating another fish.

He hummed in return and focused on his own ration.

She knew he'd bring it up again - he had that annoying habit of not letting things drop - but not for the next few days. Probably. Longer if they ended up in an adventure.

She snorted again - hell, she was almost looking forward to one!

*****​

"I don't think they'll need our supplies any more. Or anything else." Seacat forced herself to sound flippant, almost joking, as they approached the pier. The alternative was hissing and growling with anger. The Salinean outpost had been razed. Half the top of the lookout tower was gone, the ramparts broken. But those could be repaired. The soldiers, though… She couldn't see anyone, but she could smell a hint of rotting meat. Rotting flesh.

Sea Hawk nodded slowly. "Ahoy!" he suddenly yelled. "The Princess sent us!"

No one moved, though - and the rock upon which the outpost had been built was small enough for the captain's voice to carry to every corner.

They stopped at the pier - flanked by the reefs that kept larger ships away. "They were informed about our trip," Seacat said. "Whoever attacked them must have struck after we set out."

"Two nights ago. Perhaps one," the captain agreed. "And they didn't warn Salineas - they must have been surprised. A direct hit from a bomb vessel's mortar would do that, but..."

She nodded. The whole outpost would've been flattened by such a shell. "But if they managed that, why would they still bombard the outpost?" She growled under her breath. The answer was obvious. "Treason. Sabotage."

"Sabotage the communications, then shell the outpost at your leisure," Sea Hawk said. "Not much of an adventure."

"But effective," she retorted before she jumped over the railing and landed on all fours on the pier. She checked the lines hanging. They were cut. "Someone left in a hurry," she yelled as she tied up the Dragon's Daughter IV.

Sea Hawk joined her. "The crew might have fled after they realised their communications had been sabotaged."

Seacat nodded. It was possible. The outposts couldn't be held against a determined attack. That was why they had a fast cutter, after all. Smart sailors knew when to cut and run.

But the stench… it was more than a hint now. She clenched her teeth. "Or whoever sabotaged communications took the cutter as well."

"Let's check the outpost's interior." Sea Hawk drew his sword and started up the stairs leading to the outpost proper.

He wasn't charging ahead and he wasn't yelling about adventure. That was a bad sign. She clenched her teeth as she followed him.

By the time they reached the outpost's gate, she was pinching her nose shut and didn't need to look at the centre of the courtyard to know what had happened to the crew.

She did it anyway. The attackers had piled up the stripped bodies of the defenders there, forming a large heap.

"Horde scum!" she hissed. They had taken everything! Murdered everyone!

"But why would Horde soldiers take the uniforms and weapons of Salineans?" Sea Hawk asked. "They have ample supplies of the latter, and no use for the former."

Seacat blinked and almost breathed through her nose - which would have been a very bad experience. "Pirates?" But pirates knew better than to massacre their victims. Especially Salinean sailors. There would be no mercy, nor any way to finagle a pardon after turning privateer against the Horde for a while. And pirates would know that, so why… She gasped. "Horde scum turning pirates?"

"After losing their bomb vessel, the surviving officers might have decided to turn pirate rather than face the consequences of failing." Sea Hawk looked around. "They had traitors in Salineas. Perhaps they had traitors here as well."

"Someone must have shown them the way through the reefs," Seacat agreed. "So... now we've got Horde scum roaming the seas as pirates."

"Not for long, if I have anything to say about it!" Sea Hawk raised his sword. "We shall hunt them down and bring them to justice!"

Just the two of them? Against at least a frigate, probably more than one? Seacat snorted. She should've known better than to wish for adventure. But to let Horde scum get away with this?

They'd make them pay. Somehow. Probably involving another burning ship.

*****​

Thick smoke was rising from the outpost's courtyard when they set sails again. They had turned the heap of bodies into a funeral pyre. A burial at sea might've been more appropriate, but to lug two dozen bodies around with them? Seacat shuddered at the mere thought of it. The stench would've been unbearable. Better to burn them.

"Let's hope the second outpost hasn't suffered the same fate," she said as they passed the last reefs and Sea Hawk changed the course.

"They would've had to be in much faster ships than frigates to cover the distance in the time they had," Sea Hawk said. "Of course, that doesn't mean they can't be attacking right now - with the stolen cutter, they might even attempt a coup de main."

Seacat scoffed and bared her fangs. "Then let's find out just how fast our new ship can go!"

"Indeed! Adventure!"

*****​

The second outpost was two days worth of sailing from the first with average winds and an average ship. Or a ship with a crew who had to grow familiar with her. But with a fast ship and a great crew taking all reasonable risk? One day was doable - barely.

Seacat grinned when the outpost's top appeared on the horizon, the Salinean flag flying above it. Then she licked the back of her hand - which tasted salty - and rubbed it against her cheek. She hated it when saltwater dried on her fur, but there hadn't been time to groom herself properly. And she would've ended up being drenched twice more, anyway.

"Huzzah! We are on time!" Sea Hawk cheered. "What an adventure! We've got the fastest ship on the sea!"

"And the craziest captain!" Seacat yelled back as she collapsed the telescope.

"I didn't hear you protesting on the way here!"

She snorted. "Would you have listened?"

"Listened? Yes. Followed your advice? No!"

She snorted again and scaled the rigging. Time to get a closer look from up top. She grabbed on the mast with one hand, pulled the telescope out of her belt with the other and snapped it open one-handedly with a practised motion.

There was the outpost. She could see soldiers on the ramparts, and… two cutters in the sea? One at the pier, and another approaching.

She couldn't see the people on the deck of the second cutter, but she was sure that this was the one the Horde-pirates had taken.

Sliding down the line, she landed gracefully on the deck. "Captain! The Horde scum's about to storm the outpost!"

And they were still about half an hour away unless the wind turned. And yet… "I'll signal them!" she shouted. She rushed to the chest with the signal flags, kicked it open and grabbed them. A moment later, she was rushing up the rigging again, flags held in her mouth. Now the idiots in the outpost better be having their eyes on them!

She wrapped her leg around a line, dug the claws of one foot into the mast - it could do with some scratches, anyway - and leaned out, waving the flags to signal 'danger' and 'trap'.

She kept repeating the signals, squinting as she tried to see if there was a reaction from the outpost. Was that a soldier running? The second cutter was almost at the pier! What were those idiots doing?

Right before the cutter reached the pier, the cannons on the outpost fired. She dropped the flags and grabbed the telescope again.

The soldiers had reacted too late, despite Seacat's best effort - the horde scum was already on the pier. She saw two soldiers running up the ramp leading to the outpost's gate, but both fell before they reached the halfway point.

The cannons on the rampart spoke again, and she saw the cutter's mast fall. But it was too late - there were dozens of the scum already on the pier. Why hadn't they used cannister shot? That could've swept the pier clear!

And now the horde rushed forward, storming the ramp. Seacat held her breath. If the Salineans were quick enough to reload, they could out a shell right into the horde… but they weren't. The pirates reached the wall, where the cannons couldn't fire.

Seacat cursed. "They are at the walls," she yelled to the captain. "The idiots didn't manage to stop them!"

"Then it falls to us to save them!"

"Without setting us on fire!" she shouted.

"No promises!"

Seacat cursed again. She had liked their new ship.

"Find us a route through the reefs!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

She grabbed the telescope again. She had seen the route - part of it - that the cutter had taken. But the entrance… Her fangs dug into her lower lip as she studied the rocks jutting up from the sea ahead of them. The real danger were the ones that didn't break the surface, of course. The ones that were just deep enough to escape notice, but high enough to rip open the hull of any ship that sailed over them.

This or that passage? Was that a shadow, or a reef in the middle? She squinted. That was… a reef. Which meant it was the other. "Starboard!" she yelled.

"Starboard!" Sea Hawk confirmed. "Huzzah!"

They entered the reefs, and Seacat climbed on the very top of the mast, to get the best angle possible to guide them as Sea Hawk slowed down - a little, at least. There was another reef lurking beneath the surface. "Backboard!"

"Backboard!"

The ship turned, in time.

"Starboard!"

"Starboard!"

"Backboard!"

"Backboard"

Turn by turn, they sailed through the reef.

Until they suddenly had a clear path to the pier. And the pirate cutter there. The ship's mainmast had fallen, but part of the rigging had kept it from ending up in the sea. Still, that cutter wouldn't sail anytime soon. The other cutter, though, the one stationed at this outpost, looked whole - and there were people on it. Enemies! Seacat counted half a dozen Horde soldiers.

And two to three dozens assaulting the walls of the outpost, but who was counting? "Let's board them!"

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk replied, and the Dragon's Daughter IV turned, barely avoiding the first cutter, before it scraped alongside the second, bumping into the other ship with enough force to send half the Horde scum stumbling.

But not her. Seacat had grabbed a line a moment before the ships touched and was already swinging over to the cutter. She drew her cutlass with her free hand, slashing with the glowing blade as she flew past one of the pirates still standing.

The man went down, screaming, hands gripping a ruined face, and Seacat let the rope carry her onward. Another horde soldier stepped into her path, and she let go, slamming into the merman with her feet, digging her claws into his protruding belly, leaving long gashes when she jumped off.

He screamed, dropping his weapons to keep his guts in, and Seacat howled, landing on the still moving deck with one hand and both feet down, claws scratching the wood as she slid to a stop and swung her blade with the other hand.

The remaining four of the scum turned to face her, wielding stun batons and knives, and she laughed in their faces. The biggest of them, a lizardman, hissed and charged her while the rest spread out, trying to encircle her.

Pathetic. She met the lizard blade to blade, then let herself fall down on her back when he swung the baton, kicking out with her feet before raking her claws over the horde scum's legs.

He screamed but didn't fall, stabbing at her in a frenzy with both blade and baton. She rolled to the side, evading the first attacks, then back, dodging the second, before she deflected the blade with her cutlass and cut the baton off with the backhand stroke.

A roll over her shoulder saw her back on her feet, and the lizard swung again. She forced his blade down, then jumped, lashing out with one leg after the other, kicking him in the chest and face.

He stumbled back, reeling, his head thrown back, and Seacat lunged, whirled and slashed his throat with her blade, almost decapitating him.

"Finally done? You've been getting slow!"

She growled at Sea Hawk, who had jumped on the deck as well and was standing over the bodies of the other tree enemies. "He was their leader!"

"Just because he was the biggest doesn't make him their leader."

"I also got two on the way in!"

"Then we're even!"

She snorted and looked around. The pirates attacking the outpost had noticed them by now, and a dozen of them were rushing towards them. Bad odds without surprise.

"Another challenge! Adventure!"

Not for Sea Hawk, of course.

But she wasn't looking forward to fighting outnumbered six to one. Not without an advantage, preferably an unfair one. "We need to secure the cutter!" she yelled.

"Not quite!" Sea Hawk shouted back. He was running towards the cannon in the bow. But he wouldn't get it loaded and aimed in time, even with her helping!

She rushed towards him anyway, but he waved her off. "Get our ship clear!"

She gasped - he was crazy! - but obeyed, dashing towards the railing, then jumping off, throwing herself towards the Dragon's Daughter IV, which had started to drift away.

She missed the deck and railing, but her claws found purchase in the hull, and she quickly scrambled up on deck, then rushed to the wheel. The wind hadn't changed, so she threw the ship into a turn towards the wind, slowly starting to gather speed as the bow swung around.

Then she glanced back. The pirates had almost reached the cutter. What was Sea Hawk doing? "Captain!" she yelled, then held her breath. The first pirate jumped on the cutter's deck, and…

There went Sea Hawk, jumping on the railing, grabbing the rigging and swinging his sword - and cutting through the rigging.

The mast swayed at once, and the rigging ripped, pulling him up as if he had been fired from a cannon. He flew in an arc, narrowly missing the cutter's falling spar, before splashing into the water.

Seacat released her breath.

But the pirates rushed to the railing, one of them climbing on the bow, peering at the water, eager to shoot at the captain as soon as he surfaced

And the cutter's powder store blew up, the ship's entire bow section vanishing in an explosion.

For a terrible moment, Seacat saw the bomb vessel blowing up. The explosion travelling underwater, killing all the Horde sailors in the water and almost killing her despite the distance.

But this wasn't a bomb vessel's powder magazine going up, well below the waterline. This was a powder storage chest for a cutter's pivot gun blowing up on the deck. Granted, a big one - the navy rarely skimped on ammunition - but even so, it shouldn't have… The captain had been thrown almost clear - at least away from the bow…

She clenched her teeth. Sea Hawk couldn't be…

"Huzzah!"

Her eyes darted to the side. There was a head visible in the sea, an arm waving… She sighed with relief, sagging for a moment, then growled and yelled: "You idiot cut it too close!"

"The only good call is a close call!"

She glanced back at the pier as she turned the ship into the wind so Sea Hawk could catch up. There were no pirates on it. No, she couldn't see any pirates, she corrected herself. But there were about a dozen or more pirates still left at the outpost's gates. Caught between the Dragon's Daughter IV and the outpost's walls. Or, rather, caught between the walls and the rocky shore, with a damaged cutter their only way to escape.

"Ooof!" Sea Hawk pulled himself over the railing, groaning.

She dug a fang into her lower lip. So he had been hurt by the explosion. "That was too close," she told him as she helped him up.

"But it was a beautiful explosion!"

"You didn't even see it."

"I felt it!"

That made her growl again as she shook her head. "Stick to setting ships on fire."

He laughed at that, then turned to point at the outpost. "A dozen more notches for our belts!" he exclaimed, tapping his buckle.

She didn't miss how his hand strayed upwards, rubbing his belly, afterwards. "I think the garrison can handle them." If they didn't, then Mermista needed to deal with whoever set up those outposts.

"Perhaps. But we still are needed to keep the pirates from escaping!"

"We need to treat your wounds," she spat. Explosions could damage the inside of your body. Sea Hawk could be bleeding out inside, or something - the Healers at Salineas had been concerned about that, after the last battle. "And that cutter won't be sailing anywhere with a broken mainmast!"

"I'm good for another harrowing battle against impossible odds!" He pointed at the outpost. "And look! They're retreating - they're coming straight at us!"

"We don't need to fight them. We can set the cutter on fire and trap them on the island," Seacat pointed out. Or set the cutter on fire with the pirates on it.

"Or we could blow the cutter up. In a big beautiful explosion!"

Fortunately, the garrison finally developed a spine and sallied, a dozen soldiers chasing the pirates down to the pier. By the time the Dragon's Daughter IV had turned away from the wind and was sailing towards the cutter, half the pirates had been overtaken and killed, and the other half was battling the soldiers on the damaged cutter.

And the captain was in the rigging, brandishing his sword. "Get us closer! I want to rush them from behind!"

"You just want to beat my score!" she yelled as she brought their ship closer.

"I already beat it with my explosion!"

She blinked, then scoffed. "That doesn't count!"

They reached the cutter, bumping against it, and Sea Hawk jumped on the other deck before the ships separated again. Seacat saw him cut down the last pirate standing, then face the soldiers with a flourish.

"I'm the one and only Sea Hawk!" she heard him yell. "Feel free to thank me for the timely rescue!"

The officer leading the ragged troop looked as if she had bitten into a rotting lemon.

Seacat was still chuckling at the sight as she guided the ship to a gentle stop near the pier - close enough to use it as an anchor.

*****​

The officer commanding the soldiers wasn't really grateful, Seacat found out quickly. It was clear that she had to force herself to be polite to them. Granted, they had blown up her cutter, but that had been necessary. And they had another cutter anyway, only slightly damaged.

Seacat waited to point out that, of course. As long as the woman was busy ordering the soldiers around she was already stressed enough. Though Seacat did need answers to a few questions. "Did you find out where the rest of the pirates are hiding?"

"We haven't even started questioning the survivors!"

"I meant, did they say anything? Offered you a deal? Named their patron?

"No, they didn't. They just attacked - if not for your warning, we might've lost half our troops before we realised what was going on."

Seacat grinned widely. "So, I saved the entire outpost?"

The woman froze for a moment. Then she pressed her lips together in a frown. "We could have held out until relief forces arrived."

"Sure." Seacat flashed her fangs. "You had them right where you wanted them. After we killed half of them for you. And sunk their ship."

"That was my cutter!"

"Not any longer - they had taken it," Sea Hawk cut in. "According to the law of the sea, that means it was an enemy ship and a legitimate target for us."

"And we didn't even blow it up completely - half the ship you could probably raise and repair," Seacat added. She looked round. "Well, if you had wood to repair them." The rock didn't look like it would grow trees anytime soon.

The officer - what was her name again? Seacat hadn't really paid attention - looked even more annoyed now.

"The Salinean Navy thanks you for your assistance."

"Anything for my dear Mermista!" Sea Hawk beamed. "Now we just need to find the pirate frigate."

"Pirate frigate?"

Seacat sighed. "The pirates are former Horde scum. And they stole the cutter from the other outpost in the area. That means they must have had a ship to reach the outpost before stealing this one. And the last Horde ships we saw in the area were frigates." And troop transports, but those wouldn't make plausible pirate ships.

"A frigate."

"Possibly more - we didn't sink them. Oh, by the way, could you send a few men to unload the supplies for the outpost?" Sea Hawk asked.

"You've brought supplies?" She wasn't the smartest officer, in Seacat's opinion.

"We did indeed! We braved pirates and monsters and Horde patrols to supply you!" Sea Hawk raised his fist to the sky again. "And we let no one stop us!"

"I'll send a crew to unload the ship."

"Thank you, my dear!"

"And please share everything that the prisoners say," Seacat added.

*****​

A few hours later, the officer's attitude still hadn't improved - apparently, she was the commander of the outpost which explained a lot, in Seacat's opinion. But the hold of the Dragon's Daughter IV was empty and they knew the name of the Horde captain who had taken her ship and turned pirate rather than returning to the Fright Zone and answer for her failure.

Octavia.

It was a dumb name, in Seacat's opinion.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 4: The Serpent's Maw

"Hey, furball!"

She turned, her eyes narrowing. Furball. She hated that word. When she saw who had yelled, she hissed.

It was a Horde soldier - an adult, not a cadet. Some fishwoman with tentacles on her back. And a frown on her noseless face. "My name's not furball!" she hissed.

"Who cares. You're a furball."

"And you're a dumb face!" she spat.

"What did you say, you ugly little piece of…"

The fishwoman stomped towards her, but she wasn't scared. She knew she was faster than anyone else in this place. "I said you're a dumb face!" she repeated herself. "You don't have a nose and no ears?"

"Oh, you!" The fishwoman lunged, webbed hands reaching for her, but she was already dodging, dropping to the floor and rolling against the woman's knees. As dumb face stumbled, she jumped up, grabbed the flailing arm and pulled herself up like in the training hall. "Dumb face!" she snarled, lashing out with her claws at the woman's face.

She grinned when she heard the screams. Call her furball, would she? With her hands clutching her bleeding face and one eye covered, the dumb face couldn't do any…

She was flying through the air. Something had hit her.

She crashed against the wall, her breath knocked out of her, and fell to the ground. She'd been hit, but what could've… Blinking, she saw the tentacles flailing around the stumbling woman. Oh. That had.

Blinking, she tried to clear her head when the fishwoman suddenly glared at her, showing razor sharp teeth. "I'm going to kill you, furball!"

She gasped, which made her ribs hurt, and jumped to her feet, which made everything else hurt, and scrambled away on all fours. This time, she avoided all the tentacles and the woman's legs, and she was up the stairs, heading for the vents, before the dumb face could recover.

*****​

Seacat woke up in the middle of… well, morning. What a weird dream. She tried to recall what she had dreamt, but she only remembered tentacles and some monster. Probably the fault of Sea Hawk singing weird shanties about Kraken and mermaids again.

And speaking of faults… She rolled out of her hammock and checked up on the captain. She found him sleeping in his bunk. No fever, no clammy skin, no paleness. She sniffed the air. Probably a little too much rum.

Well, if he had a headache today, it was no fur off her butt. It was a beautiful day, no cloud in the sky, a calm sea and a steady wind blowing on their back. Perfect for sailing - or hunting.

Perfect for leaving this dump of a rock. Or something. Looking at the outpost above the pier, then at the cutter, where the mainmast still hadn't been fixed, she scoffed. No wonder the outpost had almost been taken by three dozen pirates - the garrison must be the dregs of the service, as the captain would call it. Had called it, actually, after the third glass of rum.

Well, if the sailors didn't get their act together, then that was their problem. Sea Hawk and Seacat had saved them once, which should be enough. She grabbed some dried fish for breakfast, mixed milk powder with water to wash it down, then started preparing the Dragon's Daughter IV to set sail.

The captain appeared on deck sometime around noon, groaning and rubbing his stomach. For a moment, she was concerned, but then he shook his head. "I think that fish was bad."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It wasn't!" She'd had four of them!

"Well, perhaps mine was bad." He grabbed some hardtack and jerky for himself - neither of them would have wanted to dip into the outpost's supplies, not after checking the cargo - and started munching while he walked towards her. "Everything set?"

"Except for you, everything's shipshape," she replied.

"Hey!" He glared at her for a moment before laughing. "Sailors giving you trouble?"

"Haven't seen them today at all, other than from afar," she replied, nodding towards the ramparts. "Probably too scared to come out from behind the walls."

Both had a laugh at that. "My dear Mermista won't be happy about our evaluation of this garrison's performance."

And neither would be the garrison commander, Seacat thought. "So… we're returning to Salineas, then?" They hadn't received a new mission, after all, nor new cargo.

"Not quite!" Sea Hawk grinned at her. "How could we face ourselves if we left while some pirate frigate roamed the seas?"

Quite easily - it wasn't as if Seacat needed a mirror. "You want to take on a Horde frigate with her?" she asked, making a sweeping motion with her hand.

"I prefer to think of it as looking for an adventure! All we need is the right opportunity, and even a frigate won't stand a chance!"

"You really don't like the number four, do you?" she asked, shaking her head.

He blinked. "Well, three is the better number, you know, but four can be nice."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean," she scolded him.

"Yes, but do you know what I mean?" He grinned at her.

"I don't want to know," she replied with a toothy smile. "But I'll ask Mermista about it."

"Ah… I mean… perhaps we should focus on our mission!" Sea Hawk smiled weakly and went towards the wheel.

Seacat smiled. Eight times out of ten, if she didn't understand one of the captain's joke, threatening to ask Mermista shut him up.

*****​

As they sailed past the cutter, Seacat took the time to wave at the handful of Salinean sailors working on the broken mainmast before she scaled the rigging, once again taking up a lookout position on top of the mast. She had to focus on the reefs guarding the outpost. Fortunately, she was an old hand at that - and her sharp eyes were perfect for this duty.

Half an hour later, they were on the open seas, quickly picking up speed after setting full sails. She tied up the last line, then climbed up the stairs to the conn. "Everything's set," she reported.

"Good." Sea Hawk adjusted their course a tiny little bit towards the wind, almost past the point where the sail would start to slacken.

"So… how long are we going to roam the sea, looking for a pirate frigate?" she asked as she leaned against the railing, her hands resting on her hip and the hilt of her cutlass.

He grinned at her. "Oh, I was thinking of about a week."

Seacat narrowed her eyes as she made a quick calculation. They could cover quite a lot in a week, but blindly roaming the seas wasn't Sea Hawk's style - or hers. So… Ah! "Serpent's Maw?"

He nodded with a smile. "Exactly! Where else would a Horde turned pirate go? They cannot use Horde ports, and with Salineas standing proud, they cannot reach the northern coast.

Seacat nodded. The ports of the northern coast were closed to pirates, but there were always some smaller villages where pirates could do trade. It wasn't as if a fishing village had much of a choice, anyway - if they didn't trade, the pirates would just plunder. But south of Salineas, the Horde controlled the coast - and a village caught trading with pirates would be wiped out. Like Gullpeak had been...

She shook her head. "There's a little problem with your plan, though."

"Oh?" He looked at her with exaggerated surprise.

"We're kind of wanted in Serpent's Maw." Setting their port ablaze tended to make people mad at you.

"Oh, the one and only Sea Hawk and his trusty first mate certainly would be crazy to even consider sailing into a pirate haven like Serpent's Maw. However, no one is mad at a mysterious and handsome pirate and his trusty first mate!" Hit bumped his chest with a fist. "It's a perfect plan! A daring adventure!"

She blinked. "There's a flaw in that plan as well."

"How so?"

She pointed at herself with her thumb. "I'm a little distinctive. There aren't many sailors who share my looks."

"Ah, but that's nothing a good disguise cannot handle!"

"I hope you don't think that a hooded cloak will do," she retorted with narrowed eyes.

"Err… of course not! Perish the thought! I have something much more sophisticated in mind!"

"Really." She kept glaring at him, but he didn't waver.

"Really!"

Seacat sighed. It would be a hooded cloak. She knew it already.

*****

Three days later - the winds had been favourable - they were approaching Serpent's Maw. Seacat pressed her lips together as she looked round the ship. They had changed the sails, even painted a garish skull on the mainsail with some leftover paint in the hold, but… "I don't think this will fool anyone who saw us in Salineas," she said.

"Oh, but the Horde spies in Salineas wouldn't have been able to reach this pirate haven even if they had set sails the same night we left the port. So, don't worry, our disguise is foolproof. Remember: No one will expect the famous Sea Hawk to sail a ship with such an ugly figurehead!"

She glared at him. She was no carver, but she had done her best. It wasn't her fault that claws that could easily cut steel didn't make her a master carver. "Time to put on our disguises, then," she said.

"Oh, yes!" He beamed. "This will be fun! Exciting! A tale to tell our friends and enemies!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" she sighed as she went below decks to change. It would be hot. Unbearably hot. At least for her.

She stared at the disguise hanging on a hook next to her hammock. In hindsight, a simple hooded cloak would have been better. But that would mean admitting that Sea Hawk's first half-baked plan was good. And that she had been wrong to criticise it.

And she could bear the heat for one day - it would be cooler in the evening, anyway. Still...

"Why do we actually have a full-body leather suit on board?" she complained as she returned to the main deck, fiddling with the many ties and clasps that lined its front. Handling those was almost as much a pain as wrapping her tail around her waist and stuffing her feet into boots.

"Ah." Sea Hawk, who had taken the time to change into black leather pants, black shirt, bandana and a black cloak, actually blushed. "That was supposed to be a gift for Mermista, but there never seemed to be the right opportunity to give it to her."

She closed her eyes. She shouldn't have asked.

"But it's perfect for hiding your fur, and, ah, everything else!"

"Let's just get this over with," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Right! But not before we add the crowning touches!"

"'Crowning touches'?" Seacat knew that the captain was spending too much time with princesses.

"Our faces are quite distinctive. Who else has a naturally shiny moustache?" He cocked his head at her, and she growled back. She had fur, not a moustache! "So, I'll be wearing a dashing but not quite as handsome full beard, and you…"

She recoiled from the black face mask he presented to her, baring her fangs, then blinked. Why had she done that?

He frowned at her. "It's made from light wood. You'll hardly feel the weight."

He was correct, of course. And it made a lot of sense - the mask would hide her face, only leaving the eyes exposed. And while her mismatched eyes were distinctive as well, not too many knew about them. Still, why did the thought of wearing the mask make her feel so disgusted? And angry? It made no sense! But she wouldn't let some stupid feelings stop her. So she shook her head and grabbed the mask. "Alright."

"And the bandana, to hide your ears!"

She growled again. That wouldn't be comfortable at all - she had tried that before. And the heat would be murder. And with the mask, she wouldn't be able to easily drink.

But it would be a cold day in hell before she'd let Sea Hawk alone in a pirate port. Not again. "Alright," she snarled.

The things she did for the captain!

*****​

"Remember: We're the Red Beard and his right hand, the Black Death!" Sea Hawk said as they entered the port.

"Yeah, yeah." Rookie pirates with a stupid name - they would fit right in with the scum here. "Why did you pick a red beard, anyway?"

"It's supposed to be blood red," he replied. "You know, menacing in that gauche pirate-y way. And it was easy to paint on our flag!"

That made her snort, which in turn made him smile.

Then they had to focus on the next turn as they turned towards a free berth among the ships in the harbour. About half a dozen pirate ships, and a few merchantmen. She tried to identify them - Mermista would love to know who was trading with pirates here.

Seacat couldn't spot a Horde frigate, but that didn't have to mean anything - the pirate crew wouldn't sail their ship into the Serpent's Maw without feeling out the port beforehand; the Horde had a reputation for brutally dealing with pirates, after all, and if the pirates thought they were under attack, they would fight. Well, those who couldn't run from a frigate. But at least one of the merchantmen had a damaged rigging and hull - not a greedy scumbag, then, but a victim of pirates. Perhaps the Horde's?

A bunch of dockworkers were already gathering at the berth they were steering to. Armed dockworkers. Seacat grinned behind her mask. If they planned to board them, they were welcome to try - cutting down pirates was almost as satisfying as cutting down Horde scum.

But the captain was already yelling: "Ahoy! 'Tis the Red Beard! Most dangerous pirate captain on all the seas!"

"Never heard of you!" one of the workers, a lanky goat woman, yelled back.

"Really? I shall have to rectify that! I and my trusty first mate, Black Death, have made our way here through hordes of Horde frigates, to prey upon the fat merchantmen of the northern coast!"

"You mean you'll end up dangling from a Salinean spar, dancing the noose dance!" the woman yelled back. "Do you have cargo to unload?"

"Not yet!" the captain announced as they drew alongside the pier. "We're here for supplies, first. A prepared pirate is a successful pirate!"

Seacat didn't like the laughter that followed his comment. Her snarl hidden by her stupid mask, she jumped over the railing and landed on the pier. And almost stumbled - with her tail wrapped around her waist and trapped there by the stupid suit, she wasn't as balanced as she should be. Still, she made enough of an impression even landing on both feet - in stupid boots - and one gloved hand to send the workers back a step or two. "You think you're funny?" she growled.

Most shrank away - if they were pirates, then they were smart ones. Or cowardly ones. The goat woman, though, stood her ground. "Wrapped in leather as if you were sailing the Frost Sea? Here in Serpent's Maw? That is funny!"

When the idiot turned to call the others of her group, Seacat moved. She closed the distance in the blink of an eye, the glowing blade of her cutlass singeing the fur on the goat woman's throat.

"Don't kill her!" the captain yelled. "We're here to resupply, not to sate your bloodlust!"

No one would miss pirate scum - not that Seacat actually was bloodthirsty; she simply didn't hold back when fighting the kind of people who needed killing, and this was an act anyway. So she took a step back, not taking her eyes off the group, as she sheathed her blade. "You're in luck," she growled. "Next time, I'll cut your throat."

The goat woman swallowed, rubbing her neck. "You're mad!"

"That's what I keep telling her!" Sea Hawk butted in. "Makes most port visits exciting, but you should see her in a fight!"

Even though Sea Hawk was merely acting as a pirate would, Seacat liked hearing such praise.

And she liked seeing the goat woman retreat at a pace just shy of actually running.

This hare-brained mission was starting out better than she had expected. But even now that the sun had set, it was still far too hot in the tight leathers, and Seacat had to struggle with the urge to lift the mask to feel cooler air on her face, at least. But that would be stupid. "Captain?"

"Onward, first mate! Onward to… the tavern!"

Where she wouldn't be able to drink and where the air would be hotter than outside and filled with smoke and the stench of unwashed pirates. Sometimes, having a better nose than the captain - or most anyone else she had ever met - wasn't a good thing.

They walked towards the waterfront, a pair of drunk pirates staggering out of their way after a glare from Seacat, and soon were faced with a row of taverns and brothels. "They're not even trying to be discreet," she muttered.

"It's a pirate port, my dear first mate! This is what pirates come for - this, and the opportunity to sell their loot and stock up on supplies!"

Which was their cover as well. "Let's go," she muttered. "The sooner we find them, the sooner I can get out of this."

They entered the first tavern, Sea Hawk heading straight to the bar while Seacat looked round. Lots of lowlives, but she didn't see many wearing parts of Horde uniforms. Fresh deserters wouldn't have many spare clothes, would they? She also didn't see anyone who knew Sea Hawk or had a grudge against him - which usually went with each other, at least among pirates - either.

At the bar, Sea Hawk was already drinking beer and telling stories. "And then, we crossed her bow - you know how slow those frigates turn - and were past the reef before she could come about again, her cannons unable to reach us!"

The bartender, some burly fishman without a nose, nodded with polite but fake interest, but the three pirates nearby openly scoffed. "What a load of seal piss!" the largest told Sea Hawk. "You don't outrun Horde frigates so easily!"

"Perhaps you don't!" Sea Hawk shot back with a laugh. "But the Red Beard? Greatest pirate of all the seas? Outwitting and outsailing Horde scum is child's play!"

The pirate sneered in response. "No one's ever heard of you!"

"You just did, didn't you? Hah!"

Seacat rolled her eyes behind her mask as she reached the bar behind the captain. He was overdoing it. Again.

But the pirate facing the captain was now staring at her. Had he missed them entering together? That would make him even stupider than he looked.

"And who're you supposed to be? 'Black Leather'? 'Black Mask'? 'Leatherface'?"

"This, my dear fellow, is Black Death, my first mate!" Sea Hawk announced. "Please do not annoy her - I'd like to finish my beer without blood splattering all over the bar."

Seacat wanted a beer as well, but that wasn't in the cards for now. So she shifted her stance a little, hand on the hilt of her cutlass. Perhaps the idiot would get the message.

He didn't. The pirate scoffed, glancing over his shoulder as he talked to his mates. "Friends! Are we going to let a pair of idiots talk to us like this?"

"You just did, didn't you?" Sea Hawk laughed loudly.

Not for the first time, Seacat was impressed by how quickly the captain made enemies. Of course, she had been expecting that, and by the time the pirate started to draw his sabre, she was already moving. Her foot hit his groin with enough force to drive her claws into the reinforced leather of her stupid boot, and the idiot fell to his knees with a stunned whimper.

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk lunged past her, his sword piercing the closest pirate's thigh. That man shrieked as he fell down, gripping his bleeding leg.

Seacat, meanwhile, kicked the kneeling idiot into the head and sent him into the path of two of his friends. All three went down in a heap, and he wasted no time kicking the other two in the head as well. It was obvious, after all, that they weren't using them.

Whirling, she brandished her blade, looking for the next opponent, but the rest of the tavern's patrons were laughing and jeering, not looking for a fight.

A pity - but they had half a dozen more taverns to visit. She grabbed the untouched beer of the first pirate and started for the door. The shadows of the side alley next to this dive should allow her to drink it without anyone seeing her face.

Seacat certainly needed a drink if she had to stomach more of those lowlives. She could only hope that they'd find the Horde scum quickly.

*****​

Three taverns and two more barfights later, they finally got lucky. Seacat saw a largish group - about a dozen - sitting in a corner, and all of them were wearing at least one piece of the Horde naval uniform. More telling, though, the apparent leader, a large fishwoman, matched the description that the captured pirates had given: Eyepatch, tentacles on the back, and a surly attitude even when she was drinking.

Seacat grinned as she followed Sea Hawk to the bar. "Saw them?" she whispered as she leaned against the bartop next to him.

"Of course!" Sea Hawk stage-whispered back. "And there's a table free next to them!"

While the captain ordered two beers, Seacat studied the room. There was a sort of tension present. The table next to the Horde pirates was the only one free, and the way the rest of the patrons kept eyeing the new guests… She smiled. The Horde scum wasn't welcome here, not even among pirate scum.

Even scum had standards.

"Come on, first mate!" Sea Hawk lifted two tankards with one hand. "To our table!"

They hadn't even reached the table yet when they drew the attention of the Horde. A burly human wearing the ripped remains of a Horde jacket as a vest rose from his seat. "This table is taken!" he told them.

Sea Hawk stopped and stared at the pirate. "Are you blind? It's empty. Well, now it's taken since I've staked my claim on it! The Red Beard's claim!"

"We've got more crew coming. Get lost!" the pirate snapped as he walked towards them. Behind him, the others laughed - but a few were pushing their chairs back and gripping weapons.

"They can take it up with us, then!" Sea Hawk said, baring his teeth at the man. "Red Beard and his trusty first mate, Black Death! We've been outsailing and outfighting Horde scum for years!"

"What?" The man took another step towards them, hand on his weapon now.

Seacat noticed that the other pirates nearby, who had been watching with interest, probably hoping for a fight, had fallen silent. And the Horde pirates at the table had lost all humour.

The captain, of course, ignored everything. "I said we've been outsailing and outfighting Horde scum for years, so we aren't to be intimidated by the threat of more of you."

"Did you just call us Horde scum?" That had been their leader. Octavia. Her dumb face matched her dumb name.

"Why, yes, I did, didn't I?" Sea Hawk snorted. "After all, either you are so fond of the Horde, you decided to raid their laundry and steal their uniforms, or you are Horde soldiers."

That sent whispers and mutters through the room as everyone was now watching.

The fishwoman stood, slowly walking over to them. "We're not Horde. Were pirates. Like you."

"Not like us," Sea Hawk said at once. "For I am the one and only Red Beard, and this is the mysterious and bloodthirsty Black Death! And you are Horde scum."

Octavia looked around, narrowing her single eye. She must not like the glares from the others in the tavern. "We deserted," she spat. "Decided to turn pirates - like, I wager, many others here." She grinned at the rest of the room.

"Deserted? All of you? Including a captain?" Sea Hawk scoffed again. "Did you take your ship as well?"

"And what if we did?" Octavia replied.

"Oldest trick in the book," The captain flashed her a smile. "You claim to be deserters, to check out the port before you come with your ship, and gain the port's trust. And then, when your ship arrives, it's let into the harbour since you're known - and, suddenly, Boom! Boom! Broadsides into the ships anchored here! Down goes the pirate flag, up goes the Horde flag, and the battle is over. For such a feat, the Horde would probably forgive a lot, wouldn't it? Even desertion?"

"What?" "I knew it!" "Traitors!" The other pirates got up as well now, brandishing weapons.

The fishhead looked so surprised, Seacat bet that the idiot probably hadn't even thought about such a ruse.

"Oldest trick in the book!" Sea Hawk declared. "And you've used a false flag before, haven't you? Horde Scum."

Seacat drew a hissing breath. The captain was again a little too clever for his own good.

"How would you know that?" Octavia snapped.

"I found your handiwork," Sea Hawk replied. "Massacred the entire garrison, did you? A whole Salinean outpost."

The mutterings grew louder, but the pirates also looked more nervous now. Less willing to deal with Horde scum in their port.

And the deserters from the Horde looked spitting mad. At Sea Hawk and Seacat.

She took a step away from the captain so they could cover each other better in the fight that was coming and raised her chin. "Bet I can cut up more Horde scum than you can, captain," she said loud enough to carry through the room.

"Just ensure that they are recognisable," Sea Hawk replied. He sounded unconcerned, but she saw he was tense. "We might cash them in for the bounty the Salineans are undoubtedly placing on the 'pirates' who massacred an entire outpost of theirs."

A number of the other pirates took a step forward upon hearing that, but not too many. The cowards must be baulking at the thought of facing Horde scum.

The Horde leader scoffed loudly and took a step forward. "You call yourself a pirate, yet talk of bounties? Are you a lapdog of the princesses? Or a traitor?"

Seacat bared her teeth behind her mask. This could get very ugly if the other pirates followed up on that.

"Hah!" Sea Hawk sounded undaunted by the prospect of fighting an entire tavern of pirates. "Trying to accuse me of being a spy to distract from your own plan? Predictable! Tell me, did you disguise yourselves as pirates to massacre the Salineans so the princess would blame the real pirates? Have them hunt down the pirates who survive your upcoming attack? Such a fiendish plan fits the Horde!"

"Lies! We are pirates!"

"Of course you would say that!" Sea Hawk shook his head, then glanced over his shoulder at the other pirates in the tavern. "I say they are Horde spies! Who is with me?"

For a moment, Seacat was sure it would work. The pirates were angry. Angry and drunk. And they outnumbered the Horde scum. But most importantly, Sea Hawk now had them listening like a good captain would.

But then another voice cut through the angry murmurs. "Wait! I know that voice! That's… You're Sea Hawk!"

And Seacat knew that voice. When had Scurvy entered the tavern? Or how had she missed him?

"Preposterous!" Sea Hawk yelled. "I'm the one and only Red Beard the Pirate!"

"You are Sea Hawk! Lads, this is a Salinean spy!"

Seacat had known Sea Hawk's relationship with Mermista would be the death of her one day!

She drew her cutlass and turned the move into a slash at the Horde Scum in front of her. The bullheaded pirate stumbled back, avoiding her blade, but crashed into the pirates behind him, stopping their advance. That gave Seacat enough room to whirl around, cutting down the pirate trying to sneak up on her from behind.

"Have at you, Horde scum!" Sea Hawk yelled next to her, and a charging Horde fishman impaled himself on his sword. Seacat ducked under a wild swing from a pirate with a blade as long as she was tall, then swept his feet with her legs while she dodged a thrown knife from another. Rolling to the side, then over her shoulder, she came up in a crouch. A quick lunge later, the taller pirate sunk to his knees with his hands trying to stem the blood from his slashed throat.

She slid past him, jumping to the side to avoid a sword as she parried an axe, and sunk the claws of her free hands into the sword wielder's arm. Whirling, she parried the axe again and again, guiding it towards the floor until the pirate wielding it got it stuck in the boards. Her cutlass opened his belly before he could recover or retreat.

Nearby Sea Hawk had dropped two Horde deserters and one pirate. But there were too many, and they were caught between the Horde scum and the pirates.

"A pouch of gold for whoever brings me Sea Hawk's head!" Scurvy yelled.

"What did I ever do to you, Scurvy?" Sea Hawk yelled back as Seacat frantically parried thrusts and slashes from two pirates working together, yielding ground as she was driven towards her captain.

"You set my ship on fire!"

"That doesn't count! I do that all the time to my own!"

Seacat would have laughed if she hadn't been about to die. Those pirates were too skilled. She sidestepped another lunge, parried a slash at her belly, deflected the next attempt to stab her, then whirled to riposte - and a blade flashed towards her face. She jerked back, but she was too slow, stupid boots and suit! Something tugged at her face, and something broke, and she fell on her back, rolling over her shoulder without thinking, pushed herself to stand… and her broken mask fell to the floor.

Well, she never liked the thing anyway. Here the two pirates came again at her, and she was with her back to Sea Hawk, out of room to retreat. This would not…

"YOU!"

Despite herself, Seacat turned her head towards the guttural scream. She wasn't the only one - the two pirates about to cut her to pieces did the same.

The Horde fishwoman, Octavia, was screaming with rage and coming straight at… Seacat? And the stocky fishwoman was barrelling through her own crew to reach her! Seacat moved to the side without thinking, placing the two skilled pirates between her and the madwoman. Octavia ran into them before they could react, flinging one of them away with her tentacles and the shoulder-checking the other to the side. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Seacat ran at her, then jumped, flipping over the stupid pirate, her cutlass lashing out - but tentacles snared her sword arm, and she was pulled to the side and smashed into the ground.

That knocked her breath out of her, but as she was lifted into the air again, she recovered in time to swing her free arm at the tentacle holding her, her claws cutting straight through it. Instead of hitting the ground again, she was thrown clear and rolled over a table and a bench before she came to a stop under the next table.

The Horde scum howled even louder than she had screamed, tentacles flailing wildly around her and braining one of the two deadly pirates. His partner yelled something and dashed forward, his blade cutting off another tentacle in what looked like a parry.

Couldn't happen to a nicer Horde scum! Seacat thought as she rolled out from under the table and jumped to her feet, ramming her cutlass into the belly of an approaching fat fishman. She dodged his wild swing by jumping backwards onto the table, then backflipped onto the next.

Where was Sea Hawk? There! Back to a wall, he was fending off three goons.

And Octavia had gone berserk! Seacat saw the Horde scum cutting apart one of the pirates held in her remaining two tentacles before beheading the other on the ground.

"Hey! Horde scum!" Seacat yelled, waving her blade at the pirate. "Got a haircut?"

Octavia screamed with rage and charged through another group of pirates to get the Seacat. As planned!

Seacat jumped off the table, landed next to a swinging pirate, ducked under his blade and rammed her claws into his groin. She didn't let go but used his body as a battering ram to press through more pirates as she headed towards her captain.

By the time she reached the captain, her human battering ram had also served a human shield several times and was bleeding all over the place. She dropped him and cut one of the two pirates Sea Hawk hadn't killed yet down from behind. Then she glanced over her shoulder.

Octavia was, again, coming straight for her. And her crew had started fighting the pirates trying to stop her! It was now or never!

"Captain!" Seacat yelled again, pointing at the door.

"Huzzah!"

She took that as agreement and grabbed the groaning pirate her captain had just cut down. A quick throw and the scumbag hit Octavia's legs just when she was already reaching for Seacat. The fishwoman couldn't compensate and stumbled, falling to the floor, and Seacat danced away from her.

Sea Hawk jumped over the pirate, somehow avoiding the tentacles, and landed next to her. "To the ship!" he yelled, pointing with his blade at the door. "Adventure!"

Seacat ran straight at the closest pirate - they had been giving them more room - howling and hissing. He broke and tied to get away, turning his back to her. Perfect. She rammed her cutlass into his kidney from behind, grabbed his neck, and charged ahead, straight into a cluster of pirates between her and the door.

They scattered, and she kept going. At the door, she pulled her blade out of the dying pirate and kicked him to the side.

Sea Hawk passed her, pulling the door open. "Freedom! Huzzah!" And he had something wrapped in his cape.

She followed him outside, pulling the door closed behind her, then ran after the captain on all fours.

They were close to their pier and had a small lead. Long enough so the clumsy pirates wouldn't be catching up to them before they reached their ship. But not long enough to set sails and get away before they stormed the Dragon's Daughter IV.

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk snapped his arm, and something - a bottle - arced through the air, landing on the deck of the pirate ship next to them. And broke into flames.

"Burning oil?"

"Rum, actually. What a tragic waste!"

Another burning rum bottle flew towards the next pirate ship as they ate up the distance to their ship. Screams started to be heard from the first ship Sea Hawk had set on fire.

"You plundered the bar?" When had he done this?

"I recovered stolen loot!" he yelled back as he set another ship on fire.

There was the Dragon's Daughter IV! Seacat jumped on her deck and started cutting the lines tying her to the pier.

Sea Hawk kicked a stack of crates over, then set them on fire with his last bottle, forming a burning barricade. That would hold the pirates off long enough for them to set sail.

She would never criticise his arsonist mind. Not for another week, at least!

But as she pulled on the mainsail's line, Sea Hawk already steering the ship away from the pier, she heard Octavia cry out again.

"CATRA!"

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 5: The Princess Prom Part 1

The guards passed below her - dumb and clumsy guards; they didn't ever look up on their patrols. Grinning, she watched them turn the corner, then twitched her ears until she heard the automated doors close behind them.

Releasing the breath she had been holding, she gripped the pipe upon which she had perching and swung around it, letting go when she was below. She landed lightly on her feet, as always, and crouched, then froze for a moment - that had been a little louder than expected. Claws on steel weren't sneaky.

But she heard nothing, no footsteps, no alarm. Whew!

Smiling, she padded ahead to the corner. The guards had gone right, but her goal was left. The food storage! Stupid trainers never gave them enough food, and she was hungry. And so was Adora, but the idiot would never complain, much less do something.

Unlike her! She was doing something. She was being decissisis-something! She was sneaking food!

Lowering her head, she peered around the corner. Clear! All the way to the food locker! Wetting her lips, she took care to keep her claws from digging into the floor and making noise, and quickly moved to the door. Still no one. She looked left and right, then listened at the door. It would be bad if someone else was sneaking food right now.

But she didn't hear anything. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. Or tried to. It was locked, and the code that had worked last time didn't work any more. She would go hungry! And Adora would go hungry, too.

Growling, she glared at the stupid door. Why didn't the code work any more? It had worked before. She wanted food! She drew her leg back to kick the stupid door then gasped. That would make noise! And her claws would… damage... the door…

Beaming, she raised her hand, flexing her claws. It was just a metal door. And her claws could cut metal!

A few swipes later, the door was open, and she had food! Plenty of food! Enough for her and Adora!

She pulled her top off and filled it with the tastiest ration bars before leaving again. Adora would be so happy!

At the door, she peered left and right again. Nothing, just shadows. Shadows that moved - no, there was a mask moving through the shadows… Oh, no! Not her. Not...

*****​

Seacat woke up with a gasp, then blinked. Why wasn't the ship moving… Right. She was in Salineas. In the palace, not on the Dragon's Daughter IV. She shook her head, then stretched extensively, wincing at the pain she still felt in her bruised side. It was getting better, though.

But she'd had another weird dream. Something about food and whatever. She probably shouldn't have made a trip to the palace kitchen before bed. On the other hand, going to bed while still being hungry made for weird dreams as well.

Yawning, she went to the bathroom for a long, luxurious shower. Mermista wasn't good enough for Sea Hawk and also a prissy princess, but she had the best shampoo in her guest rooms. And she hadn't yet realised that Seacat only ever used half a bottle per day and swiped the rest for the next trip. And this being her second day back in the palace, she could hide a whole bottle in her pack.

Showered and dressed in her usual, comfortable clothes - no sweaty leather suit for her ever again - she headed to the kitchen for breakfast. The sun was already… hm… midmorning, she noted after a quick glance out the window. And Mermista and Sea Hawk had been 'celebrating' late last night, so they wouldn't be up already.

Which meant Seacat wouldn't be bothered by anyone until noon or something. The guards certainly wouldn't annoy one of the heroes who had set Serpent's Maw ablaze and sunk half a dozen pirate ships. And brought back vital information about the defectors.

It was perfect! Breakfast, then napping!

*****​

"Seacat? There you are!"

She frowned as she squeezed her eyes closed. "I'm asleep," she said.

"No, you aren't! And you shouldn't be! Adventure awaits! Or, in this case, lunch! With my dearest Mermista!"

"I'm on a diet." She still had her eyes closed. The sun felt warm on her fur, and there was just the nicest breeze of air through the open window to keep her from sweating.

"There'll be salad too."

"Salad isn't food."

"That's perfect for a diet! Come on, first mate! You don't let royalty wait!"

She raised her head and glared at him. "Shouldn't you have breakfast first?"

"We skipped it. Come on!"

She sighed. When he was like this, the captain wouldn't take no for an answer. And since he usually didn't bother her like that unless it was important, it probably was important. If not, she'd scratch something or someone. "Alright, alright," she muttered, stretching and poking her claws into a pillow as she got up. "Let's go eat."

*****​

"...and after reviewing your report, it's clear that I'll have to reevaluate Commander Krila's posting," Mermista said as she cut a smoked salmon on her plate.

"Well, she wasn't as bad as the commander of the other outpost," Sea Hawk said before taking a bite from his own meal. "She didn't lose the entire outpost and get her troops killed."

So, that was the stuck-up officer's name. Seacat made some agreeing noise while she reached for her second serving. Mermista might insist on turning a perfectly fine meal in the royal dining room into some bothersome planning session, but Seacat had her priorities straight. And she wasn't responsible for the Salinean sailors.

"Only because you arrived just in time to save them," the princess replied. "Without your warning, they would have suffered the same fate."

"That's what we do - and why you love me!"

Seacat didn't have to look up to know her captain would be flashing his best 'roguish smile' at Mermista.

"That's why I tolerate you," the princess corrected him, and Seacat frowned for a moment before swallowing the rest of the salmon on her plate.

Sea Hawk laughed. "That's what you say now - but last night told a different story!"

Ugh. Seacat cleared her throat before things could get sappy. "So, will you replace her then?"

Mermista frowned. "That's a complicated decision. She was sent to the outpost because she didn't perform adequately as the first officer of a Salinean frigate."

"And you don't want to reward her for almost losing the outpost." Seacat nodded. "Will Captain Slowpoke be sent to the other outpost?" That idiot didn't deserve to command a ship.

"He would deserve it, but then - we can't let pirates and Horde ships roam the Southern Sea undetected. We do need competent soldiers there, as your recent adventure has proved."

"And it was an adventure! We outfought an entire tavern filled with pirates and Horde scum, cut our way clear to our ship while setting fire to all the pirate ships in the harbour and sailed away faster than anyone could catch up!" Sea Hawk jumped up and pointed at the window. "No one but the one and only Sea Hawk could've pulled this off!"

"Seacat's report isn't quite as optimistic about the number of burned ships," Mermista remarked.

"That's because she worries too much!"

"That's because I can count," Seacat retorted. "We set fire to half a dozen ships, and at least two managed to control the fire before the ships were beyond saving." She scooped up the last of the cream sauce with a boiled potato. Excellent!

"Details, details! What is important is that we had another harrowing adventure!"

"We also failed to kill the Horde scum captain," Seacat added.

"Ah, yes. Octavia." Mermista nodded, then glanced at Sea Hawk as the captain sat down again.

Seacat felt the hairs of her neck rise and narrowed her eyes. "What?" she spat.

"She went berserk when she recognised you. And she called you 'Catra'," Sea Hawk said.

Seacat forced herself to shrug. "She probably saw me at the Battle for Salineas and mistook me for this 'Catra'. I doubt that she could tell me from another cat." Seacat wasn't a Horde scumbag. She was a victim of the Horde.

Mermista glanced at Sea Hawk again, then cleared her throat. "But She-Ra grew up with this Catra."

"And Blondie last saw her friend years ago," Catra said through clenched teeth.

"Four years ago," Sea Hawk added.

She glared at him. "Coincidence." It was. Just coincidence. "What's more likely: That I'm the only cat in Etheria, or that there are more of us around to the East? Occupied by the Horde?" She snorted. "I didn't appear out of thin air, did I?"

"Well, no, but…" Sea Hawk started. "Don't you think this 'coincidence' is worth investigating?" He smiled at her.

"No!" She spat back. "We've got more important things to worry about. Like the war against the Horde. And the pirate attacks."

"Speaking of the war…" Mermista held up a scroll. "Bright Moon is working on expanding the Princess Alliance. So far it's just Bright Moon, Salineas and Plumeria."

Seacat shrugged. She wasn't a princess. This was politics. On the other hand, it was also a distraction. "So recruit more. That's how you joined, right?" The shrimp had been busy, last Seacat had heard. Not that she cared about Bright Moon or Blondie.

"Exactly. And there's a perfect opportunity coming up for such." Mermista smiled in a way that told Seacat she wouldn't like what came next.

"We've been invited to the Princess Prom, which will be held in the Snow Kingdom."

Seacat frowned. That meant a trip through the Northern Sea. Which was cold, as the name suggested. They'd have to worry about icebergs in the sea, too. All in all, it would take about two weeks to reach the kingdom - and that was with average wind. And all so a bunch of princesses could dance and eat for an evening!

She noticed that Mermista was holding out a letter to her. "What's this?" she asked as she took it.

Mermista shrugged. "Bright Moon sent a letter to you."

Bright Moon? Blondie, of course! Seacat frowned and stared at the envelope as she held it up. No glitter. That was the Bright Moon seal, though. She noticed the princess and the captain staring at her and huffed. She broke the seal by sliding a claw under it and cutting, then opened the envelope and pulled the letter out.

And blinked.

"What is it?" Mermista asked, leaning forward. Sea Hawk was leaning to the side, too, as if he could stretch his neck two yards to read over Seacat's shoulder.

She shook her head. "It's an invitation. To the prom. From Blondie."

What the hell? Couldn't the woman find another date? It wasn't as if she were ugly. Ah.

"Oh!" The captain nodded. "Bold of her."

"Bold?" She scoffed at him. "Transparent is what it is! She just wants to bother me the whole evening about her missing friend!" She scowled - she wouldn't have thought Blondie would be so underhanded! The woman had seemed to be far more straight-forward. Too honest for her own good, actually.

Seacat blinked again. "I bet this was the shrimp's idea!"

"I do hope you won't call her that at the prom," Mermista commented.

"Who says I'm going?" Seacat shot back.

"Well… we'll be sailing to the Snow Kingdom - my dear Mermista has invited me along, and what better ship to take than the fastest on all the Seas?," Sea Hawk said with a beaming smile. "So, since you'll be in the kingdom anyway, why would you want to spend the night in some tavern drinking cheap cold beer if you could enjoy the biggest event of the decade? Think of all the food!"

She definitely wasn't thinking about all the food the princesses would eat, even though the buffet would be stocked with the finest selection from all of Etheria. "At least I won't be bothered there!" she spat.

"Really?" Mermista snorted in that eye-rolling manner of hers. "So, you think Adora invited you to the prom just so she can nag you, yet you also expect her not to look for you if you decline her invitation?"

She didn't have to make it sound stupid. Seacat scowled at her. "I can hide." Or she could wear a disguise. Not a leather suit, though. A cloak would suffice.

Sea Hawk frowned at her. "That doesn't sound like much of an adventure. You should meet any challenge head-on! With bravery and guts! Or with a cunning plan!"

"This isn't a challenge. Or an adventure. This is just an annoyance," Seacat retorted.

"Such an annoyance, you'd rather hide?" Mermista shook her head with a pointed sigh. "Well, if you don't think you can handle a princess…"

Now Seacat was the one to roll her eyes. She knew what Mermista was trying to do, and she wasn't falling for it. She wasn't Sea Hawk who could be baited into anything with a challenge. "I could handle her - or anyone else - just fine. I just don't want to." She pressed her lips together as soon as she had spoken - she shouldn't have said that. It sounded like whining. And Seacat didn't whine. The most she did was complain - perfectly justified, mind you - about some things like the weather, the food, or, or some stupid princess.

But Mermista was smirking at her, and Sea Hawk was giving her that disappointed look as if she had failed to set sails in time.

So what? She hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't need or want to go to that stupid prom. Least of all with Blondie.

"Well, if it annoys you so much, I'll talk to Adora and ask her to cut you some slack. Can't have my first mate get annoyed into hiding, after all."

"I'll tell her myself!" Seacat snarled. She could fight her own battles.

"No, no, if the thought of spending time with her annoys you so much, you'd go into hiding, then it's clearly my duty as your captain to step in. The sacred law of the sea that binds captain and crew together would demand no less!" He stood and raised his hand to point at the ceiling. "No need to be afraid, my dear Seacat, I shall protect you!"

Seacat growled. She didn't need protection. Not from Blondie. Or from anyone. And she wasn't afraid of her, either. She saw Mermista smirking and clenched her teeth. This could not stand! She wasn't some… whatever. "No," she spat, "I can deal with this myself! I'll go with her to the stupid Prom, and she'll realise she's got the wrong person!"

*****​

Leaning against the railing as they entered the harbour, Seacat shivered despite her fur and the heavy jacket and pants she was wearing. The Kingdom of Snow was as cold as she remembered from her last trip. Snow and ice everywhere. Why would people actually live here? Well, apart from the Northern Sea having the best fishing grounds of Etheria. And the crystal mines that supplied most other kingdoms. The Dragon's Daughter IV would be taking a cargo of crystals back to Salineas. And enough dried fish for months. Mh.

"Ah! The Shining Star of the North! The Mysterious Jewel of the Northern Sea!" Sea Hawk announced, pointing at the glittering houses forming the capital of the kingdom.

"We've been here before. It's about as mysterious as a melted iceberg. They have travel brochures with suggested tours," Mermista drawled. "And the light being reflected by all the snow and ice hurts my eyes."

"Oh, but think of the night of mysteries that awaits us in the palace there! Dancing! Eating! Plotting and politics! Adventure awaits!"

"Making nice with people who barely know where my kingdom is located and don't give a damn about the war we're fighting. Fun."

"Indeed, fun! What tales could they tell that would measure up to our daring deeds and harrowing adventures? We will be the life of the party!"

"Unless we freeze to death first."

Seacat shook her head. The captain and the princess's relationship had weathered the trip much better than she had expected - they weren't fighting, yet - but she wasn't looking forward to the trip back. Two more weeks on the Dragon's Daughter IV would see the couple at each other's throats. Fun indeed.

On the other hand, perhaps this would convince Sea Hawk that Mermista wasn't the best woman for him? The captain deserved someone who could stand him for longer than a month. Although finding a woman who could stand him for a few weeks in the first place had proven difficult so far.

They reached the pier, and Seacat went to secure the ship and to haul down the mainsail. By the time she had finished, Sea Hawk and Mermista had handled the port master's paperwork - not that there would be much, not when travelling with a princess. One of the few advantages of transporting Mermista.

"Are you done?" the princess asked, sounding more than a little impatient. Or annoyed.

"Aye," Seacat replied in her best drawl. Mermista knew exactly how long it took to tie up a ship, and she knew that Seact had been fast.

"Finally! Then let's go to the palace!"

"I thought the prom wouldn't start until the evening," Seacat said, making a point of looking at the afternoon sun. They would've arrived two days earlier, if not for an unfortunate encounter with one of Sea Hawk's exes. Fortunately, they had still arrived in time.

"It does," Mermista replied. "But you didn't plan to get ready for the social event of the decade on your ship, did you?"

"Hey!" Sea Hawk protested at once. "The Dragon's Daughter IV is the best ship to sail all the seas!"

"But it's not the best closet or changing room," Mermista retorted. "Onward, I say! To the palace!"

"Onward! To Adventure!" Sea Hawk jumped over the railing and landed on the pier, fist raised high.

"To the Princess Prom! If you dare set the buffet on fire, I'll gut you like a fish!" Mermista followed him with slightly less grace - in Seacat's opinion.

She took a last look around the deck. Everything was shipshape. Too bad.

Then she followed the couple.

*****​

By the time they reached the palace, Seacat wished she'd worn boots. Her feet were, if a little chilly, perfectly fine for a ship's deck, properly swept clear of snow and chipped ice, but the Snow Kingdom apparently thought that a few inches of snow covering their streets was acceptable.

It wasn't. She took some relief in digging her claws into the polished floor of the palace in retaliation as they entered. At least it was warm here, even though the walls looked as if they were made of gleaming ice.

She caught Mermista glancing over her shoulder at her and dug her claws in extra-deep on the next step.

"Are you claws frozen stiff?" the princess asked. "You're usually not that clumsy."

"They're fine," Seacat spat back, clenching her teeth.

"Really? That's good to hear. I still remember when you froze to the railing on our first trip to the Snow Kingdom," Sea Hawk cut in.

Seacat wasn't cold any more at all - she felt positively warm at the embarrassing memory. "That was three years ago!" And she had been young and stupid then!

Mermista giggled, but, fortunately, didn't rub it in. "Let's go to our quarters to get ready."

Finally! That should keep everyone busy for some…

"Cat-Seacat! There you are!"

Catsycat? Oh, no! Seacat turned and felt her tail poof up. Blondie was coming straight at her.

"Blondie." She glared at the woman.

"It's Adora, actually." Apparently, Blondie couldn't read moods since she was beaming at her. "You came! I wasn't sure - Glimmer said you would, but Bow was sceptical, and… oh! Hi, Sea Hawk! Hello, Mermista!"

"She-Ra," Mermista nodded at her with her polite smile. The same smile she usually gave to Seacat when Sea Hawk had overstayed his welcome, and they were leaving.

"Hello!" Sea Hawk himself was beaming.

"It's Adora, actually," Blondie repeated herself. As if Mermista would have missed ehr the first time. "It wouldn't be appropriate to attend a ball as She-Ra, I was told. Swords aren't allowed at the Prom. Or any other weapons." She nodded.

Seacat frowned. No weapons? Well, she had her claws if anything happened. And if the other guests didn't have any weapons, that would put her at an advantage. And… "So, She-Ra won't be attending the prom?" she asked.

"Uh," Blondie looked confused for a moment. "Technically, I'm She-Ra even if I'm not, you know, being She-Ra. Transformed, I mean. But I was planning to attend like this." She ran a hand down her front. "Only in a dress, of course. Uniforms aren't suitable for the Prom, either."

"Unless you're a soldier," Sea Hawk replied.

"Well, I am a soldier. Kind of."

"You're a princess," Seacat told her. "But more importantly… why are you wearing a Horde Uniform?" They must have had more than enough time to get her better clothes than… that.

"Err…" Blondie rubbed the back of her head. "They're comfortable? I didn't really think about it since I always change clothes when I change into She-Ra, so…" She shrugged. "And they're sturdier than civilian clothes!"

"How pragmatic," Mermista drawled.

"Yes!" Blondie nodded with a smile. "Anyway, Glimmer is still in a meeting with Frosta, and Bow's checking out the local crafters or something, but I heard you were expected to arrive today, so I decided to look for you."

Well, today was the last day they could've arrived without missing the event. Still… "You waited for us?"

"I guess?" Blondie smiled at her. "I'm not a crafting or diplomatic type, so it wasn't as if I had anything else to do."

"I'm flattered," Seacat said, making a point of showing what she really meant with her expression.

The other woman gasped. "Oh! No, I didn't mean it like that…"

"Then how did you mean it?"

"I mean... I just… I didn't want to, uh, stalk you."

"Ah." Seacat nodded. "I can see how waiting hours for our arrival and then jumping me as soon as we enter will avoid that, yes."

Blondie blushed at that. "It didn't seem like that when I thought about it."

The woman was either very stupid or a very good liar, in Seacat's opinion. "Well, you saw that we have arrived. I'd love to stay and chat, but unfortunately, we'll have to spend the next few hours getting ready for the Prom, so… I guess we'll meet up at the prom?"

"Before the prom, of course," Mermista butted in. "You're her plus one, remember?"

As if Seacat could forget that.

The princess turned to Blondie. "Forgive her; she was raised on a ship. By Sea Hawk. The prom is an entirely new challenge for her."

Blondie perked up. "Oh, I'm the same! Glimmer was so surprised - and a little shocked - at what I didn't know about the prom. I had to redo all my plans every time she corrected a mistake!"

Seacat blinked. She shouldn't ask, shouldn't give the woman another opening, but… she had to know. "Plans?"

"Oh, yes - this is a diplomatic mission, after all. For the Princess Alliance!" Blondie nodded enthusiastically. "We need to convince Princess Frosta to join the Alliance. So, I planned for every eventuality."

Ah. Seacat nodded. That made sense - she knew better than most that having a plan or two ready helped when things turned bad. Which often happened with the captain in charge. Though diplomatic missions were a little beyond her. Seacat was a sailor, not a princess. Diplomacy was Memista's business; not that she was very diplomatic in Seacat's experience.

But she probably would hold back her attitude when talking to other princesses.

"So… do you need help getting ready? For the prom?" Blondie asked.

"We should manage," Seacat replied.

"Come by our quarters an hour before the prom starts," Mermista said.

"Why so early?" Seacat asked as they left Blondie.

"We need to coordinate outfits, of course."

Seacat had a bad feeling about that.

*****​

As it turned out, Seacat's fears had been unfounded. Mostly. The shampoo in the bath hadn't wrecked her fur, for one. Apparently, Sea Hawk hadn't forgotten that particularly embarrassing incident in Seaworthy and must have informed the palace's staff. 'Best shampoo in Bright Moon', indeed! More likely, of course, Sea Hawk had mentioned it to Mermista, and the princess had organised things.

In any case, Seacat's fur was soft and shiny. Not poofy. And her hair had been styled without turning it into some absolutely impractical construct that wouldn't survive a strong gale, much less a storm. And her claws were polished and painted in shiny black. She had rarely looked better, if she was honest. And the bathrobe was soft and fluffy - it would be perfect if it had a hole for her tail. As it was, each time her tail moved, the hem was lifted a little, from her knees to her thighs, though that wasn't a problem. It wasn't as if she were going out in it.

But the clothes lined up for her… "Most of those dresses don't even have a hole for my tail!" she protested.

"That's normal - the hole will be added once you've chosen your dress," Mermista said.

Seacat shot her a frown. That didn't match her own experiences. And shouldn't the princess be worried about her own dress?

"I picked out my dress before we set out for the Kingdom of Snow," Mermista told her with a smirk as if she had read Seacat's mind.

Seacat huffed, but didn't push further. Instead, she pointed at the other row of clothes, smaller, but apparently heavier. "And what's with the uniforms? I'm not a member of the Navy, much less an officer!"

"Those are styled after officers' uniforms, they aren't actual uniforms," Mermista explained. "As I've been told, after our victory at sea, naval uniforms became fashionable in Salineas."

Seacat snorted. "Would've been better if actually serving in the navy would've become fashionable," she muttered.

"What a noble sentiment! You and Sea Hawk could have commissions but for asking," the princess replied as she walked over to the row of dresses.

"No, thanks," Seacat shot back. "I like being able to choose my own fate." And it went without saying that Sea Hawk wouldn't fit into the Navy. Setting frigates on fire would quickly grow too expensive for any kingdom.

"That's an incentive to rise through the ranks," Mermista replies, pulling out a white dress and holding it up, eyes flicking back and forth between it and Seacat. "I think not."

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me that you haven't planned my outfit already, and this is just for show."

The princess's grin told Seacat that she was right. "We still have time to try on a few dresses."

Seacat glared at Mermista. "Shouldn't we wait until Blondie arrives so we can 'coordinate' outfits?

"I already know what she's wearing," Mermista replied, peering at another dress. One that looked like it was made out of plants. "And I know what you'll be wearing."

Seacat blinked. "And what's this, then?" She pointed at the dresses and suits.

"That's Sea Hawk's doing." Mermista's grin made her look like a shark. "This is your first ball, after all, and he wanted to be prepared for all eventualities."

"Ah." Seacat swallowed her first comment. Of course the captain would do such a thing. And it explained the capes on half the dresses and all of the uniforms. She glared at Mermista, but only half-heartedly. It was hard to stop the captain when he got going; Seacat knew that better than anyone else.

But she was also pretty sure that Mermista hadn't even tried to stop him. Though she was less sure about the princess's reason for that.

A knock at the door interrupted the sudden silence.

"Enter!" Mermista said, loud enough to be heard through the door, but not yelling.

Seacat told herself that a sailor didn't need to be able to do that. A sailor needed to be able to yell as loud as possible so they'd be heard in the worst of storms.

Then she blinked. Blondie entered with a weak, shy smile. Dressed in… oh. That was a nice dress. Simple but stylish. Red - and a darker red, almost like Seacat's preferred shirt, to set it off. It reached mid-calf. No cleavage, but most of the shoulders and arms were bare. Toned arms.

She resisted the urge to whistle. Instead, she said: "I expected more ruffles and lace."

Blondie actually blushed, looking at the floor near Seacat's feet. "Ah… that's an interesting..."

"Please excuse her; she's got some strange ideas about princesses," Mermista said. "Beats me where she'd got it from - the only princess she knows is me."

"Exactly," Seacat said, flashing her fangs.

Blondie smiled, even chuckled at that. "So… what are you wearing?" She peered at the dresses, almost ignoring Seacat and Mermista.

"Err…" Seacat licked her lips, turning to the clothes. She only had to…

"This one!" A bundle of clothes hit her in the chest before she had turned completely to face Mermista, and only her fast reaction allowed her to catch it before it hit the ground. "Go and try it on!"

Seacat frowned - this was exactly why she didn't want to join the navy! - but she wasn't about to argue in front of Blondie.

She glared at the princess anyway, then walked into the bathroom. At least the princess had gotten her favourite colours - black and red - right.

But when she unfolded the bundle, she knew at once that this had been Sea Hawk's pick. It was a suit with a cape. A half-cape, so it wouldn't exactly make her trip up or hamper her tail's movements, but still!

On the other hand, she had to admit once she had put the clothes on and checked herself in the mirror, it looked dashing. Black leggings and jacket, red shirt - with a higher collar than she usually wore - and black half-cape covering her left shoulder. Fingerless half-gloves that matched her leggings. No shoes, of course.

All in all, not bad at all, if she did say so…

"Seacat! Did you get tangled up in the fabric again?"

She rolled her eyes as she opened the door. The princess made it sound as if she had trouble dressing herself. "That was a cargo of silk, ropes and linen," she said, "and I had to jump into the hold or get crushed by the mainmast when that cannonball smashed its base."

"And then you got stuck!" Mermista said, laughing.

Not for long, and only because she hadn't wanted to destroy part of the cargo! But before Seacat could come up with a comeback - probably involving the princess's on/off relationship with her captain - Blondie started laughing as well.

It wasn't that funny, in Seacat's opinion. But the other woman kept laughing for almost half a minute before she finally stopped. "Oh! Oh, no - I'm sorry. I just…" she shrugged, blushing again. "But you look very nice."

Seacat huffed, even though the princess sounded honest. Then again, of course she looked nice - she always did! She nodded. "Thank you. So, do we pass muster?" she added, looking at Mermista.

The princess made a point of studying her with a frown on her face and making humming noises. "Let's hope you'll do."

"You picked out the clothes," Seacat told her.

"But you're wearing them."

She rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you get ready as well? You've got half an hour left."

Hearing Mermista gasp was very satisfying. Seacat smirked and stuck out her tongue as the princess positively rushed out of the room and into her own quarters.

"Catra used to have the same expression when she managed to pull a prank on, well...!"

And there went her good mood. She turned to face Blondie. "I'm not her."

"Sorry, I forgot."

"'Forgot'? What do you mean?"

"Ah…" The other woman grimaced. "It's like… you know…"

Blondie was a pathetic liar. Seacat narrowed her eyes, flattened her ears and leaned closer. "What do you mean, you 'forgot'?"

"Well, ah, I know you don't like it when I tell you about Catra. So I didn't want to."

"When you call me Catra, you mean." She showed her fangs.

Instead of being intimidated, Blondie blushed again. "Sorry. But..."

Seacat frowned. Best to nip that in the bud. Mermista wouldn't like it if they made a scene in the middle of the prom, and Sea Hawk had been looking forward to this. "It's an instinct. I'm sure that every cat like me does the same thing. Ears moving, tail swishing, claws scratching…" she raised her hand and flexed her claws.

Blondie nodded with a smile. "That makes sense."

She sighed. "But you still think I'm your missing friend."

The other woman blushed again. "Well… yes?" She laughed, but it sounded a bit forced. "But I know you don't like being reminded of that, so I shouldn't do it."

"Yes, you shouldn't."

Blondie nodded several times with a very earnest and hopeful expression.

Seacat clenched her teeth. This was more awkward than she had feared. And it was all Blondie's fault. "Let's go."

Once more, the princess nodded with a stupidly happy expression. This was probably a mistake, but Seacat wasn't a quitter. Sea Hawk and Mermista would never let her forget it if she fled, anyway. And she could always hide at the buffet.

*****​

"Adora! And Seacat."

Right. The shrimp was there as well. Seacat nodded at the princess as they joined them in the line waiting for the prom to open. She, at least, was wearing a properly ruffled dress. Very princessy.

"Hey!" And Brain Boy was there as well. Although he was with another girl… princess. "Perfuma, this is Seacat. Seacat - Princess Perfuma of Plumeria"

"Hello," Seacat replied. At least he got her name right.

"Oh! I've heard of you!" The princess beamed at her.

Seacat narrowed her eyes. That wasn't always a good thing. "You have?"

"Yes! Adora told me so much about you!"

Blondie's smile looked very forced when Seacat glanced at her. "Ah… Perfuma is a very good listener. If you ever have some problems and want to talk about them…"

"Oh, yes. It's the least I can do."

"What exactly did she…"

"Hi!"

Seacat didn't jump back. She merely straightened very fast. Another princess? With… moving hair?

"Ah. Entrapta, this is Seacat. Seacat, Princess Entrapta of Dryl."

"Hello." Seacat was meeting too many princesses for her taste. Then again, this was the Princess Prom.

"I've heard about you."

Seacat glared at Blondie, but the other woman was looking at the wall.

And then the princess was in her face. "You've lost your memory, right? I can help with that! Probably. Possibly. I've got some ideas, at least. Interesting ideas. Hardly more dangerous than any other experiment. What do you think about neurological stimulation? The brain is basically running on electricity, and so are bots! And I'm very good at making bots. Unless some First Ones' Tech gets out of control, but that hardly happens. About once a month, which is a very good and safe ratio! So, what do you say? Mind a little brain scan? It won't hurt. I think. Or not much."

Seacat felt her tail puff out again as she took a step back. She hadn't understood half the princess's words, but she recognised danger when it was staring her in the face. "No. I'm here to dance, eat and enjoy the evening. No time for anything else." She grabbed Blondie's arm, lightly dug her claws into it to make her point, and bared her fangs at her. "Right?"

"Oh, right, of course. Ow."

"Oh, and there are our friends! See you later!" Seacat ignored the protests and dragged Blondie over to Sea Hawk and Mermista, who had finally made an appearance. The princess wore - surprise! - a dress in dark green and blue colours that made her look a little like a mermaid. Sea Hawk was dressed in a matching suit. With a cape, of course.

"Hello!"

"You've met Blondie already today," Seacat snapped, glancing over her shoulder. The other princesses were still a little away. Perfect. "Did you know she has a friend who wants to carve open my skull?"

"What?"

Seacat smiled, showing her teeth, as both Mermista and Sea Hawk stared at Blondie. Turnabout was fair play.

*****​

Author Note: I commissioned a picture of Seacat by Carnivalkitten:

Spoiler

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 6: The Princess Prom Part 2

"Your friend wants to cut open Seacat's skull?" Sea Hawk, his back to the still closed door to the palace's ballroom, gasped before his eyes narrowed and he started glaring.

"No, no! It's a misunderstanding!" Blondie protested. She shook her head.

Seacat grinned. That was the reaction she had been hoping for.

Mermista, though, sighed. "Ugh. Entrapta got enthusiastic, right?"

Spoilsport.

Blondie nodded, visibly relieved. "Yes, but she doesn't want to cut into anyone's skull. She just wants to do a brain scan."

"She can scan your brain," Seacat muttered. It was obvious that Blondie's brain needed more help than Seacat's.

"Hey!" The other woman frowned at her. Seacat bared her teeth in return.

"Did you ask her to do this?" Sea Hawk was still frowning.

"I, ah, well…" Blondie fidgeted with her fingers. "It's like... She overheard me talking to Glimmer, and when I mentioned amnesia, she was all fired up about finding out how to treat it - she said something about memory leaks."

"I'm not a ship that's leaking," Seacat told her. "And I'm fine." She didn't actually need her missing memory. She had been doing fine for years without it!

"But…" Blondie pressed her lips together.

"We're here for the Princess Prom, not to get into my head," she told the other woman. "Right?"

"Of course!" Blondie nodded rapidly. She really was a bad liar.

"Just keep Entrapta away from me," Seacat snapped. "I like my brain where it is." And how it was.

"But it… Right! No brainy talk! I mean, no talking about brains!" Blondie once nodded several times with a serious expression.

"Good."

"Hello!"

And there was Princess Brain Scan. Seacat took a step back, moving closer to her friends, as the group exchanged polite but pointless greetings. She wasn't afraid or nervous. She was merely concerned. A little. Which was completely justified. On the other hand, she wasn't about to let a princess scare her. She straightened and stepped forward again. She still kept Blondie between her and the weird princess.

"Mermista! You've missed the meeting before the prom!" the shrimp complained.

"Unfortunately, I arrived too late to take part." Mermista sighed as if she weren't lying through her teeth. "Our ship was slower than planned."

"We had to take a small detour," Sea Hawk corrected the princess. "It was an adventure, actually!"

The story that followed had not much to do with what had happened, but it kept everyone entertained - though Mermista was rolling her eyes a lot - until the prom finally opened and they could enter.

Or could wait in front of the open door, as it turned out, since there was a special order for the guests to enter. "Can you imagine that?" Seacat whispered to Blondie. "You arrive first, and then have to wait until some slowpokes arrive just because they are supposed to be in front of you. If anyone ran a harbour like this…"

"Technically, you were the last to arrive," the shrimp cut in.

Seacat frowned at the princess. "Who enters the harbour first is not important. Who gets their cargo unloaded and delivered first is the winner. We were among the first to wait here."

"Because Mermista skipped the meeting and so could finish getting ready earlier than everyone else," the shrimp retorted.

"If I had attended, I'd have made everyone late," Mermista defended herself. "Besides, you were probably gossipping about the prom anyway.

"We were not! We were discussing alliances!"

"And dates," the plant princess added with a beaming smile.

The shrimp blushed a little - but it seemed she was more angry than embarrassed. "That's part of alliances," she all but spat out. "Something anyone taking alliances seriously would be aware of!"

"But we weren't talking about engagements or marriages," the other princess retorted with a frown.

"Guys, guys!" Brain Boy - perhaps she needed a better nickname for him, seeing that he had just stepped between two angry princesses - smiled. "Let's just enjoy the prom, right? We can talk politics in the morning."

"And nurse our hangover," Mermista muttered. "Because I'll need a few drinks."

Seacat nodded in agreement. She had a feeling she'd need some drinks as well.

*****​

She-Ra, and with her Seacat, was among the last of the princesses to be called in. Whether that was because she was the youngest princess or the most famous, Seacat couldn't tell. Blondie certainly made an impression - everyone was looking at them as the servant announced her.

"She-Ra, Princess of Power. And her date."

Seacat shot the man a glare - she had a name! A very good name! - but he ignored her. And Blondie was all but dragging her towards the host, Princess Frosta. Who looked almost as bored as Seacat probably would have been in her place. And was about ten years old.

Well, at least a princess her age would have a good dessert buffet at her party.

But first, they had to introduce themselves. Even though Seacat was sure that the princess had met Blondie before and didn't really care about a sailor.

"Bow, hold it for three seconds," she heard Blondie mumble under her breath. It probably hadn't been aimed at Seacat. Not that she needed it, anyway - she'd been drilled about all the rules of this ball by Mermista for half the trip here.

"So, they didn't trust you to behave, either?" Seacat whispered as they slowly walked towards the Snow Throne or however it was called.

"What? No, no, I planned this out for weeks. Rules for presenting yourself, rules for dancing, rules for eating."

There were rules for eating? Other than 'no snatching food from others' plates', as Mermista had put it? Seacat clenched her teeth. No, this was easy - she just had to watch how others ate, and then do the same.

Oh, there they were!

"Princess Frosta!" Blondie bowed, Seacat following her a fraction of a second later. One, Two. Three. Smile! Without flashing your fangs. And no giggling at the ten-year-old princess trying to look serious and grown-up. Mermista had been quite firm about that.

"Princess She-Ra. Seacat. Welcome to the All-Princess Ball." Frosta nodded without changing her expression. And she knew Seacat!

"Thank you."

"Yes, thank you." Seacat nodded. That should be it. She pulled on Blondie's arm, and they made their escape.

"Whew!" Seacat exclaimed as soon as they were out of earshot. "The hard part is over! It's party time now!"

"Ah…"

"What?" Seacat frowned at Blondie. "You've had weeks for your diplomacy! You don't need to work now, do you?"

"No, no. I was just… surprised."

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Let me guess: Your friend was all serious and never did anything for fun, huh?"

"What? No, no. Cat… My friend actually liked, ah, goofing off. But you were always so serious when we were travelling together."

Of course, she had been serious! Someone had to be serious in the crew, and Sea Hawk wouldn't be serious even when faced with a mob of deadly pirates or Horde Scum. "I'm a sailor," she told the blonde. "We're serious when working. We have to be on the open sea."

"That rhymes!" Blondie coughed. "Sorry."

Seacat huffed. At least she didn't mention Sea Hawk. "Let's get something to eat."

"Alright!" The way Blondie perked up, she must have been starving herself for this evening. She looked more eager to sample the food than sailors who hadn't eaten anything but hardtack and salted meat for weeks, washed down with lemon juice.

They made their way through the crowd - some of them were still staring at Blondie as if she were… well, she actually was 'a legendary princess returned in Etheria's hour of need', as Mermista's head servant had put it, but still! Such staring should be against the rules - it made Seacat want to check her clothes for stains and run her hand through her hair, and that would definitely make matters worse.

But, fortunately for her temper and stomach, they reached the buffet without anyone actually bothering them. She sniffed the air - ah, so many delicious smells!

"Are you purring?"

Really? She glared at Blondie. "That's not something you ask a cat! It's rude!"

The other woman gasped. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry - I had no idea!"

Blondie looked so honestly sorry, Seacat almost told her that she had been joking. "Let's eat!" she said instead and grabbed the biggest plate she could find. Blondie followed her example, she noted with a glance. Well, she was a fighting Princess, not some dainty useless princess who hid in their palace and didn't do anything. She would need the food to keep in shape. Those muscles…

Seacat huffed and focused on the dishes, licking her lips at the selection of seafood. Oh!

"You really like fish, huh?"

Seacat narrowed her eyes. "Like your friend?"

"What? No, no. We never, uh, ate anything but rations. I was just noticing your selection."

"Only rations? Horde rations?" Seacat gaped. She had tried those… things… in the past. To be raised on that…

Blondie frowned. "It wasn't that bad. They don't taste very good, but they provide you with everything you need. And the taste keeps you from overeating."

"The taste keeps you from eating," Seacat replied before sticking out her tongue and making gagging noises. "I've tried them before."

"Oh? When?"

"That was on the Dragon's Daughter I. We'd raided a Horde outpost but then sailed into an enduring calm and ran out of actual food waiting for the wind to pick up."

"Oh! Couldn't you fish?"

"I didn't catch enough to feed everyone." Not after Sea Hawk had eaten the good bait, leaving them with bits of rations

"Ah."

They spent the next few minutes shovelling food into their mouths and making satisfied noises. Then the shrimp decided to join them. "There you are! I've been looking for you."

Seacat swallowed a particularly tasty morsel of fried Ice Fish, and nodded at the princess. "And you found us." She didn't add 'good for you!', but the face the shrimp made looked as if she heard it anyway.

"It's really good!" Blondie said, nodding happily, then coughing a little. Swallowing a fistful of roasted meat would do that to you.

"I told you, didn't I?" The princess grinned, then sighed, "If only Bow would be here."

Huh? "Did he leave?" Seacat scanned the crowd. Why would anyone leave the ball so early? Unless… oh.

"I meant 'here' as in 'here with us'," the princess explained with a pout that made her look barely older than Princess Frosta.

But he was at the party, wasn't he? There he was, about to dance with his date, the plant princess… Oh. Seacat grinned. "You're jealous!" she said, pointing at the princess's face.

"What?" The shrimp glared at her. And Blondie grimaced behind her friend's back, shaking her head at Seacat.

She ignored it. If they meddled with her private life, it was only fair to meddle with theirs. "You wanted him to come as your date, not… who did you come with, anyway?"

"I am technically here with Entrapta," she replied. "But she went to gather data on social interaction' or something before we even formally greeted Frosta!"

Oh! So, even princesses broke the rules. Wait - of course, princesses got to break the rules.

"And Bow is perfectly fine to go with anyone he wants to this ball!"

Seacat snorted. "As long as he's with you, you mean."

The shrimp's glare grew even hotter. "That's none of your business."

"So? It's amusing." Seacat bared her teeth in a wide smile. "You should just take your heart in hand and charge full speed ahead!"

"What?" Both the shrimp and Blondie looked confused.

Seacat frowned. That was what Sea Hawk would say. Had said, when she asked him about his relationship with Mermista after a particularly loud breakup. But they didn't know the captain as well as she did. "You should tell him that you want him."

And now the shrimp was blushing. As was Blondie.

"I don't… I mean, not... " The shrimp shook her head. "He's my best friend. We were supposed to attend this ball together, I've been waiting for this for years, and now…"

'Best friend', huh? That didn't look like a best friendship to Seacat. "Did he know that?"

"What? Well, of course! We are best friends, we always go to parties together!"

Seacat shrugged. "Should've asked him out, then. Before your rival did it."

"She's not my rival!"

Seacat smirked. The princess was fooling herself. "Anyway, seems you didn't know your friend as well as you thought you did." She speared the last piece of fried shark with one claw and popped it into her mouth. Mhhh. Delicious!

"You're purring?" the shrimp blurted out.

"UH! Glimmer, it's rude to say that to a cat!" Blondie whispered into her friend's ear. Seacat's ears caught it, of course. "She's sorry; she didn't know about that," the woman went on, a little louder.

"I've never heard of this!" the shrimp protested.

"See? She's telling the truth." Blondie beamed at her.

"This sounds fishy!" the shrimp said, glaring at them.

"No, this smells fishy. Deliciously fishy!" Seacat retorted. "I'm getting seconds." She sauntered the few steps back to the buffet, tail swinging back and forth. Blondie was staring at her, she noticed with a subtle glance over her shoulder. Then she caught herself purring again and frowned. She really needed to get a handle on that.

When she had finished filling her plate and returned to her supposed date for the evening, the shrimp was gone.

"She went to ask Bow for a dance," Blondie explained.

"Cool." She started eating the tasty morsels again. "Do you think they'll fight over him?"

"What? No, no. They're friends. Well, Bow and Glimmer, but Perfuma is, at least, an ally. Probably a friend, too - well, I think of her as a friend." Seacat found herself frowning for some reason, but Blondie's eyes widened. "Oh, no! What if they do end up fighting? This could tear the alliance apart! I didn't consider that possibility when I laid down the relationship web!"

"The 'relationship web'?"

"Yes! I marked out all known relationships, so we'd know who was dating whom and who can't stand each other." Blondie bit her lower lip for a moment. "But I didn't consider this. Not at all. Oh, no…"

Tsk. Seacat pierced another morsel with her claw - roasted Ice Fish, one of the best and most expensive fishes she knew - and waved it in front of Blondie's nose until she looked at it with crossed eyes.

"Uh… what?"

"Roasted Ice Fish. Try it. And stop worrying about a lover's spat. Sea Hawk and Mermista fight each other all the time, but still love each other."

Blondie opened her mouth and blinked. "But…"

Seacat silenced her by pushing the morsel into her mouth. Blondie closed her mouth reflexively, and she withdrew her finger and claw with a grin. "It's good, hm?"

The other woman swallowed, blinked again, then nodded and stared at Seacat's plate.

She shook her head. "Nu-uh. Go get your own fish! I'm not hand-feeding you without you returning the favour." Then she blinked. That had sounded less… something… in her head.

Fortunately, Blondie laughed and went to fill her own plate, and neither of them spoke much until more fish had been eaten.

"So… ah… What do you do when you're not being serious on a ship?" Blondie asked once they had put their empty plates down.

Was she trying to compare her to her friend again? Seacat snorted. She had the answer to that. "I carouse."

"You what?"

She grinned. Blondie didn't know the word. Well, she hadn't been raised by the captain. "I go out drinking and partying," she explained. Like every sailor worth their salt.

"Oh." The other woman looked surprised - and a little taken aback.

"Never done it yourself?"

"I, ah, don't drink much." Blondie looked embarrassed. Justly so, of course.

"I bet you're a fun drunk," Seacat told her, smirking.

"I wouldn't know." But the woman was blushing far too much for that to be true.

Seacat grinned and leaned a little closer. "Really? You've never been drunk?"

Blondie shook her head vehemently. "We, ah, didn't really have much alcohol as cadets in the Horde, and after I became She-Ra, well… I can't drink and fight, can I?"

"Of course you can!" Seacat objected. "Drunken brawls are great!"

"I'm not talking about brawling," Blondie retorted with a frown. "I'm talking about fighting a war!"

Seacat frowned in return. Blondie was correct - trying to fight a naval battle while drunk would be stupid. Very stupid. Sea Hawk had tried it, once, and never again, or so he'd told her. But that didn't mean she had to admit it. She sniffed. "Well, I was talking about brawling. You know, having a fun fight. Not a serious one."

"Oh, like sparring?"

Seacat blinked, then nodded, "Kind of. Just drunk, too." She grinned. "That's important."

"I guess so…" But Blondie didn't look convinced. More worried, actually.

She huffed. "I'm not going to start a brawl here." Mermista had made both Seacat and Sea Hawk promise, after all. Several times. And it would be stupid with all the princesses around. On the other hand… She suddenly noticed Blondie was all tense and glaring. "What's wrong?"

"Horde," Blondie spat.

What? Seacat whirled, hand going to her hip - where the hilt of her cutlass would have been, if she'd been allowed to carry it. A Horde attack? Here?

"The woman there, with the claws and tail," Blondie said. "That's a Horde Force Captain."

Claws and tail… Oh. Not a cat. A bug. A huge bug. And that armour… fighting her would be tricky, but a woman so big couldn't be quick. Certainly not as quick as Seacat. And Seacat wouldn't let Horde Scum get away. Not here. Not anywhere. "Someone must have smuggled her inside! Let's get her before she reaches Frosta!" She dashed across the dance floor, almost sending some stupid couple stumbling, and jumped on the stairs leading up to the Snow Throne, landing between the kid and the Horde scum. "Watch out! She's a Horde spy!"

The bug woman blinked, frozen by surprise. "What?"

Seacat hissed. All she had to do was to keep the scum from the princess before the guards would dogpile the spy. She blinked. Why were the guards pointing their weapons at her?

"This is Princess Scorpia. She's a guest," Frosta said behind her.

"Uh…" She glanced around. Mermista was glaring at her while holding back Sea Hawk. Blondie was standing at the foot of the stairs, faced with two guards, and looking lost and stupid. Shrimp was glaring as well. And everyone else was staring at her. Damn.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was told she was a spy." She looked pointedly at Blondie. This was all her fault!

"She's a princess, and therefore invited," Frosta said as if that was obvious. "I won't tolerate violence against any guest - by anyone. And I won't break with centuries of tradition and abolish the neutrality of this event!"

"I haven't attacked her!" Seacat protested. It was true.

But it was obvious that the princess didn't see it that way. And Mermista was gesturing towards her. And frowning, as if they had just set something on fire.

Seacat pouted and moved to the side, letting the Horde Scum pass before heading down to Blondie.

"Why didn't you tell me that she was a guest?" she hissed to the other woman.

"I didn't know!" Blondie protested.

"I thought you had a plan for everything!" That was what she had said, at least.

"Obviously, I hadn't planned for the Horde attending this event!"

"'Obviously'." Seacat glared at her.

"Obviously!"

"Seacat! What the hell were you thinking?"

Seacat closed her eyes. Just what she needed - Mermista was furious. At her. That wouldn't do - it wasn't Seacat's fault. Not this time. "It's her fault!" she said, pointing at Blondie. "She told me the bug woman was a Horde spy! I only tried to help!"

"And you did!" Sea Hawk said with a smile. "Selflessly jumping between an enemy and a princess is what we do! Adventure!"

"Causing a diplomatic incident is what you did!" Mermista snapped. But she was glaring at both of them, now!

"I never said she was a spy!" Blondie protested. "I said she was Horde!"

"That's the same thing!" Seacat shot back.

"It's not!"

"Well, what was I supposed to think?" Seacat replied.

"What were you thinking!"

Oh, great. The shrimp had arrived as well to yell at her.

And at Blondie, apparently, since she shook her head. "I wasn't thinking anything - I just recognised the Force Captain and pointed her out to Ca-Seacat!"

"Ugh! You weren't thinking - you got that right!" Mermista scoffed. "Seacat was raised by Sea Hawk! You don't point out Horde scum to them without keeping them on a leash!"

Seacat glared at the princess. Everyone knew that in a fight, you needed to be quick and decisive. You couldn't stop to overthink every action!

"A leash?" Blondie was staring again.

"I wasn't talking about a literal leash!"

"You better were not!" Seacat snapped.

"Not outside the bedroom, at least!" The Captain nodded, rubbing his chin.

Seacat stared at him, blinking. She wasn't the only one.

"Uh… do you mean…?" Blondie started.

"No, he didn't!" Mermista snarled, flushed with anger or embarrassment. "Besides, we have a diplomatic crisis to fix here! Focus on that!"

"I'm no diplomat," Seacat retorted. "Besides, shouldn't me trying to protect the princess score us some goodwill?"

The shrimp winced a little. Not a good sign. "Ah… Princess Frosta is a little… sensitive about her age. And about not being taken seriously."

Blondie nodded. "Oh, yes! Totally!"

Seacat sighed. Typical. "It still isn't my fault. I was only trying to help!"

"Well, stop trying," Mermista told her. "We'll fix this… somehow. Just go and… dance or something. Without fighting anyone! Both of you!"

Seacat glanced at Blondie, who frowned. "We can't just let a Horde Force Captain wander around here, doing who knows what!" she protested.

Seacat nodded in agreement. The woman had a very good point. "You can't trust Horde scum!"

"We'll keep an eye on her," the shrimp said. "I'll set Bow and Perfuma on her. You just enjoy the party. Without fighting. We'll handle Frosta."

"But…" Blondie started to say, yet everyone else was leaving already. She sighed. "It wasn't my fault."

"It certainly wasn't my fault!" Seacat told her.

They stared at each other for a moment, frowning and glaring.

"Let's blame the Horde?" Blondie said, smiling weakly.

Seacat huffed. It was still Blondie's fault. On the other hand, she wouldn't have said anything without the Horde scum visiting the prom. She nodded curtly.

"Great!" Blondie beamed at her as if things were perfectly well again. "So, uh… should we dance?"

Dancing? Seacat looked at the dance floor. Couples turned around each other. Hm. Perhaps… then she blinked.

The Horde Bug was walking straight towards them! And she was smiling. Smiling far too widely and friendly for Horde Scum. Probably gloating that she had managed to trick them into making a scene. "There you are!"

Seacat took a step to the side, just as Blondie did the same. One more, and it would be easy to flank the woman.

"Whoa!" The Horde Bug raised her pincers. "I'm not here to fight! I'm just here to say hello and play nice."

Seacat blinked. "'Play nice'?"

"Yes!" The tall woman beamed at her. "That's what I was told to do: Be friendly and play nice. Show the princesses that the Horde isn't evil."

The Bug Woman was either the worst spy in Etheria or the best, Seacat thought. This was… She actually didn't know what it was. Weird, in any case.

"Well, you can try, but we know that the Horde is evil!" Blondie bristled. "We were, I mean, I was raised there!"

"Oh, yeah - you're the Force Captain who deserted on her first mission." The Horde Bug nodded, apparently not fazed at all. "Adora, right? I'm Scorpia. But you probably knew that already."

"She also answers to Blondie," Seacat added, then grinned at the shocked look that earned her from Blondie.

"Blondie?" The bug woman sounded confused. "Ah, a nickname. Cute!"

She frowned at the Horde scum. It wasn't meant to be cute. It wasn't cute, period.

Blondie had to ruin it, of course. "Ah, I guess so," the woman said, with a faint smile, before frowning again. "So you were sent to deceive us about your intentions!"

"Uh…" The Horde Bug was frowning, though more in a confused rather than angry way. "I guess so? Though can you really call it deception if everyone knows about it?"

Seacat still couldn't tell if this was an act or if the woman was that naive. But why would the Horde send such a naive spy? Wait, Bug Woman was a princess, so they probably didn't have any choice.

"Not everyone knows just how evil you are, or they'd already be fighting you!"

Well, Blondie wasn't any less naive, it seemed. Seacat sighed and rolled her eyes.

The Horde Bug laughed, one pincer behind her head. "Ah, I guess so. Though we're just doing what other kingdoms did before." She shrugged, and Seacat briefly wondered how her black dress had survived that. "It's just, well, war, I guess?"

"War against civilians! I was at Thaymor and Plumeria!" You attacked peaceful, harmless civilians!"

"And you wiped out my home village!" Seacat added.

The bug woman looked actually taken aback. "Really? But that makes no sense. Why would we destroy a village? The goal is to conquer it, not to destroy it. On the other hand, things don't always go according to plan. You know, first casualty in war and all."

"I think that's meant to be 'truth is the first casualty in any war," Blondie corrected her. "And that no plan survives contact with the enemy."

"Right! I guess you really paid attention at Force Captain orientation."

"We studied that as cadets." Blondie looked even angrier.

"Right!" More nodding. "Anyway - I also got a message for you. From Shadow Weaver."

Seacat felt the fur on her back rise for no reason. Shadow Weaver… She shook her head. There was no reason to be frightened of someone she had never met. And yet… She felt a shiver run down her spine. What the...

Blondie spat: "I don't want to hear it."

The bug woman blinked, then nodded. "She said you'd say that. That's why she gave it in writing." The woman craned her neck and stuffed one of her pincers down the front of her dress, then pulled it out with a letter held in it. How she managed that without tearing the envelope or the letter, Seacat had no idea. "Here!" She held the letter out to Blondie.

After a moment of more glaring, Blondie reached out to take it, and Seacat had to step in, grabbing her hand. "Seriously? It could be poisoned! Or cursed!"

"What?" Bug woman looked at the letter, tilting her head. "No, it isn't!"

Blondie looked torn for a moment before she raised her chin slightly, jaw set. "I know Shadow Weaver. And I don't trust her."

"Well… That's, ah, a problem." The bug woman moved the letter around a little. "But I am really supposed to give you this message."

"I'm sure," Seacat said. "Just drop it on the floor."

"Really?" The Horde scum perked up. "Alright!"

"No, she was joking," Blondie interrupted. "If the letter is a trap, then that would endanger others. You can't just drop it on the floor." After a moment, she added: "And if it's no trap, then that's a private message on the floor. Which is also not OK."

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Let's get your friend Princess Shrimp to look at it."

"Princess Shrimp?" Bug woman blinked. "I don't think I've met her. Or heard of her. And I was briefed on all the princesses for this night."

Blondie sighed. Loudly. "It's Seacat's nickname for Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon."

"Oh." The horde scum beamed at Seacat. "You give everyone nicknames? That's cute! What's mine?"

"It's 'Horde Scum'," Seacat replied, baring her fangs.

It got the far too cheery woman to frown, finally - Seacat had wondered what it took to get under that chitin skin. But she'd… "That's a little generic, isn't it?"

Seriously? That was what the Horde Scum took offence to? 'A little generic'? "What about Horde Bug?"

The woman kept frowning as if she took that seriously. Then she nodded. "I'll call you Wildcat, I think. Because, you know, you're all wild and hissing. And a cat."

Seacat scoffed. Who cared what Horde Scum called her?

Blondie, though, looked very much confused. "Uh… so… about the letter?"

"Right! Can I give it to your friend?"

"No! We can't just drop this on her." Blondie shook her head. "But we can go ask Princess Frosta. She's the host, so she's responsible for everyone's safety."

"And she invited you, so you're her problem," Seacat added, baring her fangs again as she took a step closer to Blondie.

"Good! Let's go, then!" And the bug woman turned and walked across the dance floor. The couples dancing moved out of her way like sardines parted before a killer whale.

Seacat looked at Blondie, but the woman was already following the Horde spy. Typical.

*****​

Princess Frosta, for all her young age and brattiness, got things done, though. One of her underlings took the letter - Seacat took a step away, just in case - and didn't drop dead or started screaming. Then the letter was taken away to be examined by a sorceress or something. Presumably in an explosive-proof room.

And Bug Woman turned to them. "So… with that done…"

"We're done, yes," Seacat said, baring her teeth. "Enjoy the rest of your evening!"

"Ah, right, uh…"

But Seacat had already grabbed Blondie's arm and led her away. After they were out of earshot - she checked with a glance over her shoulder - Seacat scoffed. "The nerve of the Horde scum! Acting all nice while plotting our deaths!"

"Uh, yes."

That wasn't the firmest agreement Seacat had ever heard. By far. "So… you know Shadow Weaver?" She felt her tail starting bristle and suppressed the urge. She was stronger than this.

"Ah, yes. She, ah… kind of raised me and my friend."

"Oh." She shouldn't have asked. Now the woman would assume… something.

"But she was the worst m...parent. Always taking favourites and manipulating us, and…"

Seacat raised her hand. "No need to go into details. I get the picture. I do."

"You do? Uh, that's good, I guess." Blondie's smile wasn't the brightest Seacat had ever seen, either. She looked pretty shaken up - for a woman who attacked sea monsters for fun.

So Seacat nodded towards the dance floor. "Well, while we wait for Princess Frosta's expendable minions to test your letter for traps, wanna dance?"

A smile lit up Blondie's face. "Yes!" She blushed and ducked her head a little. "I mean, yes, I would like to."

Seacat grinned and stepped on the dance floor, then held out her hand. "Come on, Princess!"

Blondie took it, and they started dancing. Fortunately, it wasn't formal ballroom dancing, even if they were in a ballroom. Seacat would have been lost if she had to fit into some big production where every step had to be perfect as you traded partners multiple times while moving like a ship in formation.

But she knew, from several visits to the Grotto and some lessons from Sea Hawk and Mermista, how to dance. She met Blondie's eyes, then started to circle in step with the music.

Blondie matched her. She was surprisingly graceful, what with how toned she was. That her dress was cut on one side almost to the hip helped, of course - she could move easily like that, and it also showed her...

Seacat blinked, then focused on Blondie's face instead of her legs. Releasing her hand, she whirled, then switched hands, circling again. Then they drew close, arms rising, letting Blondie twirl beneath their locked hands before they separated again.

And once more they circled, switching hands, drawing close and apart, eyes meeting every time. On and on…

The song ended, and Seacat took a deep breath. That had been… fun. Blondie blinked, her bright smile dimming a little. She looked almost as if she were shy. "So, shall we…"

The orchestra started a new song, and Seacat grinned widely. She knew this song. And this dance. Lighting-quick, she grabbed Blondie's hand again. "Not so fast!"

The other woman gasped in obvious surprise as Seacat drew her in close, one hand on her bare back. She could feel her tense for a moment as her claws touched her skin, then she relaxed.

And they danced. Closely. Seacat could almost feel Blondie's heart beating as they turned, and she felt her own beat a little faster when the woman put her muscular arm around her waist.

Turning, twisting, legs moving so close, but not quite touching - but their chests did. And then she dipped Blondie, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze. The others on the dance floor faded into the background. Their faces were so close, all Seacat would have to do to touch, to kiss her would be tilting her head just a little. Just a little...

She blinked, almost gasped, and drew back, pulling Blondie up with her until both were upright again. A deep breath brought her shivering under control. And her fur kept Blondie from noticing how flushed she felt.

Not that the woman was looking at her right now - she was looking anywhere but at Seacat. They kept dancing, but more sedately. Seacat could breathe without her chest pressing into Blondie's. And she needed to breathe. That had been… weird. Very weird. That sudden urge to… Seacat wasn't Sea Hawk, but she had flirted and danced before. But she hadn't lost - almost lost - control like that. Never. It had always been… different.

"That's a good orchestra," she said. "Really catchy song, too."

"Yes." Blondie started to nod, then stopped. "Really catchy."

They turned twice around each other without either saying another word. Then the song ended, and they were left standing on the dance floor looking stupid.

Seacat straightened and looked at the buffet. "I could do with dessert," she said.

"Dessert sounds good, yes," Blondie replied.

"Good."

They were halfway to the buffet when Seacat noticed that she was still holding Blondie's hand. Her first impulse was to release it at once. But that would've made her look as if she were scared or hadn't noticed what she was doing. So she gripped the hand a little harder and only released it once they were at the buffet and she had an excuse.

*****​

Seacat was halfway through an ice cream dish for which she'd have cheerfully fought Admiral Scurvy's best ship in a rowboat when Princess Shrimp arrived in front of her and Blondie.

"There you are!"

"Yes, here we are," Seacat replied in the kind of tone reserved for little children who had managed to tie their shoes or something. Hadn't they gone through this before?

The shrimp narrowed her eyes, but Blondie managed to swallow the mouthful of ice cream that she had just shovelled into her mouth in time to cut her friend off: "Glimmer! What's going on?"

The princess shifted her glare to Blondie as a result. "What is going on? I'll tell you what is going on!"

"Good." Seacat grinned, then grabbed another spoonful of that heavenly ice cream.

"Oh, you!"

"Glimmer!"

"Alright. What's going is that Horde scum fake princess! She's been making the rounds and talking to everyone! And I'm the only one keeping an eye on her because Entrapta is stuck 'analysing' what 'data' she collected. Mermista and Sea Hawk are off somewhere 'private', and you two were flirting on the dance floor for ages!"

Wow. Someone was jealous. Seacat smirked and stepped closer to Blondie just to rub it in. As Sea Hawk always said: Never miss out on an opportunity to show off!

"Oh. What about Bow and Perfuma?" Blondie asked.

"What about them?" the shrimp snarled. "They're busy having fun! I'm the only one doing my duty for the Rebellion!"

"I'm not a member of the Rebellion," Seacat pointed out.

"What?" Blondie gasped.

"You aren't? But Sea Hawk and Mermista are!"

"I'm just Sea Hawk's first mate," she told them. "I never formally joined anything." She was fighting the Horde for her own reasons.

"But your ship belongs to him," Glimmer said. "And he's a rebel, so that makes it a rebel ship."

"So?" Seacat shrugged. "Besides, if I were a member of the Rebellion, I would be under Sea Hawk's command. Just as I am, actually. And he hasn't given me any orders other than to enjoy myself and not start a diplomatic incident." Which she had, but that hadn't been her fault.

"But…" The princess was gaping at them.

"You're on your own here, shrimp."

"That's… You know what? Fine! I'll handle this myself!"

And she disappeared in a sparkly cloud of glitter.

"That wasn't very nice," Blondie said a moment later.

Seacat glanced at her. The other woman was frowning. She sniffed in return. "You don't seem to be very concerned about the Horde Bug either."

"Uh…" Blondie blushed with embarrassment. "Diplomacy and surveillance aren't my strengths."

"You don't need to sneak around here," Seacat said. "You can just walk up and talk to whoever she's talking to."

"I'm sure that's against some rules. Or impolite."

"So?" Seacat grinned widely.

"That's exactly what my friend would say," Blondie replied. Then she gasped. "Sorry!"

Seacat couldn't tell if she had slipped or if she had used this to get back at Sea Cat for driving her annoying friend away. She waved her hand. "Forget it."

"Glimmer is right, though - we need to keep an eye on Scorpia." Blondie nodded with a firm expression.

Seacat sighed.

*****​

"...and that is why it's so important that everyone considers how their actions affect others. We're all part of the same world. Interconnected. A small plant growing in one place might change the weather patterns in another region." The plant princess was oozing concern as she talked.

"But you can't always consider that. Sometimes you have to act right now. I mean, not right now as in here at the prom, but hypothetically." The Horde bug blinked. "A plant can affect the weather? Seriously?"

"Oh, yes. Not easily and not at once, but if they grow and multiply, plants can change the climate. The Crimson Waste was once a lush forest, people say. Until the plants died and the climate changed."

"Interesting. But back to the main topic: Sometimes you need to act, or react, without being able to plan for hours."

"But that doesn't mean you can't consider your actions and their consequences afterwards."

Seacat stepped to the side, next to Brain Boy, and whispered: "How long ago did they start talking?"

"About a quarter-hour," the boy replied.

And the two princesses didn't seem planning to stop anytime soon. "I don't like this," Seacat muttered.

"It's very suspicious," Blondie agreed. "Horde Force Captains aren't that nice."

"Hey!" Brain Boy spoke up. "You've never met her before, right? Maybe she is that nice?"

"It's an act," Seacat insisted. No one was that nice talking to their enemies.

"And perhaps seeing that we're nice, talking with us, celebrating with us, will show her that she's on the wrong side."

Seacat stared at Brain Boy. He really needed a new nickname since that was the biggest load of whale shit she had ever heard. Well, outside of a tavern where Sea Hawk had a tiny little bit too much to drink.

Horde scum didn't change sides. And they weren't nice.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 7: The Princess Prom Part 3

"Come on! You can't keep defending! That's not how you win a fight!"

"You can't keep evading, that's not how you win a fight!"

She wasn't evading - she was circling her opponent, probing for an opening. Forcing her to keep turning until she stumbled or something. Her opponent was stronger, but she was faster.

She twirled her staff, then stepped to the side. There! She lunged, bringing her staff down then thrusting it forward, straight at the other's stomach, driving her breath out of...

But her opponent parried it, guiding it away and up in a far too smooth move, and she found herself corps-a-corps with her opponent - struggling against her superior strength. She clenched her teeth as she found herself being forced back. If she could redirect… no, the other was too skilled for that. Too familiar with her own moves.

And she had pulled that trick in the round before this one.

Snarling, she pushed back anyway. She wasn't a quitter. She wasn't going to lose like some… some loser. But she was committed - if she retreated now, she'd get hit with the staff. Damn. Damn. Oh! She grinned. She had an ace up her sleeve. Or rather, up her toes. Sort of.

She pushed back again, as much as she could, with a hiss, then dropped on her back, letting the other's staff pass over her head while she struck with her feet at…

And something heavy fell on her, knocking the breath out of her. Her opponent hadn't gone with a blow - she had dropped her staff and dropped on her!

She gasped for breath, twisting her body, but her opponent was stronger and heavier, and on top of her. One arm was across her throat, fixing her in place, the other sneaking around her neck for a full chokehold, her hips pinned by hers.

But she wasn't helpless - she still had her claws. She could drive them in the neck of her opponent, and… NO! This was just a sparring match. And they were friends. But she hated losing. Especially to her. On the other hand, this was… wasn't so bad. Even if she had trouble breathing, what with the other's heavy body pressed against her, pinning her on the ground, and…

"Yield?"

"Yield," she agreed, taking deep breaths as soon as the other withdrew her arms. "Good fight."

"Yes, good fight." Her friend smiled at her. The stupid hair poof had survived the match, too - it was always a treat when she managed to mess it up.

For a moment, they smiled at each other, breathing heavily. Her friend still hadn't gotten up. Was still lying on her.

And she didn't want her to move. "Well…"

"Adora! Catra!"

She froze, a shudder running down her spine. Shadow Weaver! This was going to hurt.

*****​

Seacat shook her head and resisted the temptation to accidentally shred a pillow or two. What a stupid dream! It was all Blondie's fault - she hadn't had such stupid dreams until she'd met the woman. The only dreams she'd had were nightmares about her destroyed village. And her own death.

And while those had been bad and had her wake up shivering more often than not, they had been based in reality. She remembered staggering through her village, seeing corpses strewn around everywhere, having no clue what had happened, or who she was.

She hadn't woken up afraid of someone she had never heard of before. Or, even worse, all hot and… bothered about Blondie.

She scoffed and shook her head. They'd just danced. That was all. Besides, it would be very stupid to start anything with a woman who still thought Seacat was her missing horde scum friend.

She stretched, yawned, stretched some more, and rolled out of bed. A glance at the sky outside told her that it was… wait, this was the Kingdom of Snows; the sun rose much earlier in summer. So… it was mid-morning.

She blinked. Why was she awake already? Sea Hawk and Mermista wouldn't wake up until noon. They had drunk too much during the ball, and Seacat was sure that they, unlike her, hadn't gone straight to sleep after the ball ended.

Not that she wanted to know for sure, anyway. On the other hand, with all the princesses in probably the same state, this was a good occasion of getting something to eat without getting bothered. Princesses weren't hard-working sailors, so they wouldn't be used to getting up early to set sail with the tide after a night of carousing.

Right! She yawned again and walked over to the bathroom. Time to get presentable.

*****​

"...and we have another meeting with Princess Frosta in the evening, which we all will attend," Princess Shrimp said glaring at Mermista.

Seacat sighed after swallowing another bite of Ice Fish stew. What was it with Princesses and turning mealtimes into planning sessions? Lunch shouldn't be work. Hell, she'd like to see a princess try and set sails while eating! No, Sea Hawk might think it was a good idea.

"Not you, though," the shrimp went on.

Seacat blinked. The princess was looking at her? "Not that I mind getting out of a boring meeting where I would be out of place anyway, but why so specific?"

"We, ah, kinda blamed you for the whole incident with the Horde princess," Brain Boy said, smiling in a rather embarrassed way.

"What?" Seacat glared at him, then pointed at Blondie. "It was her fault!" And the woman hadn't said anything other than a greeting to her today so far. It wasn't exactly as if Seacat wanted to, well… and they hadn't done anything, anyway, but... It was rude.

"I didn't call her a spy!" Blondie protested.

"So what? Any Horde scum is the enemy! Why would you call her out to me if you didn't want to fight her?" Seacat retorted.

"Because we were at the Princess Prom and not on the battlefield?" the shrimp cut in.

"So? The enemy is supposed to respect that?" Seacat scoffed in return.

"Well, they did," Princess Plant said. "They didn't attack anyone. They didn't even spy on anyone."

"As far as we know," Brain Boy said with a slight frown.

"I think Scorpia was honest. I didn't spot any lie," the plant princess went on. "She didn't seem like a good liar, anyway."

"That's what she wanted you to think!" the shrimp said. "She almost sabotaged the alliance just by showing up!"

"She benefited from Seacat almost starting a fight in front of our host," Mermista added.

Seacat glared at the princess. "I was defending our host! Better safe than sorry!"

Sea Hawk, of course, nodded in agreement. "Indeed! When the enemy suddenly emerges out of the fog, best act swiftly and decisively! That's the hallmark of a hero!"

"No, that's the hallmark of an idiot," Mermista shot back.

Sea Hawk gasped. "But dear! What if this had been an assassination attempt?"

"It wasn't!" Princess Plant objected. "Scorpia might be Horde, but she seems quite decent and honourable to me. We talked a lot, and I'm a good judge of character."

Seacat rolled her eyes. That was Brain Boy's fault. If he had kept the princess entertained, she wouldn't have fallen for the Horde ploy. Really. "If she were a decent woman, bug, whatever, she would have deserted!" she said. "Like Blondie."

"She might still see the light," Plant Princess said. "I talked to her about all the evil the Horde is doing, and she was quite shocked."

Ugh! Seacat made a point of rolling her eyes. "Really? She didn't notice what the Horde was doing? While fighting for the Horde? Did she think all those villages were accidentally wiped out? Yeah, right!" Hell, the princess's own kingdom had been invaded a bit ago, hadn't it?

Blondie must have gotten something down the wrong pipe since she started coughing. "Anyway… if she deserts, we'll know. Shouldn't we focus on, ah, recruiting Frosta?"

"Yes," the shrimp agreed. "And that's what we'll be doing at our meeting in the evening, which everyone except Seacat will attend. Especially you, Mermista."

"Ugh. Why me?" Mermista complained between eating her roasted shark steak.

"You're a key member of the Princess Alliance!" shrimp retorted. "What kind of example would you set if you wouldn't attend a crucial diplomatic meeting?"

"The kind of example that tells a ten-year-old princess that we're a cool group who doesn't, like, waste their time on mandatory meetings?" Mermista asked with a grin.

"But you do," Seacat blurted out. After everyone turned to look or, in the shrimp's case, glare at her, she pointed at Sea Hawk. "He told me."

"I didn't. I just said I'd rather have an adventure than a meeting," her captain replied.

"We all knew that already," Mermista said. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "But if it makes you happy, I'll attend the meeting. Hell, the kid might think it's very grown-up and be flattered."

Seacat chuckled at that.

"Ahem." Brain Boy clearing his throat drew the attention of the room to himself. "Did the Horde envoy actually succeed in making people think they're not evil?"

"Well… the data I gathered about that is inconclusive!" The Hair Princess spoke up for the first time. Apparently, she had finished her tiny fishes. "I was mostly focused on observing and collecting data on interpersonal relationships and public displays of affection - hidden and in public - so I didn't gather enough data on politics and diplomacy to draw valid conclusions."

"I think she showed that there are decent people on both sides of the war," Princess Plant said.

Seacat sighed. There was proof that the Horde's plan had had some success.

The rest of the meeting was just bickering and blame-shifting. At least that was what Seacat took from it. And none of it was her fault, anyway. No matter what the princesses thought. And who would trust anyone who fell for a Horde ploy, anyway?

As soon as Seacat had finished dessert - which wasn't leftovers from the prom's buffet, as she had expected - she stood. "I'll check the ship, Captain," she announced and left without waiting for an answer.

There was even more snow in the streets - and this was summer! - but this time, Seacat had come prepared - she was wearing oversized boots. They were uncomfortable and felt unnatural, and they would ruin her footwork should a fight break out - unless her claws ripped them apart, at least - but they kept her feet warm. It was still a bad trade-off. How people managed to live in this kingdom beat her.

The Dragon's Daughter IV was covered in snow as well, and ice had started to cover some of the more exposed parts. She sighed - it would take her some time to get it shipshape. There was no way around it, though - Sea Hawk had taught her that their ship had to be ready to sail at a moment's notice. If a mob was pursuing you, you couldn't spend half an hour sorting out the rigging before setting sail.

But it meant she would be chipping ice and sweeping - or, worse, shovelling snow for some time.

*****​

Seacat had dealt with the ice on the rigging and most of the snow when Blondie arrived. "Hey!" the woman said as she stepped close to the railing but stayed on the pier.

She briefly paused, nodded at the princess, then heaved the next load of snow off the deck and into the water. "Finally done with the pre-meeting?"

"Uh… sort of? I think?"

"You think?" Seacat cocked her head.

"Well… Mermista and Sea Hawk left, and Glimmer and Perfuma were starting to repeat the same arguments about Scorpia, so Bow and I slipped out. I don't know if they noticed." Blondie grinned, almost mischievously, for a moment.

Seacat approved. She chuckled. "Won't the shrimp be mad?"

And that was a wince. A guilty wince. "So… what are you doing?" the woman asked.

Seacat rolled her eyes, both at the blatant attempt to change the subject and at the stupid question. What did it look like she was doing? Dancing? "I'm shovelling snow off the deck."

"Uh, right. Right." Blondie nodded. "So…"

"So?" It came out a little sharper than she had intended, but Seacat had things to do.

"What are you going to do now?" Blondie blurted out.

"Now?"

"Please don't say something about checking the ship or chipping ice or whatever. You know what I mean!" Blondie said, frowning.

"I actually don't know," Seacat told her. "It depends on Sea Hawk." And Mermista, but that was a subject they didn't need to get into.

"Oh. Because it's his ship, right."

Seacat nodded. "And I'm his first mate."

"Right! And you're not a member of the Alliance."

"I'm not a princess," Seacat said. Unlike Blondie.

"Bow's not a princess, either."

So what? Brain Boy followed the shrimp. She scoffed. "Are you trying to recruit me?"

Blondie blinked. "Ah… No? I mean, I'm not trying to recruit you, like, begging you to join."

"Unlike you all do with Frosta," Seacat mumbled.

Blondie blushed in return. "The Kingdom of Snows is the largest and one of the most powerful kingdoms of Etheria."

"You're still begging."

"We've got a meeting in the evening."

"And you'll beg her then."

Another frown - even a glare - followed. "Do you have to make it sound like…"

"Like calling it what it is? Yes." Seacat scoffed. "You shouldn' lie to yourself. That never helps."

Blondie opened her mouth but didn't say anything for a moment. Then she closed it and glared at Seacat some more.

She grinned at the woman in return. Score! "So, why did you come here? Too cosy and warm in the palace?"

"No. I wanted to talk to you."

Uh. "Ah." Seacat tensed, then forced herself to relax. Somewhat. "About your missing friend?" Who was definitely dead if she hadn't resurfaced in four years.

"Only if you want to. I was..."

"Well, I don't!" Seacat interrupted her.

"... yes, I expected that."

"Good." She nodded. Firmly.

"But I, ah, liked talking to you. At the prom. When you weren't all serious and..."

"So you came to talk to me while I'm working." Seacat nodded in a slightly exaggerated manner. "That makes sense."

Blondie flushed again. "I can wait until you're finished."

"I might take the whole afternoon," Seacat retorted.

"I've got nothing else planned."

She clenched her teeth. She could busy herself all afternoon, of course. But that would mean staying out in the cold all afternoon. She sighed, then pointed at the broom leaning against the railing. "If you're going to stay here, at least help me finish faster, then."

Blondie beamed at her.

*****​

With the woman helping - putting her strength to good use - they finished in good time. All the rigging clear of ice, the whole deck free of snow. As it should be.

"So…"

Seacat clenched her teeth. Of course, having finished their work meant that Blondie expected to talk now. "Not here. I'm freezing."

"Oh, right!" Blondie nodded, sending her slightly frazzled ponytail bouncing. "Back to the palace, then?"

It would be warm and it had free food. On the other hand, it was at the other end of the city, on top of the hill. And people - princesses - would be bothering Seacat there. "No." She shook her head. "Let's hit a tavern here in the harbour."

"Alright."

Seacat took them to her favourite tavern in the kingdom - well, her second-favourite, but her favourite one had banned her after a brawl had gone a little out of control during her last visit. "Hot wine for two," Seacat ordered at the bar, then headed towards a free table in the back.

"Hot wine?" Blondie asked.

"Best cheap drink in town," Seacat explained. It wasn't as if anyone would want cold drinks with this weather. "Would you prefer hot tea?"

"Well…" Blondie smiled a little weakly.

Seacat groaned. Was she for real?

"Trying hot wine sounds fine!" the other woman blurted out. "I haven't drunk much wine, actually."

Oh! Seacat grinned. Time to see if she could get the princess drunk!

*****​

"...and then she shaid 'idiot' and left me. 'Aven't sheen her since - she never returned." Blondie wrapped her arm around Seacat's waist and pulled her into her side. "Until I've mesh you!"

"I'm not your friend," Seacat spat, trying to wriggle out of the woman's grasp. But Blondie was too strong, even when she wasn't seven foot tall and killing sea monsters for fun. She couldn't hold her drinks, either - Seacat had matched her glass for glass and was only slightly tipsy.

"You're not my friend? But… You hate me!" Blondie wailed. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have lesh you go!"

"That wasn't what I meant!" Seacat protested.

"I'm never leshing you go again! Never!" Blondie declared as she pulled Seacat into her lap.

Getting the princess drunk hadn't really been one of Seacat's better ideas. She was trapped with some drunk princess who still thought Seacat was her long-lost Horde friend.

Once more, she tried to wriggle out of Blondie's grasp but stopped after a moment. Trying that in the woman's lap was… weird. Very weird. "I'm not Catra," she hissed. She didn't want to claw the woman, but she didn't want to spend the rest of the day here. Not really. No, really not!

"I know! You're Sheacat! You've losht your memory! And itsh all my faulsh! I shouldn't have lesh Shadow Weaver shend you away!" Blondie hugged her with so much force, Seacat thought for a moment that she'd transformed into She-Ra without Seacat noticing.

She should call for help… no! That would be too embarrassing. Everyone would know, and Mermista would never let her forget it. "I wasn't sent away. I wasn't in the Horde to begin with!" she hissed. She wasn't Horde. Couldn't be Horde. She was a victim of the Horde! What would her friends think if she were actually Horde? And had posed as a victim for years?

Growling, she grabbed the offending arm that trapped her on Blondie's lap and dug her claws into the skin - not breaking through. Not yet.

"Ow!" Blondie stared at her.

Yes!

"That hurt!" The woman pouted.

Just a little, Seacat told herself. She hadn't even drawn blood. Hell, Mermista and Sea Hawk had had rougher nights. Or something. Not that she wanted to know such things.

Then Blondie beamed at her. "But itsh a good hurt. Tellsh me you're shtill alive!"

Oh, no! Once more, the arms tightened around Seacat's poor body, and she struggled to breathe. "You're hurting me," she complained. "Can't breathe!"

"Oh, no! I hursh you. Yesh. You left! Left me alone!" Blondie sniffled. "Itsh all my fault!"

Seacat agreed with that. Why would the woman drink so much wine if she couldn't hold her liquor nearly as well as she could hold Seacat? Wait! That was an idea that would solve this - or get her maimed. But at this point, she was willing to risk it as long as she could escape this… situation. She forced herself to smile. "Hey, Blondie!"

"And you call me Blondie! I'm Adora! You even forgot my name!" More sniffling followed.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Hey, Adora!"

"Yesh?"

"Can you change into She-Ra?"

"Yesh!" Blondie happily nodded. "I can."

Seacat waited. Blondie kept smiling. Oh, right. "Could you change into She-Ra? Right now?"

"Oh, that'sh what shou meant!"

Blondie reached for her sword, and Seacat used the opportunity and jumped straight out of the woman's lap, putting the table between her and the princess.

"For the Honour of Greyshkull!"

Seacat had to squint as light enveloped Blondie and the woman suddenly grew a foot or two. In height. And a few pounds in hair. She didn't quite stare as the clothes changed into a shining white outfit - dry this time. That was… She swallowed. It was a sight, yes. She-Ra was… impressive. Tall. Toned. And…

"Oh no, what have I done?"

...wailing?

She-Ra shook her head. "What have I done?"

Seacat blinked, then shrugged and shifted on the bench, acting as casually as she could manage. "You got drunk."

"I got drunk!"

"Yes." And now she was sober.

"But… I called you Catra! Even though I know you don't like it and told myself a dozen times not to do it! And I grabbed you!" She-Ra shook her head, sending her wild yet still perfectly styled mane flying. "I did exactly what I shouldn't have done!"

"Well, you were drunk." Seacat shrugged again. As she had hoped, the transformation had sobered up the woman. Which was really unfair - Blondie probably never had a hangover. She could drink as much as she wanted, then change - and everything was fixed without having to drink Sea Hawk's special anti-hangover cure.

"Yes. I…" She-Ra's eyes narrowed. "You got me drunk!"

Seacat grinned. "No. I got myself nicely tipsy. You got yourself drunk when you tried to keep up with me."

The princess blinked. "But… you knew…"

"I didn't know you were such a lightweight," Seacat said. She had hoped to get the woman drunk, but she hadn't known it would be that easy. "You're much heavier than I am, after all."

"Hey!"

Seacat raised her brows at the woman. "Who had trapped who in their lap?"

So She-Ra could blush, she noticed. Quite noticeably. "Uh… sorry. That was… the hot wine!"

"Sure," Seacat drawled.

"Sorry. I didn't know… I mean, I never got drunk before. There was this First One artefact with the virus, but… We never had alcohol in the Horde."

"What?" She stared at She-Ra. "No booze?"

"It was against regulations!"

"So?" As if that would stop a sailor - or soldier.

"It was against the rules," She-Ra repeated herself.

Seacat sighed. "And you're all about following the rules, huh?"

The other woman blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it with a snap, grimacing.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Don't say it." She didn't need to hear how that was just what Blondie's missing friend had always told her.

She-Ra mimed pinching her lips shut with her fingers. "I'm not saying it."

But she was thinking it. Seacat knew it. At least the woman wasn't hugging her any more. Seacat could do without getting squished against Blondie's chest. Or squirming in her lap, getting all weird.

She really could do without all of that. Nodding firmly, she ordered another glass of hot wine. She needed a drink after all of this.

*****​

When Seacat woke up, her head hurt. A lot. And the sun was busy trying to kill her by driving daggers through her eyes. Or something. She groaned and threw an arm over her eyes, shielding them from the evil sun. It wasn't enough, though. So she rolled on her side, curled up, and pulled the blankets over her head.

Or rather, she tried to - they refused to cooperate.

Without opening her eyes - the sun was just waiting for such a mistake - she pulled again. Harder. Still without success.

Growling - her headache was getting worse - she grabbed the sheet with both hands and heaved with all her strength.

The blanket finally settled on her, shielding her from the sun, with a startled yelp.

She blinked. A yelp? Blankets didn't yelp! People yelped. No, no… She couldn't have... Sea Hawk had taught her better than that. Mostly by showing what not to do, but still!

She kept her eyes firmly squeezed shut and patted herself down. Top and bottom - she was in her sleep clothes. That was a good sign. She sighed with some relief.

"Why did you do that?

And Seacat froze again. That was… She pulled the blanket off her and rolled on her other side. "Blondie!" Then she hissed, as the sun shone straight into her sensitive eyes, and her head hurt like one of Sea Hawk's first attempts at baking. Through squinted eyes, she stared at Blondie, who was just getting up from the floor. Fully clothed, Seacat noted.

"Why did you kick me out of your bed?"

"I didn't see you," Seacat replied, then blinked and shook her head - no, no, that hurt. "Wait. Why were you in my bed?"

"I wasn't!" the woman replied. But she was blushing, "Well, not in, uh, that sense. I was just… I've fallen asleep on your bed."

"Why were you on my bed, then?" Seacat asked through clenched teeth.

"That was your fault." Blondie nodded with a slight grin.

"What?" Seacat felt her ears flatten. "What do you mean?"

The woman recoiled a little. "Uh… you were drunk and, well… you had fallen asleep while clinging to me. With your claws!"

Seacat blinked and quickly inspected her claws. "No blood…" She hadn't licked it off, had she? That would be gross.

Blondie held up her jacket. Two sets of rips were visible on its back. Familiar sets.

"Ah." Well, that wasn't Seacat's fault. Blondie should have kept her out of her lap. Or worn a tougher jacket. "Obviously, you managed to free yourself, though."

"Ah, yes, but by then it was late, and… well… I fell asleep." Blondie blushed again. "Sorry."

"You fell asleep on my bed." That was her explanation?

"Yes. Obviously." Blondie nodded in that earnest manner of his. "I'm sorry. I just… I was tired, and, well…"

"Too tired to head to your room."

"Yes."

Seacat sighed. That was a very stupid excuse. If the woman didn't look so… whatever, then Seacat would kick her out of her room. With claws. Although Blondie also had taken Seacat back after she'd gotten stone-drunk. And she was looking at Seacat with such a hopeful expression… "Whatever. My head hurts too much to think this through."

"Oh."

"Not everyone can transform into She-Ra to cure a hangover," she pointed out.

"I didn't know that would work. I never got drunk before."

"Well, good thing I thought of it," Seacat said with a grin. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Uh…"

Of course she wouldn't know it. Seacat squinted and looked outside, braving the glaring sun. "Close to noon."

"Ah."

Well, it was time to get up and get ready for lunch. Seacat pulled the covers away and slid out of bed. Her headache didn't like it, but she managed not to flinch as she rolled her shoulders before stretching her arms and legs.

"Well, I'm gonna get a shower. You should probably do the same, you've slept in your clothes." And she could smell a few taverns and drinks on them. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed that Blondie was staring. That felt good, she realised, and she put a little sway into her walk - not much; her head was still hurting, but enough to be noticeable. Seacat did cut a nice figure, after all, especially… She blinked, a few steps from the bathroom, and turned. "Wait. Did you strip me before I fell asleep?"

Blondie blushed but shook her head. "No, no! When I finally got you loose - I mean, got you to stop clinging to me - you started to strip off your clothes and complained that you were too hot!"

"Oh." Seacat winced, and not just because of her headache. That sounded… well, she could imagine herself saying that. It was still embarrassing. She curtly nodded - which made her wince again - and walked into the bathroom.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she sighed. As far as carousing went, last evening obviously had run into some trouble.

*****​

A long shower and several gulps of water directly from the tap later, Seacat was ready to face the rest of the world - and Blondie - again. She pulled the bathrobe, a far too soft, slightly too short thing with far too many decorative snow and ice motives, on and opened the door.

"...and we were all worried about you! You didn't show up for the meeting! It was a miracle that Frosta still decided to join the alliance!"

Great. The shrimp was here. And Brain Boy. Berating Blondie.

"But Glimmer! I couldn't leave Cat-Seacat alone! She was far too drunk!"

"You could've told us! We would've sent someone to look after her! Probably Sea Hawk to keep him from setting the palace on fire!"

What? Seacat frowned. No one talked bad about her captain in her presence. "Hey!" she snapped.

All three whipped their heads around and stared at her. Had they forgotten that they were in Seacat's room?

"Oh, you're finished," Blondie stated the obvious with a weak smile that twisted a little as her eyes wandered down to Seacat's legs.

Brain Boy looked away, but the Shrimp was glaring at her, Seacat noticed. Then the princess's eyes widened, and she turned back to stare at Blondie. "What did you… Did you skip the meeting for.. this?"

Seacat was tempted to run with this - it was the perfect opening. Walk slowly and with her hips swaying over to Blondie, sit in her lap and run a hand over her face, and let the princess's imagination run amok. But she still had a headache, and a screaming princess would only make it worse. "Simmer down, shrimp," she said instead. "If we had been doing what you're thinking, we would have taken the shower together."

That's what Sea Hawk and Mermista did, in any case.

"I wasn't!" the shrimp blurted out, but she was blushing. As was Blondie. And Brain Boy.

"Wow!" Seacat shook her head, then struggled not to wince and ruin the effect - that had been a stupid move. "You need to get out more."

"I get out plenty!" the shrimp spat. "But I don't get so drunk, I can't find my room."

"That's her fault," Seacat said, pointing at Blondie. "She got me drunk."

"You got me drunk first!" the woman protested.

"I also got you sober again, so that doesn't count," Seacat told her with a grin.

"What? I changed into She-Ra."

"I asked you to."

"But…"

"Oh, shut up! Both of you! You can sort out who got who drunk later!" the shrimp interrupted them. "We've got more important things to worry about!"

"Shouldn't you have said that first, then? Instead of worrying about what we did while we slept together?" Seacat cocked her head. Slowly so it wouldn't hurt.

"Oh, you!" The princess snarled at her. "This doesn't concern you. This is Princess Alliance business. And as you told us, you aren't a member of the alliance."

"I'm not a princess," Seacat replied. "But this is my room, so if you want to talk about 'Princess Alliance business', you should leave." She made a face as she imitated the shrimp.

"And we will!"

"Though you might let Blondie take a shower first."

The shrimp clenched her teeth in a very impressive - and funny - way as she growled at Seacat.

"What? It's not my fault," Blondie complained. "You barged in here before I could get ready, and she was in the bathroom."

"Well, I'm not any more, so feel free to use the bath while I change," Seacat said.

"Enough!" The shrimp grabbed both Brain Boy and Blondie, and all three disappeared with a pop and a cloud of glitter.

Seacat closed her eyes and sighed. Her head really hurt.

*****​

Blondie, shrimp and Brain Boy were absent when Seacat reached the mess - dining hall, she reminded herself - of the palace. But Sea Hawk and Mermista were there. Grinning. Well, Sea Hawk was grinning. Mermista was smirking or something.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened," she told them as she took a seat across the table.

"That's not what we heard!" the captain exclaimed. "You were last seen cradled in the arms of She-Ra, who carried you to your room as gently as if you were a bride on her wedding night!"

"I was drunk," Seacat replied.

"Stone drunk," Mermista added.

Crap. Had the princess seen her? "I had a little too much to drink," Seacat admitted.

"I've paid your tab at the tavern." The smirk grew worse.

"Most of that was Blondie's!" Seacat protested. It could be true, anyway. She reached for some bread and smoked fish - she better start with a light meal. Her stomach still felt a little queasy.

"I would hope so, or you'd be dead," the princess retorted.

"Now, now - my trusty first mate wouldn't die from a little booze!" Sea Hawk shook his head. "Though it was an impressive tab, I have to admit. Almost as impressive as when I won a drinking competition against Scurvy!"

"You needed a Healer afterwards," Mermista told him with a frown. "And it was a near thing."

The captain nodded, beaming at her. "As I said, impressive!"

"Ugh." The princess sighed and turned to Seacat. "Be more careful in the future. And don't get She-Ra drunk."

"She can't get drunk," Seacat told her. "Trust me, we've tested it." She did remember that. And that explained her tab, too!

"Whatever. Just be more…" Mermista gestured with her right hand. "...be less like Sea Hawk."

"Aw!" The captain pouted. "But how can she be happy if she doesn't pursue her love with all the passion she can muster?"

"My love?" Seacat narrowed her eyes, putting down the mug of milk she had been sipping from. Her headache was down to some easily ignored dull throbbing, but if this continued...

"Please!" Mermista rolled her eyes. "You've got the hots for each other. We saw you dancing, remember? If the song had gone on, you'd have started making out on the dance floor!"

"We wouldn't have!" Seacat shook her head, then winced.

"Sure you wouldn't have."

"There's no shame in love, no matter what," Sea Hawk said, standing up. He pointed to the ceiling. "Be true to your feelings! Love is the ultimate adventure!"

"There is nothing like that between us!" Seacat snapped. Yes, her headache was back. "Yes, she's attractive. And I'm hot. But that's all. Hell, we slept together, and nothing happened!" She blinked. That had sounded better in her head. "I mean…"

Mermista blinked as well. "You tried it? Well, you were too drunk, I guess…"

"Oh, no! How awful! You must be so disappointed!" Sea Hawk said. "And poor Adora…"

"No! It wasn't because I was too drunk! We didn't even try!" Seacat glared at both of them until they started to laugh. Then she glared even harder at them. This wasn't how things were supposed to go - Sea Hawk and Mermista were the ones with the weird relationship! Seacat didn't have a relationship. And she didn't want any, anyway!

Huffing, she focused on eating her fish.

Sea Hawk cleared his throat, covering his mouth - and probably his grin - with his fist. "I'm sorry, Seacat. We shouldn't have made fun of you."

"Of course we had to!" Mermista cut in.

"No." The captain even frowned at the princess. "This might be her first serious relationship. This is a very delicate affair. I should've realised this much sooner, and taken steps to help her."

What? Seacat stared at him, her fish forgotten. "'Help me'? With what? And how, exactly?"

"Why, with relationships, of course. While I wouldn't call myself an expert…"

"All your exes want to kill you," Seacat pointed out. "You're hardly a good example to follow."

He gasped. "Not all of them! My dear Mermista here doesn't want to kill me!"

"Not yet, at least," Mermista said.

"Not this week, yet." Seacat scoffed.

"Ah, you wound me!" The captain put a hand on his chest for a moment, then withdrew it. "In any case, as your captain, the sacred bond forged between us compels me to help you in this difficult moment!"

"It's not a difficult moment!" Seacat snarled. "We drank together, and we slept together - we just slept in the same bed. She didn't even pull her clothes off! End of discussion!"

"You slipped twice in one conversation," Mermista said, smirking again. "That's a clear clue!"

"A clue?"

"Yes! Like in a Mermaid Mystery. You might try to lie to the detective, but such clues betray you!" The princess nodded in what she probably thought was a smart, superior manner.

Seacat scoffed again. "This isn't a novel. This was just a shore leave."

"We're still here," Sea Hawk said.

"But we're leaving, right? With the next tide?" Seacat leaned forward. "You settled matters with Princess Frosta, so there's no need to dwell, and Mermista, you really need to return to Salineas before it falls to the Horde in your absence."

"Ah… Yes. In theory. But I was told that there's another matter to discuss with the alliance. Which couldn't be discussed last evening thanks to someone dragging She-Ra through all the taverns of the harbour." Mermista glared at her.

"Hey! I didn't drag her through every tavern in the kingdom." Seacat hadn't entered the ones where she was banned, of course.

"Just most of them?"Sea Hawk grinned.

"Really. This is…"

"There they are!" Seacat interrupted the princess, pointing at the trio who had just entered the dining hall. Shrimp, Brain Boy and Blondie. And they looked angry - or annoyed. Whatever. Important was that they were here and could serve as a distraction. "Hey!" Seacat yelled, waving. "We saved you a spot!"

Blondie looked relieved as she approached them, and, for a moment, Seaca felt guilty for using her like this. Then she remembered that this was all Blondie's fault. If she hadn't carried Seacat to her room last night, the captain and Mermista wouldn't have heard anything about it.

So she waited until they were seated and blurted out: "So, what was in that Horde letter?"

Blondie's smile vanished at once. "Not you too! I already told Glimmer and Bow that it's just a personal message of no importance. Shadow Weaver is trying to manipulate me, that's all. And she won't succeed. Now, that's all."

"And we keep telling you that it's important information that concerns the entire Alliance!" The shrimp replied. "If she's trying to blackmail you…"

"She won't succeed. She has no hold over me any more," Blondie said. "End of discussion."

It was quite obvious that that wasn't true - otherwise, the woman wouldn't be so worked up. Then again, it was her business, not Seacat's.

Of course the shrimp didn't see it that way. "But…"

"Glimmer." Brain Boy finally acted like he had a brain and stopped the princess. "We have to trust Adora."

"Yes!" Blondie agreed. "Have I given you any reason to distrust my judgement?"

Seqacat really didn't like the glance the shrimp pointedly sent her way. Not at all! She might not want or need a relationship, but that didn't mean being interested in her was a mistake or anything!

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 8: The New Frigates

"Psst! Adora!" She peeked down from her bunk. The blonde was asleep. "Hey, Adora!"

Without opening her eyes, the girl below briefly groaned. She didn't really sound awake. It didn't matter.

She whispered: "I can't sleep. Can I sleep in your bed?"

Another groan.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Grinning, she pushed herself off the bed and landed lightly on the floor without making a sound. Well, without making much of a sound - her claws hit the concrete. She tilted her head and listened, her eyes twitching. The others in the barracks didn't react. Good.

A moment later, she was on the bed. It wasn't big, but it was big enough for two. Especially if one of them was as nimble as herself. With a satisfied sigh, she made herself comfortable, stretching out at the foot of the bed - Adora's legs were perfect as a pillow. Much more comfortable than her own, empty bed. Warmer, too.

Curling up, she purred and closed her eyes.

But before she managed to fall asleep, her pillow moved. "Hey! What the… Catra!"

She didn't open her eyes and growled in response.

"What are you doing here?"

She scoffed. Wasn't it obvious? "Sleeping."

"But you've got your own bunk! You were ready to fight for it!"

"And?" She still had her own bunk. That didn't mean she had to sleep in it. It was hers either way. She'd claw anyone who tried to take it.

"'And'?" She heard Adora sigh. "Never mind. But don't use my legs as pillows."

"But they're comfy." And warm. Like Adora.

"And they'll fall asleep if you spend the night on them."

Huh? "Should they stay awake?"

"Not that kind of asleep. They'll be all tingly and numb and stuff in the morning!" Adora came close to hissing - she must be mad.

But she couldn't just give in. That would make her look weak. And you couldn't look weak. To anyone. Not in the Horde. What could she do? Oh! "Alright," she whispered back. "I'll change."

"Good! I really need… what are you doing?"

That was closer to a shriek than a hiss, she noted with a grin as she snuggled up to her friend, placing her head on Adora's tummy. "That's not a leg," she whispered.

"But… ah, alright."

She heard and felt the blonde sigh and smiled. That was even better. She took a deep breath, basking in Adora's scent, and fell asleep.

*****​

Seacat woke up with a frown. Another weird dream. Very weird. If she had to dream of sleeping in Blondie's bed, why couldn't she dream of something more… exciting? But no, instead she dreamt of some Horde children sleepover.

She made a gagging noise and rolled out of her hammock. It was Blondie's fault, anyway. If the woman had come by to see them off, instead of avoiding her and going off with the shrimp and Brain Boy for another 'Important Meeting of the Princess Alliance' - Seacat made a face - then she wouldn't be dreaming of her. They would've settled things. Made it clear that nothing happened or would happen. Just two women drinking together. Like crew.

She nodded to herself and stretched, then rolled her neck, taking deep breaths of the cool - but not cold - morning air at sea. The sun was rising - she was on time. A week out from the Kingdom of Snows, the temperature had much improved. No need to watch out for drifting ice any more, either. That had been a pain - a fast ship like the Dragon's Daughter IV could wreck itself if it ran into even a small patch of drifting ice, and if there was fog, you often barely saw the things in time to avoid them.

After grabbing some hardtack and a dried fish, she climbed up to the bridge, where the captain was manning the conn. "Ah, there you are! Just in time!"

"Of course," she replied with a slight frown. It wasn't as if she'd oversleep at sea. That was limited to shore leave, when it didn't matter.

He yawned. "Just keep us steady - the wind doesn't look like it'll change."

She nodded. "Aye-Aye, captain."

"I assume my dear Mermista is still asleep."

She grunted in response. Of course, the princess was still asleep - she never got up in time.

"Slept well?" the captain asked.

She shrugged. "Can't complain." She wasn't about to discuss her weird dreams with Sea Hawk. He'd either think she was pining for Blondie, or that it was a sign for an adventure or something. And dreams were just dreams. Weird or not.

"You know, we left without properly saying goodbye to our allies…"

Seacat glared at him. "We have a mission, and they have a meeting. Everyone's doing their part."

He chuckled. "Don't let Princess Glimmer hear that!"

Ah? Seacat grinned. Of course, she'd do exactly that! Once they met again.

*****​

An hour later, the captain was asleep, and Mermista was awake - well, the princess was up, but she was still yawning and looking half-asleep as she stumbled on deck.

"Morning!" Seacat yelled.

Mermista grumbled a response that didn't seem to consist of any words, then spent a minute leaning over the railing and staring at the sea. Finally, she turned and climbed the stairs leading to the bridge.

"We're on course, and there haven't been any problems," Seacat told her.

"Ah, good."

Seacat narrowed her eyes a little behind the wheel. She expected some snarky or grouchy comment, not some half-hearted agreement. Something wasn't right.

The princess took a step to the railing here and looked out over the sea again. As if there was anything interesting out there that Seacat hadn't seen. Well, perhaps Mermista was sensing something in the water…

But then the woman turned and smiled at her. "So… did you enjoy the Princess Prom?"

Definitely something afoot. "The food was great. The company was a little too princess-y. And it would have been a lot better if we'd have kicked Horde Bug's butt."

"That's diplomacy for you," Mermista replied. "Everyone lies and plays nice while trying to get one over the other."

Seacat huffed in response. "Doing what's expected is a recipe for defeat," she quoted the captain.

"We made a powerful ally, so it's not as the whole thing was a failure."

"And a lot of princesses got the completely wrong impression of the Horde," Seacat retorted. "They'll be harder to recruit."

"Only until they see the Horde's work first-hand."

"By then it'll be too late," she replied. "But that's a problem for you and your friends. I'm just a sailor."

Mermista snorted at that - but once again, no follow-up comment appeared. Nor did she blame Seacat for the Horde spy's reception. "So… you liked spending time with Adora?"

Oh, no! "I couldn't exactly tell She-Ra to get lost, could I?"

Now Mermista's expression turned into that frown Seacat was so familiar with. Although it was usually aimed at the captain. "Of course you could. And you did that often enough to me. And to other princesses."

"Well, you're…" Seacat trailed off. A friend? Not like the others? Familiar? "You're you," she said instead.

"Why, thank you." Mermista bared her teeth. "I feel so proud."

Seacat shrugged in response, baring her fangs. "You helped blame me for the whole Horde thing," she told her. "And the shrimp really needs to be told more often that she doesn't get to order everyone around."

Mermista started to nod, then sighed. "Ugh. That was supposed to go differently." She shook her head and sighed again. "Anyway, let's restart." An almost creepy smile appeared on her face. "Do you like Adora?"

"What?" Seacat stared at the princess. What kind of question was that?

"You spent a day drinking with her and the night in the same bed." Mermista grinned. "If you don't like her, then something went really wrong."

"That's called getting drunk," Seacat shot back. She didn't hiss, but she growled a little. This was getting too personal, and what relationship she had was no one's business but her own. Not that she had any relationship, anyway!

To her surprise, Mermista looked concerned. "Do you regret what happened?"

Ugh. "Nothing happened, which I told you already. Several times!" She almost turned the wheel because of the stupid question.

"Ugh." Mermista looked to the side. "I should've expected that. I'm no good at this."

"Then don't do it!" Seacat snapped. That should've been obvious.

"Someone has to, and Sea Hawk isn't exactly…"

"Exactly what?" Seacat glared at the princess. If she was bad-mouthing the captain…

"What? No, he's not… Ugh. Look, he's convinced you are in love with Adora. That kind of colours his advice to you."

Love? What the…? She shook her head. "There's nothing between us! She thinks I'm her dead friend, that's all." Really.

"Alright." Mermista nodded, but Seacat couldn't help feeling that the princess wasn't completely convinced of the truth of her words. "Anyway, if you want to talk about whatever happened or didn't happen or should have happened, you can come to me, OK?" She grinned. "No teasing, promise!"

"You already teased me," Seacat replied with a growl.

"Ah, I guess I - we - did. But we didn't realise just how complicated things had become, back then."

"What? Complicated?" Seacat blinked. Was her and Blondie's… tavern tour the talk of the alliance or what?

"Yes. We thought it was just a drunken fling, you know? Drinking, dancing, dallying?"

"Dallying?"

The princess gave her a flat stare. "Sex."

"Oh." She blinked and tried to remember the word. It sounded like something to use when talking to princesses. "Anyway, we just drank and danced, and didn't dally. It's not complicated at all."

Seacat smiled, but Mermista gave her another of those stares that she usually reserved for Sea Hawk when he did something stupid.

"What?"

*****​

"Well, we found the Horde squadron roaming the Southern Seas!" Sea Hawk, standing at the steering wheel, beamed. "Success! And it took us only three days after setting out from Salineas!"

"It looks more as if they found us," Seacat corrected her captain. Then she flinched when another shot from the closest Horde frigate chasing them fell a little too close to the Dragon's Daughter IV. Not close enough to damage them, or splash them, but too close for her liking.

"Nonsense!" The captain, of course, was unflappable. "Our mission was to verify its presence before Mermista's navy starts their own operations, and that's exactly what we did!"

"We still need to escape to actually report in," Seacat pointed out. And that was proving a little harder than expected. "We should've left them behind already," she added. "Instead, they've kept up." Granted, that was because of the wind blowing straight from their aft. If they were tacking against the wind, the Dragon's Daughter IV would've outpaced the frigates easily - but even so, the much larger Horde ships shouldn't have been able to keep up.

"That is quite odd, yes," Sea Hawk said, rubbing his moustache.

"Quite dangerous too," Seacat pointed out as she pulled on a line to straighten the mainsail just a little bit more, to edge out a tiny bit of additional speed. They had set every square inch of sail they could, and it still didn't seem to be enough. If they couldn't sail away, they would have to fight. Ram the closest frigate, then board it… Seacat would fight to the death before she'd let herself be taken by the Horde scum.

"Indeed!" He sounded cheerful. "It's a harrowing adventure! Imagine the tale we will be able to tell my dear Mermista after this!"

"We need to escape them first before we can boast about it." And it didn't look like the Horde would let them escape. Even worse, they still had no clue how the damn frigates were so damn fast. Usually, Salinean ships were faster and handled better than their Horde counterparts, and the Dragon's Daughter IV outsailed either easily. But if the Horde suddenly had improved so much, then that changed the whole balance. And not in the Alliance's favour. "How are they doing this?" she spat. Then she gasped. "Did they manage to finally get a skiff's magic to work over water?" And on a ship the size of a frigate? That would… the Horde would dominate the seas!

Even Sea Hawk looked worried now. For a moment, then he shook his head. "I doubt that. They would've sent out skiffs to harass us in that case. No, it has to be something else. Some added propulsion, indeed, but not like a skiff." He pulled his telescope out and handed it to her. "See if you can spot something that's different about these frigates."

"But…" She glanced at the sails. If she didn't keep adjusting them, they would lose speed. And even the slightest loss of speed could prove fatal in this situation.

"We need the information. Salineas needs it," he told her.

She clenched her teeth and nodded, then raised the telescope.

The sails of the frigates, billowing with the wind, hampered her view, of course - she couldn't spot much. And even with the Horde scum spread out, she barely caught glimpses of the decks. Yet… "Their wakes! Their wakes are different!"

"Oh?"

"Yes!" Seacat had seen the wakes of Horde frigates before. The difference was small, but it was there."

"Perhaps a new hull shape?" Sea Hawk speculated as another shot hit the water a few dozen yards off their stern.

"I'm no shipbuilder," she retorted. "But whatever it is, it has to be what makes the Horde Scum so damn fast."

"But not fast enough to catch us!" Sea Hawk yelled.

"Not so far…" Seacat started to say, then looked at where he was pointing.

And smiled. "A squall!" There was a medium-sized rain cloud in the distance - once they reached it, they'd be all but invisible to the Horde scum.

"Yes! Just in time to save us from relentless pursuit, a squall appears! That's what I call a harrowing adventure!"

"Don't sing the shanty before we actually make our escape," she muttered. But it looked like they would make it out of this mess.

The next shot was so close, part of the water thrown up was carried by the wind to the Dragon's Daughter IV.

Seacat raced down to the main deck and started adjusting the mainsail again. They only needed a smidgen more speed.

Another shot - no, two. And the ship bucked from the force of the blast behind it. The sails fluttered for a moment, and Seacat pulled with all her weight to correct that. They only had to hold out a little longer.

The Dragon's Daughter IV swung a little to starboard - Seacat gasped, then realised that the captain was adjusting the course since the wind was changing a little. If it kept changing…

The next shots fell further behind them. And the wind was still turning. And she could feel the first drops of rain on her fur as she raced to the foresail.

Yes! Seacat bared her teeth in a fierce smile as more and more drops hit her face and upper body and splashed against her leggings. They would make their escape!

*****

"...and as soon as we disappeared in the squall, we changed course, and by the time we were out of the rain, the Horde scum was far off the course, unable to catch up any more as we tacked back!" Sea Hawk finished with a wide smile, arms spread.

"Uh." Mermista didn't look impressed - she was slouching on her throne, Seacat noticed. She wasn't bored, though - she looked annoyed. "We already knew you escaped, since you made it back here."

"But not how! A feat of daring seamanship, a harrowing adventure, an escape in the last second, before mysterious foes caught up…"

"Speaking of catching up," the princess interrupted the captain. "How exactly did they manage that?"

"That's a very good question." Sea Hawk nodded with a serious expression. After a moment, he added: "We don't know, though."

"Ugh." Mermista rolled her eyes, even more annoyed now. Frustrated. And not in the Sea Hawk way.

"They had a different wake," Seacat said before the princess could start an argument. "We don't know if they have a different hull, or if there's something else."

"We wondered if they managed to get a skiff's magic working on water, but they would've used skiffs against us in that case," Sea Hawk said. "And they didn't. So…" He shrugged.

"The Horde frigates were always slower than our own frigates. The Horde's yards were focusing on quantity, not quality," Mermista said. "And their designs showed a lack of experience. Salineas, however, has a naval tradition reaching back centuries."

As expected of an island kingdom, of course. Yet… "That doesn't mean they'll stay behind forever. With all their weird magic and tech, they could've found a way to, ah, even things out," Seacat said.

"More than even things out," Sea Hawk said. "If they can almost catch the Dragon's Daughter IV, the fastest ship on all the seas, then they will outsail any frigate."

Which meant the Salinean fleet would be horribly outmatched. Even the best skill and experience wouldn't help if the other side had such an advantage.

Mermista's expression showed that she was fully aware of this. "We need to know what they did to their ships."

"Exactly!" Sea Hawk beamed. "And I have a plan for finding out!"

And Seacat had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

*****​

Splitshard, once a thriving port according to Sea Hawk, now the largest Horde naval base in the Southern Sea, looked busy. At least as far as Seacat could tell looking through a telescope from a mountaintop a few miles away, across the bay. The Horde scum was filling the piers, a few marching in formation, most running this and that way, like ants on an anthill, carrying sacks of supplies back and forth between warehouses and piers.

Warehouses that had the typical look of horde buildings - massive, flat-roofed and ugly, with lots of pipes running up and down the walls and across the roof. Warehouses that had replaced whatever buildings had stood there before the conquest. There wasn't much left of the original town - the walls had been turned into massive fortifications, earthworks dotted with turrets and barbed wire and most of the town had been remodelled, Horde style. A few older houses still stood, forming a small quarter in the landwards part of it, but they looked run-down as well.

She clenched her teeth. Whatever the Horde touched, it ruined. Like her own home.

Seacat took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on the harbour. They couldn't do anything about the town, not yet. They were here to find out what made the new frigates of the Horde fleet so damn fast.

"Hm…" she heard Sea Hawk next to her. "All the ships look the same."

They did. Typical Horde frigates, utterly exchangeable. They didn't even have proper names, as far as Seacat knew. Just numbers. But that was enough to identify the frigates they sought - or, rather, their absence. "I don't see the ships that chased us," she said.

"Must be still at sea," the captain replied. "But I doubt that those were the only of their class."

"Yes." That wouldn't be the Horde's style - they were big on uniformity, as Mermista called it. But the Horde frigates in port did look like the old, familiar ones. Sails, cannons, decks… She narrowed her eyes. That frigate in the corner was sporting additional portholes in the hull, at the stern. Large ones. Or… air intakes?

She pointed it out to Sea Hawk.

"Well-spotted!" He praised her. "And most of the frigates have them, or so it seems - that must be a sign of the new modification."

"Yes."

"Now all we need is to sneak in and find out what exactly was done to them!"

Sneak into the largest Horde naval base in the area. And out again.

Great. "No disguises!" she said.

"Of course not!" Sea Hawk scoffed. "We already used that plan to infiltrate Serpent's Maw. We can't use the same trick twice. Not in close succession, at least!"

That was good to hear. But… Seacat frowned. "What's your plan, then?"

"We'll swim, of course!" The captain beamed at her. "We need to inspect the hull of the Horde frigates anyway, so we might as well start in the water already! And they'll never expect that!"

"It's a naval base," Seacat pointed out. "They'll be watching the sea."

"For ships and boats. But not for people in the water. And we'll be diving!"

"Diving." She felt her ears flatten against her head. Diving. "You said swimming."

"It's the same, just underwater."

In theory. "We should have Mermista to help with that." Without the princess's power, Seacat didn't think they would have an easy time swimming that far underwater.

"She's needed at home - with rumours of new Horde ships spreading, the Salinean people need her. But don't worry - I've got a perfect plan!" Sea Hawk almost stood up and pointed to the sky, but she managed to drag him down before he exposed them.

"Not here," she hissed.

"Sorry." He grinned in return. "But you'll love it!"

*****​

She didn't, in fact, love it. "Snorkelling?" She asked, looking at the devices the captain had laid out on the deck of the Dragon's Daughter IV, which was currently hidden in a small cove further down the coast.

"Yes! With snorkels, we can stay underwater as long as we need to - long enough to pass the entrance to the harbour!" Sea Hawk raised his arm and pointed towards the sky, which was darkening already as the sun was setting.

"Unless they have patrols underwater - they have fishpeople in the Horde," Seacat reminded him.

"Fishpeople might be able to breathe underwater, but they cannot see in the darkness - unlike you. As long as we wait until the sun has set, we shall be like ghosts in the night, floating past them with no Horde soldier the wiser!" Sea Hawk nodded to his own words. "Although some fishpeople have very good noses, so we're in need of a small distraction. Just in case."

"A distraction?" Seacat frowned. Then her eyes widened as she remembered what else the captain had brought with them. Fish oil. Concentrated fish oil. "No! I have a good sense of smell as well!" And she couldn't stand the stench.

"You'll be underwater, and unless you suddenly start breathing water, your nose will be fine," the captain retorted.

"I won't stay underwater," she said. "And the stuff reeks. You want us to coat ourselves with it?" Her lovely fur… She shuddered.

"Only a little, to dampen our own scent." He nodded, "I learned that when I was sneaking into the Underwater Grotto after I was banned for the first time. They have fishmen bouncers."

"I know - I've been there, remember?" Seacat reminded him. She hadn't been banned, after all.

"Yes, of course. Anyway - just a cup of oil, spread over your skin - your fur - will fool the best noses in the sea. Although it won't fool sharks if you happen to be bleeding."

He was looking at her expectantly, but she didn't ask how he had found out that tidbit - they would be here all night if he launched into another tale. And they had a mission. "If this doesn't come out of my fur, I'll keep dousing you in it until it's gone."

He laughed.

*****​

An hour later, they were ready. And stinking. Seacat had to plug her nostrils; the fish oil stench was so bad, it had even put her off of having fish for dinner. At least when snorkelling, she wouldn't smell it.

And they wouldn't have to swim the whole distance - they could use planks disguised as driftwood as floaters to approach with the rising tide most of the way. In theory at least.

She checked her belt and cutlass again so she was sure she wouldn't lose it in the water. Without her leggings, it rubbed her thigh a little, but that wouldn't be a problem in the water. "I'm ready."

"So am I!" Sea Hawk struck a pose and flexed his muscles.

"Save that for Mermista," she replied.

He pouted for a moment, then smiled. "I will! I might tell her of this adventure when we're in her private bath!"

"You should also use the fish oil so she can get a better impression," Seacat told him with a smirk.

"That's a…" He blinked, then frowned at her. "That's a nasty trick you tried to pull on me!"

Seacat giggled and grabbed her plank. It was time to start their mission.

*****​

Even with the planks, and the rising tide dragging them along, it was a long way to the base. By the time they were approaching the entrance to the Horde harbour, Seacat wasn't worried about the state of her fur any more - she wished she had slathered more grease and oil on her. The water wasn't very cold here in the south, but she was still feeling it.

"Aright!" she heard Sea Hawk whisper from ahead of her. "Now we'll have to snorkel. Follow my lead!"

"Yes," she replied, more loudly - he didn't have her ears. A moment later, she saw him mount his snorkel and slide under the water, though still holding on to the plank. She followed his example, biting into the mouthpiece when the cold water covered her head and entered her ears. That was one reason she preferred swimming to diving - her ears weren't made for underwater.

She realised quickly that the snorkel must have come into contact with the fish oil; she could taste the oil with every breath. But they were already committed - even underwater, she could see the lights of the base's garrison sweep over the sea ahead of them. It wouldn't help them, though. Not to spot two divers.

She told herself that a few more times as the tide carried them closer and closer to the harbour entrance. Then she spotted something ahead, underwater - something massive and long. She held her breath for a moment before she realised that it was the chain that secured the harbour's entrance. The links were as large her entire torso, she noticed as she slipped above it. There was no way even a Salinean frigate would be able to force her way through that. Smaller boats, though, might work, she noted.

But they were now inside the harbour - and no alert had been sounded. As far as she could tell, at least. And Sea Hawk was still ahead of her. Things were going well. All they had to do now was to find one of the modified frigates and inspect their stern and hulls.

The captain had stopped moving, letting her catch up. "That one," she whispered as soon as she reached him, pointing at the second frigate at the pier ahead.

He nodded in response and went under again, only the snorkel peeking out of the water. Time to lose the planks - they wouldn't make it out of the harbour with them anyway; not against the tide.

Sea Hawk was a good swimmer, better than her, she had to admit, but he was pacing himself - she could easily keep up as they swam towards their target.

The Horde frigate quickly loomed over them - she had to crane her neck to look at the masts with the reefed sails for a last check before she focused on the hull. Sixteen gunports on one side; that hadn't changed. She couldn't check the cannons themselves, since the ports were closed, but the chase guns on the foredeck looked like the same guns she was familiar with. There was no one on the foredeck, as far as she could tell, but there would be a watch on the bridge; the Horde wasn't incompetent.

And indeed - as they swam along the hull to the stern, she could see two figures on the bridge, leaning against the railing. Damn! If they looked down… She quickly reached out to Sea Hawk and tugged on his arm until he looked at her. Then she pointed down.

He didn't argue - he simply dived down. She followed. If they swam under the keel of the ship, they could surface for air on the other side, and then start diving to inspect the stern.

As she dived, she ran her hand over the hull - it was plated, but with a different material than usual. That alone wouldn't explain the higher speed, though. All the Salinean ships had sheaths on their hulls as well, and the Dragon's Daughter IV's hull was kept immaculately clean thanks to its construction.

She glanced towards the stern as she cleared the keel - there was something sticking out of the keel at the aft… And there was something moving there! Someone - a fishman!

If the Horde scum raised the alarm, Seacat and Sea Hawk were dead - they couldn't escape the harbour. Not with everyone looking for them.

No time to resurface - if the enemy had spotted them, it would be too late. She clenched her teeth and swam towards the figure, drawing her cutlass halfway to her mark.

Seacat hated fighting underwater - she couldn't use most fencing techniques Sea Hawk had taught her, and the water's resistance made her feel sluggish and slow. But she knew how to fight - be it against sea monsters or Horde scum. Same difference, anyway.

The fishman - she couldn't make out his exact type, but he didn't have tentacles and wasn't a shark - was doing some work on the thing protruding from the keel. Fixing a hole or something? It didn't matter right now. What mattered was that he was so focused on his work, he didn't notice her until she was almost on top of him. But when he saw her, he didn't hesitate - he immediately tried to flee.

And the man was fast - if she hadn't been about to strike, he would've escaped. But as it was, her energy blade caught him in the chest as he whirled, and he bent over, clutching his ribs.

That gave her enough time to grab onto his flailing arm with her free hand, digging her claws into his flesh. He tried to shake her off as she drew her cutlass back for another stab at him, but without success - she wrapped her legs around his waist before he managed to free his arm at the cost of her claws carving deep gouges into it.

Blood started to colour the water around them, yet the fishman was still fighting - he struck at her with his good arm, and she only managed to deflect the blow so it hit her shoulder. That also stopped her from stabbing him - her thrust went wide.

At least he had stopped trying to drag her to the surface with him, but her air was starting to run out. Damn. She had to finish this quickly! He hit her in her side, hard enough to make her lose air but not hard enough to dislodge her, and she lashed out with her left hand, slashing across his face.

He recoiled - a familiar reaction, somehow - and hit her with both flailing arms. If not for the water softening the blows, she would've been doomed. But she needed air!

She struck again, this time going for his gills. Her claws sliced through the soft flesh there and tore into his throat. They got stuck on something, almost entangled, but then he hit her again, and as the force of his frantic blow finally forced her away from him and dislodged her snorkel, it also forced her claws to come free - taking half his throat with them.

Seacat lunged again, holding on to the thrashing, dying Horde scum. He couldn't surface. Not alive, not dead - that would alert the watch on deck. But she needed air. Damn, she needed to breathe.

She pushed herself up, using her legs to push the fishman down herself towards the surface, grabbing frantically for her snorkel. If she stayed underwater she should be safe. But the snorkel was full of water - and she didn't have the breath left to blow it clear.

She had to risk it. She surfaced and gulped down air, chest heaving, then quickly emptied the snorkel and dived below the water again. If anyone had seen her… But no lights came searching for her. And she could breathe again - although the air faintly tasted like blood through the snorkel.

Blood… damn, any shark within miles would soon smell the blood in the water. And any fishman with a sensitive nose, too. Where was Sea Hawk? And where was the Horde scum?

She took a deep breath and dived again, swimming downwards as fast as she could. Where was… Oh! Sea Hawk was there, sticking the fishman's corpse to the hull? She should've thought of that! That way, it wouldn't surface and tip off the Horde sailors on watch.

She swam to him, then pointed at the pipe the Horde scum had been fixing. It was large - and aimed straight at the rudder. And open. That must be what made the frigates faster! But how did it work?

She gripped it - metal, and quite thick - and peered inside. There was something glowing dimly, very dimly, inside. But even her sharp eyes couldn't make out what it was. And she needed to breathe again.

She had enough air left to clear her snorkel, so she didn't have to actually surface, but it was still too close for comfort. How long would it be until the fishman would be missed? Did he have a schedule to report in? An upcoming shift change? She didn't know how the Horde ran things. She should have asked Blondie about such things.

No - this wasn't the time to think about what she should've done. She had a mission to finish. If only she knew…

Sea Hawk surfacing next to her interrupted her thoughts. He pointed forward, towards the bow of the frigate. Oh! She nodded and sank a little, then swam along the hull towards the bow.

Yes! Below the waterline - way below - there was an opening in the middle, protected by a grate. The same width of the pipe in the back. So…. water would go in here, and out in the back. Somehow pushing the ship ahead.

The captain pointed up again, then swam up. Seacat followed him. This time, he surfaced, so she did the same, resisting the urge to shake the water out of her ears.

"We've got it," he announced. "Now it's time for a distraction!"

Distraction? Her eyes widened as she saw him pulling a bottle from his belt. What was he trying to do with his spare fish oil...? No, that wasn't fish oil! Of course, Sea Hawk wouldn't sneak into a Horde base without planning to set something on fire!

As she realised this, the captain quickly pulled the cap off the bottle, revealing a wick stuffed into the top part. He pulled it out, then activated his energy sword and set it on fire.

Seacat dived under the water - just in case he missed his throw. When she resurfaced, she saw flickering lights above her, on the frigate's foredeck. And she could hear cries from the watch.

It was past time to get the hell out of the harbour. As fast as she could, Seacat swam towards the exit at snorkel depth. Which wasn't as fast as she liked, what with the tide still rising. But she was still faster than Sea Hawk, if not by far.

And as much as she didn't like to admit it, the distraction was working - everyone seemed to be headed towards the frigate, instead of hunting for them. Then again, it wouldn't take them long to realise that saboteurs were in the water, and start searching. They had to hurry and get out of the harbour so they could go with the tide, further into the bay, away from the base.

She kept swimming, expecting searchlights to go off at any moment. But they didn't. Not until they had passed over the chain again and entered the bay proper, where the tide pulled them away from prying eyes, to the floaters they had stashed in advance to help them cross the bay to the Dragon's Daughter IV.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 9: The Milk Run

"Cadets! Fall in line!"

She growled as she started moving - the instructor was screaming loud enough to hurt her ears. Were they deaf or something? It wasn't uncommon in the Horde, especially among former artillerymen. Or sailors. The big cannons were incredibly loud.

But they didn't need to yell that loud, she thought as she jogged towards the wall across the square. She didn't need to be the fastest, she only needed to beat Kyle, who was still limping from his mishap on the obstacle course, to not be the last cadet of the formation. And she could beat him in her sleep even when he wasn't hurt.

Then she saw Adora, already at parade rest at the head of the line, glaring at her. Scoffing, she sped up. Her friend was always on her case about not making an effort - as if you needed to. She'd seen the actual soldiers - they never gave their all in drills. As long as she did enough to succeed, everything was fine.

She grinned as she took up position next to Adora, elbowing Lonnie out of the way. "Hey, Adora," she whispered.

"Catra!" her friend hissed back. "You need to be quicker! The instructor knows you can do better."

She was about to retort, but then Kyle finally arrived, and the instructor started screaming again, and her ears hurt once more. As if they would win the war by standing extra-straight in formation! All that would do was to present the princesses with better targets! She suppressed a chuckle at her thought.

"Cadet Catra! Did I say something funny?"

She froze and clenched her teeth. Damn. The Instructor had noticed. "No, Force Sergeant!" she yelled.

"Then why were you grinning like a demented rebel? Huh?"

She stood ram-rod straight, as their first instructor - who had been a deaf former artillerywoman - had called it. "I don't know, Force Sergeant!"

"If you can grin like an idiot, you can do pushups - all of you! Give me thirty, everyone!"

She hissed as she dropped down and started doing pushups. This was bad. And so unfair - everyone would be on her case for this as if it was her fault that the instructor was an arse.

"I told you!" Adora whispered next to her.

"Shut up!" she hissed back.

"If you can still whisper, you can do ten more!"

She suppressed a growl. This was Adora's fault! Not hers!

*****​

In her hammock on the Dragon's Daughter IV, on the way back to Salineas, Seacat sighed without opening her eyes. Another weird, stupid dream. She had never been a soldier, much less a Horde soldier. And she'd never been drilled like this - the closest she had come to such exercises was observing some Horde scum walking in formation in the naval base they had left yesterday. It was better than dreaming of the dead Horde fishman, but still...

It was all Blondie's fault. If the woman hadn't insisted, even drunk, that Seacat was her missing, dead friend, she wouldn't keep having such weird nonsense dreams. She'd give the princess a piece of her mind next time they met - and not the piece of her mind that kept dreaming of her!

*****​

"And this is how the propulsion mechanism looked, yes? Yes! Oh, I see! They must have managed to find a solution for the fouling. Something to prevent the impurities found in seawater from building up inside a crystal-laced matrix when the water's partially steamed while being funnelled through it. How ingenious! I'm almost jealous! Field trip log, day seven: First results have appeared but require further examination and research!"

Seacat glanced at the others in Mermista's throne room while the hair princess was talking to herself - or to the thing in her hand. Mermista was closely paying attention but trying not to look like it, lounging on the throne - but the way she tightly held her trident betrayed her. Sea Hawk was smiling at the princess and acting as if he didn't notice.

Brain Boy was nodding along with the hair princess, but the shrimp looked lost yet trying to fake it. And Blondie…

...was looking at Seacat with a smile on her face.

Seacat quickly looked away, then clenched her teeth for her stupid reaction. People could look and smile at her how much they wanted to; that was no skin off her butt. She felt her cheeks heat up a little and drew a hissing breath as she stood straighter, pushing her chest out.

Seacat had no reason to be embarrassed - she had every reason to be proud, instead! They had returned with vital information for the Princess Alliance! A harrowing adventure, indeed, as Sea Hawk had told it - even if the frigate he had set on fire probably hadn't burned down to the waterline.

Then she realised that she was standing ramrod straight - just as she had been standing in line in her dream.

She forced herself to slouch a little and shifted her weight, then put one foot in front. "So… what can we do about those ships? As they are, they'll sail circles around the Salinean frigates."

"Oh…" The Hair Princess looked as if she hadn't even considered that. That wasn't a good sign. "Well, I guess… the mechanism that provides propulsion by pumping water through the ship requires both a sort of fuel and air - the additional air intakes at the stern lead to that conclusion. Otherwise, they wouldn't really be necessary. Although I wonder why they didn't add the air intakes on the front of the ship."

"That's called the bow," Seacat told her.

"Right, the bow." The princess blinked. "Did you ever think of putting a giant bow there? To shoot giant arrows at the enemy? I just did, and it sounds like a fun thing!"

"That's called chase guns, and we've had them for a while," Mermista cut in. "Back on topic: How can we counter those ships?"

"Well, as I said, they need some sort of fuel and air, according to my preliminary calculations and deductions. And, as the grate on the water intake on the front - the bow, sorry - shows, the pump mechanism is also susceptible to foreign objects. Whether they could damage the mechanism or would merely reduce its efficiency remains to be discovered. In any case, clogging the intake should greatly hamper the whole propulsion system," the Hair Princess rambled on. "As would, presumably, clogging up the air intakes. They probably are quite close to the actual mechanism, by the way, and must be rather voluminous - otherwise, from an efficiency point of view, it would've been much better to add intakes in the front as well."

"Clogging up the intakes, hmm?" Sea Hawk was rubbing his moustache, Seacat noticed. "That sounds like a daring plan!"

"You'd need to get very, very close," Seacat pointed out.

"Exactly! A harrowing adventure!"

"I don't think that we're that desperate yet," Mermista said.

"Coulda fooled me," the shrimp mumbled under her breath - Seacat overheard her, of course - which prompted Brain Boy and Blondie to frown at their friend.

"Not to mention that we'd have to face their guns to get close enough to clog their pipes," Seacat added. "Best case, that's two chase guns handled by their best gunners. Worst case, they turn and give us a broadside." And even average Horde gunners wouldn't miss too much at point-blank range.

Sea Hawk, of course, looked even more eager.

"And even if you can manage, you're just one crew. We'd need at least one ship per enemy frigate," Mermista said. "Small ships with expert sailors willing to face such odds…"

"Exactly!"

"Well, I could help with that!" Hair Princess piped up.

"You could?" Mermista looked surprised.

"Sure I could! A catapult to deliver the payload, and you won't have to go near the enemy at all!" The princess's hair tentacles were moving rapidly as she started sketching things on a whiteboard nearby. And on the wall next to it. Mermista wouldn't be pleased.

"A catapult! That could be used with different payloads, right?" Sea Hawk asked, beaming at the princess.

"Sure, I guess," the Hair Princess replied without looking up from her scribbled notes.

"Perfect! This might revolutionise boarding tactics!"

"No!" Seacat blurted out - together with half the people in the room.

*****​

An hour later, the meeting had broken up. Officially, at least - it had become a research and development session, as the Hair Princess called it, long before that, of course. Seacat didn't care either way. As long as the Alliance found a way to stop the Horde frigates - preferably without sending brave sailors, like Seacat herself, to their doom - she was fine with it. Although she wasn't looking forward to having a catapult installed on the Dragon's Daughter IV. That was as bad as hiring Sea Hawk to transport a cargo full of oil drums.

"That was very brave of you," Blondie interrupted Seacat's thoughts. "Sneaking into the naval base like that…"

Seacat narrowed her eyes a little, then grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? We're the best!" They had done well, after all.

The shrimp frowned a little at her boasting, Seacat noted, but Blondie smiled. "Though now it's our turn. We'll have to find out what fuel those frigates need."

Seacat hid her frown. If she had paid more attention to the warehouses in the base, she might've found out that information as well. She should have, in any case, but she had been too focused on the ships. Sloppy. And now Blondie would have to do a spy mission. "I still say we could sneak into the naval base again."

"You probably could," Blondie admitted, "but then who would fetch the materials Entrapta needs?"

Someone with a slower boat. Which might mean the princess's devices wouldn't be ready in time for the next battle. If they were too slow, a possible Horde blockade might stop them entirely. There were good reasons for Sea Hawk and Seacat not doing the spy mission, but she didn't like them anyway. "Well, don't get caught. Wouldn't want to have all our work be ruined."

Blondie snorted. "We won't!"

"And if we are, I'll get us out," the shrimp butted in. "I can move us across the entire Fright Zone in a single teleport," she boasted.

"Yes, you're really good at running away," Seacat told her with a wide smile that grew even wider when she saw the princess scowl.

*****​

Seacat spotted Blondie before the other woman reached the pier that the Dragon's Daughter IV was tied to and sighed. She knew that walk: All determination and stubbornness. Like Mermista when she was angry. No, actually it was different. And she hadn't seen Blondie like that before, had she? So why...

"Hello."

And there she was. Seacat forced her stupid thoughts away. "Ahoy," she replied with a grin.

"Permission to come aboard?"

Oh? Had she been reading up on sailing? "We're no fancy navy ship with all that stuff. Hop on deck."

Blondie did. She wasn't jumping as easily as Seacat, or with as much style as Sea Hawk, but it was still impressive. Sort of.

"I thought you were planning your spy mission," Seacat said. Just as she was preparing the ship for their own mission."

"Well, I told them all I knew. I was never actually in the Horde Supply Corps, so that wasn't all that much," Blondie said. "Glimmer and Mermista will be sorting it out."

That made sense. Mermista knew all about the Horde supply routes by sea, and the shrimp would know about the landlubber side of the war. Or should - Bright Moon had been on the frontlines for years, after all, and the shrimp apparently was the commander of their army.

"So you came to help me get the ship ready because you were bored." Seacat nodded as if that was obvious.

"No!" Blondie blinked. "I mean… not that I won't help, but I wasn't bored."

"You weren't? Those were some of the most boring meetings I had ever seen," Seacat lied. She had seen and attended far worse.

"Really?" Blondie looked surprised, and, for a moment, Seacat thought she would call her on her claim. Then the other woman shook her head. "No, I came for another reason." She stood a little straighter and narrowed her blue eyes slightly, facing Seacat. "Why are you needling Glimmer?"

Oh. Seacat narrowed her eyes in turn. Defending her best friend, was she? "Someone has to, to keep her head from getting too big." And it was fun to see her all worked up, of course.

"She isn't like that!" Blondie protested. "She works very hard. And she cares about everyone."

This time, Seacat huffed. "She's a princess and thinks she knows best."

"Well…" Blondie looked quite cute with that scrunched-up expression, but she couldn't deny this, could she? "But that's still no reason to make her mad!"

"It's also funny." Seacat bared her fangs at Blondie. "And she needs to learn how to control her temper before she becomes queen. I'm actually helping her."

Blondie opened her mouth, then closed it before opening it again. "That's… That's…" Suddenly, she frowned at Seacat. "You're just doing this because you think it's fun, aren't you?"

Rats. Seacat took care to shrug in an especially bored-looking way. "You can have more than one reason for doing something, can't you?"

The frown didn't vanish. "Yes. But you're doing it because you think it's funny."

Seacat was frowning herself now. "Well, it is funny. You should try it yourself," she added with a slightly forced grin. She had no reason to feel bad - it was funny, but also needed. Two birds, one stone or something.

Once more, Blondie gaped at her. Then the woman sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Glimmer doesn't think it's funny."

"That's part of why it's funny," Seacat retorted. "Don't you think it's at least a little funny?"

Blondie shook her head with a stern expression. Still, Seacat had seen a hint of a smile and a little red blush appear for a moment before vanishing again. So she smiled widely at the other woman until Blondie sighed.

"I didn't actually come here to talk about you and Glimmer, you know?"

"No, I didn't," Seacat replied. "Why did you do it, then?"

"I thought it was a good opener."

Seacat snorted. "You should've opened with 'Hey, can I help you?' instead."

"Then you'd have me sweep the deck for an hour."

Seacat smirked. Of course she'd have done that - who would turn down free help? "So, why did you come then?"

Blondie sighed again. That was a bad sign. "What you did was very dangerous."

Seacat shrugged. "Someone had to do it. Might as well send the best, so it actually gets done."

"Yes, but… Look, we've got a good plan, but we might be a little too late to stop the Horde frigates."

Seacat clenched her teeth. "We'll try anyway!" The Horde would take the kingdom over her dead, floating - or sinking - body.

"Yes, but… What I meant was that you're doing dangerous missions. You might…" Blondie took a deep breath. "...you might die on one of your missions."

"Yes," Seacat said, nodding. She tried to appear confident and casual. She didn't want to die, but war was dangerous. Of course, so was she. And anyway… "The same goes for you," she pointed out.

"Oh, I'm She-Ra, I'm very hard to kill. It's you I'm worried about."

Did she just…? Seacat felt her tail poof up as she clenched her teeth and growled at the idiot. "Worry about yourself, first!"

"But…" Blondie looked confused. "I didn't mean you're helpless or weak…"

"Of course not!" Seacat scoffed. The woman just had to double down on the insult, had she?

"But… you're usually alone out there, with no one except Sea Hawk, and in a small ship. I'm fighting with Glimmer, Bow, Perfuma, Netossa, Spinderella and sometimes Frosta. And Bright Moon's army, of course. If I should get hurt - which I haven't yet, not really - there are lots of people to help and save me."

"And you're facing the entire Horde," Seacat shot back.

"Not the entire Horde - they have to garrison a lot of territory, and we keep them off-balance with raids all along the border, so they need to use even more soldiers to guard their supply lines."

Seacat rolled her eyes. "And they don't raid your supply lines?" The Horde soldiers were scum, but they weren't stupid.

Blondie grinned. "They try, but they don't have princesses. They need a lot more troops to stop one of our raids than we need to stop one of theirs."

"They have the bug woman," Seacat retorted. And that woman looked like she could take on an army by herself.

"Ah… Scorpia rarely appears on the frontlines."

"Then she must be up to something worse."

"Well, we'll see. Scorpia isn't your typical Horde soldier."

"Of course she isn't. If she were, we'd have lost the war already. At least on land." Seacat bared her fangs at the other woman in a sneer.

"Hey!" Blondie frowned at her in return. "Anyway, I'm just saying you're taking bigger risks than we do. Especially with those super-ships the Horde has now."

"So? We've taken even worse risks." Hell, Blondie had been there - well, present - in the Battle of Salineas!

"What? But…" The other woman pressed her lips together for a moment, visibly trying to calm down. "Look, I'm worried about you."

"Worried about me? Or about your friend?" Seacat huffed and crossed her arms.

"I'm worried about you no matter what." Blondie glared back.

Which meant she still thought Seacat was her former Horde cadet friend. "Well, you don't have to be. We're going on a milk run. Even with cargo, we can outsail the Horde frigates."

"You were saved by a raincloud last time," Blondie retorted.

"We were caught in a bad spot with the wind blowing from the wrong direction," Seacat told her. "But even then, we could've escaped if we had known how fast the Horde frigates were. Now that we know, they won't catch us downwind like that again." The Dragon's Daughter IV would start evading much sooner, and they'd pick a route that wouldn't let the Horde ships use their sails to best effect.

"And what if the wind turns?" Blondie shook her head. "It's still more dangerous than what we're doing on land."

"Yeah, because ships can so easily hide in the brush or in a building and ambush you."

"We've turned the last such ambush back on them," Blondie said, glaring. "I doubt that they'll try that again anytime soon."

"Why not? They've got soldiers to spare, and they only need to get lucky once."

"That also goes for you!"

"It's not the same on the sea." It was different. A different war.

"Why not?"

"We're fighting ships, not soldiers." Unless they were fighting a boarding action, of course.

"So? One unlucky hit and your mast goes down, and you're helpless!"

So, Blondie had been studying naval warfare or something. Or she had paid more attention to Seacat's stories at the Princess Prom than Seacat had expected.

"One unlucky hit and you're out. Or one of your friends."

"I'm very tough."

"Tough enough to bounce a cannon shell off your hair poof?" Shells that could wreck ships didn't care about tiaras.

"Well… I've never tried that. I mean, I've never had to try. Wait! Are you making fun of my hairstyle?"

"Is this a serious question?" Seacat cocked her head with a grin.

"My hairstyle is perfectly fine!" Was Blondie finally getting angry?

"Perhaps in the Horde."

"Hey! No one else had my hairstyle!"

"I think I'll have to raise my estimation of our enemies' intelligence, then." She bared her fangs at the stupid, stubborn woman.

Suddenly, Blondie was laughing. After a moment, Seacat joined in. She couldn't help it, for some weird reason.

"I'm just worried about you," Blondie said after both of them had calmed down again, leaning against the railing.

"But you expect everyone else not to worry about you?"

"I'm She-Ra. I'm supposed to protect everyone else. That's my destiny."

"Who said that?"

"Li… that's not important." The woman shook her head. "I'll fight, and we'll win."

"Yes, of course." They had no choice, after all.

"But I worry that, well…" Blondie trailed off. "If we couldn't…"

"Couldn't what?" Seacat narrowed her eyes again. Couldn't have sex? Or couldn't 'remember'? If this was just another attempt to make her believe that she was a former Horde scum...

Blondie stared at her for a moment, wetting her lips. Then she sighed. "Just don't die."

Seacat scoffed. "Don't worry."

Blondie's chuckle sounded very forced.

*****​

One of the worst parts of a milk run was the boredom. Seacat was reminded of that fact a few days into their cargo trip. The wind was blowing steady and from behind them, the course was easy to keep, and there were no enemies on the horizon. Which meant there was nothing to do. Well, not nothing - you could always clean or fix something on a ship, so she was currently splicing rope - but nothing that really required her concentration.

Or Sea Hawk's. Which was worse.

She suppressed a sigh when she saw the captain approach her on the foredeck. "Hey! Everything shipshape?"

"Of course," she replied. As if she'd accept anything else.

"Good, good!" He leaned against the railing across from her, then looked at the horizon, then at the top of the mast.

"What?" Seacat asked, rolling her eyes.

"What?"

"What do you want?" she asked again. It wouldn't be a good thing - Sea Hawk rarely needed to work up to a talk with her. He was more the 'blurt it out' type.

"Ah." He beamed at her. "Since the sea and the wind are currently favouring us, I thought we could have a talk or something!"

"The weather can change in a heartbeat," she reminded himself.

"If it does, we'll be at our posts in a heartbeat as well!"

"Right."

"Anyway!" He took a deep breath, then coughed into his fist. "I was wondering about your relationship to Adora - She-Ra."

"There is no relationship," she replied at once.

He raised his eyebrows at her but didn't say anything.

Frowning - and clenching her teeth - she added: "She's talking to her missing friend, not to me."

"Are you sure?"

Seacat narrowed her eyes. What exactly did he mean? Was this a hint that he believed Blondie's absolutely stupid claims? Or was he just asking if Blondie might be talking to Seacat instead of this 'Catra'? "She still thinks I'm her missing friend. And she's oh so afraid I'll die before I 'remember'."

"Well…" The captain drew the word out. "She's been sticking to her story."

"Which makes no sense." Seacat scoffed. "You know the Horde - they don't send cadets into battle." The scum had no honour, but some lines they didn't cross. If only because sending children into battle meant fewer adult soldiers in the long run.

"Mistakes do happen."

"So, this Catra mistakenly arrives at a force that's about to attack a village, and instead of, well, sending her back, they let her join them?" Seacat scoffed. She wouldn't have joined butchers about to massacre a village. Cadet or not. "I think the girl deserted and got killed by some monster, and they covered it up so her fellow cadets wouldn't get any ideas."

Sea Hawk nodded, but she could tell that he wasn't convinced.

"I'm not Catra," she said, baring her fangs at him. "I'm Seacat."

"Of course!" He flashed her a smile. A genuine one. "But… are you worried about her?"

"She's She-Ra. Legendary Princess of Power." Seacat rolled her eyes. "She can throw some of those Horde bots."

"And bounce shells off her face," Sea Hawk said. "Or so the legends claim."

Seacat snorted. She'd believe that if she saw it - not that she wanted to see Blondie get hit by a shell. A boot to the head, on the other hand…

"I just noticed that you've been spending more time with her than with anyone - except for me and Mermista, of course."

She scoffed. "She's the one following me around."

"When she's not carrying you to bed." The captain grinned at her.

She glared at him in return. "You won't ever let me forget that, huh?"

"Of course not!" He chuckled, then shook his head and sighed. "Although you should consider that the war's growing worse. In the last year, the Horde has made more headway than in the decade before."

Since the Princess Alliance had fallen apart, in other words. "Is it really that bad?"

"Yes. They've been building up. New and more weapons. The frigates are just one part of that. Bright Moon's been hit by more of those giant walking bots they have, and they've been fielding mobile cannons."

"Mobile cannons?"

"Yes."

"But… the recoil would wreck any skiff they mounted it on!" It had been tried before, after all.

"They don't shoot while flying - they set down for that."

"Oh." That would be… ugh. She winced.

"Yes. So… perhaps… think about not being too stubborn to miss out on something…" He tilted his head in a not-quite-shrug. "...beautiful?"

He patted her head and left to return to the bridge before she could think of an answer.

*****​

Perched on the top of the mast, Seacat narrowed her eyes. Was that…? She squinted, then nodded. The Sea Gate's slight glow was unmistakable. "Salineas ahead!" she yelled down to the captain.

"As expected!" he yelled back. "We've made good time!"

They had - despite the heavy cargo they were transporting back to Salineas. But they weren't in port, yet. They hadn't spotted any Horde ships on their trip, so the new frigates had to be somewhere - and blockading Salineas was an obvious move. The enemy ships would be able to intercept arriving ships easily - or, at the very least, drive them away - and sooner or later, the Salinean navy would have to give them battle or see the kingdom starve.

But if there was a blockade, they should've seen the pickets guarding the western approaches of the kingdom already. This was the obvious route to take, most of the other routes locked by reefs and the Maelstrom, so where were the Horde sailors?

"Do you see any sails?" Sea Hawk, of course, knew this as well.

"No!" she yelled back, clenching her teeth. She used her telescope to scan the horizon - none. Wait… "There's one!" She adjusted the telescope, which was a little tricky doing one-handed, and got a clearer view of the sail. "It's a Salinean sloop."

"Alright." He didn't ask if she were sure, of course.

Seacat felt relieved - trying to outrun a new Horde frigate with a cargo hold full of metal and other materials would have been a little difficult, even with the wind blowing from a favourable direction. But she couldn't help worrying, either.

If the Horde frigates weren't blockading Salineas then where were they?

*****​

"Landing operations?"

"Yes." Mermista wasn't happy. She was very unhappy, in fact. And not at Sea Hawk, for a change. "The Horde has launched a campaign up the Northern Coast, supported by several landing operations to encircle and take port after port. If they aren't stopped, they'll soon control the coast up to the Northern Sea."

And cutting off Salineas from support by the Alliance - with so many ports, the Horde could easily control the sea up to the Kingdom of Snows.

"We didn't know - we were at sea for the last few days," Sea Hawk said. "But surely, we can stop them before they advance too far! If they conduct landing operations, they are vulnerable to a naval attack!"

"We can't face their frigates and hope to defeat them," Mermista said. "We lost two frigates on patrol already. I've called back the entire fleet until we can counter their advantages." She smiled for the first time since they had arrived in the throne room. "Which is why your cargo was so essential."

"Princess Entrapta must be glad to finally have the materials to finish her work," Sea Hawk said, smiling himself.

Mermista grimaced for a moment before she nodded. "I suppose so."

*****​

"Oh! This is just perfect! The density is in the green range, too! And there's enough for several tests! Oh, and this! What's this?"

'Glad' wasn't the right word to describe the Hair Princess's reaction. 'Ecstatic' would be better. Or 'hyper'. The princess was all but bouncing around in the room she had obviously transformed into a laboratory or workshop… Wait, now she had taken a leap and bounced off the wall to get behind a stack of metal plates.

"Hello, Entrapta. You've got the cargo, I see," Mermista said.

"Yes, yes, I did! Thank you so much!" The princess used her hair to jump over another stack and land next to Sea Hawk, wrapping him up in purple tentacles. Like a demented squid. "And you!"

Before Seacat could react, the princess moved over to her, and Seacat found herself wrapped in hair. Tightly wrapped. "Hey!"

"Thank you!" The princess whirled, moving back towards her bench. Seacat felt herself dragged along and was about to use her claws to get free when she was suddenly dumped on the floor - which was littered with parts, one of which dug painfully in her rump.

"Ow!" she complained, but it wasn't like the princess even heard her.

"Those are the last high-tensile components I needed!"

"So you can build your countermeasures, then?" Mermista asked.

"What?" The princess looked up but didn't remove her mask, which made her look like one of her creepy bots. "Oh, yeah, sure. That's easy, just have to use the chemical converter over there. Shouldn't take more than a day to convert the base material."

"So you're working on the catapults?" Sea Hawk asked.

"No. Should I? Those are easy, anyway, and a mature technology." This time, the mask slid up, and the princess's confused expression was clearly visible. "Your yard workers should be able to build as many as you need."

Seacat wasn't the only one who blinked. "You've already finished the countermeasures?"

"The design, yes. Others can build it - it's not First One's tech. Oh, did you know that if you do everything yourself, you hurt the economy of your kingdom? People need work or they'll leave, which reduces the amount of taxes and customs you receive, which reduces your research and development budget!"

"Err, yes," Mermista replied. Sea Hawk nodded.

"I had to learn that for myself." The princess pouted, then beamed. "But that's all in the past now that I have the new materials!"

"So…" Sea Hawk spoke up. "If you're not working on the counteragent or catapults, what are you working on?"

"Happy you asked!" The princess jumped up and landed next to a covered board. Her hairs grabbed the cover and ripped it away, revealing a whiteboard with…

"You're working on a propulsion system?" Seacat asked.

"Yes!" The smile widened even more. "With this - once it works - your frigate will be the fastest on the seas again!" Then she frowned. "Well, for about half an hour so far."

Oh.

*****​

A few days later, the Salineans were still working on the catapults. Apparently, it was a little harder than the Hair Princess had claimed. Especially since the 'mature technology' actually meant that no one had constructed catapults in a century or so, what with everyone using guns on ships and for sieges instead.

"Should we go seek cover?" Seacat asked as she watched three sailors handle a catapult on a small platform on the shore near the Sea Gate.

Mermista glared at her. "This catapult was built exactly to Entrapta's specifications."

"I thought all the others were built to her specs as well," Seacat replied.

"They were supposed to," Mermista admitted. "But there were a few problems with the building process."

And with quality control. Like sinking the boat the first catapult had been mounted on. Seacat was very happy that she had managed to stop Sea Hawk from volunteering their ship for testing.

"But it's all fine now," the princess went on. More loudly, she added: "Fire when ready!"

"Aye, aye!" the commander of the catapult crew replied before turning to his men. "Alright, you scallywags! The princess herself is watching! If you mess up, she'll have us all keelhauled!"

Seacat snickered at that - and at Mermista's expression. "Great discipline, princess."

"Keelhauling isn't actually practised any more in the Salinean Navy," Mermista replied with a deep frown.

"But do they know that?" Sea Hawk asked.

"Yes. They should, at least."

In Seacat's opinion, some of the Salinean sailors would deserve to get keelhauled, if only to encourage the others. Like the crew on the slow frigate in the Battle of Salineas. The catapult crew there, though, threw their backs into it. Two used a crank to pull the arm down, and the third carried the payload - a dummy cask - to load it.

This time, the arm didn't break, and the catapult didn't flip over either. It worked as advertised, sending the cask flying in a high arc.

But it didn't come near the target. Not even close.

"They need more training at aiming," Sea Hawk commented. "It's not like aiming a cannon."

Mermista frowned.

Seacat did so as well. It took weeks to train a gunner so they could hit anything from a ship at sea. She didn't think it would take less time to train a catapult crew - quite the contrary, actually.

And they didn't have the time. Not with the Horde rolling up the coast.

*****​

It took the princesses a little longer to realise what Seacat already knew, but after a day's worth of training - which resulted in another catapult self-destructing and one botched shot almost hitting the Sea Gate - Mermista announced that the catapult project would be abandoned. "We won't be ready in time. We need to use our current weapons instead of new ones," she said in her throne room after dinner.

"Technically, it's not a new weapon at all, but a very old one. Salineas was once protected by numerous catapults covering the approaches," the Hair Princess retorted. "Catapults of various sizes, even! And installed on ships."

"Very old or new, the thing is, our sailors aren't trained to use catapults. And I cannot send them into battle with weapons they don't understand. That would be murder," Mermista told her.

"Well, actually… Oh. You were using hyperbole, weren't you?"

"Yes,* Mermista replied through clenched teeth.

"Thanks! Socialising log day thirty-one: I correctly identified hyperbole."

Seacat didn't know if she should laugh at the princess or pity her. There were more important concerns, anyway. "What are you planning then? Shoot the casks out of cannons?"

"That won't work," Mermista replied.

"Have you tried it?" Seacat asked.

"Yes! The pressure from the cannon's charge is too much for the cask!" The Hair Princess made a gesture with her hands that indicated an explosion. "I constructed a cask that was tough enough to withstand the pressure, but that meant it was tough enough not to break up upon hitting the water, which kinda defeated the purpose of shooting it in the first place. I'm trying to calculate the right structural strength so the cask will only just survive the shooting and will be so damaged, it'll break as soon as it hits the water, but it's a very fine line - and the standardisation of Salinean cannons leaves a lot to be desired!"

"At least our cannons don't blow up if they're handled a little roughly," Mermista shot back.

Sea Hawk cleared his throat. "As much as I like explosions and catapults, what are our plans now to battle the Horde frigates? Is your new method of propulsion ready to be tested?"

"Yes! It is!" The princess beamed at them. "I just need a volunteer!"

"Not the Dragon's Daughter IV," Mermista snapped.

"But it's ideal for my tests! Light enough so the propulsion booster will show its true potential!"

That sounded worrying. And the gleam in Sea Hawk's eyes was even more worrying.

"No." The Salinean princess looked grim. "We'll need the ship in top shape to lead the battle against the Horde."

Seacat clenched her teeth. She knew what that meant. "You're going to swarm the frigates and pour the stuff into the sea at close range." So close, the Horde frigates would have an easy time aiming their guns.

Mermista nodded. "I don't like it, but it's our only chance."

Seacat didn't like it either. Not at all. But the princess was right - they had no choice.

"But… I just need a little more time to finish my device!" the Hair Princess protested. "Your chances of survival would be much improved with it!"

"We don't have the time. If we don't stop the Horde now, they'll take Seaworthy, and with that port in their power, they'll cut the alliance in half. There's not much north of Seaworthy that could stop them."

"But…" The Hair princess shook her head, her tentacles flailing around, "That's… your chances of survival are far too low! It's irrational!"

"Our chances of survival might be low, but our chances of success are better. And it's our only option," Seacat said, chuckling without any humour. Even the weird princess who was often more like a bot than a person knew how bad this was.

Sea Hawk, though, was beaming. "Huzzah! A daring, desperate gambit awaits us! Adventure!"

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 10: The Battle of Seaworthy

She sniffed the air and made a face. There was that smell again. She had the best nose of all the cadets, and the smell was really noticeable among the usual smells of the Fright Zone. No smoke, no stink of whatever materials the factories used, but… weird. Wrong, kind of.

"What's wrong?" Adora asked, looking up from where she was watching the formation drills on the square below them.

"Something stinks," she replied. "Very much."

"It's probably you," Lonnie butted in with a sneer. "You 'forgot' to wash again?"

She snarled at the stupid girl. "I didn't forget - I didn't need to!" It wasn't her fault that the others couldn't smell how bad the water stank. She didn't smell bad, anyway - she had hardly made an effort at the exercises. She didn't need to, anyway - it was easy to tag the clumsy and slow practice bots.

"Ew."

"Catra! You can't neglect your hygiene!" Adora blurted out.

"I didn't!" she protested. "Lonnie's stinky, anyway. I'm fine."

"Really?" Before she could react, Adora had stepped up to her and started sniffing her.

"What are you doing?" She gasped - Adora was far too close - her stupid hair poof was almost tickling her chin!

"Checking. A good officer always checks and verifies reports," Adora replied, twisting her neck in an attempt to smell her arms.

She moved back, crossing her arms over her chest, and felt her cheeks heat up. "Don't do that! I'm fine!"

Adora frowned. "You always say you're fine. Even when you aren't!"

"I am fine!" she snarled. "And I don't smell!"

But Adora sniffed the air. "No. That's a bad smell!"

"That's not me - that's the stench I smelt before!" she told her friend.

"Of course you'd say that! Stinker!" Lonnie said.

She glared at the girl, noticing that Rogelio was snickering in that lizard way of his, and even Kyle dared to smile - though the wimp paled quickly when she narrowed her eyes at him. He'd pay for that! "You don't believe me? I'll prove it! Follow me!"

She took off before the others could say anything. They didn't matter anyway - only her friend mattered, and Adora would follow her, as usual.

"Catra! Wait!"

She knew it! She grinned and smelt the air - the stench came from the direction of the disposal site. Where the wrecked gear was disposed of. That made sense.

And she knew the way - you could find useful stuff there, sometimes.

She dropped down on the catwalk below them, dashed forward past the stairs and grabbed the water pipe at the edge. She swung over the railing, slid down the pipe and hit the ground running. No one was as fast as she was when she went all-out!

She had to slow down a little to get through the maze of supply depots and pipework, but she reached her goal far ahead of the others - and not even out of breath. Which was a good thing - the stench was much worse here.

It was so bad, she had to pinch her nose closed. Really bad. And with her nose closed, she couldn't track the stench any more.

"Catra! There you are… ew!"

"See?" She turned towards Adora, who was panting. "That's where the smell came from."

"Ew!"

She nodded. "Yes, it's bad. Especially for me." No sign of Lonnie and the others. They probably hadn't had the guts to follow her. Stupid idiots, anyway.

"But what is it? I've never smelt this before," Adora asked.

"I don't know. It smells weird. Like the mess hall, once."

"Rotten, you mean." Adora nodded. "Let's find out! If someone's left food out to spoil that needs to be reported!"

She made a gagging noise - easy with the stench. "Adora! You're such a goody-shoe!"

"I'm going to be a good officer - and good officers don't look away when something's wrong!"

She rolled her eyes - that was Shadow Weaver talking. Adora was such a fool when it came to the witch. But she followed her friend - someone had to keep her out of trouble.

They moved past some wrecked bots and some destroyed cannons, turning around a corner - and stopped. And stared.

Before them were two rows of somethings, covered with tarps. Bodies, she realised after a moment - she could see some limbs and some tails sticking from under tarps.

Dead bodies. Dead Horde bodies - she could easily see the uniforms. Or their bloody remains.

"Bodies…" Adora said.

"Yes," she agreed. "Lot's of them." Almost two dozen. And they were here to be disposed of.

Without saying anything else, they both turned away and left. At a brisk pace.

And she tried to remember how often she had noticed that smell before. Then she tried to forget it.

*****​

Seacat woke up in her hammock and snorted a few times - she could still smell the stench of rotting bodies. Just like on the outpost the Horde pirates had taken. But the Horde didn't do that to their own soldiers. They certainly wouldn't just dispose of their dead like broken cannons or skimmers, would they?

No, they wouldn't. This was just her worrying in her dreams about the upcoming battle. And her possible death.

*****​

"Admiral! Admiral Sea Hawk! Hah! I can't wait until Scurvy hears of his!" The captain - Seacat wasn't about to call him admiral just because Mermista had said so - rubbed his moustache for the umpteenth time since they had set out from Salineas. "And we're leading the entire Salinean fleet! People will talk and sing of this battle forever!"

"As long as we're among them," Seacat muttered. She'd rather be alive and a hero than dead and a hero. Who knew what kind of lies they'd tell about her if she wasn't around to correct people? And Blondie would be crushed. And she'd also proven right about her worries. Both were unacceptable to Seacat.

"Oh, we will! The Dragon's Daughter IV is the fastest ship on all the seas. And if the wind doesn't change, we'll have the advantage we need against the Horde."

If. The wind could change. Of course, even if the wind changed unexpectedly, and in the worst moment, they probably could still pull off their attack. Hell, they could get sunk and would still be able to make a decent attempt - they carried so much of Entrapta's Solution, it was probably enough to cover the entire area around Seaworthy.

It was the getting away part that worried her. Unlike in other, slightly similar situations, they wouldn't have to swim away from a burning Horde ship with a crew that was too busy trying to fight a fire than to hunt them down - they would be facing a fleet, and even with their magic engines shut down and the crews the usual collection of scum and the dregs of the Horde, they would be able to catch up to a couple of swimmers before the rest of the Salinean fleet descended upon them.

They would have to hope that the Horde would be too preoccupied with their failing propulsion and the approaching fleet to take revenge against them. And that the 'automatic flotation devices' the Hair Princess had developed worked as advertised.

She glanced at the necklace. The princess had explained how it worked, but other than 'like inflatable, but not," it had gone over Seacat's head. She hadn't even understood half the words the princess used.

Then again, neither had the others.

"We'll see," she said. "As long as we take down the Horde fleet, we'll have done our... " She trailed off. It wasn't their duty - they were volunteers. Although Sea Hawk's promotion to admiral might have changed that, at least for him. Not for Seacat, though, She was an independent sailor. "...task," she finished lamely.

"Indeed! However, I aim to do a little bit more than what is expected of us!" Sea Hawk pointed to the horizon, where, if you squinted and had a telescope, the first peaks of the inland mountains would become visible soon. "We will make the Horde rue the day they challenged Admiral Sea Hawk's fleet!"

Well, that was something Seacat could get behind. Although… "You want to ram one of them?"

"Once they're helpless and engaged in battle, I want to board it, then set it on fire," the captain confirmed what she had already known.

"They'll be expecting that once they see our flotilla," Seacat pointed out. After the Battle of Salineas, even the Horde would have realised the danger of smaller ships ramming their warships. And worked on countering it.

"They won't expect us to board them, which will be their undoing!"

Well, that was true - for a simple reason: Two people boarding a frigate was generally suicide.

On the other hand, a panicking crew, torn between the propulsion failing, fire starting and the Salinean frigates bearing down on them… It was still damn dangerous, but they might have a chance. A better chance, in Seacat's opinion, than swimming for it.

She sighed, and Sea Hawk beamed at her.

He knew her as well as she knew him, after all. He hadn't even tried to make her stay behind, or serve as 'liaison' on a regular frigate. Even though she knew he had wanted to.

But they were crew. He was the captain, and she was the first mate. If he was leading a flotilla of volunteers in small ships, some barely more than boats, then her place was at his side.

No matter what Blondie might think.

Seacat clenched her teeth. This wasn't the time to be thinking of the woman and her weird views. She had to focus, not wonder how Blondie would react to however this might turn out.

*****​

They reached Seaworthy a day later, in the afternoon. The Horde hadn't yet launched their attack, but Seacat saw several columns of smoke rising from the port. "The Horde has started their bombardment!" she told the captain.

He frowned, then checked himself with his telescope. "That doesn't look like a bombardment. Not a siege bombardment. It's probably just a few guns - mobile ones - to unnerve the defenders and possibly lure them out."

Ah. "Those mobile guns we've heard about?"

"Most likely." He grinned. "That means they don't have too many of them yet. And their fleet should be around as well. Just as planned!"

"I must have missed that planning session," she said, as sarcastically as she could manage.

"Probably," he replied with a shameless grin. "In any case, they'll have their landing troops on their ships already, so they won't be able to run from us."

"They've sunk two Salinean frigates already; I don't think they'll run anyway." Seacat wouldn't, not with such an advantage. "And they'll fear that we'll go after the transports with our flotilla." Like they had gone after the bomb vessel in the Battle of Salineas.

Sea Hawk's grin widened, and he rubbed his moustache. "They will be surprised when we go after their frigates instead! A perfect feint!"

"They'll also do their worst to sink us," she pointed out.

"They'll do that anyway!"

He had a point, though she didn't like admitting it. "Orders?" she asked instead.

"Signal the flotilla to follow us southwards! We'll search and engage the enemy!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

"It's Admiral!"

She chuckled as she climbed the mast, signal flags held in her teeth.

*****​

A night battle would've been perfect, but the Horde fleet was already closing in on Seaworthy when they found it - with enough daylight left to land the troops if left undisturbed.

"So much for great planning," Seacat muttered under her breath as she adjusted the sails. The wind was blowing towards the coast, so neither side had an advantage. She clung to the mast with her legs, one wrapped around a line, and quickly counted the enemy fleet. Thirteen frigates. One bomb vessel, falling back - they had learned their lesson at Salineas. And half a dozen troop transports even further back - turning towards the coast. Were they trying to land troops there now?

It didn't matter much. They were here for the frigates. "Thirteen frigates!" she called out to Sea Hawk. "One bomb vessel, six transports."

"Signal the flotilla to pair up and pick their targets. The Dragon's Daughter IV will go for the enemy flagship! And signal to the main fleet that we're engaging."

She checked the horizon - the leading ship of the Salinean main fleet, another courier, was just barely visible from her position. She signalled it first, then started relaying commands to the flotilla. A few of them were already spreading out - no discipline amongst the volunteers.

Then again, she thought as she slid down the mast, they needed bravery more than discipline for this attack.

"Prepare the cargo for dispersal!" Sea Hawk yelled as he adjusted course, lining up their ship with the leading frigate.

"Aye aye, Captain!" she replied, then moved towards the casks tied to the deck, next to improvised rails which would let them slide into the sea with little effort. And the other casks. A last check of the 'quick-release stopper' the Hair Princess had provided, then she turned towards the bridge. "Ready!"

"Alright!" Sea Hawk was grinning widely - she could see his white teeth catching the sunlight for a moment.

Then the first shells from the enemy hit the water ahead of them, followed by dozens more - the enemy battleline was firing the chase guns.

"Turn about!" Sea Hawk announced, and Seacat jumped to tighten the lines as the ship turned towards the wind, away from the coast. She craned her head to look at the enemy line. If they didn't take the bait… But they did. Fearing that the flotilla would circle around them and hit the transports, the entire battleline turned towards the wind as well.

But the Horde frigates were fastest with the wind at their back - tacking against the wind, they couldn't keep up with the fast ships following Sea Hawk. They wouldn't have to, of course, if the flotilla were going after the transports - the Horde frigates would still be able to intercept them thanks to their relative positions.

But that wasn't the goal.

The enemy had stopped firing - at their current course, the angle was wrong for either broadside or chase guns. But that would change soon - the trailing ships of the flotilla would soon be in the line of fire of the leading ships of the enemy. Still out of range, though.

Seacat clenched her teeth. They had cut it very close - possibly too close. If the wind let off just a little, they would be caught in range of the enemy broadsides before they were in position.

Minutes passed as they held course, slowly outpacing the enemy. Slowly reaching the point where the wind would be just right for the final part of their attack.

Too slowly - the enemy started firing again. Broadsides. And the trailing ships were in range. Barely, but with the sheer number of shells thrown their way…

Water columns appeared all around the last two ships. And then the second to last ship suddenly seemed to stop, dipping and listing. Hit below the waterline, Seacat realised. Keel was probably shattered, too - the mast was swaying, and the ship was already sinking.

It didn't matter, the next volley smashed the entire ship to pieces. The Horde gunners had the range, now.

She looked at Sea Hawk.

"All ships - deploy smoke and close with the enemy!"

Instead of using the signal flags to alert the ship behind them to deploy smoke and charge, Seacat simply lit the prepared smoke charge in the bow. Everyone knew the plan anyway. Then she had to jump to adjust the mainsail as the Dragon's Daughter IV turned until the wind was almost at her back and she was racing at the enemy.

The smoke was quickly blown towards the enemy line by the wind, obscuring them from view - and concealing the Salinean flotilla from the enemy gunners. Except for the enemy flagship, which was too far ahead relative to the wind's direction. That meant it had a clear line of fire at the Dragon's Daughter IV.

The enemy guns roared again, sending shells at the charging ships. Columns of water were thrown up all around them - their sudden turn must have thrown off the gunners' aim. They would quickly adjust, though. Seacat hissed through clenched teeth, trying to estimate the rapidly closing range and the rate of fire of the enemy. At their current speed, the enemy would get off three volleys before they were close enough to dump the casks overboard.

But if the enemy was competent, they would save the last volley until point-blank range - they would expect a ramming attack and would want to sink them at the last moment. They could only hope that the enemy flagship was crewed by a competent captain - but not too skilled gunners.

"Turn about!" Sea Hawk yelled, and Seacat threw herself to pull the mainsail back as the ship swerved, turning a little into the wind. A moment later, the Horde flagship fired her broadside. Most shells went wide, missing with a good margin. A few were close enough to throw water over the decks. And one shell went through the mainsail, ripping a hole into it, before detonating in the water on the other side.

Sea Hawk quickly turned back, returning to a collision course. Seacat checked the mainsail - it was holding so far, not tearing up, but any sharp manoeuvre could change that. Any manoeuvre such as another hard turn to avoid the next salvo.

She cursed under her breath then looked to starboard. She couldn't see any of the other ships - the smoke hid them. But that meant they wouldn't be able to see much, either. They could only hope the other crews were good enough to correctly judge the distance.

Shaking her head, she looked at the enemy flagship again. The Horde used breechloaders, so there was no way to tell when the guns were ready to fire other than timing the volleys and guessing, but any moment, they'd spat more shells at them.

"Turn about!"

Once more, the Dragon's Daughter IV turned away, towards the wind, slowing down. And once again, the enemy fired a few seconds afterwards. Seacat saw the shells hit the sea, one impact closer than the other. Water washed over the deck, drenching her, but her claws anchored her to the planks - she wouldn't slip.

Then the bowsprit vanished in an explosion. The Dragon's Daughter IV shook as if it had struck a reef, and Seacat barely managed to dive behind the casks before splinters shredded her. The ship was rolling, almost stalling - without the bowsprit, the foresail was uselessly flapping.

Seacat jumped up and drew her cutlass. Two slashes, and the foresail was cut free, dropping into the sea next to them. She whirled, dashing back to her post. They were close enough that she could almost make out the expression on the Horde Sailors on deck. The water had extinguished the smoke charge - not that they needed it right now, anyway.

This was it. The Dragon's Daughter IV was damaged, but she was still sailing. Still going directly at the enemy ship. What would the enemy do? Hold their fire until they were too close to miss? If they fired now, all it would take was one hit. If they turned away to get a better angle, the Dragon's Daughter IV could turn from the wind to avoid their broadside and strike their stern - not that they wanted to.

The enemy held their fire and held their course. Seacat yelled, baring her teeth, as Sea Hawk turned the ship away again. "Release the cargo!" he yelled.

Once more, Seacat whipped her cutlass around, slashing the ropes holding the casks in place. The first cask rolled over the rails, hitting the water - and breaking up. As planned.

The enemy was now trying to change course, but a frigate wasn't as nimble as their own ship. The next cask hit the sea. And they were almost out of the firing angle of the enemy broadside. The Horde captain tried to turn to keep up, but they had missed their moment - with each cask hitting the water, the ship grew lighter and gained more speed. The guns of the enemy broadside couldn't reach them now. And as soon as they were in front of the enemy, Sea Hawk was turning into the wind again as the last few casks hit the water - the Horde frigate wouldn't be able to avoid them.

Then the chase guns fired. One shell missed, throwing water into the air on the backboard side of the ship. The other shell struck the Dragon's Daughter IV's stern. The impact threw Seacat forward, sending her to crash into the rails mounted there and sliding across the deck before a rolled-up line stopped her. Despite the pain in her side, she jumped up.

She whirled and gasped - the entire afterdeck of the Dragon's Daughter IV was wrecked. The Captain! Sea Hawk! She rushed back, claws digging into the slowly tilting deck, as she tried to find him amongst the debris and smoke.

The keel must have held - they hadn't capsized already - but without the rudder, the wind hitting the mainsail was pushing the ship off course and would soon push it over. If it didn't sink or got blown before that.

"Sea Hawk!" she yelled, climbing over the remains of the stairs leading up to the wrecked afterdeck. "Captain!" Had he been blown into the water? Or... No! He couldn't have! She clenched her teeth and reached the top - the entire afterdeck was gone. She could see the keel through the empty space.

"Captain!" Where was he? Why couldn't she… There! She saw a speck of orange, down in the water, surrounded by floating debris. The flotation device had worked!

She dived into the sea without hesitation, narrowly missing a particularly large splintered beam, but instead of diving, she was pulled to the surface as her own flotation device pulled her up - the amulet had released some balloon-like swimmers around her neck. She couldn't swim like this! Or fight! Her claws made short work of the flotation things and she pulled the device off her neck, then quickly swam towards Captain. He wasn't moving. Clenching her teeth, she grabbed him under the shoulders. "Captain!"

He wasn't answering. Was he breathing? She couldn't tell. And the Dragon's Daughter IV had turned away from the wind and was slowly rolling over. If she reached it…

The roar of another broadside almost deafened her. Eyes widening, she slashed Sea Hawk's floatation device and pulled him underwater, trying to get as deep as possible before…

She was thrown around as if hit by a minotaur, multiple times, when the shells exploded. She felt her breath being driven out of her lungs by the shockwave and almost lost her grip on the captain before she managed to claw her way back to the surface.

She gasped for air, then pulled Sea Hawk's head up as well. The Dragon's Daughter IV was gone - blown up by several shells hitting it. But there was floating debris around. On her back, she swam towards the largest, a piece of the deck, dragging Sea Hawk behind her, his head pressed to her chest, above the water. It was all she could do, and if the damned Horde wanted to finish them, she would be helpless.

But they weren't finishing them off - even with her ringing ears, she could hear the sudden screams from the flagship. They must have spotted the main fleet of the Salineans, sailing at them with the wind at their back, their approach hidden by the smoke so far.

She pulled Sea Hawk on to the floating wood and finally could check him. He was bleeding from a cut in his forehead, but his heart was beating - and he was still breathing. Coughing up foul-smelling water, tainted by the solution they had poured into the sea, but breathing.

Laughing - and coughing herself - she looked around. The smoke was mostly gone, so she could see the rest of the Horde fleet - and what was left of the flotilla.

There weren't many ships left of them, she realised. She counted six burning wrecks, and who knew how many of the small ships had just vanished, like their own? But a few had made it through the enemy lines and were sailing away as fast as they could while the Horde ships were trying to form a line to receive the Salienan main attack.

Trying - and failing. She bared her teeth as the first shots from the Salinean chase guns rang out, shells splashing the water near the frantically turning Horde ships - and hitting them.

"Seacat?"

"Captain!" She gasped. He was awake!

"Did we ram the ship?" Sea Haw tried to push himself up on his elbows.

"No, we got sunk," she told him. "But we did wreck their ships." She wasn't lying - the Horde frigates were sailing far slower than before - slower than they had before being upgraded, even. All those water intakes must have added drag to the designs.

And the Salineans were placed in a perfect position to exploit it. They were now sailing parallel to the Horde line, exchanging broadsides - but they were easily outpacing the Horde ships and would be able to cross the enemy's T before long.

If the Horde scum lasted that long - she saw one frigate's main mast fall, dragging most of her rigging down and slowing the ship so much, the following frigate couldn't turn away in time and rammed it from behind. Two Salinean frigates lost no time swerving and raking the Horde ship's sterns with heavy volleys. The rest of the battle line stayed on course, though - and was now about to pass Seacat and Sea Hawk's position.

Which meant they were about to find themselves smack in the middle between two battle lines - and too close to the Horde ship. "Dive!" she yelled, sliding off the piece of deck. A moment later, Sea Hawk followed.

Seacat remained underwater as long as she could hold her breath. The chance of getting hit by splinters was low, but with the number of shells a broadside threw at the enemy… When she resurfaced, gasping for air, the Horde frigate was burning and had lost one mast. Her cannons were still firing, though - and the Salinean frigate had taken several hits as well, though none of them crippling, as far as Seacat could tell.

"Huzzah! That's the enemy flagship! Give it to them!"

"Dive!"

She turned underwater, trying to spot a glimpse of the enemy's hull underwater, but they weren't close enough for that. She could hear the muted explosions, though. If the enemy frigate's magazine went up…

The next time they resurfaced, the Horde flagship had been completely demasted and she was dead in the water. Seacat could spot several horde sailors jumping into the sea. She didn't see anyone lowering dinghies into the water - but judging by the damage she could see, they hadn't survived the fight anyway. And the smoke rising from the hulk...

An explosion shook the frigate, sending spouts of water up in the air - not the main magazine; probably propellant left on the gun deck - and the frigate slowly started to turn turtle.

"And down she goes! Hah! Another heroic adventure successfully concluded!" Sea Hawk yelled, pointing at the sinking ship.

"Thanks to the Salinean fleet," Seacat muttered as she pulled herself up on the piece of deck from the Dragon's Daughter IV that had remained nearby.

"They helped, of course, as was the plan!" the captain exclaimed as he followed her.

Seacat was too busy watching the enemy's hull as it completely turned over to reply. There was the water intake - and the pipe at the stern.

"Hm. With the water pushed straight at the rudder, the frigate should've been more responsive. I think there's more to the engine than what we assumed," Sea Hawk said.

She glanced at him and saw that he was squeezing water out of his moustache. "I think we've got more things to worry about than that," she said.

"On the contrary! Until we're picked up by our valiant allies, we have nothing else to do than wait and watch!"

Well, he had a point. She looked around. The enemy's numbers had been reduced to about half, from what she could see, what with smoke from burning ships blocking her view in some areas. And all the Horde frigates she could spot were in bad shape, engaged by at least one Salinean ship.

A not so distant explosion sent smoke and fire high in the air - that had been a magazine going up. A Horde frigate's, or so Seacat hoped. The Salineans hadn't escaped unscathed either - she could only count nine frigates still sailing, and what might be a burning hulk in the distance. But the outcome wasn't in doubt any more.

She saw two Salinean frigates finish off the closest Horde frigate. Good! That meant… She blinked. They were turning away? Oh. "They're going after the transports."

"Of course! With the enemy fleet defeated, this is the best opportunity to end the threat of another landing!" the captain said.

"It also means we won't get picked up until the last enemy has been sunk," Seacat told him.

He blinked, then beamed at her. "Indeed! This will be another captivating part of our tale!"

"Really." She frowned. She didn't hate swimming, unlike Blondie's friend, but sitting on a floating piece of deck, soaked to the bone, her fur already getting crusty with salt? She could do without all of that, heroic adventure or not. On the other hand, they had survived the battle, and that was… She blinked. "Horde!" she hissed.

"What?" Sea Hawk was at her side in a moment. "Where?"

She pointed at a figure in the water swimming towards them. They were coming from the position where the enemy flagship had sunk. No allied ship had been near there. Other than the Dragon's Daughter IV.

She drew her cutlass. What was the Horde scum thinking, coming at them? She almost wanted to jump into the water and slice the scum up before it could try to capsize their raft!

"They seem to be alone," Sea Hawk commented.

"Gutsy bastard," she spat.

"Maybe not."

"What?" She glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

Then the enemy reached their raft and gripped its edge. "Made it!" the man gasped, panting. "A hand, mate?"

She saw him look up, his eyes widening as he got a look at them. And at her cutlass.

But next to her, the captain was kneeling down and reaching out to the enemy. "Welcome to what remains of the Dragon's Daughter IV. I believe you are our prisoner!"

The Horde sailor coughed, then gripped the captain's hand and let himself get pulled onto the raft. "Thank you," he said as he sat down, slumping over. He was barefoot, only wearing the Horde uniform pants and shirt, and his dark hair was plastered to his head.

Seacat glared at him, her cutlass pointed at him. If he made the slightest move…

"We're just doing what any sailor would in our position. The law of the sea is clear about this," Sea Hawk said. "And, we're kind of in the same boat. Or on the same raft."

The Horde scum weakly chuckled, coughed again, and groaned. "You were the ones in the small ship trying to ram us, then?"

"No!" Seacat spat. "If we had wanted to ram you, we would have done so!"

He shied away from her.

Sea Hawk cleared his throat. "Not exactly. Suffice to say that we completed our mission before your chase gunners got lucky."

The man nodded but didn't take his eyes off Seacat's blade. She kept it pointed at him for a few more seconds, then sheathed it. He wasn't armed. And even without her blade, she could disembowel him with her claws if he tried anything.

Sea Hawk smiled and struck a pose. "You are twice fortunate. Not only did you survive the sinking of your ship, but you were rescued by the one and only Sea Hawk, and my first mate, Seacat!"

She was about to remind the captain that there was a time and place for such boasting, and it wasn't when they were on the floating remains of their ship, but their prisoners gasped and stared at her with wide eyes.

"Seacat? Catra?"

Not again! She grabbed the scum by his throat and held him up. "Why do you know that name?"

"Ah, Seacat…"

She ignored the captain. She had almost been killed by the Horde, she could feel the seawater drying on her fur, leaving salt crusts and whatever the princess had put into those casks, and now this Horde scum was insulting her? "Talk!"

The man coughed, feeble hands gripping her wrist.

"He can't talk if he can't breathe."

She glared at the captain, then released the scum. "Talk!"

He coughed instead of talking, rubbing his throat. "Just heard the names… general orders."

"'General orders'?" Sea Hawk asked.

"What orders?" she spat.

"Just that…" The scum coughed again. "That should we capture, ah, Seacat or Catra, we should deliver her to the Fright Zone."

What? She blinked.

"What? Seacat? Are you sure they didn't mean Sea Hawk?" the captain asked. "The one and only Sea Hawk? Scourge of the Horde fleet? Love of Princess Mermista's life? Captain of the fastest ship on all the seas? Most wanted man on Etheria? The Sea Hawk?"

She glared at him. This wasn't the time to worry about your fame!

"Uh… yes? We got a description, too. Ears and tails. They, uh, match…?" The Horde sailor grimaced, then cowered when she glared at him.

"And you had no other special orders?" Seacat asked.

He shook his head wildly.

She frowned. "Why would the Horde single me out?"

"Indeed! You are the best first mate one could wish for, but I'm the captain of our crew! How could they mistake you for me?"

She couldn't tell if Sea Hawk was joking or not.

*****​

It took another hour before Seacat saw a dinghy heading their way from one of the two damaged Salinean frigates that had stayed in the area - all the others had sailed off to hunt down the bomb vessel, the transports and what other Horde ships hadn't been smart enough to flee in time.

"Ah! Relief at last!"

"Yeah," she muttered, glancing at the Horde sailor. He hadn't looked up. He hadn't said anything since the interrogation, either. Which was just fine with her.

"Ahoy!" Sea Hawk yelled, waving.

"Took you long enough!" Seacat added, then smirked when she saw the Salinean midshipman in charge of the boat flinch. Yes, leaving the lover of your princess in the water for hours might not have been the best decision.

Not that the captain would abuse his relationship for that. Not when drifting on the sea for hours made a much more compelling tale. By the time they hit Seaworthy, Sea Hawk might have added nearly dying from hunger and thirst to the tale.

"Captain Sea Hawk?"

"Admiral Sea Hawk, if you please! My flotilla might be gone, and my ship most definitely was sunk - we're standing on the last remaining piece of her that's still afloat - but I still have my rank!"

"Until Mermista decommissions you," Seacat added, smirking when he frowned at her.

But he smiled again in a heartbeat. "In any case, this was a splendid victory! My compliments to Admiral Gharn - she hit them right when they were the most vulnerable."

"Ah, thank you, Admiral," the young midshipman managed to reply as she gestured at her boat. "If you'd like to board…?"

"Certainly! Also, this is our prisoner - Sailor... " Sa Hawk frowned. "I actually didn't get your name in all the excitement. But he served on the enemy flagship and has vital information about the enemy plans!"

"Oh?" The officer perked up and looked at the Horde scum.

"I what?" The sailor looked confused in return.

"Captain!" Seacat hissed. This wasn't anyone else's business!

But Sea Hawk wasn't listening to her. "Indeed! There was a very interesting general order given to the Horde fleet! The Princesses have to hear about this at once!"

"No, they don't!" she snapped. Especially not Blondie!

But everyone was ignoring her.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 11: The Bounty

"You could've done better, Adora."

She didn't like the voice. Not at all. She pulled back a little more, pushing herself into the corner behind the pillar that was a little off, near the door to their quarters. No one would find her there, and she could still hear everything - her ears were much better than anyone else's - she knew that!

"We passed the exercise."

"Adora…"

She clenched her teeth, hissing under her breath as she felt her fur rise. She hated that tone, especially!

A sigh.

Fake. Fake. Fake.

"Passing is not enough. Not for someone with as much potential as you. You're letting others hold you back. Stifle you."

She wanted to spit. 'Potential'. Bah! She was faster and she had claws! And she could see and hear things better than anyone else. But no one, ever, said she had potential.

"But it was a group exercise. We had to work together" Adora said.

"You were the leader, and they let you down."

"They didn't! We passed," Adora protested.

"You could've done better. You were distracted, Adora. You can't allow yourself to be distracted. As a Force Captain, everyone will depend on you."

Yeah, yeah - Adora would be a Force Captain. She knew this already. Everyone knew this. Feh!

"And I won't let them down!"

"You can't let them drag you down - even if they are your friends, you have to be better than that."

"This is about Catra, isn't it? She took down the main bot from ambush!"

"After hiding for the entire exercise. She's dragging you down. And you let it happen."

"She's my friend!"

"And what will you do when her laziness and mistakes cause the death of others under your command? And that will happen, Adora! She's a liability. A soldier of the Horde has to always give their best. You have to trust them to obey your orders, or your plans will fail. She is a distraction - no, she's a danger to you and everyone else."

"She's my friend! She won't drag me down!"

Yes! Tell her, Adora!" She hissed again. Stupid… stupid…

*****​

Seacat woke up shivering. Again that stupid, hateful voice. Again a stupid dream - she didn't even know how the face the voice belonged to looked like. If that didn't prove that she wasn't this 'Catra', then nothing would.

She stared at the ceiling. Solid wooden beams - but she wasn't on a ship. She was in Seaworthy, in an inn. The best inn of the port, actually. Sea Hawk might not have been an admiral for longer than a week, and he might not remain an admiral for much longer, now that their work was done, but the people in Seaworthy didn't know that and had been very grateful for being saved from the Horde invasion.

Sea Hawk's latest shanty hadn't hurt, of course. How the captain had found the time to compose it she didn't know - he had been handling his report and looking into the survivors of the flotilla on the way to Seaworthy, and she didn't think he had invented it on the spot.

Not that there had been many survivors. She sighed as she got out of bed and splashed some cold water on her face, then rubbed it dry with a towel. As they had expected - and as Sea Hawk had told them - the Horde had been prepared for ramming attacks by fast boats. They had installed carronades on their frigates. Those guns had a pitiful range but were devastating close up. Grapeshot at point-blank range…

She shivered once more as she pulled her clothes on. A single carronade could destroy a boat and kill her crew at once. If the Dragon's Daughter IV had just sailed a little closer, or if the Horde scum hadn't been patient and skilled enough to wait a little longer…

Only three ships of their flotilla had survived. And one of them had been sunk attacking a transport later. Fools - all they should have done was shadowing the transports and leading the rest of the fleet to them. Which the other two had managed, at least.

She bared her teeth. All transports sunk, most of them with the landing forces still on them - the Horde scum would feel this loss for a long time!

Well, it was time for breakfast. Seacat hoped that she was early enough to eat without getting bothered by anyone. Like a princess.

She took a deep breath as she stepped into the hallway, her nostrils flaring. Oh, fresh milk bread! That was something you didn't get to eat on a ship. Licking her lips, she went down to the inn's dining room, taking two steps a time.

And came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Blondie and her friends were there, sitting at the closest table.

Looking at her. Damn.

"Cat-Seacat!" And Blondie made a beeline towards her, almost shoving the waitress out of her way.

Seacat smiled at her. "So, you made it as well. How did…" Before she could finish, she found herself interrupted by the woman grabbing her in a hug strong enough to push her breath out of her - and she wasn't even transformed! "Ack!"

Blondie released her, only to grab her by her arms instead. "What were you thinking? We've heard about what you did! Who had this… this plan?"

Uh-oh. "What plan?" She had to delay. Distract the woman. She just had to stall and… why weren't the shrimp and Brain Boy interrupting them?

"What plan? The plan to rush at a Horde battle line in small boats and get sunk!"

"Ah, that plan." Seacat forced herself to smile. Stalling didn't work very well. And the shrimp and Brain Boy were glaring at her as well - as if this was her fault!

"Yes, that plan!" Blondie looked really angry. Were those tears in the corner of her eyes? For her? Or had she tried the hot fish stew for breakfast?

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" As Sea Hawk had taught her, it was hard to argue with success. Not impossible, but hard.

"It also caused over fifty per cent casualties among the soldiers involved," the shrimp said. As if that was her business!

"Sailors," Seacat corrected the princess, "not soldiers."

"Who cares? You almost died!" Blondie blurted out. "And after you said…" She shook her head - shaking Seacat a little as well since Blondie still kept vice-like grips on Seacat's upper arms. "Whose plan was it?"

Blondie was really mad. There was only one answer. "The Salinean Navy's!" Seacat replied. They could take the casualties better than Seacat's crew could. She had only one captain, and the Salineans had officers to spare, many of them useless anyway.

"Oh! I'm going to give Mermista a piece of my mind!"

Ugh. If Blondie went after Mermista, Sea Hawk would step in to protect the princess. "We volunteered! We knew how dangerous it was, but it was the only way to save Seaworthy!" Seacat told Blondie. "We tried catapults to deploy the mixture, but they didn't work, cannons wouldn't work either, and the Hair Princess's new invention to make our ships faster wasn't ready yet."

"Sea Hawk volunteered you?" Blondie had no fangs, but up close, her teeth looked quite impressive when clenched.

"We volunteered," Seacat spat.

"What were you thinking? You almost died!"

She finally managed to wriggle out of the woman's grip. "But we didn't! And we had it all planned out - attacking with the wind, smoke to hide us and hinder their gunners, turning outside the point-blank range of the enemy… We even had new flotation devices the princess made for us." Which hadn't really been that helpful - quite the contrary, actually - but there was no need to mention that.

"And you got sunk!"

"One of the Horde gunners got lucky," Seacat spat with a frown. But Blondie was still glaring at her. And those were definitely tears in her eyes. Damn. Seacat forced a weak smile on her face. "Look, I know the general order the Horde got to capture me looks bad, but…"

"'General order'? They want to capture you?"

Seacat winced at the volume. "So… you hadn't heard about it, yet?" And she was still so worked up?

"We arrived late at night," Brain Boy said. "And we convinced Adora that you needed your sleep after your, ah, ordeal."

Was that a fancy word for battle?

"I wasn't about to wake her up!" Blondie protested.

"You were about to transform and break through her door," the shrimp retorted.

"Never mind!" Blondie turned back to Seacat and glared at her. "What did you say about a general order to capture you?"

That was an intense glare the woman had. Seacat felt her fur bristle a little in response. Even though she wasn't afraid or even impressed. She huffed and sneered a little. "We captured a sailor. He told us that if they captured me or Catra, they should bring us to the Fright Zone. So, you see - it's an order to capture me, but just an order what to do should they capture me. Which they won't, anyway!" She flashed her teeth in a smile. A confident smile.

But Blondie wasn't looking at her - she was frowning at the floor or something, and biting her thumb. "Shadow Weaver! She's behind this! I should've expected that after her letter!"

Shadow Weaver… Seacat felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn't like that name. At all. Wait! She blinked. "What letter?"

"The letter Scorpia delivered to you at the Princess Prom?" the shrimp was suddenly at their side. "That letter?"

"Yes," Blondie replied, grimacing. "She tried to use my old comrades in the Horde against me. As if I'd fall for that! But I should've expected that she wouldn't give up."

"Wait! You're the reason the Horde wants to capture me?" Seacat blurted out. "They think I'm your friend? Your missing friend?"

Everyone was staring at her again.

"Err…" Blondie coughed. "Yes?"

"Why?" Seacat snapped. "Why, damn it?" This couldn't be true!

"Uh…" Brain Boy spoke up. "Are you asking why Shadow Weaver wants to kidnap you, or why she thinks that you're Catra?"

Before Seacat could answer the stupid question, the shrimp spoke up. "What kind of question is that? Everyone knows that she's Catra! The dates match, she looks like her, she acts like her…"

"I don't act like her at all!" Seacat protested. "I like to swim! And I hate the Horde!"

"Big deal!" the shrimp retorted. "I didn't like to swim when I was younger, either! And Adora hates the Horde, too!"

That stupid princess! Seacat hissed. This wasn't true!

"And, ah… Shadow Weaver wants you because you're my… friend," Blondie added, with a glance towards her friends.

"One of her friends," the shrimp added before she was elbowed by Brain Boy.

"So… this Shadow Weaver…" Seacat felt her fur bristle again just saying the name. "...she wants me as a hostage?"

"Yes." Blondie nodded. "She must have found out about you at the Princess Prom, from Scorpia. And when I didn't react to the threats to the cadets in my former squad…"

Seacat shook her head with clenched teeth. This wasn't true! This couldn't be true! She wasn't just some hostage! She wasn't just leverage against She-Ra! She was Seacat! She had fought the Horde! She had beaten the Horde - with Sea Hawk. She had done much more things that mattered than… dancing with a princess at a ball!

"No!" she spat and whirled around.

"Ca-Seacat! Wait!"

"Leave me alone!" she hissed at Blondie. "This is all your fault!"

Then she leapt to the door, ripped it open and rushed out of the inn. Away from… away from everyone.

"Wait!"

Blondie was coming after her. Of course!

"Wait! Seacat, wait!"

But the woman didn't know Seaworthy as well as Seacat did. And she wasn't as fast as Seacat. Not by a long shot.

Seacat sprinted down the main street on all fours, dodging around the passers-by and easily outdistancing the Blondie, until she reached a particular intersection. She bared her fangs as she took the corner, dashing down a side alley, then took the next corner, and another and one more.

Then she slowed down. Here, the alleys were so narrow, sometimes you couldn't even see the sky above you. There was no way Blondie - or any princess - would find her here.

Sighing, she sat down and leaned against the wall.

And cursed the Horde, Blondie, the princesses. Everyone.

She wasn't Catra! She was Seacat! The damn best first mate of the fastest ship in Etheria! She mattered!

And she wasn't crying!

*****​

Seacat sniffed the air and grinned. She could smell the roasted fish around two corners - her third-favourite food stall in Seaworthy was open! She could finally get breakfast. Scoffing, she reminded herself that this, too, was all Blondie's fault. If not for the princess and her stupid friends, she could've eaten in the inn. Milk bread!

But now she could eat in peace. And it was late enough so she could order breakfast and lunch together. Perhaps one order of roasted fish and one of fried fish? Yeah, that would do. Running from a stupid princess had made her work up an appetite, too!

She was licking her lips as she rounded the last corner. There was the stall - and that was a piece of arctic shark on the spit in the corner! And there was…

…Sea Hawk sitting at the counter.

She froze for a moment, almost turning and dashing back around the corner. Then she scoffed and straightened. She wasn't going to run away from her captain.

Instead, she continued walking and sat down on the seat next to him. "Morning," she grumbled.

"Morning, first mate!" he replied with a smile.

She didn't ask how he had found her - he had shown her the back alleys of Seaworthy, after all. But she looked around.

"No one else is here," he told her.

She huffed in response. But she was glad he hadn't brought Blondie here. Not that she had really expected him to.

"I'll have the fried fish and the roasted shark," she told the cook.

"Good choice," Sea Hawk told her. "The shark's delicious - fresh from the Kingdom of Snows. I had it myself."

That was good news. She nodded, licking her lips as she watched the cook put the fish pieces into the boiling oil before cutting off a generous portion from the shark. She had been here often enough, so the man knew better than to ask if she wanted some greasy side dishes with her fish.

And the shark was delicious. She gobbled it down while the cook finished frying her next order.

Sea Hawk didn't say anything while she ate, but as soon as she swallowed the last piece of fried fish, he cleared his throat.

And Seacat suppressed the urge to wince. "It's all Blondie's fault!" she spat before he could say anything.

"Is it?"

"Yes!" Of course it was!

"That the Horde wants to capture you?"

She clenched her teeth for a moment, almost hissing, before she answered: "Yes. They want me as a hostage. Because she thinks I'm her missing friend."

"I think dancing and sleeping with her in the Kingdom of Snows also played a role there." He nodded slowly and took a sip from his ale.

This time, she did hiss. "I didn't sleep with her - we just slept in the same bed!" she corrected him.

"Well, you know gossip and rumour." He chuckled softly. "I think people were already talking about your passionate night with Adora before we left port."

"You mean She-Ra." She scoffed. "No one would care about her if she were just a Horde deserter fighting against them. The Horde."

"Ah." He frowned and tilted his head. "Are you angry that the Horde didn't put a bounty on your head for being the best first mate on all the seas?"

She clenched her teeth again. She didn't want to sound arrogant, but…

She had taken too long to answer since he patted her shoulder before she could say anything and told her. "I understand completely, Seacat. I, too, know how it feels when your accomplishments haven't been appreciated as they should've been."

"They made you an admiral," she replied in a flat voice.

"And it was completely justified, as we proved during the battle, yes!" He smiled widely. "However, it took me a long time to develop my reputation as the best captain on all the seas. Oh, the years of doing heroic deed after heroic deed, surviving adventures that would have left others dead and destroyed…"

"Such as setting your own ship on fire," she interrupted him.

He ignored her jab. "...without being recognised for it. Well, except for the bounty hunters and the jealous captains. Or their jealous lovers." He nodded to his own words. "But in the end, Mermista acknowledged my heroic and dashing nature and my pure love for her!" He reached over and grabbed her by both shoulders, looking into her eyes. "You, too, will achieve your dreams, as long as you persevere and never give up!"

"I don't want a relationship with Blondie," she retorted.

"Did I say that?" he asked - far too innocently to be innocent.

She narrowed her eyes and growled at him.

He released her shoulders in response and coughed into his fist. "Trust me, you too will soon be hunted by the Horde for your own merits - they're just a little slow to realise what we've done to them, together. Part of the reason for this is that Mermista has forbidden me to sing shanties about our spy missions for 'operational security'."

"That's so we won't run into a trap the next time we do such a mission," she told him.

"Probably, yes." He grinned. "My dear Mermista is a little too cautious. I've told her that we wouldn't use the same plan twice, so letting the Horde know what we did would only make them focus on the wrong areas, but she remains unconvinced."

She scoffed in return.

"Exactly! But I might yet convince her. Anyway, you shouldn't blame our friends for the Horde's actions."

"It was their actions that led to this," Seacat told him. "If she hadn't mistaken me for her missing friend, none of this would've happened."

"Are you certain?" He cocked his head. "She didn't force you to spend so much time with her, did she? If she did, I'll have a word with her - as your captain, the law of the sea compels me to protect you from such… advances."

Seacat clenched her teeth. She was tempted to lie - it would serve Blondie well to have the captain come after her - but… She wasn't the kind of sailor who had a lover in every port, nor was she a rake like some of Sea Hawk's friends, but she, well… If Blondie weren't a princess, not a former Horde soldier, and not such a pain in the stern about her missing friend, she wouldn't be the worst choice to spend an evening carousing with.

"Ah!" The captain was smiling widely - she had taken too long to answer. Again.

"It's not like that!" she spat.

He chuckled in return. "Of course not. But it could be, couldn't it?"

She glared at him instead of answering.

He sighed and put his hand on her shoulder again. "Seacat, I know this isn't easy for you. But remember: This isn't your fault, nor hers. Nor anyone's except the Horde's. Adora and the others mean well."

"She still thinks I'm Catra."

"She'll come around." He squeezed her shoulder. "Now, shall we head back to the inn to discuss our next step in the war?"

She scoffed again but nodded.

*****​

"So… what about our ship?" she asked on the way back to the inn - where, apparently, the Alliance would be planning the next step of the war. "Did you check the harbour if there's a nice courier ship for sale? With Mermista bankrolling us, you should be able to outbid anyone else who lost theirs in the battle."

"Ah, no. Actually, our new ship is waiting - or so I hope - in Salineas for us." The captain smiled at her, flashing his teeth.

That was the sort of foreplanning Seacat wouldn't have expected of Sea Hawk. He didn't believe that preparing for misfortune would ensure it would befall you, as some superstitious - and stupid - sailors thought, but he was a great believer in improvising. Although this had been a very dangerous mission, and it wasn't out of the question that Sea Hawk would have taken steps to… No. He hadn't been planning ahead like this even when he had been planning to wreck his ship ramming the Horde bomb vessel in the Battle of Salineas. That meant… No. "You didn't… you didn't pick the Princess' test ship!"

He nodded with a wide grin. "Of course I did! Princess Entrapta said that it would be the fastest ship on all the seas once she has perfected the design. Imagine if someone else would get to sail her instead of us! The shame! We have a reputation to defend - now more than ever!"

She felt her ears flatten against her head as she stopped walking and glared at him. "Are you seriously trying to use this mess about Blondie's friend to… to justify risking our lives with the Hair Princess's project?"

Sea Hawk beamed at her and cocked his head sideways. "Yes. Is it working?"

She growled, shook her head and turned to continue to walk briskly towards the inn. Even dealing with Blondie and her stupid friends was better than trying to talk sense into Sea Hawk right now.

*****​

"Seacat!" Blondie jumped up as soon as Seacat and Sea Hawk entered the inn. "I'm sorry!"

Seacat glared at her. "What are you sorry for?"

"Uh…" The woman blinked with a particularly stupid expression. "Everything?"

Seacat rolled her eyes. "It's the Horde's fault, you idiot!"

Blondie started nodding and smiling. It didn't make her look smarter in any way.

"Are we really doing our planning here?" Seacat pointedly looked around and eyed the waitresses and the innkeeper, all of whom were staring at them. The Horde must have spies in Seaworthy, and who knew who they were? They hadn't revealed themselves during the battle, unlike the ones in Salineas.

"Of course not," the shrimp spoke up. "We've got a secure room prepared. Upstairs." She stood. "Let's go! The admiral is waiting," she added with a frown at Seacat.

As if that was Seacat's fault! She stuck out her tongue at the shrimp's back as they climbed the stairs.

"The other admiral," Sea Hawk said. "I'm also an admiral."

Admiral Gharn was already in a large room on the first floor - with two marines standing guard outside - but it didn't look like she had been waiting for them; she was at a long table scribbling on sheets.

"Admiral Gharn! How's my fellow flag officer doing?" Sea Hawk blurted out as soon as the door opened.

"Doing paperwork," the woman replied with a frown.

"Ah!" Sea Hawk nodded sagely before sitting down and putting his boots on the table. "My own, sadly, sank with my ship. Very unfortunate."

"Not as unfortunate as our casualties," the admiral retorted.

"Yes." Sea Hawk nodded again. "I've lost my ship as well."

"And most of your command."

Seacat clenched her teeth and glared at the officer. "Everyone knew the risks," she spat. "We did better than expected."

"Yes. A few ships survived, actually," Sea Hawk added with another nod.

"And replacing those that didn't will take a long time," Gharn said. "Until then, our ability to keep up lines of communication with headquarters as well as keeping eyes on the enemy fleet will be restricted."

"What enemy fleet?" Blondie asked. "You sank the Horde ships in the area, didn't you?"

"The Horde will be sending more ships. And my own fleet is in dire need of repairs and resupply. Our victory was bought with blood."

"As was the victory in the land battle," the shrimp said. "And we have to keep fighting. The Horde's reeling - this is the best time to hit them. Hard."

"Half my ships won't be hitting anything until they've been patched up. If I sent them out in their current state, I might as well sink them myself."

"That still leaves the other half of your ships, my fellow admiral," Sea Hawk said. "And you should still have two couriers to serve as the eyes of your fleet. More than enough to push down the coast and take a port or two back."

"Yes!" Blondie said. "We can land troops, too! If you take a force down the coast, we can hit them before they know what's coming."

"I cannot risk the Salinean fleet without approval from Princess Mermista."

Seacat hissed. Bloody coward.

"Well, unless I bungled my admiral orientation," Sea Hawk said with a sly grin, "which was given to me by the princess in person, mind you, then our standing orders are that absent other orders, we're to hunt down fleeing Horde ships. And I'm reasonably sure that some Horde ships are fleeing south. Although we're bound for Salineas, to take possession of our new ship, so I can ask if your different orders take precedence."

Gharn looked like she wanted nothing more than shooting Sea Hawk out of a cannon right now. "I'll send out scouts to recon the southern coast."

"Great!"

"And we'll send out scouts as well," the shrimp said. "To clear the coast down to the closest enemy naval base."

Well, it looked like matters were settled. Of course, that would mean that people would now spend far too much time talking about stupid details. Seacat made a point of closing her eyes and leaning back, though she didn't put her feet on the table.

*****​

"I can't believe you fell asleep in the briefing!" Blondie, sounding both shocked and annoyed, cornered Seacat as soon as they had left the briefing room.

Seacat made a point of yawning and stretching, craning her neck for good measure, before replying. "Why?"

The other woman blinked. "Huh… I mean: What were you thinking?" She was flushed now, too. She must really care about rules and expectations.

"I was thinking that I said my piece and had no need to listen to all the logistical details. I don't need to know about who supplied whom and who gets to order whom around on the move south since I'm not going to head south for a while." Seacat grinned.

"But…"

"Also, me listening would've been a bad idea since such information is need to know, and since I won't be taking part in the operation, I don't have a need to know. So, you see, me taking a nap - which was quite challenging with all the whispering from you - was actually just me doing my duty for the Alliance."

Blondie was gaping again. "But… but…"

Of course, the shrimp just had to butt in. "So you acknowledge that you're a member of the Alliance now?"

Seacat frowned at the princess. That was… well, she was correct. Kind of. But not really. "I'm Sea Hawk's first mate," she said. "And he's an admiral of the Salinean Navy."

"A soon to be decorated admiral!" the captain said from further ahead, looking over his shoulder at them.

She rolled her eyes. "But I didn't join the Navy," she went on. She would remember that. Even if others assumed so.

"But…" Blondie tried again.

Seacat interrupted her with a raised claw. "No buts. There's only one man who can give me orders, and that is Sea Hawk." And as long as she didn't join the Navy, that wouldn't change - she knew better than letting all the idiot officers in the Salinean fleet order her around.

"That's… incredibly…" The shrimp seemed at a loss for words.

"...smart?" Seacat prompted her, flashing her fangs in a grin.

"...Selfish! And disruptive!" the princess tried.

"No. Even if we were both in the Navy, I'd be directly under him, with no one between us. No one else would be in my chain of command," Seacat told her.

"Mermista could give you orders!" The shrimp obviously didn't like to lose an argument.

"That's different," Seacat replied, "and not related to the Navy at all." And she wasn't going into the reasons she - sometimes, only - listened to Mermista.

"But…" The shrimp finally huffed - and clenched her teeth, which made her look more like a child than the commander of Bright Moon's army she was. "Fine! Whatever! You're not in the stupid Navy!" She turned to her friends. "Let's go and talk to our troops! We've lost enough time here!" She whirled and walked - stomped - down the hallway towards the stairs.

Brain Boy, who had stayed silent so far, glanced at Seacat before following the princess.

Blondie, though, hesitated. "Uh… if you're not going to join the attack down the coast, where are you going?" she asked.

"Back to Salineas," Seacat told her. "We need to get our new ship and get it sea-ready." Which could take a while even if she didn't blow up the first time they pushed her.

"Oh." The woman looked almost disappointed for a moment before smiling at Seacat. "That's great!"

"We'll see," Seacat said. She wasn't exactly looking forward to testing the inventions of the Hair Princess, but Sea Hawk was correct that they couldn't let others have a shot at the fastest ship on the seas, even if it was a little dangerous.

"Is something wrong?" Blondie frowned at her.

"Nothing," Seacat lied and stretched again. "It's just been a long day, and a troublesome morning."

Blondie had the grace to blush in response. "Again, sorry about that."

"Don't worry, it's not your fault. It's the Horde's." Like so much else.

"But still… you're now in even more danger!"

Seacat scoffed. "More danger than charging at a Horde battle line in a courier?"

"Well…" The woman looked confused for a second, then frowned again and leaned towards her. "You won't do that again, right?"

Seacat leaned back before she realised what she was doing. That was an intense glare - worse than Mermista's in a bad mood. But she was Seacat, not some Alliance soldier or whatever. She raised her chin. "Not until it's needed. You won't be charging Horde artillery, will you?"

Blondie opened her mouth, then closed it again, her frown turning into a pout before she smiled - weakly, but it was there. "Not until it's needed."

Seacat chuckled, and, a moment later, both of them were laughing.

*****​

Seaworthy might have been under siege less than two days ago - although not for long, all things considered, and the port hadn't been completely surrounded on the land side - but the seedy underbelly of the port, as Mermista would have called it, hadn't been affected much. The tavern Seacat had just entered - the same where she had met Blondie for the first time - proved that beyond a doubt. It was as busy as ever, and the patrons as shady and untrustworthy as they came. As usual.

She walked up to the bar, glaring at a drunken sailor who stared too openly at her butt, and flipped a coin to the fishwoman behind the counter. "Ale," she ordered. "Cold. Keep the change."

The woman caught the coin without looking at her and quickly filled a mug. "Here."

Seacat took a sip and blinked. The ale was stronger than usual. She turned to address the bartender and lifted her mug. "Is this a new brew?"

"To celebrate the victory against the Horde." The woman's smile was a little forced, but the surrounding patrons lifted their glasses and mugs. "To victory!"

Seacat joined in - it was her victory, after all. Well, hers and Sea Hawk's. And their flotilla. And the Salinean Fleet had helped, too.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and resisted the urge to lick it clean right away. That was strong ale, though the aftertaste was a little off. "Need to go over the recipe again," she told the bartender, wrinkling her nose. "There's some aftertaste."

"Huh?" The drunken sailor - a goatman - next to her grunted. "Whatcha talkin' 'bout? It's fine!"

She scoffed. "Just because you have no taste…" She blinked. The man looked a little… hazy. Seacat hadn't drunk that much. And it was ale, not liquor!

She pushed off the bar and felt her legs wobble for a moment. Damn - the ale! She whirled around with a hiss. The bartender was at the other end of the bar, headed towards the door there.

Growling, Seacat jumped on the bar and dashed along it on all fours. The fishwoman yelped and started to run, but she was too slow. Seacat smashed into her just as she reached the door and tackled her to the floor. A quick blow to the chest stopped the scumbag's attempt to fend her off. While the woman clutched her ribs, Seacat kicked her in the other side, flipping her on her back. "What did you put into my ale?"

"Nothing! I swear!"

"Then why did you try to run?" She kicked the liar again and flashed her claws. "Talk or I'll gut you like a… a fish!"

"Help! Help!"

Damn. Seacat placed a foot on the woman's belly and looked over her shoulder. Four people, including the goatman, were moving towards her, weapons drawn. "Stay back! She poisoned me!" Seacat snapped. She had to blink again - things were getting hazy once more. "Call the guards!" she added.

But the four kept dancing - and fanning out.

"Ah! That was your plan! Horde scum!" Seacat snarled. She drew her cutlass and ignited it, waving it towards the closest attacker. The man shied away, and Seacat jumped forward, to the door the bartender had tried to reach.

It wasn't locked! She kicked it open and swung her blade again, almost catching the goatman in the stomach, but the nimble bastard managed to jump back in time. Then Seacat dashed through the open door - and found herself in the tavern's kitchen. The cook, a fat woman, shrieked and moved into the corner, but Seacat had only eyes for the exit - the backdoor. There!

She took a step, but her leg almost buckled. Damn! And everything was now hazy.

She steadied herself with one hand on the big table in the centre of the kitchen and turned just in time to meet a burly man jumping at her, hands outstretched. Seacat snarled and ducked, then pushed herself up, sending the fool flying headfirst into the huge pot of soup on the stove behind her.

He smashed into it, spilling boiling hot, greasy broth all over himself and the floor. While he screamed like a stuck pig, Seacat jumped on the table - she didn't fancy getting her feet scolded.

But her legs gave out, and she ended up on her back on the table, sending spices and bread flying. And the goatman was charging at her, wielding a sap.

Seacat rolled to her side and raised her blade, but before she could stick it through the scum's chest, his hooves slipped on the greasy floor, and he fell down, hard.

Seacat rolled on her belly and stabbed down, catching him in the shoulder. He screamed and rolled away, and before she could recover and cut his flailing legs, a fishman jumped on top of her with a high-pitched yell.

The impact drove the breath out of her lungs, and she almost dropped her cutlass. Before she could react, she felt hands around her throat - he was choking her.

Snarling, she lashed out over her shoulder, burying the claws of her free hand deep into his lower arm, then ripped them out again.

The fishman howled and released her neck, and she felt blood drop down on her back. Hissing, she reversed her grip on her cutlass and drove the blade back - into the fool's stomach. His screams cut off, and she twisted, pushing the dying bastard off her.

That left the goatman and the fourth, a lizard. She rolled off the table and faced them. Just two left, and she could flee out the back…

She blinked. The goatman had doubled. As had the lizard. And they were growing taller. No, floating.

No, Seacat's legs were collapsing - she was sinking to the floor.

Everything went black before she hit the ground.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 12: The Witch

"Oh, look at this!"

"It's a skiff, Catra."

"Yes - but look at it! It's flying!" She cocked her head, smiling.

"It's hovering, actually. It can't really fly."

Adora was being a killjoy again.

"It doesn't have to be touching the ground to move and it can go higher than a tall trooper stands. That's flying!" Anyone could see that the skiff was flying - to demonstrate, she quickly passed underneath it. "See? Flying!"

Adora frowned at her. "It's not really flying. It needs the ground to work."

"So?" Who cared? As long as it could soar above everyone else on the ground? And could go fast!

"That means that it won't work over water." Adora huffed at her.

"What? That makes no sense!" She stared at her friend. Why wouldn't the skiff be able to fly over water? If you could fly over rocks and grass, why not water?

"It's magic, duh." Adora shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Magic?" That couldn't be true!

"Yes, magic." Adora nodded with that overly serious expression of hers.

"But… why are we using magic?" She took a step back. Magic. Only princesses used magic. The Horde used technology! Like the cannons. And the bots. And the shock weapons.

"We aren't - we're using the skiffs," Adora explained. "Making them needs magic, but anyone can use them."

"So we've got princesses in the Horde making them?" That sounded wrong, too - everyone knew princesses were the enemy of the Horde.

Adora blinked. "I don't think you need to be a princess to do magic. Shadow Weaver isn't a princess, and she can do magic."

She felt her fur bristle at the name, and she hissed, then looked away. "Well, if it's from Shadow Weaver I don't want to have anything to do with it!"

"Catra! It's not from Shadow Weaver. I think, at least." Adora blinked. "Someone else probably worked on it. Or we took the magic thingies from the princesses and built the skiffs around them."

"'Magic thingies'?" She raised her eyebrows with a grin.

Adora scowled at her. "You know what I meant. The magic…"

"...thing?" She flashed her fangs, chuckling.

"...device that makes things fly."

"'Things'!"

"Oh, you!" Adora glared at her, huffing.

"Whatever - let's check it out!" She jumped, grabbed onto the railing, and swung herself onto the skiff. "Whoa…" She could feel it shift slightly under her feet as she walked. That wasn't a solid wagon. It was more like… a boat. She shuddered, remembering the 'amphibious training' they had gone through. She wasn't made for water!

"Catra! Come down! We're not supposed to touch the skiffs - we aren't even supposed to be here!"

"Feh!" She scoffed. She could also feel something vibrate. Softly, but it was there. Was that the magic? She cocked her head, trying to get a feeling for it.

"Hey! What are you doing here? This is off-limits to cadets!"

Uh-Oh!

*****​

The vibrations were the first thing Seacat noticed when waking up. Like in her dream - she was on a skiff. Then she gasped - she was bound. And she remembered. She had been attacked. Poisoned! She looked around - it was dark, but not completely dark. She was in… in a crate. A wooden crate - a little light came through the gaps between the boards.

She had been kidnapped! And hogtied! Clenching her teeth, she tried to break her bonds, but no matter how much she flexed and strained, the bands holding her wrists and ankles together - behind her back - didn't budge. And she couldn't use her claws on the bonds.

Damn! She settled for slamming her body against the boards. If she rocked the crate, perhaps...

"The cat woke up!"

"So?"

"She's banging around in the crate."

"So? Let her."

"What if she brains herself? We won't get the reward if she's dead!"

"'Brains herself'?"

Seacat hissed. She knew that voice - the goatman from the tavern! The other must be the lizard.

"Killing herself by hitting her head against the wall. People do that."

"In your damned Mermaid Mysteries, perhaps."

"Oi! They're good books!"

"They're trash!"

"Don't say that!"

"I'll say what I want! I got us this windfall!"

"And you got Juke and Oli killed!"

"I didn't get them killed - they got themselves killed attacking the cat. I fought her and lived!"

"You almost died - she cut your shoulder."

"And I'll heal. Unlike Juke and Oli. Now shut up and let the cat tire herself out. No one can hear us out here anyway."

Seacat hissed again. That was important information. Important but not very promising. At least she had killed two of the Horde scum who had poisoned her. But they must be far inland if there wasn't anyone around. And they were headed to the Horde territory.

Damn.

She threw herself at the crate again. That didn't do anything. But she could use the claws on the boards, couldn't she? Of course she could!

She twisted until she was lying on her back and tried her claws on the board below her. They easily went through the wood. Good. But how to escape? She was on a skiff, that much she knew. Perhaps if she dug through the board and the deck below, she could damage the skiff and cause it to crash?

They weren't flying high, so she would survive. So would the two scumbags, though - but if they crashed, there was the hope that others would find them. Sea Hawk would know about the kidnapping - everyone in the tavern had seen the fight. And Blondie would probably charge after them on foot and without any directions…

Seacat chuckled under her breath at the thought. That would be… She frowned. She didn't need a rescue by Blondie. She could escape herself. All she needed was a little luck. Like the goatman and the lizard crushing their skulls in a crash.

Clenching her teeth, she started scratching through the board. She couldn't see her work, and just using her fingers as leverage made it far harder than usual, but this was wood used for crates; far from the hardwood used for the decks of ships or their hulls. After a little while, she had made a hole big enough so she could easily reach the deck below.

That was made of metal - and harder than she remembered… had dreamt of. Still, she could feel her claws cut it. Little by little. Her fingers hurt, but she'd hurt her kidnappers more. All she needed to do was to crash the skiff, then get out of the crate and roll onto them until she could dig her claws into their flesh.

But first, she needed to get through the skiff's deck. She just needed to be patient. Revenge would be hers. And she would get the key to her bonds.

After a good while, she finally broke through the deck. But as much as she twisted, she couldn't reach anything below it with her hands. Damn it. That meant, she would have to widen the holes in the crate and the deck. Probably large enough so she could fall through them.

That would take a long time, but it wasn't as if she had better things to do. As long as she managed before they reached Horde territory…

She heard steps approaching the crate and froze. Had the kidnappers heard her? No, she hadn't been loud enough; she'd know. So…

The steps stopped, and, for a moment, she felt relief. But then, the lid of the crate was removed, and she was blinded by sunlight, hissing as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Here's some water, you…" The lizard gasped. "Brad!"

She snarled and threw herself upward, fangs bared. The lizard raised his arms, and she bit him, sinking her fangs into his lower arm.

"Ah! Help! Help!"

He recoiled, but she didn't let him go - she clenched her jaws and hung on. All she needed was a little leverage, a twist, and she could use her claws on him.

But he shook her too hard for that - she could barely hang on.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get her off!"

"Well, just hit her, idiot!"

She hissed and let go, landing a few yards away and rolling until she hit the railing. She shook her head, then glanced around. They were in some kind of forest. The goatman was at the helm, clutching the steering wheel. And the lizard...

"Look at my arm!"

...was wailing and clutching his barely-bleeding warm.

"Get her! She's about to escape!"

"But my…"

"Get her!" The goatman was screeching.

Escaping was a good idea, but hogtied as she was, she couldn't exactly move well. She couldn't even get up. This wasn't going as planned.

The lizard approached her, and she hissed and snapped, driving him back.

"Get her, you fool! She's tied up, you worthless, useless idiot!"

"Oli! You saw what she did to my arm! What if her fangs are poisoned?"

"Just grab her - she can't really hurt you!"

"She hurt me already!"

But the lizard was advancing on her again. Seacat lunged - as much as she could, bound as she was - but he sidestepped her attack and grabbed her by the neck. She managed to slam her knees into his shin, but except for forcing him to take a step back, it didn't do anything.

And he hadn't released her. Instead, he held her up. "Got her!"

She hissed again, but he barely flinched.

"Finally! Now poison her! I'm not going to have her escape again!"

"But…"

"Do it!"

Seacat struggled as much as she was able to, shaking and growling. "You'll pay for this! They'll come for you! They'll already have your names!"

"Oli…?"

"Shut her up, damn it. We'll be fine in the Horde!"

Despite her resistance, the lizard forced a piece of wood into her mouth. She tried to bite through it, but that was hardwood. She wouldn't… wouldn't…

Everything went dark again.

*****​

The smell was the first thing that hit her when she woke up. She knew it. A bit of smoke - coal, not wood - and oil or other stuff. And no hint of the scent of the sea. None at all. Yet, it was… familiar. She had smelt it before. It was… it was… Horde!

She gasped, opening her eyes and looking around. She was in Horde territory! Blinking, she looked around. She was in a cell. A metal cell, with dimly glowing bars instead of a door. Horde style. Green, dim light filled the room. She wasn't hogtied anymore. And her hands were in cuffs, but in front of her, not on her back. Good.

But her throat hurt. As did her stomach. The kidnappers hadn't fed her much during the rest of the trip - she only remembered waking up a few times, and getting water and some dried meat. The scum had kept her drugged for the entire time!

And it hadn't done her any favours - her head hurt, and standing up was… well, she managed. On the third try. But she was parched and hungry. Didn't the Horde feed their prisoners?

She looked around again. In front of the bars there was a tray, and on it… Water! She stumbled towards it, almost falling down, and grabbed the bottle with both hands. Water!

She gulped down most of it, sighing as it soothed her throat. Sweet, sweet… well, the water had a metallic aftertaste. Like drinking from a metal can after a month at sea. Seacat made a face but drank the rest of the water anyway.

There were a grey and a brown bar on the tray as well. Horde ration bars. She wrinkled her nose - even the supposedly good ones tasted bad. But it was food. Sort of.

And she needed food. She couldn't escape while starving. She sniffed the bars, then took a cautious bite.

Bleargh. She shuddered at the taste but kept eating. She had eaten worse, after all. And the taste was kind of familiar. Like...

She blinked, then clenched her teeth. She had eaten Horde ration bars before, at sea. That was why they tasted familiar. No other reason. None!

Growling, she finished both bars, tried to lick the last drops of water from the bottle, then scuttled back and leaned against the wall.

She was in a Horde cell. Probably in the Fright Zone - the Horde Heartland. And the Horde had a bounty on her head. They wanted to use her as a hostage against Blondie.

She needed to escape, and quickly.

*****​

She met the first Horde scum about an hour later - it was hard to tell the time without seeing the sky. She heard them, first - steps on metal grates. Those were rather uncomfortable for bare feet and claws could get stuck in them. Or would. Before she could consider the stray thought, a figure in Horde armour stepped into the hallway outside her cell. They looked female, but with the chest plate and helmet, it was hard to tell.

Seacat glared at them, but they didn't even stop - they just walked past the cell. That wouldn't do. "Hey!"

That made them stop and turn around. "What?"

So, there was a man under that armour.

"I'm hungry." She kicked her tray towards the bars. She could jump the scum when they opened the cell to feed her.

"You'll get food in the evening." He turned away.

Damn. "And when will that be?"

"In the evening."

"What time is it?" she spat.

He snorted. "Noon."

She couldn't tell if he was lying or not. "And where am I?"

A scoff was her only answer, and the scum walked away, ignoring the curses she sent after him.

"Scum," she muttered one last time, then sat down, leaning against the wall again. With the guard gone, she was alone again - there wasn't even anyone in the cells nearby. No one she could hear or smell, in any case.

Though that was an opportunity as well. She grinned and looked at the wall. Metal - but that wouldn't stop her claws. And she had, unless the scum had lied to her, a few hours to bust out of this cell before they came to feed her.

That should be more than enough to get through the metal wall. She raised her hands - slightly awkward, since they were still cuffed together - and started scratching the wall.

It was much, much harder than she'd expected. She was just scratching the wall, instead of leaving deep gouges in it. And her claws started to hurt. As did her wrists - the cuffs dug into her wrists with each swipe.

This might not work as she had planned. Whoever had built this cell had been prepared for her.

And wasn't that worrying? First the general order - and a bounty on her had - and now this. All the work of this 'Shadow Weaver'?

She shuddered against her will and clenched her teeth. She was better than this. She had fought and beaten the Horde scum - sank their ships. She wasn't about to be scared by anyone. She…

Footsteps. She cocked her head, her ears twitching. Several people - three. Coming towards her. Coming for her.

She had run out of time.

But.. Seacat's ears perked up. They were talking!

"Should we be doing this?"

"Yes."

"Are you really sure? This is a restricted area. Like, really restricted. Not normal restricted."

"Yes, Kyle. Now shut up."

That didn't sound like a goon squad here to fetch her to whoever - Shadow Weaver - had wanted to capture her. She shifted a little, stretching out and crossing her legs as she was lounging on a deck in the sun. She wouldn't appear weak to anyone.

Three Horde scum stepped in front of her cell. A wimpy looking blond man, a tall lizard - not the bounty hunter scum, though - and a tough-looking woman with a stupid haircut. All wearing Horde uniforms, but no armour. And all looked a little surprised when they saw her.

Seacat flashed her fangs at them with a smirk. "Hello, there."

The woman pressed her lips together for a moment, frowning. "Catra."

Oh, no! Seacat hissed and glared at her. "Not another one! I'm Seacat, not 'Catra'. You dumbasses need to get it right!"

The blonde looked surprised. "Really? Oh, that would…"

"Kyle!" the woman snapped. "She's lying - of course, that's Catra!"

"I'm not," Seacat retorted.

The lizard hissed something in return, and the woman nodded. "Yes, Rogelio. See, Kyle? She has the same markings. And the same attitude."

Attitude? She'd give the idiot attitude! Seacat growled. "You just don't want to admit that a pair of loser bounty hunters fooled you and got the reward!"

"Loser bounty hunters who managed to capture you. What does that make you?" The woman scoffed at her.

She bared her teeth at them and felt her tail tap the ground as her ears flattened a little. "They poisoned me before they attacked, and I still killed half of them!" The idiots had been lucky, that was all.

"Oh." The blond took a step back.

"And yet you were captured." The woman scoffed again. "How does that feel, Catra?"

"I'm not Catra!" Why couldn't the scum see that?

"Try to tell that to someone who doesn't know you." The woman leaned forward, touching the bars. "You haven't really changed, have you? Still mouthing off and screwing up, huh?"

"Screwing up?" Seacat got up and walked to the bars, snarling at the woman. "I fought you scum for years! I've sunk your ships and killed your soldiers!"

All of them gasped - even the lizard. "You… you traitor!" the blond blurted out.

"Of course she's a traitor, Kyle," the woman said, glaring at her. "She's joined up with Adora, remember?"

"I didn't!" Was there something in the water that made everyone in the Horde stupid? "I'm Admiral Sea Hawk's first mate!"

"Who?" the blond asked.

"Sea Hawk! The best captain on all the seas!"

"Some rebel," the woman said. "Like you, huh?"

Seacat hissed at her. "Says the Horde scum."

"You were one of us until you deserted!" the other woman spat. Then she raised her chin a little and sneered at her. "But you never really were one of us, were you? Always hanging out with Adora, looking down on us, lazying around while we did all the work… I bet you only deserted because it got too hard for you to shirk your duties. Too much work."

"'Too much work'?" Seacat growled. She was the best first mate - she worked damn hard! "For the last time: I didn't desert - I never was in the Horde! You scum destroyed my village and killed my family!" she hissed at the scum in front of her.

"Uh…" The blond seemed to hunch over a little and shy away from her. "But we didn't…"

"Kyle! She's lying. That's Catra." The woman scoffed. "We wanted to talk to you, for old time's sake, but if you're being like this… Rot in here for all I care!" She turned around and walked away.

The lizard hissed something and followed her. The blond, though, looked at them, then at Seacat. "You really aren't Catra?"

"Why doesn't anyone listen? I'm Seacat!"

"Uh… sorry…" He trailed off. "You know, Lonnie's been under a lot of pressure after Adora deserted."

Seacat huffed. "So?" Who cared about Horde scum?

"Just saying. She isn't usually like this."

"That's what they all say." She bared her teeth at him.

"You really don't, uh remember me?"

"I haven't seen you before in my life." Only in some weird dreams, she realised. No, that couldn't have been them. Or her.

She turned away, tail swishing against the bars, and ignored him until he had left.

She had to escape. She was going mad in here.

She looked at the bars. They were thicker than she expected. And made from the same metal as the walls - just covered with a different coat of paint, as she found after scratching one. Damn. She clenched her teeth. Horde scum trying to keep up this farce… And it was a farce. And it was all Blondie's fault. She wasn't Catra. She was Seacat. She wasn't Horde scum.

No matter what anyone else claimed.

She took a few deep breaths. She had been stupid to chase the Horde soldier away. She might have convinced him to let her out...no, no one was that dumb. But fool him into coming into her cell? Fake an illness? That probably could've worked. Could still work - they had to feed her, after all.

That was a plan. Wait for the evening, then jump the scum serving her dinner. Easy. She just had to wait. For hours.

She cursed again and kicked the bars. She hated waiting. Unable to do anything. Just waiting. For others. Helpless… no, not helpless. Even with her hands in cuffs, she could still fight. An average Horde soldier? No contest. She could outfight one of those with both hands tied behind her back.

She scoffed, then sighed and sat down again, leaning her head back against the wall and staring at the ceiling above her. There was a grate covering the air duct. If she could climb up, she should be able to remove it and slip into the ducts. She could disappear there - they were narrow, but she was slim and flexible. She would be able to pass through them. Get to the outside, then disappear in the Fright Zone's labyrinth of factories and refineries…

...well, the supposed factories and refineries. She had only heard of them. Though she could smell them. Burning coal and other stuff. That meant the ducts had no filtration. A logical deduction, as Mermista would call it.

She snorted at the weak joke. A deduction. She didn't - couldn't! - know the ducts, or the area, but she could deduce how it looked. Mostly.

Not that it mattered - she couldn't climb the walls. They were too hard, too smooth. Her claws couldn't find any purchase.

That left plan 'jump the Horde soldier'. She liked that plan - she needed to fight someone. Break something. Anything. Teach the Horde that she wasn't helpless. That she was dangerous. That she wasn't just a stupid hostage, but a threat to them!

But she had to wait until someone came visiting her. She hated that part of the plan. She needed to move, to do something.

She sighed again. Perhaps a nap would help. Though she doubted that she would be able to sleep easily with all the noise and the stench from the Fright Zone. And who knew what kind of stupid dream she'd have? More stupid Horde soldier dreams? Perhaps with the three idiots from before?

She'd rather have a nightmare. Or another weird dream with Blondie.

Damn. She really needed to escape. Before she started feeling as if…

She growled at her own stupidity. She was Seacat. Not Catra. Never Catra.

Huffing, she lay down on the floor, squirming a little to find a comfortable position. With her hands cuffed together, it wasn't as easy as usual, and the stupid metal floor didn't help, either. But she managed, using her arms as a pillow.

But she couldn't sleep. She was in the Fright Zone. The Horde wanted to use her as a hostage against Blondie. She couldn't let them do that. Not that Blondie would give in - she wasn't that stupid - but it would… well, she couldn't let the Horde do this. No matter what.

She found herself gnawing on her lower lip, almost piercing her skin with her fangs. Could she kill herself, if everything else failed? Would serve them right, mistaking her for Catra. But it wouldn't work - the Horde could lie about her death.

And killing herself would have been stupid, anyway. There was always hope as long as you were alive, no matter how bad things looked. Sea Hawk had taught her that. And experience. She just had to be ready to take any opportunity that might appear.

She sighed. Sea Hawk. He would be so worried about her. Probably trying to sail their ship… no, he didn't have a ship. She clenched her teeth. He would come for her. Probably with Blondie. And the Horde would be expecting them.

No! She growled again. She couldn't let anyone get killed for her. This was her fault - she shouldn't have let herself get caught by some stupid bounty hunter scum. So she had to fix it. She had to escape. Where was the stupid Horde scum with her dinner, so she could jump him?

Where was…

She froze. Someone was… something…

A figure stepped - no, glided - into view outside her cell. Red robes, moving by themselves. A mask hiding her entire face. Wild dark hair peeking out… Seacat drew a hissing breath.

She knew this woman. She knew her.

"Shadow Weaver."

The woman tilted her head. It looked… off, somehow. But that might've been the way she seemed to glide and float, instead of walking. "You remember me, then." Her voice was… raspier than expected.

Seacat knew that the woman was smiling, even though she couldn't see her face. But the attitude… the arrogance. The way she held herself showed it. And the tone of her voice, always so… "No, Blondie told me about you," Seacat spat.

"Really?" The woman's voice dripped with condescension. "Did she try to jog your shaken brain into remembering your past?"

"No." Seacat hissed at the woman. "She told me that you were the worst parent. That you were trying to manipulate her - and failed." She bared her teeth.

"Oh? I guess even Adora thought that it wasn't worth trying to recover your memories." Shadow Weaver shrugged. "Perhaps she prefers your current personality. You certainly weren't a prize while growing up, Catra."

"I'm not Catra!" Seacat spat.

"Really? You deny it, even at this point? I knew you were remarkably stubborn and simple-minded, but this is…" The woman shook her head with a sigh. "...ridiculous."

"It's not! I'm not Catra."

The Horde scum ignored her. "Your denial is understandable, of course - I wouldn't want to be Catra myself. No one would. She was always in trouble. Skiving off, failing to follow orders, making a nuisance out of her, trying to distract and drag down her fellow cadets… She was a pest, to be honest. Worthless."

Seacat growled, her tail lashing as her ears flattened themselves against her head. This was… this was… not true! "Wrong!"

"'Wrong'?" Shadow Weaver laughed. "Didn't Adora tell you about 'her friend'? How she always had to cover for the pest?" She scoffed. "Or did she lie to you, perhaps?"

"She didn't lie to me!" Adora couldn't lie worth anything!

"So you say." The Horde witch shook her head. "But deep down, you know the truth. You are worthless."

"So worthless, you put a bounty on me! General orders!" Seacat sneered at the witch.

"You're nothing. Your only worth is as a means to convince Adora to return to me."

"No!" She jumped to her feet and moved to the bars, glaring at the arrogant Horde scum. "I'm Seacat. I sunk your ships and foiled your invasions!"

"You? Don't make me laugh! Still riding the coattails of your betters, I see, and claiming their success as your own. Just as you did as a cadet!" The woman leaned forward - but not close enough for Seacat's claws to reach her. The gap between the bars was too narrow to allow her to stick her arm through. "A nuisance. A distraction. A pest. That is what your existence amounts to."

"For the Horde," Seacat shot back. "But my friends know better."

"Your friends are fools as well. Their stubborn refusal to admit defeat is all that keeps this war going."

"We just defeated your invasion of Seaworthy! And we sunk your fleet! We'll push you back into the Fright Zone, and then we'll finish you!"

Once more, the woman laughed. "You have no idea. This war won't be decided at sea. You could sink every ship that the Horde fields, occupy every port, and you'd still lose."

"You're delusional!" Seacat spat. "The Kingdom of Snows joined the alliance. It's the biggest kingdom in Etheria. The Horde hasn't managed to defeat Bright Moon when it stood alone, and now you want to defeat the entire alliance? You're even more stupid than your sailors!" She scoffed. The woman was mad. Unless… No. This had to be a ruse. An attempt to make her lose hope and give up. And she wouldn't! She'd rather die!

"Of course someone as shortsighted and ignorant as you would think so."

"We'll see who's right soon enough." She bared her teeth again and gripped the bars.

Shadow Weaver scoffed again. "We? You'll rot in this cell. You won't see anything ever again except these walls."

Seacat scoffed in return. "Really? You want to use me as a hostage to make Adora switch sides, don't you? How well do you think that'll work with me isolated here?" She forced herself to laugh before she imitated the woman's voice. "'Oh, yes, Adora - I have Seacat in a cell, trust me! I would never lie to you! Now do what I say!' No wonder Adora deserted as soon as she could."

She saw the witch freeze for a moment before Shadow Weaver's hands rose and something hit Seacat, through the bars, throwing her back a yard.

Magic.

Seacat managed not to rub her aching chest and face as she got up. "Feh! I've been hit harder in friendly tavern brawls!"

"Do not test my patience. I only need you alive, not unhurt." Shadow Weaver told her in a clipped tone - she was mad! Good!

"And that will make Adora see the error of her ways, right?" Seacat laughed again. "You really are bad at this, aren't you?"

The witch grew still again, and Seacat wondered if she had pushed the Horde scum too far.

But the witch didn't lash out again. "You haven't changed at all. I had wondered if your… experiences… had changed you. For the better. But you're as insolent as ever," Shadow Weaver spat. "You haven't grown up at all. You're still the useless brat I knew."

"Takes one to know one," Seacat shot back. "Not that you'd know me since I'm not Catra!"

But instead of getting angrier, the woman seemed to relax. She even snorted at Seacat, cocking her head. "Really? How long will you keep up this useless charade? Or do you honestly think you aren't Catra? No, not even you could be so stupid. Not in the face of all the evidence. Adora recognised you, after all. As did your former comrades. As did I."

"They're mistaken!" Seacat snarled. They had to be. She wasn't Horde scum!

Shadow Weaver laughed in response, and Seacat cringed. That was… that sound… She knew it… No!

"Oh, I understand now. You don't want to accept the truth. You are so desperate to be someone else, anyone else but the failure that was Catra, you'll ignore the truth staring you in the face." She laughed again and leaned forward until her eyes were on the same level as Seacat's. "Poor, naive Catra. So desperate to succeed, to be more than a fool and a distraction! You tried, but your base nature and your mental limits betrayed you every time, and now all that is left is mindless denial. But no matter how often you repeat it, it won't come true. You are Catra. A former Horde cadet too weak and inept to make it. Not even Adora, for all her efforts, could salvage you. Vanishing was the best thing you did."

"You lie!" Seacat threw herself against the bars, tried to jam her arms, even bound as they were, through to reach the woman and claw her mask and face off. "It's not true!" She didn't care about the pain - she was hurting anyway. "I'm not a failure!" She hated the witch. Hated her more than anyone else.

Once more, the woman laughed. "But you are! A complete failure. No discipline. No intelligence. You're barely more than a wild animal, always acting on your whims. Spoiled rotten by Adora. And how did you thank her? By dragging her down! You're a hindrance, nothing more!"

"No! I'm the best first mate on all the seas!" Sea Hawk's first mate. Seacat.

"Did they tell you that? Probably to avoid hurting your poor feelings. But you know the truth - you aren't good enough. You'll never be good enough. You are and remain a failure. Your only worth is that Adora, out of mistaken loyalty, still cares for you. Probably out of pity for her pet."

No. No! NO!

Seacat growled and hissed: "No!" Not pity! She managed to refrain from throwing herself at the bars again. That was what Shadow Weaver wanted - a stupid girl hurting herself while trying to claw her. Seacat wasn't stupid. She forced herself to laugh. It was a choked laugh, but the best she could manage. "You are blind," she added with a scoff. "And stupid."

Shadow Weaver snorted in response. "I know you. Better than you know yourself - if your claims of having lost your memories are true and not some pathetic attempt to hide from your past."

"They are!" Seacat snarled. No - she couldn't lose her temper. That would let the witch win. And that couldn't be allowed! That would be… like in her dreams. No. She raised her chin and sneered at Shadow Weaver. "But you don't know me. You just see what you want to see. That's worse than being blind. I'm Seacat. I'm the first mate of the fastest ship on all the seas. I've outsailed, outfought and out-thought the best of your fleet. I've spied on your ships, I set them on fire - and I crippled them in the Battle of Seaworthy. My captain, Admiral Sea Hawk, trusts me with his life." And she him with hers, of course.

"He must be a bigger fool than I had heard, then," the witch replied.

She snarled at the witch once more. No one insulted her captain! Well, except Mermista. And Seacat herself- but only if he deserved it. The stray thought allowed her to snort, even chuckle. "Again, you only see what you want to see. He led the Salinean fleet against your ships - and his tactics saw the Horde frigates sunk. He's been sailing circles around your ships for years. If he's a fool, then what does that make you?"

"He was lucky so far. But luck runs out sooner or later." Shadow Weaver's hand rose, then fell again. "He'll reap what he sowed soon enough."

"Keep dreaming!" Seacat spat. "He'll sink the pathetic rest of your fleet, then the Salienans will take your ports and wreck your supplies! And then Adora will lead the alliance into the Fright Zone and crush the Horde once and for all!"

"Adora will do no such thing! Once she's separated from the rebellion and back in her proper place, she'll…"

"...cut you down with her magic sword!" Seacat interrupted her, baring her teeth. "You really think hurting and threatening her friends will work? I haven't known her for long, but even I can tell you that this won't end well - for you." She scoffed, shaking her head. "She said you raised her, but I can't believe that. Not when she deserted the Horde as soon as she could and spent all her time since then fighting you. If you really raised her, then you were a total failure. A complete screwup! An utter fool! A moron of such..."

"Enough!" Shadow Weaver screeched and pushed her hands towards her.

Seacat saw something sparkle between the clawed fingers of the witch, then lightning struck her.

And she screamed. Her body felt as if she were burning. Her muscles were frozen - and hurting. She was clenching her jaws so hard, she thought she could hear her teeth crack. This was like when she had been hit with one of the shock rods. No. This was worse. Much worse. And different.

But familiar. She'd suffered like this before. No!

She thrashed on the metal floor, convulsing as her limbs flailed around, still screaming. No! She hadn't been here before. Hadn't suffered this before.

It couldn't be. It couldn't be true. She didn't… she wasn't…

She arched her back, against her will, as pain filled her. Overwhelmed her. Reduced her to a screaming, trembling wreck.

But she didn't care any more.

She remembered.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 13: The Return Part 1

"A field exercise?" Adora gasped. "We're going to be deployed in the field?"

Catra rolled her eyes. Her friend was far too naive. This was just another exercise, only in a different location. They probably wouldn't even leave the Fright Zone. Really, Adora shouldn't get so excited. It wasn't as if they'd let her command actual soldiers.

"Indeed. For one week, starting tomorrow, you will be working with units in the field." Shadow Weaver nodded.

"On the frontlines?" Adora asked.

"No, you'll be training with formations which are working up for deployment at the front."

As Catra had expected. Training as usual, just with different instructors. She snorted - silently.

"Oh. New formations?" Adora asked. Always the teacher's pet. Or Shadow Weaver's pet.

"No. You'll be assigned to combat formations that are integrating replacement soldiers. You'll be able to profit from the experience the veteran soldiers will impart on the new soldiers."

"Ah." Adora nodded with the most serious expression. "That makes sense."

"Indeed, Adora. Perceptive as usual."

Catra clenched her teeth. If she had said that, Shadow Weaver would have called her out for being insolent. But Adora got praise. Typical.

"So, which unit will we be assigned to?"

"You'll be split up," the witch told them.

"What?" Catra blurted out. Split up?

"An entire squad would be too much for the formations. By splitting you up, you'll also be forced to interact with experienced soldiers instead of sticking with each other," Shadow Weaver added.

And Catra knew exactly to whom this was addressed. She bared her fangs in response, but the witch didn't even twitch.

Damn.

"Report to your assigned units tomorrow. Dismissed, cadets!"

And the witch glided away. Oh, if only Catra could see her stumble once…

"Wow! We're going to be working with actual soldiers!" Adora gushed.

Catra sighed loudly. "Come on, Adora - she's left. No need to act all eager. It's just training."

"But training as soldiers, not cadets! This is a major step for us - if we do well, we'll be so much closer to becoming soldiers ourselves!"

The others were nodding in agreement. No surprise there - Catra was surrounded by morons and naive Adora. "We're going to be training with them. Big deal." She scoffed. "And we might learn a trick or two from a veteran. Cleaning boots without polish - life-changing."

"I'd love to be able to clean boots without having to replenish my polish can every week."

"Shut up, Kyle!" Catra spat. She scoffed. "Anyway, I'm going to take a nap."

"But we should prepare for the exercise!"

Catra stretched and looked over her shoulder at Adora, who blinked at her. "You can do that. I'm best when I'm improvising." And it was just training, anyway - Catra could do that in her sleep.

*****​

"We're deploying?" Catra asked, frowning.

The officer in charge of the company she had been assigned to, Second Company, glared at her. "Are you hard of hearing, cadet? Yes, we're deploying. We're about to take a rebel village. Now get on that skiff there!"

Catra's eyes widened. This had to be a mistake - they weren't supposed to be at the front. They were supposed to be assigned to units in training. She opened her mouth to complain, then blinked. She didn't know that this was a mistake, did she? She was supposed to follow orders from the officer in charge, wasn't she?

Grinning, she saluted, then sped away to the closest skiff. Hah! She'd get actual combat experience! The others would be so jealous! And the best thing, it was Shadow Weaver's fault! The witch had personally handed her her orders!

Hah!

She jumped and grabbed the railing of the skiff, then pulled herself up and slid over it. "Cadet Catra, reporting as ordered!" she snapped, saluting again.

The gruff-looking man at the helm snorted. "None of that here, cadet - we're a recon unit for the main force. We don't salute in the field."

Now that was nice to know. Catra nodded. "Got it."

"So, you're the hotshot cadet who's good for recon, huh?"

Hotshot cadet? Had Shadow Weaver mixed up her orders with Adora's? Catra flinched a little. The witch would blame her, then. But… Adora was slated for command, not recon. She was very good at almost everything, but she wasn't a scout.

Catra, on the other hand, was the best at skulking and sneaking, and getting into places she shouldn't be in. And Shadow Weaver knew that. What if… What if this wasn't a mistake? What if Shadow Weaver had picked her for this operation? A trial by fire? A test to see how she worked with actual soldiers, in her speciality? She smiled, almost against her will. An opportunity for her to prove herself!

"Yes." She nodded. "That's me - the best scout of all the cadets!"

The man snorted again. "Don't get a big head, you're still a cadet. But command said you were good enough for a field mission."

Yes! She knew it! This was her chance! She nodded again.

"So… it's an easy one - Gullpeak, that's the village, shouldn't be fortified. All we have to do is scout out what forces the alliance has in the village. Then we take it, push the enemy out, and go home."

"Sounds easy enough," Catra said. It did.

He shook his head. "It's never easy. But it's simple enough."

She nodded again, then frowned as she spotted an unfamiliar bot walking in formation with the rest of the bots supporting them. "What's that?"

"That? Oh, some new bot. Only the captain knows what it's supposed to do."

"Ah."

Nothing to worry about, then.

Catra picked a spot on the skiff's bow and sat down. They'd take some time until they'd hit the rebel village.

*****​

She came to panting and shivering. Her body felt as if she had been dipped in fire. Groaning, she rolled over on the metal floor. She was in a cell - standard Horde prison, she remembered. No, not standard. Reinforced. Had to be. Standard, she could scratch. She had proved that, once.

And she'd been punished for it. By Shadow Weaver. Just like before. Now. She'd tried to explain that now they knew the cells weren't enough for someone like her, but… the witch hadn't listened. Hadn't wanted to listen.

She remembered that day. And she remembered every other day. In the Horde. She was Catra. Horde cadet. Horde scum. Blondie - Adora - had been right. Damn. Damn. Damn!

She wiped her eyes. She couldn't cry. Not with Shadow Weaver watching. No matter how much it hurt.

She took a deep breath. That hurt too - but she could handle that kind of pain. She was used to it. Had been used to it. Damn. Damn. So much… so many memories. She couldn't… she had to focus. She was in a cell. She needed to escape. She had to. This was…

She blinked. Her last memory before… No. It couldn't be. It couldn't!

She clenched her teeth. It couldn't… no, of course, it could be. This was Shadow Weaver.

"Have you learned your lesson?"

She hated that voice. Hated that woman. Clenching her teeth, she opened her eyes and turned her head, staring at the witch. "It wasn't a mistake, was it?" Every word hurt.

Shadow Weaver slightly tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"

"My 'training exercise'. You didn't make a mistake and assigned me to a frontline unit. You wanted me to go to Gullpeak. As a scout - first into the fray, and all. You wanted me to die." She shuddered as she tried to sit up without losing eye contact with the witch.

The other woman stared at her for a few seconds before scoffing. "Figured it out, did you? Took you long enough."

No hint of remorse. No hatred. Just disdain. And that hurt the most.

She should have known better, back then and now. But she had hoped…Of course it had been a pipe dream. A stupid fantasy.

She scoffed in return. "Why did you go to that trouble? Why didn't you kill me yourself?"

And the other woman laughed. "I see your mental facilities haven't improved despite your memory returning. I needed to get rid of you before you ruined my dear Adora. But if I had killed you, she would have blamed me. She wouldn't have understood that it was for the best. That it was better for her. She would have resented me for doing what was needed. What she needed."

"Hell, yeah, she would have," she spat.

"So, I had to arrange an accident. I thought about a training accident. Tragic, but it happens."

She shouldn't ask, but… she couldn't help it. "Why didn't you?"

"In hindsight, I should have. The risk of Adora finding out the truth was minimal. And even though losing a cadet would have reflected badly on me, I could've handled the consequences."

The witch was talking about her death as if it was a footnote. Some banal task - necessary but boring. She found herself hissing under her breath.

"But… I saw an opportunity. If you died at the hands of the enemy - or close enough - Adora would've been even more motivated. Driven by the need to avenge you. And I would be able to console her, and help her through those trying times."

Oh, yes, she could imagine that. Shadow Weaver, playing nicely, being oh so understanding and helpful… She growled. "Too bad that the new bot malfunctioned and killed everyone."

"Oh, yes, too bad."

Wait. That sounded smug, not annoyed. But why would… no. That couldn't be true. It was… not even Shadow Weaver would've been cruel enough to…

"Oh. What are you thinking now?"

"Nothing," she spat. Don't tell the enemy anything. Information was a weapon. But… "You never used that weapon again." She had checked, fearing more such massacres. But no other village had been wiped out like Gullpeak.

"The weapon wasn't reliable. An expensive and costly mistake. Fielded too soon, without appropriate refining."

"It wasn't your weapon." She felt her stomach sinking.

"Of course not. Although I was involved in the development in a peripheral role. Interaction of magical components."

Which would've given her ample opportunities for sabotage. One less rival. One less nuisance. No witnesses.

"You look shocked. Have you started to fool yourself again? Perhaps told yourself that you were so important, someone sacrificed an entire company to get rid of you? Don't flatter yourself. You weren't worth anything back then, just as you're worthless now."

The crazy women had done it. She stared at Shadow Weaver, baring her teeth. "You failed. I survived. And I even met Adora again while you lost her."

The witch raised her hands again.

This time, she managed to close her eyes just before the spell struck her.

*****​

She didn't immediately open her eyes when she woke up next. Instead, she listened - making sure that her ears didn't twitch and gave her away. She couldn't hear anyone or anything but the familiar faint sounds of the Fright Zone's machines. She opened her eyes just a sliver and glanced at the bars of her cell. No one was there, either. Shadow Weaver was gone, then.

Good.

She groaned as she sat up. The witch had been really mad. And Catra… Seacat… had been really stupid. Taunting someone who had admitted that she wanted you dead? That was a desperation move in a fight, not something to do while you were locked up in a cell. The Captain would not be happy with her.

But he'd be happy to be able to scold her for it. She smiled at the thought, then frowned. For that, she needed to escape the prison. Before the others tried to save her and got captured themselves - or worse. Shadow Weaver would be expecting them. Hell, this was probably her plan. Not even Adora would be as stupid as to surrender herself to Shadow Weaver for Catr… Seacat.

She blinked. She remembered her life now. Both her lives. Both her names. Both of her very different lives. Damn. She was Horde scum. Had been Horde scum. Watever. Damn. Adora had been right. Again. What would they think of her, once they found out she hadn't been a victim of the Horde, but one of the scum wiping out Gullpeak? What would Mermista say? What would the Captain think? She didn't want to know. Not after… not after...

Sighing, she leaned against the wall. She had no time for this. She had to escape. She could sort this out later. Much, much later.

For now, she had to focus. Escape the cell. Escape the Fright Zone. Return to the others. To Sea Hawk. And Adora.

Adora… Her best friend. Her only friend, not counting Sea Hawk and Mermista, who were… well, something different. So very unlike…

She clenched her teeth. She wasn't a cadet. Not any more. Nor was she a stupid little girl still dreaming of… whatever.

Except for bashing in Shadow Weaver's face. Shattering her stupid mask. Paying her back for everything she had done. The witch had tried to kill her. Get her killed. And so many others. Gullpeak. And the entire Second Company. Which had been Horde scum. Like Catra.

She hissed under her breath. Well, Seacat wasn't Horde scum any more. But the Second Company had trusted Shadow Weaver. And had been… She still couldn't believe the woman had gone so far. And had she, really? Or was that just another attempt to confuse and manipulate her? Would she really sacrifice a whole company just to get rid of Catra?

No. That was… just no.

But if Shadow Weaver could get rid of a rival, or get more power? Catra didn't know what exactly Shadow Weaver was doing, other than favouring Adora and getting on her case, but she was a witch. And the second in command of the Horde. She was doing magic, in any case. And the bots weren't magic. Even if you couldn't see how they worked.

In any case, Shadow Weaver didn't build bots. Hordak wasn't building them, either. Not that she'd know, anyway. At least she couldn't imagine the Horde leader getting his hands dirty. So, someone else would've built the bot Catra remembered. A potential rival? She couldn't think of anyone. But then, she had been a stupid little girl and hadn't cared about stuff like that.

She shook her head, growling. She had no time to dwell on this. She had to escape. Before her friends did something stupid. More stupid than usual, she added with a snort. Which turned into a sob. Sea Hawk would do whatever he thought would help her, no matter how stupid. Mermista would rein him in - but Mermista hadn't been at Seaworthy. She was days away in her kingdom. And Adora… Adora would also do whatever it took, no matter how stupid or dangerous, to save her. To save Horde - former Horde scum.

She growled again. She had to hope the shrimp and Brain Boy would be enough to keep the others alive.

Great.

She really needed to escape as soon as possible!

Fortunately, for all the pain Shadow Weaver had caused her, Seacat had finally remembered her life as Catra. And that meant she remembered everything she knew about the Horde and the Fright Zone.

And that was a lot. The witch might call her a failure and a nuisance, but Catra had paid attention to their lessons, even if she hadn't shown it. She looked up. If she could get into the air ducts, she could get out. She knew her way around them - all of them were laid out the same way. And while she couldn't reach the air ducts from her cell, out in the hallways, the air ducts were easily accessible for maintenance.

All she had to do was to get out of the cell, first. And now that she remembered Horde rules and procedures, that shouldn't be too hard…

Well, it wouldn't be easy, either. This was the Fright Zone - and a personal project of Shadow Weaver. The witch wouldn't be using the dregs of the Horde. And if she thought you were slacking off, instead of taking a well-deserved break after doing everything you were told to, then she tended to get testy. And nasty.

She clenched her teeth at the memories that thought brought up. Yes, she couldn't count on the Horde soldiers handling her being sloppy. And she probably couldn't count on Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio returning, either. Not that they would help her, anyway - Lonnie was almost as much a hardass for rules and regs as Adora had been at her worst, and the woman didn't like Catra. Kyle might be gullible enough to get talked into letting her out of the cell.

She frowned. No. It had been four years. Even Kyle would've wised up in that time - he was a Horde soldier now, wasn't he? If he were still as prone to screwing up as he had been as a cadet, he would've been in the cell next to her. Probably.

She snorted at the thought, then sighed. As Sea Hawk had taught her: While she should always be ready to exploit any mistake an enemy made, she couldn't count on them making mistakes in the first place. Any plan that relied on enemy mistakes was a bad plan.

Of course, sometimes, a bad plan was all you had, and, often, a bad plan was better than no plan at all. Sea Hawk disagreed with that, of course, but Mermista was on Seacat's side there.

In any case, she had a decent plan. All she needed was a little luck. And Shadow Weaver being her usual self and ignoring her.

She curled up and shivered, letting her fur ripple a little. Then she moaned and groaned. It wouldn't fool Sea Hawk or Adora, but she was very sure that whoever was guarding her cell and coming to feed her wouldn't know her well enough to tell. And it had worked on that guard in Seventower, after that misunderstanding about their cargo. It would work here as well. It had to.

All she had to do was look pitiful and wait.

*****​

Hours - at least! It was hard to tell the time here - later, she was wondering if they even planned to feed her. Shadow Weaver had tried to kill her, letting her starve wouldn't be beyond her. But it would be stupid - she needed Catra as leverage against Adora. And for that, she needed Catra alive. And reasonably healthy. Or so Seacat hoped. And she had been fed before already.

But she was getting hungry enough so she didn't have to fake her groaning. Perhaps that was Shadow Weaver's plan? Weaken her enough so she couldn't do anything? No. The witch thought Catra was useless; she wouldn't go to such lengths to weaken a 'nuisance'.

She growled under her breath. She'd show the witch who was a nuisance! She was Seacat, scourge of the Horde fleet! She'd show her! Show them all!

As soon as she got out of this cell. And got something to eat. Rations, probably. She gagged at the thought. Hell, if the others knew about how much better people had it outside the Horde, they would… Steps! Someone was coming!

She curled up tighter, holding her stomach - or tried to, with her hands in cuffs, it was a little difficult. And she moaned.

"Here's your dinner."

She opened her eyes, groaning as if it hurt, and blinked. There was a guard, in full Horde armour. And they had dropped a ration bar in her cell, and a water bottle.

"Water?" she asked. After not saying anything for a few hours, and not drinking much, her voice croaked.

But the guard scoffed and turned away.

She almost cried out after them but managed to control herself. When they returned in the morning, her act would look more convincing. Especially if she hadn't touched the food.

Which wasn't really hard, anyway - it wasn't one of the good rations.

Then her stomach rumbled. Damn. She never slept well on an empty stomach. And she needed the rest. As much as she needed the food. Which she couldn't eat.

She crawled forward, in case someone was watching, and grabbed the water bottle. Opening it was awkward with her cuffed hands, but she managed. Drinking helped a little.

She curled up again. The guard would return in the morning.

And then she would escape.

*****​

"Catra! Catra!"

Adora was running towards her, waving. And smiling. And behind her were Sea Hawk and Mermista. And the shrimp and Brain Boy. All of them were here, for her!

All of them were walking into a trap. She wanted to warn them - but Shadow Weaver had tied her to a pole and gagged her, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.

"We'll have you free in a moment!" Adora yelled.

She frantically shook her head. No! No! Don't approach! She tried to yell, but the gag silenced her. No!

Then the trap was sprung - Adora's friends suddenly vanished in a big hole. And Shadow Weaver appeared next to her, holding a knife to her throat.

"Surrender, or the nuisance dies!"

No! She struggled even harder, but couldn't move even a finger. No! Adora was wavering. Her big sword was pointing at the ground. No! Don't do it, Adora! You stupid idiot!

There was just one way to save her and her friends: She had to remove herself as a hostage. Crying, she pushed her head down, trying to cut her own throat on Shadow Weaver's blade…

*****​

She woke up with a gasp, cuffed hands going for her throat. No blood. No pain. It had been a nightmare. A stupid nightmare - as if Shadow Weaver would use such a blatant trap! Or a knife. Just a stupid nightmare.

She forced herself to calm her breathing. A stupid nightmare, nothing more. She was still shivering, though. Her friends were coming for her. She knew it. And if she didn't escape as soon as possible, it would be her fault if anything happened to them. She had let herself be captured by some stupid bounty hunters.

But she had a plan. A good plan. She just had to wait for the guard to return with breakfast. Breakfast… She glanced at the ration bar near the bars. Against her will, her nostrils flared. Food. She was hungry. She needed to eat. Even if it was just a ration bar. And the water… Her throat felt parched. She needed water.

But if she ate or drank, the guard wouldn't fall for her ruse. Clenching her teeth, she curled up, groaning and holding her stomach. If only the stupid Horde scum would arrive already!

It took another eternity - at least an hour - until she finally heard steps. Booted steps. The Horde! She tucked her head into her arms some more and kept her eyes closed.

"Breakfast."

In response, she groaned. Softly.

"Are you trying to starve yourself?"

She groaned again. "Water…"

"There's water, traitor."

This was it. This had to work. She slowly uncurled, groaning and holding her stomach. Which was aching for real. "Water?" her voice sounded weak and rough. She blinked at the guard, hoping her face looked as bad as her fur felt. "Go away!"

"I will."

"Go away!" she repeated herself, then groaned and curled up again. "Leave me alone!" She shuddered and trembled.

"As you want, you… ah, screw it."

Yes! She hid her grin. Now he would step into her cell, and she would jump him, grabbing his keys and weapons…

"Hey, Lern! I need you - the prisoner seems sick."

Damn! He was bringing another guard. Well, she could take two Horde scumbags at once. She had done it before.

But the steps she could hear approaching weren't just from one guard.

"Alright. You two stay outside. Lock up after us. We're going in."

"Do we have to?"

"Shadow Weaver wants the traitor alive. If she's dying from some infection or illness, and we didn't do anything…"

"Right!"

Damn. At least four, then. And they were smart about it. That meant she had to strike as soon as the bars were pulled up. She clenched her teeth and moaned again as she waited, her heart beating faster in her chest. Any moment now…

Then she heard the sound of metal grinding against metal - the bars were being raised. And then she heard footsteps.

Now!

She uncurled and whirled as she rose into a crouch, then pounced on the two guards standing right beneath the bars with a hiss.

"Whoa!"

"Ah!"

One of them tried to hit her with a shock rod, but he was too slow - he had been aiming at the floor, where she had been, and she was already above him when he started to raise the rod.

She slammed her hands on his helmet and raked her feet, claws out, across his arm and chest, before jumping off him. The one guard next to him was turning towards her, but a kick to the woman's visor sent her stumbling back and further into the cell.

Seacat twisted in mid-air, feet hitting the doorframe, and propelled herself at the guards outside the cell. Both had their shock rods out already, but they still underestimated her. She hit the ground and rolled over her shoulder, under the swing of the closest one. She came up inside his guard with her hands raised above his head and her fangs bared.

Then she raked her claws down his front, shattering his visor and leaving deep gouges in his chest plate - and in his stomach below it. He collapsed, screaming, while she pivoted on the ground, legs sweeping out and catching the second guard in the shins. He, too, fell down with his muscles shredded.

But the first one was already coming at her. She tried to evade, but his boot caught her in the stomach and slammed her back, into the gutted guard.

Seacat had her breath knocked out of her, but she managed to recover before the guard could follow up. Snarling, she jumped straight at him, aiming for his ruined arm. Her knee dug into his stomach, where the armour was flexible, and she hit him in the neck with both hands, digging her claws into his helmet.

Then she twisted until she heard a satisfying crack.

One left. The female guard she had kicked in the head had recovered and rushed her - but, once more, was too slow. Seacat grinned as she hit the door controls and the bars slammed into the woman from above, knocking her down. That gave Seacat rough time to pick up one of the shock rods and drop her for good, then do the same to the guard on the ground who was holding his shredded shins.

Hah!

Now she had to get rid of the cuffs. Didn't one of the guards have a key? They should, shouldn't they? She quickly searched the one who had brought her breakfast - he had ordered the others around. Horde cuffs were standard, anyway, and… there! She grinned as she pulled out the key from the pocket in the back of the guard's belt.

Unlocking her cuffs was child's play. Now she had to get away. The guards hadn't managed to sound the alarm, but that wouldn't last. She pushed the guards still outside the cell into it, then locked the bars in place and wrecked the door controls. Those wouldn't come after her. Well, the one she gutted wouldn't, anyway - he had died in the meantime.

No big loss. Just another Horde scum. She clenched her teeth and grabbed another shock rod - hers would have lost some charges - and one spare.

Then she dashed down the hallway. The doors would be locked with a code, and with all prisoners knocked out - or dead - she couldn't get the codes out of them. But she only needed access to the air ducts.

The next room was a small room for the guard shift. Four cots, a small table, an armoury - just shock rods, though, and she already had two. Nothing else that would be of use - there were playing cards left on the table, but they had played for bottle caps, not valuables.

But there was food! Well, rations. But the good ones! She grabbed one and wolfed it down while stuffing two more down her shirt - supplies for her escape. Another followed.

And there was the grate covering the air ducts! She was tempted to rip the grate off, but she still had some time - and if she didn't make it obvious how she had escaped, the Horde soldiers would take longer to realise that she was in the air ducts.

She used a small knife to pull out the screws, then removed the grate and crawled inside. Pulling the grate back in place behind her took some squirming and heaving, and putting the screws in was even more of a pain - she didn't manage it, but she managed to get the grate stuck in place by using the screws to wedge it closed.

"So long, suckers!" she whispered, sticking her tongue out, before she twisted around in the narrow duct and started crawling.

She didn't know exactly where she was - there were several holding areas, and this wasn't one of those Catra had seen before - but that didn't matter. She could follow the flow of fresh air.

Sort of fresh, she amended her thoughts with a grimace - the stench of the Fright Zone's factories would never smell fresh to anyone who knew the open sea. Hell, even Seaworthy's harbour at its worst smelled better!

She came to a t-junction. The air current - almost like a soft breeze barely strong enough to fill a sail - came from the right. Following it, she came to a narrow shaft. Up or down? No question. Up. You had to climb up in the Fright Zone.

She entered the shaft. The metal wasn't as hard as the material in her cell, so she could easily climb it using her claws. She passed several ducts branching out from the shaft, but ignored them, following the air current. All the way to the top.

Just like before.

Here, the air currents were stronger, but still no problem. Not for her. She crawled through the air duct until she reached the big fan at the end.

That was a problem. Not the fan itself - she could wreck it and get past it easily enough. But that would also show the guards where she went.

On the other hand, they wouldn't take too long to find the route she had taken - there were not many alternatives.

She scoffed and started slashing at the fans. She needed to get out of the building. Then it would be easy to get away.

She had to duck to avoid one blade spinning as it tore itself off, and another hit her hand hard enough to bruise, but less than a minute later, she was squeezing through the remains. Now only another grate stood before her and freedom! She could see the roof and the sky through the metal mesh! She was almost out of the prison! Just one grate left!

But it resisted her claws. Hissing in frustration, she tried the walls, but they were reinforced as well.

Damn. She tried to reach the screws, but she couldn't get her hand through the grate.

No choice - she had to backtrack and try another way.

Cursing under her breath, she scrambled back. The guards could be detected at any moment, which would trigger the alarm. She needed to be outside when that happened.

She squeezed through the wrecked remains of the fan again, resulting in a tear in her shirt's sleeve, then climbed down the shaft. Still no alert. Good. She took the first air duct from the top. The higher the better - they would be watching the ground entrances. And the underground ones. Few guards ever watched the topmost balconies, as Sea Hawk had taught Seacat.

Granted, he had been talking about sneaking into a palace - Mermista's, to be exact - but it held true. At least in her experience.

She reached a grate and peered through it. Even in the dim light, her eyes had no trouble making out a storage room - no, a janitorial closet. That would be perfect; those were never locked. Now to open the grate…

It was impossible to reach the screws from the inside, but this grate wasn't reinforced metal. She grinned as she started cutting through it. The Horde always went for the cheapest possible solution, as Catra knew. Well, Shadow Weaver probably had luxury quarters, and she doubted that Hordak cut any corners when it came to his, but the Horde couldn't afford to make everything too tough for her claws.

Grinning, she gripped the grate she had cut before it dropped on the floor, then lowered it gently down. It still made a sound - stupid metal floor; a ship's deck would've masked it. She listened for a moment, but couldn't hear anything. Good. And still no alert. How often did they check the cells? Or the guard shifts?

She slid through the opening - no more tears in her clothes this time! - and landed lightly on the floor below. The closet was filled with cleaning supplies, and She frowned. She knew that smell. Catra had been forced to clean the hallways often enough. Too often. If there were some janitor's uniforms, she could disguise herself and pass as one easily enough, but in her own clothes...

Scoffing, she opened the door a gap wide. Still nothing and no one outside. Still no alert. How many soldiers were in the building, anyway? Shouldn't there be a regular check-in? Or were secret special prisons exempt from that?

It didn't matter; she was getting out of here. She stepped into the hallway and looked around. Left or right? She frowned, recalling the direction. Right it was.

She padded softly through the hallway, ears twitching as she listened for footsteps, or any other signs of Horde soldiers. But she didn't hear anything. Was the prison actually mostly empty? What a waste. Like sending a ship with half the cargo hold empty.

Well, that was the Horde for you…

Snorting, she approached the doors ahead of her. A storage room - paper and ink and stamps; nothing useful - and an office. Not one in use - there was a fine coating of dust on the desk. No windows, though she hadn't expected any - she was, by her reckoning, still not at the outer walls.

There was a checkpoint ahead, but it wasn't manned. This was starting to get weird. Where were the other guards? And the prison staff? Was this prison so secret, only a handful of guards had the needed clearance?

Well, never complain about the enemy making mistakes, as Sea Hawk liked to say. She passed through the checkpoint and reached the stairs. Finally! All she needed was to get to the roof and she would be clear!

Once more, she listened for footsteps. Or talking. Nothing. Was the whole damn building empty? Or was it constructed so the sound didn't carry? Not everyone liked to hear screaming prisoners.

She shook her head as she dashed up the stairs. Escape now, think later.

The door to the roof was locked, but that had never stopped Catra before - well, not since she learned how to manipulate the controls. And the door controls were on the inside, as was standard for Horde buildings.

She grinned as she cut into the side of the panel with her claws, peeling away the cover. Yes - they hadn't changed the setup! She cut the green wire, and the door slid open. Yes!

And the alarm sounded. She blinked, gasping. What the…? Had they changed the door controls? Of course they would have - this was a prison, not the barracks or a factory! Doors to the outside opening would sound an alert!

Cursing her own stupidity, she dashed across the roof to the railing. And froze for a moment. The entire Fright Zone - well, the part of it that she could see from her spot through the smoke - was on alert. She could hear multiple alarm sirens going off - general alert. And she could see soldiers scrambling out of barracks.

Shadow Weaver really didn't want her to escape.

Pressing her lips together, she grabbed the railing and peered down. Yes, there were plenty of hand- and footholds to climb down. But she couldn't take her time. Not with every damn Horde scum looking for her.

She climbed over the railing and started her descent, jumping from ledge to ledge whenever possible. Once she used her claws as a brake to slide down a gutter. More than once she almost fell, only catching herself in the last moment.

And for the whole time, she expected to be detected, soldiers scrambling on the ground to cut off her escape route. Why weren't they gathering? They had to know she wouldn't stay on the roof!

But against all hope, she reached the ground without getting shot at. Good. Now she could disappear in the maze of buildings and channels. The junkyards and factory feeders would be her best bet; no one ever patrolled there unless on punishment detail. And from what she had seen from the roof, she just had to…

"Wow! You're the intruder?"

Seacat froze. A huge figure stepped around the corner, blocking her escape route. Massive claws cracked as she flexed and a giant stinger dangled over her head from an armoured tail.

The Bug Princess of the Horde was barring her way.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 14: The Return Part 2

Seacat hissed. This was bad. Very bad. The Bug Princess was huge - almost as big as a bot, at least it looked like that right now - and unless those bug parts of hers - shoulders, pincers and tail, mainly - were much weaker than they looked, she was tougher than a bot, too. And Seacat didn't have her cutlass, only two shock rods. This wouldn't be… Wait. "Intruder?"

The Horde scum laughed. "You're good - I would have never expected you to reach the prison."

Seacat blinked. 'Reach the prison'? "What?"

"You broke through our perimeter, didn't you?"

Seacat didn't have the time to spend talking. But if she could distract the brute, she might be able to dash past her and make her way to the scrap parts. A huge woman like the Bug Princess wouldn't be able to follow her there.

So she put her best sneer on her face and laughed. "No. I broke out of prison. Guess Shadow Weaver lied to you, as usual. She tends to do that."

"What? No, we got the alert from the perimeter patrols." The Horde scum frowned. "You're trying to trick me!"

Seacat's eyes widened. If the Bug Princess was telling the truth - and she wasn't smart enough to lie, that was obvious - then someone else had triggered the alarm by breaking through the… Oh, no! Sea Hawk was already in the Fright Zone! And with Adora!

Damn! Now Seacat would have to find them before fleeing. She would…

…dodge! Now!

Seacat threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding the charge of the Bug Princess. She rolled over the concrete floor and came up in a crouch on all fours. And gasped. That woman was a monster! Her blows had cracked the concrete and powdered enough of it to throw up a cloud of dust!

And there she came again! This time, though, Seacat was ready. She avoided the pincers by diving to the ground, rolled over her shoulder and dodged to the side, leaving the woman's stinger to pierce the ground.

It didn't get stuck, alas.

"You're fast!"

The woman was a talker, too. "Faster than you," Seacat spat, baring her fangs. Why hadn't the princess sounded the alarm, yet? Not that Seacat was complaining, but… if there were more Horde scum, she'd be easy prey. A single squad would be enough to corner her, with that brute pressing her.

"Hah!"

Another charge. Seacat jumped back, scrambling up the wall, then pushed off when the Bug Princess slammed into it, jumping over the woman. But the stinger shot up as well, and she was forced to parry it with her shock rod. It threw her off some - this monster woman was strong.

Seacat twisted in the air and landed on both feet. And with the Bug Princess at the wall, the way out was clear! She whirled and dashed down the passageway. There was no way the Horde scum would catch up to her n…

Something struck her shoulder and sent her flying. She hit the wall to her left, sliding along it and scraping her left arm before she ended up on the ground. What the…? She jumped to the side, avoiding the second chunk of concrete the Bug Princess hurled at her. "That's destruction of Horde property!"

The Bug Princess actually stopped for a moment, blinking. Then she grinned. "I'll blame it on you!"

Seacat rolled to her feet, then winced - her shoulder hurt like hell. Her right arm was almost useless. She certainly wouldn't be able to run on all fours like this. Damn. And the woman was charging at her again.

Seacat growled and jumped over the pincers, then struck out with her shock rod at the Bug Princess's face. There was no bug shell there!

But the Horde scum managed to raise one of her pincers in time to block her. The charge still went off, but the woman wasn't even fazed. Seacat slammed her feet, claws out, into the shell and pushed off - just in time to avoid the stinger.

And her claws, too, had barely scratched the woman's pincers. That was so unfair!

"You should surrender - you've got no chance!" the woman yelled.

"I'm not going back into prison, Horde scum!" she yelled - and threw the shock rod at the stupid woman's face. You weren't supposed to do it - Catra had caught hell for doing it in training - but as expected, the Bug Princess blocked the rod with both pincers. And that meant she blocked her own field of vision, too.

Seacat dashed ahead, drawing her second shock rod, and struck at the woman's legs. This time, she heard the brute cry out - but the princess didn't go down, even if she favoured her leg when she turned to face Seacat.

"Nice blow." The way the woman bared her teeth at her sent a cold shiver down Seacat's spine.

"Not good enough," she spat.

"Like you!"

Oh! Seacat snarled. She'd pay for that. This time, she charged at the brute herself. "I've killed worse scum than you!" she yelled, raising the shock rod above her head. And as soon as the woman's eyes followed the rod, Seacat threw it up and jumped forward. She rolled over her good shoulder, and dived between the woman's legs, lashing out with her claws, ignoring the pain in her shoulder.

As the Bug Princess screamed, Seacat dashed forward, whirling to strike at her back - just in time to see the stinger come down and strike her chest.

The impact was surprisingly gentle - all she felt was a slight bump. No sting. No pain. But when she jumped back, she heard her shirt rip as the stinger was lifted.

"And it's over! You fought well, wildcat, but…" The Bug Princess trailed off, blinking. There was a ration bar stuck on her stinger.

Seacat patted her front - just in time to catch the second ration bar she'd had stuffed down her shirt when it slid out of the torn remains of her top. She grinned, baring her teeth, and tried not to wince. Her shoulder was hurting - everytime she moved her arm, it flared up with pain.

"That's… You were carrying ration bars in your shirt?" The Bug Princess seemed more shocked by that than by the fact that her legs were bleeding, and she was propping herself up with one pincer on the wall. She swung her stinger around - but the ration bar remained stuck on it. As anyone who'd had to eat the things would expect.

"They didn't leave me with bags in the cell, you know," Seacat shot back. "I had to make do. And now my shirt's ruined." She was studying the woman. The princess was leaning against the wall, which meant there was an opening on her other side. Seacat could rush forward and go past her before she could react with her wounded legs.

"Your... cell?"

"Yes, my cell." Seacat moved to the side a little. If she ran straight for the opening, the Bug Princess would intercept her. She needed to trick her again. And with both her shock rods already on the ground, she hadn't much else left to do so. Well, another ration bar, but that wouldn't do anything. The Bug Princess's eyes tracked her. And… "Are you blushing?" What?

"Can't you, like… fix your shirt?" The woman bit out.

Oh. Oh! Seacat grinned. She could use that. "Why? You did that."

"That's not the issue!"

Yes, definitely blushing. She pulled her good shoulder back, and her shirt fell completely open. The hulking brute gasped - and Seacat moved. She dashed, running straight at the woman, claw and ration bar raised.

The Horde scum gasped again, pushing off from the wall to raise her pincers in defence.

Seacat had expected that. She dived again, going down on all three, protecting her wounded shoulder, as if she were going for the other's legs again.

The Bug Princess fell for it. She slammed her pincers down, trying to catch her - but Seacat had changed course already, sidestepping the attack as she slid around the woman, into the passage behind her. The Horde princess lashed out with her stinger, but Seacat had expected that as well and dodged easily.

"Hey!"

"See you, sucker!" Seacat yelled a moment before she dashed into the narrow side passage around the corner. She might not run and climb as well as she usually could, not with her shoulder hurting like that - but she could outrun the Bug Princess easily even when the Horde scum wasn't bleeding from both legs.

Of course, the woman still tried to come after her. But by the time she reached the entrance to the narrow passage, Seacat was already leaving it on the other side - by scrambling up a pipe feeding a factory.

"Wildcat!" she heard the Horde scum scream before the sound was drowned out by heavy machinery.

She grinned even as she changed direction - the Horde scum would inform the rest of the Horde. Which was why she grabbed another pipe and slid down to the ground and doubled back a bit - they wouldn't expect that. Certainly not the Bug Princess.

But she still needed to get away for good. And while she knew more or less where she was, she couldn't afford another encounter with Horde scum. And she knew that somewhere in the Fright Zone, Adora and her friends were trying to come for her. Probably stumbling into a Horde ambush at this moment.

So she dashed through two more passages, one underground, then scaled the next factory. All the smoke from boilers and the fog from steam pipes made it very hard to spot anyone on its roof - Catra knew that from experience. But it didn't keep anyone on the roof from spotting guards on the ground. Which she also knew from experience.

On the roof, she quickly moved to the other side, tying her shirt closed - there was no need to give anyone a show any more.

"Now… if I were a stubborn, dumb idiot trying to save me, where would I be?" she muttered as she studied the area between her and the Whispering Woods.

Well… Adora had never explored the Fright Zone as much as Catra had done. Always too much of a good little soldier. They had their secret places - she smiled, remembering that particular ledge - and Catra had dragged her on a few excursions, but Adora wouldn't be very familiar with the back routes out of the Fright Zone - or into it.

Granted, Catra hadn't been exactly roaming the Whispering Woods, either. But she knew her way around the Fright Zone. Unless the Horde had been rearranging entire factories and barracks in the last four years. Which they hadn't, as far as she could tell from here.

So, Adora would be taking the secret passages she knew about. Which Catra also knew. And that meant, assuming she came in from the Whispering Woods, which were the closest area held by the Alliance…

A plume of smoke rose in the middle of the Fright Zone.

"...or the idiot decided on a frontal assault," she muttered under her breath. That had been the main road linking the small arms factory with the arsenal. Adora couldn't really be trying to tackle the Horde head-on, could she? Not even Sea Hawk would do that. They'd be fighting the entire Home Force - Horde garrison, she corrected herself. This wasn't home.

She blinked. Yes, an apparent attack on either the factory complex or the arsenal would draw the attention of all the Horde scum in the Fright Zone. Which meant this was a diversion!

She grinned, flashing her fangs. Adora was an idiot, but she wasn't stupid - she knew how the Horde operated. And Sea Hawk knew all about distractions. And blowing things up. If the shrimp was here, she could teleport around and set things up all over the place to blow up or burn!

But if that was a distraction, then where would Adora lead the others? Catra hadn't known about the prison she had been held in. She didn't even know if it was a new building, repurposed or had been there all along. Adora might have known, though - she had been Shadow Weaver's pet cadet, and the damn witch would have shared such secrets with her to make her feel important. Or she might have kept it a secret anyway.

Damn. Decisions, decisions. You didn't have to worry about that on the sea. No, wait - this was exactly like trying to guess which route Scurvy would take to escape a trap. If Scurvy wasn't an ugly bastard who couldn't outsail a Horde tub, but a smart, tough and… whatever.

She clenched her teeth. She had to think like Adora. And Sea Hawk. But Sea Hawk would be trusting Adora to lead them. So… think like Adora. "Oh, I'm such a good cadet, I'll follow orders blindly! Jumping into that hole? Why, at once!"

No, not that. She chuckled. But if this were an exercise, how would Adora run it? Catra's plan would have been rejected for cheating or something. Lonnie would be waiting for orders. Rogelio never said anything, anyway. And Kyle would be useless. But Adora… she'd come up with a plan that wasn't too obvious, but not too complicated either. She'd feint once, then she'd strike. And she'd avoid the obvious route - usually.

That meant… Hm. The normal prison was over there. And Adora didn't know about Shadow Weavers real plans. So, she wouldn't be looking for a secret prison.

She closed her eyes for a moment. Catra knew the area around the prison - Shadow Weaver had threatened her with it often enough so anyone would take a few precautions. Apart from the obvious route, there were two more routes. But the faster one required climbing over a building. Adora wouldn't be doing that - too easy to get caught in the middle of the climb if you weren't as nimble as Seacat. So, the hidden route past the reprocessing plant, it was. Or would be.

Seacat grinned as she dashed across the roof and slid down the largest pipe, before jumping off and landing on a catwalk two floors down, halfway to the ground.

Then she started to run.

Fifteen minutes later, she was leaning against a shabby concrete wall with flaking paint. And coughing. Damn, she had forgotten about the filthy air in the Fright Zone. It was like breathing next to a bonfire when the wind turned and blew the smoke into your face. After Sea Hawks old socks had fallen into the flames.

At least she had reached the passage. Now she just had to wait until Adora passed through. Just as…

An explosion interrupted her thoughts. She blinked, That had come…

...from the prison! But how…? Seacat had gone past the prison on the way here! Had Adora infiltrated the prison already when Seacat had passed through? Without her noticing? Had Adora managed to become sneaky? Well, she would've been with Sea Hawk, but…

She turned and dashed back towards the prison. She checked the sky - the smoke from the explosion was fading, so it wasn't on fire. Yet. But she had to hurry - even cadet Kyle would have noticed the explosion. That meant the Horde was coming. Or, at least, some of them - what with part of the Fright Zone still on fire from Adora's distraction. Which probably had been Sea Hawk's idea.

Her shoulder was getting worse, she noticed. The stupid Bug Princess must have hit her harder than she had thought with that piece of concrete. But she could still fight even if it hurt - she was used to that. Now.

She approached the last corner before the prison and carefully peered around it. There was a huge hole in the prison's walls. Smoke was still coming out of it. There was Brain Boy covering a few Horde scum on the ground. The shrimp was standing on top of a cart, looking down the main road. And there were Sea Hawk and… Adora. Interrogating a prisoner. A Horde prisoner, not a prisoner of the Horde.

At least it looked like an interrogation to Seacat - Adora, in her princess form, was shaking the scum back and forth and shouting: "Where is she? Where did you take her? Stop lying! I know you have her!"

"I'll keelhaul you! On land! After gelding you! Talk, you scum!" Sea Hawk added, flashing his blade.

She found herself smiling. They had come for her, the idiots! Then she smirked and stepped around the corner. "Hey, Adora."

The idiot didn't even notice.

Brain Boy noticed her first. She saw his eyes widening, and she sent him a glare when he opened his mouth, putting a finger across her lips. He fell silent, flashing her a smile. Good boy!

Shaking her head, Seacat started walking towards them. "Hey, Adora."

She was halfway across the road when the Shrimp noticed. To Seacat's surprise, the princess looked at her with wide eyes, then at Adora And Sea Hawk, then at Brain Boy before she giggled. So, the shrimp had a sense of humour. Just hidden most of the time.

"Tell me where she is, or I'll tear off your head!"

"Your other head," Sea Hawk added.

"Hey, Adora."

This time she noticed - Seacat saw her freeze up for a moment before her head snapped around. And her eyes went wide. "Cat-Seacat!"

"Seacat!" Sea Hawk exclaimed. "There you are!"

"Captain." She smiled at him. They had come for her. But now…

"Catra!"

And she found herself lifted off her feet, caught in a hug that would probably put a Kraken to shame.

"You're alive! You're here! I was so worried!"

Damn, she was big. And strong. Very strong. It actually hurt. "Ow!" she hissed - that was her woulded shoulder.

"Oh, no! You're hurt! I hurt you - I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to… Ack! You need help!"

Catra laughed despite the pain. For all her magic and bulk and muscles, this was still Adora the dummy, overreacting. "Im fine," she lied. "Just hurt my shoulder a little."

"Oh, no, and I made it worse!"

"Where were you?" Sea Hawk asked.

"Special prison," she told him. "So secret, it had only a handful of guards in it. Easy to escape."

He nodded, then smiled - though she could tell it was a little forced. "I expected no less from my first mate! An adventure we shall sing about!"

"They poisoned my drink," she told him, "or they would've never caught me."

"We know - we found out, but only after they had left already. What a dastardly plot! But the fiends will pay for it!"

"Bow! We need bandages to treat her wound!" Adora yelled.

"We can do that later," Seacat told her. "It's just a bruised shoulder."

"Your entire shirt is torn! And you're covered in blood!"

"It's not my blood," she told her. "But we need to get out. Half the Horde is hunting you."

"They're busy dealing with our distraction," Sea Hawk said. "We set their factories on fire!"

"I did that," the shrimp cut in.

"It was my idea!" the captain retorted.

And there came Brain Boy with enough bandages to treat an entire crew after a boarding action.

"I'm fine," she spat. "We need to go - now. They're mobilising everyone, and they'll have noticed the explosion. We need to move before they lock down the area and cut us off from the scrapyard. Come on!"

She started towards the side alley that led to the scrapyard area.

"Wait… how do you know that's what we... " Adora blinked.

Now she had to get a clue. Seacat sighed. "I remembered in prison. Everything."

"Oh." Adora gasped "So..."

"We need to go. Now!" She bared clenched her teeth, This wasn't the time to talk about… everything.

The shrimp appeared next to them. "Guys! There's a squad coming!"

They started running. Finally.

They dashed down the side passage, towards the scrapyard, until they reached a particular t-junction, just as Catra remembered it. "Follow me!" she told the others, starting down the smaller, darker passage.

"But that's not leading to the scrapyard!" Adora protested. "Are you sure you're OK? Do you remember everything correctly?"

"Of course I do!" Seacat blinked. "Why do you think we'd be going to the scrapyard?"

"You said so. Just before!"

"Of course I said so - right next to the Horde scum on the ground," Seacat replied. "They'll expect us to go to the scrapyard area."

"Oh."

Oh, Adora… Seacat shook her head. Still all the subtlety of a particularly dense brick. "Now let's go!"

"Are you sure we're not overestimating them?" Brain Boy asked as they sprinted down the passage to make up for the time lost - they still had at least a squad on their heels and needed to be well out of sight by the time the Horde reached the t-junction.

"What do you mean?" Seacat glanced back at him; the man was covering their rear.

"What if they don't tell them where we're going?"

"Oh, they will," Seacat replied. "They'll fall all over themselves to share such information. Especially after not only losing us, but getting captured by you guys. That won't look good for them."

"Oh, yes. Shadow Weaver won't be happy," Adora agreed.

Shadow Weaver. Seacat clenched her teeth. The witch would be very unhappy, indeed, if Seacat had any say.

But Sea Hawk agreed. "Oh, yes. It's an old but very reliable trick. Many ruses work best when the enemy thinks he caught you making a mistake. Sometimes, they even work best when you do make a mistake since it makes it more convincing!"

"Also known as 'improvising'," Seacat added. And claiming after the fact that it had all been part of the plan. She snorted and smiled at Sea Hawk, who beamed at her and raised his sword in salute. While running.

Adora came to a stop in front of another t-junction. "Uh...left or right?"

"Neither," Seacat told her, pointing at a manhole cover. "Down."

Her friend gasped. "The sewers?"

The shrimp, predictably, protested as well. "Ew!"

Sea Hawk, though beamed. "A classic escape! We might even get to fight a monster in the darkness!"

"Let's hope not," Seacat told him as Adora lifted the manhole cover - with one hand, easily. "Fighting the Bug Princess was enough for one day."

"You fought Scorpia?" Adora asked.

"Yes." Seacat peered down the shaft and wrinkled her nose. This wouldn't be fun. But it was their best shot to reach the river docks undetected. No one ever was in the sewers, unless they were on punishment detail. Catra knew that very well.

"Double-Ew!"

Seacat scoffed at the shrimp. "What's wrong, princess? Afraid to get your shiny clothes dirty?"

"As if!" the princess retorted. A moment later, she vanished with a soft popping sound.

And Seacat heard a splashing sound. The following yelp and cursing that would put Scurvy to shame everyone heard.

She nodded. "Now we know there's water down there, so be careful you don't slip off the raised passages on the side of the sewers." She gripped the ladder and slid down the shaft, breathing through her mouth.

"Wait, Cat-seacat! You're wounded - you shouldn't take point!"

Seacat grinned as she lightly landed on her feet in the sewers, next to a dripping-wet princess.

"That was… that's… disgusting!" the shrimp told her with clenched teeth.

"Welcome to the sewers," Seacat replied before plucking a piece of debris out of the princess's hair. "And you got lucky - this is mostly water used to cool the factories. The barracks are on the other side of the zone."

"Ew!"

"Wait!" Adora landed next to her. "Let me take the lead."

"Oh, please!" Seacat retorted. "Who here has the best eyes to see in the dark? And who here has spent the most time down here?" If Adora the great had been sent to patrol the sewers even once, Seacat would...well, Adora hadn't been.

"But you're wounded!"

"I can still move and fight."

"Guys! We should move!" Brain Boy butted in.

"Yes." Seacat pushed past Adora and headed down the main sewer. The 'River Route', as Catra had called it. They wouldn't have to walk too far.

"Ew!"

"I think I just stepped into something... Something."

"Are you sure you're OK?"

"Onward!"

Seacat sighed. They wouldn't have to walk too far, but it would still be a long trip to the river port.

And yet, she was smiling as they made their way through the sewers.

*****​

A few minutes and a lot of whining later - really, Seacat was walking barefoot, and did she complain? No, she didn't! Not much, anyway - they reached the river docks. Well, the manhole closest to the piers. "Alright," Seacat told them. "Now we need to sneak into the docks and on to a river barge."

"A river barge?" Sea Hawk frowned. "I think we should board and commandeer a river gunboat, at the least! Fight our way free of the port, then sink the boat to block pursuit and make our way to the sea!"

Well, she should've expected that plan.

"What? No!" Adora protested. "We need to head to the Whispering Woods; it's closest, and we will be able to easily lose the Horde soldiers in there. We'll also be able to reach Bright Moon easily."

The shrimp and Brain Boy agreed with her, of course. Seacat should've expected that as well.

She sighed. "We can't crew a river gunboat. Not if we want to use the guns. And we're on the opposite side of the Whispering Woods border. Not to mention that the Horde will expect us to go back to the woods." Rebels had been using the woods to shelter and infiltrate the Fright Zone for a while, after all. Catra remembered hearing reports of that.

"We could set a few boats on fire and sneak back to the woods," Adora suggested. "Glimmer can drop a few more firebombs, like before."

Sea Hawk looked torn, Seacat noticed. He liked setting ships on fire, but to abandon the river plan for a trip through the woods? And he enjoyed starting the fires himself. On the other hand…. Oh.

Seacat shook her head. "They'll expect another diversion."

"They'll have to react anyway," Adora retorted. "And Glimmer can teleport us half of the way. Right?"

The shrimp didn't look as confident as Adora but she set her jaw and nodded firmly. "Yes, I've got enough left for that."

So, that was how they had gotten the climbing part done, Seacat noted. But she still didn't like the plan. And not just because she didn't want to go back to the woods. "They'll expect a diversion. And they have enough troops to cover the borders to the woods anyway. I doubt that they withdrew the pickets and patrols."

"They haven't," Adora admitted.

Seacat nodded. "So… we can set a few barges and boats on fire, and sneak away on another barge escaping the attack."

Sea Hawk nodded in agreement. "That's a cunning plan worthy of adventure! Unless we manage to take a gunboat, of course."

Seacat resolved to have the shrimp prioritise gunboats when it came to burning ships.

"Still… if we're caught on the barge…" Adora worried.

"Glimmer can get us out then," Brain Boy replied. "Provided you don't overdo it in the port."

"I won't."

Adora frowned, but Catra could tell that she was just holding out because it hadn't been her idea. She would give in anyway.

Seacat grinned. This wasn't a military exercise - this was perfect for Catra's skills. Seacat's, she corrected herself with a frown. "I'll take a look," she told the others and started climbing.

Holding up the manhole cover with one hand, using a foot to brace herself so she could let her hurting shoulder rest, Seacat peered out at the river docks. "The guards are on alert," she said. "And there are more of them than normal." At least what Catra remembered as normal.

"We can take a few more guards!" Adora said below her.

"As long as we're quick enough to get away before reinforcements arrive."

"Yes, I think…" Seacat trailed off and hissed. There was a bot walking around as well. That definitely wasn't normal.

"What? Is something wrong?" Adora whispered.

"They've got a bot too," Seacat replied. And tried not to think of Gullpeak.

"Ah. No problem."

Seacat nodded. No problem at all. She had to believe that. She could handle a bot, anyway. Had done so before. Before she had remembered her life as… whatever. She peered around. "We can't get out here without being seen," she said. There's a guard keeping an eye on the area."

"Where are they?" the shrimp asked. "I can take them down easily."

"Corner post," Seacat told her. "Come get a look." She was getting a little tired bracing herself and keeping the manhole cover propped open, anyway.

"Jump, I'll catch you!" Adora told her.

Letting Adora catch her? Like a… She forced the weird feelings down. Anyway, she wasn't an invalid. She could handle herself. "No need," she said, then started sliding down the ladder, jumping the last few yards and landing in a crouch in front of Adora.

And barely splattered her with murky water from the puddle in which she landed.

"Hey!"

Seacat chuckled. "What, are you afraid of a little water?"

"No!" Adora lied. Then she grinned. "It'll vanish anyway once I change back."

Seacat gasped. That was cheating!

But the shrimp was already climbing up. She probably was running low on her magic, Seacat thought, or she'd have teleported. That meant escaping might not be as easy as they assumed.

She heard the princess grunt and looked up. The shrimp was struggling with the cover. Seacat turned to Adora. "Can you lift the lid with your sword or something?" Adora was tall enough, as She-Ra, and the shrimp small enough, for this to work. Without cutting anyone by accident. Probably.

"I don't need help." The shrimp grunted even louder and made a funny grimace as she kept pushing up.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid."

"I'm not!"

Too stubborn to admit she needed help. Really, Seacat had expected better from Bright Moon's princess. "Adora…" she started.

But before she could tell her friend to help the shrimp, she heard a popping sound - the princess had vanished. Had she teleported blindly? No, there was the sound of the manhole cover falling closed again. "Never mind. She got it. Finally."

"Glimmer's stronger than most think," Adora said with a smile.

And more stubborn and stupid, too, Seacat added to herself. Not that she cared unless the princess got them killed.

Which was a real possibility if the shrimp screwed up taking out the guards. If the bot sounded an alarm… They would have to flee. Either on the ground or down below. They'd be more mobile, but more exposed up there - down here, they were limited and cut off more easily - if the Horde was quick enough. And if they realised that they were fleeing through the sewers.

Decisions, decisions. Wait. If the princess screwed up, Adora would charge in to save her anyway. She wouldn't abandon her friends. And that would make trying to sneak away undetected much harder. Heh, she was already waiting right at the top of the shaft, ready to jump out. No, sneaking away through the sewers was probably impossible.

"Let's go!"

And here we go, Seacat thought as Adora pushed the cover away and jumped out.

"Adventure!" Sea Hawk was next up the shaft.

Seacat looked at Brain Boy.

"After you," he said.

She grinned and scrambled up the ladder herself. Time to sink more Horde ships!

She reached the top of the ladder and climbed out, then froze for a moment. There was the bot - and it was glowing. Before she could react, though, the bot collapsed, and Adora appeared behind it, pulling her sword out of it. "Hah!" she yelled, grinning widely.

And there was the guard - on the ground in a growing pool of blood. Glimmer must have killed them from behind, as planned.

"Huzzah!"

The captain! Seacat whirled, then cursed. Sea Hawk was charging down the pier, towards the largest gunboat moored there. The gunboat with the crew scrambling to man the guns. She looked around - Adora was mowing down a squad of soldiers and about to break through into the gun emplacements guarding the port. The shrimp was too far away, dropping firebombs on more gunboats. "Brain Boy! Support the captain!" she yelled, already charging after Sea Hawk.

If only her shoulder were whole! She dashed across the pier, jumping on top and then down from an overturned cart full of rations. The first Horde gun crew was already loading their carronades - and Sea Hawk was too far away to…

An arrow hit the gun, and both it and its crew vanished in a… splatter of glue? What was Brain Boy doing?

But stuck to the gun, the Horde scum couldn't bring it to bear - and there was Sea Hawk!

"For the Alliance! Adventure!" he yelled as he jumped, landing on the deck of the gunboat. His blade flashed, and a Horde sailor fell. But more were coming.

Seacat pressed on. She was almost there. Half a dozen sailors charged the captain - one fell with an arrow in his chest - but Sea Hawk could handle that.

The gun crew trying to bring the swivel gun to bear on him, on the other hand… Seacat snarled and jumped on a crate on the pier, then pushed off, landing feet first on the loader of the gun. Her claws slashed across the woman's back, sending the Horde scum down onto the deck in a shower of blood. Seacat dropped and rolled over the deck, grunting with pain when her wounded shoulder struck something, then came up in a crouch, claws out and rushed the gunner.

The fishwoman shrieked and drew her cutlass, but she was too slow. Seacat grabbed the gun barrel and threw it to the side - which rammed the breech into the fishwoman's side, sending her staggering to the side. Before the Horde scum could recover, Seacat vaulted over the gun and struck out with her feet, raking the sailor's arm.

The fishwoman dropped her cutlass and fell down, clutching her ruined arm. Seacat snatched up the blade and slashed the Horde scum's throat, then whirled. Sea Hawk was finishing off the last two sailors fighting him, and… the helmsman on the bridge was on the ground, an arrow stuck in his head.

But the officer on deck was already gripping the wheel, and more sailors were casting off the lines that kept the boat moored. Seacat snarled, ignored the pain in her shoulder and rushed the bridge.

The officer - the captain; up close, Catra recognised the rank tabs - let go of the wheel and met her with her sword. "Rebel scum!" she yelled, slashing with the blade.

"That's alliance scum!" Seacat retorted, deflecting the blow and riposting with her new cutlass.

But the enemy was good - she fell back as she parried, keeping Seacat at a distance so she couldn't use her claws.

"And former Horde scum!" Seacat yelled as she repeatedly lunged at the Horde captain, trying to land a blow.

"Traitor!" the Horde scum snarled as she parried each blow - though with mounting difficulty, Seacat noticed.

Grinning, she sidestepped a counter-lunge, then attacked again, driving the enemy captain further back - until the woman stepped into the pool of blood left by the helmsman, and her next parry sent her stumbling when she lost her footing or a moment.

Long enough for Seacat to bat her blade aside and bury her cutlass in the woman's gut. Whatever the Horde scum had been about to say was drowned in the blood gushing from her mouth.

Seacat kicked the enemy's blade away and turned. The remaining Horde sailors had been killed or driven to jump overboard by Sea Hawk. Time to look for a barge to hide on while Adora and the others finished off the Horde garrison of the river port.

She blinked, then cursed. Brain Boy was running towards the gunboat they had just taken, carrying the shrimp in his arms. And Adora was holding back what looked like an entire assault company trying to storm the pier.

With the shrimp knocked out, there was no way they'd make it on a barge without getting spotted.

Seacat cursed and gripped the steering wheel. They had no choice, now. "Captain! Cut the lines as soon as Brain Boy is on board!" she yelled.

"Huzzah! Another daring plan comes together!"

The captain slashed the last two lines, and Seacat felt the ship starting to drift as the river's current dragged it away.

Brain Boy made the jump before they left the pier, landing in a heap on the deck. But Adora…

Seacat clenched her teeth. Her friend was still fighting - mowing down half a dozen Horde scum. But a dozen had her surrounded, shock rods out. And even more were coming.

"Adora! Jump!" Seacat yelled, turning the wheel to keep the boat alongside the pier for a little longer. "Jump!"

The idiot wasn't listening!

"Adora! Jump!"

She saw Adora's head snap towards her as the blonde parried a blow from a huge minotaur.

"Jump!"

Then Adora raised her blade, then brought it down and drove it into the ground - and the pier broke apart.

As Seacat stared, Adora jumped off, landed on a chunk of the pier as it slid onto the water, and jumped off again - to land on the deck next to Brain Boy and the shrimp.

"Huzzah!"

Seacat started breathing again and threw the wheel, turning the gunboat away from the collapsing pier.

They needed to get away before the Horde brought artillery to bear on them.

Which would be damned hard, what with the Horde's fortifications dotting the river - even the witch was aware that they had to protect one of the Horde's most important supply lines.

They needed a new plan, and they needed it right now.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 15: The Return Part 3

Without sails, the gunboat was slowly going - the current pushed it, which made steering it a little tricky, but they couldn't go any faster. "We need to set sails!" Seacat yelled - the wind was blowing from a favourable direction. One piece of good luck so far.

That would change at the first bend - but with their current speed, they wouldn't reach the first bend, not with the Horde giving chase.

"I've dismantled the guns in the fortification," Adora yelled. "But there's another gun emplacement further down the river."

Seacat knew that already. The captain was rushing to the mainmast, but he wouldn't be able to set the mainsail by himself. "Help Seahawk!" she yelled. Brain Boy was treating whatever wounds the princess had suffered, but Adora was so strong - at least as She-Ra - she could probably carry the sail up the mast if she tried to. Not that it would be of any use.

But they needed to pick up speed. As slow as they were, the Horde scum could keep pace with them on foot, and if they… She drew a hissing breath through clenched teeth. Skiffs! Horde skiffs had appeared on the banks of the river.

Worse - those were the artillery skiffs she had heard of. "Watch out!" she yelled. "Artillery!"

"What?" Adora whirled.

The skiffs were already setting down to deploy the guns. And the Horde soldiers with them didn't look like the dregs of the service. At this distance, and with how slow the gunboat was going, they wouldn't miss.

"An artillery duel! Huzzah!" Sea Hawk was rushing towards the gun that hadn't been immobilised by Horde scum stuck to it. "Follow me!"

"Can you even shoot the gun?" Adora yelled - but she was running after the captain anyway.

Seacat hoped her friend had received some training in gunnery in the last four years - she knew they hadn't received any while she had been a cadet in the Horde.

She corrected the course a little - she wanted to hug the river bank opposite the Horde guns, but she couldn't get too close, or she might end up running aground - and clenched her teeth as she watched the four guns set up. A few more minutes, tops, and they would be under fire. And Sea Hawk was talking Adora through loading the gun. Apparently, she had stayed on the command course. Damn!

"Don't worry, it's really easy! Just open the breech like this, put the shell in, then the powder charge… yes like this! Slam the breech closed, aim and… FIRE!"

The gun bellowed. Dirt was thrown up in front of the Horde guns - they had missed.

But at least part of the crew looked rattled. Oh, one soldier was down, too - must have caught some shrapnel. Seacat hoped that they had been the main gunner.

Then she saw the guns move. The Horde gunners were aiming!. Cursing, she pulled on the wheel, pulling away from the river bank - and slowing down. If she timed it right…

The guns fired - smoke and flames shot out of their muzzles, followed by the sound of the shots rolling over the river.

Two missed, throwing up water in front of the slowed gunboat. The third didn't, hitting the foredeck - and wrecking the gun there, with the Horde scum still stuck to it. Seacat winced as she saw the mangled, bloody mess left - that could've been her friends! Or herself.

But Sea Hawk was unfazed - and Adora, stubborn as always, had already reloaded the gun. Once more, the captain returned fire. Seacat tried to track the shot with her eyes - but this gun fired too fast.

One of the horde gun emplacements blew up in a giant explosion, throwing pieces and body parts all over the other guns and wrecking the skiff behind the gun.

"Huzzah! We hit their ammunition!" Sea Hawk cheered.

"Yes!" Seacat hissed.

One gun down, and the explosion had hurt two more crews - including the slower one. They fired, but their shot went wide - Seacat had steered the gunboat back on the fastest course.

Now it was a race between their gun and the remaining ones. And Sea Hawk and Adora beat the Horde - their next shot wrecked the fastest gun remaining on the river bank, toppling it and shredding the crew with shrapnel.

That left two wounded, shaken crews. And the distance was opening. The Horde fired before Adora managed to reload, but both shots missed - the near-misses must have thrown their aim off.

Sea Hawk missed in turn, but close enough to kill a few more soldiers - and one skiff was smoking. The Horde scum had had enough and started falling back - or fleeing.

Seacat took a deep breath. They had gained a little time. She hoped it was enough to find a way to escape - they couldn't stay on the river. The next gun emplacement would be ready for them. And those guns wouldn't be artillery meant for the field, but rifles meant to sink ships.

But they couldn't get off the river either - not without getting spotted and run down by half the Horde. There were skiffs following them on both sides now - fortunately, there were no artillery skiffs among them, but the scouting skiffs would ensure they couldn't slip away, not without the shrimp teleporting them.

Seacat glanced down at the deck and clenched her teeth. The princess was awake now, but she didn't look in any shape to stand, much less use magic. Damn. Although… She grinned. They could set the gunboat on fire - make it look like the shot that hit them had caused it - and then escape by diving. They could probably scrounge up makeshift snorkels to stay underwater longer… with all the smoke and fire, the Horde soldiers would be unlikely to spot them, and then all they needed was a good spot to sneak up the riverbanks unseen. And Catra remembered such a spot from a past exercise as a cadet.

She nodded. Yes, this was a doable plan. All they needed was a little luck and some…

She blinked. Down on the deck, Adora was glowing. And pointing her sword at the shrimp. What the…? She almost hit a sandbank in the river.

In front of her eyes, a glowing beam shot out from the tip of Adora's sword and hit the shrimp. And the princess shuddered, then stood, smiling and hugging Brain Boy and Adora - who had shrunk down to her normal size, too.

Well, using magic to heal their teleporting princess worked as well, Seacat had to admit. And they wouldn't need to cobble together snorkels. But they still needed a distraction - even the Horde scouts wouldn't miss the sparkles if they teleported from the deck.

"Hey, princess!" she yelled. "Can you teleport us to the riverbank in a few minutes? Or do you need to nap a little?"

"I can teleport you right now!" the shrimp yelled back.

Yes, she was back to normal. "No need - we need to pass the right spot, yet," Seacat told her. "Remember the exercise where we dunked Lonnie in the river?" she asked Adora.

"You did that!" Adora replied. Then she nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Good. That's where we'll get off this boat."

"Yes!" Sea Hawk yelled. "I'll prepare the distraction!"

"The distraction?" the shrimp asked Adora in a low voice - she probably didn't intend Seacat to hear her.

"We'll set the ship on fire so the smoke will mask our exit," Seacat yelled down. "So, get ready."

"He'll set the ship on fire?" Brain Boy looked shocked. He really should've expected that. This was Sea Hawk, after all.

"No, of course not!" Sea Hawk's head popped up in the open hatch in the middle of the deck. "I've already done that!" he added as he climbed out, followed by the first wisps of smoke. "Huzzah! This will be our most dramatic rescue, yet!"

Which meant he had cut the fuse a little short - so to speak. Seacat steered the gunboat a bit closer to the riverbank as the next bend appeared. They would need all the speed they could get to reach the exit spot before the fire reached the magazine.

"Why exactly did we have to rescue her again?" Seacat heard the shrimp complain to Brain Boy. She better not be serious!

"Because Adora and Sea Hawk were rushing off with or without us and someone had to be sensible here?" Brain Boy replied.

Hey! Seacat was the most sensible of the group!

By now, steering had become a little tricky since smoke was covering most of the foredeck. In fact, Seacat couldn't see much of the river any more - but she could see the first flames licking the deck from below. And the spot with the bushes and dense underbrush leading into a patch of woods was still about a minute away.

Adora climbed up to the bridge. "Are you sure about this?" she asked in a low voice.

"Do you have a better idea?" Seacat briefly turned her head to flash a grin at her friend.

"I had a better idea - before we ended up on this…" Adora shook her head as Sea Hawk started to throw bags of powder over the railing. Yes, the captain had cut it a little close.

"Hey! My plan was to sneak onto a river barge." And that had been a much better plan than using the same route that you used to get in to get out again.

She turned the wheel - it was getting a little hard now, in this current - and winced when pain flared up in her shoulder as a result.

"You're hurt worse than you said!" Adora sounded aghast.

"I can still walk, run and steer the ship. A little pain is nothing compared to Shadow Weaver's punishment."

She heard Adora gasp and felt guilty about the low blow - but they really couldn't afford to talk right now. "Alright! See the green bush there? We need to teleport right behind that one!" she yelled.

"What bush?"

Oh for…! "Get up here and take a look!"

"Glimmer!"

But the shrimp was already climbing the stairs. And she managed to catch a glance before the billowing smoke blocked their view.

"Alright! Everyone off the ship now!" Sea Hawk yelled, running towards the bridge.

Seacat cursed. That meant they had a few seconds left, tops. She grabbed the shrimp's arm. "Let's go! Now!"

They scrambled down the ladder to the deck, where Sea Hawk and Brain Boy were waiting, coughing in the smoke.

"Go now! Now!"

Seacat saw the flames in the hatch suddenly grow much brighter - and then the whole boat vanished.

*****​

She landed on a steep slope and barely managed to grab the closest branch to keep from falling down and into the river. Looking around, she held her breath, then relaxed - everyone was with her, too: Adora, Sea Hawk and Brain Boy. And the shrimp, but that was a given seeing that the princess had teleported them. In the last second, actually.

Seacat hadn't heard an explosion, though - had the boat…? Turning around, she saw the smoking remains spread over the river, a number of smaller fragments still in the air. No, the gunboat definitely had blown up. Completely. That must have been a big powder magazine. But why weren't her ears ringing? Had the ship exploded in mid-teleport?

"A harrowing adventure, indeed!" Sea Hawk commented as he got up and brushed off some dirt from his pants. "But well-timed!"

"You cut that far too close!" Adora protested. "We almost died!"

"I had faith in Princess Glimmer," the captain retorted, unfazed. "And the closer, the better - the Horde will surely assume we died with our brave little boat."

The gunboat had been larger than the Dragon's Daughter IV. But with everyone glaring at Sea Hawk, Seacat wouldn't point that out.

"Guys? We need to move. They'll cover the riverbanks!" Brain Boy said.

He was right, of course. "Are you strong enough for another teleport?" Seacat asked the shrimp. She did look a little under the weather. Not as bad as before Adora healed her, but not well either.

"No, she isn't," Adora replied.

"Hey!"

"Glimmer…" Brain Boy's hand on her shoulder apparently shut the princess up.

"Let's go, then. We need to be deeper in the forest when the Horde starts searching the riverbanks," Seacat said. The skiffs couldn't navigate the forest here, but there would be squads on foot coming - or by barge.

She started climbing up the rest of the slope. The soft soil made it a little tricky, especially with one arm - her claws weren't as useful as usual.

"Ca-Seacat! How badly hurt is your shoulder?"

Damn. "I'll manage," she replied to Adora without looking back.

"I can carry you."

Like hell she would let Adora carry her! This time, she glared over her shoulder at her friend. She wasn't an invalid - she had escaped from prison by herself, hadn't she?

Her friend flinched for a moment, then that stubborn expression set in. "I can carry you."

"I'm fine," Seacat spat, clearing the last part of the slope before the more even part of the forest.

"But you're hurting!"

"A little pain never hurt anyone," she retorted.

"What? That makes no sense! Catra!"

It made perfect sense! Seacat huffed and quickly moved ahead. There was a road cutting through the forest near the river - they had to cross it unseen.

"Don't be so stubborn! We're here to help you!"

She turned and hissed. "I don't need your help! I am fine!"

Sea Hawk cleared his throat. "We'll treat all our wounds once we're safe - relatively safe."

She glared at him, but the captain simply smiled at her. Huffing, she turned around and continued towards the road.

"Why is she listening to you? She never listens to me!"

Really, had Adora forgotten how good her ears were? And it wasn't true - Catra listened to Adora, as long as Adora wasn't being dumb. Or no fun. Or needed to get taken down a peg or two.

"Why, she's my first mate, and I'm her captain, of course."

That, too, of course.

"But… I was a force captain, too!"

Seacat rolled her eyes.

*****​

They reached the road a few minutes later, at which point Adora stopped complaining in a not-low-enough voice to Sea Hawk. Unfortunately, as Seacat could see from a bush overlooking most of the road, Horde soldiers were already deploying there - and they would start sweeping the forest between the road and the river soon.

"We can take them," the shrimp muttered next to her.

"That would alert them to our survival - and to our escape route," Adora, on Seacat's other side, replied.

It was getting a little crowded here.

"Letting them find us will do the same, anyway," the princess retorted. "And we can't exactly hide."

"We could, actually," Seacat informed the shrimp. "We could dig holes and hide there. But we don't have the time to do that." Catra had managed to hide like that a few times as a cadet.

"That makes no difference then," the princess told her.

"We could take out the soldiers and take a skiff!" Sea Hawk suggested. "A fast skiff - fast enough to escape their net!"

"And we'd need two skiffs," Seacat pointed out, "unless there's a cargo skiff around. Or an artillery skiff." And no Horde commander would send either into the woods.

"We could ambush a patrol and take their uniforms," Adora said.

"They would still miss the patrol." Seacat would prefer a method that wouldn't let the Horde figure out that they hadn't died in the gunboat's explosion.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Seacat didn't need to look at Adora to know that she was frowning at her. Like she used to frown at Catra when they disagreed about a plan of action.

She scowled. "No," she admitted. "Unless the shrimp can teleport us across the road."

"Uh…"

"I'll take that as a no," Seacat said. "I guess plan 'strip the guards' it is."

"And then we can commandeer a skiff or two!"

Sea Hawk wasn't one to drop a plan easily; Seacat knew that very well.

"It's not 'plan: strip the guards'!" Adora shook her head. "You make it sound as if we want to see them naked!"

Seacat grinned at her. "But we do want their uniforms, don't we?"

"Yes, but…" Adora shook her head, then suddenly smiled. "I've almost forgotten how you…" She trailed off.

But Seacat knew what she meant. Catra had loved needling her like that. "Let's get into position," she said with a grin.

"Position?" Brain Boy asked.

"Standard Horde tactics are to start at one end of the forest, not both. It cuts down on friendly fire. They'll keep the road secure with the main force and send a smaller force in to sweep the forest to flush us out," Adora explained.

Seacat wouldn't do it like that, but Catra had learned long ago that unless it came from the top, the Horde wasn't very keen on new ideas. "So, we'll set up a little towards the middle," she said. Far enough so the patrol won't be as sharp as at the start.

"It'll also give us time to camouflage us," Adora added as she rushed through the underbrush.

"But we'll be further from the skiffs," Sea Hawk protested.

"That won't matter," Seacat told him. "We can fake having wounded who need to be evacuated." At least, she hoped they would have to fake the wounded.

"Ah, yes, that would work - very cunning!" Sea Hawk nodded as he ducked under a thick branch.

*****​

When the Horde patrol finally showed up, they weren't as sloppy as Seacat had hoped, but they certainly weren't sharp. They had been at this for the better part of half an hour, and it showed - they had split up a little too much, which would make them lose sight of each other frequently.

Good. That meant they had a chance to take out the patrol without the rest noticing. That would allow them to change into the uniforms to fool the Horde forces outside the forest.

Perched on a branch, she grinned as she saw them come closer. And they weren't looking up - they never looked up.

"This is a waste of time," she heard one of the Horde scum grumble. "You saw the explosion. No way anyone could've survived that. Magazine went up."

"I didn't know that you were a sailor, Jens. Got lost on the way to the sea and followed us into the woods?"

"Friend of mine is in the fleet, arse!"

"Cut the bloody chatter! The rebels could be hiding behind the next bush!"

Seacat mentally marked the apparent leader of the group. His position - second behind the point man - matched the Horde tactics, too. Predictable, really. Which meant that this patrol would be made up of five soldiers. They could take five Horde soldiers without splitting them up - but Seacat would take any advantage she would get. Especially with her hurt shoulder.

She looked to her right, where Brain Boy was in another tree, then down to the others and signalled five enemies, wedge formation.

Adora nodded - but then had to explain to the others, who didn't recognise Horde signs. Great. Seacat made eye contact with Brain Boy and tried to communicate the plan to him. After two repetitions, he nodded.

She hoped he had understood, or they would have to improvise - Sea Hawk style.

But then the patrol was too close to say anything, and Seacat took a deep breath before moving a little further ahead on her branch. She and Brain Boy would take the two Horde soldiers on this side. And since she didn't have a trick bow, she had to do it the hard way.

The semi-hard way, she corrected herself as her target - the complainer she had heard before - started to make his way around the trunk of her tree. And he wasn't looking up at all!

Perfect. She glanced towards Brain Boy and snapped her hand downwards. Then she pushed off and pounced.

She hit the idiot's helmet with her feet - heels first - and drove him face-first into the soil. Before he could react or even cry out, she sneaked her good hand under his chin guard and opened the strap. He started to groan as she pulled the helmet off, but she grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the closest root a few times until he stopped moving.

And her shoulder only hurt a little more.

Then she looked up. Brain Boy had shot an arrow through the faceplate of his target. Messy - but then, they planned to fake a wounded or two, right?

And Adora, Sea Hawk and the shrimp were already moving towards the three remaining Horde soldiers. Seacat jumped up and followed the shrimp - Adora and Sea Hawk wouldn't need any help dealing with a single soldier each.

"I don't need help," the shrimp whispered.

"I don't care," she hissed back. "You can't teleport, can you?"

The princess huffed, then fell silent as they crawled through a dense bush.

"Hey, Jens, did you drown?"

"I said cut the chatter!"

"Jens?"

Damn. Time was running out. Seacat dug her claws into the soil, getting traction. Good.

"Sibon, go check on Jens and Lori!"

"Alright."

Adora and Sea Hawk should be close enough now. Seacat licked her lips. Almost…

The Horde scum stumbled over a root, and Seacat shot forward, ramming her good shoulder into his gut, and tackled him to the ground. With his breath knocked out of him, he couldn't yell - and there was the shrimp, hitting his helmet with a staff. Again and again. With enthusiasm.

The soldier didn't recover until he was out. Or dead - there were a few dents in the helmet.

Adora and Sea Hawk had finished their soldiers more quickly, though Sea Hawk had run his target through.

Well, good enough for a second wounded.

"Hurry! We need to change!" Adora snapped. "Pick a soldier close to your size and strip them!"

Seacat snorted, which earned her a glare.

"You know what I mean!" Adora told her.

Of course she did. But teasing Adora was fun.

Stuffing your tail down the leg of an already uncomfortable uniform wasn't fun, though. Nor was squishing your ears flat with a helmet not made for you. But the worst was the smell. "I don't think that their commander enforced the hygiene regulations," she spat while trying to breathe through her mouth.

"They are loosened in the field," Adora told her. "Don't you… oh."

Seacat rolled her eyes. Catra hadn't really cared much about regulations on her first and last field deployment.

"I look ridiculous," the shrimp complained.

She did, actually - the uniform really didn't fit her body. "You can be one of the wounded, then," Seacat told her.

"What?"

"And you're the other one," Adora said. "You're already wounded."

"I'm also the only one who knows how to act as a Horde soldier," Seacat replied.

"Except for me."

"No. You know how to act as a Horde captain, not a soldier." Seacat grinned.

Adora opened her mouth, but closed it again, obviously trying to find a counter-argument. "That's…"

"You can be a walking wounded," Sea Hawk said. "That means we have three wounded. Princess Glimmer, Bow and you."

"Why us?"

"You would stick out with your height," the captain told the princess.

"Or lack of height," Seacat added.

"And Bow perfectly fits the damaged uniform, but not the others," Sea Hawk went on.

"Ah." Brain Boy nodded.

"But…" The shrimp wasn't giving in easily.

"Glimmer!" Adora interrupted her. "Sea Hawk's right. I'll carry you."

The commander of the patrol wouldn't carry a wounded, Seacat thought. On the other hand, some officers might - at least if everyone else was already wounded or carrying a wounded. "Let's go, then!" she said.

Time to nab a skiff.

*****​

A few minutes later, they were nearing the road and Seacat started screaming: "Help! Help! We need help!"

"Ambush! Rebel ambush!"

"Help!"

"We need support!"

The first squads were already entering the forest when the group stumbled onto the road. A huge minotaur - a squad leader according to the rank tabs - confronted them. "What happened? Report!"

Adora actually straightened, saluting with the shrimp still hanging on her shoulder. "We were ambushed in the area straight behind us with overwhelming force. We managed to retreat with our wounded, but they were right behind us." She gestured at Brain Boy, who was leaning on Sea Hawk, faking a gut wound.

Seacat tensed. If the Horde scum knew the patrol leader…

But the minotaur nodded. "Get the wounded to the skiffs. We'll hunt the rebels down!" He started bellowing orders to the Horde soldiers gathered around them, and Seacat relaxed. A little - they still had to overpower the guards at the skiffs and escape. And then lose the inevitable pursuit.

But for now, they had fooled the Horde soldiers. As the Horde scum broke into squads and entered the forest to the screaming orders from the Minotaur, Seacat and the others staggered towards the skiffs parked further back, towards the edge of the forest.

"We need two," Adora mumbled. "One won't carry all of us."

"Even if it could, we'd be too slow," Seacat agreed.

"Three would be better," Sea Hawk said.

"That would leave one of us alone on a skiff," Adora pointed out. "And how many of you know how to handle a skiff?"

"I do," Seacat said. Catra had paid attention. Mostly. It couldn't be too hard.

"I can steer everything!" Sea Hawk added.

"We've been testing some captured Horde vehicles," Brain Boy said.

Adora, once more, closed her mouth and pouted for a moment. "Still, two are better than three - we can protect each other better." She turned towards Seacat. "And you're still wounded!"

"I can handle it," Seacat retorted. Of course she could - she had steered the gunboat, after all!

Then they were too close to the skiffs to keep talking. There were three skiffs, with two squads standing guard. But Seacat couldn't see the crews - were the soldiers both guards and crew?

"Hey!" Adora snapped. "Some help here! We've got wounded!"

The soldiers standing guard - some of them sitting - started moving towards them. Only one guard stayed behind - the squad leader, Seacat noted.

Good.

"What happened?" the first Horde scum asked as they reached the group.

"Rebel Ambush," Adora replied. "In the woods."

"Really? The rebels survived?"

"Hah! I told you! Pay up, Hana!"

"But…"

All the soldiers were now there, two reaching for Brain Boy. Seacat drew the shock rod dangling at her hip and buried the tip in the stomach of the closest soldier, straight under her chest plate.

She collapsed with a scream, and Seacat jumped over her, sprinting towards the leader at the skiffs.

"For the Honour of Grayskull!"

A Horde soldier flew past Seacat, crashing against a nearby boulder. Adora was showing off again.

More screams sounded behind her, but Seacat had only eyes for the horde leader in front of her. He was climbing onto a skiff! He was trying to escape! And alert the others!

Snarling, Seacat pushed herself. Not on her watch! Her shoulder started hurting from the movement, but she wouldn't let the bastard escape! She was almost…

The Horde leader suddenly jerked and screamed. As he slowly turned on the ladder and started to fall, Seaca saw an arrow sticking out of his back. Brain Boy.

She huffed as she turned. "I would have had him!"

The others had subdued the Horde squads and were already rushing towards her. "Get on the skiff!" Adora yelled.

Well, what did she think Seacat was about to do, take a nap?

Seacat had barely begun to start up the skiff when Sea Hawk climbed on board. "I'll handle the skiff," he told her. "Keep an eye out for trouble."

She nodded, stepping away from the controls, and looked around. Adora was wrecking the third skiff, while the shrimp and Brain Boy were boarding the other skiff they were taking. The Horde… Damn! It seemed that the Horde soldiers had noticed something amiss - they were moving towards the bodies on the ground. Even with the Horde uniforms the group was still wearing, they wouldn't take much time to connect the dots.

"Hurry!" Seacat spat. "They'll be coming at any moment!"

"We'll be moving in a moment!" the captain replied.

Adora looked at her, then rushed to the second skiff, jumping on board - Seacat could almost hear the deck crack as She-Ra landed on it with all the grace of a falling mast. Just how heavy was Adora in that form?

Something to tease her about later, Seacat decided - the Horde soldiers had reached the skiff guards. And one of them was pointing at the body of the skiff commander Brain Bow had shot.

Their cover was blown. And Adora was just starting up the other skiff. Damn.

But Sea Hawk was already moving theirs. "Hold on tight!" he yelled. "Huzzah!"

Seacat gasped and grabbed the railing as the skiff turned and raced towards the Horde soldiers, scattering them. And sending one scum who was too slow flying into a tree.

But more were coming out of the woods. Seacat ducked as the minotaur threw a pike at them which struck the skiff's hull with a dull thud. Others brought crossbows up. No guns, fortunately - if the Horde had deployed artillery, they would be done for already. But she could see grappling hooks in the hands of other Horde soldiers. If they managed to board the skiff… it wouldn't take many hanging onto it to drag it down.

She looked back to Adora. The other skiff was finally starting to move. "Let's get out of here!"

"Adventure!"

Their own skiff took a sharp turn, scattered the minotaur's squad - and sent the burly leader flying into the forest when he tried to grab the vessel. Then it shot down the road, following Adora's skiff.

A few more Horde scum took potshots at them, but most didn't even come close to hitting the hull before they were out of the woods and racing over the plains.

It didn't take long to catch up to Adora. Not only was the other skiff carrying three people - and one of them was She-Ra - but Sea Hawk was handling the skiff expertly. The captain could pilot any vessel, after all.

Seacat sat down and rubbed her aching shoulder. While keeping watch for pursuit - or Horde ambushes. It was a long way to the mountains.

*****​

"That's the Cold Peak!" Adora announced.

"Are you sure?" The shrimp looked a little sceptical.

Adora nodded. "Yes. I remember it clearly - this was one of the last field exercises I did with… Ah."

Seacat, leaning against the railing of her and Sea Hawk's skiff, rolled her eyes at her friend. "Damn it, Adora, I'm not going to break down if you mention 'field exercises'.!"

"Sorry." Adora looked sheepish. "Anyway - yes, I'm sure. We can reach the pass west of the peak in a few hours from here."

"Good." Seacat nodded. "We've been lucky so far, but the faster we're out of Horde territory, the better."

"Occupied territory," the shrimp told her. "We'll liberate it."

Seacat snorted. The Horde held it, and it would be Horde territory until they were driven out of it. A storm didn't suddenly turn into a squall if you refused to accept reality. Any sailor knew this.

"And our ruse fooled the enemy!" Sea Hawk announced.

Seacat snorted again. It wasn't much of a ruse. They had headed straight for the eastern passes at the start until they had left pursuit behind. Then they had taken a wide turn towards the northern mountains, in the hope of throwing off the Horde soldiers searching for them. At least that had been the plan.

Travelling through what passed for plains this close to the Fright Zone, they'd had to balance speed and safety. The more open they travelled, the faster they were - but the greater the risk of being seen by some field worker or patrol. The uniforms helped - Adora had shrunk down so she could wear hers again - but sooner or later, an officer would compare reports and sightings with deployment orders and find an unaccounted for skiff patrol.

Seacat hoped that this wouldn't happen until they were past the pass. They had decent odds - with the Alliance pushing down along the Eastern Coast, going east would be the obvious route to take. And any forces covering the mountains to the east would be too far away to block their escape up north. Though the Horde had enough soldiers to send substantial forces to both mountain ranges. Perhaps they should've tried to double back, cross the enemy lines, and make directly for the Whispering Forest?

No. They were committed now, anyway.

She rubbed her shoulder.

"Cat-Seacat! Does your shoulder hurt again? I can transform and…"

"It's fine," she told her friend before Adora could climb over the railing and hop onto their skiff. "Just an itch," she lied - during one of their breaks, Adora had transformed and healed Seacat's shoulder, but she still felt a twinge now and then.

Adora looked suspicious but nodded.

She really needed to understand that Seacat could take care of herself. "Let's go - the longer we stand here and chat, the more time the Horde has to catch us," she said.

"Hah! Even if they tried, we'd beat them in a daring chase up and down the pass!" Sea Hawk announced.

Seacat would rather sneak out of Horde territory than be chased out, but either way sounded fine as long as they made it out.

She leaned back as the skiffs started to pick up speed again and headed towards the mountain pass Adora had discovered as a cadet.

*****​

The pass was, as Adora had said, too narrow and too steep to be of much use. Even the skiffs had trouble navigating it - Sea Hawk had scraped the paint off the left side in a particularly tight bend. Seacat couldn't imagine the Horde transporting supplies through it. Perhaps with lots of skiffs, but that would gut the screening and scout forces of the Horde - they didn't have enough of the things to keep up with demand as it was, what with the Horde fighting on all fronts.

But… "The Horde could've been inserting small groups easily through this pass," she said, standing next to Sea Hawk.

"That's not their style," the captain replied.

"That doesn't mean they haven't done it. Or won't do it,"

"If they had, we would have heard of more acts of sabotage and attacks behind the lines," Sea Hawk told her. "And we already know they have spies in our ranks."

And traitors like the bounty hunters who had come after Seacat. She pressed her lips together, not wanting to remember the fight. She almost had them!

"But you are correct - we should use the pass ourselves to infiltrate the Fright Zone!"

"We can always sneak in through the Whispering Woods," Seacat pointed out. "Or land forces at the coast." Not even the Horde had enough soldiers to guard the entire border against infiltrators.

"Indeed! But having more options is always better!"

She couldn't argue with that. Certainly not when making their way up a narrow pass. "I just wish we were over the pass already," she muttered. "We're hemmed in here. If Adora's skiff breaks down, we'll have to walk since we can't pass it." She wouldn't risk flying over a wreck. Not with a chasm to their right and a cliff to their left. Unless Adora could push the wreck over the side of the road, down the chasm. "It's an ideal spot for an ambush."

"Of course it is," Sea Hawk agreed. "But they'll be waiting on the top of the pass, where they can keep an eye on both sides. And we'll scout it out on foot, so they won't spot us."

That was the plan, at least. But Seacat still hated their position.

*****​

"As expected, the Horde reinforced the pass," Seacat said, hiding on a ledge on the cliff, and looking at the top of the pass. "They didn't forget about it."

"Those are field fortifications - and rather shabby ones, at that," Adora, also hiding on the narrow ledge after managing - with help, of course - to scale the cliff, protested. "They can't be old. So, the Horde had forgotten about the pass."

"Until we were about to use it?" Seacat raised her eyebrows at her.

"Uh… yes?" Adora blinked.

"It's a trap. They're probably already moving to block the exit behind us," Seacat said. Which meant the Horde forces would be rolling up the road soon enough.

"Oh." Adora frowned. Then she set her jaw. "That won't help them - we can push through the line there."

"They'll be expecting us," Seacat pointed out.

"But they can't have enough troops up there to stop us. The fortifications would be better," Adora retorted, "so they can concentrate their forces behind us to catch us between the fortification and them."

She was probably correct. That didn't mean that Seacat had to acknowledge it - or like it. "Well, we either turn around and go back, and hope there's no blocking force, or we push on." And hope it wasn't a more complicated trap.

"We push on!" Adora said at once.

"I knew you'd say that."

"Hey!"

Seacat snorted, shaking her head. To be honest, she preferred to push on herself. Smash through the line, and show the scum that they couldn't hold or stop her. And she really couldn't see many troops. Perhaps one, two dozen. Nor were there traces of a larger force - which would have had to rush up the pass, and the dust thrown up by their marching would have been visible from afar. But why would the Horde send so few troops… She blinked as she spotted a Horde squad leader at the gate.

"Lonnie."

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 16: The Escape

"It's Lonnie," Seacat said.

"What?" Adora replied.

"There. The squad leader at the gate. Still has the same stupid hairstyle."

"I need binocs for that." Adora pulled a pair of binoculars out of her pocket.

"Give me a good telescope any day of the week," Seacat mumbled. Better magnification - and you could use one as a club in a pinch. And the Horde used binocs a lot.

"I like them… wow, you're right - it's Lonnie!"

"And there's Kyle, which means Rogelio can't be far," Seacat pointed out.

"Yes… look at the gun pit on the left. My left."

Seacat narrowed her eyes. The loader did look like the lizardman. "Right. I didn't know he went into the artillery."

"He didn't. But we cross-trained a lot," Adora said. "I, uh, wanted to have the best squad in the Horde."

That was a rather low bar, in Seacat's opinion. And pretty much impossible if she kept Kyle on.

As if Adora had read her thoughts, she continued: "And we were the best cadet squad - I checked the results of all tests."

"And now we're fighting them," Seacat replied.

"Uh… yes?" Adora laughed in that forced manner of hers that showed she was embarrassed. "But we'll beat them!"

"Of course we'll beat them." Seacat snorted. Adora could probably just fling them over the side on her way through the pass. "So… hit the gate or the wall?" Though it was questionable if the flimsy barricade deserved that title.

"Hmm…"

Seacat glanced over. Adora was wrinkling her forehead - she was thinking. "The gate's the obvious weak spot. Lonnie will expect us to hit it. She'll have something prepared there. So we'll hit the weaker wall between the gate and the cliff."

"Sounds good." Catra would have prepared a trap at the wall, expecting Adora to avoid the obvious weak spot - but Lonnie had all the imagination of a particularly dense brick. Even worse than Adora. "Let's get back to the others; we can't wait much longer, or we'll be caught between the camp ahead and whatever forces are coming up the pass now."

"Right."

They crawled back until they reached the end of the ledge - out of sight of the Horde fortifications - and climbed down the cliff to where the rest of their group was waiting with the skiffs. Or, in Adora's case, failed to climb, slid down and jumped the rest. But she stuck the landing.

"Alright!" Adora cleared her throat as Seacat touched down behind her. "The Horde has been fortifying the pass, but they couldn't do much so far. It's just standard prefab barriers - and not many of them - with barbed wire. We can break through there; I can cut either with my sword."

"Can we fly over them?" Brain Boy asked.

"Not really - they're high enough to block skiffs, and they've got two cannons in the camp," Seacat pointed out. "So, even if you managed to jump over the wall, you'd have to hope they won't hit you. And Lonnie will have grapple hooks ready as well."

"So, we'll attack on foot," Adora continued, "then either go back for our skiffs or take theirs."

"Huzzah!"

"And we'll be so quick, the Horde forces coming up the pass behind us won't catch up before we're gone," Seacat said.

"Uh…" The shrimp stared at her.

"Ah! A cunning if simple trap!" Sea Hawk nodded as he pounded his palm with his fist. "And we'll turn the tables on them!"

"Right!" Adora spoke up again. "So, Bow - cover fire. Take out the gun emplacements. I'll charge the fortification and cut a hole into it. Then the rest of you follow, and we take out their centre on the way to the skiffs. We board them and get away. Straightforward."

"And what about me?" Brain Boy asked.

"You rush after us," Seacat told him. "And make sure you're not too far behind."

"You can jump and hold on to the aft of the skiff, getting dragged behind as the Horde shoots at us and we barely manage to pull you in before you fall off!" Sea Hawk beamed at Brain Boy. "It'll be an adventure you will tell your grandchildren at the hearth!"

"That sounds exciting indeed," Brain Boy replied with a grimace.

The captain, of course, ignored this and nodded. "Yes, it does! Huzzah!"

Seacat snorted. "Let's go! We need to sneak close enough so we can rush them before they start shelling us from afar."

Or their charge would end in a bloody mess - Seacat doubted that even She-Ra could shrug off cannon shells.

"Oh, I've just thought of a better plan! A perfect plan!"

Sea Hawk beamed at them.

Seacat suddenly knew they wouldn't be going back for their skiffs.

*****​

"This is crazy. This won't work."

Seacat scoffed at Adora's comment. "This will work." The captain knew what he was doing. Well, most of the time. But when it came to handling ships - or setting them on fire - he was the best. She leaned into the controls as her skiff took the next narrow turn at high speed, hot on the heels of Sea Hawk's.

"If you're so convinced, why aren't you on the other skiff?" the shrimp asked from where she was holding tight on the railing.

"Someone has to steer this skiff," Seacat replied, not taking her eyes off the narrow path. Two more turns, and then they would be headed straight towards the fortifications.

"Adora could do it!"

"She's got another task." And Seacat was better at steering skiffs. Or handling any ship.

The next turn was even tighter. And Sea Hawk hadn't slowed down at all. Seacat clenched her teeth as her skiff moved a little too far towards the cliffside, bouncing off after scraping the paint off the left side. She cursed as she fought to keep it on the path, away from the chasm on the right side.

"AHHH!"

"NOOO!"

"CATRA!"

Seacat ignored the screaming and tilted the skiff to the side. That was enough to make the turn. After a few seconds, she let the vehicle right itself again. One more turn.

"You are crazy!"

No, she wasn't. And she was focusing on the next turn. That one was to the right, so they didn't run the risk of tumbling into the chasm - but they could ram the cliffside.

Well, the skiff could handle a few more bumps. Add some character. And she had to catch up to Sea Hawk.

She accelerated.

"Catra!"

"No!"

This time she tilted the skiff to the other side, and they went up the cliffside a few yards, tilted sideways, like a sledge in some of the races the Kingdom of Snows loved so much.

More screaming.

"Pipe down! We're almost there!" Seacat snapped, flashing her fangs.

"You're crazy!" the shrimp repeated herself.

Then they were on the last leg, headed straight towards the Horde camp. And straight towards the two field guns the Horde forces had. Seacat moved behind Sea Hawk, using the other skiff as a shield, but she could still see the gun crews struggling with the piece on the right as a siren sounded in the background.

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk yelled and pushed his skiff even more.

"Adora!"

"On it!"

Adora, in her She-Ra form, rushed to the bow of the skiff. "Sea Hawk!"

"Watch out!" Sea Hawk yelled, and his skiff suddenly veered to the left.

Seacat pulled to the right at once.

And one, then another shell flew between the two skiffs, detonating behind them. "Hah!"

"Watch the chasm!"

"Catra!"

"No!"

Seacat was already turning to the left - really! As if she'd forget this!

And a few seconds later, they were behind Sea Hawk again. "Jump!" Adora yelled.

"Huzzah!"

Sea Hawk released the Skiff's controls and ran towards its aft. Towards Seacat's skiff. "Adventure!" He jumped on the railing, then off, towards the waiting arms of Adora. She-Ra had to reach - but she managed to grab his hand and reel him in as Seacat slowed the skiff down.

And, lightened a little more, Sea Hawk's skiff, its controls fixed, shot towards the enemy gate. If Lonnie had prepared a trap there… The vehicle hit the gate, crashing through it - and the gate and skiff vanished in a fireball as Sea Hawk's fuse reached the powder stashed in the bow.

Seacat sped up again, heading straight into the smoke cloud. The gun crews had been shaken by the explosion and were just getting up again from where they had dived for cover when the skiff entered the smoke - too slow to bring their guns to bear.

"Everyone out!" Seacat yelled as they left the smoke and dust cloud, and she tilted the skiff to the side, sliding over the ground as she braked.

"For the Honour of Grayskull!" Adora had already jumped off, racing towards the gun on the chasm side.

"For adventure!" Sea Hawk jumped off as well, followed by the shrimp and Brain Boy.

Seacat sped up again - and turned the skiff towards the second gun emplacement. The crew was struggling to turn the gun around - it hadn't meant to fire into the camp - and scattered as she rammed the gun, toppling it.

She jumped off before the skiff ground to a halt in the remains of the gun emplacement, the cutlass she had taken from the horde flashing. It wasn't magical, but it was enough. She cut down the gun chief before the goatman could get up, then kicked the soldier next to him in the head before the man could draw his own blade.

Stepping on the fallen, struggling man, she stuck her blade into his mouth, then turned to the four remaining gunners on the other side of the skiff.

They had managed to form a shaky line, blades and shock rods drawn, and seemed torn between charging and fleeing.

Seacat hissed and charged them. One broke, turning to run away. Another counter-charged her. She met his blade with her own, twisting it to the side, then buried her free hand in his stomach - with her claws out.

The man collapsed, bleeding and screaming, and she pounced on the two remaining gunners. Ducking under the wild swipe from the one on the left, she kicked out with her foot and raked her claws over the legs of the other. He went down yelling and holding his ruined legs as she rolled over her healed shoulder, avoiding the other horde scum's stab.

She came up behind the man and slashed his back with her cutlass, then rammed its pommel into the man's head. He collapsed, knocked out. A quick cut to the throat finished the other, and she turned around. There would be infantry in the camp - if they hadn't been killed at the gate.

"Traitor!"

And there was Lonnie. Charging straight at her with a shock rod.

Seacat side-stepped the first lunge - the woman still telegraphed her moves - and took a swipe at the rod with her blade.

Lonnie blocked it. That wouldn't have worked against Seacat's old cutlass, of course. The Horde soldier followed up with a riposte. Or tried to - Seacat jumped back before Lonnie managed to align her rod. But her own strike was blocked as well.

She scoffed. Time to distract and rile up the Horde scum. "Fancy to see you here. Is that punishment detail, or did Shadow Weaver give you special orders?" She flashed her fangs at the other.

Lonnie clenched her teeth in return and struck at her again, trying to hit her arm with the shock rod.

Seacat parried the first two strikes, then riposted. Lonnie twisted her body out of the way, but the blade still nicked her upper arm.

"Oh, did that hurt?" Seacat chuckled and cocked her head. "Why are you using a shock rod, anyway? You always were better with a polearm." She glanced around. No one else was near them - the cloud of smoke from the burning skiff was blocking the rest of the camp.

Good. Dealing with an entire squad and Lonnie would be a little tricky. Not really dangerous, though.

Lonnie growled, gripping her biceps for a moment before withdrawing her hand, trailing blood.

"On the other hand, you need both hands and arms for a polearm, and that might be a little difficult right now." Seacat laughed again as she looked for an opening. Lonnie was a decent fighter - or a good one, now - and guarded herself well, but she couldn't avoid Seacat's cutlass forever.

But she could avoid it for a while longer, Seacat found out as she closed with the Horde soldier. She forced Lonnie back with a few lightning-quick strikes that broke through her guard, but the woman managed to dodge at the last moment, and what should've opened the artery in her inner thigh merely nicked her leg.

And not deep enough to make her fall. "You damn traitor!" Lonnie spat.

Seacat scoffed in return. "Me, a traitor? I wasn't the one who got an entire company killed to get rid of me!" Lonnie's bleeding leg slowed the woman down now. If Seacat started circling her, then sooner or later she would slip up - or slip.

"I'm not listening to your lies! I'm not Adora!"

Seacat's eyes widened. "What?" Lonnie couldn't mean… She laughed. "Oh, that's rich! Shadow Weaver decided that it must have been me who made Adora desert? And you believed it? Did you ever know her, really?"

Lonnie growled and attacked again, wildly swinging her rod, followed by lunges. But she was tiring - and making mistakes. Seacat drew her into a corps-a-corps, then lashed out with her free arm when Lonnie tried to overpower her.

This time, she saw blood fly as her claws slashed into the woman's shoulder, barely missing her throat. Lonnie stumbled back, swinging her rod back and forth to keep Seacat at a distance.

But she was done for. She couldn't use that arm any more, and she couldn't stop the bleeding without dropping her weapon - at which point Seacat would finish her off.

And she knew it. "Damn you!" Lonnie spat, hefting her rod.

A last, hopeless charge? That sounded like the Lonnie Catra knew from training. Had known. She grinned as she raised her blade in turn. This time, she wouldn't miss the vitals.

"Lonnie!"

Damn! Seacat glanced to the side, towards the smoke, and cursed. There was the rest of the squad - Rogelio and Kyle. Only, Kyle was propping up Rogelio, who looked even worse than Lonnie.

Seacat could handle this. Could handle them.

"Kyle, run!"

Seacat whirled to face Lonnie. The woman wasn't even trying to guard herself, any more - she was coming at Seacat with the shock rod raised high above her head, screaming like a stuck pig.

"No! Lonnie!"

Kyle's shout made Seacat glance to her side. If the other soldier charged her… but Kyle wasn't. He was standing there.

Snarling, Seacat dodged to the side, avoiding Lonie's blow, then kicked her, sending her sprawling - and making her drop her weapon.

A moment later, Seacat's blade was at Lonnie's throat. The other woman froze, caught in the middle of trying to get up, and stared at her.

"No!" Kyle yelled.

A little push, and it was done. Would be done. Just a flick of her wrist, and the Horde scum would be dead. Dying. Bleeding out.

Lonnie bared her teeth and didn't look away. "Kyle, Rogelio, run!"

"No!"

Seacat glanced to her side. Kyle was lowering Rogelio to the ground. The lizardman all but collapsed, groaning.

And Kyle was drawing his own shock rod. Idiot.

"Kyle, run!" Lonnie spat.

"No!"

And the idiot took a step towards Seacat, brandishing his weapon.

Seacat clenched her teeth. Did the idiot think he had a chance of beating her? He was shaking in his boots - literally, actually; the boots were a little too large for his scrawny figure. "Surrender," she said with a glance, keeping her attention on Lonnie.

"N-no!"

"Surrender or Lonnie dies."

"Traitor!" The woman spat through clenched teeth.

Kyle gasped.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Hey - what do you think happens if you attack me? I kill her so I can kill you without having to worry about getting stabbed in the back." She bared her teeth. "Something of a thing in the Horde, you know? Shadow Weaver sabotaged a weapon test to kill me. Get rid of me and a rival with one blow. Lose an entire company, but the Horde has more, right?"

A glance showed her that Kyle was gaping, the shock rod pointed at the ground. "No!"

"Liar!" Lonnie said.

Seacat snorted. "Why should I lie?"

"To get more of us to desert."

She rolled her eyes again. "I couldn't care less whether or not you desert. I didn't even remember you until Shadow Weaver used me as a lightning rod." She scoffed. "You surrender, or I kill you all. I don't care." It wasn't as if Lonnie had too much time left anyway, the way she was bleeding.

"Seacat! Seacat!"

That was Adora!

Seacat cursed herself under her breath - she had gotten caught up in this stupid banter while there was a battle going on! Stupid! Best to end this now.

"Seacat! There you… Lonnie?"

Oh. Adora stepped out of the smoke and stopped.

"Hey, Adora," Seacat told her. "We had a little reunion here. Lonnie thought she could stop me, and Kyle doesn't want to surrender."

"Traitor!" Lonnie glared at Adora.

"I'm not…" Adora cut herself off and set her jaw. "Surrender!"

Kyle dropped his shock rod to the ground and raised his hands.

"Kyle!" Lonnie snapped.

He shook his head. "Lonnie! This is Adora; she won't kill us."

"You thought I would kill you?" Seacat shook her head at the idiot.

"You said so!"

"I said I'd kill you if you didn't surrender!" That was how things were done - the law of the sea was clear on that. "Idiots!" She scoffed and took a step back and turned to face Adora. "Did you secure the other skiffs?"

"Yes! But we need to leave - more Horde troops are coming!" her friend replied.

"Let's go then!" She took a step towards the smoke, which hid the rest of the camp.

"But…" Kyle was still staring at them.

"What?" She glared at the idiot.

"What about us? We surrendered!"

Seacat scoffed. "Yes, you did. And we're leaving."

"Cat-Seacat!" Adora gasped.

"What? We can't take any prisoners with us. They'd slow us down too much."

"That's not the point!" Adora knelt down next to the still breathing and bleeding Lonnie.

Oh. Seacat sighed. That was so like Adora. Even though Lonnie and the others were probably the reason that the Horde was even here to stop them. "Just stop the bleeding. The Horde will soon be here."

"How can you be so…" Kyle shook his head. He looked as if he was about to cry. Like when Catra had eaten the ration he had been hoarding, "We were your friends!"

"And now you're our enemies," Seacat replied. "Fighting for the Horde - who tried to kill us. Fighting for Shadow Weaver!" she spat the last words.

"You deserted!" he replied.

"Technically, I was left for dead - after Shadow Weaver tried to get me killed." She flashed her fangs at the idiot. "Don't worry, as long as you blindly obey her, you'll be fine. Unless she needs a few expendable troops for a plot or so."

He gaped.

"Alright, you'll be fine, Lonnie." Adora got up.

"Traitor!" the woman on the ground spat, holding her shoulder.

"You need to learn more words than 'traitor', 'run' and 'Yes, Shadow Weaver'," Seacat told them. "Let's go."

Rogelio groaned something as they passed him, but Seacat was sick of listening to Horde scum.

*****​

"Get on board!" Sea Hawk yelled as soon as they approached the skiffs. "A harrowing escape awaits us!" He beamed at them from the controls of the first skiff, next to the shrimp and Brain Boy. All of them looked unhurt, Seacat noted.

"That means the Horde reinforcements will be here any moment," she told Adora before she grabbed the ladder hanging down from the second skiff and started climbing.

"I'm aware of that!" her friend replied. "That's why I was looking for you!"

"Oh, not because you were worried about me?" Seacat laughed and quickly started the skiff moving.

"Of course I was worried!"

Seacat smiled, then reminded herself that Adora didn't need to worry about her - she could take care of herself.

"Hold on!" she snapped, then accelerated. As she neared the first turn, she just caught a glance of the Horde skiffs behind them. Damn.

Seacat took the turn while still accelerating, but didn't scrape the paint off this time. Nor did she come too close. At least the paint wasn't in any danger of getting scraped off. Nor did she have to pull a stunt to avoid going over the edge and into the chasm in the next turn. Adora had no reason to complain, really.

But she wasn't gaining on Sea Hawk, either. The Captain handled his skiff too well. He was probably even holding back a little.

Seacat growled and accelerated a little more - she wouldn't slow the group down!

"Uh…"

"What?" she snapped without taking her eyes off the road.

"That was a little close," Adora said.

"We didn't crash," Seacat replied. She watched how Sea Hawk's skiff took the next turn, then copied him. She had to quickly compensate for the difference in weight, but otherwise, it worked well. Decently well.

"Oh!"

"What?" They hadn't even come close to ramming the cliffside, this time!

"Pursuit. Looks like… one, no, two scout skiffs."

So they had pushed through instead of stopping to check on the Horde remains in the camp.

"How many crew per skiff?"

"Looks like… watch it!" Adora complained as they took the next turn. "...standard complement. Two," Adora added.

"I know the standard complement," Seacat told her. "Just the two skiffs?" They could handle two skiffs with two Horde scum each. Hell, Seacat could handle them all by herself!

"They're scouts."

Which meant the Horde scum would shadow them, leading the rest to them. They couldn't have that - they had a long way before them once they were through the pass. And they couldn't have a Horde force chasing them all the way to Bright Moon.

"Can you lose them?" Adora asked.

"I'm trying," Seacat yelled. This time, she did hit the cliff a little as she took a turn.

"It's not working!"

"I know!" It wasn' as if she had driven this particular skiff before. Or this road. And the Horde hadn't caught up either, yet. But what could they do? Use the skiff to block the pass? Sea Hawk's skiff would be slowed down, and the Horde could just push the remains off the cliff into the chasm.

"I've got an idea," Adora suddenly said.

"You're not going to jump off and hold them off while we escape!" Seacat snapped. If the stupid idiot did this, she'd run her over with the skiff herself!

"What? No, no. But I need to get off the skiff."

"No!"

"Just slow down at the next turn - it won't take long!"

On the next straight part of the road, Seacat glanced over her shoulder. Adora was smiling at her. Confidently. She didn't look like she was about to sacrifice herself, but…

"Alright," Seacat spat and slowed down.

"Thanks!" Adora jumped off as soon as they weren't travelling at a breakneck speed any more.

And Seacat kept braking until the skiff came to a stop. Then she jumped off and ran back.

Her friend was already climbing the cliff rising above the road. What would she… "Oh, no!" Seacat blurted out.

Adora looked down. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping you." And keeping you honest.

"You can't help here. Get back!"

Seacat looked at the cliff, then at Adora. She was the better climber. But she wasn't as strong as Adora. On the other hand, Adora was an idiot. "Shut up!" she yelled, dashing towards the cliff.

"What are you doing? Get back!"

"No," Seacat spat, quickly catching up to the idiot. "I know what you're planning!"

"Then you know you can't help!"

"I can help by saving you from your own stupidity!" She passed Adora on the right side and eyed the protrusion Adora was going for. If her friend the idiot wanted to cut that off, she'd have to… there!

"Get away!"

"No!"

Adora glared at her, but Seacat wasn't budging. Huffing, Adora cleared the protrusion and started to swing her sword, slashing and stabbing at the rock next to her.

After a few blows and swings, the sword got stuck - and Adora grabbed it. Then she suddenly glowed and groaned.

The next moment, the cliffside exploded. Seacat managed to lunge and grab Adora's belt before a cloud of dust engulfed them as an avalanche of rocks and rubble buried the road below. She held her breath and clung to the cliff, digging her claws into the rock, a moment before Adora lost her hold on the crumbling cliffside.

If the whole face crumbled… but it didn't. One of her feet lost purchase, but Seacat kept her grip with her hand and the remaining foot, and not even Adora dangling from her hand was enough to make her lose her grip.

It was a close call, though - Seacat's arms and shoulders hurt. "You need to eat less!" she spat as she did all she could to keep her friend from falling into the cloud below.

"Hey!"

But they were alive. The idiot was alive.

At least until they got down and Seacat could talk to her about how incredibly stupid she had been. With her claws!

As soon as they'd reached the road again - Adora slid the cliffside down more than she climbed, which was the only reason she was first - Seacat rounded on her. "You stupid idiot! What were you thinking? If I hadn't been there, you'd have fallen down! Can you survive a rock avalanche, huh?" She grabbed Adora's shoulder and shook her. Well, she tried - as She-Ra, her friend was too tall and too heavy to be shaken. Which was so unfair.

"Uh… yes? I think so. Most of the rocks were below me…"

Seacat narrowed her eyes and growled. "'Most of the rocks'? There was enough left to bury you! And can you survive without air, huh?"

"Uh… I haven't really tried…"

Oh, no! "If you even think of trying that, I'll kill you myself!" Seacat spat.

"Hey! I had to do something! And it worked out!"

"You almost got killed, you idiot!" Couldn't Adora understand how stupid she had been? "You…" She shook her head.

"Sorry," Adora said in a small voice. Then she gripped Seacat's shoulders. "I just thought…" She trailed off.

Seacat stared at her. For some reason, she remembered the Princess Prom. The dancing. They were almost as close. She would have to move her hands, though. And Adora was taller in this form. And buffers. Her eyes wandered down for a moment, against her will, before she looked at her friend's face again.

Which didn't help.

"So…" she licked her lips, swallowing.

"So…"

"Adora!"

"Seacat!"

She released Adora's shoulders and whirled. The Captain, the shrimp and Brain Boy were running towards them. "What?"

"We noticed you weren't behind us any more and came back to check! What happened?" the shrimp blurted out.

"Oh! You caused a landslide!" Sea Hawk beamed at her. "Ingenious! What a great idea - it could've been one of mine!"

Seacat glared at the captain. That was the completely wrong thing to say! He shouldn't encourage Adora!

Huffing, she walked past him. "Let's go before the Horde scum decides to send infantry climbing over the rubble!"

"But…"

"Let's go!" she spat.

They boarded their skiffs again and continued to drive down the pass - though not at a breakneck pace any more. Which cut down on the complaints and shrieks as well. In fact, neither Seacat nor Adora had said anything since they had started following Sea Hawk again.

Well, Seacat had to focus on piloting the skiff. Idle chit-chat - or a deserved chewing out, in this case - would only distract her.

Yes.

*****​

"Leaving behind perfectly good skiffs…" The shrimp sighed, looking at the two skiffs in the clearing.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "They're not perfectly good. They've got no fuel left."

"Actually, the fuel cells are good - the engine's damaged from overheating," Adora told her.

Seacat sent her a glare. "It doesn't matter what broke them - the point is, they're broken and won't work anymore."

"I'm just saying that with a little more care…"

Seacat cut her off. "When you're chased by the Horde isn't the time to be careful with your stolen skiff. It's time to push it as far as it can go!"

"Which," Brain Boy said, "seems to be this clearing and no further."

She narrowed her eyes at him. The man sounded a little too bland. "Yes, this clearing - so far away from the pass that the Horde will have to spread out over a huge plot of land to find us."

"Indeed! And now we can evade their search parties on foot by sticking to trails and paths where no skiff can pass - all according to plan!" Sea Hawk said, nodding.

"Exactly." Seacat smiled at the captain. He knew the score.

Then she noticed the others exchanging rather doubtful glances.

"I vote that next time we steal skiffs, they don't get to drive them," Brain Boy said.

"Seconded!" Adora said.

"We're not voting on things!" Seacat told them. "What do you think we are, a pirate crew?"

"What?" Adora stared at her.

"Pirate crews vote on their officers and captains," Seacat explained. And that wasn't how you ran things. The captain was the captain. You didn't command a ship by asking the crew.

"That's…" the shrimp shook her head.

"But we're not voting on officers," Adora pointed out.

"Same thing," Seacat said,

"I don't think so," Brain Boy retorted. She glared at him, but he didn't lose his stupid smile.

"Anyway, let's set the skiffs on fire and set off!" Sea Hawk announced.

"No! The smoke will tell the Horde where we went!" Adora snapped.

"Ah, but they would know that we know, and expect it to be a diversion!" the captain retorted.

Seacat winced. "The Horde officers are generally not smart enough to fall into that trap." Catra was well-aware of that. "And they have enough troops to still send a group to check." It was the perfect punishment detail, too - something Catra also familiar with.

"Ah…" Sea Hawk slowly nodded. Then he coughed. "I'll be right back, then!"

He ran towards the skiffs, pulling out a flask of water.

Seacat sighed and didn't look at the others.

*****​

After hours of walking, they finally set up camp in another clearing with a small pond. Seacat groaned and sat down, rubbing her legs. Sailors weren't meant to hike.

"Are you alright?"

She glared up at Adora, who was standing next to her, smiling weakly at her. "I'm fine."

"I mean… you were kidnapped, and you had to fight, and you starved yourself to get away, and Shadow Weaver... " Adora bit her lip as she trailed off.

Seacat scoffed. "I'm fine. Just a little tired. Like all of us."

"Right." Adora nodded.

She didn't look tired at all, Seacat noted. So unfair. "I'm fine," she repeated herself.

"Of course."

"Alright, let's get a fire going - a smokeless fire," Brain Boy said. "I've seen suitable wood nearby."

"And we can hunt!" Sea Hawk said. "Or fish in the pond."

"Fishing!" Seacat snapped. After eating Horde rations for so long, she needed fresh fish!

"Are there fishes in this pond? Big enough so we can actually eat them?" The shrimp looked doubtful

Seacat scoffed. "If there are only small ones we can make soup. Wait… we don't have a pot." Damn.

"I can rig something up," Brain Boy said. It figured that the bowman would be a woodsman as well.

Not that Seacat was complaining - having someone who knew how to survive in the forest was a good thing, in her book. At least if you were unlucky enough to end up in a forest. Which a sailor shouldn't have happen to her often, if at all. Stupid Horde.

She leaned against the trunk of the tree behind her and closed her eyes. A little rest would do her good. And the Alliance territory couldn't be too far now.

Taking a deep breath, she listened to the others work.

"You carry bait with you?"

"Always, my friend! You never know when you might end up stranded on an island and fishing is the only way to feed yourself!"

"Oh."

"And you can eat the bait in a pinch."

"Ew!"

"Would you rather starve, Glimmer?"

"Yes!"

Laughter followed. Seacat grinned.

"Is this the right wood?"

"Adora! Did you rip out the entire tree?"

"Uh…."

Seacat chuckled as the voices faded.

*****​

"Seacat?"

She opened her eyes. "What?" Then she gasped. "I fell asleep!"

"Uh… yes."

Adora was standing in front of her, bent over, smiling down at her. And behind her, Seacat could see two tents and a fire.

"You let me sleep while you set up camp?" Seacat clenched her teeth. Why would they do this?

"You looked exhausted."

"I was just napping," she snapped. Everyone else had been working? She was about to complain when she smelled fish. Roasted fish.

"Fake trout, according to Sea Hawk." Adora was smiling at her as if this was amusing.

Seacat growled and got up, fast enough to startle Adora and sent her stumbling back to avoid knocking their heads together.

"Hey!"

"What?" Seacat cocked her head and smirked. It was a small, petty victory, but she'd take what she could get. "Getting a little tired yourself?"

Adora huffed.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't let me nap while you worked," Seacat told her with a sniff. The fish smelled really good.

Adora frowned in return and looked at her weirdly for a moment, before grinning. "You looked too cute to wake up."

What? Seacat stared at her friend. That wasn't how things were supposed to go. No comment about how the poor prisoner needed her rest? Or how she couldn't be expected to work after her ordeal? Or how she was too weak to help? She was at a loss for words.

So was Adora, apparently. The woman cleared her throat. "Uh…" She trailed off again, blushing slightly.

Seacat felt herself blush as well. "So…"

"Come on! Dinner's ready!" Sea Hawk yelled.

Seacat turned and stalked towards her captain. She could think of a comeback when she had her fill.

The others were already sitting around the campfire - which was mostly smokeless, as Brain Boy had promised. And there was a… "How is that bag not burning? Or melting?" Seacat pointed at the bag hanging over the flames from a piece of wood.

"The liquid inside is the key," Brain Boy, looking far too smug, replied.

"Does that mean that you don't know the actual answer, either?" she shot back.

"What?"

The shrimp started giggling.

"Glimmer!" Brain Boy shook his head. "It's a simple trick."

Seacat snorted, grabbed a spit with a fish on it from the fire and sat down on a free rock. She took a deep breath to savour the smell, and, with her mouth watering, bit into it. It tasted as good as it smelled, and she moaned a little as she chewed and swallowed. "This is great!"

"Thank you," the captain said with a smile.

"I didn't know this fish lived in a pond," Seacat added.

"They don't - but we found a stream a little further ahead."

"Oh." She smiled before taking another big bite. That meant fresh water, instead of pond water. And a possibility to wash without ending up with algae and pond scum on your fur.

Fresh fish, fresh water, and a comfy… She looked at the tent behind her. No mattress, but someone had gathered a lot of moss. It wasn't a hammock, but it would do.

Things were looking up.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 17: The Queen

"...and then, the princesses, realising that Hordak wouldn't surrender and that the Horde was too strong to be defeated by any one of them, banded together to once and for all wipe out the threat to their unjust rule. Half a dozen of the closest kingdoms allied under one banner - the banner of the Rebellion."

Catra rolled her eyes. They had heard this before. Many times. She elbowed Adora. "Hey, Adora," she whispered, "do you think they'd notice if we sneaked out?"

Her friend gasped. "Catra! This is a mandatory training lesson!"

She snorted in return. Adora always took things so seriously. She knew the lesson by heart already - had learned it after the first lesson, Catra knew - and yet paid attention as if it was the first time and there would be a test.

Not that Adora would fail the test, anyway. Catra snorted.

"..so the war started in… Catra? Do you think this is somehow amusing?"

Uh-oh. The instructor was glaring at her. Well, that was nothing new - all of them hated her anyway. Shadow Weaver probably told them to. Although… well, if she already had caught the instructor's attention, might as well go for broke. "I have a question, actually."

"Catra! No!" Adora whispered.

She smiled and ignored her friend.

"Really?"

"Yes, sir! I was wondering why the Alliance was called 'Rebellion'. They're the attackers, aren't they? We never controlled their territory before the war, did we?"

To her surprise, the instructor laughed. "Actually, no one knows why they're calling themselves that." He shrugged. "I think they don't know either."

Adora raised her arm.

"Yes, cadet?" Of course the man would smile at Adora.

Catra's friend stood and assumed the parade rest position. "Could it be propaganda? To make it appear as if the Horde's the aggressor in this conflict?"

"That's a good hypothesis. The Alliance certainly lies to their people, keeping the true state of the war from them and using only loyal troops and their evil princesses in battle."

"Unlike us, where everyone fights!" Adora parrotted the usual propaganda.

"Exactly! Very good, cadet!"

"Thank you, sir."

Catra rolled her eyes. "Suck-up," she whispered as Adora sat down.

"Catra!" Adora whispered back. "Be glad I distracted him!"

She scoffed in return. She didn't need a distraction. And it was useless, anyway - she'd get punished anyway.

"...the first battles at the then-borders of the Fright Zone soon showed that…"

*****​

Seacat woke up warm and comfy. Much warmer and comfier, actually, than she had expected - the moss mattresses weren't as soft as Brain Boy had claimed, and the tents barely more than pieces of sail cloth draped over sticks.

But she was warm, and her head was resting on soft pillows that... Wait. She hadn't had pillows when she'd gone to bed. And her mattress seemed to move… She blinked. Oh.

She was lying on top of Adora. And her head had been resting on… Oh. Seacat must have moved in her sleep, and climbed on top of her friend as if they were still Horde Cadets sleeping in the barracks. No wonder she'd had such a weird dream. Or was the dream the reason for her sleep-moving?

She took a deep breath. Did it matter? Probably not. But she really should remove herself from Adora's bed. The shrimp - she glanced at the third bed in the tent - was still asleep, as was Adora, so this would be best to avoid awkward explanations. That morning in the Kingdom of Snows after the Princess Prom had been bad enough.

Taking another breath, she carefully raised her head and started to crawl back - only to feel a strong arm wrap around her back and pin her in place. What the…?

"Hmm," Adora moaned. In her sleep. Before she wrapped her other arm around Seacat.

Well, she hadn't changed into She-Ra, so it wasn't as if Seacat was really trapped. She just needed to carefully wriggle out of Adora's grasp. No sweat.

But the moment she tried to get some leverage, Adora clamped down as if she were a barnacle on a wooden post. And moaned again. Twice. First in apparent protest, then in that satisfied manner of hers she usually did when she got the good rations.

Damn. It didn't look like Seacat would escape without being noticed. Plan b, then. "Hey, Adora," she whispered.

"Mhhh."

"Hey, Adora! Wake up, Dummy!"

"Hrngh."

Seacat rolled her eyes. Really. Well, she had other means at her disposal. She might not be able to move her arms without getting crushed against Adora's chest, but her tail was free - and Adora's face was close.

A little wriggling and she was rubbing the tip of her tail right against Adora's nose. Now she just had to keep this up until…

Adora sniffed. And sniffed again. Yes! A little more, and…

Her friend sneezed. Right into Seacat's face.

"Ack! Gross!" Seacat tried to scramble back, shaking her head while her hands sought purchase to push against Adora's arms. One of her palms ended up in Adora's face.

"Huh? What?"

Seacat pushed Adora's face to the side. "Release me!"

"What? Oh… what are you doing?" Adora grabbed her hand, which allowed Seacat to slip out of her embrace.

"What am I doing? You grabbed me! And when I tried to get away, you sneezed in my face!" She furiously rubbed her fur. Gross!

"What were you doing in my bed?"

"What? You grabbed me!" She needed a wet cloth and soap or something.

"I grabbed you and dragged you into my bed?" Adora got up on her elbows.

"I woke up like this!" Seacat retorted. This was all Adora's fault.

"I don't remember grabbing you!" Adora blinked. "Wait - you used to sneak into my bed!"

"What? There was no sneaking involved! I didn't go to bed in my bunk and woke up in yours!" Seacat wouldn't let Adora blame her.

"Can you shut up? People are trying to sleep here!"

Oh. The shrimp had woken up.

"Sorry, Glimmer," Adora said.

"It was her fault," Seacat added.

"Was not!" Adora protested.

"Well, if I grabbed you, you would have woken up, wouldn't you?" Seacat pointed out.

"I'm a deep sleeper!"

"So am I."

"See? You were probably sleep-grabbing!" Adora huffed.

"Ngh! If I could teleport, I'd drop you both in the pond right now! Shut up and let me sleep!" The shrimp yelled at them. The princess had a good set of lungs, at least - she would make a good bosun.

"Glimmer? Adora? Seacat? Are you awake? I'll prepare breakfast!"

Brain Boy. Seacat sighed. So much for sleeping a little longer. She glared at Adora. "That's your fault."

"What? No, it isn't!"

"Both of you are at fault!"

"No!"

*****​

"Let's take a break here," Brain Boy told them.

Seacat groaned and sat down where she stood. Sailors weren't meant to walk. "Stupid Horde and their stupid cheap and flimsy skiffs," she mumbled.

"They're actually quite durable - if you don't push them over their limits."

She raised her head, glaring at Adora. "People who use magic to cheat don't get to talk. Besides, we had to push the skiffs to escape the Horde."

"Exactly!" Sea Hawk nodded from where he was sitting on a rock. "It was a necessary sacrifice. I know everything about necessary sacrifices, trust me - they're an integral part of any harrowing adventure!"

"I'm not cheating!" Adora claimed. "Besides, you never had trouble on marches as a cadet."

"We didn't march halfway to the end of the world as cadets," Seacat retorted.

"And you haven't kept up marching since you became a sailor," the Captain added.

"How much longer?" the shrimp asked - she was on the ground, spread-eagled, staring at the blue sky above them. She probably never walked in her kingdom but always teleported.

"We're about a day from Bright Moon's borders," Brain Boy told them. "So… unless we march through the night…"

"We won't!" the shrimp snapped. "I'm not going to stumble blindly through the forest at night."

"And light would give us away," Sea Hawk pointed out.

"Seacat can guide us - she can see perfectly well in the dark," Adora said.

That was true. On the other hand, Seacat wasn't looking forward to marching for another day without rest. She would probably fall asleep walking and end up leading the others in circles, or something.

Or, worse, Adora would carry her. So how to avoid that without looking weak? Ah!

Seacat pushed herself up. "Well, we can do it - and then we all collapse upon arriving. Fine by me - I'm not the one having to report to the Queen."

"Ugh…" The shrimp groaned. "No, let's spend another night in the forest, then arrive at Bright Moon fresh and awake!"

That sounded a little too easy to Seacat. She looked at Adora and frowned, signalling a question.

"Queen Angella doesn't know about our mission," Adora replied in a voice so low, only Seacat could hear her. "There was no time to contact her, and…"

"Ah." Seacat started to grin, then frowned. It wasn't her fault, was it? Or, rather, they wouldn't blame her for this? Seacat had let herself be captured by second-rate bounty hunters, after all.

Damn.

She groaned. This wouldn't be a fun visit. And Bright Moon was landlocked. If you didn't count the river. But no sailor worth their salt would count rivers, of course. In any case, there wouldn't be decent harbour taverns to hi... visit.

She blinked. The last time she had visited a tavern, she had been kidnapped. On the other hand, she hadn't been to Bright Moon before, so no one would be able to know her favourite taverns, anyway. Although… "Does Bright Moon have decent taverns?" she asked.

Why was everyone but the Captain looking at her as if she had gone insane? It was a perfectly logical question. After all of this, she really needed a drink or three!

*****​

"So… You remember your former life."

Seacat didn't wince when she heard the Captain speak up. But she kept staring into the smokeless fire. Well, almost smokeless - she could still smell the smoke, and had to move around twice so far on her watch to avoid it when the wind turned. "You should rest. Your watch is coming up soon."

"I can sleep in Bright Moon," he replied, sitting down next to her.

"If Mermista isn't there to have words with you." It was a cheap shot - without the Captain and the others, Seacat might not have escaped the Fright Zone. Might - she'd already been on her way out, after all, when she heard about their intrusion.

He laughed. "Oh, that's just because she cares."

Seacat made an agreeing noise and kept staring into the flames.

And he waited in silence. Damn.

After a while, she sighed. "Yes, I remember my whole life."

"Mhhh."

"And it sucks!" she hissed.

"Really?"

"Yes! I was a stupid Horde cadet! Happy to serve! I'm Horde scum!" she spat, looking up for the first time.

He smiled at her. "You certainly are no Horde scum - I would say everyone agrees about that."

She scoffed in return. "I'm a fake. I wasn't a victim - I was a murderer. I was glad to be sent to the frontlines!" She bared her teeth at him. "I wanted to attack the village!"

"You were a kid," he replied. "Doing what you were told to."

"I knew the Horde wasn't… was evil. But I didn't even think of defecting." She clenched her teeth. Afterwards, everyone had fawned over her, thinking she had lost her family in the attack. If they had known she was a Horde soldier…

"Neither did Adora for four more years."

She scoffed. "Adora's great, the best friend you could want, but she's not the brightest lantern on a ship. She trusted Shadow Weaver. I should've known better."

"Really? You knew how things were in the Alliance?"

"No, but…" She scoffed again. "I should've known that the Horde was lying about that as well. And it's all my fault! Shadow Weaver wanted me dead - and she sacrificed an entire village for it!"

"That's her fault, not yours," he corrected her. "And I think she had other motives as well - the second in command of the Horde doesn't strike as someone who has simple plans."

She snorted. "She's twisted, yes." She knew that better than anyone else. "But I knew that as well!"

"But you never actually did anything wrong, did you?"

She opened her mouth to contradict him, then closed it again and glared at him. "I didn't have the opportunity! I would have!"

"But you didn't. And now you wouldn't, would you?" He smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. In a lower voice, he added: "No one's going to blame you. We understand. Trust me."

She drew a shuddering breath, then hugged him. Hard.

And cried.

*****​

Brain Boy had lied - it took more than half a day to reach Bright Moon. It was mid-afternoon - according to the sun - when they finally reached the kingdom. By literally stumbling out of the woods and onto a field from which the spires and palace on top of the cliff were visible.

And, as Seacat had expected, a dinky riverport. Well, it was a clean and shiny riverport, but rather tiny. But it was not on top of a cliff, but very close by to their position - which meant there were no endless stairs to climb to reach it. And there wouldn't be a Queen waiting in the port. "Alright!" she said, trying not to sound as exhausted as she felt, "I'll find a tavern in the port while you go and explain things to the Queen."

"What? No!" Adora protested. "You'll be lodging in the palace with m... us!"

"I don't want to be a bother." Nor did Seacat want to explain to the Queen how she had been captured.

"You can't stay in a tavern while we sleep in the palace!" Adora insisted.

"Of course I can! People do it all the time!"

"That's not what I mean! You know what I mean!"

"All I know is that I want the closest bed so I can rest after my ordeal!" Seacat shot back.

Adora stared at her. Then she set her jaw. And grinned.

"What?" Seacat asked. "You…"

"For the Honour of Grayskull!"

Seacat gasped. "Oh, no, you're not going to…"

But Adora scooped her up before Seacat could say anything else. "I'll carry you to the palace!"

"Let me down! I'm not entering Bright Moon like this!"

"Seems to me that you are!"

"I'll claw you!"

"Just relax, Ca-Seacat!"

"I'm not kidding!"

*****​

"You clawed me!"

"I told you I would!" Seacat scoffed. Adora was being a baby - she had barely scratched her. And she had warned her! Twice!

"I was just trying to help!"

"You were embarrassing me!" As if Seacat would allow herself to be carried into Bright Moon as if she were helpless. Or a baby.

Adora huffed. "See if I care next time!"

"I will!" She turned away.

Sea Hawk cleared his throat. "Now that we've arrived, shall we go meet the Queen?"

Ugh. Seacat clenched her teeth, then forced herself to smile as she turned back to face the others. "Of course, Captain."

At least the shrimp seemed to be as looking forward to the meeting as Seacat herself. Shared misery was halved misery or something.

Unless the Queen would blame Seacat for this.

Great.

At least the street leading to Bright Moon was broad and sloped up the hill; it would take them a while. A stay of execution, so to speak.

And the city was looking nice. Far too clean to be taken seriously, and full of landlubbers, but nice. "This city needs a proper harbour," Seacat said as they passed a bakery.

"We've got a harbour," the shrimp replied.

"No, you've got a pier trying to pass as a port. That's no harbour."

"Well, Bright Moon isn't on the coast," Brain Boy cut in.

"Exactly!" Seacat nodded. "A major fault."

"It's a very nice city. And they have horses!" Adora apparently had finally gotten over her scratch. She could heal herself, anyway, by transforming.

Horses. "Pf!" Seacat shook her head. Four-legged farm animals. Who needed them? A skiff was better, faster, didn't tire, could transport more, and didn't need feed and other care, and it could…

"Adora!"

She blinked. "Since when can horses fly? And talk?"

"Swift Wind!" Adora waved at the beast.

Seacat took a step back when the great beast landed - and she still had to dodge the wings before they folded. "Hey!"

"You went on an adventure without me!" the horse complained.

"I'm sorry - there was no time to call you!"

Seacat turned to Sea Hawk and pointed at the beast. "What is that?"

"Swift Wind, stalwart mount and comrade of She-Ra!" the Captain told her.

"And what is it? Horses don't have wings. And they don't talk."

"Ah… I don't exactly know, actually." Sea Hawk rubbed his chin. "I assume he's like the sword, part of She-Ra's magic."

"Actually, when Adora was experimenting with the sword, she accidentally turned a horse into Swift Wind," Brain Boy explained.

And Seacat had let her friend heal her with her sword? She stared at the… at Swift Wind.

"And this is Ca-Seacat!" Adora said, pointing at her. "Seacat. This is Swift Wind."

"So, you're Adora's old friend with the brain damage."

What? "My brain's fine!" Seacat spat.

"Seacat remembers everything now!" Adora said with a beaming smile.

"Ah." Swift Wind sniffed.

Seacat narrowed her eyes. What was this… mount thinking? She took a step closer to Adora. The horse sneered at her - behind Adora's back. Hmph.

Then it turned to Adora: "So, come on, I'll fly you up!"

"Oh, but…" Adora glanced at Seacat.

She forced herself to smile. "Go on!" she told her friend. Go on your dumb horse and fly!

She wasn't jealous. Not of Adora getting to fly, and certainly not of a stupid animal.

*****​

"So, this is Bright Moon's palace!"

"Ah." Seacat didn't really pay attention to the shrimp as she looked around. Tall rooms - very tall. Wide hallways. Everything was clean and bright. "Looks a little bigger than Mermista's, but not as big as the Snow Kingdom's palace."

"It's older than both," the princess told her with a frown.

"It's not a competition," Brain Boy added.

"Of course not." Seacat smirked.

"Princess Glimmer? The Queen's expecting you in the throne room." A guard - or a guard captain; Seacat didn't know the rank markings - told them. The shrimp winced, and Seacat was about to wish the shrimp luck when the guard continued: "With all your companions."

Which, fortunately, didn't include the flying horse, as Seacat found out. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Hey, Adora."

"Yes?"

"You've met the Queen before, right?"

"Yes."

"How is she?"

"Oh, she's nice!"

That would've been reassuring - if the shrimp didn't look like a prisoner headed to the gallows. After all, Adora wasn't exactly the best judge of character.

Before Seacat could ask for details, they reached a huge door - almost a gate, which was already opening for them.

And there was the throne room of Bright Moon. And the Queen.

She was tall, even seated on the throne that was obvious. Seacat couldn't help but wonder how the king had looked, seeing that the princess had a rather stocky build. She knew who'd she trust not to lose their balance and get blown overboard in a storm.

Then again, she doubted that the Queen would ever be on a ship in a storm. She looked rather… well, 'airy' or whatever. That the throne was floating in the air, with hovering steps leading up to it, reinforced the impression. As did the fact that the throne room was open to the air behind her. Must be using magic to keep the rain out, Seacat thought as they approached.

The shrimp knelt down. Seacat quickly followed her and the others' example. She was very much aware that she was still in the now rather worn clothes she had been wearing at the time of her kidnapping. Not the best way to make a good impression. On the other hand, her torn top might garner some sympathy for an escaped prisoner. If the Queen felt like giving any.

"My Queen. We've returned successfully from our mission."

Did they really speak so formally to each oth…?

"That would be the mission you undertook without my leave, right? Glimmer?" The Queen wasn't amused. At all. She made Shadow Weaver sound downright friendly.

"Your majesty, there was no time to send for your leave," Adora, always ready to protect others, spoke up, her hand on her chest. "We had to act quickly to pursue the kidnappers before they could escape."

The Queen wasn't impressed, though. "Yet, that's exactly what they did - they did escape, didn't they?"

"Yes, but we were close - and we managed to rescue Seacat from the Fright Zone," the princess added, smiling.

"So I see."

Seacat didn't flinch when the Queen stared at her. She even managed to smile. "That's me."

"I know."

This time, Seacat winced.

"So, what happened? Adora?"

Seacat saw the shrimp close her mouth and frown as Adora stood at parade rest and spoke up: "We heard about the kidnapping in Seaworthy about two hours after it had happened. Despite immediate action being taken, the culprits had already left the town on a skiff. Charting their probable course, we set out in pursuit while sending forces down alternative routes. We were correct in our assumptions, but since we had to track the kidnappers and they had a lead on us, we didn't manage to catch up to them in before they reached the Fright Zone, at which point we switched from pursuit to infiltration, using my knowledge of the location to sneak undetected into the Fright Zone. When we were detected inside the Zone, we set fire to several factories as a distraction and breached the prison. We subdued the guards and were about to interrogate them to find out where Seacat was kept prisoner when Seacat arrived on the scene, having escaped a secret prison. We regrouped and moved to the main river port of the Fright Zone. We took the port and a gunboat and escaped downriver, where we destroyed the gunboat, stole two skiffs and escaped into the Eastern Plains, then to the mountains, where we broke through a Horde fortification on a small pass before using a rockslide to hinder pursuit. The skiffs broke down afterwards, so we had to walk through the woods to Bright Moon."

"See, Mom? Everything went as planned." The shrimp beamed at the Queen.

But the Queen wasn't amused. "Princess Glimmer. I know a redacted report when I hear one - I've heard enough from you." That caused the princess to flinch. And Adora as well. "Now, tell me again what happened - and don't skip the details this time."

Seacat saw Adora swallow. That was a bad sign. She cleared her throat. "I was ambushed and poisoned by four bounty hunters in a tavern," she said. "I tried to get away, but they followed me, and we fought in the kitchen. I got two of them, but the poison took me out before I could finish the other two."

The Queen looked at her. "I meant She-Ra's report. I already heard about your kidnapping from trusted sources."

"Ah, sorry…" Seacat forced herself to smile.

The Queen seemed to return the smile for a moment before turning back to Adora. "She-Ra?"

"Uh.." Adora took a deep breath and started again. "As soon as we heard about a commotion in Seacat's favourite tavern, we moved there, but when we arrived, it was already over, and the witnesses told us that she had been kidnapped. There were two bodies in the kitchen, which were identified by others as bounty hunters, so we deduced that…"

*****​

"...and then we arrived in Bright Moon." Adora hadn't relaxed during her report - the perfect soldier.

"Thank you, Adora." The Queen, though, had leaned to the side and propped herself up with one elbow on her throne's armrest during Adora's very detailed report. The idiot hadn't even left out getting scratched by Seacat!

Not that Seacat had dared to protest - the Queen's smile had slipped quickly into Adora's recount. Obviously, Bright Moon's Queen wasn't as fond of 'harrowing adventures' as her daughter. Especially if it involved her daughter.

"To sum it up: You went on this mission without permission, support or proper preparation. You achieved your objective only because Seacat here realised you had infiltrated the Fright Zone and decided to look for you instead of fleeing to safety on her own."

Seacat bit her lower lip. That sounded… well, it wasn't exactly wrong, but it wasn't exactly fair to the others, either.

"But Mom!"

"Glimmer! This is your Queen speaking to her commander!"

"But… Fine! We did have a plan, and we adapted it to changing circumstances! We weren't stupid!"

"I didn't say you were stupid - I said you were lucky. If Seacat hadn't found you, you would've been caught looking for her. Caught, possibly killed, because you rushed into a mission without thinking. A mission that had turned out to not have been needed in the first place, as your report shows!"

Alright. That was going too far - this had been the Captain and Adora's mission, after all. Seacat couldn't let them suffer the Queen's wrath. Certainly not for saving her. She cleared her throat. "But that's not true, err, your Majesty..."

"Yes?"

That wasn't a friendly look. Not at all. Mermista's frown had nothing on the Queen's. Seacat swallowed and took a deep breath. "They acted according to the best information they had, and I might not have escaped on my own, since I was wounded in my battle with the bug princess."

The Queen's eyebrows rose a little. "Your wound didn't seem to have slowed you down much in the subsequent fighting, did it?"

"I would've done much better if I hadn't been wounded." Seacat blinked and clenched her teeth. That was, well, true, but not helping. "And I might've succumbed to my wounds on the way out of the Fright Zone," she quickly added, forcing herself to keep smiling. Might've - she was tough. She had escaped on her own, after all.

"Ah." The Queen slowly nodded. "That doesn't change the fact that the rescue mission was rushed and done without either support or planning."

"Your Majesty!" the Captain - finally - spoke up. "In war, there are times for planning and preparing - and there are times when time is of the essence, and one can but rush ahead and trust one's wits and blade since any delay will mean doom!" He raised his chin and pointed at the sky behind the Queen. "This was the latter - there was no time to plan; the enemy escaped, this is true, but only by chance. With a little luck, we would've caught them before they reached the shelter of their cowardly employers. And when we reached the enemy borders, we had to press on since any time lost waiting for reinforcements would've put the life of my brave first mate at risk and would have given the enemy commander more time to prepare a trap. It was only by rushing in, far swifter and more daring than the despicable creature calling herself Shadow Weaver would've thought possible, that we were able to foil her dastardly plans!"

He pushed his chest out.

"And foil them we did! We set their factories on fire! We wrecked their main river port, we sunk their barges and gunboats, destroyed their gun emplacements and fortifications, and lured them into a futile chase, exhausting both soldiers and materiel! This was a great victory for the Alliance! And a great adventure!" he yelled.

The Queen winced - and she wasn't the only one who winced, Seacat noticed. She shook her head. Really - it was as if the others had never heard someone speak passionately. They would be useless in a storm, their voices lost in the wind. She nodded emphatically. "Yes, your Majesty. We hurt the Horde - and we recovered valuable information as well. I remember how Shadow Weaver sacrificed an entire company to kill me and sabotage a rival."

The Queen was still frowning. What did it take to make her see reason? Should they blame everything on the shrimp? She wouldn't really punish her daughter, would she?

"I see. You make some good points." The Queen slowly nodded with obvious reluctance. "But you did take considerable risks. Risks I cautioned you against. And while I cannot fault you for rushing to rescue your friend, I can and must fault the commander of my forces for rushing in as if she had no other, important and crucial duties to the Alliance."

Oh. So, no need to blame everything on the shrimp. The Queen was already singling out the princess. Seacat blinked. Well, that was an acceptable loss. Whatever light punishment princesses suffered would probably build character, anyway.

"But Mom!"

"I'm talking as your Queen, not as your mother, Glimmer!"

"No, you're not!"

And it seemed that the shrimp really needed that character building, too.

*****​

"So… is that normal?" Seacat asked as soon as they, except for the shrimp and Brain Boy, had left the throne room.

"What?" Adora frowned at her.

Instead of answering, Seacat nodded towards the closed doors behind them.

"Oh. No, not really. I mean… it's rare. Pretty rare. Queen Angella is a nice leader, and she means well, and Glimmer does her best, but…"

"The Queen's a little overprotective," the Captain cut in. "And Princess Glimmer is passionate for adventure!"

Seacat glanced around, but the guards standing at the gate hadn't reacted to Sea Hawk's outburst. Either the Captain had been here before, or people yelling in the palace was normal.

She would've known if the Captain had been a frequent visitor to Bright Moon. So, this was normal - well, if she cocked her head and moved her ears just right, she could faintly hear fragments of a row from the throne room.

That sounded familiar. Smiling, she folded her hands behind the back of her head. "So… tavern now? I really need a drink." And a rest.

"'Tavern'? Don't be stupid!" Adora blurted out. "You're staying at the palace, of course!"

"What?" Seacat narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Do you think I'll get kidnapped again?"

"What? No, the palace is great! You need to see my room!" Adora beamed at her before frowning. "And it's also safer than a tavern."

Aha! Seacat scoffed. "I've been in palaces before." Hell, Mermista's palace almost felt like home - not that anything other than a ship could ever feel like home!

"But not in this one! Come!"

Before Seacat could respond, Adora grabbed her hand and started dragging her away. It was a good thing her shoulder had been healed, or this would have hurt. And short of scratching Adora's hand again, there was no escaping this grip.

She looked over her shoulder at the Captain, but Sea Hawk was smiling while following them at a slower pace.

Fortunately, they didn't have to go far, so Seacat's arm was still attached to her shoulder when Adora stopped in front of a large door - without guards, Seacat noted. "This is my room!"

And the room was huge! Almost as big - no, not close to the throne room. But it had huge open windows - didn't Bright Moon ever get any storms? - and a bed bigger than Mermista's. Hell, the entire room was about as big as Mermista's bedroom! And… "You've got a waterfall in your room?"

"Yes?"

"What for?"

"Uh… I don't exactly know? It's not for bathing; that's this room."

Ah. Well, it wasn't as if Seacat couldn't understand the desire to have a waterfall in your room if you were stuck on land. At least the sound of the water would help you relax as you fell asleep - it wasn't as if in Bright Moon, you'd ever be tired enough from a day's work on a ship. At least not in the palace. They probably used magic to serve the food, too.

"That's a very nice room. Almost too big for one person."

"I know, right?" Adora beamed at Sea Hawk. "I couldn't believe it when they gave it to me!"

Seacat narrowed her eyes at the Captain behind her friend's back. He wasn't half as subtle as he thought he was. "And where will we be staying?" she asked.

"Uh…" Adora blinked. Then she smiled at Seacat, though it looked a little forced. "Well… you could stay here. I can get another bed - I know where to get one since I had to replace mine; it was so soft, I almost drowned in it!"

That sounded ridiculous. The drowning, at least.

"I mean… we have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Adora started fidgeting. She was twiddling her thumbs and avoided looking at Seacat. "It's, well… on the way here, we didn't really have any opportunity to talk about, you know…"

"My past."

"Yes, exactly!" Adora nodded so rapidly, her ponytail whipped around her face. Unfortunately, her stupid poof didn't even budge. "And, well… It's more private here. Except for Glimmer and Bow, no one comes here, and Glimmer won't be allowed to leave her room for tonight, maybe longer, which means Bow will be with her, and…"

"Wait - the princess's being sent to her room as punishment?" Seacat had heard of such customs from Mermista, but to hear that this actually happened, and to a princess?

"Err… probably?"

"You mean this isn't the first time this happened," Seacat said with a frown.

"Glimmer's very brave," Adora replied.

"And her thirst for adventure cannot be quenched without adventure!" Sea Hawk added, raising his hand to point at the ceiling. "Speaking of, I shall take my leave to secure transportation back to Seaworthy for us. I'll be back later! You stay and rest, First Mate! Captain's orders!"

And he was gone - through the door, not the window, at least. Then again, they were a little too high up above the cliff for the Captain's favourite exit. Well, his orders were clear.

"So… you're going to leave again?"

Adora looked as if someone had told her that her favourite rations were banned. "I'm a sailor - I need to get back to the sea," Seacat told her. "We need to get our new ship and take it on a shakedown cruise." And, unlike other times, this would likely be quite the adventure, what with the new ship using an engine built by the Purple Princess.

"But so soon?" Adora looked crestfallen. "You just remembered your - our - past, and now you're leaving again…" She sat down on her bed and looked at the floor.

"Oh for…" Seacat rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed before sitting down on the bed as well - though behind her friend. "I'm not leaving right now, dummy. But we need to keep the pressure on the Horde. And I am a sailor - I need to get back on a ship."

"But…"

"That I remember my past life doesn't change that." She was the best damn first mate on all the Seas, and no one could take that from her!

"I hoped that you'd… you remember what we planned when we were kids?" Adora turned to look at her.

"Yes." Seacat was tempted to add: 'fight for the Horde', but that would've been... She wasn't like that. "But things changed."

"I know, just…" Adora sighed. "It's like losing you again." She gasped. "I don't want to sound as if I meant… it's not your fault. I totally understand that you want to get back on a ship. You don't need to feel guilty for that!"

Adora looked like a kicked puppy. "I'm not feeling guilty," Seacat lied.

"Ah, good. I mean… you went through so much! And I'm being so selfish, wishing that…"

"Wishing what?" Seacat leaned forward.

"Err…" Once more, Seacat's friend looked away. "To stay with me for a while. Catch up, you know? I really missed you," she added in a whisper so low, Seacat almost missed it despite her keen ears.

"I missed you as well," she told Adora.

"You did? But you didn't remember before!"

Seacat rolled her eyes. "I mean, I missed being together like this, you know? Now that I remember."

"Oh." Adora didn't look like she understood what Seacat had said.

That was fine. Seacat wasn't sure that she did, either.

But sitting here, talking… it felt good. Really good. She leaned forward and put her hand on Adora's thigh, squeezing it reassuringly. Just like old times.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 18: The Broken Bot

Seacat squeezed Adora's thigh again. Just like old times. The two of them, in Adora's bed, together, about to take a nap, she'd curl up with her and…

OK, it wasn't like old times. She pulled back and cleared her throat. "So…"

"So?" Adora stared at her.

We need to talk. But Seacat didn't say that. "You heard the Captain. I need to rest."

Adora blinked, then nodded. "Yes. Of course. We did a long march. And dinner's a few hours away. Resting is… good."

Seacat nodded in return.

Neither she nor Adora moved, though. Seacat really should go to her room for a nap in peace. But Adora would, well, she'd look crushed again. Seacat reached out and patted the woman's shoulder. "So… you mentioned a second bed?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Adora jumped up. "I'll be right back!"

And she was out of the door before Seacat could say anything. Snorting, Seacat shook her head and looked around the room. You could fit a courier boat in here with room to spare. And there was ample storage room, too. Certainly far more than Seacat was used to on a ship. Hmmm…

She could go and take a peek at Adora's things. Her friend was bound to have more stuff now than before.

Or she could just lie here a little longer, relax and…

*****​

"Hey! Seacat! Dinner time!"

"What?" She blinked, propping herself up on her elbows and turned her head. Oh, no - she must have fallen asleep. On Adora's bed. And she had drooled on the pillows. Fortunately, actual pillows, this time. But…

"It's dinner time - well, it'll be dinner time in a bit." Adora was standing there, next to the bed, smiling at her. "I thought you wanted to, ah, 'freshen up' a little? Glimmer said that's how you call it when you clean up for an inspection before meals. Only, there's no inspection."

Seacat closed her eyes and sighed. "I know what 'freshen up' means, Adora. I've spent four years outside the Fright Zone, remember?"

"Oh…"

Snorting, Seacat rolled on her back and looked at the ceiling. "I'm not the cadet you knew any more. I'm a sailor, you…" She blinked. It felt a little drafty. Oh. Her battered top had ripped completely during her nap. "Oh, bother. You wouldn't have a spare shirt?" She blinked again.

Adora was blushing furiously. And, apparently, caught between staring at Seacat's chest and looking anywhere but at her chest.

Oh. Seacat started blushing as well. That was… no! This wasn't embarrassing. She was a sailor. You couldn't live on a ship without such things happening. "So, can I borrow a shirt from you?"

"Uh… sure?"

"Thank you." Seacat rolled off the bed and pulled the remains of her shirt off. "I think that is beyond hope - unless you can magically repair it?" She held it out to Adora, who was now looking as if all her blood had ran to her head.

"Ah… I've never… I mean, I never tried… err..."

Seacat started smirking. "Well, see if you can manage it? I'll go take a bath."

She dropped the torn shirt on the floor and walked to the bathroom. A glance over her shoulder at the door told her that Adora hadn't moved a finger since she had left her there. She grinned when she closed the door behind her. This was fun! Just like old times - or not like old times. Adora was more susceptible to teasing about her performance in training, back then. Not about...

And now Seacat was blushing. For some reason.

*****​

The bathroom was great - roomy, warm, with as much hot water as you wanted, and a bathtub large enough to float a dinghy in it. Seacat purred when she dried herself with a towel large enough to double as a spare sail. Did Bright Moon have anything that was normal-sized?

Not that she didn't appreciate it, anyway - her fur certainly needed all the care she could give. "I've used up your shampoo," she yelled as she wrapped herself in a smaller towel and opened the door. "You should get more bottles… Oh. Hi, Brain Boy."

"Hi, Seacat." The guy was standing next to Adora at the small table, looking at something.

"What's up?" she asked, walking over and peering at the table herself. Just some letters. "Did the shrimp send for help? Do we need to break her out of her room?"

"No!" Adora sounded scandalised.

Brain Boy, though, laughed. "Glimmer will be joining us for dinner. With Queen Angella."

She felt her stomach drop. "Oh, how nice." So much for a peaceful dinner.

*****​

"This is very good," Seacat commented. It was true - the steak was perfect; just how she liked it. And the spicy butter on it… Mhhh!

"Yes, indeed!" Sea Hawk agreed. "Our compliments to the cook!"

"I will tell her," Queen Angella said with about as much honest emotion as a frozen ice shark.

No one else said anything. Seacat glanced to Adora as she cut another slice off her steak. Her friend was sitting slightly hunched over and focusing on her food. Brain Boy mirrored her. And the shrimp was silently steaming in her own seat and attacking her steak as if it was an enemy to be dismembered. Or the Queen.

Seacat had to suppress a snort at the thought. The food was the only good thing about this meal. It was also the only thing anyone had talked about so far - and they were on the main course! She looked at her Captain. Usually, he'd entertain the entire table - or tavern - with a tale or three. She didn't know why he wasn't his usual self, but he probably had a good reason for it.

Which meant she'd better keep her head down, too. Damn. No, that couldn't stand. "Do you have news from the war? About the offensive south of Seaworthy?"

"The offensive is progressing according to plan, last I heard," the Queen replied after a moment.

That didn't tell Seacat anything about the war - she didn't know the plans, after all. But she nodded with a smile anyway. "Thank you." Princesses were prickly about respect, and Queens, from what Seacat could tell, doubly so.

"At least something's going according to plan," the shrimp mumbled - rather loudly.

Seacat drew a hissing breath through clenched teeth and resisted the urge to duck.

"It's impressive that the offensive is continuing despite the fact that our commander left her troops to go on an unauthorised rescue mission," the Queen replied with as much warmth as an arctic storm.

"It shows that I made the right decision!" the shrimp snarled, putting down her cutlery.

"It shows that you were lucky - twice over."

"We weren't just lucky! We struck hard at the enemy! And we need to keep striking until they break down!" The princess hit the table.

"Rushed and sloppily planned attacks are an invitation for a devastating counterattack. We cannot afford to underestimate the Horde. We did, once - and paid the price." The Queen remained unmoved - almost like a statue.

"We cannot afford to cower in fear - we just struck at their heartland and escaped without any losses! If you had your way, we would only defend our borders - but nobody ever won a war by sticking to defence!" the shrimp retorted.

"Too many lost a war by overextending their forces."

"But we aren't! We have the strongest alliance, ever! Troops are massing, and we control the sea! It's time to strike on multiple fronts! The Horde can't be everywhere!"

"You won't strike until you've shown that you understand your duty as a commander!"

"Mom! I understand my duty perfectly! I need to win this war!"

"That proves you don't understand your duty at all!"

Seacat hastily swallowed the last of her steak and glanced at Adora. Her friend was staring at her empty plate. "Hey, Adora!" she whispered.

No reaction.

Frowning, Seacat repeated herself: "Hey, Adora!"

Still no reaction. She scoffed, checked if anyone was looking, then kicked out with her foot.

Adora jerked and gasped, then turned to glare at her. "Why did you kick me?" she whispered.

"You were ignoring me!" Seacat whispered back.

"What? I wasn't!"

"Anyway, can we leave the table without offending the Queen? I don't want to watch this."

Adora blinked. "Oh…" Seacat could almost see her thinking. Then Adora's eyes widened, and she started smiling. "Your Majesty!"

"Yes, Adora?"

"Ca-Seacat is still tired from her ordeal. Can I escort her to her room to rest?"

Seacat opened her mouth to protest that she was fine and didn't need any rest, but her friend had kicked her in the shin, and all that left her lips was a gasp.

"Payback," the traitor whispered.

"Of course! Please - you need your rest."

"Thank you, your Majesty!"

Seacat stood up before Adora could reach her - she didn't need help to walk!

Adora offered her her arm anyway. "Take it, or the Queen will notice that we're lying."

That was… Seacat huffed and took the arm. And ignored Adora's triumphant smile.

"Rest well," the Captain called after her. Brain Boy probably said something as well, but the Queen and the Princess were already going at each other again, so not even Seacat's ears caught the boy's words.

How did Bright Moon manage to defend itself against the Horde with such leaders? "They seem to fight each other more than the Horde," she commented - after checking that no guard was near who might overhear her.

"What?"

"The Queen and the Princess," Seacat explained.

"No! They're just… they just have a disagreement," Adora said. But she didn't look at Seacat as she replied.

"Well, it's not exactly filling me with confidence in the Alliance's leadership," Seacat said after a moment. Although Mermista wasn't too bad. The princess knew how to wage war on the sea, at least - even though that was mostly Sea Hawk's doing. But the Snow Princess was a kid and what Seacat had seen of the Plant Princess hadn't impressed her. And the Purple Princess… no, that was no leader at all. Unless you were talking about bots.

"They're doing their best," Adora replied as they reached her room and she opened the door.

Seacat stopped. "Aren't you supposed to show me to my room?"

Adora's face fell. "Uh… I thought… you know…"

Seacat laughed and elbowed the idiot. "I'm joking, you dummy." She sauntered inside.

"Oh, you!" Adora closed the door. "That was mean!"

"Was it?" Seacat grinned and sat down on the bed, then leaned back and stretched a little, arching her back.

"Yes, it…"

"Hmmm?" Seacat glanced at her friend. Adora was so cute when she was flustered.

And when she huffed, like she just did. "Oh, you!" Adora stalked over to the bed and let herself fall on it. "They'll work it out."

"Do you think that or do you hope that?" Seacat asked, then pressed her lips together. That was a quote from one of their old instructors.

Adora thankfully didn't comment on her slip. "Bow said so."

"And he's the expert?" Or had Brain Boy just been trying to reassure Adora?

"He's Glimmer's best friend. They've known each other for a long time."

"Ah." Which doesn't mean that he was truthful. On the other hand, Brain Boy was about as good a liar as Adora was, in Seacat's opinion. Meaning, he sucked at it.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. They just lay there, staring at the ceiling. If the mattress had been harder and the ceiling duller, lower and dirtier, it would've been like back in the barracks.

She pushed the thought away. She wasn't… She was Seacat, not Catra. "I'm Seacat," she mumbled. Not Catra. Not Horde scum.

"Hmmm?" Adora shifted around next to her, Seacat could hear her.

"I'm Seacat. Not Catra," she repeated herself.

"Oh. But…"

She turned her head. Adora was on her side, looking at her with her mouth stuck half-open.

Seacat closed her eyes and suppressed a curse. "I'm not Catra any more."

"Oh. But you…"

"What?" Couldn't Adora just say what she wanted to?

"You do remember, right?"

"Of course I do! I told you so, didn't I?" Seacat rolled her eyes.

Adora sighed. After a moment, she said: "I kept telling myself that, you know. That you'd remember, and you'd turn back to…" She shrugged. "Back to the Catra I knew."

"Fourteen years old and dumb?" Seacat raised her eyebrows at her.

Adora snorted, which seemed to surprise her. "No! Yes? I don't know!" She raised her arms and let them fall on the bed. "This is complicated."

And there was no manual for her to read about it. Seacat pushed that nasty comment away before she could blurt it out. Her friend was already feeling bad enough. "It's not complicated," she replied. "I was Catra. Then I left the Horde and became Seacat. Just like you became She-Ra." Well, in principle. And with memory loss. And a few years spent at sea, living a lie. Alright, it was mostly the same.

"But… I'm still Adora when I'm She-Ra. I'm just stronger, tougher and can do magic."

Yes, rub it in. Seacat sighed. "But you're not Force Captain Adora any more, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"See?"

"Uh… no?"

"I'm not Cadet Catra any more. I remember being her, but I'm a sailor now. Seacat. That's who I am."

"Ah." Adora slowly nodded. "I knew that already."

"Really?"

"Well... " Her friend grimaced. "I knew it after you told me?"

"Oh, you…" Seacat rolled her eyes again.

Adora wasn't looking at her, though. She was staring at the wall. "I wasn't talking about Cadet Catra. I meant Catra. My friend."

Oh. Seacat blinked. Then frowned. "I'm still your friend, you dummy. Hell, I was your friend when I was Seacat. Or do you think I would go carousing with just everyone?"

Adora broke out in a wide smile, and her eyes grew wet.

And then she tried to break Seacat's ribs by crushing her chest in her arms.

"Ack!"

*****​

A little later, they were both sprawled on Adora's bed, and Seacat had stopped rubbing her ribs to make a point.

"You know, I was wondering…" Adora trailed off.

"I bet you are," Seacat replied.

Adora started to nod, then frowned for a moment before shaking her head. "Anyway, do you have any sailor friends? I mean, except for Sea Hawk and Mermista."

Sea Hawk was her Captain. And Mermista was… his girlfriend. Neither was a friend, not in the sense Adora probably meant. Not like the shrimp and Brain Boy were for her. "What do you mean?" Seacat asked.

"I mean, a friend… like me."

"I doubt that there's another one like you in Etheria," Seacat smirked.

Adora blushed a little, "Thanks! I was just wondering…"

"I didn't replace you if that's what you mean."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Adora protested. "But… hadn't you forgotten all about me?"

"Yes." Seacat shrugged. She hadn't made any friends, but that was normal. Sailors roamed the sea. "So, you don't need to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous!"

Seacat snickered in return. "Gotcha!"

"Oh, you!" And now came the pout. Just like old times.

"You're too easy to rile up," she told Adora with a grin.

"And you're impossible!"

"I know."

Her friend sighed. "I just… I feel guilty. I thought you were dead, and I just accepted Shadow Weaver's lies. I should've investigated! If I had, I might have..."

Seacat rolled her eyes and interrupted her friend. "Don't be stupid. A cadet, investigating a battle? What would you have done? You weren't there, anyway - by the time you could've reached the village, I was already gone." And the dead had been taken care of.

"I know that, but… I can't help feeling guilty for not doing anything."

Seacat sighed. That, too, was typical for her friend. "You dummy. Not everything is your fault." She reached over and grabbed Adora's chin, pushing it up so their eyes met. "And you can't save everyone."

Adora looked into her eyes, blushing slightly. Then she pulled back. "But I'm She-Ra. It's my duty to save everyone."

"What?"

"Yes. Light Hope told me so."

"Light Hope?" Was that a new friend of Adora? Why hadn't she met her yet? And was that why Adora had asked about friends of Seacat? Had she been checking if Seacat had replaced her because she had replaced Seacat?

"Oh… She's, like… this hologram program."

"A what?"

"That's how she explained it. She's like… a bot, but very smart, and she doesn't have a body, but she can project an image. Like a ghost. And she knows all about She-Ra."

"A bot?"

"Sort of… not a bot from the Horde." Adora sighed. "It's… complicated."

"And she knows everything about She-Ra?" Seacat had heard such claims before. Usually by con-men.

"Yes." Adora nodded emphatically. "But she's a little damaged, so she can't tell me everything."

How convenient! "I think I need to meet her," Seacat said with a tight smile.

"I can take you to her tomorrow."

"Good." And if Seacat didn't like what she saw, there would be consequences.

"So… you weren't like the sailors we hear about?" Adora's comment interrupted Seacat's thoughts.

"What?" She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know, a lover in every port."

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes at Adora. "Where did you hear that?"

"Uh… I read it somewhere. When I was researching." Adora was looking quite embarrassed now.

"Researching?"

"I, uh, wanted to know more about ships and other nautical things. After, you know, we had met again, but you didn't remember."

"And you focused on lurid stories about sailors?"

"No! That was just… well, I didn't want to read them, but I didn't know they were, well… like that." Adora looked like someone had painted her head red.

Seacat laughed as she shook her head. "And how many such stories did you read?"

"Only a couple."

"Do you have some here? I'd love to know what landlubbers write about sailors."

"No! That is, I don't have any here."

"Really?" Seacat narrowed her eyes at her.

"Really!"

"Ah, well." She sighed with fake disappointment. "In any case, I don't have a lover in every port. That only leads to trouble." As the Captain's past perfectly demonstrated - not that Seacat would discuss that with anyone, not even with Adora.

"Ah." Adora nodded emphatically.

"Disappointed that I'm not the kind of sailor you read about?" Seacat raised her eyebrows at Adora and grinned at her.

"What? No, no! I like you just fine as you are!"

"Well, you better!" Because Seacat wasn't about to change. Certainly not back into Catra.

*****​

Seacat woke up half-sprawled over Adora again. How the… Oh, right. They had fallen asleep talking last night. On Adora's bed. Though she wasn't caught in her friend's grip again. And she hadn't drooled on Adora. Not much, at least.

Sliding off her friend, then off the bed, she looked around. The sun had gone up a couple hours ago, judging by its position on the sky. That meant it was soon time for breakfast. Or would be in an inn - in a palace, it was always time for whatever the princess wanted, after all. And She-Ra was a princess, wasn't she?

But Seacat needed to freshen up. She couldn't really head to breakfast looking like she had just kicked off her pants and slept in her clothes - which she had. Which reminded her to get proper clothes. Adora's taste in clothing had improved, but her style was still… not Seacat. She needed proper clothes for sailing. Not for running around in the woods.

And clean clothes, a sniff informed her. Well, Adora had a few more clothes she could borrow until she got her own.

"Ngh."

Ah. Of course the woman in question would wake up just now. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Adora blinked, then stared at her. "You're up already?"

"I slept half the day yesterday," she reminded her friend.

"Crazy…" Adora sat up and started stretching. Which stretched the fabric of her top, Seacat noticed.

"Ca-Seacat?"

"What?"

"I asked if you want to use the bathroom first, since you're already out of bed." Adora frowned slightly.

She had missed that? Perhaps it was a little early, still. But she was up, and heading back to bed would make her look weak. Or lazy. "Yes," Seacat replied, heading to the bath. She could always nap later, after all. When the rest had a meeting or so.

*****​

Breakfast wasn't as awkward as dinner had been, but that was a low bar to clear. The food was great, though - fried and grilled fish! Seacat filled her plate for the second time with choice pieces. Bright Moon might be a kingdom of landlubbers, but they knew how to eat.

"I thought you'd love that," Adora told her. "So I told the kitchen staff yesterday to make some."

This was a special treat for her? Seacat stared at her plate, then at Adora. That was… sweet, she decided. And thoughtful. She beamed at her friend. "Thank you."

Adora nodded, a little blush on her cheeks, Seacat noted.

"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked after a moment, looking at Sea Hawk.

"We have a meeting in the afternoon concerning the next phase of the war," the Queen informed her.

"Indeed! As the ranking naval officer, I'll represent my dear Mermista! Oh, how I long to see her again, hold her in my arms!" He stood, pointing to the ceiling. "But duty is a harsh mistress, keeping us apart a little longer!"

The queen looked a little nonplussed, Seacat saw. She wasn't used to the Captain, yet - unlike the others.

"I planned to show Seacat the Whispering Forest," Adora said.

She hadn't mentioned Light Hope. Was that a secret? Or implied? Adora wasn't the type to keep secrets from her friends, but Seacat would have to ask to be sure she wouldn't accidentally reveal anything that was supposed to be secret. And it was good policy to keep secrets - loose lips sank ships, after all.

"The Whispering Forest?" Brain Bow looked confused. "Ah!" He nodded.

Well, it seemed he knew about Light Hope. But did the Queen?

"Be careful. Those Horde forces who chased you might still be in the area," Queen Angella cautioned them.

Adora grinned. "In the Whispering Forest? They won't last!"

Seacat frowned. That sounded… concerning. Catra had been told about the forest, but those had sounded like the usual tales to scare recruits who didn't know better. Just how dangerous was the forest?

*****​

As Seacat found out an hour later, quite dangerous - if you weren't familiar with it. Or had a guide. Or She-Ra.

"Hah!"

Her friend was currently enthusiastically hacking a bug the size of a courier ship into dinghy-sized bits.

"Hah!"

Very enthusiastically.

Seacat shook her head as she leaned against the closest tree - after checking for more dangerous wildlife, of course. "Having fun?"

"Uh…" Adora jumped back when the bug lashed out with one of its huge limbs. "I'm almost done!" She charged in again.

"You know, if you kill every monster in the forest, the Horde can simply walk through," Seacat pointed out.

"I'm… Hah! … just driving it off!"

"Really?"

"It's being stubborn!" Adora planted a kick in the head of the bug which flipped it over on its back. The monster quickly recovered but seemed warier now.

"Hah!" Seacat's friend moved in again, this time hitting the bug's head. That seemed to do the job - the bug turned and started to flee.

Panting but smiling wildly, Adora turned back to Seacat. "See? No sweat!"

Seacat shook her head with a grin. "And how far is it to Light Hope's den again?"

"It's not a den!"

"Then what is it? A dungeon?"

"Not a dungeon either! It's… a bunker?"

"That's like a dungeon," Seacat retorted. "See, I was correct."

"No, you weren't!"

*****​

"A friend?" Light Hope sounded very doubtful for a bot. And a little insulting. Not that bots could talk, anyway. But this one could, and it sounded far too condescending for Seacat's taste. Not quite like Shadow Weaver - Seacat clenched her teeth at the memory - but it was far too calm and polite to be honest.

"Yes. My best friend, Ca-Seacat!" Adora repeated herself.

Seacat waved at the spooky 'projection'. "That's me."

The thing ignored her. "You've mentioned her before. She has defective memory."

That definitely sounded like an insult. Seacat frowned at the thing. "Not any more. I recovered my memories."

"Yes!" Adora nodded with a smile. "She remembers me!"

"I see."

Seacat doubted that. "And what about your memories? I heard you can't access most of them."

The projection glanced at her. "That is irrelevant. I fulfil my duties to the best of my abilities."

"And what are your duties?" Seacat asked with narrowed eyes.

"Supporting She-Ra in her duties."

"Yes," Adora nodded. "She's been very helpful in figuring out what I can do!"

"With your personal problems solved, I presume that we can resume your training without further distractions, then."

"Uh…" Adora sounded taken aback. "I was kinda hoping you could show her what you showed me, about She-Ra. And that we could have a nice talk."

"The information in my memory is classified," Light Hope replied. "Only She-Ra has the right to access it."

"But if I have the right to access it, I have the right to share, right?"

"Negative."

"Negative?" Adora looked surprised. "But… if it's my information - I'm She-Ra, after all - I can share it!"

"That would be ill-advised," Light Hope retorted. "She-Ra's secrets need to be kept safe from everyone, for your own safety."

"I trust Ca-Seacat with my life!" Adora declared, raising her chin in that stubborn way of hers.

Seacat smiled at the display - that was her best friend.

"Irrelevant. She-Ra's duty takes precedence."

Seacat really didn't like Light Hope.

"What does my duty have to do with this?" Adora asked.

"You have to restore balance to Etheria."

"I know. I have to beat the Horde." Adora shook her head. "But I can't do that without my friends!"

Light Hope didn't reply to that. Which, Seacat thought, was answer enough.

She really didn't like the thing.

*****​

Light Hope's training was surprisingly - and suspiciously - similar to the training used by the Horde: Lots of bots to be defeated. Light Hope's bots were magical, though, not mechanical. That probably saved on maintenance, Seacat thought as she took a seat on a smashed bug the size of the bug princess and watched Adora.

Her friend was having fun smashing bug after bug. It was an impressive display, too. But… Seacat shook her head. That wasn't a topic to be discussed in Light Hope's base. Dungeon, she corrected herself with a smirk.

And watching Adora go all-out was nice as well. Her friend looked very impressive as She-Ra. She probably could smash the bugs without her sword, too. So much power…

A movement to the side drew Seacat's attention, and she reacted without thinking, jumping off the broken bug a moment before another bug crashed into it. "Hey! Watch it! I'm not She-Ra!"

But the bug didn't react - it turned its head towards Seacat, and clicked its mandibles. Then it charged at her.

"Hey!" Seacat snarled as she dodged the charge. "She-Ra's that way!" This was Adora's training session, not hers.

But the bug turned around, ignoring Adora to focus on Seacat. Well, if the damn thing insisted, Seacat would oblige her, as the Captain called it.

Then she noticed more bugs coming towards her. Encircling her.

Damn!

"Hey, Adora! Some help!" she yelled as she backed away from the first bug.

"What?"

"Those bugs are after me!" Seacat added a curse as the closest took a swipe at her, and she had to duck under the blow. If only she had her old cutlass… Well, you fought with the weapons you had, not the weapons you wished you had.

She drew her blade and parried the next blow - but the force behind it sent her back a few steps.

"No parrying, got it," she told herself, then somersaulted over a charging bug and slashed at its back. Its armoured back, which her blade didn't damage much if at all. Great.

"I'm coming!" Adora yelled. "Just a… oh, no!"

That didn't sound good. Seacat risked a glance as she ducked under another swipe - Adora was getting swarmed herself. "Light Hope! Stop the session!" Adora called out.

No answer. Damn and damn!

Seacat rolled over the floor, away from the two closest bugs, but her new shirt caught on the debris left by Adora earlier, and instead of gracefully coming up in a crouch, she was suddenly in a dead-stop on the floor. Looking up at a pouncing bug.

Cursing, she rolled to the side, tearing her shirt, as the pincers barely missed. Scrambling away on all fours, she darted towards Adora, but two more bugs blocked her way.

"Light Hope, stop the session!"

Seacat scoffed as she glanced around. Two bugs in front of her. Two behind her. Fanning out. If those were bots… She faked a lunge at the bugs in front, then fell back - and a glance told her that the other two were charging her.

Perfect. She dashed towards the two in front of her, waited a moment, then jumped up and to the side, landing on all fours while the bugs crashed into each other behind her. "Hah!"

She moved in, slashing at the flailing limbs, but her cutlass was standard Horde issue - almost worthless against a well-armoured enemy. And the bugs were already recovering!

This wasn't good. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped. Adora had vanished under a mound of twitching bugs!

"No!" She froze for a moment - what could she do? Then cursed and sprinted towards her friend. She couldn't do nothing!

But before she reached Adora, the mound of bugs suddenly exploded, bugs and parts of bugs flying in all directions - one almost squashing her like a… well… bug if she hadn't dodged.

And Adora stood there, glowing brightly, sword raised above her head and a pissed-off expression on her face.

She looked… Seacat shook her head after freezing for a moment. They were in the middle of a battle. And there were half a dozen bugs after her!

She quickly dashed towards her friend, jumping over a twitching bug, and landed next to Adora. "Hey, Adora! There's more behind me."

Her friend didn't reply. Adora merely turned, lowered her sword, and charged the remaining bugs.

Her sword had no trouble cutting through their armour, of course. Seacat frowned - she really needed a better cutlass. Perhaps the smith in Seaworthy had a good one in stock. Otherwise, she would have to ask Mermista; the Salinean Royal Armoury contained several excellent blades.

"Ngh…" Adora snarled before kicking the last bug into a pillar hard enough to break both. "Light Hope! End training session! Now!"

A moment later, the room lit up, and they could see the broken bugs - bots - starting to vanish one by one. Like Magic.

Seacat clenched her teeth together. "What was that?" she asked, scowling. "Why did the bugs attack me? This was supposed to be a training session for Adora!"

"And why didn't you stop the session when I asked you to?"

"I don't have any memory of the incident." Light Hope's voice rang out from the ceiling. "It must have been a malfunction of the security system. This area is restricted to She-Ra, and your friend might have been mistaken for an intruder."

Yeah, right. That was totally convincing - not! "Really? A malfunction?" Seacat scoffed. And memory loss? How convenient!

"How could that happen?" Adora asked.

"My data banks and systems are damaged," Light Hope replied in that annoyingly calm voice of hers. "It has been a thousand years since I was last maintained."

"Please ensure that it doesn't happen again," Adora said.

"I cannot guarantee this. The best way to avoid a similar incident is to refrain from bringing others with you."

Ah, that was her game! Seacat scowled. The damn bot wanted Adora alone with her! She blinked. That sounded a little… whatever. She shook her head. "Well, I'll say we leave now before another 'malfunction' happens," she said, staring at Adora.

"Uh... good idea," her friend replied, though looking like she wasn't sure about it.

"That would mean leaving your training session unfinished. This will hamper your efficiency as She-Ra," Light Hope objected.

"Bah! She can smash bugs perfectly well already," Seacat said. "It won't hurt to cut that one short." It wasn't as if the Horde employed such bugs. "Let's go, Adora."

For a moment, her friend looked torn. Then she nodded, her jaw set. "Yes, let's go."

Seacat smiled, then, behind Adora's back, stuck out her tongue at the ceiling.

*****​

"'Malfunction' my ass!" Seacat spat as soon as they had left the clearing in which the entrance to Light Hope's bunker was hidden.

"What?"

"That wasn't a malfunction," she explained to her friend. "That was an attempt to get me!"

"What?" Adora repeated herself, gasping this time. "Light Hope wouldn't do that!"

Seacat rolled her eyes. "Really? A mysterious bot that is supposedly a thousand years old wouldn't do that?"

"Yes!" Adora nodded. "She taught me so much about being She-Ra - she wouldn't do such a thing."

Her friend's logic hadn't improved, Seacat realised. Well, what else could've been expected, with Shadow Weaver training her? "It was a very convenient malfunction, wasn't it? Light Hope doesn't like me, and suddenly, her bugs attack me."

Adora gaped at her. "She wouldn't try to kill you! And why wouldn't she like you? You're my best friend!"

"Exactly!" Seacat replied.

Her friend frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She's jealous, duh." Seacat scoffed.

"Jealous? But… She's a teacher, not..." Adora shook her head. "You're wrong."

"I didn't mean jealous in that sense," Seacat said, rolling her eyes. "But she wants you to be alone with her."

"Well… she's there to train and help She-Ra…"

"So? Is there a rule that says She-Ra can't have friends?"

"Not exactly, but…"

Seacat cut her off. "She wants you alone, so no one can contradict her. Sound familiar?"

Adora blinked, looking confused, then frowned as she worked it out. And scowled deeply at Seacat. "Light Hope isn't like Shadow Weaver! She's helping me!"

"So she says," Seacat retorted. "But she doesn't want anyone to know what she's teaching you."

"She never told me to keep my training secret!" Adora shook her head. "She's been nothing but helpful. You're wrong - not every teacher is like… her."

Seacat scowled at her. "She tried to get me killed in an accident. Looks very similar to me."

"That was an accident!"

"So she says." Seacat didn't believe the damn bot. And Adora really needed to wise up. "I don't believe her."

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Adora sighed. "Let's return to Bright Moon."

"Yes."

They didn't talk on the way back.

*****​

"Ah, there you are!"

Seacat didn't cringe, not really, upon hearing the Captain's voice. But she didn' turn around and kept staring down at Bright Moon from where she was sitting on the tallest tower's roof.

That didn't stop Sea Hawk, of course. She heard him approach, then saw him sit down next to her on the edge of the roof. "Great view," he said. Apparently, the planning meeting had ended already.

She made a noncommittal noise.

"I looked at the pier first, then the taverns," he went on. "Then I was told to look on the roofs."

By Adora. She clenched her teeth. Stupid Adora.

"She seemed a little… off."

Seacat sighed. Unless the Horde decided to invade right this moment, she wouldn't get out of this. "We had a disagreement about her choice of mentor."

"Oh?"

"She's listening to some stupid broken bot who tried to get me killed in an 'accident'!" Seacat snapped, turning her head to glare at him. "And she's falling for its lies!"

"Ah." Sea Hawk nodded. "And you're absolutely sure that it wasn't an accident?"

"Yes!" She spat, then sighed again. "Mostly. I've got a gut feeling." Light Hope might be broken, but she was still too smooth.

"Ah."

She rolled her eyes at his tone. "It's a good gut feeling."

"Well, I've always trusted my gut - it told me to pursue my dear Mermista, and that was the best thing that ever happened to me - but… Are you sure it's your gut feeling, and not… Catra's?"

She pressed her lips together and glared at him. He met her eyes with a smile. A far too understanding smile for her mood.

"If you'd have met the bot you'd think the same," she said.

But she couldn't help wondering, now, if this was Catra's doing and feeling.

Damn.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 19: The New Engine

"You're leaving?" Adora sounded surprised. Perhaps even shocked. "Today?"

"Sea Hawk secured passage on a river barge leaving today," Seacat told her. It wasn't much of a ship, but it would take them to the sea. They could take a real ship there.

"You could get another, though - a little later! You could spend more time here." Adora's smile looked rather forced.

Seacat shook her head. "We need to get back to Seaworthy, and then to Salineas. The Horde's going to recover soon from their defeat unless we keep up the pressure."

"But… we're also going to do that in Bright Moon. We're already stepping up the raids through the Whispering Woods, and Perfuma's about to advance as well in Plumeria." Adora nodded. "We'll be fighting the Horde on this front, too. And we would be very glad to have you with us." She suddenly frowned. "This isn't about Light Hope, is it?"

Seacat suppressed a wince. "No," she lied. "I'm a sailor - I belong on a ship. I can do much more on the sea." They hadn't talked about the stupid bot since yesterday. They hadn't talked much at all, actually, since yesterday.

"Oh. I thought..."

Seacat clenched her teeth - Adora looked crushed. "Sorry," she said.

"It's OK."

Seacat almost snorted. Adora still couldn't lie worth a damn. Perhaps if she asked the Captain… No! She needed to get back on a ship. Back on the sea. She wasn't needed here. And if she stayed, she'd just have another dispute with Adora over the damn bot. And that would… She shook her head. Maybe she was seeing things. Maybe this was Catra messing things up, seeing Shadow Weaver everywhere. And she wasn't Catra any more. She was Seacat - the best first mate on all the seas! She belonged on the seas, not in the woods. Or in dungeons ran by bots.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "So…"

"Uh… so…" Adora grimaced.

Both fell silent. Seacat sighed. "It's not as if we'll never see each other again."

"Yes. We'll have meetings and stuff..."

But they would be separated. For quite some time - She-Ra was crucial for the war, after all, but she'd be on land. And Sea Hawk and Seacat would be roaming the seas and coastlines. Seacat knew that. And so did Adora.

"So…" Seacat bit her lower lip - almost piercing it with her fangs. It hurt. But it kept her from blurting out some stupid comment that would only hurt Adora. Or Seacat.

"So…"

This time, she snorted. After a moment, so did Adora. Then she tried to crush Seacat's chest again. Seacat didn't complain, though - not when she felt her friend heave and heard her sniffle. And, maybe, caught some wind in her eyes herself that made them leak a little.

*****​

Sitting on the railing and watching the landscape move past as the river barge slowly, oh so slowly, made her way downriver towards the sea, Seacat sighed. She was on a ship again, but she didn't feel any better. The barge barely qualified as a ship, anyway - even a small storm would sink it on the open sea. Far too slow, too. It didn't smell right, either. Neither did the river. And you weren't supposed to be so close to the shore, anyway - far too easy to run aground.

She leaned back and grabbed the railing with one hand, then let her leg swing down until her toes touched the water. Then she sighed again. There wasn't even a decent mast to climb. Not that she wanted to climb up a mast anyway - she'd be able to see Bright Moon from up there, and that would...

"Missing the sea? Or missing Adora?"

She narrowed her eyes before she turned her head to look at Sea Hawk.

He was, as expected, not impressed and stepped up to the railing himself, leaning against it and making a point of looking at the light woods lining the river bank.

"I'm fine," she spat.

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

She scoffed in return. "We're needed on the coast - and in Salineas."

"So, you're missing Adora."

"I'm fine," she repeated herself.

"It's perfectly natural to miss her - we did leave rather shortly after we arrived."

Seacat pressed her lips together. She didn't want a lecture about… whatever the Captain meant.

"But it's not the end of things. You'll meet again. Some distance can also be a boon - absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the saying goes. Why, it was just like that for my dear Mermista and me - without our frequent separations, who knows if we would have become the couple we are today?" He beamed at her.

She stared at him. Was he implying what she thought he was implying? "It's not the same!" she spat through clenched teeth. Sea Hawk and Mermista had had an affair. Seacat and Adora hadn't even kissed. Hell, she didn't even know if Adora liked her!

"I think that was obvious," the Captain said.

Apparently, she had said that last part out loud. "Well, I don't think it's obvious!" she replied. Her friend hadn't changed that much, after all, and they hadn't had anything like a relationship - the kind of relationship that wasn't friendship - back in the Horde. Even if Catra might have had some ideas.

And the Captain didn't have to look so surprised!

*****​

Seaworthy hadn't changed since Seacat had - unwillingly - left it, except that it was busier than it had been in a long time. Ships of all kinds filled the harbour - she could see four Salinean frigates among them - and the piers were almost overflowing with crates, barrels and bags being moved around.

"Someone's been busy," she commented as the barge steered towards one of the few free piers.

"The Alliance is pushing down the coast," Sea Hawk replied. "That's a lot of supplies being shipped - though I don't see many troops."

"They're probably already fighting." Seacat hoped so, at least - she hadn't been lying when she told Adora that they had to keep attacking while the Horde was reeling from their recent defeats. "But where are they getting so many supplies from?" The Kingdom of Snows wasn't exactly farmland, though they had dried fish aplenty - but fish wasn't shipped in bags or crates, but barrels.

"The Kingdom of Plumeria, mostly, or so I was told by Queen Angella." The Captain grinned. "It seems that Princess Perfuma's powers allow for near-instant growth of any plant - including food."

"Oh." Seacat blinked. That was a very powerful, well, power. And it meant that the alliance could field and supply a lot of troops, but… "The other kingdoms won't be happy to be undercut and outproduced like that."

"I don't think Princess Perfuma will keep this up after the war - it must be tiresome."

Seacat snorted. The knowledge that the Plant Princess could do this - could undercut any other realm with her produce - would be enough to make other realms wary of her. If the Alliance dissolved after the Horde's defeat, Plumeria would need a strong ally or two to keep from becoming a target. Hell, she thought, here I go, thinking the war's won already. Nothing would matter if they didn't beat the Horde.

She straightened as the barge was moored at the pier. "Let's find the next ship headed to Salineas." They needed a new ship. As soon as possible.

"Let's find out who's in charge here, first. I might be an Admiral, but Mermista doesn't like it if I ruffle too many feathers among her officers," Sea Hawk told her.

Seacat snorted. Most of the Salinean officers could do with having their feathers ruffled, in her opinion.

*****​

"Of course you can board the next courier to Salineas, Captain." Judging by her sneer, Admiral Gham obviously wanted to have them gone as soon as possible.

"It's Admiral," the Captain corrected her with a beaming smile. "Surely you haven't forgotten me - the one and only Sea Hawk! Victor of the Battle of Salineas and the Battle of Seaworthy!"

And now Gham looked like she had eaten an entire barrel of salt. "I don't think anyone could forget you if they tried."

"How kind of you! Thank you!" Sea Hawk nodded. "That's my fellow admiral!"

Seacat noted that Gham was gripping the handle of her sword with enough force to turn her knuckles white. She was tempted to ask about a replacement sword or further rub in the Captain's rank, but… they really needed to get to Salineas as soon as possible. She'd rather not make Gham mad enough to sabotage them - no matter how stupid doing that to Mermista's lover would be. Enraged people made mistakes, as she knew very well from fighting pirates and Horde scum. So she cleared her throat and asked: "Which ship is that?"

"The Flying Swallow," Gham replied with a glare at her.

That was a decent ship. Not quite as fast as the Dragon's Daughter III and IV had been, but fast enough to qualify as a courier. "Who's her captain?"

"That would be Captain Leren."

The name didn't ring any bells for Seacat, but Sea Hawk perked up. "Leren? He's finally been promoted? Good for him! I told him that he'd make the list when he was a young ensign!"

"He was promoted after the loss of so many captains under your command," Gham said.

"Ah, those brave heroes volunteering to risk their lives for Salineas!" Sea Hawk put his hand on his heart. "Their sacrifice won't ever be forgotten!"

The other Admiral glared at him. Seacat could see her jaw muscles bulge as Gham clenched her teeth. "So, unless there's anything else," she quickly said, "we should be off to meet up with Captain Leren - wouldn't want to miss the ship, after all, would we?"

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk agreed. "Have a nice day, my fellow Admiral. I'm needed back on Salineas, with my dear Mermista!" He struck a salute, which Gham half-heartedly returned, glaring at him all the way until they left her office.

Well, it could've gone worse. They had a passage, and Gham hadn't tried to strangle the Captain.

*****​

"...and then we boarded their biggest gunboat, shot up their pier, and sailed downriver, destroying their field artillery in a running gunbattle! It was a grand adventure!"

Seacat rolled her eyes at the Captain's tale. Discreetly - things had happened more or less like he told it, but he was exaggerating. They hadn't been quite so close to certain death so often. At least not after she had found them in the prison.

Captain Leren, though, nodded with an impressed expression. Almost awed, actually. "Unbelievable! This must have hurt the Horde even more than the defeats on the coast!"

Seacat frowned - that was far too humble for a Salinean officer, in her experience. Even for someone who knew the Captain since they had been a fresh ensign. Of course, Sea Hawk was a great captain - the best on all the seas - but this was a little too much.

"What did you do after that?"

"Blew up the gunboat to cover our escape, stole a pair of skiffs, led the Horde on a wild goose chase and escaped through the mountains - after destroying another base of theirs!" Sea Hawk grinned. "Oh, the shanties I'll sing of this!"

And Leren beamed. "I'm looking forward to listening to them!"

"You will - it's what, three more days to Salineas?"

"If the wind keeps, yes," Leren replied.

"Three more days until I can finally embrace my dear Mermista again!" Sea Hawk sighed with his eyes closed. "How I long for her! But duty is a harsh mistress, keeping us apart!"

And now Leren was frowning. Seacat narrowed her eyes. Was he one of the officers who didn't like Mermista being with Sea Hawk? But those would usually be more openly hostile - or smarter about it. Or…

Sea Hawk slapped the man on the shoulder. "But I trust in you, and your ship! You'll see us there swiftly and safely! Not that I'd mind another harrowing adventure, of course!"

"Of course!" And Leren was beaming again. At Sea Hawk.

Oh. That was it. The man didn't like Sea Hawk being with Mermista because he was jealous - of Mermista!

Seacat shook her head. Whatever had been between the Captain and Leren in the past - and she doubted that there had been anything; the captain was usually not shy about his past affairs - was over now. Mermista was far from perfect - she had a number of faults, actually, of which Seacat was very well aware - and she was a princess, which caused even more issues, but Sea Hawk loved her. Losing her would hurt him deeply.

And Seacat wouldn't let anyone hurt the Captain. Not now, not ever. No matter their motives.

She just had to figure out how to step in, should Leren make trouble.

*****​

"Ah! Salineas! The jewel of the Eastern Sea! Home of my dear Mermista, love of my life! Hold out, my love! I'm coming!" Sea Hawk declared, boot on the railing, pointing at the barely visible Sea Gate ahead of them.

Leren made some choked noise under his breath - Seacat's keen ears picked it up, but no one else noticed. She sighed - the Salinean captain had been pining after Sea Hawk for days. At least he hadn't made a scene, but he really should've accepted that the Captain was spoken for. Firmly spoken for.

But they were finally back in Salineas, which meant Leren would soon find himself sent on another mission - courier ships such as his were in constant demand, after all. Especially after losing so many fast ships in the Battle of Seaworthy. A navy lived and died on fast cutters carrying messages and scouting for enemies.

Now they… She frowned and narrowed her eyes. That was smoke there, on the water. A burning ship? If so, it had just begun to burn - Seacat was very familiar with how quickly ships burned and how they looked ablaze, although usually from a much closer distance. "Hey! Someone might need assistance there!" she said.

"Oh?" Sea Hawk shaded his eyes with his hand and took a look, but that was just for show - he knew her eyes were much better than his.

Leren, on the other hand, pulled out a telescope. "Let me check… Oh. It's the Princess's new ship! That's supposed to burn. I think."

"What? Mermista has a new… Oh. The other princess's ship," Seacat said. That was the Hair Princess's ship? The one intended for Sea Hawk and Seacat? The fastest ship on the seas? "Let's take a look!" she said.

Leren frowned. "We're expected to head directly into the harbour…"

"Oh, yes - it's best to observe a ship when she's sailing," Sea Hawk said, still trying to see more than some smoke.

"...but a little detour won't hurt - they might need assistance, anyway," Leren smoothly continued.

"You think so?"

"Well… I was present when the first trials started." Leren smiled rather weakly. "And they did need assistance then. Often."

Seacat sighed. If Leren was correct, then not only would they be visible from afar thanks to the smoke, but the ship was apparently prone to stop working - or stop floating.

Great.

But whatever her other faults, the ship's hull looked good. Seacat could tell from a glance that she was a fast one.

"Good lines," Sea Hawk agreed.

"Indeed," Leren commented. Not that Seacat cared what he had to say - she was studying the ship.

And she didn't like what else she saw. The mast and rigging… they looked as if they were meant for a sailing yacht half the ship's size. And the pipe sticking up from the afterdeck… smoking like a chimney. She could smell it from a hundred yards away.

"Why is it smoking?" she asked. The Horde frigates didn't smoke.

"It's burning wood, I think, to propel the ship," Leren replied.

"Oh?" Sea Hawk perked up.

Seacat groaned. Of course, the Captain would be interested in that. "If we have to carry wood for burning, then that will cut down on what cargo we can transport."

"But imagine: A ship driven by fire!" Sea Hawk beamed. "Fire and wind! The shanty practically writes itself!"

But Seacat was imagining something else. Tending to a fire was busy work. Even a small fire needed regular attention and more wood, or it would burn out. If the ship ran on fire, someone would have to keep putting logs into it.

She clenched her teeth. That wasn't what sailing should be like.

"Kleo! Signal them - ask if they require assistance!" Leren yelled.

"Aye aye, sir!"

A sailor stepped up to the railing and started waving flags, which were answered by the other ship. They didn't require assistance.

The Flying Swallow still closed in. Seacat couldn't see the princess among the crew. But she could see the blackened faces on half the sailors waving at them as they sailed past.

That looked worse than she had feared! Soot like that would stick to her fur like… She shuddered. "I don't like the looks of this," she muttered.

"Hm?" Sea Hawk turned to look at her.

"Nothing," she replied.

She wouldn't talk about this with Leren around. That would make her look bad.

*****​

"Mermista! My love!" Sea Hawk opened his arms wide and quickly strode forward.

"Admiral Sea Hawk." Mermista, sitting on her throne, nodded slowly at him. "You're back."

"Indeed, I am - and victorious! Twice victorious!"

"So I've heard. Although…"

The Captain wasn't deterred by her cool manner and picked her up in his arms. "I've missed you so much!"

The princess yelped, but she didn't try to hit him. No did she actually struggle to escape his embrace, Seacat noted with a snort.

While the two embraced - and kissed - she looked around. Some of the guards were frowning, others trying to pretend nothing was happening, and a few were smiling.

She scoffed and walked over to a small table with some refreshments, where she poured herself a glass of water while she grabbed a piece of roasted fish.

Sea Hawk set Mermista down but didn't release her. "I've so much to tell you! It was a glorious - albeit bloody - battle! And then Seacat got kidnapped, and we had to push into the very heart of the Horde to save her!" Sea Hawk

Hey! "I was on my way out when you arrived," she corrected the Captain.

"Really?" Mermista raised her eyebrows at her.

"Yes."

Not that that would stop the Captain. "It was a harrowing adventure! We almost missed her, but pulled through - and set half the factories on fire as we fought our way out! Indeed, it was only by the skin of our necks that..."

*****​

"...and then we made our way to Bright Moon."

"I see." Mermista nodded, then looked at Seacat.

Seacat looked away and focused on her third toast with roasted fish.

"You've recovered your memory, then."

Seacat winced. "Yes," she pressed through clenched teeth. She'd been a Horde cadet. Horde scum. An idiot looking forward to attacking a village - the village she had mistaken for her home for four years.

"That must have been a shock." Mermista sounded… not like herself. Far too soft.

Seacat shrugged. "I managed." She grabbed another toast. And a glass of ale. "You're pushing down the coast."

"We're in control of the coast, but the Horde is recovering - their troops are digging in," Mermista said. "Their fleet is still unable to challenge us, but scouts reported that they are rebuilding in their main base."

"My fellow admiral told us that already," Sea Hawk said. "What about the planned raids on the fuel sources for the Horde frigates?"

Mermista sighed. "They were not as successful as we hoped. We captured several ships, but the Horde switched to river- and even road-based transport, and we can't currently reach the production sites."

Seacat clenched her teeth. "That's rubbish. We managed to raid their capital!"

They had to destroy that fuel, or they'd lose the battle on the sea.

Sea Hawk nodded. "Indeed! We shall strike at them again!"

"Once you have a new ship," Mermista commented. "Which could take a little while."

*****​

"So, you see, while the engines the Horde uses are great - not perfect, but quite interesting; I've improved the efficiency and made them less bulky, but they're still basically the same engines from the frigates we captured - the fuel's a problem. They need special crystals which are, as far as we know, only found in Horde territory. And running our ships on captured crystals isn't really sustainable, or so I've been told, so I'm looking for alternative fuel sources and alternative engines. I first tried to use the same engine that powers bots, but - well, they, too, depend on those crystals. In fact, I think the Horde scientists - who are quite smart, I have to admit - adapted the engines from the bots' engines, not the other way around. Though the bots' engines are more sophisticated, albeit they are much smaller and provide much less power - which also means the crystals last much longer, which would explain why we didn't notice their dependency on those crystals yet, you know?"

Seacat actually didn't know - she could barely follow the gist of the Hair Princess's words. That the woman's purple hair was currently imitating a Kraken's tentacles and dismantling what looked like a harpoon gun didn't help with her focus either, of course. Nor did the fact that they were standing in what looked like a cavern full of broken bots and wrecks.

But it didn't look like the princess expected an answer - she continued right away: "So, I'm testing a few alternatives. I first tried to adapt a skiff's engine, but that didn't work out. At all. Something about the water and the kind of magic they use. But Mermista managed to refloat the skiff every time it sank, so that's a good thing. Anyway, I then thought of alternative engines, like an engine that runs on wood. We've got lots of trees, and Perfuma can always make more, so that would be a very sustainable alternative." She frowned. "Only, the efficiency is kind of substandard. The energy density of wood is simply not good enough to achieve comparable power ratios as the Horde engines have. Also, I've been told that the ships need to fill their cargo holds with wood to burn for longer voyages, so that probably isn't a good thing, either, though I think it wouldn't affect couriers much, would it? They mostly carry messages, right?"

"They also deliver cargo," Sea Hawk replied, "And passengers."

"Right." The princess nodded, but it sounded dismissive. "Anyway, I'm still working on that - I think I could find a way to increase the energy density of wood. That would make the engine more efficient without a redesign, you know?"

Seacat nodded, trusting the princess's explanation. At least about this. "And how is that going?"

"Uh…" The hair princess winced. "I'm working on it."

That wasn't good news. "The Horde's working on rebuilding their fleet."

"I know! But science can't be rushed - well, it can, but that tends to end up in explosions. And I'm told that's a bad thing."

"Yes, it is," Seacat said, firmly and quickly, before Sea Hawk might get ideas. "But we need a new ship now." And if the new design wasn't ready, they'd simply take an older design. Without a stinking wood-burning engine.

"I know! And I've had an idea!"

Seacat felt her stomach drop a little.

"Oh?" Sea Hawk, of course, wasn't fazed in the least.

"Yes! I mean, we don't have enough fuel crystals to supply a fleet, which is why I'm looking into alternatives. But for a single fast, small ship?" The princess beamed. "More than enough! And the efficiency would be better too, since the engine wouldn't have to push a frigate."

"So… you installed a frigate's engine in a courier's hull?" Seacat asked. That sounded… less than safe. If you did that with a sail, you'd end up capsized in a light breeze.

"No." The princess shook her head, her hair waving around her. "I installed an improved engine in a courier ship!"

Seacat forced herself to smile.

That sounded worse.

"Oh! What a great idea! We'll have the fastest ship on all the seas - again! And by a great margin! Scurvy will be green with envy!" We'll be able to sail rings around every other ship! And we'll be able to raid their transports at impunity!"

Sea Hawk, of course, saw nothing wrong with it - on the contrary.

"Mermista told us that they are using river- and road-based transport for their supplies," Seacat pointed out.

"So? With a small, fast ship we can sail up any river - we'll be past a fortress so quickly, they won't even wake up in time to stop us! And we can land raiding parties!"

She frowned. That might actually work - the raiding parties; not the sailing past artillery emplacements. But… "Just how stable is your improved engine?"

The princess beamed at her. "Very stable! It hardly explodes any more!"

"Excellent!" Sea Hawk beamed back at the princess.

Seacat didn't. 'Hardly explodes anymore' wasn't what she liked to hear about any ship, least of all one she would be crewing. "I'd prefer it to not explode at all," she said, struggling not to sneer.

"Oh, that's the goal!" The princess nodded eagerly. "Otherwise, it would be a little hard on the ship, yes?"

Seacat stared at her. "...yes."

"But if there's the option to set the ship to explode on command, that would be great!" Sea Hawk added.

"Oh. Like a self-destruct?"

"Yes, exactly! But with a more powerful explosion that will sink other ships nearby!"

"Oh! You want a bigger explosion?" The princess looked surprised. "No one asked me for that, yet! They always want no explosions - from engines."

"Yes. Ramming your ship into the enemy flagship and having her explode is a very effective tactic," Sea Hawk said. "But you need a big explosion for that."

"Of course!" The princess repeatedly nodded. "I can do that - I can make it so it'll blow up in the biggest explosion, ever, if I connect the fuel crystals to each other! Oh! I could use the engine to amplify the shockwave…"

The hair tentacles dropped whatever they had been doing and started sketching stuff on a whiteboard.

"All I need is a guided array of crystals, and an amplificator… and a way to seal the pressure chamber until the explosion…" Seacat heard the princess mumble under her breath as she worked.

Sea Hawk rubbed his moustache and nodded, watching her.

"You don't have any idea what she's doing, do you?" Seacat hissed next to him.

"I know she's going to build the greatest ship ever!" he replied.

"She's going to build the greatest bomb ever," Seacat retorted. A bomb they would be crewing.

"Exactly! And imagine how we'll use it!"

She shuddered at the thought. And yet… imagining blowing up the Horde fleet, preferably at anchor in their biggest base… that would be a coup indeed.

Provided they didn't blow up testing the ship. Or sailing it. Or just looking at it. Oh.

"Mermista might not be happy about such a ship being built in her palace," she commented.

Sea Hawk blinked for a moment, then grimaced. "Ah… I think I'll have to break the good news to her gently."

Seacat nodded. "Very gently."

She would stay down here. Next to a maniac working on a ship-sized bomb was still safer than being near Sea Hawk when he told Mermista about this.

*****​

Two days later, Sea Hawk was still sleeping in the guest quarters Seacat usually had to herself, but he hadn't been exiled, and Mermista hadn't broken up with him. So, things were going well on that front, at least.

Whether things were going well with their new ship, Seacat couldn't tell - but she would find out soon since the Hair Princess had announced the 'third prototype of the improved bomb engine' ready for testing.

Seacat assumed that the first and second were behind the two explosions that had shaken the palace yesterday. She hoped very, very much that the third wouldn't follow in their footsteps.

"...and this is TD-14, which will steer the ship on her first trial! Wave to the nice people, TD!" the princess in question finished her explanation on the pier.

Seacat tried not to shudder when the bot on the deck of the prototype waved one arm at them. This was… It wasn't a Horde bot, but the parallels couldn't be missed.

"'TD-14'?" Mermista asked.

"It stands for 'Training Dummy Number Fourteen," the other princess explained.

"What about Training Dummies one through thirteen?" Seacat asked.

"Oh… they suffered total construction losses during testing."

Seacat looked at the ship again and tried to figure out if she needed a longer safe distance. "How much fuel does the ship have?"

"Oh, only the amount needed for a short test cruise," the princess replied. That was reassuring. "It gets a little too tedious, or so I've been told, to recover large numbers of crystals from the seabed. Even though Mermista can get them easily by doing her thing."

And that wasn't.

"I have more important duties than recovering fuel crystals from the seabed," Mermista told them in a flat voice.

"Anyway!" the Hair Princess said. "Now let's start the testing! TD-14, sail away!"

The bot waved again and then operated something near the wheel. A moment later, the ship started to move. Slowly at first, but she was quickly picking up speed.

"I've also improved the power of the engine," the Hair Princess said as she studied the ship through her visor - which, Seacat assumed, included some form of telescope or binoculars. "It's more compact, but also more powerful than a Horde frigate's engine!"

"Splendid!" Sea Hawk exclaimed. "Look at that speed!"

Indeed, the ship was now running faster than any ship Seacat had ever seen on the sea. Faster than a skiff, even. So fast, actually, that… "What exactly is the ship's turning circle?" she asked.

The way the princess blinked was really concerning. "Uh… that depends on the speed. Lemme make a quick calculation…"

But while the princess calculated, Training Dummy Fourteen demonstrated that the turning circle at the ship's current speed was too big to avoid the mole coming up ahead.

An impressive demonstration of the engine's explosive power followed.

The bits of stone and wood didn't quite reach Seacat and the others, but they came a little too close for comfort.

"Oh, no! Poor TD-14!" the Hair Princess commented. "He miscalculated the speed and turning radius."

"Poor mole," Mermista replied. "You know how long it'll take to repair that?" She pointed at the hole blown into the pier. "We're lucky if we finish before a storm hits the port.

Seacat winced. That would be bad - without the mole sheltering the harbour, ships would be in danger if there was a nasty storm at the wrong moment. Coupled with the tides, it could wreck a lot of ships.

"Sorry," the other princess said. "I guess we'll have to test the next model on the open sea. Even though that will make recovering fuel harder."

Was she expecting the next test ship to sink as well? "I would suggest not testing the explosive forces," Seacat said as dryly as she could.

"Good idea!" The princess smiled at her. "That will make testing take longer, though."

"We can spare the time," Mermista said. "We can't spare more pieces of my kingdom. Or my people."

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting you can't just repair stuff as easily as we do at home."

"But it was a marvellous explosion! Imagine doing this to a Horde harbour!" Sea Hawk spoke up. "And the speed! If we had ships like this, the Horde wouldn't have hit any of ours in the Battle of Seaworthy!"

"Sorry," the Hair Princess replied, frowning and slumping slightly. "But I wasn't ready then - if I had focused on engines instead of launching the payload…"

"No!" Sea Hawk smiled at her. "You did well - you couldn't know in advance what would work and what wouldn't. We're treading new ground here, after all!"

That perked the princess up. "You're right! That's how science works! With trial and error!"

"And explosions?" Seacat asked.

"Exactly! And explosions!"

Seacat really needed to work on her sarcasm,

"Anyway - back to the lab! I need to construct a new ship and a new testing dummy! And a new engine!"

Apparently back in high spirits, the princess took off before anyone else could reply.

Mermista sighed. "And I will need to adjust our budget for repairs."

Sea Hawk reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him for a moment before starting to scowl and pushing off.

"She's coming around," Sea Hawk said after Mermista had stalked off.

Seacat nodded in agreement. At least something wasn't blowing up in her face today.

*****​

"Alright! This is the Improved Engine Mark 3 Testbed Ship, piloted by TD-16!" the hair princess announced.

Seacat eyed the ship with some suspicion. She did look like a courier ship, just without any mast or rigging. And as her unfortunate predecessor, she was crewed by a single bot. Wait… "TD-16? What happened to TD-15?"

The princess sighed, and the huge bot standing behind her made a weird noise. "TD-15, unfortunately, had a lab accident - the integrated stabilisation system to improve its ability to stay standing during a storm needed additional fine-tuning. But it's fixed now - no more ripping bots apart from the inside!"

Seacat winced.

"I trust that this engine won't explode like a bomb," Mermista stated rather than asked.

"Well, not like a bomb - but due to its nature, it'll still explode if damaged severely enough. Like, say, by a cannonball striking it," the Hair Princess said. "But the explosion won't be amplified, so it'll only destroy the ship itself. Mostly."

And with the ship her crew. It was like transporting a cargo full of powder. Seacat had done that before, but she wasn't looking forward to doing it all the time. Especially not in battle. She knew very well what magazine explosions did to ships.

"That's very good for testing, but I hope the final engine will not be so limited!" Sea Hawk said, smiling at the princess.

Seacat glared at him. So did Mermista, she noticed. The captain hadn't spent last night in the guest quarters, but judging by the princess's expression, that might change again.

They really needed to work out how their relationship was supposed to work.

"Oh, no, of course not - your requirements will be met and potentially exceeded by my design!" the Hair Princess replied.

"Great!"

"Great;" Seacat echoed the Captain, though in a much dryer tone.

"If you blow up anything else in my realm, I'll have words with you," Mermista added. The way she clutched her trident, Seacat wasn't sure she would be limiting herself to actual words.

"Uh… do lab prototypes count? Cause I kind of need to blow them up when testing bombs." The Hair Princess looked concerned - she was biting her lower lip.

"Unless you blow up something else with it - something that belongs to me or mine - no," Mermista told her.

"Goodie! Then it's OK. And now, let's test the new engine! TD-16, start the test!"

The modified courier ship started to move - and rapidly accelerated. Much faster than a sailing ship would have, outside a storm. It was soon sailing in a wide circle on the open sea, though coming close to the repaired mole, on which they were standing, with every lap.

"You're doing good, TD-16!" the Princess yelled. "Now start stress testing!"

"Stress testing?" Seacat asked.

"Oh, you know, how tight you can turn, how long the hull can take the vibrations at top speed, how long the engine will hold up when redlined."

"Redlined?" Seacat asked.

"Pushed past safe limits," the princess replied. "Look at that!"

Seacat snapped her head back in time to catch the courier ship capsizing, with the bot being thrown off as if launched by a catapult.

The Hair princess didn't seem to be fazed, though - she made some notes on her ever-present tech thingie, then turned to Mermista. "Uh… could you straighten out the ship before it sinks completely?"

The princess sighed. "I guess I have to, if I want this test to end sometime reasonable, don't I?"

The Hair Princess nodded in agreement. "Exactly!"

Mermista sighed again, then jumped into the water. She disappeared for a moment, then resurfaced - with a Mermaid's tail - and swam towards the sinking ship.

Unlike other times, Seacat wasn't jealous about Mermista's magic. Not at all. It looked like the princess would be doing this very often.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 20: The Genius

"Oh, Seacat…" Adora bent down, her hands gripping Seacat's, pushing them into the mattress on both sides of her head.

Seacat arched her back, squirming - but the blonde was straddling her, and her hips were trapped between Adora's thighs. She couldn't move. She couldn't escape. But… did she even want to? She squirmed some more, unsure. Not that it mattered - Adora was too strong to be pushed off, and with her hands caught in hers, Seacat couldn't get any leverage anyway. And her tail was caught as well, pinned down beneath one of Adora's knees. Seacat moaned with frustration and with...

"Oh…" Adora grinned, then licked her lips, lowering her head down towards Seacat's. "You like this, don't you?" she whispered, her breath tickling Seacat's sensitive ear. Then their lips met, and...

*****​

Seacat woke up with a gasp, taking a few deep breaths. That had been… a weird dream. Very weird. Adora wasn't like that. And Seacat wasn't like that, either. Helpless, trapped like a merchant vessel caught leewards - and liking it?

No! She sat up and noticed that she had been entangled in her bedsheets. That must have been the trigger of her weird dream. And why she was soaked with sweat - she sniffed her arm, then wrinkled her nose.

Kicking the remains of the sheets off - she must have used her claws in her dream - she slid off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. She definitely needed to freshen up before breakfast.

A glance to her right, towards the open door of Sea Hawk's room, confirmed that the Captain had slept elsewhere again. Good. At least something was going well this week.

She entered the bathroom and pulled off her top, dropping it on the floor, followed by her bottoms. She was a little unfair, she knew that - the Hair Princess was working hard and faster than any shipyard thought possible; Seacat had asked around how long new ships usually took to be built. But all the magical speed didn't mean anything if every day, a stress test ended with another sunk 'prototype'. At least none of them had blown up - so far.

Seacat tested the water in the tub - Mermista hadn't repeated her ice water prank in years, and Seacat doubted that the princess would do anything when she was with Sea Hawk, but old habits died hard.

But the water was warm, just like she liked it, and she poured in some shampoo-soap nicked from Mermista's private stash, then climbed in herself. Ah! She sighed and closed her eyes. A little soaking would do her good.

*****​

"...and so this is the Mark 8 engine - technically the Mark 9, if you count the Mark 5 that we never tested since it broke before I could install it in the ship. But! It's working five per cent more efficiently than the Mark 7, at the same output. I think we've nailed the limits of this design, though you can always tweak it a little more, and I've got a few ideas to improve the screw by adding..."

"But you could do this with a new test ship, right?" Seacat interrupted the princess. "Fiddle with it while we take this one on a shakedown cruise?" And finally get back into the war! A week was far too long to spend on land when there was a Horde fleet gathering.

"Uh…" The princess frowned. "That would be possible, though I'd need another test ship…"

Mermista sighed, rolling her eyes. "I guess we can scrunch up another courier."

"Oh, nice! Can I have two? I could test double the designs that way!"

"We currently lack enough courier ships," Mermista told her. In a lower voice, which only Seacat caught, she added: "And I don't want to recover two ships per day."

"Oh. Ah, well - I'll have to make do! TD-21, start the next stress test!"

Seacat watched as the courier ship accelerated in the familiar area outside the mole. She moved a little faster than yesterday, in her opinion. And she had a slightly tighter turning circle. But otherwise, there wasn't much of a difference. The princess was probably correct.

Which meant it was time to test the ship with an actual crew. Such as herself and the Captain.

Provided she survived today's testing. Which, given how much she listed in the first curve, wasn't sure.

"Watch it, TD-21! The capsizing test is scheduled for the end of the run!"

Seacat didn't hear any reply from the bot, but the princess seemed satisfied - and the ship slowed down a little as she took the next turn.

And she was still faster than any ship Seacat had been on in her life. It might be dangerous and prone to blowing up, but she really wanted to sail that ship. Very much.

*****​

"Huzzah! This is incredible! Magnificent!"

Seacat was bound to agree with the Captain. The "Test Ship IV" cut through the waves like a hot knife through butter. They were going at a speed she hadn't imagined would be possible before the tests - faster than any skiff.

"Faster than a cannonball!"

Not quite as fast. Fortunately - they would probably not survive it, otherwise. Even so it was a little dicey when Sea Hawk took a sharp turn. Once they had almost capsized - if the timing had been off a little, the waves would have swept over the railing.

She looked up at the bare mast. Any sail would just slow the ship down. And probably rip it apart as it broke the mast.

That didn't mean they didn't have a sail, of course - no matter what the Hair Princess thought, neither Sea Hawk nor Seacat would be trusting their new ship to an engine that needed Horde-produced crystals to work. Sails only needed wind.

The ship listed to the side as Sea Hawk took another turn, but he slowed down a little. Seacat gripped the mast and dug her claws into the deck to keep standing. She grinned, though - that felt familiar. Like sailing against a very strong wind. And, very importantly, the crystal engine didn't stink or smoke. It just needed to be cooled, and seawater worked for that.

She took a deep breath, savouring the smell of the sea. Clean, fresh air - far from the stench of a city or busy harbour.

The ship levelled out as Sea Hawk finished the turn, and Seacat went down into the hold - or to the 'engine room', as the princess called it - to check on the engine.

It was humming, as usual. And glowing slightly - that meant they would have to cover up all portholes or the light would give them away in a night raid. But it wasn't running hot or vibrating too much, both of which were signs that the engine was overloading according to the princess. And the crystal in the engine's chamber was still half-intact - no need to replace it.

She returned to the deck and called out to the Captain: "Still good - the last crystal's at half!"

"Great! And we're going full speed!"

She could tell that by the wind and the sound of the engine. This was a truly great ship. They could literally sail circles around any Horde ship.

Sea Hawk took another turn, whooping with glee. "Come on, First Mate! Take over!"

Seacat gasped and scrambled up the stairs to the afterdeck. She had known she would - after all, she would have to steer the ship as much as the Captain would since they were the only crew - but so soon? In Sea Hawk's place, she would have kept going for an hour longer!

But she wasn't complaining. Not at all. She grinned widely as she took the wheel, her eyes widening at the way it pushed against her grip.

"Yes, it takes quite the strength to keep it on course - at least at this speed," Sea Hawk told her.

She nodded in return, tightly gripping the wheel. She could handle it. She would handle it. It wasn't worse than when you were tacking in rough seas. Rough seas… "We need to see how she handles in a storm," she said.

"That's what the shakedown cruise is for!" he replied. "I think we'll have rougher weather up the coast."

Seacat should point out that they would be far from friendly shores on that occasion - not the best place or time to test how your ship fared in rougher weather. But she was enjoying the speed too much to care.

She grinned, revealing her teeth, as she took the first turn, leaning against the list. The power and speed the ship had...

This was great!

*****​

"How was it? What do you think? Is it a good ship?" The Hair Princess blurted out as soon as they had moored the ship on the pier. She was bouncing on… well, not her feet, her hair with obvious excitement.

"She is the best ship," Seacat corrected, but she was smiling widely.

"Indeed! We took her through her paces, and she passed every test we could think of - except for the ramming and explosion ones!"

"Which we won't test," Seacat growled.

"Quite. But she is truly the fastest ship on all the seas."

"Oh, yes! Although if you keep going at top speed all the time, you'll burn through the fuel reserves very quickly. And the vibrations might damage the structural integrity of the hull so much, it might spontaneously fail." The princess nodded. "I made some charts to show what's the most efficient speed." She pulled out a book thicker than most logs.

"Great!" The Captain beamed at her. "This will be very useful. However, one thing needs to be fixed."

"Oh? What? Is it the insulation? Or has the hull sprung some leaks? It does that sometimes."

"No, no!" Sea Hawk grinned. "We need to rename the ship properly."

"Oh."

Seacat nodded. A ship as fast as her deserved a much better name.

*****​

"And we hereby dub you 'Dragon's Daughter V!" Sea Hawk declared, smashing a bottle of rum against the ships' hull. "May you live up to your predecessors' legacy!"

"I'd rather she didn't blow up or burn down," Mermista commented dryly.

Seacat nodded in agreement. Even though she knew that odds were, it would happen sooner or later.

"But that's the point of the explosion amplification function I incorporated in the engine!" the Hair Princess protested.

"Exactly!" Sea Hawk said. "It would be craven and criminal not to use it should an opportunity present itself to make a crucial difference!"

"Only as long as there's no other choice," Seacat added. "We can't sacrifice such an excellent ship for anything but a decisive blow against the Horde."

Mermista frowned and grabbed Sea Hawk. "And only if you can safely get away beforehand," she hissed into his face. "Understood?"

Seacat saw the Captain swallow. "Uh, of course - we're not suicidal."

"Could've fooled me," the princess replied. "But you won't get Seacat killed."

"Of course not!"

Seacat agreed with that, but this was getting a little too… personal or something. So she cleared her throat. "Speaking of not getting me killed…" She tapped the hilt of the cutlass at her side. "I still need a better blade. This literally won't cut it."

The Hair Princess looked confused. "Do you mean it has a dull blade? I found that with sufficient force, even dull blades cut."

"Err, no, I meant it won't cut well enough against armoured enemies," Seacat explained. "I need a better blade - preferably a magic one." She beamed at Mermista.

The princess sighed. "That's why you've been in the Armoury, right?"

Seacat's smile deepened. "I've picked out two blades that would be adequate."

"Only adequate?" the other princess cut in. "I could make you a superior blade. I think. Cutting through armour should be easy with the right tools. What exactly are your specifications?"

"Uh…" Seacat didn't think 'It should cut really well' would be enough - that would probably inspire the princess to create a monstrous thing rather than a useful blade.

"Something like this!" Sea Hawk said, drawing and igniting his own blade.

"Oh, a magic sword! I can do those!" The hair tentacles reached out for the Captain's sword, but he quickly withdrew it, cradling it against his chest.

"I need this!" he exclaimed.

"I would just borrow it."

"A man parted from his blade is no man at all," Sea Hawk retorted.

"That's not about these kinds of swords, and you know it," Mermista told him with a smirk.

He stared at her for a moment, then grinned back.

Seacat cleared her throat. "Anyway, what about my new cutlass?"

"I'll see what I can do - do you prefer vibrating blades or heated blades? Or perhaps energy blades?"

"My last sword was an energy blade," Seacat told her. "I'd like another." She'd rather not wield a heavy contraption after being used to her own blade for so long - she would have to change her fighting style otherwise, and that wasn't a good idea, especially not in the middle of a war.

"I can do that!"

The Hair Princess rushed off, followed by three of her bots, and Seacat wondered if she had just made a mistake.

Judging by Mermista's smirk, she might have, but then again, Mermista might just be happy she wouldn't have to part with one of her own swords. Even though she only used her trident, anyway.

*****​

"So… when do we set sail? I mean, leave," Seacat asked as she stowed another line in the chests on deck. Not that they would actually set sails until they were out of the harbour - if the wind was favourable.

"Once you have your new sword," the Captain told her with a smile. "Can't leave you unarmed when we're going to war, can we?"

She snorted and raised her hand, showing off her claws. "I'm never unarmed."

He chuckled, then grew serious. "But you need a good blade. It's hard to parry a sword with your claws, isn't it?"

She pouted and patted her cutlass. "I could parry with this."

The Captain frowned in return. "Are you arguing that we should set sail without waiting for your new sword?"

"If we need to, yes. We've already wasted enough time." It was bad enough that she was former Horde scum- she didn't want to be responsible for holding up the next offensive. Or, at the very least, delaying the deployment of the Dragon's Daughter V.

"We didn't waste time," he retorted. "We tested the ship until we were sure she could be trusted." He patted the railing. "And she's a good ship. Fast and eager."

"Yes, but we can't wait another week until the princess builds a blade that won't explode when it breaks or strikes a rock," she told him

"But we can wait a few days - we haven't finished outfitting the ship, anyway."

That was true. She nodded, and he reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "See? It's all coming together just as planned!"

Seacat narrowed her eyes - the Captain usually claimed that when they got lucky.

But Sea Hawk smiled and then went to check the charts and logs again.

*****​

"And this is the improved energy sword!" the princess announced, holding up a slim cutlass - more like a sabre, actually.

"What can it do?" Seacat asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" the princess replied as if that hadn't been an obvious question. "Watch!"

She walked over to the corner of her lab filled with broken-down machinery. A bot turned to face her, and, for a moment, Seacat wondered if she'd use it for a demonstration. But the princess waved the bot to the side before she ignited the sword.

It looked like Sea Hawk's sword, just with a slightly curved blade.

"I tried making a complete energy blade - just growing from the hilt when activated - but it didn't have the cutting power needed," the princess explained. "I just couldn't stabilise the matrix at that thickness - or lack thereof. But I made something better!" She grinned widely. "I made a sword with a monomolecular edge stabilised by the energy sheath!"

"A monomolecular edge?" Seacat had no idea what that was, but it sounded cool.

"Well, not a true theorised monomolecular edge - that would've been impossible, though, technically, every edge has a single molecule at its, uh, edge, but people generally assume a far wider monomolecular area when they talk about the concept. However, the blade is so thin, it comes close enough for most practical purposes. That's why it needs the energy sheath - it would break really easily if you use it without it."

Seacat only caught half of that. "So… I shouldn't use it without the energy part?"

"Exactly!" The princess beamed at her. "Now let me demonstrate how it works!" She took a step towards a thick piece of metal - it looked like the bottom of a frigate's main mast if it were made of metal - and swung the blade.

Seacat whistled as a part of the metal slid off and crashed to the ground. That was impressive - even Sea Hawk's sword would have had trouble cutting it so easily. Her old sword wouldn't have done much at all.

"Now, the blade will have more trouble with dedicated armour, of course - this was just aluminium," the princess explained. "But it'll cut through most body armour we know."

"Most?" The sword looked like it could bisect the bug princess without trying.

"Well… I couldn't test it against every piece of armour; only the samples I had," the princess told her. "Some organic compound armour will resist it."

"Like the bug princess?" Seacat asked.

"Uh… I don't know her armour's composition. Sorry. But I don't think she'd donate part of it for science, anyway."

Seacat snorted. She would have to test that personally. "What about bots?"

"It should cut bots just fine. I think…" The princess was interrupted by sudden, urgent-sounding beeps coming from the other corner. "Oh, no, Emily! I would never test it on you! And neither would Seacat - she's a friend!"

Was the princess trying to calm down a Horde bot? A panicking Horde bot? Seacat laughed at the sheer weirdness of it.

"See? She's laughing. That means she's friendly."

Seacat blinked. That wasn't how things worked. A lot of people laughed before hurting you - or trying to. Mostly pirates and other scum, of course. But this was probably not the time to explain that to a bot who was apparently scared of her. A former Horde bot. Just like… She scoffed. "No, I'm not going to hurt your bots, but I'd like to test the sword myself against some targets."

"Oh, we have those! Let's set up some targets!"

Another bot started putting up metal targets vaguely people-shaped while the princess kept talking. "First, I got targets from the training yards, but they broke too easily and were quite difficult to repair - and the straw got everywhere! So I made my own. Aren't they cute?"

"Uh, yes, they are," Seacat said. As cute as metal statues of Horde soldiers could be, at least. Not that she cared, anyway.

"So… here's the blade. That's the button to activate the energy sheath. I wanted to hide it so only you could use it, but that would've made it awkward to use. I found that people find adequate security bothersome, you know?"

Seacat nodded. People were lazy. Then she took the blade. It did feel a little unbalanced in her hand - well, it was still decent enough, better than her current cutlass, actually, but her old sword had been perfectly balanced for her. The princess might be a genius, but she wasn't a swordsmith. But it would do. And it looked very sharp and very thin. Flimsy, even.

Then she pushed the button, and energy covered the blade. And… "Is it humming?"

"Oh, yes. That's the effect of the sheath pressing down on the blade to stabilise it. It's usually not audible, though."

"I've got good ears," she replied.

"Oh, that would explain it!"

Seacat wasn't really listening. She sized up the closest target and swung.

And a metal head rolled over the floor. She hadn't felt any real resistance.

Seacat's grin widened. She could fight with this. Very well, indeed. "This is great," she said. "Thank you!"

The princess beamed at her again.

*****​

"...and don't forget, if you want the engine to explode, you need to flip the big red switch to adjust the containment field," the princess said. "It'll need some time to build up, too, so you need to give it a few minutes."

That wasn't ideal, in Seacat's opinion. It would've been better, and much safer, relatively - preparing to ram an enemy was never safe - if they could've flipped the switch a moment before impact or something. A few minutes meant a lot of shots fired at them.

Seacat suppressed a shudder as she remembered how her last ship had been sunk in the Battle of Seaworthy. Any Horde gunner could get lucky. She considered pointing it out, but… It wasn't as if there was anything to be done, not now, at least, and the princess had worked very hard for them. Complaining would be… well, petty.

Sea Hawk, of course, had no objections - on the contrary. "Perfect! The Horde will rue the day they decided to challenge us on the seas!"

"They've been doing that for a while," Mermista said.

"Then they'll rue the day even more!" the Captain declared, raising his fist to the sky. "For we are back to hound and hurt them!"

Seacat nodded in agreement - it was past time to get back into the war. The Horde was getting cocky enough after rebuilding their forces.

Mermista, though, rolled her eyes. "Whatever." But then she took a step closer and stared into Sea Hawk's eyes. "Don't you dare to blow yourself up, you hear?"

He smiled in return and hugged her, making her squeak in surprise. "No worry, my love! Thanks to Entrapta's superb work, we'll be far too fast for the sluggish Horde ships to catch us!"

The princess beamed again. "Yes! You should be as safe as possible since the ship's too fast for the Horde firing solutions according to my calculations. Although there's always the chance that they manage to hit you by mistake, I guess," she added with a frown. "That would be bad."

"Yes," Seacat told her with a smile. "But we'll be careful. And we'll be raiding more crystals for you."

She found herself wrapped in the woman's hair. "Oh, thank you! That would be great! And tell me everything about the ship and sword's performance, yes?"

Seacat wriggled a little, but the hair didn't let her go. Well, she could endure that - Adora hugged way harder, especially in her sleep. "Of course."

"Thank you!"

The princess acted as if this was unusual and not common sense, Seacat noted as she was released.

Sea Hawk and Mermista were just pulling apart as well, both staring at each other. "Don't get killed," the princess said.

"Never!" Sea Hawk put his hand on his chest. "I shall return victorious to you!"

Mermista nodded, rather curtly, then turned to look at Seacat.

She knew that look and what it meant. "We'll do our best," she told the princess.

"You better."

Seacat nodded, though she knew as well as Mermista did that, sometimes, things didn't go your way no matter what you did. Every sailor knew that there was always a risk you'd stay at sea.

Not that she would be foolish enough to tempt fate and mention it, of course.

"Then let's go! Next stop: Seaworthy!" Sea Hawk announced as he jumped from the pier to the deck of the Dragon's Daughter V. "Adventure awaits!"

Seacat snorted and followed him, landing lightly next to the mast, then went belowdecks to start the engine.

When she returned to the deck, they were already pulling away from the pier. Mermista was watching them with crossed arms and a stern expression, but Entrapta was waving at them with arms and hair.

Seacat waved back, then moved to the bow to serve as lookout until they had left the harbour.

This was another change caused by the engine - larger ships wouldn't have to wait for the tides anymore, or have some rowers tug them out to sea when there was no or no favourable wind. Hell, even a single boat with such an engine could probably tow a squadron of frigates out of a harbour in the same time it would take a single of them to leave the old way.

Another advantage the Horde frigates had. They really needed to take the crystals needed for the engines away from the Horde, or their frigates would take control of the seas - the shock from their defeat in the Battle of Seaworthy wouldn't last long.

*****​

Seacat pulled on the line, adjusting the mainsail some more. The Dragon's Daughter V leaned a little more to the side as the sail caught a little more of the wind. Before testing Entrapta's engine, she would've considered her going decently fast. Not as fast as the Dragon's Daughter IV or III would've been going in the same wind, but fast enough for a courier ship.

But compared to the speed they could make with the engine going full-out, it was slow. And they weren't even tacking against the wind.

It didn't help that the ship wasn't the best sailing ship. It was good enough, of course - it was a former Salinean Courier, and Mermista's people did build the best ships. Fast lines and a solid design. Much better than anything the Horde put out. But when the engine wasn't running, it was a heavy weight, and the water intakes did add some drag in either case. Probably some additional wear and strain on the hull, too.

"That's as fast as she will go, Captain," she reported as she climbed the stairs to the afterdeck.

"So I see," Sea Hawk replied. "It's a decent pace, I guess." He laughed. "And it feels slow! Who would've thought things would change like that?"

"Not me," Seacat told him. She was just a sailor. "But we need this." She gestured towards the deck. If the Horde were the only one with engines, they'd win the war on the seas - and then the war on land.

"Indeed - and it was very fortunate that Princess Entrapta joined the Alliance in time to construct this marvel of science!"

"And that she came to Salineas and started building ships," Seacat added.

"Oh, I think that was assured as soon as she heard of the Horde frigates," the Captain said. "I doubt that she could've resisted the lure of a new field of inventions like that."

That was probably true, Seacat had to admit. But the princess could've stuck to Seaworthy, or some other port, building small boats that kept sinking or blowing up. Without the Salinean yards' experience, she wouldn't have been able to create a ship like the Dragon's Daughter V in such a short time. She nodded in agreement.

"But still - we could cut through the waves much faster, should we start up the engine;" Sea Hawk said. "We might be missing a crucial battle."

"We still have no source of crystals for the engine," she pointed out. Apart from raiding the Horde supply lines - which wasn't exactly easy. "So we can't waste them like this." Not if there wasn't an emergency.

"Another reason to deprive the Horde of fuel crystals!" Sea Hawk raised his fist in the air. "We need them for our own ships! And we shall take them!"

"As long as we've got a decent plan," she replied.

"Oh, don't worry! I've got the perfect plan in mind!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't mean sneaking up a river and raiding barges, do you?"

His frown told her enough even before he replied: "It's a good plan - with this ship, we can sail past the blocking forts at night and outpace any pursuit. And we can both fill our hold and tow barges with us."

"Past forts that are now on alert? And with skiffs patrolling the riverbanks?" This didn't sound like a good idea.

"We'll sacrifice the barges, if needed, to shield us from artillery." The Captain grinned. "With this ship, we can outrun their cannons easily. They'll get off one, two volleys. Three, at most."

"They only need to hit once," she pointed out. "And if they hit the engine…"

"It won't blow up without the amplifier switched on," Sea Hawk said. "Entrapta was quite clear about that."

"It won't blow up like a giant bomb, but it'll still blow up," she corrected him. "We saw that during testing, didn't we?"

"That was an earlier model; this ship's engine is far more advanced." he shook his head. "Don't underestimate the Dragon's Daughter V! She's a fighter!"

"We can't underestimate the Horde, either," Seacat retorted. "And what if the blockade the river? Or block it?"

Sea Hawk blinked, then smiled. "That's where the land forces come in."

"Land forces?"

"Of course! For such an important mission, we'll have to work with our allies and strike from the sea and from the land! We can carry a landing force to take the forts while the Horde soldiers focus on us."

She narrowed her eyes further. "You just thought of that, didn't you?"

"Would I do that?"

"In a heartbeat."

"I'll have you know that refining a few details of a plan is the hallmark of a successful strategist." He struck a pose, one fist on his chest.

"Adding a landing operation isn't a small detail," Seacat told him, hands on her hips.

"Details, details… important is that we'll succeed!"

*****​

"Seaworthy! We've made good time!" Sea Hawk announced as they approached the port.

Seacat nodded. They could've been faster, of course. Either by using the engine or if the ship had been a proper sailing ship and rigged for it. But as expected, the engine was weighing them down when it wasn't running. And the hull was already leaking a little more than was usual for such a ship - all the testing must have weakened it, and the intakes for the engine didn't help either.

"We'll sail in so the Horde spies won't be tipped off about our new ship's true capability," the Captain told her.

"Aye aye, Captain," she replied. They hadn't been too discreet in Salineas - you couldn't really hide such 'destructive tests' or 'stress tests', as Entrapta called it, anyway, not if you wanted to conduct them in parts where the sea was shallow enough for Mermista to recover the wreckage and fuel crystals. But a spy would take time to get anything from Salineas to the Horde. There was no trade between the kingdom and the Horde territory, and the Salinean ships were patrolling aggressively to avoid another invasion surprising them, so any spy would have to first sail to another location and then find a way to the Horde. Which would slow them down long enough for the Dragon's Daughter V to surprise the Horde.

Seaworthy, on the other hand, was much better for Horde spies. All they had to do was get out of the port, and they could hook up with Horde scouts. The Alliance ran patrols, but catching a single scout - or even a skiff - was hard. Seacat knew that from experience. Just as she knew there were traitors taking Horde coin in the port. And cowards not stepping up when the traitors attacked others.

Scowling at the memory, she started adjusting the sail as Sea Hawk changed course to enter the port. At least the wind was fair, so they wouldn't have to manoeuvre too much - or, worse, row the ship in.

But they were back in the war and would soon hit the Horde again. Harder than before. She grinned, showing her fangs, at the thought and looked at the port. Three Salinean frigates, four - five - transport ships from the Kingdom of Snow, a dozen independent merchants, three couriers - or smugglers… busy as usual.

"No battle damage," Sea Hawk commented as they passed the Salinean frigates moored inside the harbour.

"I hope they haven't sat on their asses while we were in Salineas," Seacat said, scowling again.

"I doubt my fellow Admiral would have let them," Sea Hawk told her. "I think she would have pushed her fleet hard to impress my dear Mermista."

That would fit the woman, Seacat had to admit. Gham was probably more likely to seek battle even when it wasn't a good idea than to pull back and hide.

Which meant, she added as she took a closer look at the next frigate, that the Horde hadn't taken to the seas. "The Horde must be preparing something," she said. "They had enough time to repair and resume operations. And they need to contest our control of the seas to defend the coast."

"Exactly. And I don't believe the current raids have caused a shortage of fuel crystals bad enough to present further operations." Sea Hawk nodded. "They're preparing something. Either they are just gathering every ship they can for another pitched battle, or they're planning something more devious." He stroked his moustache and grinned. "Either way, we will beat them and foil their plans!"

Seacat nodded. They had to.

*****​

"My fellow Admiral! I bring news from Salineas!" Sea Hawk greeted Gham with exaggerated cordiality - Seacat could tell easily.

The scowl from the admiral showed that she either saw through Sea Hawk's act or just loathed him anyway. "You have a dispatch for me?"

"Indeed. In addition to the usual missives, I also have orders for you directly from Princess Mermista - my dear Mermista - herself!" He reached into his shirt and pulled out a sealed envelope. "Here!"

Gham glared at him and took the envelope with a look of loathing. She sliced it open, then quickly read the orders inside.

Seacat used the opportunity to put the package with the rest of the mail on the admiral's desk and step back again. She felt safer with her hands free - in Seaworthy or in Gham's office.

Her keen ears didn't miss the slight gasp of the woman when she reached the critical passage. "I'm to support you," she spat through clenched teeth.

"To your best ability," Sea Hawk added, nodding. "This is truly a crucial mission - should we fail, we might yet lose control of the seas. Both my dear Mermista and Princess Entrapta are fully behind this!"

"Behind this folly?" Gham scoffed. "A landing operation behind the enemy lines? With a single courier ship? That's suicidal! Even worse than your forlorn charge against the Horde's line of battle!"

"A successful charge, I have to point out - which also was agreed upon by Princess Mermista."

"A charge that cost us most of our courier ships!"

"That all the ships taking part were at risk was known in advance as well. All of the crews were volunteers," Sea Hawk retorted. "Very brave. Of course, I would never ask anything of the men and women under my command that I wouldn't risk myself - and I lost my ship as well. The Dragon's Daughter IV, sunk by the Horde flagship even after I crippled her!"

"You got another ship already," Gham replied. "And you knew you would get a new ship."

"As did all other survivors, I believe." Sea Hawk smiled. "Princess Mermista knows how to reward her sailors."

Gham scowled. "I won't support another suicidal and wasteful plan! There's no need for it - the Horde scum hasn't dared to take to the sea in weeks against our ships! We have them all but blockaded in their ports!"

Seacat snorted. "They're preparing something. Something big. Which is why we need to strike now - and cut off their fuel supply."

Gham glared at her, but Seacat met her eyes with a smile. She wasn't some cowed Salinean sailor trembling before an admiral - she was Seacat, best First Mate on all the seas. And not in Gham's chain of command.

She waited until Gham turned to face the big map of the local sea behind her desk to stick out her tongue at the admiral's back, though.

"Look at this!" Gham slapped the middle of the map. "We control the entire coast! And we need every courier to screen our forces and scout for the enemy! Now you want to take not just a perfectly fine courier, but also our best marines, behind the enemy lines?"

"Before they finish rearming and rebuilding their forces, yes." Sea Hawk shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, assume we're scouting the enemy? And, as before: volunteers only, of course."

It didn't make the Admiral feel better, Seacat could tell. But orders were orders.

This mission wouldn't be delayed.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 21: The Storm

"Let me be honest with you: Our mission is crucial for the Alliance - decisive, even! - but it's also very, very dangerous," Sea Hawk announced, standing on his seat with one boot on the table, facing the two dozen marines, soldiers and sailors gathered in the repurposed dining hall. "You will be braving deadly dangers and facing the best of the Horde should you decide to volunteer for this! A mission reserved for the bravest of the brave!"

Seacat looked the men and women over. None of them looked afraid - but then, after such a speech, who would dare to show fear? In front of the other volunteers?

"I know you've all volunteered for a dangerous mission without knowing more than it would put you into peril, but I'll have to say it again: Only join me if you are willing to lay down your life for the Alliance!" Sea Hawk went on. "You can serve the Alliance perfectly well on the frontlines otherwise!"

One burly goatman scoffed. "Are you trying to scare us away? If so, it's not working!"

A few more chuckled. Two female 'privateers' Seacat was sure were actually pirates, at best former pirates, both decked out with many blades, one minotaur with a battleaxe slung over his shoulder that looked like it could cut through a frigate's mainmast, and a lizardwoman that matched the minotaur in height and bulk and had a huge harpoon in her hands.

The Salinean marines didn't laugh. They didn't look afraid, either, of course - but they were standing apart from the others.

The rest of their group was made up of three soldiers in Bright Moon armour and four from the Kingdom of Snows - Seacat didn't think anyone else would be wearing furred armour in Seaworthy. But they were at least familiar with the sea; Seacat didn't know if the Bright Mooners could be trusted not to spend the trip bent over the railing puking their guts out.

"If I thought you were easily scared you weren't here," Sea Hawk retorted. He flashed his teeth. "But I'm serious - you all know how many of my crews returned from the Battle of Seaworthy. This will be as dangerous."

That reached some of the cocky scoundrels. But with the marines not budging at all, only nodding with grim expressions, none of them backed out either. The goatman hit his chest. "I've been on raids before."

Sea Hawk waited a moment, looking at everyone else, then nodded. "Splendid! Then let's board our ship - you'll be briefed once we're underway."

That was her cue. Seacat cleared her throat and took a step forward, placing herself at the Captain's side. "Alright you lot - follow me to the Dragon's Daughter V. I'll get you sorted out there." She showed her fangs. "I'm the first mate, Seacat."

Once more, the marines merely nodded, as did the other soldiers, but the lizardwoman sniffed. "I've heard of you. You were Horde scum, weren't you?"

Seacat stared at her. How dare that bastard… She forced herself to grin. "I was raised in the Fright Zone. And I've spent the last four years fighting the Horde."

But the other woman didn't want to back down. "I don't trust Horde scum."

Seacat clenched her fist, barely managing to avoid digging her claws into the palms of her hands. A number of the others were eyeing her with guarded expressions as well. "So you don't trust She-Ra, huh?"

"What?"

"We were in the same cadet squad in the Fright Zone. Bunk mates," Seacat told the idiot. She took a step forward, keeping eye contact with her. "That makes her Horde scum, doesn't it? So, she can't be trusted, right?"

"She's She-Ra," the lizardwoman said.

"And I'm Seacat." She took a few more steps until she was right in the woman's face. The other scoundrels moved away, giving them space.

The lizardwoman held her gaze, her jaw set. Perhaps Seacat would have to beat her down to make her point. One less scoundrel wouldn't endanger the mission. Might even help impress on the rest not to mess with her.

But then the lizardwoman looked away. "Feh!"

Seacat scoffed and deliberately turned her back to the woman. "Enough of that. We've got a mission. Everyone follow me to the harbour!"

Most of the scoundrels agreed, the two 'privateers' chuckling as they glanced at the lizardwoman. The woman glared at them, gripping her harpoon harder.

Seacat sighed silently. The woman obviously was trouble. She knew the type.

*****​

As expected, Svetana, which was the lizardwoman's name, not that Seacat cared, complained as soon as they were on the Dragon's Daughter V. "What do you mean, we can't go belowdecks?"

"I meant exactly what I said," Seacat told the woman. "You can't go belowdecks without my or the Captain's permission. Which you haven't, in case you're confused about that." She tilted her head.

"Are we supposed to sleep on deck?"

Seacat wasn't the only one to stare at the lizardwoman. Any sailor would rather sleep on deck, in the fresh air, than belowdecks in a stick cabin - at least in these waters, where it was warm. And it would only get warmer as they sailed south.

"Are you daft?" one of the 'former' pirates, Alcy, told her. "You want to sleep in the hold?"

Her friend Licy - and Seacat bet those weren't their real names - snorted. "Of course she is, starting trouble on Sea Hawk's ship."

The way the scoundrel said that made Seacat think she and her friend might be trouble, too - if of a different sort. Some of the sailors and pirates hadn't gotten the message yet that Sea Hawk was taken.

Whatever, she'd tackle one problem at a time. "You're not allowed belowdecks," she repeated herself. "Sergeant Bry."

The tallest woman of the Salinean marines raised her head. "Yes?"

If Seacat had been a member of the Salinean Navy like Sea Hawk, she would have taken offence at the lack of respect, but since she wasn't, she'd let it slide - as long as the woman did what was expected of her. "Ensure that no one except for the Admiral or I go belowdecks. We've got delicate cargo."

"Delicate cargo? On a raid?" Svetana narrowed her eyes at Seacat.

"Yes." Seacat flashed her fangs in a tooth grin at the troublemaker. "And that's all you need to know."

The other woman growled but slowly nodded, then went to the railing. "Whatever."

Seacat shook her head and wondered if they could get rid of the woman on the way.

"Where's the Admiral, anyway?" Licy asked.

"He's got a meeting with Admiral Gham regarding the mission," Seacat told her. It wasn't a secret - half the port would know it before the Captain was back on the Dragon's Daughter V.

"Ah." The woman looked around on deck, where the two dozen volunteers were now spreading out. "The ship's riding high in the water for a full cargo hold."

Of course a pirate would notice that right away. "Yes," Seacat replied, showing her fangs again.

For a moment, Licy pouted. Then she grinned and went to join her friend.

Seacat suppressed a sigh. Passengers often were the worst cargo. You couldn't even fight them if they were too annoying. Not usually, at least.

*****​

"Alright!" Sea Hawk announced as soon as he stepped on deck. "Prepare to sail!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" Seacat replied, heading to the mast. "Cast off!" she yelled at the Minotaur standing closest to the bow mooring lines. The brute looked confused. "Pull the line in!" she clarified - the closest dockworker had already untied it.

He finally got the idea and reeled the line in. Licy was doing the same aft. The wind wasn't ideal - they would have to tack once to leave the harbour, Seacat knew - but it was good enough. A tugboat with an engine would be really handy, actually. No need to use a Horde engine, either - a tugboat could stock up on wood anytime and wouldn't need to carry cargo…

But then they were underway, and she was busy adjusting the sails - and keeping an eye on Svetana and the other scoundrels - until they were past the mole.

Sea Hawk turned south at once. That was a surprise, actually. Frowning slightly, Seacat tied the line down and then joined the captain on the afterdeck. "I expected to sail towards Salineas until we were out of sight of the harbour," she commented in a low voice.

"Oh, but any Horde spy would expect that. By turning south directly after clearing the harbour, they'll suspect this is a ruse!" Sea Hawk replied with a grin.

Seacat frowned. That might be overestimating the intelligence of a Horde Spy. On the other hand, the Horde would be expecting operations in the south anyway. Especially with… She looked around - no volunteer was close enough to overhear them. "What about the landing force?"

"They'll be boarding a transport in a smaller village to the south before meeting us at the Dolphin Cape," Sea Hawk told her.

"Ah." That made sense - any force large enough to take a Horde port would have sent the spies in Seaworthy flying. And there weren't that many targets for such a force.

*****​

The Dolphin Cape didn't look like a dolphin nor did dolphin's live there. It was named after the explorer who had first found the closest route around it - through the reefs dotting the sea nearby. Seacat remembered Sea Hawk telling her the story when they first sailed through, years ago. And she remembered telling the same story to others on their first visit to the cape.

"...and that's why it's named Dolphin Cape," 'Alcy' finished telling the story - or a story about it - to the soldiers from Bright Moon.

"Ah." Their leader nodded.

"That's also why dolphins are called dolphins," the scoundrel went on. "They were discovered here first, but migrated afterwards."

The snickering from the rest of the experienced marines and assorted scourges of the sea clued the Bright Mooner in that this was about as close to the truth as his kingdom was to the sea. He didn't make a fuss, though, but chuckled - having been stationed in Seaworthy must have made him get used to sailors' tales.

Or shanties, Seacat added with a glance to the Captain who was at the wheel. The other scoundrel, 'Licy', had been encouraging Sea Hawk to sing at every opportunity. It was a transparent attempt to get closer to him, and the Captain should've told her off already.

But this was Sea Hawk's business… he wouldn't cheat on Mermista, anyway. On the other hand, if rumours about an affair went around… She clenched her teeth. She knew this would be trouble.

And speaking - or thinking - of trouble… Seacat looked at the bow, where the lizardwoman was standing, watching the sea. The other troublemaker. She hadn't tried to get into the hold for a while now, but Seacat was sure she hadn't abandoned the idea. But was that because she was simply too curious to let things lie, or because she was a spy? Or was she simply a pirate looking for loot? Did she think they were transporting a war chest to pay the Alliance forces fighting on the coast?

Seacat looked at the rest of the scoundrels. If that rumour started going around, it would be very bad. How many of the cutthroats would be tempted to go after such a price? At least half of them, in Seacat's opinion. Perhaps all of them.

Perhaps they should let the lizardwoman catch a glimpse of the empty hold to prevent this...No, that wouldn't work. The woman would only assume the rear cargo was hidden somewhere else. And once she found the engine… Hell, if she realised how valuable the crystals were, things would be even worse.

No, they couldn't let her do this. All they could do was to watch the troublemaker - and drop her overboard as soon as she tried something.

Seacat was looking forward to it.

*****​

"Ship ahead!" the scoundrel - 'Alcy' - on lookout duty yelled. Seacat quickly scrambled up the mast to check herself with a telescope.

"Kingdom of Snows cog!" she yelled to the Captain. "Looks like the 'Ice Spear'!" That was the transport ship they were supposed to meet.

"A transport?" The woman's eyes lit up. Definitely a pirate, Seacat thought.

"One of ours," she told her. "We're going to escort it."

Not quite a lie.

"Us? Escort a transport?" The scoundrel scoffed. "How? We don't have guns!" With narrowed eyes, she added: "Unless you've got a secret weapon in the hold."

"We will serve as a guide and scout for them," Seacat told her. "With the Horde ships still blockaded, we won't have to deal with any hostile ships." At least nothing like frigates - the chances of the Horde to slip a frigate past the Salinean patrols was nil. And the Dragon's Daughter V could deal with smaller ships - the Horde sailors would be no match for the marines and scoundrels on the ship.

She slid down the mast, jumping the last few yards and landed lightly on her feet.

"Ah, they made it!" Sea Hawk announced. "Great!"

"So, it's not going to be a raid but a landing operation!" the Salinean Sergeant spoke up.

"A combination of both, actually," Sea Hawk retorted. "We'll need to take a fortress to conduct a proper raid.

"What?" That was the lizardwoman. "You… you're going to raid a river!"

Sea Hawk, despite knowing about Seacat's misgivings, nodded with a smile. "Indeed! Not only will we raid their supply barges, but we'll block them from the sea!"

The soldiers cheered. The scoundrels were probably calculating their cuts from such a raid. Or the sack of a fortress-town.

"So, that's why the hold is off-limits - you've got some secret weapon down there!" The lizardwoman grinned.

Seacat didn't know if that was worse than the rumour that they had a chest full of gold in the hold. But, she reminded herself as she looked at the sky, which was darkening, it might just have become moot anyway. If a storm was brewing…

*****​

At least they knew now that the Dragon's Daughter V was handling well in rough seas. Seacat snorted at the stray thought as she pulled on a stubborn line to secure the scrap of sail they were still flying. Anything bigger would've been torn to shreds by the wind battering the ship, and she was giving the remaining sail fifty/fifty odds of surviving the storm that had developed in a few hours.

It was already bad - rain was pouring down, soaking her, and the waves were tall enough to capsize the ship, should they hit it from the side. She had a feeling it was going to become worse, though.

After finally tying down the line, she made her way across the heaving deck to the Captain, claws digging into slick, wet wood to keep her from sliding into the railing - or even going overboard. "All's tied down, Captain!" she yelled over the roaring winds.

"Good, First Mate!" Sea Hawk yelled back. He was soaked to the bone, just as Seacat was. At least it was rainwater, not seawater - she wouldn't have salt crusts in her fur tomorrow.

Provided they managed to keep the Dragon's Daughter V afloat through the storm. "How's she holding up?" Seacat asked, gripping the railing with both hands to steady herself as they crested another wave.

"Leaking, but the pumps are being worked!"

That wasn't anything new. Seacat held her breath as the ship started to plunge down the wave. "We'll have to ride it out!"

Not as if they had a choice. They had lost sight of the transport hours ago, though in this storm, even the larger ship might have serious trouble. It depended on their crew - and the sailors of the Kingdom of Snows were a mixed breed. Some of them were amongst the best you could find while others were worse than Horde scum pressed into service.

She shook her head - she had to focus on surviving this storm. Not on wondering about how others fared.

Another tall wave, taller than the rest. She gritted her teeth as they rose higher than before, and plunged deeper afterwards. This time, the mast creaked ominously, and Sea Hawk grunted as he struggled with the wheel to keep the bow pointed at the waves.

She reached out to help him, but he shook his head. "Start the engine and lower all the sails!"

She'd expected that - the winds were too strong even for the scraps still flying from the mast, but they needed some sort of propulsion to steer the ship. "Aye aye, Captain!"

She stuck to the railing, making her way to the hold hand over hand. If she lost her grip, she would be thrown overboard and… She hissed at the wind and the waves. She wouldn't lose her grip. She wouldn't lose. She was Seacat!

On the main deck, she grabbed the line leading to the hold, resisting the urge to run. Slow and steady. One hand always on the line. As Sea Hawk had taught her.

She reached the hold and ripped the trapdoor open with one hand, then slid inside. Rain doused the stairs before she closed the trapdoor again.

Down below, the marines and scoundrels were looking at her with scared expressions. Even the ones manning the pumps. "Keep pumping!" she yelled. If they stopped, the ship would sink. Another plunge surprised her, but she managed to keep her grip on the stair's railing and avoid getting thrown into the hold - unlike the lizardwoman, she noticed, who slid all the way down to smack into the hull.

The marines were still in front of the door to the engine room. Good. That would keep the rest out. She dashed over to them, gripping a hanging line to steady herself just in time to ride out another wave. As soon as the ship was steady - if you could call it - again - she rushed inside.

There were puddles of water on the floor, but Entrapta had assured her that water wouldn't damage the engine - and the drains were working. Probably. As long as the pumps were kept working.

She approached the engine, then slid back as the ship took another plunge, crashing into the hull next to the door with a curse despite her claws leaving deep gouges in the deck. Damn - this hadn't been a straight plunge! They needed the engine to start!

Clenching her teeth and cursing the damned storm every way she knew, she scrambled forward on all fours, claws ripping into the wood, until she reached the engine. There was the activation switch, as Entrapta had called it. She flipped it, then checked the crystal feeder as the engine started to come alive. The crystal started glowing as the engine started running.

Good. She rode out another plunge by gripping the engine, banging her thigh against a coolant pipe, before moving back to the door - she was needed on deck.

*****​

When the sky finally cleared up, just in time to see the sun rising, Seacat almost collapsed against the railing to which she had tied herself. That had been one of the worst storms she had ever lived through. Not as bad as the storm during her third trip to the Kingdom of Snows, which had been a nightmare of ice, hail and water that froze on her fur, but it had matched it in sheer power and rage.

She hurt as well - she had been smashed into the deck and against the railing far too often while riding out the storm. But, as a quick check showed, nothing seemed to be broken. Just far too many painful bruises. And her fur was covered in salt crusts and itched like crazy.

Nothing she couldn't handle.

She glanced up. The mast had held, which was a miracle - but even the small scraps of sail they've had running had been ripped off by the wind. She'd gotten the engine up and running just in time.

"Whew! This was a little more harrowing than I would have preferred."

Even Sea Hawk sounded subdued. Then again, he didn't look any better than Seacat felt. He had tied himself to the wheel, and she could see the bruises on his chest through the torn remains of his shirt.

"A little?" She scoffed.

"Oh, we made it, didn't we?" His familiar grin appeared, teeth gleaming. "This will be a story to tell many times." Then his smile faded. "But I fear that the storm will have claimed more than a few ships, and while our own has come through, she suffered from the experience."

Seacat nodded as she tried to untie the line securing her to the railing, then gave up and slashed the knot with her claws. The ship had been battered. The mast was still standing, but the rigging had been torn. The railing had been damaged as well in some spots. And… She looked down at the sea and cursed. "We're lower in the water than before." Either the pumps had failed, or the water had been too much for them. "I'll check the hold."

Sea Hawk, struggling to untie himself, nodded. She saw him grab his sword before she opened the hold.

Then she winced. She had been thrown around on deck, but it had been as bad - or worse - belowdecks. Most of the marines and scoundrels looked hurt. But the sergeant was still blocking the door to the engine room, and the minotaur was manning the pumps. One of them, at least. The two former pirates were struggling with the other, barely managing to work it. And everyone was staring at her with exhausted, even haunted expressions.

"The storm's over!" she yelled, forcing herself to smile. "We've made it."

A ragged cheer mixed with painful groans answered her. She looked around. The lizardwoman looked like she was just waking up - had she slept through the storm? Or collapsed from exhaustion?

It didn't matter right now. "Keep the pumps going!" she yelled. "And get the wounded up on deck so we can look you over."

"We've sprung at least two leaks," the minotaur told her. "I can't keep up with just one pump for much longer."

"Noted," she replied. They'd have to fix that. At least enough to reach the coast so they could do proper repairs.

It wouldn't do to have the ship sink now after the storm was over.

*****​

"Land ahead!"

Seacat breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure that the repairs would hold - they had done their best to plug the leaks and shore up the hull, but there was only so much you could do at sea. They really needed to get the Dragon's Daughter on a beach somewhere and repair the hull properly. Before the pumps gave out - or the people manning them collapsed.

The minotaur was already dead to the world - he had worked himself into exhaustion. The goatman had taken over but was struggling. And the second pump… well, the lizardwoman was keeping it going, but Seacat hadn't had the impression that she was giving her all.

Which was the reason Seacat had kept an eye on the woman for the last few hours - and had the marines guard the engine room despite the situation on deck, where all the wounded were resting. It was really too bad that the lizardwoman hadn't worked herself into exhaustion in time for making landfall. That would've been very convenient.

Well, she'd just have to help with beaching the ship, which should be enough to exhaust her - Seacat wouldn't let her slack off in any case.

She suppressed a yawn. She should've slept a little longer than a few hours. Probably. But with the ship in constant danger of sinking, and so many of their passengers unable to pitch in - the Bright Moon soldiers all had broken bones, and Seacat still couldn't understand how they hadn't managed to secure themselves in time - she had been needed.

And she was still needed. The Captain hadn't slept any longer than Seacat, after all.

Beaching the ship would be a bitch, indeed.

*****​

As it turned out a few hours later, beaching the ship was far easier than Seacat had assumed. Sea Hawk simply had her push the engine to max power and drove the Dragon's Daughter V straight up the beach. Only the aft was left in the water, and shallow water at that - the screw was turning in the air.

Of course that meant getting it back into the sea would be a bitch. Seacat snorted as she jumped down onto the still cold sand, landing in a crouch, and looked around.

They were in a small inlet of sorts - a sandy beach flanked by reefs and rocks, with a forest bordering the beach. Unless someone was sailing straight past the mouth of the inlet, they wouldn't spot the ship from the sea. But anyone could be hiding in the forest.

"Sergeant, take your men for a sweep of the area!" Sea Hawk had come to the same conclusion, of course.

"Aye aye, sir! Come on, you lot! We've got work to do!"

The marines climbed down the hull with the help of a rope ladder and trotted off towards the forest's edge. Sea Hawk swung down on a line and landed next to Seacat, then turned to look the hull over.

There were two spots where the planks had been caved in, which they already knew about, but now, out of the water, Seacat could see that the hull had more if smaller holes and spots where the planks looked slightly loose.

"We should've expected that," she muttered. All the stress testing wasn't good for any ship.

"It's the storm's fault. She was fine before that." Sea Hawk shook his head. "It doesn't matter - we will rebuild her! Better than ever!" He looked up at the ship's main deck and yelled: "Everyone who can, come on down - we've got work to do!"

"Everyone?" she whispered.

"I've left a guard in the hold," he told her, flashing a grin.

Good. She nodded, then stepped forward to face the scoundrels climbing down on to the beach. They needed to hurry - there was a war going on. And the storm would have hit the Salinean ships on station for blockade and patrol duty much worse than the Horde ships pinned down in their ports. The alliance ships would've been blown off-course. Some might've even been lost altogether.

Seacat frowned as she started giving orders to the ragged group of people. She could only hope that the transport hadn't sunk - it had been full of soldiers.

*****​

"We found no sign of any enemy troops - or anyone else - in the woods," the sergeant reported an hour later.

"Good," Sea Hawk replied. "Now go rest with your men; you've earned it."

The burly woman nodded. "In the hold."

"Exactly, my good fellow!"

Seacat nodded as well - everyone had realised what was in the guarded room, especially with the screw visible, but the exact details of the engine were still a secret, and it would stay a secret. She glanced at the lizardwoman, yawning. They had her digging sand, but now that they knew the forest was safe, they could send her to do some lumbering; you would need seasoned wood for repairs, which was why they had planks with them, but fresh logs would be perfect for propping the ship up while they prepared to float it.

As long as someone kept an eye on her. She suppressed another yawn.

"Seacat, I think you should take a rest as well," Sea Hawk said.

Damn. He had noticed. "I can't," she told him, nodding at the ship. The repairs were still going on.

"If you don't take a nap now, you'll collapse," he retorted. "And so will I."

She glared at him. That was unfair!. "You can take a nap now, then!"

"I'm the Captain; I rest after my crew. That's the sacred code we live by!"

"I've got the feeling that the sacred code of the sea gets frequent additions," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It's a pragmatic code," he replied with a smile Growing more serious, he added: "You really need sleep. You're driving yourself ragged. That's an order."

She growled through clenched teeth. "Aye aye, sir!" she snapped. "I'll sleep in front of the engine room." That way, she would at least be a little useful.

And she wouldn't be easy prey for the lizardwoman.

*****​

"Svetana's gone?" That wasn't what Seacat wanted to hear right after she was woken up from a nap that had been far longer than agreed according to the position of the sun in the sky.

"Yes." Sea Hawk yawned. "She was lumbering and stepped deeper into the forest - and didn't come out." He nodded at a Brightmoon soldier with a splinted arm. "Tevos tracked her, but returned when it was obvious she was heading straight inland."

"Damn. She must have been a spy!" Seacat cursed.

The Captain nodded as he yawned again. "As we suspected. Perhaps we should've locked her up, but without any proof..." He shook his head. "That's Horde style, not us."

"But why would she run now?" The Marine Sergeant was shaking her head as well. "There's no port nearby, and the enemy front is a day's worth of walking south of us."

Seacat scoffed. "She probably knew we were onto her and used the opportunity to escape."

"Or the front's not as far," Sea Hawk said, blinking a few times.

Hell. If there were Horde troops in the area… "Go get some rest, Captain. We'll do our best to complete the repairs as quickly as possible."

"Alright. You're in command, First Mate!"

He didn't argue, she noted with a frown. And she'd been all ready to throw his own words back at her.

Damn.

But things weren't beyond hope. The spy had been in Seaworthy for a while - she couldn't know the latest troop movements of the Horde. She was probably just trying to escape to the Horde. That would take her a day - more than enough time to finish the repairs and sail away.

Seacat blinked. Unless… "We need to check the ship for sabotage," she hissed. "And the lumber she cut."

*****​

While Sea Hawk finally took a nap, she did exactly that. And as she had feared - the struts the lizardwoman had brought in were useless - cut in some places so they'd break as soon as the ship's weight rested on them. "We need more lumber," she said. That would throw off their timetable. The Horde still wouldn't reach them, not even if they sent a force on skiffs - but it would be closer than Seacat liked.

"I'll get my men on it," the sergeant replied, nodding sharply.

Seacat nodded in return, then climbed up to the deck. She had to check the rest of the ship for more sabotage. The mast and rigging looked OK - not that there had been much of an opportunity to sabotage either - but the rigging was still torn from the storm.

She climbed down into the hold, wrinkling her nose at the smell of puke. She hadn't noticed that earlier. Perhaps she had been a little too tired. But then, what else had she missed?

The hull was fine - they had checked it after the lizardwoman had been sent away to lumber. That left the engine and steering.

The engine was OK. Seacat ran it through all tests Entrapta had taught them, and it worked. As did the steering - the cables connecting the wheel to the rudder were fine.

She sighed with relief. If they had been stranded here…

She was about to return to the main deck, wrinkling her nose at the smell of vomit again. Landlubbers just couldn't handle rougher seas without getting sick.

She paused, blinking. They had kept an eye on the spy. Kept her from the engine room and other sensitive parts. But the lizardwoman had spent the voyage and the storm in the hold. Where they stored their water and food.

Damn. She rushed over to the barrels with their fresh water, opening the first. She scooped up some water and sniffed it. There was something… she licked it, then spit on the floor. There was something in the water. Faint, but she could taste it - if only because they had just left Seaworthy and the water hadn't taken on an aftertaste yet. If the lizardwoman had waited a little longer… Seacat snorted. The storm might have saved them all, actually.

But they still need to replace the water. Which meant they needed a source of fresh water - and they needed to clean the barrels. Thoroughly.

That would take time. Quite a bit. Maybe enough for the Horde troops to reach them.

Damn.

They could sail without water - but they would have to get fresh water from somewhere within a few days, at most. That would delay the whole mission - and give the Horde enough time to react and fortify the target.

Unless… No, The sky was clear. No chance of rain. She shook her head as she climbed out of the hold. Half a day ago, she'd been worried the ship would sink in a storm, and now she'd be ecstatic if it were raining so they could catch the water.

And she would have to wake up the Captain. Damn.

*****​

"There's a small spring, but it's half an hour into the woods," the Bright Mooner told her. "And the stream it feeds doesn't lead anywhere near here."

"Great." Seacat shook her head. Poisoned water. And now the only source of fresh water was half an hour away in the middle of the forest - transporting enough water for a sea voyage would be a pain. She looked at the people washing the barrels in the sea and sighed. "No way around it. We need that water."

"Indeed," Sea Hawk said, stifling a yawn. "Without water we cannot continue our mission. We have to send a party to gather water."

"And how do we transport it?" the soldier asked. "Lugging the empty barrels around is bad enough, but full?"

Seacat looked at the minotaur, who was busy digging into the sand so they could float the ship back out as soon as the repairs were done. He could probably carry a full barrel by himself. As for the rest… four per barrel, if they could rig a pack frame or something. The Salinean marines could do it. A dozen people - three casks, a fourth with the minotaur. That would see them through for a while.

At least the repairs were progressing nicely - in a pinch, they would be able to sail away and rush back up north. They should be able to reach the frontlines before dying from thirst.

Yells and screams made her whirl. Someone had fallen from the deck! She rushed over and found the goatman on the ground, groaning. The scoundrel probably had spent too much time in the sun without a head covering.

The goatman rolled over and vomited on the beach. And among the bile on the sound was blood as well. Seacat hissed. The lizardwoman must have poisoned the water earlier than they had assumed!

"Is anyone else feeling ill?" she yelled?

One of the Salineans raised his hand. He looked queasy - and clammy. And one of the soldiers from the Kingdom of Snows did so as well. His comrades didn't look healthy either - if that wasn't just the southern heat...

Damn.

"It seems the spy was more effective than we assumed." Sea Hawk looked grim.

Seacat nodded. As did the sergeant. With people starting to get sick, work would slow down. And they would have to send out the water party now - they needed fresh water urgently.

"Make sure that no one who drank water within the last twelve hours is coming with you," Sea Hawk told the sergeant. You can't afford to carry the wounded as well as the water.

"Aye aye, sir," the Salinean replied. "But that will cut down on our number."

"There's no way around it," Sea Hawk told her.

Seacat clenched her teeth. If she ever caught that spy…

But first, she had to focus on ensuring that this wasn't the end of their voyage. No matter how.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 22: The Beach

Seacat frowned, watching the group of soldiers and sailors disappear in the forest. With half their number - and their strongest people - sent to collect water, and half of the remaining people being sick, the repairs slowed to a crawl. It was a good thing that the hull was already mostly fixed - but they still needed to move a lot of sand to float the ship and get it back into the sea. And they needed lumber to prop the ship up until the water filled the channel dug around it. The damn spy's sabotage had hit them twice there: Poisoning the men and sabotaging the lumber.

"Go with the lumbering party," Sea Hawk told her. He suppressed another yawn. "I'll oversee the repairs here."

"You need to take another nap," she replied in a low voice - it wouldn't do to let the remaining people see them bicker. Morale was down already.

"I can nap once we're at sea. Now it's all hands on deck," he retorted. Then he blinked. "In the sand, actually, but you know what I mean."

She did. And he was, unfortunately, right. "We need you at the helm. Don't overdo it," she hissed.

He smiled in return. "We need that lumber."

Clenching her teeth, she walked over to the group digging the channel. The two female pirates, or former pirates, as they claimed, looked healthy, but they weren't the strongest. The two remaining soldiers from the Kingdom of Snows looked strong, but they kept glancing towards the tent they had put up for the poisoned crew, where the other half of their group was groaning and suffering.

It couldn't be helped. She pointed at the two men. "I need you two. Lumbering party."

Once more, one of them glanced at their friends. Seacat suppressed the urge to snap at them. "We need to get the ship back into the water. If we're still stuck here when the Horde arrives, your friends are doomed."

"Are we supposed to dig alone?" Licy complained.

"Until we've got enough lumber, yes. Keep digging as if your life depends on it. It does." She flashed her fangs at them,

The pirates snorted at her feeble joke but kept shovelling sand. Good.

She turned to the others. "Alright, lose the coats and come with me."

"We'll get sunburned without our coats!"

"Not in the forest. But you'll collapse in the heat." It was early afternoon, after all - and the heat wouldn't go down until the evening. "Come on!"

She led them to the edge of the forest. "The spy cut down the best trees already, so we'll have to go further in," she explained. "Don't try to move the logs - we'll cut them into lumber in place. Easier to move."

"We're just three people," one of the men complained.

"Once the water party is back, we'll be more," she replied. "Now start cutting down trees!"

She drew her sword as she approached the first not overly crooked tree. Trying to cut through the trunk with one swing would risk wrecking the sword. It could cut through the trunk, she knew that, but with all the weight on top… She'd rather not risk it. But if she angled the blows and whittled the trunk down… Not quite as fast, but fast enough. Or so she hoped.

She swung her cutlass, carving a slice out of the trunk. And another. And another. Until the tree started to topple.

"Watch out!" she yelled as the tree fell, crushing a small bush underneath it. Good. She started on cutting it into lumber. Rough, uneven lumber - but they didn't need precise planks to prop up the ship. Just enough logs and planks.

She wiped sweat from her face. This would be hot and tiring work. But if she could keep the pace up, they could do this.

"Ugh."

"Mirko! Not you too!"

Seacat closed her eyes.

Damn it to hell!

She looked around - one of the men was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. "Did you drink from the water?" she snapped.

"No, no. I haven't drunk any water since the storm started."

Seacat sighed. "Great. Go soak your head in the sea. It might help cool you down." She glared at the other. "You! Keep cutting. And if you feel like you're about to collapse, tell me."

Really, if this continued, she'd have to do everything by herself!

And she was feeling pretty parched as well. That water party better hurry back - she doubted that the others would last much longer without water.

She should've asked Entrapta for something that turned salt water into fresh water and taken a sword from Mermista's vaults.

*****​

An hour later, she was just cutting up another trunk, she finally heard cursing from further into the forest. Familiar cursing - that was the Marine sergeant. They were bringing water!

Smiling, she finished cutting the log into struts, then looked towards in the direction of the cursing. Soon, she could spot movement in the underbrush. Then the minotaur appeared, carrying an entire barrel on his back. A dozen soldiers in three groups of four followed, struggling with three barrels.

She waved. "Hey!"

The minotaur grunted in reply and seemed to pick up his pace - then almost stumbled and dropped the barrel. He managed to catch it, but it was clear he was exhausted.

"Go help him!" she told the Kingdom of Snows soldier. "Your friend needs water."

So did Seacat - her mouth felt parched, and she had been sweating too much, but the others needed it more urgently. As Sea Hawk had taught her: A captain never drank before his sailors had their fill. She wasn't a captain, but the principle applied to First Mates as well.

She approached the sergeant while the soldiers and the minotaur dropped to the ground for a - hopefully short - rest. "Any trouble?"

The woman scoffed. "Moving through the forest with a heavy load is much more difficult than we expected."

"Told you," the minotaur said, chest heaving as he lay there, all limbs stretched out.

"We do what we're ordered to," the sergeant retorted before turning back to Seacat. "We'll take another hour to reach the ship, I reckon."

Seacat nodded. "Yes." That fit in with her experience transporting the logs. And since they were behind with the logs, they couldn't send the party back to fetch more water - not without risking the Horde catching them. "I expect you'll be reassigned to transporting the lumber," she told her.

The tall woman snorted. "The reward for one job done is another." In a lower voice, she added: "We'll be on water rations, though - this is only half of what we need."

"I know," Seacat replied in a whisper. "But we can't risk waiting too long. If the Horde arrives with half our crew in the forest…" That would be a massacre. Tired, exhausted sailors and marines, caught in the forest, spread out, against a Horde force who knew what they were facing thanks to that damned spy? Who probably would lead them straight through the forest?

Those weren't good odds at all.

"Then I guess we better speed up," the sergeant said. She took a deep breath, then bellowed: "Alright you sorry lot! Up and away with you - we have water to deliver to our comrades!"

"If they're still alive," one soldier grumbled.

"Dead or alive, we'll deliver the water!" The sergeant growled at the soldier. "That goes for you, too - I don't care if you kill yourself; you'll carry this load to the ship! Understood?"

"Aye aye, sir!"

The marines got up, groaning and with obvious difficulty, but they gripped the pack frames and started walking. The minotaur took the lead again, stumbling but moving forward.

Seacat watched them go. And wished she had taken a drink herself.

Sighing - sometimes, the sacred code of the sea really sucked - she started cutting up the next log.

*****​

Two hours later, Seacat was really regretting not having drunk some water. What was taking the marines so long? There were lots of struts to transport back now - and it was already late in the afternoon.

She wiped more sweat from her face and tried not to gag at the smell. Fur and the tropics didn't agree. Well, not when you had to do heavy labour. But that wasn't a problem - the problem was that time was running out. They had to prop up the ship, then finish digging the channel and flood it. If the spy managed to find a Horde advance force today, they would be here in the morning.

"Where are the lazy bastards?" the first Kingdom of Snows complained, again.

"Shut up and swing your axe," she snapped. "They're coming." The Captain would ensure that. "And when they arrive, we'll be done with our work here."

"Great. Then we can kill ourselves carrying the wood back."

She hissed. The idiot should shut up. A leap over the staple of logs took her right in his face. "What was that?" she asked, fangs bared.

He recoiled, stumbling back two steps - and tripped over a root, falling down. His friend pretended not to notice either of them.

She scoffed. "Don't complain - work! Or do you want to fight off a Horde force on the beach?"

He breathed heavily as he stared at her. For a moment, it looked like he would keep complaining. But then he looked away and got up. Slowly and trembling.

She scoffed and turned back to her work. Damn, she really needed water - her whole throat hurt from the little exchange.

*****​

When Seacat reached the ship, she dropped the struts she had carried and went to the barrel near the tents without bothering to report to the Captain or even check the state of the Dragon's Daughter V. All she wanted, all she cared about was water.

She grabbed the cup and started drinking. Stopping after two cups took far more than she had expected, but she managed. She really should've taken a drink instead of talking to the sergeant. Or after talking to her. And sod the 'Captains don't drink or eat before the crew's had their fill' rule!

But with her throat not hurting so much anymore, she turned to check the tents. The sick lingering there seemed to be still alive, but they hadn't really improved, either.

And the ship was pretty much patched up - all that was left now was to finish digging the channel and float her back into the sea.

"We've got some work left, but we'll manage before nightfall."

She turned to the Captain, who had managed to sneak up on her. He looked… well, not exhausted, but he was still tired. She could tell. He certainly looked better than she felt.

"You need to rest," he went on.

Rest? Now, with the work almost done? She looked at him.

He smiled at her. "We have the situation in hand, and you've been lumbering for hours. Rest. After eating."

"I'm telling Mermista," she mumbled. But she grabbed the piece of jerky and the biscuit he handed her and started chewing.

"She would have my hide if I let you work yourself into exhaustion."

She scoffed - a bit late for that - but sat down in the shade of the tent anyway, finishing the food. Just a little nap to recover her strength. Perhaps she could sneak off afterwards, or help with the sick.

Yawning, she put her head on her arms. Just a little nap. Half an hour or so…

*****​

"Oh, Seacat!"

Leaning against the railing, watching the sea, she felt the strong arms wrap around her. Felt the head resting on her shoulder, felt the chest pressed into her back. Her tail wrapped around toned legs.

"It's beautiful."

She nodded. Of course it was beautiful. The sea was beautiful. Especially on a warm sunny day with a gentle breeze, just enough to let the ship travel at a decent pace and keep the heat off. And yet… "Not as beautiful as you," she whispered, turning her head to the side to look at Adora.

Her friend was blushing, but not looking away. And her arms tightened around Seacat's body. And her hands moved. Up.

Oh… Seacat gasped. That was… that was… She moaned.

"You like that, huh?" Adora said, teasing. Then she rubbed her cheek against Seacat's. And nipped at her ear.

Seacat hissed. That felt… Oh. She closed her eyes and moaned again, enjoying the sensation. The sun on her fur, the wind in their sails, the hands on her body. Adora being so close…

*****​

"First Mate!"

Seacat's eyes shot open, and she jumped to her feet. "Captain?"

Sea Hawk was standing there, looking more tired than she remembered. And the sun… was setting. She had slept through the afternoon!

"We're almost ready to float the ship," he told her. "It's time to load the sick back on the Dragon's Daughter V!"

Already? When the ship wasn't floating yet? That would add weight, and make it more… "Bad news?" she asked in a low voice?

"Something's disturbing the birds in the forest," he replied. "We still have time, and it could be a predator hunting, but…"

She clenched her teeth. The Horde was coming. The spy must have found an advance party. "Let's go, then." She turned to the sick resting in the tent. "Up, you lot! It's time to leave this place!"

She grabbed the first to move under her shoulders and helped her out of the tent. "Hey!" she yelled. "Rig a gurney for the sick!"

They were slow to get a gurney together from leftover struts and some torn sails, and the first woman to be lifted up to the main deck almost fell off the contraption, only held back by straps when it tilted too much, but the next one went better, and soon they had a routine going.

Meanwhile, the sergeant was screaming at the marines to dig harder - they were about to break the dam keeping the water from filling the channel they had dug around the ship.

As the last of the sick crew was being strapped down on the gurney, Seacat turned to watch the forest's edge. More birds rose - right at the edge.

She narrowed her eyes. Something was moving there, in the forest.

No, she realised. Not something. Someone.

Horde troops!

"They're here!" she yelled as she drew her blade. "Get the ship moving!"

"Get the sick on board! Hurry!"

"Dig you bastards! Dig!"

She clenched her teeth, moving in front of the bow. The Horde would try to board or burn the ship before they could make their getaway. And where was the Captain?

"Huzzah!"

There he was! Sea Hawk jumped down from the main deck, landing next to her in the sand. "Sergeant! We need half a dozen soldiers to hold the line!"

They needed more than that - Seacat could see at least a dozen Horde scum at the edge of the forest now, and she doubted that they would expose themselves like that if they hadn't more troops lining up behind them. The damned spy would've told them all about the crew's numbers, too.

"We'll face them close to the ship! Drop some lines so we can climb back up as soon as the Dragon's Daughter V is moving."

"Who's on the helm if you're here?" Seacat asked, watching as the Horde troops started to form a line.

"Licy."

She huffed. The pirate better not mess this up. Then again, all she had to do was to keep the rudder straight as the ship slid back into the sea. The engine was already running - she could see the screw moving. That must have been what had delayed Sea Hawk.

Half a dozen marines joined them, looking grim. They were facing at least two dozen Horde infantry - and more behind them. No skiffs, at least - they wouldn't have been able to pass through the dense forest. That meant no artillery, either, which was very fortunate - the ship wouldn't have lasted against artillery.

"Dig! Dig! Damn you wastes of air!"

How much longer until the channel started to fill?

Too long. Someone shouted an order - 'Advance!' - and the Horde line started moving. They were ragged-looking - they had probably done a forced march, with the last bit through the jungle.

Seacat grinned. She knew how that would tire people out. On the other hand, their own crew was tired as well. And outnumbered four to one just by the first ave.

'Charge!' the apparent commander yelled halfway to them, and the Horde troops started running.

That broke up their line, though - and the sand made running more difficult as well.

"Here they come! Give them hell, marines!" Sea Hawk yelled.

She activated her blade.

"We're through! We're through! Knock those struts away and join the line!"

That was the sergeant! The channel was filling now!

But Seacat couldn't check behind her - the Horde line reached them. One burly lizardman came straight for her, raising a staff above his head. She dashed forward, claws digging into the sand, then slid to the side, avoiding his blow, and swung. Her blade cut through his chest plate and into his belly. He collapsed with a scream, blood and guts pouring on the sand.

But two more were behind him - and another attacked her from the side. She rolled away from a wild swing, and Sea Hawk cut the man down, but Seacat barely avoided the spears from the two Horde scum with a quick backflip. Back on her feet and lunging, she cut off one spearhead before they could recover, then had to fall back again when they pressed the attack anyway.

Damn.

She fell back a few more steps, looking for an opening to counterattack, but before she could lunge, she had to parry a stun rod from a soldier who had almost managed to get behind her.

The man stumbled and was left wide open, but the other soldiers pressed on before she could exploit it. She managed to drive the soldier back anyway, but only temporarily. And more were coming from all sides. Sea Hawk was standing his ground, but two marines were down already, and more about to be surrounded and cut down.

"Stop the ship! Stop the ship!"

The Horde commander's order had the Horde soldiers freeze for a moment, and Seacat saw their heads move as they instinctively looked at the ship. Hah! She bared her fangs and charged, jumping over the jerky attempt to stab her with the spear, kicking the staff the other soldier was wielding away with her feet, then slid through the sand on her back between the two.

Before they could react, she spun, sword flashing, and both collapsed, blood shooting out from where her cutlass had cut their legs.

Seacat jumped to her feet, finished one of them off with her blade while jumping on the other, claws raking his head, then flipped over the stun rod wielder as he tried to stop her.

She reversed the grip on her cutlass while she was in the air and jabbed behind her with both hands as soon as she touched the ground, then spun around. The Horde soldier fell with a torn lung and a sliced back, and Seacat looked at the battle.

Sea Hawk was still fighting, three marines at his side. The rest had fallen. Half a dozen Horde soldiers were surrounding them, the rest of the scum was charging at the ship, but the sergeant had gathered the other marines and was meeting them head-on on both sides of the Dragon's Daughter V.

Before she could check the forest line, the Horde commander charged her - with a glowing blade.

"That's not standard issue!" she yelled as she parried it, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from their blades.

"Traitor!" the man spat, attacking her with rapid, well-aimed blows. Trying to herd her into some of his men.

She whirled, blade flashing, and the two soldiers behind her jumped back. She completed the turn and parried the commander's next attack, then kicked out with her left foot to wreck his knee, but he was fast enough to dodge - and almost cut her foot with his counter-attack.

Damn, the scum was good with his blade. Not as good as she was, but Seacat was still outnumbered and surrounded. Sooner or later, either the commander or his soldiers would land a hit, and then it'd be over.

She wouldn't let them. Hissing at the man, she parried his next blow, batting it to the side, then stepped inside his guard, reaching for his arm with her free hand. Her claws dug into his armour and his flesh - not deep enough to cripple him. But deep enough to grab hold and trap his sword arm.

He kicked at her, but she twisted away - and swung her blade in the same motion, slashing him from belt to shoulder.

He fell, almost dragging her down with him when her claws got stuck for a moment, but she rolled over his corpse and came up facing the two soldiers behind her.

The Horde scum fell back again, and she saw them look around for help. Grinning, she picked up the commander's sword and stuck it through her belt, then advanced on them. One turned to flee, the other met her with wild swings of his staff.

She easily avoided them, then cut his staff in half. While he froze for a moment, presumably staring at the two halves, she drove her cutlass into his stomach, and he fell to his knees with a grunt.

That left… She turned and cursed. More Horde scum were coming - they had formed a second line at the forest and were advancing. And the lizardwoman was with them!

Seacat had taken a few steps towards the traitor before she could control herself. Charging at the spy would be suicide; the lizardwoman had two dozen Horde scum with her.

But she could get her. Seacat would die, but she could get the traitor.

No. She glanced behind her. Sea Hawk had finished his opponents and led his group against one of the remaining Horde forces trying to get to the ship. Which was slowly sliding back towards the sea.

Time to go.

Seacat tuned and dashed towards the other group of Horde soldiers, those facing the Salinean sergeant. Four of them left - and half a dozen Horde scum.

One of them noticed her charging at them and managed to turn in time to face her, but she wasn't fast enough to stop her. Seacat dived under her shock rod and slashed through the arm holding it, then drove her blade straight through the helmet's visor.

"Get on the ship!" she yelled as she jumped up and cut the next Horde scum down from behind. "More are coming!"

"Get on the ship!" the sergeant repeated. Probably to her men.

Seacat stabbed another from behind, and the burly Salinean killed her own enemy when the Horde scum turned to face the new threat.

That left two more, who broke ranks and tried to flee. The Marines gave chase, but the sergeant screamed at them. "Back to the ship, you idiots! We're leaving!"

That finally got them moving, and they started running to the Dragon's Daughter V - which was now almost in the sea.

The scoundrel on deck threw down lines to climb up, and Seacat saw that Sea Hawk and the other Marines were already at the ship.

But the second line of Horde troops was now charging, running at them as fast as they could. If they caught them while climbing...

Damn.

The first marines were climbing up already. The Captain, though, was turning around. She ran towards him. "Get on the ship!" she yelled, panting.

"Once everyone else is on it!" Sea Hawk replied as the sergeant joined them, their backs against the retreating bow of the Dragon's Daughter V, where a few marines were still climbing the ropes.

Three against two dozen.

Seacat clenched her teeth. "Let's take the spy at least!" she snapped.

"No, stand your ground!" Sea Hawk yelled.

What?

Then the Horde line reached them, and Seacat had to fend off a spear thrust and a sword slash, falling back to cover Sea Hawk's right side. She lunged as the Horde soldier - a minotaur - withdrew his spear, aiming low.

The huge soldier collapsed, holding his bleeding groin, and Seacat twisted, parrying the next blade.

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk yelled, and a headless lizardman fell down next to her.

But they were surrounded now. No way out. At least the ship was out of the Horde's reach - they wouldn't be able to board or burn it in the surf, much less the deeper water behind it.

But it was out of their reach as well. They'd die here. Cut down by Horde scum.

Seacat snarled, panting, and parried two more blows, her foot wrecking a knee in return, then slit the throat of the wounded scum as he fell down with a scream.

But there were too many. A cutlass nicked her left arm, drawing blood, and a spear sliced along her calf.

She tried to ignore the wounds and killed the cutlass-wielder in return, but she was slowing down - and the blood loss would quickly weaken her.

Where was the damn spy? Seacat would take her with her if it was the last thing she did.

There! Facing the sergeant! Seacat bared her fangs, dodging another blow. She had to swap places somehow...

"Horas, now!" Sea Hawk yelled.

What? Horas?

A moment later, a harpoon flew over their heads and pierced the lizardwoman's back, the tip erupting out of her chest. She stumbled, then fell to her knees, her own harpoon dropping to the floor.

"Grab on!" Sea Hawk yelled, whirling with his sword flashing to drive the Horde back.

On to… oh! There was a line tied to the harpoon! And tied to the ship!

Seacat jumped on the dying spy and grabbed the line, her claws raking the traitor's back. Sea Hawk followed her example, kicking the lizardwoman's face in. The sergeant turned to do the same, but one of the Horde scum used the opportunity to stab her in the leg with a spear.

Seacat gasped as the Salinean marine collapsed. She had to…

But Sea Hawk's hand clamped down on her own. "It's too late."

What?

Then the line went taut, and they were dragged into the surf. Into the water. Away from the sergeant just as the rest of the horde fell upon her.

They'd bowled over some of the Horde scum who had been behind them and by the time the Horde ranks had reformed, Seacat and Sea Hawk - and the dying spy - were almost at the ship. The saltwater burned in her wounds, but Seacat ignored it, staring at the beach where the sergeant had fallen until they bumped into the hull of the Dragon's Daughter V.

"Pull them up!" she heard a command on the deck, followed by grunts - and the line went taut again.

Snarling, she started to climb up the rope herself. She wouldn't be lifted onto the deck like some invalid - or cargo.

The minotaur - Horas - was doing most of the pulling, she noticed when she climbed over the railing. He was grinning at her. As was the other scoundrel, Alcy.

"That was close," the former pirate said.

"Too close," Seacat replied.

"Indeed." Sea Hawk followed her on deck. "Sergeant Amis fell," he said in a sombre voice."

The marines on deck grumbled and cursed at that. Then the spy was dragged over the railing and dropped on the deck. The marines advanced on her, but it was obvious that she was dead already.

"Although we lost one of our own, we managed to avenge her already - and our poisoned comrades," Sea Hawk put his foot on the corpse. "A fitting end for a cowardly saboteur!"

The marines grumbled some more - probably about the death having been too quick or something. Seacat ignored them and started taking charge of the deck. "Secure the wounded and set the sails!"

"Why? The Horde knows about the engine now; the traitor will have told them all about it," one of the marines complained.

"She didn't know everything," Seacat retorted. "Not how it works, nor for how long. The more misinformation we can spread, the better." They still had a mission, after all.

"Indeed!" Sea Haw smiled as he passed them on his way to the conn. "I'll take the wheel and turn us around. The wind's favourable."

They should've had a gun, Seacat thought, looking at the beach as the ship turned and the scoundrels started to set sail. A light cannon might not do anything against a frigate or large merchantman, but loaded with canister shot, it would have swept the beach clear of the Horde. Hell, the Horde probably wouldn't have tried attacking them if they'd had even a single gun.

Once they were underway and her wounds bound, she joined the Captain at the helm and said so.

He nodded, looking grim for a moment. "You're right. I didn't consider that we'd have a larger crew and it wouldn't do anything against a ship large enough to threaten us, but it has its uses. It'll slow us down, but we'll get a gun next time we're in Salineas. Swivel gun, I think. Light, and you only need one sailor to handle it.

Seacat nodded. In a pinch, she could handle the gun while Sea Hawk steered the ship. It wouldn't have been very practicable with a sailing ship, but the engine might allow her to provide somewhat effective fire, instead of having to adjust the sails constantly. After all, a courier that sailed straight in a battle was a courier that begged to be sunk; Horde gunners weren't the best, but they could hit a ship sailing straight after a few tries.

But for now, they would have to make do without. And they had a bigger problem. "Where do you think the troop transport is?" she asked in a low voice.

"If her captain's as good as I was told she is, she should be on the way to the river mouth," Sea Hawk told her. "Unless her ship was damaged even worse than ours."

Sailing a transport unescorted into enemy waters? In the hope that the Dragon's Daughter V had survived the storm and would catch up? That took guts. Especially for a merchantman from the Kingdom of Snows - they didn't really know these waters.

"Let's hope that the Horde frigates didn't use the storm to break out of their ports," she said.

Sea Hawk nodded grimly again.

He probably shared Seacat's opinion of how likely that was. The Horde wasn't stupid, after all.

*****​

"Sail ahead!"

Seacat narrowed her eyes at the yell from their lookout - once more Licy - and climbed the rigging. Her arm twinged a little, but she easily ignored it. Just a scratch already healed. Mostly. Like her leg.

A quick check with her telescope confirmed the sighting - and that this was their missing transport; the lines of a Kingdom of Snows cog were unmistakable. She had weathered the storm better than the Dragon's Daughter V if she had reached the area before them, but the storm hadn't left her unscathed. Seacat could easily tell that her foremast had been damaged and repaired.

Still, she was sailing - they could continue their mission!

Seacat stashed the telescope and climbed down, jumping the last few yards, to report to the Captain.

"Transport's sighted. It's the Ice Spear," she told him.

Sea Hawk nodded. "Perfect! And it looks like she came through the storm just fine. We can proceed with our mission, then."

"The Horde spy will have warned them," Horas the minotaur told them.

"Indeed. But it will take them some time to warn our target - and more time to reinforce it," Sea Hawk said. "As quick as their response to our presence was, they must have been an advance party - and they would have to send a courier back to their base, first. It'll be more difficult, but we can do it!"

Seacat nodded loyally, though she had her misgivings. The Horde wasn't stupid - not completely; Catra knew this better than most. Far from perfect, and with a lot of stupid people, but the Horde's basic organisation was sound. "We have to scout ahead, though, so we don't stumble into a trap."

"Of course. First, though, we need to meet with the Ice Spear and Captain Faris. And whoever commands the landing force," Sea Hawk said. "Although I'm certain that they will agree that we've come too far to abandon our mission."

They didn't know about the spy, though. But first, they had to meet up with them.

As the Captain adjusted their course, Seacat went and adjusted the sails. They had a reputation to maintain, after all.

A few minutes later, they were sailing smoothly towards the transport, and Seacat was taking a closer look at it. "Those are Salinean Marines on the deck," she said. Or at least people wearing their uniforms.

"And that must be Captain Faris," Sea Hawk replied, studying the ship through his telescope. "And the fellow next to her with the glittering brass on his coat must be the commander of the marine forces."

Seacat nodded. She hoped that the officer in charge would be reasonable. They wouldn't pick a commander who hated Sea Hawk, would they? She sighed. That was exactly what Gham would do, just to spite Sea Hawk - or to let someone else claim most of the glory of a decisive victory.

"That's the Seahorses!"

She blinked at the yell from one of the marines on deck. They knew the other forces? Well, duh, they were marines, and Salineas didn't have too many soldiers. And, as she noted, there was a banner with a seahorse on it visible on the deck. Snorting, she jumped down onto the main deck and walked to the salinean marines. "The Seahorses?"

"Yes. Second Royal Marines," he closest marine told her. "My old regiment."

"Before you found a better posting!" his friend told him with a chuckle.

The man snorted. "Says you."

Seacat cleared her throat. "Who's in command of them?"

"Unless he fell in battle, that would be Colonel Kilian," the marine replied.

"Kill-Kill-Kilian," his friend added.

"He's not like that!" the first protested. "He's just not as timid as the rest of the Colonels. The Seahorses are a fighting regiment."

Seacat nodded. That would explain why they had been picked for this mission - it was, after all, a very dangerous operation. If it succeeded, the Horde would've suffered a blow it wouldn't easily recover from. If it failed… well, odds were none of them would live to see the consequences. "So, how's he to work with?"

Both marines eyed her for a moment. "I never worked with him; just under him," the first one said.

"He's brash, loud and likes to have his way," his friend added. "Or so I've heard."

Seacat nodded again. So… the Colonel and the Captain would either be best friends or worst enemies. At least on the Colonel's side - Sea Hawk was a little too generous towards his enemies, in her opinion. "Thanks."

She returned to Sea Hawk's side.

"So, what did they have to say about our good allies?" he asked.

She suppressed a sigh. Of course he'd realise what she had been doing. "I haven't heard anything about Faris. About Colonel Kilian… Loud, brash and likes to have his way," she quoted the other marine.

"Great! Just the man we need!"

Seacat snorted. That remained to be seen. Fortunately, if Sea Hawk was asking after an officer, he didn't know them - which meant the odds of anyone being an old lover of the Captain were low. Not nil, alas, as some memorable consequences of drunken carousing had proved in the past. "We'll see," she said. "Bu…"

"Ship ahead!"

She blinked. That wasn't…

Cursing, she jumped down and scrambled up the mast. "Where?"

The lookout pointed ahead. Indeed, there was a ship. But… Seacat grabbed her telescope.

It was a Horde frigate. Headed straight towards the transport.

The Horde had managed to break out after - or even during - the storm. And even an old Horde frigate was faster than a Kingdom of Snows cog. Especially a cog full of marines.

Damn.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 23: The Ruse

"Horde frigate ahead!" Seacat yelled to the Captain without taking her eyes off the enemy ship.

The frigate was still too far away to make out many details, but it was obvious that she was running under her engine - she was going straight against the wind without any sails set. Unless the wind changed, the cog wouldn't have any chance to outrun the frigate. Hell, even if the wind changed Seacat didn't think the transport would be able to outrun the frigate - the Horde ship could just set sails as well and run them down.

"The transport's turning," Licy told her.

Seacat scoffed. It wouldn't do her any good. The frigate could outsail a Salinean frigate - a cog stood no chance at all. And the marines on board would be useless, too - the enemy would just use her guns to sink it from a safe distance.

In a few hours, at the latest, the cog would be at the bottom of the sea, and an entire regiment of marines would be drowning. She drew a deep breath. Perhaps this was a good time to test the bomb part of Entrapta's engine. The Dragon's Daughter V could easily outsail the Horde frigate, wind or no wind, and come at it from a blind spot not covered by more than one or two guns. And the Ice Spear could pick them up - if they survived.

She looked for the Captain. He had left the wheel to Alcy and was studying the Horde frigate as well. Seacat slid down a line, then pushed off the mast and dropped down on the afterdeck next to Sea Hawk. "It's looking bad," she said as she straightened. "If we don't do anything, the frigate will sink the transport."

"And that would ruin our mission," he agreed. "So, we need to do something about the frigate." He turned to her and flashed his teeth at her. "And I have the perfect plan!"

"Ram it?" She bared her fangs in return. She didn't like losing a ship, but a courier ship was a cheap price to pay to save a regiment of marines. And the crew of the cog.

"Not quite, First Mate!" he replied. "Signal to the Ice Spear: Keep your distance and prepare to board an immobilised vessel!"

Seacat almost gasped. Immobilised vessel? That would mean…

Sea Hawk nodded. "We've got a barrel of Entrapta's solution. That should clog up the enemy's engine - and then we'll have the wind at our back."

"Unless they've found a way to protect their engines from this," she said. Their spies would've told the Horde about it.

"That's a risk, yes." Sea Hawk's confident smile didn't waver. "But it's worth a try. If they have managed to protect themselves against it, we'll ram them."

Seacat nodded, lips pressed together, then ran to the chest with the signal flags. It was possible that the Horde had found a way to protect their engines - but was it likely? Not according to Catra's memories. It took a long way for anything to get fixed in the Horde, in her experience. And some stuff never got fixed. Like the tent stakes that broke on hard ground far too easily.

But those were annoyances. This was the core of the Horde fleet. Wouldn't that have taken priority? Shadow Weaver would know how important control of the seas was - whoever ruled the seas ruled Etheria.

Well, Seacat thought as she started signalling the Ice Spear, they would find out soon.

She had to signal the order twice for the cog to acknowledge it, and Seacat suspected that if the order hadn't been essentially telling the Ice Spear to get away for now, they still wouldn't have acknowledged it.

But they had, and now it was up to the Dragon's Daughter V. She stashed the flags and returned to Sea Hawk to report.

He nodded. "Good. Let's do this!" He turned the wheel, and the Dragon's Daughter V lined up perfectly with the enemy frigate.

"Shouldn't we transfer the marines to the transport?" Alcy asked. "There's still time!"

Seacat frowned at the scoundrel. That sounded like she didn't believe they could pull this off.

Sea Hawk, though, shook his head. "Transferring the sick would take too long, and if we get everyone off but for us, then we couldn't save the sick should we have to abandon ship."

"Ah." Alcy slowly nodded.

Seacat snorted. The sick were recovering - but they were far from healthy. If they were left to fend for themselves, they'd all drown.

"And we wouldn't want to deprive them of the glory of this! They are part of our crew and share both the dangers and the victories!" He turned to address the people gathered on the deck - who were mostly staring at the enemy frigate coming at them. "My crew! We'll cripple the enemy ship so the marines from the Ice Spear can board them! Glory and fame await us! Huzzah!"

The cheer that followed was rather ragged, but at least the crew wasn't looking like they were doomed any more.

Even though there was a good chance they were.

Seacat raised her telescope again and studied the frigate. "They've got carronades," she reported.

"I expected that. It's good news," Sea Hawk told her.

"Good news?" She glanced at him for a moment before returning her attention to the enemy.

"If they hadn't added carronades but had sortied, then they might have found another way to protect themselves against our tactic," the Captain explained.

"They might have managed that anyway," she retorted. On the frigate, the guns were being loaded. She could see the crew rush around on the forecastle, where the chase guns were.

"They might. We will soon find out."

"We need to get close to deploy the stuff," she said. Too close, as they knew from experience.

"We're much too fast for them - and they don't know that yet." Sea Hawk remained unflappable.

He was correct there - the frigate must have left port before the spy managed to get away. Not that the spy would've managed to warn them anyway, not with the distances involved. But… "They'll expect us."

"They won't expect our speed. Nor Horas."

"Horas?" The minotaur? Seacat blinked.

"Horas! Fetch the barrel marked 'glue'!" Sea Hawk yelled.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

"Oh. You'll have him throw the barrel."

"Exactly!" She didn't have to look at the Captain to know he was beaming at her.

Horas throwing the barrel would give them a little more room to manoeuvre. Not much, though - but every little bit might help. "The enemy's ready for battle, " she reported.

"A little slow, I think. Good news."

"Or they're being extra-careful since they can spare the time," Seacat pointed out. Once the battle started, the Horde gunners wouldn't be able to take their time loading carefully. It was all about speed then. Something that tended to bite them in the back when facing small, fast ships.

Every little bit helped, Seacat told herself again as she stowed her telescope and jumped down onto the main deck to adjust the sails. The Captain would start to change courses soon.

A few minutes later, Seacat didn't need the telescope any more. Almost in range of the Horde guns. How good was the enemy captain's nerve? How close would they let the Dragon's Daughter V go before they turned and fired a broadside? As always, if they waited too long, they wouldn't be able to reload in time for a third - or even a second - volley before Sea Hawk crossed their T. But to waste the first, carefully loaded and aimed volley…

She gasped - the enemy was already turning!

"Turn about!" Sea Hawk yelled.

Seacat grabbed the line and pulled as hard as she could as the Dragon's Daughter V swung around, changing course. Would they be fast enough? The damned Horde engine changed the whole battle.

The Dragon's Daughter V was still slowly, far too slowly gathering speed again when the enemy frigate's broadside went off. Most of the shells fell short, throwing up water spouts as they detonated. Seacat saw one of the shells skip over the water, bouncing three times before it vanished in the water. And two shells flew past, one detonating so close, she could feel the ship getting pushed off-course by the explosion.

Sea Hawk compensated easily, of course. But this had been too close. If they had sprung a leak in the weakened hull…

"Start the engine!" the Captain yelled.

Seacat jumped down into the hold, racing past the guard at the door to the engine room. She flipped the activation switch, then pushed the throttle, as Entrapta called it, all the way up. They needed all the speed they could get.

She checked the feeder - all good - and stepped into the hold again. Where a leak had sprung.

"Man the pumps and plug this!" she yelled as she climbed up on deck.

As the corporal now in charge of the Salinean marines yelled orders, she joined Sea Hawk at the wheel. They were racing across the waves now, going faster than she had ever thought possible with the wind at their back.

And the Horde crew was scrambling - she could see the captain on the afterdeck flailing their arms.

Sea Hawk changed course again, a moment before one of the carronades of the frigate fired. The Horde scum must be panicking, Seacat realised - they were far out of range of the carronade. But closing quickly. Too quickly for them to reload.

But they had the chase guns, still - and the enemy frigate was turning towards them. That would bring the chase guns into play - and then the other broadside.

She drew a deep breath. This would be close. Damn close.

Sea Hawk adjusted the course again. Minimally. Just as she had known he would - shortening the route they would take to cross the enemy's T.

"Horas! Get ready!" the Captain yelled.

The minotaur grunted and hefted the barrel higher, then moved to the railing.

Seacat prepared to adjust the sails once more - any moment, Sea Hawk would turn to present their bow to the enemy, making them a smaller target.

"Turn about!"

Here it came! Seacat pulled as the Dragon's Daughter V swung around, pointing her bow at the frigate's. A moment later, first one then the other chase gun fired. The first shot went wide, the shell detonating near the ship and showering them in seawater. The second went high, ripping through their sail without exploding.

"Huzzah! Turn about!"

Once more, the Dragon's Daughter V turned - into the wind this time. Much faster than would've been possible without the engine.

"Throw as soon as you can!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" Horas bellowed, then roared - and the barrel flew towards the enemy frigate, landing in the water close to their bow and breaking apart.

Seacat clenched her teeth. If the enemy just kept turning… Hah! The frigate stopped for a moment, reversing course - the worst thing they could've done. This way, the ship stayed in the affected area for longer, and the second broadside wouldn't come into play. The Horde captain must have panicked.

Good for the Dragon's Daughter V, of course - they were opening the distance as fast as the engine allowed. By the time the frigate had trend enough to present the first broadside, they were almost out of range.

The Horde fired anyway - it wasn't as if they had anything to lose - and the water aft of the Dragon's Daughter V erupted in a dozen waterspouts.

"The frigate's stopped," the lookout yelled.

"Huzzah! We've ruined their engine!" Sea Hawk yelled.

That meant that the transport now had a good chance to escape, Seacat knew. But Sea Hawk had more in mind than merely escaping - he wanted to board the enemy. Or sink it. And that meant they had to disable the sails that the Horde scum was now setting as well.

Which meant they needed to expose themselves to the enemy guns again.

"What's the status of the leak?" she yelled.

"There's another, but the pumps can handle it!" one of the marines yelled back.

No surprise there - even a shell that missed a ship could sink it if it detonated too close to the hull.

"Prepare the harpoons!" Sea Hawk yelled. "We're going to set fire to their rigging!"

Seacat took a deep breath. Fire was bad on a ship. Dry wood and tar burned easily and quickly. She knew that better than most, what with her experience on the Dragon's Daughter V's predecessors. But it was their best shot - unless they wanted to board the enemy frigate themselves, with two dozen crew.

She busied herself adjusting the sails as the ship turned for another go at the Horde frigate and four marines carried a bunch of harpoons up from the hold. And a big chest containing a small barrel.

There were various ways to set fire to an enemy ship. Heated shot had fallen out of use as solid shot had been replaced by shells. Seacat only knew about that from Sea Hawk's tales. Catapults lobbing barrels of pitch were even older, and, as the testing in Salineas had proven, had been abandoned for a reason. Fire ships worked best but were costly. If Brain Boy were here, he could probably use some of his trick arrows.

"Hold it steady!" she yelled to the Captain as the marines started to fill the harpoons with the dense liquid from the barrel. If that stuff spilled on deck, then all it took was one spark, and they were gone.

Fortunately, one of the Kingdom of Snows soldiers had been a whaler and knew how to load harpoons with explosive charges. Or incendiary charges, in this case. She doubted that the man had ever used them before, but he kept calm. And he kept the marines from messing up.

She still breathed a sigh of heartfelt relief when the harpoons were ready and the barrel back in the hold, inside the sturdy chest.

"Ship's ready for action!" she reported to Sea Hawk.

He beamed at her. "Very good. Let's cripple the enemy!" He raised his fist to the sky. "Huzzah! For the Alliance! For Glory! Adventure!"

This time, the cheer that went up was loud and full of spirit.

The damn fools hadn't realised that things would be even more dangerous now, Seacat knew. The enemy had lost their engine - but they knew now just how fast the Dragon's Daughter V could go.

On the Horde frigate, sailors were climbing the rigging to set sails. Seacat bit her lower lip. They were slow, far slower than Salinean sailors, but the Dragon's Daughter V had to cover quite the distance to reach the frigate again, and she couldn't tell if they would manage it before the enemy frigate could manoeuvre under sails.

"Fools didn't have the sails set, yet!" a marine next to Seacat said.

"They counted on manoeuvring better against the wind without sails," she told him. A mistake, and - she hoped so, at least - a costly one. The frigate would've been harder to sail with the sails - but she wouldn't have been dead in the water after the engine failed.

Sea Hawk yelled commands as the Dragon's Daughter V turned again, lining up with the enemy ship's bow once more. That was the safest course to get close - they couldn't face the carronades on the broadsides, and they didn't have time to sail around to approach from the stern.

But it meant they would come under fire again. And with the wind blowing from straight behind now, any evasive action would mean they had to jibe a lot. She took a deep breath - this would be exhausting.

She threw herself into pulling on her line as they jibed for the first time right before entering the range of the chase guns. One of the guns fired, the shell going wide, but the other held its fire.

They had learned, damn it.

Sea Hawk changed course again, and as the Dragon's Daughter V swung around, and they had to pull the sail back against the wind, the second gun fired. Another detonation, too close for comfort, shook the ship. Two marines slipped and let go of the line. For a moment, it looked like they would botch the jibe. But not on Seacat's watch! She dug her claws into the deck and growled as she pulled as hard as she could. "Pull you mangy curs!" she yelled through clenched teeth. "Pull!"

And they did. The sail swung around, then slammed forward, and the ship took up more speed again.

But they couldn't relax - Sea Hawk turned the ship again. Another jibe. Seacat pulled again. The first gun fired once more, missing again by a wide margin. Not the best gun crew, either. But the sails of the frigate were almost set - she would be moving and manoeuvring soon. One more jibe. And one more shot.

Sea Hawk turned, then swung the ship back. Then the Horde gun fired, missing by what looked like inches, the shell detonating aft of them - and lifting the ship lightly as Sea Hawk resumed the turn and headed straight for the enemy ship.

"Fire!"

Horas, at the bow, threw the first harpoon. It hit the mainsail in the centre, going straight through it to hit the deck behind it. Seacat could hear screaming from the enemy ship.

They were close now. More harpoons flew, one hitting the enemy bow and splashing liquid over it. A moment later, it was burning.

More screams followed. Smoke started to rise. And then one harpoon hit the mainsail just right, getting stuck in it before lighting up.

Moments later, the sail was on fire.

And Sea Hawk turned the Dragon's Daughter V away, into the wind.

But they weren't clear yet. Like in the Battle for Seaworthy, they were in the field of fire for the enemy's chase guns. And the second chase gun - the good gunners - had finished reloading. Seacat saw the cannon line up. "Incoming!" she yelled.

Sea Hawk was already turning back to throw their aim off, but they were too close. Too slow.

A few more harpoons flew - most of them falling short, but one landed on the gun. And a fireball erupted on the frigate's bow as the powder stashed next to the guns there blew up.

Cheers went up as the Dragon's Daughter V sped away, Sea Hawk skillfully keeping her in front of the enemy frigate, outside the field of fire of either broadside.

Seacat closed her eyes for a moment, sighing.

"We really need a gun," she mumbled. Relying on luck and a strong minotaur wasn't a good solution.

"There comes the Ice Spear!"

She looked up. Indeed, there was the cog sailing towards the enemy frigate. They were adjusting their course - they must have planned to approach from the stern, but with the bow cleared now, they didn't have to sail around the enemy. The marines were already gathering on deck.

Seacat saw the Horde sailors drop two longboats into the water. Were they abandoning ship? No, she realised a moment later, they were trying to use the longboats to tow the frigate - turn it so she could present her broadsides to the approaching cog.

But it was too little too late - the sailors in the boats had barely started to row before the cog reached the frigate, all but ramming the bow.

Grapple hooks flew, and, a moment later, marines started boarding the frigate.

There was no doubt about the outcome now. A whole regiment versus a frigate's crew. If the Horde captain wasn't a complete fool… There! Seacat bared her teeth in a smile as she looked through her telescope, watching as the fighting stopped on the deck. "The Horde scum surrendered."

"Good!" Sea Hawk raised his fist to the air. "Victory!"

This time, Seacat joined the others in cheering. They had beaten a frigate with a courier and a transport. That was no small feat. And the prize money would… actually not be much. Not with an entire regiment sharing it.

Damn.

And they'd need a prize crew for the ship to take it back to Salineas or Seaworthy. That would cut into their number. Even with the marines and the cog's crew providing most of the prize crew, the Dragon's Daughter V might lose their three remaining scoundrels. But they had no choice - they had no space for the prisoners on the cog, so sinking the frigate was out of the question. Even though… She blinked, then grinned and turned to Sea Hawk.

"Captain! I've got an idea!"

*****​

The Horde fortress securing the mouth of the main river of the Fright Zone had a port attached to it, of course. But it looked mostly-empty as Seacat studied it through her telescope. "A few small transports, a slew of river barges, and one sloop," she reported to Sea Hawk. "No frigates."

"Good. I didn't expect any to be stationed here, not with their main port north of us, but it's good to have confirmation," he replied.

Seacat nodded in agreement. As they had heard from the prisoners, most of the enemy frigates had escaped the blockaded port after the storm and were now, presumably, making trouble for the Salinean fleet and the Alliance in general. That was a big problem.

But having a frigate or two in the port ahead would've been a bigger problem. Their guns would've made taking the port and fortress very difficult. Even the sloop could make trouble if handled correctly. She looked it over and saw movement on deck. "They've seen us."

"Took them long enough," Sea Hawk commented. "Are they falling for our ruse?"

"No movement on the gun emplacements at the seawall," she replied.

"Good." Sea Hawk smiled. "Everything is proceeding according to plan."

My plan, Seacat thought as she looked ahead, at the frigate sailing in front of them and the transport, flying the Horde flag. A frigate returning to the closest Horde port with two prizes. Nothing suspicious here.

Or so she hoped.

They hadn't managed to get the frigate's engine running again - Entrapta's concoction had done too much damage, as it had been created to do - but they had managed to save enough sails so the frigate could make a decent speed. And they had plugged the leaks on the Dragon's Daughter V.

Now they were passing under the guns of the fortress. If the Horde realised what they were doing… Well, the Dragon's Daughter V might be able to escape while everyone focused on the transport and the frigate.

But no alarm was raised. No guns manned and aimed. No challenge shouted, either - not even signal flags waved. That wouldn't have been a problem, anyway - they knew the Horde code, just as the Horde knew the Salinean code.

They passed the mole and entered the harbour proper. The sloop still hadn't cast off her lines - it didn't look as if her crew were preparing to sail, either. The sailors were crowding on deck to watch the frigate sail into port, Seacat realised. They were cheering.

She almost felt bad for them. Almost.

"Be ready to turn about; we'll take the mole;" Sea Hawk said.

Seacat nodded. The mole had few soldiers on it, but a few guns. If the Horde scum managed to turn them around, they could fire into the harbour.

But they couldn't change course yet. That would look suspicious. Not that they had to keep up the charade for much longer - the frigate had almost reached the sloop. Any moment now, they would…

She heard a yelling command, and the Horde flag flying from the frigate's mast was replaced by the Salinean flag. From her point of view, she could see a ripple go through the sloop's crew.

But before the Horde sailors could react, the frigate's gun ports flew open, and the cannons were pushed out, into firing position. A moment later, the frigate fired her broadside directly into the smaller ship. At point-blank range. And the sloop's deck turned into an abattoir. Canister shot from the guns. And the Carronades. Seacat saw blood run down the sloop's hull before the Dragon's Daughter V turned and started racing back towards the mole.

All around the harbour, people started running and screaming. And the alarms were finally raised. Too late, though. As a glance over her shoulder told Seacat, the marines hidden on the frigate were already swarming over the sloop. And the cog had changed course and was headed straight towards the waterfront.

Then the Dragon's Daughter V reached the mole, and Seacat drew her cutlass.

"At them, crew!" Sea Hawk yelled as he grabbed a line and jumped, swinging over to the mole. "For Salineas! For the Alliance! Huzzah!"

Seacat cursed as her Captain landed straight in the middle of a group of Horde soldiers. "Tie her up!" she yelled to the two scoundrels next to her, then dashed forward, jumping on the railing and then over on the mole.

A soldier faced her with a spear - no, a harpoon - but she parried his first thrust, then cut the harpoon's head off with a flick of her wrist before ramming the blade into his belly.

A lizardman came at her, but before she could face him, a thrown axe split his head in half. Horas pulled himself onto the mole a moment later, grinning, and recovered his axe.

Seacat returned the grin, then turned and started to cut her way to the Captain. They had a fortress to take.

When Seacat reached him half a minute and two dead Horde scum later, Sea Hawk was just finishing off the last Horde soldier in the gun emplacement in this part of the mole. He was bleeding from a cut on his arm, she noted, but it was a shallow cut - it wasn't slowing him down. The closest Horde soldiers were retreating towards the waterfront.

Behind their group, half a dozen marines were fighting in the gun emplacement at the end of the mole.

"There you are, First Mate!" Sea Hawk yelled. "And Horas! Let's take this mole! Huzzah!" He raised his glowing sword and charged towards the gun emplacement between them and the pier, Seacat and Horas at his side.

The Horde scum there had formed a line - two rows of half a dozen soldiers each. But they were trembling, still shocked from the sudden attack. Behind them, four gunners struggled to turn the guns around - whether to bring them to bear on the mole or the ships inside the harbour, Seacat couldn't say.

She didn't need to, anyway. Shells from the captured frigate tore into the gun emplacement, the explosions throwing one cannon through the air and into the sea while shredding the back row of the Horde infantry with shrapnel and splinters.

That broke the soldiers, and they turned to flee - one of them even climbing the outer wall to jump into the sea.

"Don't get too close!" Seacat snapped as they climbed over the crater the frigate's shells had left. "I don't trust our gunners that much!"

"Hah!" Sea Hawk laughed, but Horas slowed down some.

She glanced to her side. The marines were clearing the other side of the harbour while their main force was rushing the fortress's gates. A company was forming up to cover their rear against an attack from the waterfront, but Seacat doubted any such would happen - not with half the regiment landing directly at the waterfront.

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk yelled as he jumped over a mangled corpse of a fishman. They were close to the small tower overlooking the mole where it reached the waterfront. A Horde officer was trying to rally the fleeing soldiers there - but as much as he waved his blade around, the Horde scum kept running past him.

"At them!" Sea Hawk screamed, followed by Horas's roar.

The officer took a look at them and turned to flee himself. But the marines were already clearing the waterfront, and the fleeing Horde scum were forced into the alleys behind it - which were too narrow for the mass of fleeing soldiers.

Even before their group reached the scum, the first of the Horde forces were throwing their weapons away and surrendering. The rest quickly followed their example when the marines started cutting down anyone who resisted. And probably some who didn't.

"To the fortress!" Sea Hawk yelled, raising his sword like a standard. "Follow me!"

It took almost longer to make their way through the marines crowding the waterfront than it would have taken them to cut through Horde soldiers. The gates were already secure when they entered, though there was still fighting on the ramparts. And the fortress's citadel still flew the Horde flag - and its gates still stood.

As Seacat watched, three marines turning a captured gun on the citadel's walls were blown apart from the artillery mounted there.

"Ladders! Bring the ladders!" someone yelled. "Storm the walls!"

"Get those guns turned around and sweep the walls!"

Ladders? Seacat scoffed. That would be a damn costly attack.

"We don't need ladders - blast the gates away!" Sea Hawk yelled. "With me!"

The Captain rushed to the other side of the ramparts, where a gun had been captured. Seacat, Horas and half a dozen marines followed him. "Forget the walls!" he snapped at the marines there. "We need to aim it at the gates!"

Horas and a huge lizardman all but carried the cannon down into the yard. Seacat and the others grabbed shells and powder.

"Cover them!" someone yelled.

She glanced up and saw that the enemy gunners were struggling to aim their own cannon down at them. The gun emplacement wasn't designed for that, but they could improvise - if they had the time.

But the Seahorses were a crack regiment - their gunners managed to set up the captured piece before the Horde was ready. And the gate was a really easy target. Seacat covered her ears just in time for the shot - and the explosion that wrecked the gate.

Or not totally. That was some solid workmanship.

But the second shell blew it to splinters, and the waiting marines rushed inside. The first of them were blown apart by a gun the Horde apparently had managed to move - but that didn't stop the Salineans.

A few minutes later, the Horde flag fell, and a ragged cheer started up.

They had taken the fortress.

*****​

"We've secured the barges. Unfortunately, they were mostly empty," Licy reported. "Most of their cargo was already unloaded."

Seacat frowned. She had expected that. The marines had secured the warehouses at the waterfront, so it wasn't as if the Horde had managed to escape with supplies or destroy them, but unlike for captured ships, there was no prize money for captured warehouses. And it had been the Seahorses who had secured them, anyway.

Sea Hawk wasn't fazed. "And we secured a sizable amount of fuel crystals!" he announced. "That's our main objective."

Colonel Kilian nodded. "With the fortress in our hands, we control the river transports. The Horde won't be able to send more to the other ports. They will run out of fuel sooner or later."

"That will take some time," Captain Faris of the Ice Spear pointed out. "And they'll try to ship them overland."

And the Horde fleet could wreak havoc with the fuel they already had until then, Seacat knew. Especially with half a dozen of their frigates - five now, what with one captured - loose at sea. They would have to be hunted down, which would be very difficult. If the Horde captains were smart, they would save the engine fuel for combat and just sail. That way, they could stay at sea for a long time.

"Nothing we can do about that," Kilian replied. "At least they didn't keep their frigates together. A squadron of half a dozen frigates could've taken control of the coast off our front. And blockade us in here."

"But five frigates hunting for our transports means we'll have to use escorts and convoys," Faris retorted. "That will slow us down - and any transport sailing alone will be lost. You can't outrun these frigates."

Not in a slow-ass cog, of course. A courier would manage, even without an engine. But a courier wouldn't transport many supplies. Seacat suppressed a sigh.

"We've won a battle - a glorious and important victory! - but not yet the war!" Sea Hawk said. "But this won't stop us! With the provisions secured here, you can hold out for months, can't you, Colonel?"

"I'll run out of soldiers before I run out of food," the officer replied with a grin.

That was a rather callous stance about casualties, Seacat thought. Perhaps the man deserved his 'Kill-Kill-Kilian' moniker. She wouldn't like to serve under him, in any case.

But he wasn't her problem, either.

"The Horde will attack," Captain Faris said. "They can't afford to lose this port - their front up north is cut off."

"Let them come! We took the fortress almost intact - we can hold against ten times our number here!" Kilian boasted.

"An attitude worthy of this mission!" Sea Hawk agreed enthusiastically. "And we will continue upriver, to burn as many barges as we can find! That will cripple the Horde supply system in this area! It'll be a great adventure!"

It would also be very dangerous. But it had to be done - they had to stop the fuel crystal deliveries; the Horde yards in the west could still build more frigates.

"There are several forts lining the river," the Colonel pointed out.

"Yes." Sea Hawk smiled widely.

The officer snorted in return. "Good luck then, Admiral."

"Thank you, Colonel. Although before we leave, I'd like to ask for volunteers among your soldiers to replace our sick and wounded."

Seacat saw the officer scowl at once. "I'll need every man to hold the fortress."

"They will heal up," Sea Hawk retorted. "Eventually. And our actions upriver will help you - if we disrupt the supply lines, any move against you will be hampered as a result."

"If you succeed."

Seacat refrained from hissing at the Colonel. How dare he question their mission!

Sea Hawk tilted his head and bared his teeth. "We did take both the frigate and the fortress, didn't we?"

Kilian kept frowning for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled. "I guess you did. It's a daring plan - but who dares wins, as the saying goes. Although I won't let you take more than half a dozen. Only the best will volunteer, and I need them to lead the rest of my regiment. And no officers!"

"Deal!" Sea Hawk grinned. "Although I'll need one senior noncommissioned officer."

"I've heard how you lost your first one." Kilian nodded. "Don't get them killed."

"I'll endeavour to avoid that."

*****​

The marines had restored and manned most guns, as far as Seacat could tell, by the time they had replenished their ranks, left the sick in a tavern until there was room for them in the fortress's infirmary, which was currently stuffed with the wounded from the battle, and had restocked water - sweet, fresh water! - and other provisions for the Dragon's Daughter V.

"What about all the prisoners?" Lucy asked as they started to set sail.

"I guess the Ice Spear will transport them up north," Seacat replied. The frontlines were no place for prisoners, a fortress surrounded by the enemy even less. She watched a team of fishpeople surface and report - presumably - to an officer from the Seahorses; they were patrolling the harbour intensively; no one wanted Horde fishpeople saboteurs to sneak in.

"Let's hope they don't encounter another Horde frigate, then," the scoundrel said.

Seacat nodded in agreement, though she couldn't tell if Licy was worried about losing the ship, or that the Horde might sink the transport before realising that there were prisoners on board. Or whether she was worried at all, and not just making idle conversation.

It didn't matter anyway - this was out of their hands. They had to focus on their own mission now. Which would be dangerous as well. She eyed the setting sun. Travelling at night would mean they would be safer from the Horde - they would be hard to spot at a distance, or in time to ready the cannons. But it would also be more dangerous since it was harder to spot sandbanks and other obstacles.

Seacat would have to be on her toes as a lookout.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 24: The Raid

They were making great speed up the river. With the number of fuel crystals secured in the fortress, they didn't have to save them for emergencies and could have the Dragon's Daughter V run at full speed all day. With a little luck, they would even outrun the news of the fortress falling before they reached the first fort on the river - they were almost as fast as a skiff on a road.

And if they ran into a sandbank or underwater obstacle, they'd crash as badly as a skiff flying into a rock at full speed. Which was why they weren't going at full speed now that night had fallen and why Seacat was currently crouched at the bow and looking ahead into the water - she was the only one able to see well enough in the darkness to spot such obstacles quick enough to avoid them.

Without using lanterns that would give their position away to any Horde patrol on the riverbanks, that was. Out here, the river was still wide enough that they had a good chance of avoiding being spotted if they kept to the middle of the stream.

"We're still a day away from the fort," she heard Licy whisper behind her. "At least according to the directions we got from the prisoners."

"You don't need to whisper," Seacat replied in a low voice. "We're not that close to the riverbanks." And whispers carried further than low voices.

"But that might change, and I don't want to give us away - I can't tell how far away we are from the shore," the former pirate replied.

"Far enough for now - the river doesn't really narrow until past the main inland port for the fuel crystals." At least according to their maps. Unfortunately, none among their force had actually been upriver that far, yet - and those amongst the Horde prisoner who had couldn't be trusted.

Licy scoffed. "It's already narrow enough. We can't manoeuvre here. Not properly."

"We can manoeuvre well enough," Seacat retorted. Thanks to the engine, at least.

"Right. I forgot," Licy said. Sighing, she sat down on the railing next to Seacat. "This will change sailing. The engine, I mean."

Seacat made an agreeing noise without taking her eyes off the river's surface. Anyone could tell that - naval combat had been changed already. In a few years, any warship without an engine would be obsolete. Hell, the Salinean frigates might already be obsolete if they didn't have Entrapta's concoction to wreck the Horde engines.

"Used to be, all you needed was a fast ship and a crew. Now you need a princess to make an engine for you. And crystals to feed to it," Licy went on.

Seacat nodded. "If you want to fight. Engines might be too expensive for most transport ships." She was well aware how expensive running a ship was - or replacing it, but she didn't know how much an engine and fuel would cost if you didn't get them for free from a princess.

Licy snorted again. "But good luck running from a frigate with a sailing ship."

Ah. That was what concerned the scoundrel. "Good thing you won't have to do that," Seacat said, chuckling a little.

"Sailing on a merchantman isn't much fun, though," Licy replied. "Would you want to spend your days ferrying cargo?"

"We did that before we joined the war full-time."

"No, you didn't - we've all heard the stories and the shanties. We've seen you in action. You and Sea Hawk. You're not some boring merchant captain transporting dried fish or ore from port to port." Licy snorted again. "You have adventures."

"A lot of adventures," Seacat agreed. Mostly because of Sea Hawk.

"And you will need a bigger crew even after the war. You want at least one gun, or so I heard. And someone to handle the engine. And a lookout. And you'll need enough to cover all watches."

Ah. That was why Licy was talking to her here. "That's up to Sea Hawk," she said. He was the Captain.

"He listens to you."

Seacat grunted. Sometimes, at least.

"So… think about it, hm? We - Alcy, I and Horas - worked well with you, didn't we?"

"Yes."

She didn't have to look at the scoundrel to know Licy was smiling when she left the bow.

But the former pirate was correct. If they wanted to keep sailing with the Dragon's Daughter V - or her successors - they would need more crew. Trustworthy crew who could handle Sea Hawk.

Without trying to kill him, like most of his old friends.

Seacat blinked. There was something ahead of them. Not a sandbank. Not an island. It was… She gasped. "It's a barge!" she whispered. "Barge ahead!" she said in a low voice. "Course clear."

Licy picked it up and whispered it to Alcy, who informed the Captain.

A moment later, Sea Hawk jumped down to the main deck and moved to the bow.

"It's deep in the water - loaded," she informed him.

"Do you see any escorts?" he asked.

She shook her head. "None. But they could have troops on the riverbank." She couldn't see through the bushes and trees there.

"Unlikely," the new sergeant - Clovis or something - said, joining them. She wasn't built as bulky as her predecessor, but lean. And mean, in Seacat's impression. "They wouldn't be able to protect the barge from there."

"And the barge would be anchored at the riverbank, not in the middle of the stream." Sea Hawk chuckled. "No, I think we happened upon a single barge without escorts and a crew who hasn't heard about our recent victory."

"A fully-loaded barge - a prize!" Licy whispered.

That was true. A barge full of supplies would fetch a good price at the admiralty courts. Even if she wasn't transporting fuel crystals, but normal supplies. Kilian's troops could use the supplies, anyway. But could they spare a prize crew? And risk sending the barge downriver without an escort?

Well, first they had to take the barge.

"Prepare to board the barge!" Sea Hawk ordered - a little too loudly, Seacat thought, but the barge was still quite a distance away. The Captain was already headed back to the helm while the sergeant woke up her marines.

A minute later, they picked up speed, and Seacat was too busy checking for obstacles in the river to pay attention to anything else. At this speed, she would have to shout her warnings - there wouldn't be time to manoeuvre otherwise.

But there were no obstacles. They were rushing towards the barge as if they were planning to ram them. Seacat clenched her teeth - the Captain was cutting it a little too close; she could tell.

On the other hand, it meant they surprised the enemy - they were almost upon the barge when she heard a yell from the barge's watch. Far too late to do the Horde scum any good.

At almost the last second, Sea Haw turned, and the Dragon's Daughter V started to slow down. A moment later, they bumped against the barge, hard enough to rock the larger vessel. More screams rang out - but they were drowned out by the yelling from the marines as they went over the railing and jumped on the barge's main deck, brandishing their blades.

"Not going to board them?" Licy asked As Seacat used a line to secure the bow of the Dragon's Daughter V against the barge.

"No need," Seacat replied. "The marines will have finished any moment." She cocked her head. "You didn't board them, either."

The scoundrel shrugged. "I was told to stay near you to relay orders. That wasn't countermanded."

There wasn't any need for such a relay now, not with two dozen marines and half a dozen Horde scum screaming and fighting. But it spoke for the former pirate that she hadn't left her post in search of loot.

Of course, the woman might just be trying to make a good impression. Either way, it was the correct decision. "Let's check out the cargo," she said.

"Alright!"

They climbed over the railing and dropped on the barge, next to a dead Horde sailor and a cursing marine holding her hurt arm. "I'm fine," the woman snapped when Seacat looked at her. "Bastard got lucky."

Seacat nodded, then went ahead to the hold. She didn't need a lantern - the moonlight was enough to show that the hold was full of crates and bags. Food supplies - she recognised the tags on the crates.

She still searched through the whole hold while the marines cleared the rest of the barge, both to check for a hiding Horde scum, leaks or hidden fuel crystals. She found nothing of the sort. Just enough supplies for a regiment.

She jumped, grabbing the edge of the deck, and pulled herself up.

"No fuel crystals?" Alcy asked.

"No. Food, mostly. Powder and shells, too. Some weapons," Seacat said, looking at Sea Hawk.

"Ah! Kilian will put all of it to good use, I bet!" the Captain declared. "Though now we need a prize crew."

Seacat grinned as both scoundrels suddenly looked away and even Horas the minotaur turned to inspect the barge's bow. No one wanted to leave the Dragon's Daughter V right in the middle of the mission.

*****​

An hour later, they were on their way again, with more supplies in the hold - mostly gunpowder - while the Salinean corporal and four marines had taken over the barge. Unfortunately, none of them could see in the dark, so they couldn't head downriver right away. Well, even with a slow barge, they would be able to reach the fortress the next day. And five fewer soldiers was a dent in their crew complement, but they could still storm an outpost or so. Quality before quantity.

Still, Seacat couldn't help thinking that they should've taken more marines with them. If they found another barge or two, they would have to burn it - or lose most of their marines.

She snorted and shook her head. She had a task to do, and it wasn't planning the next boarding action, but looking out for obstacles at night. They could tackle the question of what to do with a captured barge once they captured another. And that wasn't sure, anyway - the Horde would be spreading the news, and they would expect the Alliance to raid the river after blocking it. That was just common sense. If Seacat were commanding the Horde, she'd unload and sink some of the barges to block the river. Or skip the unloading, if the enemy was too fast, Better to deny them resources.

Sure, it would also block traffic for a counterattack downriver, but she doubted that the Horde had the forces ready for such a counterattack anyway - they were under pressure on all fronts, after all, according to what she had heard in Seaworthy.

Damn, she was doing it again. She had to focus on the river, not on planning. All her plans would be for nought, anyway, if she let the Dragon's Daughter V run aground.

*****​

There she was. Adora. Looking up at her with a smile.

One foot on the railing of her ship, Seacat smiled back.

"Permission to come aboard?" the blonde asked.

"Permission granted!" Seacat replied, throwing back the admiral's jacket she had hung over her shoulders.

Adora, wearing a flowing silk robe that clung to her body, outlining every muscle and curve, came up the gangway. "So this is your ship."

"Yes." Seacat spread her arms. "All mine! I took her from the Horde in a pitched boarding action, then had it remodelled by Entrapta to become the fastest frigate on all the seas!"

"That's great! And they made you admiral!" Adora gushed.

"They did!"

"And they gave you a crew of the finest bots Entrpata could make!"

"Yes…" She blinked. "What?" Turning around, she saw that it was true. Bots were crowding the deck, trying to pull on lines. One bot was crushed when another fell on it from the rigging. What the…

"Enemy ship ahead!"

Seacat whirled. The Horde was attacking! And her bot crew couldn't run the frigate! And Adora was watching! She had to...

*****​

"Enemies ahead! Barge and gunboat!"

"Battle stations!"

"Move, you sorry excuses for marines! Move!"

Seacat gasped as she woke, dropping out of her hammock and grabbing her cutlass before she realised what was happening. They were on a river and had just found another barge. And a gunboat - an escort!

She checked whether the engine room was manned - it was - and went up on deck.

Alcy and Licy were in the bow and Marines were running everywhere, being yelled at by the sergeant, so Seacat climbed the rigging for a quick look. Indeed, a few turns of the river ahead, there was a gunboat escorting a barge. And judging by the tiny figures swarming over the gunboat's bow, they had seen them as well.

She grinned. If they let supply barges sail unescorted, but escorted this barge… Fuel Crystals. Or soldiers. But she couldn't see any soldiers on the barge, other than the handful of crew she was supposed to have, so the safe bet was fuel crystals. Or something else important for the Horde. A good prize - provided they could deal with the escort.

She jumped down and joined the captain "It's a small gunboat - two guns, bow and aft."

"Like the one we took in the Fright Zone?"

"A little smaller. Probably shallower draft as well," she replied.

"Not enough crew to be a problem, then." The Captain grinned.

"Enough to man both guns," she reminded him. And a single shell could sink or cripple them if it hit at the right spot.

"True. So we need to ensure that they won't hit us. And I have just the plan for that! Sergeant Clovis!"

*****​

The water was colder than Seacat had expected this far south of the continent. Not really cold, like up north, much less freezing like in the Kingdom of Snows, but just this side of uncomfortable if you weren't swimming.

Which, she thought as she pushed off the Dragon's Daughter V's hull and grabbed the log floating nearby - large enough to hide her head behind it, as well as the heads of the marines already there - means this will be uncomfortable.

"Everyone's here!" she heard the sergeant snap. "Now shut up and don't move!"

Seacat turned her head and watched the Dragon's Daughter V sail away, further downriver. Running from the gunboat, or so it would - hopeful - look to the Horde. A smart captain would keep the escort with the barge. Send it back and report the encounter. Cautiously pursue the enemy, with the wind at their back.

But the odds of encountering such a captain here were low. Not impossibly low, but low. Good sailors were needed on the Horde frigates, not on some - until now - backwater river.

Seacat still worried until she saw the bow of the gunboat appear at the turn ahead of them - at a speed that meant they didn't fear a trap or ambush.

Well, they'd get both. Seacat grinned, then ducked a little lower behind the 'stuck' log, gauging the gunboat's speed and distance. Yes, they could make it. But it would be close.

Well, that was why she was with the marines. "I'm going!" she hissed, then grabbed the line tied to the log and dived.

She could see the hull of the gunboat - flat bottomed - coming towards her and adjusted her angle. She had to time this right, and she only had one chance. She pushed on, swimming as fast as she managed, dragging the line with her. If she had miscalculated and the line ran out of slack…

But it didn't. And there was the gunboat. The bow passed her, close enough so she could touch it, and she surfaced, already swinging the line with the grapple. Once, twice - she let it fly and watched with bated breath as it flew up, then came down behind the railing - and hooked on to it.

Yes!

Seacat didn't wait for the line to run taut and drag the log with it - she started climbing as fast as possible. Any moment, someone would notice her.

They didn't. Focused on the 'fleeing' Dragon's Daughter V, they didn't spot her until she climbed over the railing and rushed towards the gun in the aft. Her blade ignited, and she ran the officer commanding the gun through before he could react.

The half a dozen sailors yelled and screamed, grabbing weapons and tools to defend themselves, but she was too close and too quick for them. She gutted the closest sailor with her claws, parried a shaky blow with a boathook with her blade, then kicked the fool into another sailor moving towards her, sending both of them falling on the deck.

Snarling, she faced the remaining Horde scum, deflecting a thrust from one sailor before ducking under a wild swing from another. She rolled forward, slashing the legs of the brute, and jumped to land next to the two sailors she had kicked. They were trying to get up, but two quick thrusts put an end to that.

She whirled, but the Horde scum with the boathook was already falling back. That left… Her eyes widened as the last Horde sailor swung the gun around. She dived to the side, and the shot went through railing and Horde sailor without detonating.

Hissing, she jumped over the barrel and cut the gunner down. What a fool!

Behind her, the marines had reached the railing just before the rest of the Horde crew reached them, and blades crossed in a fierce melee battle. Salinean marines versus Horde scum? Seacat had no doubt about the outcome of that fight. She skipped them and headed towards the bridge of the gunboat, where the captain and two sailors were trying to guard the helmsman.

She wouldn't let them stop her, of course. They were covering the stairs leading up to the bridge, but she jumped up, grabbing the railing with one hand and pulling herself up. By the time the Horde scum had turned to face her, she was crouching on the railing, flashing her fangs at them.

After a moment's hesitation, the two sailors rushed her, screaming and waving their weapons. She jumped over them, flipped over, landed on her feet and lunged, driving her cutlass through the ribs of the captain before the woman managed to react.

The Horde scum collapsed, blood running from her mouth, and Seacat whirled. The two sailors hesitated again, one of them trembling. The other one charged, and Seacat met the goatman head-on, parrying his swings once, twice, three times until he left himself wide open and her blade cut his throat.

That was too much for the second sailor, who turned and jumped overboard. Which meant the helmsman - or helmswoman, in this case - was left. But the lizardwoman was already running towards the railing as well.

Which meant the bridge was theirs. That only left…

Something hit her, throwing her in the air, and everything went dark.

*****​

Seacat woke up with a gasp - and started choking on water. She was underwater! And she was drowning! She started swimming, then stopped, trying to reorient herself. Where was up? And Down? Coughing and feeling her lungs hurting, she finally managed to figure out which way to the surface, then frantically swam up.

She broke the surface with burning lungs and splashed around, caught between trying to breathe as much air as she could and coughing out all the water. Then she realised the pain in her left arm. And that she couldn't move it very well.

And that gripping it hurt even more. Hissing with pain, she saw that there was a splinter in her upper arm. She couldn't tell how deep, but it felt as if it was almost all the way through.

Damn.

But the others! She looked around. She could see the gunboat, smoking, in the distance. Upriver. The Dragon's Daughter V was alongside it. Good. That meant they had taken the gunboat.

But Seacat was drifting away from them - caught in the river's current, around the next turn. She waved - with her good arm - and screamed, but she couldn't make out any reaction - had they missed her? Did they think she had been killed?

She had been blown into the water when the Horde scum had fired on their bridge, she realised. Had anyone seen it happen? Was anyone looking for her? They would be looking; the Captain would never abandon her. But they couldn't do that before they had secured the gunboat. And probably the barge.

Clenching her teeth, she started to swim towards the riverbank. She had to get out of the water and signal the others. Somehow.

With only one arm, it was harder than she had expected, and she was dragged downriver for quite a stretch, past another turn, before she finally reached the riverbank and managed to pull herself out of the water.

Panting and heaving - there was still water inside her, somehow - she collapsed on the grassy slope, hurting all over. And bleeding. She really needed to get that splinter out. Not right now, though - she would probably bleed out if she removed it. Splinters were tricky.

She rolled over, then hissed at the sudden pain in her left leg. A quick check revealed another wound - a cut this time. And some small splinters. She hadn't even noticed in the water. But it would slow her down some more. And it was bleeding.

She needed to bandage it. She had lost her cutlass - again - but with her claws, it was easy to tear the sleeve off of her left arm and use it to bandage her leg. Good. Time to get back to the Captain. And the others.

She took a deep breath, resisted the urge to cough again, and started up the slope - it would be easier to walk on even ground. Or sort of even ground.

Unfortunately, there was no road on the riverbank. Not even a dirt track. Just light forest. With underbrush.

Gritting her teeth, she walked on, keeping an eye on the river through the trees. It wasn't far. Just one, maybe two turns of the river. Her leg hurt, and her arm kept bleeding, but she kept going. Limping, to be precise.

Every few yards, she peered through the forest. It wouldn't do to walk past the Dragon's Daughter V. Not that the Captain would leave without her. Unless staying would doom everyone. But that was almost impossible. The Horde would have to send a second gunboat at them - or two, now that they had taken one themselves.

Still… She clenched her teeth and forced herself to step up the pace, which worsened her limp. There was the first turn. No sign of a boat or the Dragon's Daughter V.

For a moment, she hesitated. She could wait here. The ship would come downriver. Even if they took the barge, they would come back. Or send the barge back. Unless they pushed on and burned the barge.

She marched on, hissing with pain when a dense brush rubbed against her arm. Just a little longer. Another turn. She could see the smoke from the battle, still.

Seacat stumbled and almost fell. Her leg twisted, and she felt liquid - blood - run down her thigh. And down her arm.

Damn.

Baring her fangs, she wanted to scream. Yell. Hiss. But she couldn't. Not in Horde country. Some of the Horde scum who had fled into the water might be around. And she was unarmed - but for her claws - and wounded.

She leaned against a tree, taking deep breaths. And blinked. This was exhausting. She needed to adjust the bandage, too. She tied it tighter, then almost lost her balance when she straightened.

Damn and damn.

She limped on. Just another turn. She could almost see the… there was something on the water. A boat. A longboat. And those were Salinean marines on it. Looking at the water. Looking for her.

She stumbled down the riverbank, waving. Yelling.

The last thing she saw before things went dark again was the boat heading her way.

*****​

Seacat woke up in pain. Her arm and leg hurt. And she couldn't move her arm. But she wasn't wet or cold. And lying on something softer than earth. And she was on a ship - she could feel the slight rocking movement from the waves. And hear a familiar engine.

She opened her eyes. She was in a cabin. The Captain's cabin on the Dragon's Daughter V. Sea Hawk had given her his bed. Damn. Time to get up.

Her left arm was tied in a sling, but she didn't need the arm to walk. She sat up, pushed the blanket off, then turned to let her legs dangle over the bed - and hissed at the pain from her leg. But she wouldn't let that stop her. She had been able to walk on that leg before it was… bandaged and treated.

She could walk on it again.

"Stay in bed!"

That was the Captain's voice! She looked around. He wasn't in his carbon, the voice had come from outside - the helm - so how had he…

There was a thread tied to the blanket she had pushed away.

"I mean it, stay in bed, First Mate!"

And that had come from the door.

The door opened, and Sea Hawk walked in, frowning at her. "You're not leaving the bed until you're well."

She wanted to tell him that she was fine, but she wouldn't be able to fool the Captain. "What happened? We took the gunboat. Did we get the barge as well?"

"You were almost killed by a shell - the Horde gunners fired on their bridge," the Captain replied as he walked up to her and grabbed her right shoulder. "Blasted you into the water, fortunately." He turned her around and pushed her down. "Gave me a scare," he added in a whisper.

She clenched her teeth. She hadn't wanted to make him worry. He probably thought she was dead after that explosion. And if the gun had been loaded with canister instead of a shell... "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Wasn't your fault," he replied softly as he pulled the blanket up.

"I should've seen the gun turning towards me." The Horde scum must have noticed - or given the orders.

"You can't see everything in a battle."

She could - she had the best eyes of the crew. And the best ears. She pressed her lips together and looked away.

Sea Hawk sighed. "It wasn't your fault," he repeated himself.

But it was. She sighed. "Did you get the barge?"

"Of course we did!" He smiled at her. "And it's full of fuel crystals! Enough to run a squadron of frigates for a month!"

She smiled, then frowned. "And how many such barges can they fill per month?"

"Two, according to our prisoners," he told her. "And they depend on the river. We've got them locked down."

"They'll move the crystals overland." That's what Seacat would do. And Catra agreed. They would use carts and skiffs.

"They'll try - it's not nearly as efficient. And the Alliance will cut their supply lines." Sea Hawk's smile grew a little more toothy. "The Horde will have to fortify the mines and the entire road against raiders. And those soldiers will be missing from the other frontlines."

That was good news - provided they could hold the fortress and keep up the pressure on the Horde on all fronts. She nodded. "So… we're going to press on to the mine?"

He shook his head. "No. We already got this month's production when we took the barge, and it seems the Horde garrison at the mine has been reinforced. And the fort ahead, of course."

"Oh." Well, the Horde wasn't stupid. Not that stupid, at least - Catra knew that better than anyone else. "So, we're escorting the barge back to the fortress."

"With our new and slightly burned gunboat, yes."

She sighed again. Then there was really no point in getting up and back on deck.

"You just rest and heal up," the Captain told her. "I would rather not face Mermista with you still hurt. Or, worse, Adora."

She blinked. "Face Mermista?"

"We'll return to Seaworthy. With the Horde's fleet now cut off from resupply thanks to our glorious attack, we need to plan our next offensive."

"They still have five frigates out preying on our ships," she reminded him.

He grinned. "They shouldn't be a problem. We now know that they have the same engine as before - and I'm certain that my dear Mermista and the plucky Entrapta haven't been sitting on their hands while we fought a pitched battle and took a key fortress from the Horde."

"You think they adapted the Salinean frigates," Seacat said.

"Or built a bigger, faster ship to hunt the Horde frigates down." He shrugged. "And even if they had more important problems to solve, I'm confident the Salinean Navy can handle five Horde frigates."

Seacat hoped that he was correct. Trying to conduct landing operations and supplying an army from the sea would be almost impossible otherwise.

"Now you stay in bed and heal up, you hear me?" He patted her head.

She growled in return, but with her eyes closed. And she smiled when he had left the cabin.

Then drew a deep breath through clenched teeth. This had been close. Far too close. And it was all her fault. She shouldn't have been so reckless.

*****​

"Fortress ahead!"

As Seacat heard the lookout - Alcy this time - yelling, she suppressed the urge to get up so she could take a look herself. Sea Hawk didn't have a bell tied to her blanket any more, but his orders had been clear: She was to stay in bed. In his bed, not even her hammock. He was really pampering her. He wouldn't have given up his bed for any other wounded, would he?

Sighing, she closed her eyes. But he was the Captain, and his word was law on the sea. Or on the river, this time. Even if she felt guilty for being so spoiled. And guilty for liking it.

He cared for her. A lot.

She caught herself smiling.

He probably would've given his bed to her even if he were travelling with Mermista. And the princess probably wouldn't have protested, either. Even if it meant that they wouldn't be able to…

She grimaced and forced the thought away. At least she knew that Sea Hawk and Mermista hadn't done it in this bed. Not yet. That would've been very awkward, otherwise.

*****​

"Freedom!" Seacat exclaimed as she stepped on deck. She took a deep, deep breath to reinforce her point, enjoying the fresh air - well, relatively fresh; they were still in the former Horde fortress's port, but the wind was blowing from the sea, so she wasn't smelling a whole regiment's worth of sweat from reinforcing the defences with sandbags and everything else they could get their hands on.

And from unloading the fuel crystals from the barge and loading them onto the Ice Spear at a frantic pace that would have the dock workers in any port shake their heads at them. Even so, it would take another day for the cog to be ready for the trip to Seaworthy.

There the transport could get an escort for the voyage to Salineas. A real escort - the Dragon's Daughter V wasn't a warship. And the small cannon they were currently installing on the foredeck wouldn't change that.

"You've been busy," she commented. While she had mostly slept.

Sea Hawk, standing next to her, looking as if he were ready to catch her at any moment - smiled. "If we were in Seaworthy, I probably would still be trying to get the cannon. But we're on the frontlines, and Kilian knows what he's doing."

"And he isn't a jealous admiral," she added.

"That, too." The Captain chuckled.

"Mermista needs to clean up her officer corps," Seacat mumbled.

"I expect that she will reevaluate a number of flag officers before the next offensive." He still was hovering behind her.

She scowled - she wasn't an invalid. Her leg was healing just fine. And she wouldn't stumble and fall just because she had an arm in a sling.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied. "I just feel useless."

"You aren't useless. We're just waiting for the Ice Spear to finish loading their cargo so we can set sails."

"I lost my new sword." Which meant she was carrying a looted Horde sabre again.

"That happens. Mermista will get you a new one."

"I know." That didn't mean she liked it. To beg the princesses for another blade, after having lost her new sword because she hadn't paid attention to the enemy… it grated.

"And you've earned your new sword - that was a brilliant plan if I do say so myself. And you fought bravely."

"But I'm the only one who lost her sword." And almost got killed getting blown into the water.

"And you're the one and only Seacat!" He patted her good shoulder. Gently.

She had to laugh at that. Genuinely, even.

Though that didn't change how she felt about her performance. She could do better. And she had to do better. They had a war to win, after all.

*****​

"Sails ahead!" Licy yelled.

Seacat was moving towards the mainmast before she realised it, then stopped with a scowl. Her arm still hadn't healed up - she wouldn't be of any use in the rigging. Instead of climbing up, she moved to the helm. The added height of the afterdeck should let her spot the ships soon enough.

"Two ships! Frigates!" Licy reported.

Seacat pulled her telescope out. Two frigates…. The Horde scum were supposed to have split up. But they might've joined up again. And while the Dragon's Daughter V could easily evade them the Ice Spear couldn't. They would have to sink her themselves, to avoid the Horde capturing the cargo.

If those were Horde ships. She peered through her telescope at the horizon. There! She could spot the tops of the mass. And the Salinean flag. That looked like a Salinean rigging, too… Yes. Definitely a Salinean frigate. But the one behind was a Horde frigate. Under a Salinean flag, but that could be a ruse.

"Salinean frigate followed by a Horde frigate under Salinean flag," she reported.

"Indeed," Sea Hawk agreed. "And signs of battle. Now, who took whom?"

That was the question.

Seacat studied the frigate in the lead as they sailed closer. Salinean uniforms on the marines on board - at least as far as she could tell. No Horde uniforms visible. Obvious battle damage, patched up - still missing a few parts in the rigging. But that would be there no matter who had won the battle.

She switched to the Horde frigate. No Horde uniforms were visible on deck. Mostly Salinean marines. Extensive battle damage. No way to tell.

"It looks like the Salineans are in charge," she said.

"Indeed." Sea Hawk nodded. "That could be a ruse, of course - but why would they attempt such a ruse on the open sea?"

"To catch couriers and transports unaware," Seacat replied.

"Possible - but this close to Seaworthy? And headed towards the port? Two frigates, even crammed full of soldiers - and the ships aren't riding that low in the water - won't be enough to take that port."

"Could be a raid. Wreck the port. Land a small force to plunder and set afire the supplies in the warehouses, and leave again."

Sea Hawk shook his head again. "Not the Horde style. We know the Horde frigates' orders. They are to raid the transport ships, not the ports. And Horde captains aren't really known for taking the initiative."

"There's always the exception," Seacat pointed out.

"Indeed. But I doubt this is one. We'll find out soon, anyway - we'll sail closer to see if we recognise the Captain. Damaged as they are, I think even the Ice Spear could escape them - provided that the Horde frigate's engine was wrecked."

If it was, then odds were the Salineans had won anyway. But Seacat held her tongue as the Dragon's Daughter V sped up and closed the distance to the two frigates.

"Ah! I do recognise Captain Isabel. Great sailor - no wonder she managed to best a Horde frigate. A bit of a temper, too."

Seacat closed her eyes. Another of Sea Hawk's past lovers. Great.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 25: The Reunion

Unlike the troops in the Horde fortress that they had taken with their - with Seacat's! - ruse, Seaworthy's garrison didn't let an enemy ship sail into port just because they were flying an Alliance flag. Seacat, still stuck on deck since her arm hadn't healed yet and she couldn't climb the rigging - well, she could, but the Captain had ordered her not to - watched as the cannons on the seawall were trained on their small flotilla and the four Salinean frigates in port set sail.

She frowned. Four frigates in port, together? With four Horde frigates still prowling the seas? She blinked. That meant…

"Mermista! My dear Mermista is in port!" Sea Hawk yelled loud enough for everyone on board to hear.

Right. If Mermista was visiting Seaworthy, the Salinean Navy would send a squadron of ships with her. Even though Mermista's power meant that any ship she was travelling on would outsail a Horde frigate even in a full lull. Couldn't let their ruler take even the slightest risk. Or, more likely, couldn't have Mermista show that she didn't need the Navy to be safe.

Sea Hawk was waving at the port - as if Mermista would be able to see him. Well, with a telescope, she might. Seacat snorted and took a closer look at the seawall. Soldiers. Marines. No scoundrels, of course - they would be preparing to flee, in case this turned out to be a Horde attack. But no Mermista. Not on the mole. Perhaps on the ships…

Seacat froze and turned back to the mole. There! On the tower at the end of it, which doubled as a lighthouse. She knew that blonde hair. Adora. That would make the other two the shrimp and Brain Boy. And the blonde was waving.

Seacat smiled and shook her head. Well, if Mermista was present, then odds were Adora was too - you couldn't plan an offensive without She-Ra, after all. Or the shrimp.

She grinned - things were about to turn even worse for the Horde scum!

*****​

"Cat-Seacat!"

They hadn't even tied up the Dragon's Daughter V, and Adora was already jumping on board. After rushing down the pier at full speed.

Seacat grinned as she shook her head. "Hey, Adora."

But Adora had stopped moving and stared at her. "Your arm!"

"Caught a splinter in a boarding action," Seacat replied. She wanted to pat the arm, but that would hurt too much not to wince. "It's healing well."

Adora looked towards the Horde frigate which was being tied up down the pier. "You boarded the frigate?"

"Oh, no." Seacat shrugged her good shoulder. "That was the 'Dolphin's Grace'." She nodded at the Salinean ship tying up two berths down the pier. "We met them after they had taken the frigate. We boarded a gunboat."

"Oh." Adora blinked.

In a shover of sparkles, the shrimp and Brain Boy appeared on the pier. "Adora! We were just waiting for the ship to stop!" the princess said with a frown.

And Adora ignored her. That would usually be amusing, but she was staring at Seacat in a way that was…

"A river gunboat? I haven't heard of the Horde using gunboats on the coast. They aren't made for the sea."

"Yes. Escort for a barge. We were raiding upriver after taking the fortress."

"That must have been…" Adora blinked again. "And it's still not healed? How bad was it?"

Uh, oh. "Nothing life-threatening," Seacat told her. "It was just a little bigger than the ones in my leg, and my leg's fine." She reached down to pat her left thigh with her right hand. "See?"

"You were hit in the thigh as well? By more splinters?" Adora's voice was rising higher than Seacat remembered hearing before. Obviously, her friend didn't see. And Adora's friends looked taken aback as well.

"Just small ones," Seacat told her.

"What happened?"

"My First Mate was taking on the captain of the gunboat when the dastardly Horde sailors decided to fire on their own bridge." Sea Hawk had arrived at her side. "She was blown clear into the water by the explosion."

"Ca-Seacat!"

Seacat rubbed the bridge of her nose and growled at her captain's warped sense of timing. "I managed to get to the shore by myself, bound my wounds and was picked up by a longboat."

Sea Hawk wrapped his arm around her. "And we were so relieved - we had feared the worst!"

Adora gasped. "No!"

Seacat pulled away from Sea Hawk. "I'm fine. I wasn't seriously hurt - I could walk just fine. I was just out for a moment or so, and if the river hadn't carried me away, I would've climbed back onto the ship." And she would have, too!

Unfortunately, Adora didn't agree. "You almost died!"

And then Seacat gasped when Adora hugged her way too hard. "Ow!"

"Oh, no!" Adora released her, almost sending her stumbling back. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry - I wasn't thinking! I made your wound worse!"

"No, those were my ribs you were crushing," Seacat replied with a wry grin. "My arm is fine."

"Your arm isn't fine!" the shrimp exclaimed. "Or it wouldn't be in a sling!"

"Glimmer!" Brain Boy whispered.

"What?" The princess whirled to glare at him. "It's true! She's as bad as Adora about her wounds! The two deserve each other!"

Seacat blinked. That was…

Sea Hawk cleared his throat. "In any case, no one died. Other than the enemies. But we should continue this discussion in a more comfortable place instead of on our ship." With a wide smile, he added: "I think my dear Mermista's quarters would be perfect!"

"Ah, uh… right," Adora said, nodding. "Should I carry you?"

"I can walk just fine," Seacat snapped. "My leg's healed." She demonstrated that by jumping on to the pier. And barely winced after landing. "Coming?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Uh… do you know where Mermista is staying?" Brain Boy asked.

Seacat suppressed a hiss. "In the best inn of the town?" That was where the Navy's headquarters was, after all.

"Right!"

Seacat took care to avoid even giving a hint of limping as she marched off. She wasn't an invalid.

She also ignored the shrimp's muttered "Damn, they really act the same."

And Adora's reply: "No, we don't!"

*****​

"Mermista!"

"Sea Hawk!"

Seacat looked away as the princess and the Captain embraced each other. And kissed each other. Passionately. And, apparently, without planning to stop any time soon. After a few minutes of not watching them kissing, and overhearing mumbled things she didn't need to know or hear, she cleared her throat.

And was ignored.

She cleared her throat again.

"Oh for…!" The shrimp stamped towards the couple. "Can we discuss the strategic situation before you two make love on the table?"

"Glimmer!" Brain Boy sounded scandalised.

"What?" the princess turned to frown at him. "They were acting as if they were about to do it!"

"Mermista has more decorum than this," Seacat pointed out. The Captain, though…

Sea Hawk used the distraction to release Mermista and clear his own throat. "Ah, right. Strategy! My dear Mermista, we return victorious! Not only have we taken the fortress guarding the main supply line, we also raided their supply line, securing two barges full of supplies - including fuel crystals - and we boarded and took an enemy frigate!"

"And Ca-Seacat almost died!" Adora added.

"What?" Mermista glared at Seacat as if she was at fault. Well, she was, sort of, but...

"I got blown into the water and hurt my arm," Seacat explained, pointing at her sling. "But it's healing nicely."

"And you got splinters in your leg!"

She glared at Adora. "Not any more, and my leg's fine."

"They thought you were dead!"

That was technically true, but Adora made it sound much more dramatic than it had been. "Look, I'm not dead. I'm healing fine - the wounds aren't infected or anything," Seacat said, forcing herself to smile. "So… let's talk about beating the Horde!"

But no one was listening.

"What exactly happened?" Mermista asked Sea Hawk even though Seacat was standing right there.

"When we boarded a river gunboat, she took out the captain, but the enemy fired on their own bridge," Sea Hawk said. "She was blown into the water by the explosion."

Adora didn't have to gasp like that. Or stare at her like that - she already knew that. Most of the story, at least. "I had already reached the shore and was walking back when I saw the boat looking for me."

"What?" Mermista gasped as well. "You mean… no one noticed you being blown into the water?"

"They had to take out the gun, first!" Seacat protested. "And I think I was blown clear off the boat on the portside while we were boarding them from the starboard side. And Sea Hawk wasn't even there, yet - our boarding party had hidden behind a floating log in the water, and the Dragon's Daughter V had lured them into the trap by retreating downriver." It was all very logical.

"They sailed past you?" Mermista looked angrier than Seacat remembered her being in quite some time.

"I was underwater until I woke up again - there was no way for them to spot me," she explained.

"Unconscious… underwater… out of sight… wounded…" The princess was shaking her head.

"You almost died! Twice! Three times if we count the bleeding!" And Adora was yelling. Again.

Seacat took a step back. She was fine! Why wasn't anyone focusing on the war?

"That does it! I'm healing you right now! For the Honour of Grayskull!"

Seacat gasped. Adora had transformed into She-Ra - and the blonde was pointing her sword at her. "Now wait…" she started to say. Then the sword glowed, and something glowy and sparkly washed over her. She blinked. Her arm didn't hurt any more. Even poking the biceps didn't hurt.

"Did it work? Are you feeling better? Are you still in pain? Do I need to redo it?"

"You mean this could've gone wrong?" Seacat blurted out.

"What? No! I've healed lots of people, and nothing ever went wrong. Well… once I got the hang of it," Adora said.

"And you didn't sprout wings, so that's a good sign," the shrimp added with a smirk.

"Wings?" Seacat blinked. "I could've been turned into a bird?"

"No!" Adora was glaring at her friends. "That was an accident, and I wasn't trying to heal Swiftwind!"

Seacat quickly checked her body for anything missing or added party. Her tail was fine, her claws as well, no wings on her back…

"I don't see any wings or fins," Mermista said. "Is your arm healed?"

"I think so… Don't!" Seacat snapped at Adora before the blonde could point her sword at her again. "I'm fine!"

"I only wanted to make sure!"

Seacat tried to ignore her as she pulled her arm out of the sling and rolled her shoulder - carefully. No pain. She started pulling the bandage off. There was dried blood on her fur around the wound, but no actual wound left. And her fur had grown back.

And Adora was way too close, staring at her arm.

Seacat pulled back with a frown. "I'm fine."

"Trust, but verify," Adora replied. "You almost died! Thrice!"

"That's not what the saying means… I think," Brain Boy said.

"I think that's exactly what it means!" Adora countered.

"And I think you're all crazy," Seacat muttered. "Can we focus on the war now?" she added in a louder voice.

"Yes! Let us focus on a plan to beat the foul Horde once and for all!" Sea Hawk agreed. "We can focus on my first mate's health afterwards."

The grudging nods Seacat saw didn't bode well for her evening.

Sea Hawk seemed to ignore it, though, as he stepped up to the big map on the wall of Mermista's quarters. "Now, the priority should be cutting the Horde's supply lines so we can resume the blockade of their ports…"

*****​

Half an hour later, Seacat was leaning against the wall in the back while Sea Hawk, Mermista, Adora, the shrimp and half a dozen high-ranking officers were arguing about strategy, tactics and everything else. Opening the planning session to the alliance staff hadn't done much to help, in Seacat's opinion. Quite the contrary.

"What a mess," She muttered under her breath.

"Hm?" Brain Boy, who was standing next to her, glanced at her.

"Nothing," she said, then sighed. "Just commenting on our 'strategy meeting'." She nodded towards the map, where Captain Isabel was outlining how she had fought the Horde frigate and why that meant they should focus on hunting down the rest of the frigates. Under her command.

"Ah." Brain Boy nodded. "Do you think they're talking too much about tactics?"

She snorted. "It's not that."

"Oh?"

The man looked genuinely curious, so she explained: "Knowing how Isabel has beaten a Horde frigate with a sailing frigate is important for planning how to deal with the remaining four frigates." He nodded. "But," she went on, "this isn't about that. Isabel is angry that we beat a Horde frigate in a courier ship, showing her up."

"Oh."

"Yes." Seacat snorted again. "It's pure jealousy." In more than one way - Isabel also obviously didn't like that Sea Hawk was Mermista's lover. And not because she thought that the Princess shouldn't dally with a 'mere smuggler', as one particularly stupid admiral had put it. No, Captain Isabel - soon to be Admiral Isabel, if scuttlebutt was correct - still hadn't gotten over her own breakup with Sea Hawk. And it hadn't even been a bad breakup - her ship hadn't burned down, after all.

Seacat was about to explain a little more - but not everything; the Captain's past was his secret to share, which he did, often and enthusiastically, but rules were rules - when the door was slammed open.

"Sorry for being late! But I was working on the latest iteration of my improved frigate-rated engine mark V, and I really needed to finish the power chamber so an accidental activation wouldn't result in an explosion. And I've been told that that would've been bad here, since my workshop isn't as fortified as in Salineas, so I have to be a little bit more careful." Entrapta marched in, using her hair to move. "So... What did I miss?"

Seacat didn't bother to hide her amusement at the reactions from the assembled admirals. Entrapta was a princess so they couldn't sneer at her like they wanted to. And the officers wanted to sneer at the princess. Seacat could tell by how they stiffened, how they pressed their lips together, and how they mumbled their greetings. Others noticed as well - Mermista was already scowling at her staff. Even Adora looked slightly puzzled and would probably realise what was happening in an hour or two.

It was obvious to everyone except Entrapta, who beamed at the entire room, then focused on Seacat. "Seacat! I heard you were wounded! It wasn't the fault of my engine, was it? Or the sword I built?"

Before Seacat could reply, the princess was at her side, waving hair and some tools around. "Oh! You're not wounded. Was I mistaken?"

"Adora, ah, healed me," Seacat explained.

"You almost died!" Adora yelled.

"What?" Entrapta gasped. "How did that happen?"

Seacat growled. "It happened during a boarding action in the south. I was already almost healed when we arrived in port."

"You couldn't use your arm!"

She wasn't doing this again. Ignoring the blonde, she forced herself to smile at Entrapta. "But I lost your sword, I'm so sorry. It was great - cut through almost anything - but I got blown into the water, and when I woke up, I was already downriver."

"Oh! The sword fell into the river?"

"Yes."

"Was it active when it happened?"

"Yes."

"Hm. I could probably locate it, tracking the battery… but… it's not meant to be constantly in use. It'll probably run out of power before I can find it." Entrapta bit her lower lip.

"It's also quite a distance away in a contested river," Seacat pointed out.

"Right. That would complicate matters. I think." The princess frowned. "But I can build you a new one! And one with a retrieval feature, so you won't lose it!"

"A 'retrieval feature'?" What did she mean? Some line to tie it to a scabbard? That would catch on to everything, especially during a fight.

"I'm thinking of making a bot to home in on it and retrieve it. If you lose it, you tell the bot, and he goes and fetches it.

"Ah." Seacat's smile froze a little. She didn't want a bot. And she certainly didn't want a bot following her just to pick up her sword for her - people would laugh at her. "I think I can do that myself. What about a tracker or something?"

"Oh! Great idea! I'll build it into the scabbard! I could..."

Mermista clearing her throat - loudly - interrupted the princess. "Can we, like, focus on the offensive against the Horde?"

"Oh, right! Sorry!" Entrapta didn't look sorry as she turned to face the other princess, Seacat noted.

And she chuckled when she overheard Adora whispering "You could've said that sooner," to Mermista.

But then, the staff started bickering about tactics and positions again. And, of course, promotions.

Seacat sighed and closed her eyes. This would be a long afternoon.

*****​

"...so, we're in agreement. We'll reinforce the fortress - which shall be named 'Fortress Freedom' - and stage our forces there. Our naval superiority will allow us to attack along two axes: Up north along the coast, and along the river. That way, we'll be able to trap the entire Horde forces on the coast while we can supply our troops by ship." The shrimp looked around as if daring anyone to disagree.

None of the officers did. A couple might have, but Mermista's expression promised that the next idiot who annoyed her would be thrown into the sea. And, as Sea Hawk could attest to from past experience, it wasn't an empty threat.

"Good!" The shrimp nodded. "Then this planning and strategy session is officially over."

"Dismissed," Mermista added.

Finally! Seacat pushed off the wall she had been leaning against and strode towards the door. It was almost dinner time, and she was starving!

"Seacat!"

And she was trying to escape Adora. But the door was blocked by a gaggle of admirals.

Sighing, she turned. "Yes?"

"Uh…" Adora closed her mouth for a moment. "Are you…"

Not again. "Yes, I'm fine," Seacat spat. "No pain, no twitching, no tingling. Fine!"

Adora looked startled. "Uh… I wanted to ask if you were hungry."

"Oh."

"Of course she's hungry. Everyone is hungry - we spent hours bickering here!" Mermista exclaimed - loud enough for some of the leaving officers to wince.

"We could've had the inn's staff serve us some food and drink," Sea Hawk pointed out.

"And drag this session out even longer?" Mermista scoffed. "Without the threat of starving, they wouldn't ever have stopped trying to one-up each other."

"You're the princesses, you could've ordered them around," Seacat pointed out. That was how the chain of command worked. On a ship and in the Horde.

"That wouldn't have worked," Mermista said - after checking that the door was closed. "They would've resented it. And we need everyone to be fully behind this."

"You can't order admirals around as if they were sailors. Well, you could, but they tend to resent it and become irrational," Sea Hawk added, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Mermista scoffed. "Enough talking. I've ordered dinner for all of us to be served in the dining room."

That sounded great! Seacat smiled. Adora, for some reason, though, looked disappointed.

*****​

The food was great if a little late - the cooks apparently had expected the planning session to run a little longer. Well, that was only to be expected if they were used to Salinean admirals. But Seacat was now pleasantly full. Almost stuffed - sailors knew to appreciate good food after weeks at sea eating rations from the hold.

And her arm was healed, so she didn't have to eat one-handed any more. Speaking of… "Hey, Adora." Seacat leaned towards the blonde, who was finishing dessert with great enthusiasm - Adora had quickly gotten over her funk once the food had started to arrive.

Adora swallowed hastily, then nodded. "Yes?"

"About your healing. We left our wounded in the Fortress No. 3 - Fortress Freedom - but we should've brought them back with us, instead." If Adora could heal the wounded, then that would greatly reduce the time they were out of action.

"Uh." Adora blushed slightly and looked down at her now empty plate. "I don't do much healing, actually."

"Why not?" Seacat frowned. That sounded like an incredibly useful magic power.

"Well, it takes something out of me - I mean, it's tiring," Adora explained. "It's fine if there's a small wound to heal, but if it's serious…" She bit her lower lip.

"It exhausts her," the shrimp cut in. "And we can't risk She-Ra being exhausted near the frontlines. Which cuts down on the healing she can do."

Because most seriously wounded would either die or recover enough to heal up on their own before they reached She-Ra.

"Yes. We found out the hard way," Brain Boy added. "The Horde attacked after Adora had spent the day healing."

"We had more wounded at the end of the day than before Adora started healing," the shrimp explained. "And more dead as well since we couldn't take out their troops quickly enough.

"Fascinating! You could probably find a formula to optimise healing using distance and severity of the wounds," Entrapta said, looking up from her own tiny but numerous desserts.

"We're working on that," the shrimp told her. Seacat couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

But Adora lowered her head further, not looking at anyone. "I acted without thinking."

Oh, damn. Seacat reached out and squeezed Adora's thigh. "You tried to help people." That was more than most could say. Of course, that didn't help the ones who died due to the mistake.

Adora relaxed a little, Seacat could feel it. "I heal when I can, but… there aren't many wounded in Seaworthy," the blonde said. "And most will heal up just fine without me."

"Yes. So, we can save your healing for when it's really needed," the shrimp said.

"Like healing my arm?" Seacat grinned, then had to suppress a frown when she felt Adora's muscles tense again. She hadn't meant to guilt her.

"You're… I had to heal you!" Adora blurted out.

"Thank you," Seacat said with a smile. "It was a pain to do everything one-handed."

Adora smiled back.

The shrimp grumbled something that Seacat ignored.

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk added. "Where would we be without the best first mate on all the seas ready for action?"

"We'd still be here, eating," Mermista said in a flat tone. "Seacat just wouldn't have finished eating yet."

Seacat snorted in return.

Adora, tough, was frowning. She was about to say something, Seacat realised.

So she squeezed Adora's leg a little tighter and let her claws dig in just a tiny bit, then smirked at the offended look the other woman turned her way.

"I had to heal you," Adora mumbled.

Seacat didn't think anyone else overheard her.

"I know," she silently mouthed back. Just like Catra used to during certain lessons, safely behind the back of an instructor.

Adora's smile grew, and she put her own hand on Seacat's. It felt calloused, even through her fur. Warm. Familiar.

"Oh for… Get a room," the shrimp mumbled. Loud enough for Adora to hear, who then withdrew her hand.

Seacat glared at the shrimp, who was glaring at Adora in turn.

*****​

An hour later, Seacat was peering at the window to Adora's room. She could've knocked on the door, but with her arm finally healed, she had felt like climbing - she hadn't been able to for far too long and couldn't allow herself to grow rusty, after all. And she didn't like the thought of every guard knowing where she went. Not that she had anything to hide.

So instead of using the door, she had slipped out of the window without any of the guards noticing. That wasn't hard - the inn they were staying at was the best in Seaworthy, but it was still an inn in a port catering to scoundrels and 'reformed' pirates. And those people liked having ways to come and go - mostly go - without being seen by bounty hunters and other enemies. Which meant the building had lots of nooks and crannies to obscure such trips.

And while the Salinean guards had found a workaround about that by simply sealing off the entire area around the inn, it meant Seacat could probably enter any room unseen. Not that she planned to enter any room other than Adora's.

Hanging upside down, she knocked on the window.

Adora reacted at once - Seacat saw her jerk on the bed, then get up and grab her sword.

She waved at the blonde, still hanging upside down and saw her blink in surprise before Adora opened the window.

"Hey, Adora!" Seacat said as she gripped the window's frame and flipped down and into Adora's room.

"Uh. Why were you on the roof?" Adora asked. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with climbing in through the window! I'm just curious."

Seacat laughed. "I just felt like climbing." She rolled her left shoulder. "I couldn't climb well with my arm in a sling."

"Oh, right." Adora nodded, then smiled.

"Thank you, by the way." Seacat looked around. Except for Adora's sword and a small backpack, she didn't see any luggage. "Traveling light?"

"I don't need much." Adora put her sword down next to her bed. "Anything you take with you you have to carry all the way and back," she quoted one of Catra's old instructors.

"Unless you stash it in the hold," Seacat retorted as she leaned against the small desk in the room. It was a rather small room, for a princess, she realised. A bed, a desk, an armoire. Which would be empty.

"Well, we don't have a hold when we're travelling overland." Adora picked up her backpack, which had been leaning against the bed, and put it into the armoire. Which had been empty as expected.

"That's why you travel by sea, duh." Seacat grinned.

"Not every place is on the coast. Or at a river."

"All the places worth visiting are," she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not…" Adora closed her mouth and pouted at her.

Seacat smirked in return, then laughed.

After a moment, Adora joined in.

"So…" Adora trailed off, then licked her lips.

"So…?" Seacat tilted her head slightly.

That made Adora frown. "Did you just visit to inspect my room?"

'I just wanted to see you' would sound dumb. They had seen each other half an hour before, after all. "Well, you're a princess now. Who else could check up on you?" Seacat dragged a finger over the desk, then held it up, checking for dust.

Her friend scowled. "I didn't clean the room."

"I can see that." She nodded slowly, then acted as if she was blowing dust away from her finger.

"Hey! That wasn't what I meant! I meant people clean the room!"

"Isn't the officer responsible for their troops?"

Adora's frown deepened. "The maids of the inn aren't my troops!"

Seacat laughed at her friend. "I'm just teasing you." She hopped up on the desk and let her legs dangle. "And you're so easy to tease."

Her friend's frown turned into a pout. "That's so…" She trailed off with a huff.

"Yes?" Seacat cocked her head and wriggled her ears for effect.

Adora opened her mouth, then closed it again. "You!"

"Me?"

Suddenly, Adora smirked. Seacat's eyes widened at the sight. That was… unexpected.

The blonde kept smirking as she walked up to Seacat. "So… why did you come, if not to inspect my room. Just to tease me?" the blonde asked in a low voice, putting one hand on the table next to Seacat's thigh as she leaned in - close enough so her breath tickled Seacat's ear.

Seacat swallowed and wet her lips before she realised what she was doing. This wasn't going according to plan. Not that she'd had a plan. "Someone has to tease you," she replied, sniffing.

"Oh, really?" Adora tilted her head, smiling rather… something. Something quite un-Adora-ish. "That's dangerous. Teasing, that is." She leaned in even more, her nose - her lips - almost brushing against Seacat's right ear. "Someone might think you're not just teasing."

Seacat swallowed again. Adora wasn't supposed to be so… smooth. She was supposed to be the flustered one. What was… She blinked, then sniffed again. "Rum?"

Adora's smile became a little strained, and she pulled her head back a little. "Ah, I, uh… You know, Mermista loaned me some books. About sailors." Was she blushing? "And they mentioned drinking rum. So, I was curious…"

"What kind of books did you read?" Certainly not the official history of the Salinean Navy. Although rum featured there as well.

Adora blushed even more. "Uh…"

"Ah. About the adventures of dashing sailors? Like those you've read before?" Seacat was the one smirking now. She shifted around, trapping Adora's hand beneath her thigh, and leaned forward. "Did you like them?"

Adora pulled her head back a little more, which pushed her chest out towards Seacat. She didn't pull her hand out, though. "That's…" Suddenly, she frowned. "You talk like you've read them as well!"

"I didn't." Seacat snapped.

"Then how do you know what's written in them?" Adora grinned, a little hesitatingly at first, then more confidently. "And you spend a lot of time in Salineas. In Mermista's palace. I bet you read them all!"

"No!" Only a few, to see if Dread Captain Rolan was really based on Sea Hawk. And a few more, about the dashing rogue Siren.

"Are you lying? Your tail is twitching!"

She bared her fangs. "My tail doesn't twitch when I lie!" It hadn't done that since they had been eight.

"It wasn't twitching." There was that smirk again. Adora wasn't supposed to be smirking. Not when they were talking about…

She licked her lips, then narrowed her eyes. She wouldn't let Adora have the upper hand. She was Seacat! She was the dashing sailor here! And Adora was the fumbling naval officer! "But you've read them. And you liked them."

"Did you like them?" Adora asked.

Their noses were almost touching now. She could smell the hint of rum on Adora's breath. And the familiar scent of Adora.

"You're purring."

What? She wasn't. She was. Seacat swallowed, then smiled. Toothly. "Yes;" she whispered, staring at Adora's eyes. Daring her to… do something. To look away and admit defeat. She was Seacat. She licked her lips again. Not nervously. Slowly. Like she'd seen that Siren do, in the Enchanted Grotto.

Adora didn't look away. She narrowed her eyes, huffed, then leaned forward, and their lips touched.

Seacat gasped. Adora's lips were soft. Barely touching hers. And her eyes were wide. Surprised. At herself? But she was kissing Seacat. Her breath was tickling Seacat's fur. This was...

Adora started to pull back, and Seacat growled. Pressed her own lips against Adora's. Grabbed her head with one hand to hold her in place, claws lightly pricking her scalp. Her other arm went around Adora's back. Grabbing her waist.

And when the blonde gasped, Seacat slipped her tongue in. Kissed her properly. She closed her eyes and moaned.

Seacat was panting when she pulled back, licking her lips. She didn't release her grip on Adora, though.

Her friend was staring at her, mouth still open. Chest heaving. Eyes, wide with surprise, meeting hers. "That was…"

Seacat grinned. "A proper kiss. Just like in the…"

She couldn't finish since Adora suddenly growled and grabbed her. Pulled her in and kissed her again. Harder this time.

When they broke the kiss again, both were moaning. And Seacat wasn't sitting on the desk anymore -- she was pressed against Adora, standing in the middle of the room. And her claws had almost ripped off her friend's shirt. Oh.

She looked into Adora's eyes. This was… this was…

Damn it!

Growling again, she pushed her friend back, towards the bed.

Adora didn't resist - she pulled Seacat on the bed. On top of her.

*****​

Seacat woke up to the unfamiliar sensation of her pillow moving beneath her. Growling, she held on closer to it. She could feel the sun on her fur, and it was much too comfortable to move, much less to get up. Sighing contentedly, she snuggled into the pillow a little more. It smelled so very familiar, too. Perfect.

"Uh, Ca-Seacat."

And now Adora was trying to wake her up. What was wrong with these people? She huffed and squeezed her eyes shut in a clear sign of her disapproval.

"Seacat?"

Wait. Her pillow was still moving. Up and down. Slowly and not by much, but... And Adora's voice had sounded from…

She opened her eyes. Oh. This wasn't a pillow. This was Adora. Who was smiling at her.

"Morning."

Seacat blinked. "Morning." She started to take stock of their situation. They were in bed. In Adora's room. Both of them naked. And they had… She didn't blush. And if she did, her fur hid it.

Adora, though, blushed. And her smile looked… shy. Almost vulnerable.

They looked at each other for a moment. "So…" Adora said.

"So…" Seacat replied, then clenched her teeth. No, she wouldn't do this again. She was Seacat, not some blushing… whatever. She forced herself to grin. "Was it like in those novels?"

Adora's blush grew even worse. "Uh… I guess so?"

Seacat snorted. "You guess so?" She hadn't drunk that much rum, had she? Seacat knew how drunk Adora looked like - until she cheated and transformed into She-Ra, at least.

"Well… I mean, it's very different, reading about, uh, stuff, and, uh, doing it."

Adora was still blushing. And she was looking away. And Seacat felt her arms lift, then lower again - her friend would've tried to twiddle her fingers nervously if Seacat weren't occupying her chest right now.

This wouldn't do. Adora wasn't meant to look so vulnerable and shy. Seacat shifted until she was straddling her friend, both hands planted beside her friend's head. Her lover's head.

Adora swallowed in return, staring up at her. "Uh…"

Seacat bent down, silencing her with a kiss.

Adora didn't stay silenced for long, but she wasn't making those meek sounds any more. For some time, at least.

*****​

This time, Seacat didn't fall asleep afterwards. But she still stayed on top of Adora, her head on the other woman's chest. Resting. Basking in the sun and Adora.

"We, uh, should probably get up."

Or Seacat would be basking in the sun and Adora if Adora were being good and enjoying the moment. "No. I want to stay like this," she told her without opening her eyes.

"Oh." Seacat could feel Adora taking a deep breath. "So… for how long?"

Seacat snorted. If you weren't at sea, you didn't plan out your basking and napping in the sun time. You took them whenever you could.

"It's just… I'm a little hungry."

Seacat resisted the impulse to make a crude joke in return. "A little longer," she said instead. She was getting hungry as well. Or was hungry. But… cuddling or eating… Her stomach growled.

Sighing, she rolled off of Adora and sat up to stretch. "I guess we should eat something."

When Adora didn't answer, she glanced to her side. Her friend was still in bed, looking at her with a smile. "I've missed this so much."

"Hm?" Seacat cocked her head.

"Waking up like this, you know? Back in…" Adora trailed off. "Sorry!"

Seacat chuckled and grinned at her lover. "We didn't exactly wake up like this, did we?"

Adora blushed again. "No, but…"

"But?"

"Nothing." Adora shook her head and slid out of bed. "Let's get dress… Oh." She held up her shredded shirt and pouted at Seacat.

Seacat chuckled and shrugged. "It was in the way. Besides, you ripped off my shirt."

"What?"

"You don't remember? You sent the buttons flying across the room!"

"You don't use the buttons!" Adora protested. "You just tie it off!"

Seacat held up her shirt. "See?"

Adora opened her mouth then closed it again. "Well, you can still tie it together under, you know…"

"And you can wear your jacket just fine," Seacat retorted.

"Fine!"

Seacat grinned. Victory!

Then Adora found what was left of her pants, and she was glaring at Seacat as if it wasn't her own fault that her pants had refused to come off quickly enough!

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 26: The New Clothes

"You ripped my pants to shreds!" Adora complained. Again.

Seacat rolled her eyes. "So? Get a new pair."

"I don't have a new pair!" The blonde dropped the remains on the bed.

"What?" Seacat turned to look at the pack in Adora's room at the inn. "You don't have spare pants with you?" Horde regulations had been to always carry a spare set of uniforms in your pack, as Catra knew.

"I do!" Adora replied.

Seacat raised her eyebrows at her lover as she tied her own, damaged shirt close. Who needed buttons, anyway?

"They're currently in the laundry." Adora grimaced. "I wanted to meet you with a freshly cleaned uniform, I mean, set of clothes, so I changed, and the maid must have taken them to get cleaned. While I was in the bath."

"Ah." Seacat chuckled. That was what happened if you didn't do your own laundry. "So, what about a skirt?"

"I don't have a skirt."

"You wore a dress at the Princess Prom," Seacat pointed out.

"I don't carry that dress with me when we're in the field. It's back in Bright Moon." Adora sighed and sat down on the bed, picking up her ruined pants as if she hoped that they would have been magically repaired…

Seacat blinked, then laughed. "Just change into She-Ra! You get a new outfit with the transformation, don't you?"

"Oh! I'm so stupid!" Adora beamed at her. Then she frowned. "That's where you tell me that I'm not stupid."

"What? I would never disagree with you about this!" Seacat laughed and patted her shoulder.

"Oh, you…" Adora glared at her, then suddenly smirked and grabbed her sword. "For the Honour of Grayskull!"

Seacat watched as her lover transformed. Adora was tall and strong and muscular. She-Ra was… all that, just more. If they did… She swallowed, then licked her lips before forcing herself to smile confidently. "See? You have pants now. And a skirt!"

Adora smiled back. No, that was a smirk. "Do you have spare pants?"

What the… Uh-oh. Seacat took a step back, then out the bed between Adora and herself. "In my room." Unless the maids grabbed them as well for cleaning.

"Mhh." Adora took a step closer to the bed and cocked her head sideways.

Catra knew that expression from several tussles usually in the barracks. Seacat made a dash for the window. She-Ra was tall, strong and a princess, but she couldn't climb as well. And Seacat was still faster.

But not fast enough, as it turned out - just as Seacat reached the window, a hand grabbed her tail. "Ow!" she yelled, but her traitorous friend didn't let go.

"Gotcha!" Another hand grabbed the collar of her shirt, lifting her up. "So…"

Seacat snarled and sliced through the knot with her claws. She slipped out of the shirt and dropped to the floor, then rolled to the side. "Hah!" She flashes her fangs to Adora.

"Oh, you…" Adora dropped the shirt and went after her again.

Seacat dodged to the side, then jumped over the bed. "Too slow!"

"I'll show you slow!"

Instead of going over or around the bed, Adora cheated and pushed the bed towards Seacat. She jumped up and onto the bed before she was stuck between it and the wall, but Adora had been expecting that and dropped on her. "Gotcha!"

Seacat hissed and squirmed, but as She-Ra, Adora was too large and too heavy to get away. "Cheater!"

"Hah! Now let's see how you like it when your pants are destroyed!"

"Adora?"

Seacat froze. As did Adora. That was… She turned her head and looked at the door. In the middle of the room stood the shrimp.

"Uh… This is not what it looks like?" Adora's smile wouldn't have convinced a drunk and blind sailor.

"You're not trying to rip Seacat's pants off?"

"Uh… well, I am, but not for what reason you think I'm doing this, I mean…" Adora blushed like a ripe tomato.

Seacat grinned. "We already did what you think we're doing!"

Adora gasped. "Ca-Seacat!"

"What? It's true!" Seacat frowned. Adora wasn't ashamed of that, was she?

"Well, yes, but…" Adora trailed off.

The shrimp was grinning. No, she was gloating. "See? I told you to take the initiative! Hah! Bow was wrong!"

"What? I came to Adora's room!" Seacat was the one who had taken the initiative!

"I kissed you first!" Adora protested.

"I kissed you first properly!" Seacat shot back. "And I destroyed your pants, first!"

The shrimp coughed. "Anyway… I just wanted to let you know that we've got a briefing after lunch. Or breakfast for you. See you!"

She disappeared in a shower of sparkles.

"So…" Adora, still flushed, looked at Seacat. "Lunch?"

She wasn't getting away that easily. Seacat flashed her fangs in a wide grin. "So, you asked your friends for advice to seduce me?"

And there was Adora's blush, back again with double the force. "I didn't ask for help seducing you!" she replied. "I just… I asked for advice."

"Advice about what?" Seacat asked.

"Advice about romance." Adora looked away. "I didn't… I mean, I haven't had…"

Once more, Seacat had to suppress the urge to make a crude joke. "...a relationship?" she asked instead.

"Yes." Adora nodded. "And you had, well…" She shrugged. "I needed advice."

Seacat nodded. "Well, it worked."

Adora's lips twisted into a smile that slowly grew wider. "Right!" She nodded again, more firmly. "So, we're…"

"Lovers."

"Lovers," Adora repeated. "Good."

"Good." Seacat nodded. A moment passed. "We still need to find you replacement clothes, though," she said.

"Right. Uh. In Bright Moon, I'd go to the tailor in the palace, but... there's no tailor in the inn, is there?"

"No, there isn't. The staff can mend clothes, I think, but…" Seacat held up the remains of Adora's pants and shirt. "That's a bit beyond mending."

"The books never mentioned that problem." Seacat's friend - lover - pouted.

Seacat chuckled. "They also never mention hardtack and foul water. Or nasty weather. But we can get you a shirt and pants, easily."

"Oh. I can borrow some from you?"

Seacat grinned. "They wouldn't fit you. But don't worry. I'll get you some clothes that'll fit you."

*****​

"Is that an admiral's uniform?" Brain Boy blurted out as Adora and Seacat entered the dining room Mermista had commandeered.

Adora opened her mouth. "Uh…"

Seacat grinned and cut her off. "Of course not! Do you see any epaulettes or rank insignia on it?"

"We can see where you ripped them off," the shrimp said, frowning.

"I didn't rip them off!" Adora protested. "I mean…" she looked at Seacat. "You brought them!"

Seacat gasped. "I didn't cut anything off! I found them like that." In the quarters of the freshly promoted Admiral Isabel, ready for the admiral's insignia to be sewn on, but that was a technicality. Grinning, she took her seat at the table, sniffing the air. Mhhh. Roasted fish!

"You didn't really rip off rank insignia, did you?" Adora whispered as she sat down next to her.

"Would I do that?"

"Yes, you would."

"Well, I didn't!"

"But you took the uniform from one of my officers," Mermista cut in, shaking her head.

"Well, they can get a new one. Adora needed new clothes, and they were her size."

"Why did you need new clothes? Did you have an accident? I once burned my clothes off, but I've replaced them with fire-resistant ones and haven't had a problem since. Do you want me to make you a fire-resistant set as well?" Entrapta leaned to the side, staring at Adora's pants. "I could make leather pants that are treated against flames!"

The shrimp snorted. "Adora's clothes had an accident with Seacat's claws."

Adora blushed again. "Well…"

"Retaliation after Adora tore my shirt off," Seacat said. "Twice!"

"Oh!" Mermista smirked. "Like in 'The Tale of the Daring Rogue', right?"

Adora's blush intensified.

"Were you sparring?" Entrapta asked, blinking. "Isn't that dangerous without protective clothes or armour?"

"Oh, no!" The captain beamed at them. "They finally gave in to their passion for each other, and spent the night together! Ah, my best first mate had her heart stolen!"

Entrapta looked confused for a few moments while Adora babbled something no one understood. Then the princess's eyes widened. "Oh, you had sex!"

Adora closed her mouth.

"Yes," Seacat replied. The best way to deal with potential embarrassment was to out-embarrass the other side. So she grinned and said: "And if anyone is interested, I can tell you exactly how…"

Obviously, no one had ever taught Adora that - her lover slapped her hands over Seacat's mouth. "And we should really talk about the war!"

Seacat pushed Adora's hand away. "Really?"

Adora nodded, her jaw set, though she was still blushing fiercely. "Yes, we really should talk about the war."

"We can discuss your relationship later, Seacat," Sea Hawk said, still beaming at them. "I'd be happy to give you advice - I've got extensive experience with relationships!"

"And that's exactly why you shouldn't give them advice," Mermista said. Judging by the Captain's grimace, she was pinching his thigh. The Princess's slightly forced smile changed into a genuine one when she turned to Seacat and Adora. "However, I'm available if you've got any questions."

"So am I!" the shrimp piped up. "And who was it who told you how to approach Seacat, hm?"

"I've got some questions!" Entrapta raised her hand. "Relationships are a fascinating field of study. A confusing one, too, though. I've got so many questions! Or is the offer limited to Seacat and Adora?" she asked, frowning a little.

"Mermista will be happy to explain everything to you," Seacat said before anyone else could answer the princess.

"Oh, thank you, Mermista!"

Mermista was again forcing herself to smile, but it didn't seem as if Entrapta noticed.

*****​

"We'll visit a tailor!" Adora announced as soon as dessert was done. "Come!"

Seacat found herself dragged towards the door before she could say anything. And with Adora having a death grip on her arm, there wasn't much she could do, anyway. "Right! We'll be back in time for the meeting!" she said, waving with her free arm.

"I can't be seen by Isabel in her uniform!" Adora whispered as they left the dining room.

"It's not her uniform," Seacat told her. "It lacks her insignias."

"Oh, you - you know what I mean! She'll know it's hers!"

Was hers. And what could the new admiral do, anyway? On the other hand, Mermista would probably appreciate it if they didn't rub it in in front of the new admiral. And she had sent a glare at them when they left. Probably because Entrapta had already started asking questions. Well, Mermista was a princess. Handling other princesses was her duty. And she certainly had more experience about that topic than Seacat had.

"Well, let's see if we can find clothes in your size," she told Adora. "We'll make you look like a proper sailor!"

Adora grinned at that. "You think?"

"This is Seaworthy," Seacat explained as they stepped out of the inn, "Any spare clothes the tailors have will probably be from a sailor who didn't pick up their order." Or made for a tavern wench, but Adora couldn't wear such a dress - well, she could, and it would look great on her, but it wouldn't work for a military meeting.

"Ah. I didn't consider that," Adora said, nodding with a serious expression. "That makes sense."

"There might also be uniforms," Seacat added. The closest tailor, and the best in town, wasn't far from the inn. "What with the Salineans having been stationed here for months now." The Navy and the marines were kind of fixated on uniforms being mended.

"Ah. But I can't really wear Salinean uniforms, can I? I'm not a Salinean sailor."

"Well… we could remove the rank insignia." She grinned. "Or we just say we bought this uniform from a tailor!"

That earned her a deep frown. "No, we won't!"

Seacat chuckled in return. Seeing Adora in proper sailor's clothes should be a treat.

*****​

"Oh! Look, Seacat!"

Seacat swallowed a curse when she saw what Adora was holding. How on Etheria had she found a Horde top in the shop? Why was the tailor stocking Horde uniforms?

"It's just like the one you destroyed!"

Seacat could see that.

"And matching pants!"

Damn. Perhaps they weren't her size…

"And they fit!"

Damn again.

"And the Horde insignias have already been removed!"

"Is there actually a demand for Horde clothes?"Seacat asked the tailor while Adora went to change. They were lightweight and sturdy, but… they were Horde uniforms.

"Not a big demand," the fishwoman replied, the tentacles on her back folding towels and napkins. "But there aren't many such uniforms in pristine condition, so it's a novelty item."

That might change once they brought in a supply ship full of the stuff, Seacat thought. "Not exactly pristine, without the symbols," she said.

The woman winced. "Some people take offence at the insignia."

"Ah." Of course they would. Who wouldn't? Hell, Seacat had liked shredding the damned things, last night.

"Look!" Adora actually twirled after stepping out of the changing room. "Better than new!"

Seacat forced herself to smile. That sight brought up memories.

"I think there are some in your size, too!" Adora went on, peering at the small stack of Horde uniforms. "We could match!"

Seacat didn't quite hiss. But her expression must have given her reaction away since Adora's smile vanished as soon as she turned to look at Seacat. "Oh, no! I'm sorry - I didn't think."

Seacat scoffed. "Heh, if you want to match, we'll get proper sailors' clothes!" She made a point of eyeing Adora's body. "You're much too hot for a uniform."

That made her lover blush again - and forget about her gaffe.

And Seacat used the time spent looking around in the shop for decent clothes to calm down. Wearing a Horde uniform! Really?

*****​

"I should've changed," Adora said, not for the first time, as they approached the inn again.

"No, you shouldn't," Seacat replied with a grin.

"This is highly inappropriate for a planning session."

"I wear the same clothes," Seacat pointed out.

Adora didn't have an answer for that. She didn't like that, either - Seacat could see her frown at her in the corner of her eyes. "Just enjoy looking hot," she told her lover.

"I could transform…"

"Not before your friends have seen you, I bet they prefer this look to your uniform, too!"

"What? No!"

"Wanna bet?"

Adora pouted, then nodded. "Yes!"

Seacat's grin widened.

*****​

"Oh, Adora! You look great! Doesn't she look great, Bow?" The shrimp started to gush over Adora's sailors' clothes as soon as Adora and Seacat had entered her room. "And you match!"

"I approve." Brain Boy grinned at her bare midriff.

"Uh… don't you think my regular clothes look better?" Adora asked.

"What? No, no! These look much better," the shrimp told her. "Less…" She trailed off and shrugged.

"Less Horde-ish?" Seacat suggested with a grin aimed at Adora.

"Well… Horde uniforms aren't very fashionable," the shrimp said with a nod.

Adora pouted. "They're functional. Lightweight and protective. And very comfortable."

"Protective? Not in my experience." Seacat raised one finger and flexed her claw. "They rip and tear very easily."

"You can tear through body armour with your claws," Adora pointed out with a frown.

"Exactly!" Seacat's grin widened.

"That's not the point," the shrimp said. "These clothes look much better than a Horde uniform. Much, much better."

Seacat took a step closer to Adora. "Yes. And you don't run the risk of being mistaken for a Horde soldier."

"I never run that risk," Adora replied. "I fight as She-Ra."

"But you don't socialise as She-Ra," Brain Boy interjected. "And, well… Some people did mistake you for a Horde soldier."

"That was only right after my defection, when I still wore the insignias!" Adora protested.

"Uh…" The shrimp grimaced.

"She didn't notice, hmm?" Seacat asked. Of course people would recognise the uniform. At least those who had fought the Horde.

"What?" Adora blurted out.

"People realise quickly that she's no Horde soldier," Brain Boy said.

"But…" Adora shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought it was fine!"

"It is fine. It wasn't a real problem. It rarely happened. And we didn't think you wanted to change your clothes. But now that you did…" The princess smiled. "And they look much better on you."

"See?" Seacat smirked.

Adora pouted, then glared at her friends.

"Uh… is something wrong?" the shrimp asked.

"If you really like your old uniform, then you can, of course, keep wearing it," Brain Boy said.

"We had a bet," Seacat explained. "And I just won it."

"Thanks to you two," Adora grumbled.

"Oh." The shrimp blinked. "You bet? What did you bet?"

Seacat grinned. "Oh, that's…"

"Private!" Adora blurted out, "Very private! And nothing. Almost nothing!"

"Oh." The shrimp's smirk looked like it belonged on a cover of Mermaid Mysteries - as a villain.

Brain Boy looked a little lost.

And Adora cleared her throat. Loudly. "So! Let's prepare for the strategy meeting!" She all but stomped over to the desk and spread out a map.

Seacat nodded and joined her, putting both hands on the desk's edge and leaning forward.

And let her tail gently wrap around Adora's right leg and move up.

Adora stiffened - Seacat could see she was suppressing a gasp - then started to blush a little. But she stubbornly stared at the map, clenching her teeth.

Seacat grinned and made a point of looking at the spot Adora was staring at. "What's so important in the Crimson Wastes?"

"Nothing! I mean… Argh! Let's study the Horde defences! They've lost Fortress No 3, but still have troops guarding the passes and the edge of the Whispering Woods. Once we have destroyed their forces north of the river along the coast, we will need to..."

Seacat only listened with half an ear - striking through the woods or passes was landlubber work - and kept teasing Adora with her tail. She wondered how long it would take for her lover to crack. Just a little bit more...

"...and then we can envelope the remaining Horde forces guarding the river and the mines." Adora tapped the map with her left index finger.

Ah. The mine for the fuel crystals. If they took it, they would rule the seas uncontested. That would… Seacat tensed, then glanced down. Adora was gripping the tip of Seacat's tail with her right hand. Well, that was cheating. She started to pull her tail back.

And Adora squeezed. And kept talking as if she wasn't doing anything "Once we control the river here, the Fright lands are wide open for attacks from the north and the east." Turning to look at Seacat with a wide grin, she added: "What about landing operations along the coast?"

Oh, she… Seacat ground her teeth and leaned over. "The Salinean fleet can land any force where you want, as long as the Horde frigates are taken care of. Supplying them inland will need a river, though-oh." She almost hissed when Adora kept squeezing her tail.

That wasn't how this was supposed to go!

*****​

Seacat was almost relieved when they moved to the meeting room for the planning session and Adora had to release her tail. Damn cheating Adora, abusing her greater strength like that!

But Seacat would get her revenge - she had won their bet, after all! The thought made her grin - and her grin widened when she noticed the sudden frown and uncertainty on Adora's face. Stew on that!

But first, Seacat had to endure another hour or two full of posturing, bickering, and boring plans. How Mermista hadn't drowned her admirals yet, and how the shrimp hadn't teleported with her generals high enough to let them go splat on the ground, she didn't know. Well, in the case of the shrimp, her mother probably frowned on that.

Sighing, leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling. A dozen beams kept it up.

"Hey!"

She blinked. Entrapta stood in front of her, head and upper torso tilted as she smiled up at Seacat. How had the princess managed to sneak up on her? "Yes?"

"We haven't yet talked about your new sword. And how your ship performed!"

"You want to talk about that now?" Seacat blinked again. It wasn't as if anyone else was paying attention to them - the officers were all focused on their power plays while Mermista and the others tried to keep them from tearing each other apart. Well, Adora looked like she was trying to keep herself from tearing them apart.

"Yes! I already said my piece, so they don't need me any more." She frowned. "And they didn't seem to be interested in my observations."

That sounded a little… "Observations?"

Entrapta nodded with a wide smile. "I'm observing the social dynamics of this meeting. It's fascinating how different people react to the same stimuli." Frowning again, she added: "But some reacted rather hostile to me observing them."

"Admirals are often like that," Seacat told her. "It's part of becoming Admiral."

"Yes! Mermista told me the same. But she didn't want to let me study the transformation, even though Isabel just went through it! The loss of data for science!"

"Ah." Time to change the subject - the rearmost Admirals were now glaring at them. "So… did Sea Hawk tell you about our adventures yet?"

"Oh, he did, but it never hurts to get more data. A second accounting would be very useful. Any tale is biased, after all, so you need as much data as possible to find the facts."

That made sense. The Captain had a tendency to… exaggerate. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

"Everything! Start from the beginning!" A strand of hair pushed a small device in front of her. "Speak into the recorder, please!"

Oh. Well, the meeting looked like it would go on for a while. "So, we set out from Salineas. The engine was a great help in getting out of the harbour quickly and efficiently. It would be even more useful for larger ships," Seacat told the princess.

"Oh, yes - Sea Hawk mentioned a tugboat with an engine! A great idea! So, did you use the engine to travel faster?"

"No, we saved the fuel for battles."

"Hmm." Entrapta scrunched her nose. "That's an external factor related to logistical concerns. This makes it hard to actually test how the engine holds up in the long run. We might have to prioritise capturing the crystal mines so we can properly run those tests."

Well, they had to capture the fuel crystal mines to deprive the Horde of their use, but the result was the same. Seacat nodded in agreement. "But it performed very well in battle. It allowed us to capture a Horde frigate - together with your special solution."

"Special solution? Oh, that solution!" Entrapta mumbled some more lines into her device. Then it was held in front of Seacat's face again. "Sorry! Continue! Please."

Seacat cleared her throat. "Alright. So, after reaching Seaworthy, we sailed south along the coast, to meet up with the Ice Spear, when we encountered a storm…"

*****​

"...and then we returned to Seaworthy."

"Fascinating! I wouldn't have thought that the engine would be so crucial during a storm! "

Seacat nodded. "Saved our ship and our lives."

"Perhaps every ship should have one installed for emergencies. A small one." Entrapta mumbled into her 'recorder' again. Something about testing tiny engines. "And there was no noticeable change of efficiency in the river as opposed to the ocean?"

"Not that I would've noticed," Seacat replied. "Although I couldn't observe the ship going all-out in the river."

"Why not?"

"Going upriver, we had to slow down to watch out for obstacles, and going back I was, uh, wounded and stuck belowdecks," Seacat explained.

"Right! And speaking of wounded and rivers... How did the sword perform?"

"It performed very well - until I lost it," she replied. "Sorry about that."

"That happens. Do you know how many prototype engines blew up in testing?" Entrapta frowned. "Wait, you do, you helped test them. Some of them."

"They didn't blow up when I tested them," Seacat said.

"Right! That was the preliminary testing phase, not the field test." The princess nodded. "So, any details about the sword's performance?"

Once more, the recorder was almost shoved into Seacat's face. "Well, parrying worked, and no armour withstood it. And I cut wood with it when we needed logs."

"Oh! Woodworking! I didn't even think of that application! I should make some saws using the same technology - that should speed up shipyard construction!"

Once more, the princess started muttering into her recorder. And once again, Seacat only caught about half of it. But faster shipbuilding was always a good thing - especially in war.

"...though the projected building rates would be bottlenecked by the rate at which engines can be produced, which, despite my efforts, is still lagging behind due to lack of trained personnel."

"Not every ship needs an engine," Seacat pointed out. "More transports would help as well." Especially with four Horde frigates still roaming the seas - a number of transports were overdue and presumed lost according to Mermista, and while some of them might've been lost in that storm that had almost sunk the Dragon's Daughter V, a number hadn't even been in the area at the time.

"I guess so… though they'd be slow."

Seacat shrugged. "We won't have the crystals for them, anyway, until we take the mines."

"Right!" Entrapta nodded enthusiastically, her hair bopping along. "Another reason to secure those mines!"

That had been mentioned before, but Seacat didn't say that. "Yes."

"So… your new sword. Do you want the same model? Or something with a little more functionality? I could probably build a saw-sword! You'd be able to cut even more wood with it!"

A saw-sword? That sounded rather unwieldy. "I'd prefer a cutlass," Seacat said. She wasn't a weakling, but she needed a lightweight, fast blade. Not something a minotaur would have trouble swinging around. And a saw-sword sounded a little too much like what a drunk pirate would buy because it looked dangerous.

"But with a fetching bot, right?"

"Uh… on a ship, space is limited. How about just a way to find it?"

"Oh. I guess that would be possible…" Entrapta sounded rather disappointed.

Seacat searched for something to cheer her up. "Did you check our ship's engine yet?"

"Oh! No, I didn't yet! Good thinking! Let's go!"

As Seacat found out, Entrapta's hair was still far too strong to get away once it had a hold on her. Well, at least it got her out of the planning session.

*****​

"Oh… almost no sign of material fatigue! Although you didn't use the engine constantly, so it was more like intermittent use… though you pushed it to its limits in the battle, which would have a stronger effect on the frame and driveshaft… and the fuel chamber is perfectly clean, though that was to be expected with the quality of the crystals used…"

Seacat, leaning against the wall next to the door of the engine room in the Dragon's Daughter V, smiled, shaking her head as the princess got lost in her examination of the engine. At least the verdict sounded good so far. No risk - or no increased risk - of blowing up in the middle of a trip.

After a few more minutes and increasingly incomprehensible comments from Entrapta, the princess straightened, wiped some smudge of what looked like green liquid from her face, and nodded emphatically. "The engine's performing within expected parameters."

"I guess that's good," Seacat replied, a little snarkier than she had intended.

"Oh, yes! I mean, it's not as good as discovering that your work is actually much better than you thought - although that could also mean that you didn't understand your own work as well as you thought you did, which is generally a bad thing until you do understand what you did - but it means the engine is working as intended and my calculations don't have to be redone. Which means my suggested table for maintenance doesn't need to be altered." She frowned. "I hope that will convince the admirals to stop criticising my table, now that it has been experimentally validated. They didn't trust my calculations, you know."

Seacat snorted. "I wouldn't count on that. The admirals - at least all I know - generally don't like anything they didn't think of."

Entrapta gasped. "But… Why wouldn't they accept facts? Data doesn't lie!"

"People lie, though," Seacat said.

"They think I'm lying? But I've never lied to them! Or to anyone!" The princess trembled a little as she shook her head.

Seacat bit her lower lip, then forced herself to smile. "It's not your fault. The admirals are just used to everyone lying and trying to replace them."

"But we're all on the same side! That doesn't make sense."

Seacat suppressed another frown. Entrapta was, in some ways, the most naive woman she had ever met. She made Adora look like a cunning schemer. "People are like that. Not everyone, but many don't care about anyone but themselves. Or they think that they know best." She shrugged. "There's not much you can do about it, other than outranking them or finding someone who outranks them and believes you."

"Like Mermista?"

"For admirals, yes."

Entrapta set her jaw and nodded firmly. "Then I'll go and tell her to tell the admirals to trust me!"

Seacat winced. "Ah… not right now! They're in the middle of a planning session."

"That's exactly why I need to tell Mermista that! Planning should be based on facts, not lies!" Entrapta rushed out of the engine room.

"Uh…" Seacat quickly locked the door, told Licy to keep guarding the ship, and hurried after the princess. She had to stop her before she caused a mess or possibly a rift in the alliance.

"Entrapta!" she yelled. "Wait!"

The princess stopped in the middle of the gangway. "Wait?"

Seacat pressed her lips together as she reached her. "Let's walk slowly, OK?"

"But…"

"Please."

Frowning, the princess nodded.

Seacat sighed. "Look, Mermista knows about this. And she trusts you. You know her, and you know that, right?" she said as they stepped onto the pier.

"But why doesn't she tell them, then? They would have to believe me!"

"Ah…" Seacat trailed off. How to explain this? "She could tell them - and will tell them - that you're right. She trusts you, after all. We all do."

"Not the admirals! They don't, or they wouldn't treat me like they do!"

Seacat needed to have a word with Mermista about this. "I meant Mermista. Sea Hawk, Adora and her friends, and me."

"Oh." Entrapta nodded with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Yes. Anyway. Mermista knows that her admirals are being stupid. But she can't just order them around. Well, she can give them orders, but not just any order."

"What?" Entrapta looked confused.

Seacat sighed again. They had reached the waterfront. "It's like… Some orders won't be followed. And Mermista knows that. So she has to be, ah, diplomatic about it."

"But she's the princess, and they are her subordinates!"

"Yes. But if they all united, Mermista would have lots of problems. And if she treated them like…" Seacat trailed off again. She couldn't say 'like bots'; Entrapta treated her bots better than some captains treated their crew. "...As if they were stupid and didn't deserve respect, then they would mutiny."

"But telling them the truth isn't treating them as if they're stupid!"

"It isn't, but they think so. Most of them, anyway."

"That's stupid."

"They are stupid." Seacat shrugged. "But that's how it works."

"It shouldn't be like that! Data should matter!"

"Yes," Seacat agreed. "But… it takes time to fix this. To find the right people and make them admirals. And get rid of the stupid admirals. Without making all of them mutiny."

"She should promote you! Like Sea Hawk!"

Seacat snorted. "I'm a first mate, not an admiral. And I wouldn't want to be an admiral."

"Why not?" Entrapta walked with her hair and turned her body to look directly at Seacat without breaking stride.

"It's…" Seacat clenched her teeth for a moment. "I don't want to deal with stupid admirals."

"You would be good at it, though. You understand this."

She snorted. Not enough to deal with a room full of backstabbing officers. Well, not unless she had Mermista backing her to the hilt, maybe literally. It would be fun, of course, to take down the admirals a peg or two. On the other hand… "I just want to sail a ship and be with my friends."

"And with Adora!" Entrapta smiled widely at her.

"Yes." Seacat couldn't help smiling. Adora. Her friend. Her lover. Oh...

"So, are you going to take her with you when you sail?"

Once more, Seacat clenched her teeth. "We're fighting a war. She's needed at the front. And I'm needed at sea."

"And after the war?"

Well, that was a question Seacat didn't really want to think about.

Fortunately, she didn't have to - they had arrived at the inn, and Entrapta was distracted by a bot waiting for her. "Emily!"

The bot beeped - which made Seacat's fur ruffle. It sounded a little like… She buried that thought. Entrapta's bots were safe. Mostly.

"Oh? My supplies have arrived? Yes!" Entrapta turned to Seacat. "My supplies have arrived! I can now work on your sword!"

"I thought you had your workshop set up here already," Seacat said.

"Yes. But I didn't have all the materials I needed to make your new sword."

"Ah." That made sense. Entrapta would have prioritised materials for the engines - they were crucial, after all, for the war at sea. And who ruled the seas ruled Etheria.

"The materials I need to make the improvements for your new sword are a little temperamental, so they couldn't be transported with the rest of my workshop. The interference from an engine - or a bot running at full capacity - might set up a chain reaction in the crystals if the frequencies should match."

That sounded… concerning. "A 'chain reaction'?" Seacat asked, trying not to sound concerned.

"Once the first crystal matrix absorbs too much energy, it collapses and discharges all of it - which tends to overload the closest matrixes, which in turn overload, collapse, and…"

"I get the picture," Seacat interrupted her with a wince. "So… my new sword will also be a bomb?"

"Oh, no - once the crystal bonds with steel, the matrixes stop being able to store enough energy to overload since the metal will absorb the energy in the form of heat and vibration." Entrapta blinked and then wrinkled her nose. "Although I could block that process, and allow the sword to explode like a bomb, I guess." She perked up. "That would allow you to blow up your sword and most of the area if you can't recover it! Mermista said that we need to be extra careful not to let the Horde get any of my inventions! This will work perfectly for that - great idea, Seacat!" Entrapta beamed at her, then whirled around. "Come on, Emily! We need to get started on Project: Bomb Sword!"

As the princess sped away, half-riding the bot, half dragging it with her air - Seacat couldn't tell which was the case - Seacat couldn't help wondering if Entrapta crashing the planning session and causing a mutiny among the admirals wouldn't have been the better option. Or the lesser evil.

Entrapta had been talking about a bomb that would destroy not only the sword, but also the area around it, hadn't she? And she expected Seacat to carry it around and hit their enemies with it. That sounded suicidal.

But telling Entrapta that she didn't want the new sword, after the princess showed such enthusiasm… She would be so disappointed.

Seacat sighed. "The things I do for my friends…"

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 27: The Night Out

"You sneaked out of the planning session," Adora said as the last admirals had left the room. She had crossed her arms and stood in front of the table. And she sounded… not mad. Not annoyed, either, like when Catra sneaked away in the Horde and left Adora with some stupid task. But she most certainly wasn't happy.

Seacat shrugged. "I came back."

"After staying away for most of the afternoon."

"Technically, I was dragged out by Entrapta."

"I saw that."

Yes, definitely unhappy. Something was bothering her.

"She wanted to check the engine of the Dragon's Daughter V so it won't suddenly explode out on the ocean," Seacat went on.

"Ah." Adora nodded. She sounded… relieved?

Seacat blinked, then grinned. "What did you think we were doing?"

"Uh… I don't know. I was just… curious." Adora grimaced.

"Were you worried?" Seacat joined her at the table, picking up a model of a Salinean frigate.

"Why would I be worried?" Adora asked. "I'm not worried."

"Well, I was kidnapped here before." Seacat added a fake pout.

Adora gasped. "Oh, I… I mean, I knew that, but I didn't think… I'm sorry!"

Seacat laughed, interrupting Adora's babble. Holding up a hand, she said: "I was just teasing you."

"Oh, you…" Adora's chest moved nicely in her new shirt when she moved, Seacat noticed.

"Yes, me!" she replied with a toothy grin. That was payback for the tail-grabbing. "Anyway, the engine's fine and Entrapta's working on a new cutlass for me." She patted the hilt of her current one. "I'll be back to cutting ships in half soon enough."

"You cut ships in half?" Adora stared at her.

"No, that was just joking," Seacat replied. "I can't actually cut ships in half - well, I could probably saw some of the smaller ones in half."

"Oh." Adora frowned. "I wonder if I could cut a ship in half."

"Well, don't try it on one of our ships. Or on a ship we're about to take as a prize." No sailor liked people who sank their prize money like that.

"A prize?" Adora sounded surprised.

"If we capture an enemy ship, she's getting sold, including cargo, at the prize court in Salineas. And the money's divided among the crew who took her.

"You get money for boarding Horde ships?" Adora sounded surprised.

"For capturing them, yes."

"We don't get money for capturing Horde whatevers."

Seacat shrugged again. "You're landlubbers." Everyone knew they were worse off. "Besides, you're a princess. You don't need money."

"I'm She-Ra."

"Who is a princess." Seacat grinned. Basic logic!

"I don't have a country to rule. Or to tax," Adora told her. "Bright Moon pays for my… well, for everything I need."

"You don't have money of your own?" Not even now, after all the time spent fighting for the Alliance?

"No." Adora shook her head. "I don't need money, though."

Seacat gasped. "Don't say that! Everyone needs money. Clothes cost money!"

"Bright Moon pays the tailor." Adora shrugged.

"But what if you want something that Bright Moon won't pay for?" Seacat asked.

"That's never happened so far."

Damn, Adora was too naive. If someone controlled your money, they controlled you. What if Bright Moon ever decided to demand Adora pay them back? Or just exploited the obligation Adora might feel towards them? "What about loot?"

"Loot?" Adora stared at her again. "We're not bandits! Or… pirates!"

"Soldiers loot stuff!" Seacat protested. "Everyone knows that."

"But… that's against regulations!"

"Horde regulations," Seacat reminded her.

"Yes! And the Horde is evil, so if they don't do it, why should the Alliance do it?" Adora huffed again.

"Because that's what soldiers do? You beat the enemy, you find something shiny, you keep it." Seacat patted her cutlass again. "That belonged to a Horde sailor."

Adora shook her head. "But… we're liberating Etheria. We're taking it back from the Horde. We're not taking it for us."

"Most of the stuff in the Fright Zone belongs to the Horde. So, it's fine as loot!" Seacat grinned. "You don't want to ask the shrimp every time you want something, do you?" She didn't add 'like with Shadow Weaver', but felt guilty anyway.

"Ah…" Adora trailed off, then bit her lower lip. "No, I don't."

"Then you'll have to take some loot next time you take some Horde fortress." After a moment, Seacat added: "Or you become a sailor and capture a Horde cargo ship. A full one."

Adora laughed. "Me, a sailor?"

"Well, you look like one." Seacat made a point of leering as she looked Adora over.

And she was rewarded with a slight blush. "I'm She-Ra; I'm needed to save Etheria."

"And after the war?" Seacat kept a smile on her face. They were just chatting. Flirting.

"Uh… I don't know, actually. I never really thought about it, I guess."

Well, that was something. Better than nothing. She could still hope.

Seacat smiled.

"But still… you sneaked out of our planning session," Adora repeated herself. "Don't you want to know our strategy?"

"I already know our strategy," Seacat replied. It was obvious, anyway. "All I missed was the posturing."

Adora opened her mouth, then closed it again, pouting. "It wasn't that bad."

Seacat grinned and raised her eyebrows.

Her lover sighed. "Alright, it was that bad. I don't know how Glimmer and Mermista can stand it - those officers were such…" She huffed, shaking her head.

"Such shellfish-brained idiots?" Seacat suggested. "That's what Mermista calls them in private."

"Yes, exactly!" Adora blinked. "She does?"

"Oh, yes." Seacat nodded. "Heard it myself."

Adora leaned against the table and slumped a little. "Why doesn't she replace them, then? If anyone annoyed Hordak like that, or…" She trailed off, pressing her lips together.

Seacat knew whose name Adora had been about to say. And ignored the slip. "If Mermista got rid of everyone who annoyed her, she'd soon have no one left who'd dare to annoy her. Or tell her when she's wrong." That was how Sea Hawk had explained it to her. And that was what was expected from your crew as well.

"Oh. But how can she tell if someone's right or wrong when they annoy her?" Adora frowned. "It's hard to tell, especially with some of the more annoying officers."

Seacat shrugged. "I don't know. It's probably a princess thing."

"Right. I'll ask Glimmer about it." Adora nodded with a determined expression.

Seacat hid her smirk. She had been joking, but if Adora took her seriously… "Anyway, we're set now, aren't we? For the offensive, I mean."

"Uh, yes."

"Which means we'll sail soon. Tomorrow or the day after, at the latest," Seacat said.

"What? Loading the supply ships will take almost a week!" Adora protested. "That's what Admiral Isabel said!"

"The supply ships, yes. But the Dragon's Daughter V isn't a supply ship - we're a courier. We'll be off to scout the coast for Horde frigates." Sea Hawk wouldn't sit around and wait for the admirals to sort things out.

"Oh. That means…" Adora pouted again.

"It means we'll have to make this night count!" Seacat grinned, though she wasn't too happy, either. Leaving your lover was a fact of life as a sailor. If Sea Hawk and Mermista could bear it, then she couldn't do any less.

And Adora smiled at her. "Right! Uh, carousing?"

Now her lover's smile felt a little forced, but if Adora was offering without Seacat having to call in her marker from the bet…

"There you are! Come, dinner's almost ready!" The shrimp was there, with Brain Boy, standing in the door. "What are you doing there?"

"Err, Glimmer, perhaps they wanted a little privacy?" Brain Boy asked.

"What? No! They'd have gone to their room in that case!"

Well, she wasn't entirely wrong there. And yet… that sounded like a challenge. Seacat flashed her fangs in a toothy grin and stepped up to Adora, wrapping her arms around the other woman's waist. "We don't need privacy. You've barged in on us before when we were in bed, haven't you?"

The shrimp actually blushed. "But.. but…"

"That wasn't…mph!"

Seacat silenced Adora with a kiss. A proper kiss. And ignored the shrimp clearing her throat a few times.

Adora was blushing again when they broke their kiss. "Uh…"

"So, someone mentioned dinner?" Seacat smiled as innocently as she could manage while she turned to face Adora's friends.

"Oh, yes. In the dining room," Brain Boy managed to reply.

"Alright! Let's go!"

*****​

"...and the new sword should be ten per cent more efficient and have the same cutting power. I'm still ironing out a few small problems, but it's not going to explode unless you want it to!" Entrapta gushed while, somehow, managing to eat as well.

"That's reassuring," Seacat said before she could stop herself.

Fortunately, Entrapta didn't seem to catch the sarcasm. "I know, right? It would be quite bad if it exploded without you wanting it to!"

"Yes."

"Very bad," Adora added with a deep frown.

"Unless we managed to sabotage the Horde armoury with a few such swords." Sea Hawk rubbed his moustache. "That would be a tale for the ages."

"If we can sneak into their armoury, we can just leave a bomb there and blow it up," Seacat replied. "Also, I don't think Hordak or Shadow Weaver use swords."

"But their guards might use one!" Mermista said. "Exactly like in 'Double Dolphin Death', where the murderer went after the bodyguard of the actual target and poisoned them both!"

"The Horde armoury doesn't distribute unconventional weapons," Adora said. "Only standard issue."

It was a little different in the field, actually - or at least at sea, in Seacat's experience. But she didn't correct Adora. If she sneaked into the Fright Zone, she wouldn't stop at trapping swords. "Also, what if they are fighting our troops when the sword explodes?"

Sea Hawk frowned. "Right! I see I have to consider this a little longer."

"Yes, please," Adora said.

"So, when do we sail?" Seacat asked. She had to know if she could sleep in or had to be ready on the Dragon's Daughter V in the morning. Well, she could take Adora to the ship, that would save her some time she could spend with her lover. Perhaps have her sleep in and only wake her up when they were already at sea… She dismissed that fancy with a snort. They both had their duties, after all - and Adora would probably swim back rather than neglect hers and leave her friends hanging.

"Oh… I think… When will the sword be ready?" Sea Hawk asked.

"I should be able to finish it tomorrow," Entrapta replied. "Probably. The fine-tuning can be a little delicate. But it won't take more than two days!"

"Then we'll sail in two days," the Captain told them. "With the tide, since other ships will be leaving port as well. We'll confuse the spies that way."

That would be… closer to noon. Good. More time with Adora. Seacat nodded with a smile. Mermista smiled as well, she noticed.

"The main fleet will set sail in a week, according to my admirals," Mermista said. "But we'll send out a squadron of frigates to patrol the coast in three days."

"And two frigates with engines!" Entrapta added, nodding enthusiastically. "They'll be ready for their sea trials by then!"

"Do you have the time to be working on my sword, then?" Seacat asked. If the princess neglected the Salinean ships for a mere sword...

"Oh, it's mostly the sailors getting familiar with the engines - I finished the work on them. And Emily and the others are still assembling the next engine," Entrapta replied. "And you need your new sword - you'll be fighting again, soon, right?"

"That depends entirely on the Horde," Sea Hawk told her. "If we find a transport on the way, we'll board it, but if the craven scumbags are hiding in port, we won't see action until the campaign up the river starts."

And the fighting in the river would be nasty. All those forests hiding artillery, close-range battles with gunboats… "What about our swivel gun?" Seacat asked.

"I've ordered one to be sent to the Dragon's Daughter V," Mermista said.

"We can exercise the crew on it on the way." Sea Hawk nodded.

And install it on the way, should they have set sail tomorrow? Well, it was only a swivel gun; easy to set up. "Good."

"I still can't believe you were sailing into war without guns;" the shrimp said.

Seacat snorted. "The Dragon's Daughter V is a courier ship. The kind of guns we could mount wouldn't do anything in a naval battle - the only ships they could hurt would be so small, we could easily board them instead."

"What about other courier ships?" Adora asked.

"They couldn't carry enough guns to keep us from boarding them," Seacat replied.

"Indeed! Doubly so now that we have Entrapa's marvellous engine!" Sea Haw added. "Oh, I wish I had seen the faces of the Horde scum when we rushed at that frigate! Hoisted by their own petard!"

Seacat chuckled at the memory. It had been dangerous - but they had pulled it off. Saved the Ice Spear and took down a frigate.

"Well, no need for such heroics," Mermista said. "Not with our frigates now being able to match the Horde frigate's engines."

"Surpass, actually," Entrapta piped up. "By my calculations, they are twenty per cent faster than Horde ships at the least. More if they can use their sails as well."

That was good news. "Great!" Seacat beamed at the princess. With such ships, the Horde would soon be driven from the seas. Again.

*****​

"Alright!" Seacat pushed the empty dessert bowl away to make a point. It wasn't as if she felt a serious urge to lick it clean - she hadn't done that in years, at least not at a dinner that wasn't served on deck. But now it was time to start carousing! "Time to get some air! See you all!" she announced, then grabbed Adora's hand and led her out of the room.

But before they even reached the stairs, the shrimp and Brain Boy appeared in a shower of sparkles in front of them. "There you are!" the shrimp spoke up "Let's talk!"

Seacat narrowed her eyes. The grin on the princess's face would've fit a Horde propaganda poster about evil princesses.

Adora must have felt the same since she looked flustered. "Talk? About what?"

"You two, of course!" The shrimp pointed at Adora, then at Seacat. "You've finally done the deed! Now I want details!"

"What? Details?" Adora was blushing again. "I mean…"

"Glimmer!" Brain Boy cut in with a frown at the shrimp. "We're just curious how you worked out your, ah… issues."

"Worked out?" Adora sounded like Entrapta's recorder. "Issues?"

"How you overcame your differences and found love in each other's arms!" the shrimp explained. "Though a few details wouldn't go amiss," she added with a toothy grin.

Seacat glared at Adora. Those were her friends and her responsibility.

"Glimmer! I'm not - we're not - going to tell you about that!" Adora gasped.

The princess giggled in return. "Relax, I was joking about that." She waved her hand and stepped up to them. "But, seriously, are you a couple now? Officially? This isn't some sailor fling, is it?" she added with a frown at Seacat.

Adora blinked. "Uh…"

"Yes, we're a couple," Seacat told the princess, returning the frown. With interest. What did the shrimp think she was? Some sailor with a lover in every port? Adora was… Adora.

Adora nodded, beaming. "Yes!" She looked a little too relieved. They might have to talk about that.

"What Glimmer meant to ask," Brain Boy cut in, sounding a little sterner than usual, "is: How do you plan to handle it when you have to separate for the offensive?"

Right. They probably had to talk about that, too. Seacat didn't want to, though.

"Uh…"

The shrimp sighed and hung her head for a moment. "You haven't talked about that, have you?"

"We discussed it. Briefly," Adora told her.

"Very briefly." Technically. "Why do you want to know?" Seacat asked.

"Because Adora is my friend, and she was moping for weeks over you!" The shrimp glared at her.

"You were?" Seacat grinned at her lover.

"I wasn't moping!" Adora still couldn't lie. "Well… I was…" She twiddled her thumbs. "...concerned. Missing you," she added with a sigh and a sappy smile.

Seacat found herself smiling as well. It felt good to know this.

"And now you'll be moping when we're on campaign. Again." the shrimp grumbled.

"I won't!"

"You won't miss me?" Seacat asked, raising her eyebrows?

"Well, yes, of course… But I won't mope!" Adora nodded with a determined expression.

The shrimp and Brain Boy sighed. "And have you given any thought to the future?" the princess asked.

"Uh…"

"We need to win the war, first," Seacat told them. "We can sort things out afterwards."

"Things?" Adora asked.

"Us." Seacat clenched her teeth. They didn't need to discuss this right now. Not with so little time left to be together. And Sea Hawk and Mermista proved that you could have a relationship without working out everything. Granted, they had a very stormy relationship for years, before finally settling down, but… She sighed. "We'll work something out."

"Yes," Adora agreed.

"But now it's time for carousing!" Seacat announced.

"Great!" The shrimp said. "This will be fun, Bow!"

Wait! She hadn't meant it like that!

*****​

The light hurt. It burned straight into her eyes. Trying to fry her brain. And her head hurt. As she had taken part in a headbutting competition wth a goatman. She tried to close her eyes, then realised she was already squeezing them closed. "Damn, what happened?" she mumbled, shielding her face with her arm.

"A drinking competition happened."

"Can't be. I can drink anyone under the table." She started to shake her head, then stopped, groaning at the pain that this caused.

"Well, you beat Glimmer, but… the 'celebration beer' you had afterwards sent you to join her." Adora sounded amused.

Seacat risked opening one eye, safely behind her arm, and squinted. There was Adora, sitting on the bed - lounging, actually - and watching her. She didn't look as if she had a hangover, but then, She-Ra cheated. "Well, I won!" That was what counted. Seacat couldn't let the shrimp outdrink her. Or out-carouse. She had a reputation to maintain.

"You did." Adora gently shook her head.

"What happened afterwards? Did I sleep until now?"

"You don't rem…" Adora bit her lower lip. "Sorry."

Once more, Seacat started to shake her head and stopped, wincing, before waving her hand instead. The one not shielding her eyes. "No, no, it's not a problem. Drinking too much isn't, you know, the same as…" She pressed her lips together. She had recovered her memory, her past, but she still remembered the years spent without knowing, wondering who she was, what family she had had.

"Yes." Adora smiled. "Anyway, you weren't really asleep, just… drunk. Very drunk."

"Ah." No nodding, that hurt. She grinned. "So, we caroused, and then…?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Then you fell asleep," Adora replied with a slight frown.

Ah. So much for a passionate night. "Sorry," Seacat told her lover. "I guess I… it's the shrimp's fault." Seacat wouldn't have entered a drinking competition with the princess if the princess hadn't insisted on tagging along.

"I bet that's what Glimmer's saying, just with your roles reversed."

"Well, if she is, she's wrong." Seacat slowly, oh so slowly, got up. "Ow."

"Do you want me to heal you? Healing a hangover wouldn't take much out of me…"

"What? No, no! Save your, ah, magic, for people who need it." Seacat could stand a little hangover. Easily. Any sailor worth their salt could.

She just needed a little time for her head to adjust to its new lofty position above the rest of her body, instead of buried into the pillow.

"Well, let me help you!"

Seacat squeaked when she felt strong arms pick her up - and hold her. "Hey! Let me down! I can walk!" Eventually.

"No."

"Of course I can't if you're holding me!" They were at the bathroom. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Seacat protested as she was set down in the tub.

"If I leave you to yourself, you'll probably take the whole morning. And I want to spend more time with you before you have to set sails." Adora smiled at her again.

And Seacat's next protest died on her lips.

Until the cold water hit her. Then it was back with a vengeance.

*****​

Seacat was still a little mad at Adora for the whole cold shower thing - you used cold water to sober sailors up when they were drunk! You didn't use it to help with hangovers! Her lover should've known that! - but seeing the shrimp all but comatose at breakfast, her head resting on the table with her face down, quickly got her over that. "Hey, you two!" she greeted the princess and Brain Boy, a little louder than necessary.

The shrimp just groaned. "I'm never drinking again," Seacat heard her mumble into the table.

Brain Boy winced a little. "Good morning."

"Glimmer? Are you alright?" Adora asked.

"Leave me in peace. I'm dying here."

"Well, you should've known better than to challenge me," Seacat told her. "Especially as a landlubber."

"Landlubber?" the princess raised her head to glare at her, but her expression turned into a wince. "Ow!"

Seacat shook her head, ignoring the slight pain that caused her. "Well, you aren't a sailor, are you? Then you're a landlubber." She grabbed some bread and eggs - one of the treats she missed at sea. Unless you wanted to share your deck with a chicken coop - and what self-respecting sailor would do that? - you couldn't get fresh eggs at sea.

"I'm a commander!"

"A landlubber commander, yes."

"Are you really arguing over that?" Brain Boy asked.

"Yes."

"Please…" Adora smiled at both of them. "Let's just enjoy the meal!"

"I'm enjoying my meal," Seacat pointed out. "It's the shrimp who's dying."

"I'm not dying!" the princess protested.

"You just said you were," Seacat told her, grinning. "Was that a lie?"

"Oh, you!" Now the shrimp was glaring at her. "This is all your fault!"

"Who challenged me to a drinking contest?" Seacat raised her eyebrows.

"You claimed you could drink anyone under the table!"

"And I proved it, didn't I?"

"As I was told, you only beat me by a single glass!"

Seacat chuckled. "But I beat you. And that..."

"...is enough of that," Adora cut in. Her hand, which was somehow on Seacat's thigh, squeezed. A little harder than Seacat liked. "We've got a day to enjoy before you set sails again, and we go back to Bright Moon to launch the offensive, and I will enjoy it to the fullest!"

Her lover looked slightly manic as she stated that, Seacat couldn't help noticing. And, judging by the expressions on her friends' faces, they had noticed as well.

Best to agree. Besides, Adora had the right idea. They needed to enjoy the time they had. Who knew what the future would bring?

*****​

"Come on! Hurry!" Seacat not-quite-yelled as she pulled on Adora's hand. They had to run.

"Why are we running?" Adora asked as they rounded the corner of the narrow back alley. "We've lost Glimmer and Bow - Ew!!" she complained as they ran past a midden heap in the middle of the alley.

That was why they were running, of course. Seacat had no intention to spend another evening and night with Adora's friends. Not when this was the last night for them before they had to part. And Seacat knew exactly where to go this evening. Without the shrimp or Brain Boy.

"Don't worry about them. The shrimp can teleport, right?" Seacat asked as she dragged Adora down an even narrower alley - more like a tunnel, as at least half the buildings on either side touched each other above the alley.

"But she doesn't know where we're going!"

"What an unfortunate oversight!" Seacat didn't bother to hide her grin.

"Yes, so… Oh! You wanted to lose them!"

She flashed her fangs at her lover in response.

"But we could've just told them so!"

"This way, it's all my fault, and they won't be angry with you," Seacat told her.

"But…"

"No 'but'! Besides, we're here!" They had just left the tunnel and stood in another, slightly wider side alley.

"We are?" Adora looked around.

"That's the back entrance," Seacat explained as she knocked on the closest door.

"The back entrance to what?" Adora asked.

Seacat grinned at her. "The best place to dance in Seaworthy."

"Dancing? I'm not dressed to dance!" Adora complained.

"Oh, you're perfectly dressed," Seacat told her. Indeed - with her top and leggings, matching Seacat's, Adora would fit in perfectly.

The door opened, and a grey-haired female minotaur peered at them. "What do you want?"

Seacat flicked a coin to the woman. "We don't want to take the front entrance."

"We don't? Why not?" Adora asked as the woman let them in.

So her friends would have a harder time finding them, of course. But Seacat didn't tell Adora that. She led her lover through the corridor, past the kitchen, towards the music she could hear.

Pushing the curtain separating the corridor leading to the kitchen aside, she beamed at Adora. "The Dancing Swordfish!"

Her friend stared at the sight in front of her: There was a small stage, with a few musicians on it and a singer. A siren, actually - Ludmilly Love, straight from the Enchanted Grotto. Or so the festhall claimed. Seacat didn't care - the singer was good enough either way. Her voice sent shivers down your spine and made your body move.

The people on the dancing floor in front of the stage were proof of that. They were dancing like they were born to it, with the kind of attitude you usually needed a decent amount of booze to achieve. The kind of attitude when nothing but dancing - with your lover - mattered. No one was wearing fancy clothes or a lot of jewellery, but there weren't any ragged clothes either.

"Oh." Adora was still staring. And swallowing.

"The food and drink aren't that good here," Seacat told her as she took her hand, "but the music is always the best in Seaworthy." She started pulling Adora along. "Let's dance, shall we?" She was already feeling the urge.

As did Adora - before they had crossed the half a dozen yards to the dance floor, her friend was pulling her along.

And then they were dancing, in step with the rhythm. Moving without a care in the middle of a crowd, yet dancing together. Seacat raised her hands above her head and shook her hips, stepping up to Adora, pushing her chest towards the other woman. Her lover mirrored her. Fleeting touches followed as they twirled and turned. Her ponytail had come undone at some point, and her mane was falling around her shoulders.

It fit.

When the song changed, the drums featuring more prominently - the musicians had a fishwoman with tentacles playing the drums - Seacat tuned her back to Adora, then leaned in, pressing her back into her lover's front, grinding against her.

She felt strong hands grab hers, still swaying above her head, and they started to move in sync. Seacat closed her eyes, focusing on the music - and on feeling Adora behind her. Against her.

Her heart was pounding, and she was panting, she realised. But they weren't dancing that fast. Or that wild.

Oh.

Yes.

This was perfect.

Then the song ended, and the singer started another. A slow piece. Very slow. And the lights dimmed further.

Adora's hands released hers, and before Seacat could protest, Adora grabbed her shoulders and turned her around - then pulled her close.

Oh.

They were swaying gently, slowly turning around themselves - together. So close, Adora's breath tickled her right ear.

Seacat moaned, softly, and leaned in, once more closing her eyes, taking deep breaths. Smelling Adora's scent. Pressing her face against Adora's shoulder. Yes. This was perfect. She ran her hands over Adora's back, then grabbed, lightly poking her with her claws, and felt Adora's body tense.

Just like back at the Prom. No, better than that. Adora's own hands caressed her back, one going up to cup the back of her head, fingers entangling themselves in Seacat's hair. Pulling her back.

She opened her eyes, opened her mouth to protest - she wanted to dance like before, to be so close - but Adora's lips met hers and silenced her before she could find the words.

Perfect.

*****​

Seacat was flushed when, after a few more songs, they finally looked for a table. They hadn't done anything too untoward, as a princess other than the shrimp would probably call it, but she felt as if they had.

They found a table without anyone sitting at it - and the jacket on the bench was easily kicked away without Adora noticing - and took a seat. Well, Adora did - Seacat crawled into her lap and shifted around so she could lean against Adora's front.

"So?"

"So?"

"What do you think?"

"It's… great," Adora said.

Seacat didn't have to turn around to know that her lover was both beaming and blushing. She did it anyway, to plant a kiss on her. "Mhh."

"I didn't know about this place," Adora said afterwards. "Why didn't we visit before?"

"It's got the best music - you heard the singer. But the food and drink are expensive, and I told you that they aren't that good," Seacat explained.

"But the dancing! That's…"

"It's perfect if you're not alone," Seacat told her. "Or if you're looking for someone."

"Oh. Is that why you didn't want Glimmer and Bow to come with us? So they wouldn't feel, ah, left out?"

Seacat chose to answer that with a humming noise and let Adora draw her own conclusion. Whether or not the shrimp and Brain Boy hooked up with each other or spent the night with someone else after flirting on the dance floor wasn't her business.

All she wanted was to spend this night with her lover.

She sighed and leaned into Adora again, craning her head to look at her. She felt Adora's arms tighten around her waist and smiled.

Perfect.

*****​

Seacat sighed happily as they left the festhall - through the main door, this time. She was holding Adora's hand, and the cooler air of the evening - the night, actually - felt nice on her fur after the time spent inside. Refreshing.

"That was…" Adora trailed off.

Seacat turned to smile at her. "Of course it was! My idea, remember?"

"You don't even know what I was about to say!" Adora protested.

"Of course I do. You wanted to say 'That was great, Seacat! Thank you for taking me here and for showing me a good time'!"

"I didn't want to say that!" Adora shook her head.

"You didn't know what you wanted to say. That's why you didn't say anything," Seacat told her with a laugh. "Luckily, I know what you should've said."

"Oh, you…" Adora shook her head, chuckling. "Well, it was very nice."

"Of course it was!" Seacat pulled on her hand. "Come on!"

"Where are we going now?"

"Back to the inn." Seacat flashed her fangs in a wide grin at her

"Oh." Adora was blushing a little.

"Unless you want to go to a tavern and drink some better ale."

"What? No, no. The inn is fine, perfect, actually. Really!" Adora replied.

"Can't wait, huh?" Seacat leered at her lover.

"Oh, you!" Adora was blushing fiercely now, visible even in the dim light of the night. Then she suddenly frowned, narrowing her eyes at Seacat. And her grip on Seacat's hand tightened.

"What?" This was… not according to plan. If she had a plan, of course.

A smirk replaced the frown on Adora's face, and she reached for Seacat. With her hand trapped, Seacat couldn't dodge - and didn't know if she wanted to, anyway - and she found herself picked up and held, bridal carry.

"Hey!" she protested.

Adora ignored her.

She tried to wriggle out of the other woman's hold, but Adora's grip was too strong - even without turning into She-Ra - for that. Well, she could easily break the hold if she wanted to hurt Adora but… that was out of the question. "Put me down!"

"No!"

"I can walk!"

"So?"

"You're not going to let me down, are you?"

"No."

"We'll see about that." The way Adora carried her, she had to use both hands. Which left both of Seacat's hands free. And her tail. And Adora was ticklish.

"Hey! What are you doing? Stop that!"

"No!"

*****​

Seacat took a deep breath as she slid off Adora. That had been… well, perfect. A perfect end to a perfect evening. She shifted around in the bed, stretching out next to her lover, one arm draped over Adora's chest, her head resting in the crook of Adora's elbow.

She could feel Adora breathing. Felt her lover's hand settle on her own body. Smelt her. "Love you," she whispered under her breath.

"Love you, too," Adora answered in a whisper - after a moment's hesitation, though. And Seacat had felt her tense up.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing;" Adora replied at once.

Seacat rolled her eyes and waited.

"It's just…" Adora sighed. "You'll be sailing off tomorrow. And we'll soon return to Bright Moon."

"Yes." They had discussed that, hadn't they? It was well-known. Hell, a few Horde spies might already have picked it up just based on the supplies being loaded on the ships. Not much you could do about that in a port as rife with scoundrels as Seaworthy. Unless you expelled everyone, of course. Which would be what the Horde would do.

"And we won't see each other for a long time."

"Yes." Seacat frowned. She also knew that already. And she didn't want to think about it. Not now. But Adora was obviously working through or up to something. Seacat's eyes widened. She wouldn't try to break off, would she? Not after everything they had done! Not after what they had just done! "We'll see each other soon enough!" she snapped, turning her head to glare at her.

"Ah…" Adora blinked. "Uh… I mean…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that!" Seacat snapped. "We just had a perfect evening and night! It's a miracle the bed's still intact! We're not going to break up over the war!"

"What? No!"

No? "Good!" Seacat nodded firmly.

"Uh, good."

That was settled then. Seacat still frowned at her lover. "So, what is bothering you? And don't say 'nothing'!"

"I was just…" Adora sighed. "I was wondering about… after the war, I mean."

Again? "Didn't we decide to tackle that once we actually won the war?"

"Well… I was just… wondering, you know."

"About us after the war." Like the shrimp had told them to.

"Yes." Adora nodded.

Seacat sighed again. "And what did you come up with?"

"Nothing."

That was a little too fast. "Really?" Seacat raised both eyebrows at her.

Adora caved. "I was… well, I was wondering what Sea Hawk and Mermista's plans were."

"Huh?" Seacat blinked. How did the plans of the Captain and Mermista affect… Oh. "You want to know how they plan to, ah, have a relationship?"

"No. I mean, well, yes. But mostly I wonder…" Adora took a deep breath. "Do you want to have a ship of your own?"

A ship of her own? Without the Captain? Seacat didn't know what to say. What to think.

Adora kept talking. "I mean, Glimmer told me about her father, how when he married her mother, Queen Angella, he lived in the palace. As King. I mean, he did leave, of course - he wasn't stuck there - but… he mostly lived there."

Where was she going with that? Oh! "The Captain would never give up his ship!" Seacat blurted out.

"I didn't mean that. I just thought… he wouldn't travel as much, what with being married to Mermista. And what if they have children?"

Oh. Little children. A ship wasn't a good place to raise children. Well, they would be fine in calm waters, but in a storm? Or when you had to outrun a pirate ship? Seacat doubted that Mermista would let Sea Hawk raise any of her children on a ship. At least not until they were grown up a little, and could learn how to sail. And she doubted that Sea Hawk would want to see his children only every few months or so. "I see what you mean."

"You do? I mean, yes." Adora fidgeted a little. "I was thinking, if you had a ship of your own, you needed a crew."

"Yes." Of course she'd need a crew. That was obvious. Unless she settled for a rowboat.

"So… I was wondering if I could become a sailor. I mean, I already dressed like one, didn't I? And I've been at sea. I slew a sea monster! And I am a good student. And She-Ra is really strong, and I can heal, and…"

Seacat silenced her with a kiss. "You idiot," she told Adora when the broke the kiss.

"Hey!"

Seacat kissed her again.

"So… what, uh, do you think?"

After the third kiss, Adora got the message.

Idiot.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 28: The Vanguard

"...And that's the switch for the locator function. I placed it on the scabbard here. The small arrow will point at your sword. If you flick it and this switch on the other side at the same time, it also acts as a detonator switch and the sword will explode as long as it's in range," Entrapta explained, gesturing at the switches, then at the sword.

Which Seacat was holding. She tried not to show any reaction to the realisation that she was holding a bomb that would wreck the entire room and reduce her to smear on its remains.

"You mean it's armed?" Adora, obviously, didn't have such restraint. She was staring at the blade with wide eyes, then gaped at Entrapta.

"Well, yes, it's armed," the princess replied. "How could I demonstrate its functions if it weren't working?"

"Demonstrate its functions?"

"Not the bomb," Seacat cut in.

"Of course not - that would destroy the sword," Entrapta agreed. She blinked, then added: "And most of the inn, I think. It depends on whether the walls withstand the shockwave - if they do, they'll channel it upwards and the effects on the rest of the rooms shouldn't be too bad. If they don't, and if they are load-bearing walls, then the entire inn should collapse into the crater blown into the ground. Because the floor isn't actually that strong, you know? It's mostly a few solid beams and lots of wood, and that won't resist the blast very well."

"Ah." Seacat nodded. "Hide behind walls, not below floors. Got it." Well, it wasn't as if she was planning to blow up her room here.

Adora nodded with a slightly sickly expression.

"Unless the floor's solid stone, but that would probably be too heavy for most buildings," Entrapta told them. "I had to study that when I was rebuilding my workshop!"

"Ah." That wasn't a surprise. "And the sword otherwise works like the first one?"

"Yes, exactly! That's what you wanted, right?"

"Yes." Seacat smiled at the princess. "Thank you very much. This is great!"

"OK! And don't forget to gather data if you use the bomb function!"

"Will do!" Seacat suddenly frowned. "Oh, what's the blast radius of the sword-bomb?"

"Well, initial testing showed that the power of the explosion was roughly equal to a heavy shell."

"Ah." Enough to easily sink a courier ship.

Adora took a half-step away from the sword. "And how likely is it that that thing can blow up if you hit it hard enough?"

"Oh, not very likely. There's a tiny chance that it might explode if the pressure on the power unit is strong enough to force a chain reaction even without the catalyst, but so much pressure would probably kill the wielder anyway before the bomb goes off." Entrapta beamed at them.

Seacat smiled. "A last surprise? I like that."

Adora frowned at her. "Don't talk like you're planning to use it. In that capacity, I mean." In a lower voice, she added: "I'm worrying enough already."

Seacat smiled at her. But she didn't tell her not to worry - she was worrying about Adora, too, after all.

*****​

"Ah, First Mate! Right on time!" Sea Hawk yelled as soon as Seacat stepped off the gangway onto the deck of the Dragon's Daughter V.

"Captain." She nodded at him.

"Got your new sword?"

She patted the hilt on her hip. "Yes. And it's also a bomb."

"Great!" He beamed at her. "That might come in handy!"

She hoped she wouldn't have to blow up her sword - but he wasn't wrong. They had a war to fight, anyway. She glanced at the gun mounted on the bow, then at Alcy and Licy - she still didn't know their real names - and at Horas. The three were lined up next to the mast, smiling. She nodded at them.

"The entire crew's assembled, then!" the Captain declared. "We're ready to set sail!"

They had a bigger crew now. That would take some time getting used to, even though Seacat had known they would have to recruit more if only to man the gun. And the three former scoundrels had proven their mettle. Still... it wouldn't be just her and the Captain any more. She would miss the closeness.

"Did you already say goodbye to Adora?" Sea Hawk asked in a lower voice as she passed him to check on the engine and hold.

"She's coming to see us off," she replied, opening the hatch. "She just had to clear some things with the shrimp."

"Ah. I think I see her."

Seacat dropped the hatch and looked at the pier, then cursed herself for her reaction. She was better than that. But she was already missing Adora, too.

"Seacat!" Adora waved all the way to the gangway. "Great, I made it!"

"We're not yet setting sails," Sea Hawk told her. "We need to wait for the tide - well, we wouldn't have to wait, but we wouldn't want to give our secrets away.

Adora didn't seem to be listening to him, though. And Seacat wasn't really listening either.

They were kissing.

*****​

"Locked!"

"Loaded!"

"Aimed!"

Seacat pressed her hands over her ears and yelled: "Fire!"

Alcy pulled the cord, and the swivel gun fired. A moment later, the water erupted near the floating piece of wood they were using as a target. The sailor cursed under her breath.

Seacat shook her head. "Close. If it had been a ship, you'd have hit it."

"But I missed the target."

"Not by much. And if we'd have loaded a shell…" Licy wiped the sweat from her brows - the sailor had served as a loader for this drill, and while a swivel gun's shells and shot were far lighter than those of a frigate's guns, constantly reloading was exhausting.

But you needed to drill that so you could keep it up in battle. 'The more you sweat, the less you bleed' was a quote from a Horde Instructor, but true anyway. Seacat just wished the gun wasn't so loud. Her ears hurt if she stood too close to it.

Well, she'd have to get used to it. Or get used to having Adora heal her ears every time they met. Or ask Entrapta for some earplugs that only worked against gunshots.

"Well, the cadence was good!" Sea Hawk commented. "You threw a lot of weight at the enemy."

"At the water," Alcy corrected him.

"We've got the entire journey's length to learn how to hit," Sea Hawk replied. He slapped her on the shoulder. "You'll get the hang of it in time for duelling gunboats on the river!"

"So you think we won't face any Horde ships at sea?" Licy asked.

"I didn't say that." The Captain grinned. "But if we encounter any Horde ships, they are bound to be frigates - and we won't fight a gun duel with a frigate."

That would be pointless, indeed. The swivel gun's shells probably wouldn't even blow holes into a frigate's hull. And landing a shot on the enemy's bridge… the enemy outranged them, and Seacat didn't want to brave enemy broadsides for some chancy shot.

"Keep drilling," she told them, pointing ahead. "There's another piece of driftwood coming up." So far out? Remnants from the storm that almost sank them, no doubt.

The two scoundrels jumped to handle the gun and point it at the new target. If they hurried, they'd get three, maybe four shots off before they were past it.

"I'll check the engine," Seacat said and then went down into the hold.

The engine wasn't running - with the wind at their back, they didn't need to waste the fuel crystals. She still stayed for a little while, watching it. Checking the switches and levers. And sighing. Usually, she'd be busy with the sails during such a voyage. But with their crew having more than doubled, Seacat had more free time. More free time to think. And miss Adora.

She sighed again, then went back on deck. "Everything's fine," she reported. "The power chamber's full."

"Good, good! You never know when you might need them." Sea Hawk smiled at her, then went back to the helm, where Horas was. The wheel looked tiny in the hands of the big minotaur, Seacat noted. He wouldn't be a regular helmsman, of course - that would be a waste of his strength - but every member of the crew needed to be able to handle every essential task on board. You never knew when you'd lose someone, to a storm or battle.

And she didn't have an essential task right now. She leaned against the railing and looked out at the sea while Alcy and Licy drilled without powder.

"Missing Adora?" Sea Hawk joined her at the railing, leaning against it while facing her.

"Is it obvious?"

He cocked his head. "Well, to me at least. But who wouldn't miss their lover if they had to part ways so soon after coming together?"

"Don't remind me," she muttered, closing her eyes.

"I won't."

He didn't have to, of course. Seacat was thinking about Adora all the time now. She sighed. "How do you handle it?"

"Ah." Sea Hawk turned to look at the sea as well. "I tell myself we'll meet again. And I do my best to enjoy the sea until then."

"It's not really working for me," Seacat muttered.

"Oh, I know. But it will."

She grunted. "When?"

"Someday."

That wasn't very promising. She took a deep breath. "Have you ever… thought about not leaving her?"

"Stop sailing all the seas?" He gasped, but she could tell he wasn't really shocked.

"Stay with her."

"Of course I thought about it." It was his turn to sigh. "My love is a woman of the sea. And yet the same power that makes her so perfect a partner for any sailor also means she'll be duty-bound to Salineas."

"Oh." Seacat hadn't considered that, but it made sense. "You could still sail, though. Just not…"

"...as free as before." The Captain nodded. "I know. But to take such a step… it's hard for any sailor."

She nodded.

*****​

"Ship ahead!" Seacat heard Licy call out from the lookout. She quickly scaled the rigging to check with her telescope. "Looks like a merchant," Licy told her.

The woman was correct, as Seacat could see herself. It was a transport ship. An older ship, too - broader in the beam than a cog and likely to roll a lot in heavier seas. Probably built in a yard on the Northern Coast, not in the Kingdom of Snows - the lines didn't fit a cog like the Ice Spear. Though the flag claimed it was from Seaworthy. That was possible - many independent merchants, both honest ones and those who got their cargo at the point of a blade, picked Seaworthy as their homeport.

But… "There's some damage to the bow," she said. "Patched up, but not perfectly."

"Oh?"

"And they're headed towards the part of the coast occupied by the Horde."

"That could be a navigation error," Licy pointed out.

It could be. Not every ship had a decent navigator. And even those who should stick to the coasts to avoid getting lost at sea might decide to sail the open seas to avoid the Horde.

But Seacat didn't think this was such a case. Or it had been a navigation error, but then the ship had been captured by a Horde raider.

"They're changing course. Northwards," Licy said.

"To cover up, probably." Seacat couldn't make out the crew of the ship, not yet, but her gut feeling was clear.

"Suspicious transport ahead, Captain!" she yelled down. "Might've been captured by the Horde."

"We shall check it out, then!" Sea Hawk replied. "Ready the engine, but don't accelerate yet!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" Seacat narrowed her eyes as she went belowdecks. If it was a transport with a prize crew, then they could handle it. A Horde captain wouldn't want to lose more than the absolute minimum of his crew to sail a prize home. But if the ship was transporting soldiers for a raid or hunting other transports, things would get a little tricky. At least the other ship had no engine, which meant the Dragon's Daughter V could easily outsail it, should they have to retreat quickly.

She started the engine, checked that it was working properly, then rejoined the others on deck. The Dragon's Daughter V was cutting through the waves, towards the slower transport. Alcy was waving the signal flags, telling the other ship to stop and prepare for inspection.

"I don't see any gun ports!" Licy reported.

That didn't mean the ship was unarmed - but Seacat didn't see any guns on deck, either. Although if the transport was a concealed raider, they would've hidden their guns. And the additional troops.

"They're slowing down!"

Seacat could see the cog turn into the wind and come to a stop. The sailors on deck weren't running around or grabbing weapons - but they weren't lining the railing and watching the Dragon's Daughter V's approach, either.

"What do you think? Hidden gun ports? Or just a force hiding belowdecks to board us?" Sea Hawk asked.

"If they aren't a prize crew, then it'll be boarders. They wouldn't have been able to install hidden gun ports while at sea, nor would the Horde ships have had guns to spare," Seacat replied. They could've done that in port - but the transport would have had to sail during the storm to escape the blockade, and Seacat didn't think the ship would've survived. Not as low as it was lying in the water.

"Yes. So… this will be interesting." Sea Hawk grinned. "Horas! I think we'll have to test out my idea!"

The minotaur grunted his agreement and went to man the swivel gun while Alcy replaced him at the helm and Seacat handled the sails.

They quickly closed in - from the rear. No need to find out the hard way that there were hidden gun ports. The closer they got, the more convinced Seacat was that this was a Horde prize crew. The sailors were a little too tense, a little too young. Most ships had a few old sailors with experience amongst a crew that large.

"Ahoi!" Sea Hawk yelled as they came into speaking range. "Stand by to receive an inspection party!"

"Aye aye!" the other captain replied.

Seacat was already preparing the grapple hooks to lash the ship together. This was it - once they were alongside each other, it would be do or die.

She grinned, baring her fangs, as she let the hook fly.

A minute later, the ships were lashed together - Horas had almost single-handedly pulled them alongside the other ship - and Seacat scrambled up the line. She vaulted over the larger ship's railing and landed on deck with a grin. Half a dozen sailors on the deck, all armed, and the captain and helmsman on the bridge. Heh, she could fight them all by herself if she had to.

And, judging by how nervous they were, they knew it as well.

They didn't attack, but the transport's captain was moving towards her even as Sea Hawk joined her on deck. He was young, too. That wasn't proof that he was a young officer assigned to command a prize taken - there were young captains, mostly from families owning transport ships - but it fit the picture.

"Ah, well met, Captain!" Sea Hawk said, loudly. "I'm Admiral Sea Hawk."

That sent a shock through the crew - Seacat saw them pale.

"Ah… I'm Captain Storm." The Captain was obviously lying. "Say… we're in a hurry - perishable cargo, you know - so is there any way we could, uh, speed things up?" He patted his purse as if the offer hadn't been obvious enough.

"Are you trying to bribe me, good man?" Sea Haw replied, faking a shocked gasp.

"No, no!" The man - Storm wasn't his real name, Seacat was sure - shook his head, almost dislodging his hat. "I was merely… uh, trying to save us time. We're both busy men, aren't we?"

"Indeed we are!" Sea Hawk pushed his chest out. "And I'm busy inspecting your ship!" he yelled.

"Of course, Admiral…"

The fake transport captain was interrupted by yelling from belowdecks. And screaming.

Prisoners. The cog was transporting prisoners, Seacat realised. That meant a bigger crew to guard them. "Horas!" she yelled, drawing her cutlass.

"Huzzah!" Sea Hawk's sword flashed, and the captain's sabre, barely out of its scabbard, went overboard.

"At them, men!" the Horde captain yelled, even as he backed up a few steps, holding his bleeding hand. "Hold them off!"

The sailors on deck made a ragged charge, and Seacat met half of them with a hiss. She batted the cutlass of the closest sailor away with a flick of her wrist, then hacked through the woman's arm. While the Horde scum collapsed, screaming at the blood gushing from the stump, Seacat parried another blow from a burly fishman, then ducked below a wild swing with a boathook from a third sailor.

Then the hatch to the hold flew open and Horde soldiers started to pour out on deck - and forming up in lines. Marines, then - and disciplined ones. Half a dozen, one dozen... Seacat had to duck under another wild swing, then stabbed the sailor's foot in retaliation. When the man collapsed, she slashed him across the chest, almost cutting him in half.

But the fishman attacked her with wild swings of his battleaxe. He wasn't trying to kill her, just keeping her off-balance, she realised - until the marines were ready. And it was working. She tried twice to cut the axe's handle, but he swept it out of the way- and forced her back with the next swing.

And the marines were now ready, three rows, pikes and shock rods. She clenched her teeth and counter-attacked the fishman, pushing him back a few feet - she needed room to fight…

Movement to her side drew her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Horas climbing over the railing - and carrying the swivel gun. "Fire!" she yelled.

The marines started to charge as soon as they realised what was happening, but the minotaur was faster. He slammed the barrel of the gun into his left palm, braced himself against the railing, and fired.

And the charge of the Horde marines was shredded by canister shot at close range. The centre just disappeared - turned into chunks of flesh and blood. The ones at the edges of the formation dropped, their bodies pierced and torn by the shot, most of them dead, but a few screaming in growing pools of blood.

One Horde soldier, a young woman, had survived in the middle of the back rank, shielded by the ones in front of her. She seemed untouched - but she was shaking, and a moment later, she dropped her shock rod and raised her arms. "Please spare me! I surrender!"

Seacat glanced at the fishman, who had backed up a few more steps. He was trembling as well.

*Surrender!" Sea Hawk yelled - he had killed two of his enemies, wounded the third and was advancing towards the wounded captain.

The fishman dropped his blade and fell to his knees, sobbing.

A moment later, the Horde captain surrendered as well.

*****​

"Thank you!" the recently freed original captain of the cog told Sea Hawk for the third time.

"Oh, it was the least we could do!" the Captain replied with a beaming smile, stroking his moustache. "We knew from the start that the ship looked suspicious. The damage to the rigging, and their heading..." He shrugged. "The outcome, of course, was inevitable."

Mira, the other captain, nodded, then winced a little, touching the bruise on her face. "When we realised what was happening and saw the Horde soldiers line up at the stairs, we decided to warn you."

And the scum had beaten her for it. Well, at least the marines left in the hold hadn't put up a fight after the blood of the marines Horas had turned into mincemeat had started dripping down the hatch. And after the surviving marine on deck had explained the situation.

"Brave of you!" Sea Hawk nodded. "And very much appreciated. I assume you'll sail to Seaworthy now?"

"Yes. We were headed to Salineas, originally, but with the damage taken…" Mira shrugged. "It's a shorter trip - and safer."

"Oh, yes!" Sea Hawk smiled again. "We've found no sign of a Horde raider between here and Seaworthy. You should be fine."

And, though he didn't say so, Seacat knew that the rest of the force would soon set sail from Seaworthy as well. The cog would be safe, indeed. And carrying half a dozen Horde prisoners guarded by their former captives. Fortunately, the freed sailors - the crews of three transports that the Horde frigate had captured since it had run the blockade during the storm - outnumbered the surviving Horde soldiers easily.

"And don't worry- the Salinean fleet will soon bring up this raider, mark my words!" Sea Hawk announced. "We already captured two frigates!"

That caused a cheer to erupt amongst the freed sailors. Probably mostly those who had lost their ships, Seacat thought.

"But we must depart now - we have an important mission for the war!" the Captain declared, raising his fist to the sky. "The Horde will rue the day they laid claim to the seas! Huzzah!"

"Huzzah!"

Seacat dutifully cheered as well, though she was already thinking of their chances to encounter the frigate which had captured the cog. Her captain seemed to be either skilled or lucky - and either quality would make them a dangerous enemy.

*****​

"And there goes our prize," Alcy said to Licy as they watched the cog sail northwards.

"Yeah," the other scoundrel agreed. "We took it, yet we won't see any reward for it."

You could argue that, technically, the ship would've been theirs - the Horde had pressed her into service already. In the past, there had been cases where a ship had been kept by whoever captured it. On the other hand, the Alliance forces weren't supposed to keep the property liberated from the Horde for themselves. Especially if said property originally belonged to a member or ally of the Alliance. That made for angry allies.

"Now, now!" Sea Hawk said, patting both women on the shoulders. "We returned a ship that was stolen to her rightful crew! We're following the sacred code of the sea!"

"We're better than the Horde," Seacat reminded them.

The two had the grace to blush.

"And like this, we didn't need a prize crew," she added.

"Right," Alcy said. "I guess the sailors we freed wouldn't have liked taking the ship to the prize court for us…"

Seacat snorted. The crew would probably have changed the name and claimed to be a different ship as soon as they were out of sight of the Dragon's Daughter V.

"Besides, we'll still get our share of the frigate and barge we took!" Sea Hawk reminded them.

"Once the prize court gets around to rule the case," Seacat added.

"Right." Licy and Alcy sighed in unison. "And that will take some time."

"We won't have many opportunities to spend any money, anyway," Seacat pointed out. "Not until this campaign will be finished."

"I only need one chance!" Licy told her with a wide grin. "And we'll stop in Fortress Freedom, won't we?"

"Oh, yes - a fortress full of marines? The taverns will be rocking!" Alcy agreed.

Well, they weren't wrong. On the other hand, Adora wouldn't be there.

Seacat hid her sigh. No need to bring down the mood. Especially not after they had just won a victory at sea. "Just don't overdo it," she told them. "The campaign up the river will be hard."

"But we won't be alone this time," Alcy replied. "We'll have at least two regiments with us! And gunboats!"

"One or two, at most," Licy said. "Former Horde boats that we took."

"It's still better than what we had before. And the infantry will advance along the river, screening us."

"That's the plan," Seacat confirmed. Though plans could change. The Horde leadership wasn't stupid, so they would be expecting such an attack. And a prepared foe was far more dangerous than a surprised one.

Seacat had a feeling that this would be a bloody affair.

*****​

Fortress Freedom looked the same as when they had left it. More or less. A few repairs had been done, but Seacat could still see some damage from shells. Holes and craters in the piers and mole, mostly. It figured - a few raiders at sea didn't change the fact that the Horde lacked the strength for a landing operation; any Horde attacks would be coming overland.

At least the port facilities had been repaired - she could see a new crane at the waterfront. And lots of soldiers serving as stevedores, unloading cargo from a Kingdom of Snows transport. "Looks like they were reinforced already," she commented. There were too many marines in the port for just the Seahorses.

"Mermista mentioned that the fourth regiment was sent straight from Salineas, but she didn't know if the ships would arrive in time."

Seacat nodded. The winds made calculating travel times difficult. Another thing that would change with engines becoming wide-spread - at least for military transports. For most cargo, it didn't matter if it arrived a few weeks sooner or later.

"The more soldiers in the fortress, the better!" Alcy said, joining them at the railing.

Seacat didn't know if she meant that they would be safer - or that there would be more soldiers to carouse with. She didn't care, either. If any attack happened, she'd have ample time to get on board the Dragon's Daughter V, and they'd fight at sea. And there was only one person she wanted to carouse with. And Adora wasn't in the Fortress.

She blinked. Damn. She got it bad. A sailor was supposed to live it up in port - any port. Hell, that was on which all those lurid novels Adora had read were based. And yet…

"Something wrong, Seacat?" The Captain asked.

"Nothing," she told him without looking away from the fortress. They were on an important mission. Any distractions would be stupid.

"Really?" He leaned forward, over the railing, to look at her with wide eyes. "You look a little down."

She sighed. Of course he'd notice. "Just thinking of Adora," she replied. Who wasn't there.

"Ah." He straightened. "She'll be alright. She's She-Ra, remember? And she knows what she's doing."

She rolled her eyes in return. That wasn't what she was worried about - though now that he mentioned it, she was worrying. A little. Shadow Weaver did know Adora. And she would be making plans to deal with She-Ra. Sure, the witch had messed up and underestimated Seacat, but she had known Adora for a much longer time - and had more experience fighting her, too.

Seacat shook her head. "It's not that." Not just. "I'm just…"

"You're missing her. And you don't feel like enjoying your shore leave without her."

How…? "How do you know that?"

"I felt the same at the start of my relationship with my dear Mermista." He patted her shoulder.

"I never noticed," she told him. He had never moped around, not even after their breakups.

"Oh, it was before your time. Almost back before I realised that no matter what Mermista might say during a row, she loved me as much as I loved her." He nodded. "I, too, felt like shore leave was pointless without the woman I loved. But I was wrong."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Really?"

"Wrong, indeed. At first, I didn't want to enjoy my time on shore. And then, fearing for my reputation, I, ah.." He coughed into his fist. "I overcompensated, as Mermista calls it."

"'Overcompensated'."

He nodded as if she had said something profound. "Yes. I decided - correctly - that I could enjoy shore leave even without my love. Yet I went a little overboard."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"So, do enjoy your time on shore! Raise a glass in honour of your lover! Dance and gamble and fight to your heart's content. But don't try to prove that you're still the same sailor you were before you met the love of your life."

"I wouldn't do that!" That would be betraying Adora's trust!

"Good." He nodded again, with a smile that seemed proud rather than sad. "Then you're already wiser than I was!"

"'Already'?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

"At least in the ways of love," he amended his words. "But mark my words - we'll enjoy our time on shore leave! In honour of our two loves!"

"Yes!" Alcy chimed in, beaming at them.

Damn. Seacat had completely forgotten that the scoundrel was listening to them.

*****​

"Set sail! Cast off!"

The crew threw themselves into it with a vengeance. The sail practically flew up as Horas pulled on the lines, and Alcy and Licy threw the mooring lines to the pier with enough force to almost dumping them in the water on the other side. The Dragon's Daughter V was leaving port for a scouting cruise south. A short one - they would have to be back in time for the transports to arrive with the troops - but they needed to know if the Horde was preparing anything south of the fortress.

"And there we go!" Sea Hawk announced as the ship turned and started to pick up speed, the tide carrying it out.

"By the time we're back, things should've calmed down," Seacat said as they were halfway to the sea.

"Exactly!" the Captain agreed.

"We didn't break too much, anyway," Licy added.

"And they started it. Stupid marines." Alcy scoffed. "Not the Seahorses, the others."

"The Fourth," Seacat told her. "The Iron Crabs."

Both scoundrel and even Horas snorted at that. "Fits them," the minotaur commented.

Seacat shrugged. She could imagine the jokes the marines had to suffer through. Well, she remembered making some, last night. But then, that was to be expected, what with the Fourth being new arrivals. The brawl that broke out had been started by the Crabs, in any case.

It had been fun, though. The Captain had been correct about that. And they hadn't overdone it. She still remembered everything and the taverns they had visited still stood. Slightly battered, in one case, but that hardly counted on the waterfront.

Still, sailing early meant they wouldn't have to explain any details. And the Captain wouldn't have to pull rank. By the time they got back, Kilian would've straightened out things anyway. At least Sea Hawk claimed so.

*****​

"That's a whole day we spent patrolling the area without spotting anything," Seacat said as she joined Sea Hawk at the helm in time to see the sun set. "I would've expected them to at least use cutters and courier ships to keep an eye on us." The Horde hadn't lost most of their couriers, after all. And the smaller ships could evade the blockade by the Salinean Fleet. Not always, not by far - but often enough to make the attempt worth it.

"It might just be bad luck," the Captain replied. "However… if they are holding back their scouts, then they are not only preparing something, but they either have other means to keep an eye on the area - or they are ignoring us."

"They can't ignore the fortress," Seacat said. "It's the perfect staging point for an offensive."

"But that is obvious - they know we'll mass our troops there," he countered.

"They still need to know how many troops we're gathering," she pointed out.

"That depends on how far away their main line is. If they withdraw far enough, they have plenty of time to use scouts on skiffs to track and observe us." He rubbed his moustache. "I think they're up to something. That witch of theirs…" He looked at her. "Can she use magic to watch us from afar?"

"Probably," Seacat replied. Sorceresses could do that, or so she'd heard. "I've never seen her do it." Shadow Weaver never showed her anything. Although Adora didn't know much about the witch's capabilities, either.

"It cannot be sustainable - otherwise, the Horde wouldn't have suffered defeats." Sea Hawk nodded to her own words. "And it might be pointless at sea; without a reference point, you'd never know a ship's position."

"Good enough for keeping an eye on the coast, though," Seacat told him.

"Infantry on foot would be enough for that," he retorted. "So, we're already sailing out of sight of land."

She acknowledged the point with a slight hiss. "What are they doing, then? They can't gather a fleet in a blockaded port without the Salineans noticing."

"I agree. And yet, they have to keep us from landing more troops in the fortress. Once we're ready, they'll lose all the troops cut off in the north, at the very least," Sea Hawk said. He suddenly smiled. "I think I know what they have their couriers doing."

Sometimes, the Captain's flair for dramatic scenes was very annoying. "What are they doing?" Seacat asked.

"Seeking the raiding frigates with new orders."

Oh. That made sense. She should've thought of it herself. "And what will those orders say?"

"Either an all-out attack on the fortress - or a diversionary attack on another port," Sea Hawk explained.

"Four frigates won't be able to take the port. Engines or not - the Salineans will have double their number of ships screening the port, and the guns on the mole."

Sea Hawk's expression grew serious, and Seacat tensed up. "But their engines will let them break through the Salinean battleline and into the harbour."

She hissed. "Fires ships?"

"Or bomb ships."

Damn. "We don't know if they would do that." The Horde hadn't been keen on such attacks before.

"They've got a lot to lose," Sea Hawk said. "If they lose the troops north of us and the river…" He shrugged. "We need to prepare for it, even if I'm wrong." Louder, he added: "Turn about! And start the engine!"

"Let's hope they haven't figured out how to turn their engines into bombs," Seacat muttered as she started to walk towards the hatch leading belowdecks. Four frigates blowing up like that… there wouldn't be much left of any ship in the vicinity.

*****​

Nothing. Perched on top of the mast, Seacat sighed as she kept scanning the horizon. She was sure that the Horde ships were out there. And their scouts - or spies - would have noticed that the troop transports had arrived in the fortress.

But she didn't know how long it would take for the Horde ships to get word of that. They would have to send a courier to the coast - either south or north of the fortress, at a location the Horde still controlled. Probably at night, too, to make it harder to spot the ship.

The patrols of the Salinean Navy hadn't caught any such attempts, but that didn't mean anything. Smugglers routinely managed to evade the fleet, and any Horde captain who had managed to sneak out of a blockaded port would be skilled enough to make the coast at night as well.

Perhaps they had misjudged the time it would take for the transports to arrive? They would have meeting times pre-arranged, which was a tricky business. No. She shook her head. She couldn't count on that. And even if the Horde attack was late, they could still wreck the transports unloading the supplies.

And if the Horde ships had been turned into bombs… She shuddered.

On the other hand, finding any ship, much less four frigates doing their best to hide, was not easy. What were the odds that the Horde had managed to contact all four frigates and gather them for this attack?

She snorted. The Horde didn't have too many skilled officers. And…

...there was something on the horizon. She narrowed her eyes and picked up her telescope.

Then she cursed. It seemed that the odds of the Horde gathering all four missing frigates hadn't been as impossible as she had hoped.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 29: The Horde Gambit

"Captain! Four Horde frigates and three courier ships ahead!" Seacat reported, yelling down from the top of the mast without taking her eyes off the ships that had appeared on the horizon. None of them looked damaged, as far as she could tell from here.

She shifted her weight and adjusted her grip when Sea Hawk turned the Dragon's Daughter V around. The fleet at the fortress needed to be informed at once so they could prepare for the attack.

"Full speed ahead!" Sea Hawk yelled below her, and Seacat braced for the slight kick that went through the ship when the engine started up. Alcy still hadn't figured out how to accelerate gently.

There it came - she clenched her teeth as the mast briefly swayed back and forth while the ship picked up speed. The wind at their back, and the engine running full throttle - they were setting a new record. Or would be, if anyone kept count.

She focused on the enemy. The horde ships were falling back - and the frigates were outpacing the couriers. Which were a little low in the water. Ah - probably fire ships. Or bombs.

Damn. "Captain! The Horde couriers are weighed down! Possibly fire ships."

"How tricky of them!" Sea Hawk yelled back. "But I can't fault them for such an effective tactic! They must have learned from us!"

Probably long ago - but the Horde hadn't been desperate enough to set their own ships on fire until now. But it meant that they had to stop seven, not merely four ships - and the Alliance fleet, meaning the Salinean Navy, was a little stretched right now. The six frigates at the fortress could stop the Horde frigates, but not if they also had to stop the couriers. And even with the Horde ships weighed down, she doubted that the gunners on the mole could hit all of them before they entered the harbour.

Which left the task up to the Dragon's Daughter V, and the Flying Seagull. But that courier was covering the southern approaches and was unlikely to return in time to engage the enemy - the Dragon's Daughter V couldn't sail south to fetch them, and Captain Gren wouldn't leave her station until she found Horde ships or got relieved.

Damn.

Seacat gave the Horde ships another look, then slid down the mast to fetch the signal flags to inform the Salinean frigates as soon as they were in sight.

This was going to be a tricky battle.

*****​

"Ships ahead!" Licy yelled. "Seven - four frigates, three couriers, under sail!"

As expected, then. There had been a small chance that at least one of the couriers would be sent away, but... Seacat studied the ships through the telescope. "They'll be slower than normal, loaded down with whatever." Something flammable, probably. Or explosive.

"But they'll break off before the frigates engage, to draw us out," Sea Hawk replied. He shook his head. "It can't be helped. They'll split south and north. We'll have one frigate cut off the single courier and go after the two others."

And hope the Horde courtier didn't manage to outsail the Salinean frigate.

"That leaves five to take on their four frigates. Good odds to sink them all without taking too much damage. The marines we took on from the frigate will board the first courier we catch and we'll chase the other while they secure the courier," the captain went on.

They'd be lighter, then, and with the engine… It was doable. Barely, she corrected herself as she looked back at the Fortress. "It'll be close."

"Oh, yes. A harrowing adventure, in other words!" He smiled, flashing his teeth at her. "We'll have another shanty to sing after this!"

She smiled at him and nodded.

Provided they survived this, of course.

"Signal the Mermaid's Pride that she's to fall back and prepare to intercept a lone courier."

"Aye aye, Captain."

Seacat quickly did so, waited for the frigate to acknowledge the order, then returned to her spot near Sea Hawk. Alcy was at the bow with a marine as loader, and Horas was ready to handle the sails. And the other marines were getting ready as well. Probably looking forward to the prize money.

She snorted. Well, the odds were in their favour - couriers didn't have big crews. Of course, if the Horde had loaded the couriers down with soldiers… but they would've had to strip down the frigates for such a force, and whatever soldiers managed to get into the fortress would be quickly dealt with by the marines there; couriers simply couldn't carry enough troops for a landing or even a large raid against a port.

"They're breaking up! Two couriers northward, one southward!" Licy yelled.

Seacat confirmed it with her telescope a moment later.

"As expected," she muttered.

She signalled the Mermaid's Pride to intercept the courier heading south even though they already knew their orders - in a battle at sea, it paid to be thorough. But the Dragon's Daughter V was already turning northward, into an intercept course. They had two couriers to stop or sink.

"They're slow," Sea Hawk commented. "They wouldn't escape a normal courier - and they know we have them."

"It's a trap, then," Seacat said. "What are they carrying? Explosives or boarders?"

"Either would work, but they won't have too many of the latter." The captain studied the ships racing northwards through his telescope. "Too low in the water for troops. They wouldn't have so many soldiers to fill the hold. I bet they're fireships."

"Or bombs," Seacat pointed out.

"No. They would be using the engines by now, to get past us and into the port. And they would be lighter than that. And they can't have enough powder to fill the hold to be so low in the water - that would leave the Horde guns dry." Sea Hawk grinned.

"They could've enough powder stored there to ruin our day, should we close," Seacat retorted. "Fill the rest of the hold with scrap metal or ballast, to turn into shrapnel."

"That they could - but I don't think the crew would blow themselves up like that." The Captain shook his head. "One or two, maybe, but an entire crew? I don't think so."

"But they're carrying something!" Seacat insisted. And she was sure it wasn't any good.

"They are. And we'll soon be finding out what!" Sea Hawk grinned. "I'll bet it'll be a harrowing adventure!" He yelled the last word and raised his blade to the sky.

"The closer courier is turning towards us!" Lucy yelled.

Seacat could see it as well, of course - everyone could. While the slightly faster courier continued to run northwards, trying to get around the main Salinean fleet and escape the Dragon's Daughter V, the second had turned about and was now sailing straight for them. And…

"I see a raft on the deck," Seacat said, clenching her teeth. "They're prepared to abandon ship."

"They'll try to ram us." Sea Hawk turned to the helm. "I'll take the helm! Horas, sails!"

"Sergeant! Stand ready but don't try to board them until my command!"

The distance was shrinking fast - the Horde courier had the wind at her back and the Dragon's Daughter V was pushed forward by an engine. Seacat kept a telescope trained on the enemy courier. The Horde sailors were pulling on the sails, but… no smoke yet. But there! They were untying the raft! "They're getting the raft ready!"

"Let's give them something to worry about! Fire!" Sea Hawk yelled.

A moment later, Alcy fired the swivel gun. The shot went wide, though, at this distance. The second shot hit the enemy's bow, but the small explosion didn't do any damage.

Then the raft was flung into the water, half a dozen sailors jumping after it. The enemy helmsman - helmswoman - and captain stayed, though. "They're trying to ram us!" Seacat yelled.

"Not on my watch!"

But for all his claim, Sea Hawk kept the ship pointed straight at the oncoming courier. Alcy fired again - another hit. Bits of planks blew up, but above the waterline. One more shot, then they'd crash...

Then the Dragon's Daughter V swung around, to the North. The enemy courier changed course as well, but slower, pushed by the wind - and hampered by the lack of crew to adjust the sails. It was still rushing towards them, though.

And Sea Hawk turned the Dragon's Daughter V again, southwards. And this time, the enemy couldn't match him - they sailed past the Horde bow with a few yards to spare, then turned northwards again. And Alcy's next shot sent a load of canister across the enemy bridge, shredding both helmswoman and captain.

"Sergeant, board her and stop her!" Sea Hawk yelled, steering the ship towards the enemy's aft.

"Aye aye, Admiral!"

The first grapple hooks were thrown at the Horde courier, and the marines got ready to scramble up the lines.

And Seacat smelt something weird. There was the smoke from the gun, the smell of the sea, but… "Oil!" she yelled. "I'm smelling oil!" She bent over the railing and looked down. The sea was covered in oil. They were sailing in a giant slick of oil!

Sea Hawk cursed. "Cut the lines!" he yelled as he turned the wheel and the Dragon's Daughter V turned northwards again.

And even as the marines were cutting the lines tethering the ship to the enemy courier, Seacat saw a flame appear on the enemy deck - and leap across the deck.

The enemy ship had been soaked in oil, she realised. And the fire was racing down the hull, towards the oil in the water… "Cut those lines!" she yelled, jumping down and raking her claws across the closest line.

That left one, and a marine was already there, raiding his axe to cut it. But the line was taut - they were already dragging the burning ship behind them. "Watch out!" she yelled.

She was too late, though - the marine brought down the axe, not on the knot where the line was tied to the mast, but on the railing, and when the rope snapped, it whipped back - and into the marine.

The man was thrown around and into the mast with a sickening crack at the same time the Dragon's Daughter V all but jumped when she lost the weight of the Horde courier, shooting ahead.

But the oil on the water had caught fire, and the flames were chasing after them - faster than the ship was sailing. How big was the oil slick?

Sea Hawk turned the wheel, and the Dragon's Daughter V changed course, turning north again. Away from the oil slick. But the fire was faster. "Buckets! Grab buckets!" Seacat screamed.

Then the fire reached the ship, licking at the hull. Seacat jumped back when splashes of oil on the planks ignited. "Get those buckets!" If the ship caught fire, they were done for.

Alcy, Licy and the marines raced to the railing at the stern, pouring water down the hull. Seacat checked the rigging - it wasn't burning. Yet.

But they were now clear of the burning oil. Seacat briefly checked on the wounded marine - dead, damn it - then grabbed a bucket herself. She pulled up water from the sea, then emptied it on the railing and rigging at the stern. There were some burned spots on the hull, but no more fire. "We've made it," she reported to the Captain.

Behind them, the courier was ablaze like a bonfire soaked in alcohol.

"Thank you," he replied. "Now let's catch the fleeing courier. We can't let her enter the…" he trailed off.

Seacat looked up. The third Horde Courier had changed course. She wasn't headed towards the harbour any more - she was headed towards the frigates battling it out.

Seacat cursed. There were five frigates against the Horde's four, but if the courier reached the Salinean ships, she might be able to disrupt their formation just enough for the Horde frigates to break through. Provided the Horde ships were prepared to sail through fire.

Which they probably were - this didn't look like an improvised desperate gamble, but a plan. That Horde admiral commanding the fleet was good. "Alcy! Licy! Man the gun!"

The two women rushed to the bow.

"Warn the fleet!" Sea Hawk yelled.

Seacat grabbed the signal flags and climbed up the rigging. She started signalling, hoping that the frigates had lookouts who paid attention. The courier they were chasing was still racing towards the Salinean fleet. The wind hadn't changed, so as long as she was running southwards, she was slower than before. And the Dragon's Daughter V was eating up the distance, thanks to sails and the engine.

But the courier was also closing in on the frigates. And at least the closest had caught her warning - she was suddenly disengaging from the Horde frigate she was fighting. Or tried to - the Horde frigate manoeuvred as well, to exploit the sudden opportunity.

The swivel gun fired, the shot throwing up water behind the enemy courier. They were in range now. But it would be close. Very close.

The Salinean frigate was signalling as well, passing on the warning - and turning to present her broadside to the enemy courier. But that meant she was also exposing her stern to the Horde frigate. If the Horde had timed her reloading cycles… Seacat winced when the Horde broadside struck the frigate in the stern. Such a volley could rip through the entire ship, stern to bow.

And, even worse, it could damage the engine - the struck frigate suddenly slowed down. At least she hadn't blown up. But dead in the water, crew scrambling to put up sails, she was easy prey for the Horde frigate.

And the courier was still running. Alcy fired again. This time, she hit - Seacat saw parts fly from the impact, but the shell didn't explode. A dud. Damn.

And the Horde frigate fired another volley into the Salinean ship. Seacat hissed when the ship started listing.

Even worse - the other frigates were now frantically manoeuvring as well. Two Horde frigates were already trying to break through.

And… "The courier's leaking oil!" she yelled. If they continued their course, they would sail straight into it.

Sea Hawk turned the Dragon's Daughter V away, to avoid the oil slick. He cut it close - closer than Seacat liked - the Horde courier still managed to open the distance again.

Alcy shot, missing once more - the angle had changed. But they were closing in again - running on a parallel course. Seacat could see the crew on the courier's deck handle barrels. *Shoot the deck!" she yelled!

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Alcy yelled back. Her next shot went high, ripping through the Horde courier's sail but missing the deck. "Get us closer!"

Suddenly, shells hit the water around the courier - and around the Dragon's Daughter V. Seacat almost lost her balance and was drenched by saltwater when one shell blew up a little too close for comfort, shaking the whole ship. Who was… Oh. She saw the smoke blowing away from the side of the listing Salinean frigate.

"Checking the hull!" she yelled, already going for the hatch leading to the hold. Such close misses could easily break or shake loose a plank.

And as she had feared - there was a leak in the hold. Water was already collecting on the deck. Snarling, she went to the bilge pumps. "Pumps!" she yelled. "We need people on the pumps!"

She heard the sergeant yell above her, and two marines all but jumped down into the hold.

"This brings back memories," she muttered as they started to pump. She climbed back on deck and took stock of their situation. The frigate had fired her last broadside - she was slowly turning turtle. The Horde frigate which had sunk her was engaged with another Salinean frigate and the enemy courier… Seacat snarled. The Horde ship was headed towards the two frigates.

"Shoot the damn courier!" she yelled, hissing with frustration.

Alcy didn't answer this time. Instead, she fired again. And she landed a hit straight on the enemy bridge. Seacat saw the Horde Captain vanish in the explosion and the sailor at the helm slump over. "Yes!" she cheered - and she wasn't the only one. The marines yelled when the Horde ship started to veer off.

Another sailor jumped to the helm, grabbing the wheel to force the courier back on course, but the short disruption had cost them - the Dragon's Daughter V caught up half a minute later. Seacat saw Alcy and Licy turn the swivel gun, aiming it at the deck instead of the bridge. And from this angle, the deck was a much bigger target. At that range, Alcy couldn't miss.

She didn't. The shell hit the deck and burst. Right next to a barrel of oil two Horde sailors were trying to throw over the railing.

The explosion bowled them over and split the barrel open. A moment later, the oil lit up.

Seacat clenched her teeth at the screams from the burning Horde sailors. She saw one of them jump overboard - and land in an oil slick, which ignited as well.

Sea Hawk turned the Dragon's Daughter V away as more Horde sailors jumped overboard and the courier, burning from bow to stern now, swung around, driven away by the wind.

Then the fire reached the hold, and the courier disintegrated as the stored oil lit up and flames shot up in the sky.

"Hell!" Seacat blurted out before she could stop herself. The first one hadn't been as bad. Must have poured more oil out into the sea before it lit up, she realised.

"A nasty way to go," the sergeant commented next to her. The entire patch of the sea was burning - even those Horde sailors who had jumped overboard wouldn't make it out of that inferno.

She nodded. But they couldn't stop to pick survivors - if there were any survivors; she didn't spot anyone in the water.

"There goes the Horde frigate!" Lucy yelled.

Seacat turned her head. Indeed, the sunk Salinean frigate had been avenged; the Horde frigate was a wreck, dead in the water, with only a few guns firing back at the frigate that was raking her with broadsides.

She quickly climbed the rigging - the Captain needed more information about the battle. It didn't look as bad as she had feared. The third courier sunk, one Horde frigate burning, the second listing, the last one still fighting hard, but with the frigate which had sunk the courier now in range…

She yelled down: "One Horde frigate burning, the others getting sunk! No other Salinean ships sunk!"

She kept watching the battle. There wasn't much they could do, anyway - the Dragon's Daughter V was a courier ship; she had no place in a battle between frigates. Well, not unless things were desperate.

And things weren't desperate. Without the threat from fireships disrupting their formation, and the fifth frigate returning to the battle, the remaining Horde frigates, all of them damaged already, were clearly outgunned.

"Signal them to keep their distance - the frigates might be carrying oil as well!" Sea Hawk yelled.

Seacat scrambled up the rigging. The Captain was right - the Horde frigates weren't loaded down with oil as the couriers had been or they would have lit up after the first exchange of broadsides, but the way one of them was burning...

The Salienan frigates took a little longer than expected to acknowledge and follow the order, but they did obey. And the Horde frigates lasted a little longer, that way. But in the end, the outcome didn't change. All three remaining frigates were set aflame and sunk by the Salineans.

*****​

Recovering the surviving Horde sailors from the sea took some time as well. No captain wanted to risk their ships by sailing too close to a burning hulk - a magazine explosion might splatter burning oil on anything nearby. So, longboats navigated the waters, slipping between still burning slicks of oil and drifting wreckage to pick up survivors.

There were more of them than Seacat would have expected, between the bloody fighting and the burning oil.

"What a waste," Alcy commented as they sailed towards the raft the first courier had dropped. "If we'd taken a frigate as a prize…"

"We'd have to share it with the Salinean frigates," Seacat pointed out.

"Still…"

Seacat shook her head. You could take the scoundrel off a pirate ship, but curbing some of the habits might take a little longer. Though… "Those were the raiding frigates that had slipped the blockade," she said. "If they had kept raiding, the Salineans would have had to use a big part of their fleet hunting them down and guarding transports. Sacrificing them like this..." It was stupid.

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk said. "Even if they had managed to reach the fortress and burn the transport ships and the supplies still on them, it wouldn't have been worth it - without the threat of those raiding frigates, the Alliance can easily shop more supplies down the coast. And the ships currently on escort duty are free to return to blockade and raiding stations."

"Probably a landlubber in command. Doesn't get how important the ships are." Shadow Weaver must not have a grasp on the naval side of the war. Seacat smiled at the thought.

Sea Hawk didn't look convinced. "That's possible, but the Horde hasn't struck me as particularly ignorant of naval matters. They came up with engines for frigates, didn't they?"

And there went their good mood. "Yes," she said with a frown. "But why else would they do this? They had a plan, but even if it had worked, they would've been hard-pressed to do enough damage to the port before getting sunk."

The Captain beamed at her. "They might be desperate. If this offensive succeeds, they'll lose a lot of troops, territory and resources."

"Desperate enough to send four of their best ships to be sunk?" That would fit Shadow Weaver. The witch considered anyone expendable, didn't she?

"Perhaps. We'll need more information to find out for sure."

"Lots of sailors and officers to interrogate," Seacat pointed out.

"And they will be interrogated, but I doubt that they know much about the state of the war on land. No, if we want to know about the Horde situation on land, we'll have to catch an officer in command on land."

"A raid on their lines?" Seacat asked. It would have to be the southern lines - the troops cut off in the northern part of the coast wouldn't know much, either - they'd probably be fed lies so they didn't realise how hopeless their situation was and wouldn't surrender at the first opportunity.

"That's dangerous - we'd have to make landfall somewhere without getting spotted," Alcy said.

Seacat nodded. At least a small group could be landed quickly - and picked up as quickly. It was still dangerous, but not quite as dangerous as landing a sizeable raid force. If you had to make several trips with a long boat to land all soldiers, the enemy had a lot more time to gather their own. And if you had to make a hasty retreat, you had to hope you were first in line for the boats - or could swim.

"We don't have the time for that, I'm afraid. But we should have a few opportunities once we strike out along the river," Sea Hawk told them. "Now let's invite some shipwrecked Horde sailors on board," he added, pointing at the raft off the bow.

"Let's hope they'll be reasonable," Alcy said.

"Yes." Usually, you didn't have to worry about that with shipwrecked sailors, but with people who were willing to run a fireship into a guarded port… "Let's check them thoroughly for weapons," she said.

*****​

If the Horde sailors had been willing to fight to the death before, then the fight had gone out of them by the time the Dragon's Daughter V picked them up from the raft. But then, seeing your ship sink, finding yourself adrift in the sea… it took something out of every sailor.

Almost every sailor, she corrected herself with a glance at the Captain. And if it happened a few times, you got used to it.

But the Horde sailors they fished out of the water hadn't grown used to losing a ship. They were huddled together, shivering and not meeting the crew's eyes. Half a dozen - Seacat wasn't sure, but she thought the courier might have had a bigger crew than that. Well, that was war.

She looked them over. They were wearing their uniforms, but none of them sported rank insignia. "Who was in charge of this fleet?" she asked.

None of the Horde scum answered. They didn't look defiant - just beaten.

She picked a burly sailor in the front row. "You. Who was in command of your fleet?"

He looked at her. "Force Captain Maris."

Seacat frowned. "That's not a naval rank." Catra had learned the horde ranks quickly - she had to know who could order whom around.

"No." The sailor showed some emotion for the first time, clenching his teeth.

"They put a landlubber in charge of a fleet?" She snorted. The Horde must be getting desperate.

He shrugged.

The others didn't look like they cared, either. They didn't even seem to care much that they had survived.

She returned to Sea Hawk and reported what she had found out.

He rubbed his moustache. "Force Captain Maris… That name…"

Seacat pressed her lips together. If this was another old lover the Captain…

"...doesn't ring any bell at all!" He shook his head. "Perhaps Adora might know them - she was a Force Captain."

"For all of a day," Seacat pointed out. "But she might know them." Wasn't there some training program where cadets on the officer track served as aides? Adora had mentioned something about it, a bit before the field exercise, but Catra hadn't listened since she wasn't being considered for command.

"Well, let's signal the fleet and ask if they recovered the Force Captain," Sea Hawk said. "First-hand information is always the best kind of information."

*****​

"No, Maris didn't survive the battle. Splinter from a shell killed him." The officer - a scorpionman who was almost as huge as the woman Seacat had fought in the Fright Zone - shrugged. "Bad luck. The sailor next to him didn't get a scratch."

Such things happened. But the officer seemed to be a little too uncaring about it. "Was he behind the plan to attack the Fortress?" she asked, ignoring how the Salinean officers who were present for the interrogation stiffened at her butting in.

"He said the plan came from Horde High Command," the officer replied.

"And do you believe that?" Sea Hawk asked.

Another shrug. "The captains believed. And if he had been lying, well… It doesn't matter any more, does it?"

"Weren't you supposed to work in concert with a land attack?" Seacat studied the man to gauge his reaction, but he merely blinked. "That would've been a good idea, I guess. But we weren't told anything."

And since any officer had to be ready to take command, should the enemy land a lucky shot, they needed to know the entire plan. That meant they hadn't meant to strike in support of an attack by land. That made the attack even more reckless. Daring - Sea Hawk would've approved - but reckless.

"Did you actually think you would succeed?" Captain Borda, who was commanding the Mermaid's Pride, blurted out. She must have come to the same conclusion.

This time, the officer scoffed. "We managed to sink one of your frigates while being outnumbered and outgunned. And if you hadn't copied our engines, we would've broken through."

"Did you even know that we got engines in our ships as well?" Borda shot back.

"It was unconfirmed intelligence. We prepared for it, but…" Once more the man shrugged.

"You're awfully blasé about losing the entire fleet that had managed to slip through the blockade," Sea Hawk commented.

"As the Force Captain told us: The war will be decided on land."

Seacat snorted. "And you believed it?"

The Scorpionman sneered at her. "That's how it worked last time. The Rebellion fell apart after defeats on land."

"Too bad for you that the Horde hasn't won any battle on land in a while," Seacat spat.

"And Salineas will fight on even if our allies are defeated! You'll never conquer us!" Borda added.

And yet another shrug. "We'll see. For me, the war's over either way."

"That is correct," Sea Hawk said with a smile before turning to the two marine guards in the room - two minotaurs just a little smaller than Horas. "Take him away."

As soon as the door closed behind the prisoner and the guards, Borda shook her head. "With such an officer corps, it's a wonder they have won any battles."

"They only won when they had overwhelming advantages. At sea, at least," one of the officers - Seacat didn't know the man's name - added."

"Now, now," Sea Hawk said, frowning. "The man has just suffered a complete defeat and saw many of his comrades die. He must be still under shock, so we cannot take his attitude at face value. However, I think we can say that the Horde didn't put much faith in this attack."

"The officers didn't," Seacat agreed. "They still fought hard, though."

"And they still lost," another Salinean officer said. "If the rest of the Alliance did half as well as the Navy, we'd have won the war already."

Seacat narrowed her eyes. She was a sailor, and she knew better than to dismiss the naval war like the Horde scum had done, but… "The Horde focuses on the land war."

"Certainly not!" the idiot protested. "That would be foolish!"

"You've heard the prisoner, haven't you?" Sea Hawk cut in. "And they aren't entirely wrong. Should they beat the Rebel Alliance on the continent, the remaining kingdoms would be hard-pressed to defeat them."

"They would have the resources of the entire continent and interior lines," another officer added. "And they could block trade. How long could we, much less the Kingdom of Snows, last without trade?"

"We could always trade directly with the West!" the fool replied. "We control the seas!"

"How long will you be in control when you depend on fuel crystals from the continent to keep your shiny new frigates running?" Seacat shot back. "And how long until the Horde conquers the West?"

"The logistical challenges of launching an offensive against the west are considerable. Without control of the sea, I doubt that they could supply their troops in the field," an older officer - Captain Kunis - pointed out. "However, you are correct: Without the resources of the continent, Salineas cannot maintain a competitive navy. That isn't a new development, though - we had to rely on imported timber for our shipyards for decades."

"So, in essence, nothing has changed," Sea Hawk said. "The Alliance needs every member to defeat the Horde. Fortunately, My dear Mermista is well aware of that and on good terms with the other princesses."

The Captain ignored the frowns that briefly appeared on various officers' faces when he reminded them of his relationship with their princess.

Seacat didn't.

"Now, let's return to port - we have a number of prisoners to deliver, and prepare our offensive. Dismissed, gentlemen."

*****​

Seacat didn't bother with the rope ladder hanging down from the frigate. She vaulted over the railing and pushed off of the hull, launching herself across the grab and grabbing the mast of the Dragon's Daughter V. A moment later, she slid down the mast and landed on the hull. "Get ready to return to port," she told the crew.

Behind her, the Captain arrived, jumping off the ladder halfway on the way down and landing next to her. "Huzzah! Another victory for the Alliance!"

"No prizes, though," Alcy complained.

"But fame, which often begets fortune! Why the number of drinks we'll be paid for telling our story…" Sea Hawk shook his head. "My old friends will be so jealous!"

Seacat sighed. Sea Hawk's old lovers were already jealous enough in her opinion. But then, as an admiral, the Captain's reputation would spread with every victory anyway - and defeat wasn't an option, of course. And it was impressive - all the raiding frigates sunk, three couriers sunk, at the cost of one frigate. Not the perfect victory, but a victory nevertheless, and one that meant the sea lanes were safe again from Horde raiders. As were the supplies in the harbour.

She narrowed her eyes as they turned towards the port - Fortress Freedom, Seacat reminded herself with a frown. The shrimp didn't have a good hand with naming things. Was that… "Smoke?"

"It looks like smoke," Lucy confirmed. "From the harbour."

Seacat rushed to the top of the mast with her telescope. And cursed. She couldn't see everything in the harbour from her position - the mast was tall enough and the angle not ideal - but what she saw… one transport was on fire. But how? She couldn't see any enemy ship. Saboteurs amongst the soldiers or dockworkers?

Wait. There was something in the water - a drifting body. And a swimmer wrestling with… tentacles? And the ship was listing…

She had thought there were a bit too few fishmen and fishwomen amongst the enemy crew.

"Captain!" she yelled down. "Looks like they slipped fishfolk into the harbour."

"What?" Sea Hawk replied. "What about our patrols?"

*****​

"They swarmed our pickets. They must have sneaked close or something, took them before they could release the warning buoys," Colonel Kilian told them an hour later, standing on the mole. "And with the lookouts distracted by the battle at sea…" He bared his clenched teeth. "Damn saboteurs slipped through, and…" He shrugged, wiping some soot stain from the back of his hand. "You know the rest."

"We do," Sea Hawk said.

"One transport sunk with half the supplies," Seacat added. "That'll set the offensive back a few weeks, at the least." She looked at the wreck blocking one pier. That would have to be cleared as well before another transport could use the pier. Which meant the port's capacity would be reduced.

What a mess.

"Hmm." Sea Hawk rubbed his chin. "If we set sail at once with the Dragon's Daughter V, we should be able to cut down on that. Still, we need to get back to Seaworthy, first, and grab supplies there."

And that would cost time. Damn. One link of a chain broke and everything was held up.

Seacat blinked. A chain link. Oh. "We don't need to sail all the way to Seaworthy!" she blurted out.

"Oh?" Sea Hawk looked at her with a smile. Even Kilian raised his eyebrows.

"We just need to reach the closest port to the north," she explained. "We'll take their supplies and ship them here, they'll send for the supplies from the port further north, and that port will have to get new supplies from Seaworthy."

"Oh, I see. Yes, that should work!" Sea Hawk beamed at her and hit the palm of his hand with his fist. "Good idea, First Mate!"

"That'll disrupt their buildup, though," Kilian said.

"But not as seriously as this disrupted our schedule," the Captain replied, pointing at the sunken ship and the listing second transport. "They have shorter supply lines and quicker communication with Seaworthy."

"And they should have a stock of supplies already," Seacat added. "They've been fighting for months already." And they wouldn't keep their supplies on a transport, anyway.

"Indeed! Let us rush north and secure us a transport!" Sea Hawk declared, pointing to the north. "The Horde might have gained a stay of execution, but not for long!"

"And I'll start a limited offensive with the supplies we have," Kilian added. "Keep the bastards busy and make them worry they failed."

"Good idea!"

Seacat nodded. But Adora and her friends would start their offensive on schedule. They'd bear the brunt of the Horde's reaction.

Damn.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 30: The Requisition

"Wow. We're really faster than a skiff!" Alcy said, leaning over the railing to peer ahead. Her long, dark hair was blown back, almost hitting Seacat in the face.

With a scowl, she took a step towards the aft. "You should tie your hair up," she said.

"Why?"

"It could get entangled in something," Seacat told her.

"Like what?"

"My claws." She raised her hand.

"Oh!" Alcy giggled for a moment. "Sorry, I didn't realise." She made an attempt to gather her hair in a braid, but with the wind blowing from the north and the engine running at full power, it was doomed to failure.

Seacat shook her head. "It's nothing." Just a minor annoyance compared to having to rush up the coast to secure supplies for the offensive. And worrying about Adora. And her friends.

But the former pirate - Alcy and Licy still hadn't admitted their past, but Seacat was sure - frowned. "You should be enjoying the trip. There aren't any Horde ships left to bother us, and this is great - we're setting new records!"

"We're only here because we made a mistake," Seacat retorted. "A mistake which might cost us."

"It wasn't our mistake - we sank the Horde ships facing us. It was the marine patrols who failed," Alcy told her, turning to lean with her back against the railing. "We're rectifying their mistake. And that was your idea, wasn't it?"

"Yes. But we're all in this together," Seacat pointed out. "If the offensive fails, claiming that we did our part won't help us."

"But would it fail? Even if we were delayed two weeks, all the marines I talked to, especially Lt Grenam, were convinced we would still win." Alcy grinned and pointed at the coast. "They've been cut off from supplies and reinforcements. They won't be able to do much with a few more weeks."

"The northern Horde forces still receive some supplies overland," Seacat countered.

"But is that enough to keep fighting? They can't ship enough supplies with the coast and river blockaded." Alcy frowned a little. "A delay might actually help the army. Starve the Horde a little longer."

"There's also the Horde forces in the Fright Zone," Seacat said. "They will have more time to prepare as well. And their supply lines are in better shape."

"But they're not our problem," Alcy replied. "We just have to secure the river. And strike northwards. Bright Moon will attack the Fright Zone, won't they?"

That was the plan. And Seacat was sure that the Bright Moon attack would happen on schedule - and draw the brunt of the Horde forces. "Yes."

"So, no worries." Alcy smiled and reached out to clap Seacat on the shoulder. "We'll be safe."

Probably. But Adora…

"Oh!" Alcy gasped, then smiled again. "And don't worry about Adora. She's She-Ra, isn't she? She'll be fine!"

Seacat pressed her lips together. She better be fine. Or she'd have words with the shrimp and Brain Boy. They were Adora's friends, weren't they? They had to protect her. From herself, if needed.

*****​

"I can't just hand over my supplies to you! Those are earmarked for us! We depend on them!" Colonel Fores glared at them, his broad chest making him look like he was puffing himself up behind his desk.

"Of course you can!" Sea Hawk retorted. "You've got a much closer supply line - and you should have your magazines and stores full already while the forces in Fortress Freedom have had much less time to prepare. And we've suffered attacks by the Horde."

"It's not my problem if you can't protect your supplies! My troops need them!"

"Actually, it is your problem," Seacat snapped. "If we can't launch the strike from the south, you'll be facing much stiffer opposition. If part of your troops lost their supplies, you'd send them more anyway, wouldn't you?"

"That's not the same - they're all under my command!"

"And we're all under the command of the Princess Alliance," Sea Hawk countered. "Of which my dear Mermista is a prominent member."

"I only answer to Princess Frosta!" Fores spat. "And I won't give out my supplies to… to some dressed-up smuggler! Not without an order from the Alliance!"

Sea Hawk glared at the idiot, shaking his head. "I see." He turned to Seacat. "Let's go, First Mate."

As soon as they had left the lavish field headquarters, Seacat leaned a little closer to the Captain. "What do we do? Race to Seaworthy?"

"That would take too long even with our engine and favourable winds. And we don't know how long it'll take to secure supplies and a transport there. No," Sea Hawk said with a grin, "I think we should look for a different solution."

"A different solution?" Seacat blinked before she gasped. "You don't mean…?"

He beamed at her. "They haven't unloaded the latest transport, yet. And I think it's time for you to take a command of your own."

He was serious. They were going to steal a transport.

Great.

*****​

"We're going to capture a transport?" For a moment, Licy's grin seemed to reach her ears.

"Really?" Alcy, too, perked up. And she was usually the more even-headed of the two!

"Oh, yes!" Sea Hawk said. "I'm afraid it's the only solution for saving the Princess Alliance."

While the two scoundrels nodded eagerly, Horas grunted.

"We're not going to keep or sell the cargo or the transport," Seacat said before the two women could get the wrong idea. "We're going to sail her south to Fortress Freedom."

"Of course." Licy kept nodding so much, her blonde ponytail bopped up and down behind her like a buoy in a storm.

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk pushed his chest out. "The lives of our brothers and sisters in arms depend on this! We won't see them fight hungry and cold, bereft of weapons and supplies!"

"Because that would leave us without the needed support to take on the Horde," Seacat added. "And that wouldn't go well for us."

"Right," Alcy said, seemingly sobering a little.

Licy, though, was still beaming. "So, how do we do this? Board them at night and hold them at sabre-point?"

"Not quite," Sea Hawk said. "That would be kidnapping. And a crime."

"More like press-ganging," Alcy said. "And the Salinean Navy does that all the time."

"Only to merchant sailors," Seacat corrected her. And with the war needing all the transports available to supply the troops, they had stopped that as well. "But we're not going to hold our own at sword point."

"Then how are we going to steal the ship?" Alcy asked. "They're not going to simply let us take it."

"Unless we make a show of force," her friend added, "but then that usually involves pointing a sword at them."

Sea Hawk cleared his throat. "We have a plan to get them to leave the ship without using violence."

"You're going to order them off the ship?" Alcy asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. A much more dramatic and suitable manner that won't let anyone accuse me of abusing my rank," he told her.

For the first time, the two women looked apprehensive. Even Horas looked slightly concerned. Well, they had been sailing with the Captain for weeks.

Sea Hawk grinned and pulled a small box out of his pocket. "We'll be using this!"

"Tobacco?" Alcy asked, cocking her head to read the letters on the lid.

"No, I'm just using it for storage," Sea Hawk told her. He flipped the lid open. "This is smoke powder."

"Oh!" Alcy's eyes lit up. "You're going to fake a fire!"

"Exactly!" Sea Hawk beamed at them. "And we'll be the daring and selfless heroes who will tow the burning ship out of the harbour before it sets another vessel aflame!"

"Ah!"

Seacat shared a grin with the crew. As far as plans went, this was simple and still sneaky. "We'll start as soon as the sun has set."

*****​

Usually, Seacat would have preferred to approach the transport by swimming and diving. She could easily climb the hull at any point thanks to her claws. But after the news about fishmen saboteurs hitting Fortress Freedom had arrived, Colonel Fores had doubled the fishmen patrols in the harbour. So, that way was blocked to her.

Which was why she was currently crouching on the roof of a small guardpost at the waterfront, studying the pier ahead. There were no dockworkers - they had stopped their work after barely having started upon the transport's arrival in the afternoon. Obviously, Fores didn't need the supplies in the ship's hold so urgently as he had claimed.

But that left the patrols - and Fores had increased them as well. On the other hand, the soldiers Seacat saw didn't look very attentive. It wouldn't be too hard to sneak past them even without the distraction she had arranged. A distraction that should be starting any minute now…

Then she heard the singing. Alcy was many things - a former pirate, a scoundrel, a good sailor and a fair gunner, but she wasn't a singer. That didn't stop her, of course, when she had a few ales. Or was pretending to be drunk.

Arm in arm with Licy, waving half-empty mugs around, she sang as they stumbled down the waterfront. As soon as they spotted the patrol, they walked towards them.

"Hey, soldier!" Licy yelled out. "Whatcha doin'?"

"We're on patrol!" the leader, a hard-faced woman almost as tall as Adora said.

"Oh! Whatcha patrollin' for?" Alcy cocked her head and pretended to lose her balance, stumbling into the arms of the second soldier, a young man. "Oops!"

"Watch it, you drunkard!" the woman spat. "Kuro, what are you doing?"

Seacat grinned and slid down from the roof, dashing across the waterfront and towards the pier as the soldier tried to explain that he wasn't fondling Alcy - she was fondling him.

By the time she reached the transport, this Kuro was still talking.

Hiding behind a crate on the pier, she studied the transport. The gangway was down - well, that was standard - but illuminated. The deck watch didn't seem to be the most attentive but still… better not take that risk. Especially since Alcy and Licy's act was distracting the patrol but attracting the attention of the man on deck.

Well, a watch had been expected after the scare about Horde fishmen infiltrators. Even though the watch wasn't actually paying attention to the sea. If they were, Seacat could've strolled up the gangway easily.

As it was, she had other means. The transport was tied down at the pier, after all. And the lines were sturdy, with some slack, but not enough so climbing them would be particularly difficult.

Seacat checked the patrol - not looking in her direction - and then the watch before dashing to the edge of the pier and grabbing the line. She scaled it upside down, then slid over the railing at the bow of the transport, past the carved likeness of a dolphin. According to what they had seen, the ship - named 'Leaping Dolphin', even though it was as likely to leap across the waves as a particularly large tub - had a crew of six people. One was serving as the watch, which left five sleeping below at most - some would be carousing. And the captain in their cabin. Unless they were carousing as well.

In any case, it didn't matter. She reached into the pack she had strapped on her back and pulled out the first burner, placing it in a nook next to the anchor chain's windlass. She didn't lit it. Not yet. The 'fire' had to break out in the hold - on the deck, the crew might attempt to put it out.

She sneaked forward, keeping to the shadows cast by the mast. The watch was on the bridge, leaning against the railing. Watching Alcy and Licy make a fool out of the patrol. Taking a deep breath, Seacat dashed forward, to the hatch leading into the hold. It wasn't locked - sloppy, but a good thing for her - and she heaved, opening it far enough to slide through without getting squished.

She clenched her teeth as she struggled a little to keep the hatch from making a noise when she lowered it down again. Waking up the crew would be bad.

The hold was full of crates and bags. Food, mostly. Just what they needed for the offensive. And no one was sleeping here - perhaps the captain had been worried about his crew stealing some of the cargo. Or… No, the hold didn't smell; some cargo, especially spices, could render a hold quite unattractive as a sleeping spot.

But she wouldn't complain about anything that made her task easier. She planted two burners in the corners, towards the bow, then lit the fuses they had patched together from the swivel gun's fuses. About two minutes left until the 'fire' would break out.

She scrambled up the stairs and put her back against the hatch, lifting it slowly until she could peek through the gap at the bridge. Where the watch wasn't standing any more. Damn.

She suppressed a hiss. Where was the damn watch? Did the idiot pick just now to make their rounds? The fuses were burning! She held her breath and listened. No footsteps. Had the watch gone to sleep or what?

She looked around. She couldn't spot anyone. And the clock was ticking. No time to wait. She pushed the hatch up some more, then squeezed through the gap, rolling over the deck towards the shadow cast by the railing.

Still no sign of the watch. If the idiot wasn't on their post, they would have to 'discover' the fire and alert the crew themselves. And she needed to be off the ship.

She dashed towards the bow, lit the burner she hid there, then climbed over the railing and slid down the line to the pier. Alcy and Licy were still keeping up their act, but they couldn't stretch it out forever before the patrol would arrest them. Or try to arrest them.

Seacat rushed back, checked if the patrol was looking at the wrong spot, then passed behind the soldiers, winking at the two scoundrels, and ducked into a side alley. Whew!

Grinning, she straightened and checked her appearance. No suspicious smears or stains on her clothes. She ran her hands through her mane, then retired her ponytail. Showtime.

She sauntered out of the side alley, then pretended to be surprised by Alcy and Licy's presence. "Hey! What are you doing? You should be back on the ship!" she yelled.

"First Mate!"

"Seacat!"

The patrol leader grinned nastily, obviously imagining what punishment the two women would suffer. Well, she would be disappointed - Seacat could already see the smoke starting to waft through the gaps in the hatch of the transport.

"Hell!" she gasped. "Something's burning!" She pointed at the ship

The soldiers whirled, then gasped as well. "That's the Leaping Dolphin! It's full of supplies!"

"Forget the supplies!" Seacat yelled. "We need to warn the crew!" She didn't wait for the others to reply and dashed towards the transport. "Hey! Hey! Fire!"

Where was the watch? The soldiers started yelling as well as Seacat rushed up the gangway. "Fire!" she screamed. "Fire in the hold!"

"What?" Ah, there was the watch, They must have fallen asleep on deck.

"Fire!" she repeated herself, pointing at the smoke emerging from the gaps in the hatch.

Kuro actually pulled on the hatch, lifting it up - and was instantly engulfed in a cloud of thick smoke billowing out from the hold.

"What?"

"Oh, no! The ship's on fire!"

"Captain!"

The rest of the transport's crew had finally arrived on deck. Where was the captain?

"No!" A burly man wearing breeches and not much else stared at the smoke. "Get some buckets!"

"Buckets? Are you mad?" Seacat snapped. "That much smoke… the fire's too big already!"

"The bow's catching fire, too!" Alcy added, staring at the bow, where Seacat's third burner had started smoking.

"The ship's going to lit up like a fireship!" Seacat yelled. "Get off her before the deck collapses!"

Confused and barely awake, the sailors were halfway down the gangway before their captain could react. "No!" he screamed. "Fetch some buckets! We need to save the Dolphin!"

"Save yourself!" Seacat told him. "We can't do anything here - we have to save the others!"

"What? Others?" he complained as she pushed him down the gangway.

"The ship's going to rip free once the lines catch fire," she said. "And it might drift into the other ships."

The soldiers - on the pier already - cursed at that and even the Dolphin's captain paled. "No…"

"We'll have to drag it out of the harbour," Seacat continued. "Before it burns down to the waterline and sinks, blocking the entire pier."

"But… how?"

Seacat bared her fangs and pointed at the Dragon's Daughter V, which was approaching the Leaping Dolphin, Sea Hawk at the helm. "With her!"

She raced back up on board, followed by Alcy and Licy, who kicked the gangway off once all were aboard, and ran to the bow. "Cut the lines!"

As the two scoundrels started hacking at the mooring lines, Seacat waved towards Horas, who was already swinging the tow line to throw it over to her.

The minotaur let fly, and the weighted line shot across the narrowing gap between the two ships, landing on the deck of the Leaping Dolphin with a crack. Seacat grabbed it, held her breath and ran into the smoke cloud covering the bow of the transport.

She followed the railing through the thick smoke until she bumped into the base of the bowsprit. Squeezing her eyes shut - the smoke made them burn anyway - she felt around for the opening there, quickly pushing the line through, then looped it around itself and tied it off.

Then she felt her way back out of the cloud - only to discover that the smoke from the hold had started to engulf the deck. She took a deep, smoky breath, then yelled "She's tied up, Captain!" before quickly making her way to the bridge, where Alcy and Licy were at the helm.

"Shouldn't we extinguish the burners?" Alcy asked, coughing.

"Not yet, "Seacat replied. "They would notice something amiss."

"They should've noticed the lack of actual flames already," Alcy commented.

Then the ship jerked - the Dragon's Daughter V had pulled away and was now towing the Leaping Dolphin behind her. And the air current that was causing blew the smoke straight towards the bridge.

Seacat cursed - she should've anticipated that. "I'll extinguish the burner at the bow," she said - the people left at the pier wouldn't see much, anyway, once they were a little further away. Not at night and from behind. And the smoke was worse than she had expected.

She took a deep breath, left the two scoundrels behind and slid down the stairs to the deck, then grabbed the railing and made her way to the bow. She had to struggle to avoid coughing - the smoke in her lungs felt terrible - but reached the bow. And the burner would be… She knelt and felt around. There! She grabbed the burner and felt around for the lid. It wasn't there. Had it slid around?

Damn! She was running out of air. She snarled and threw the burner overboard, then waited until the air currents cleared the bow and finally took another breath.

And coughed.

Damn. And she still needed to put out the burners in the hold. That had to wait until they were past the mole, though.

Which they were just reaching. Great. And Alcy and Licy were still in the - fortunately thinner - smoke cloud from the hold.

Cursing under her breath, she approached the hatch leading to the hold. "Hold your breath!" she yelled.

Then she opened the hatch, and thick, black smoke rose, covering half the ship in a few seconds.

A deep breath later, she went down the stairs. She couldn't see anything at first, but then, the airflow started to draw most of the smoke out - going prone, she could see somewhat. There was the first burner!

She crawled towards it - its lid was next to it! - and closed it. That left the other. She went prone again and crawled towards the other corner. Her lungs were starting to burn. And the lid had disappeared here!

Silently cursing, she felt around. No lid.

Damn it. Had some rats taken it? Or had it slid beneath one of the crates?

It didn't matter. She had to get rid of that burner. She grabbed it and dashed back to the stairs, then up on deck, and heaved.

It still took a few minutes for the smoke to clear, and her clothes would stink until she washed them, but they wouldn't suffocate any more.

Though the supplies would smell and probably taste a little smoked.

*****​

"And?" Seacat asked an hour later, standing on the main deck of the Leaping Dolphin.

"It's a little smoky, yes," Licy told her after swallowing the rest of the bread. "But it's not too bad. I've had worse."

Seacat nodded. She'd had a taste herself, but it was good to have confirmation - tastes differed, after all. If both Seacat and Licy could eat it, odds were the majority of the marines could eat it. They'd complain, of course, but soldiers always complained about the food anyway. Most of the food was canned and not affected by smoke anyway.

She looked back. She couldn't see the lighthouse of the port behind them any more. By now, the selfish Colonel would have realised what they had done - but the man wouldn't be able to chase after them. The only ship able to catch them would be a Salinean frigate with an engine - or a courier with an engine - and none of either had been in the harbour. Granted, a fast courier might catch up with them with a little bit of luck and favourable winds, but Fores couldn't order around a Salinean courier. At least not for such a thing.

She smiled. They had gotten away clean. The plan had worked.

"It feels a little weird, you know," Licy commented. "Being towed like that, I mean."

"Hmm?" Seacat cocked her head to look at the woman.

"We're three here - more than on the Dragon's Daughter V," Licy explained, "But we don't have to do anything. Alcy's on the helm, but we could probably rig something so the rudder stays stuck."

"We're here in case something comes up," Seacat told her. "The Captain and Horas can handle the Dragon's Daughter V, but if we need to sail this transport, we'll have our hands full." More than full - three crew was pushing it for a ship this size.

"Right. But what are the odds of that? We'll be back in Fortress Freedom in no time, with our ship pulling us."

"Don't jinx it!"

"Sorry!"

*****​

Dawn. Seacat stifled a yawn. She'd taken the last watch of the night, letting Alcy and Licy sleep a little, but she hadn't been able to rest much before that - which was why she had to make an effort to stay awake right now. At least she didn't have to do too much - the Leaping Dolphin was still being towed behind the Dragon's Daughter V. Slower than before - the Captain didn't want to overstress the engine or, how Entrapta called it, 'weaken the containment fields'. Which was a quite disturbing expression for anyone who had seen the tests in Salineas. Such as Seacat.

And it wasn't as if they had to rush - they would arrive soon at the fortress anyway. Seacat expected to see a picket or patrol appear at the horizon any moment now.

Suddenly, she heard a crack, and the ship started to fight her, rolling in the sea and trying to turn left or right. The cable had snapped, she realised as she struggled to keep the ship going straight. Of course, that shouldn't be a surprise - the cable had been meant to tow a courier, not a transport, much less one almost fully loaded.

But she couldn't worry about that right now. Not with a ship in peril - light peril. "Alcy! Licy! Up and about! Set sails!" she yelled. "Get up! The line broke!"

The two women quickly appeared on deck. "What the hell?" Alcy yelled.

"The line snapped," Seacat repeated herself. "Set sails! We need to get underway!" Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to steer the transport. And that would be dangerous in this sea.

Alcy and Licy threw themselves into it, pulling the mainsail up, and even before the sail's tip reached the top, Seacat could feel the ship starting to pick up speed and the rudder having an effect again.

Whew. "Good work! Reel in the snapped line!" she yelled. "And prepare to turn about!" They needed to get back on course.

Slowly - far too slowly for Seacat's taste - the ship started to turn, with Alcy adjusting the mainsail and Licy reeling in the line dragging in the water. After a few tense minutes, they were finally on the right course again, and the two women could set the foresail.

And there was the Dragons' Daughter V. "Ahoy! Do you need assistance?" the Captain yelled.

"No!" she yelled back. "We've got things under control!"

"Want us to tow you again?"

And risk the line snapping closer to the ship, and injuring someone as it whipped over the deck? "No," she replied. "We can sail the rest of the way."

"Alright! Follow us!"

Seacat frowned as the Dragon's Daughter nimbly overtook them. If she ever got a ship of her own, then it wouldn't be a slow transport.

*****​

"Land Ahoy!"

Finally! She had expected to see the fortress around this time - they had met a picket ship, after all, and had been able to confirm their position after sailing out of sight of the coast to avoid entering a bay - but you never knew when a stronger current than normal might have pushed them further south than expected. Or delayed them.

Not this time. She could see the fortress ahead. Two frigates were just leaving the port, but there were more ships in the harbour; she could see the tops of many masts. More than expected. And the flags… Oh. "Mermista's in port," she said.

"What? The princess?" Licy gasped next to her.

"Yes. That's her personal flag there in the centre. Crown over Mermaid." Sea Hawk had spent a day trying to write a poem about it, once.

"Oh." Licy sounded surprised. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Normally, yes," Seacat replied.

"Normally?" Licy's voice hit a slighter higher pitch than normal.

"Normally, we don't have a transport with us which we requisition under slightly hasty conditions," Seacat explained.

"Oh." Licy seemed to think for a moment. "But the Captain's her lover."

"Yes."

"And it was his decision. So, we're going to be OK, right?"

"Yes." If there was any blame to be dealt out, Sea Hawk would take it. That was a captain's duty, as he liked to say.

*****​

"My dear Mermista!" Sea Hawk turned away from where he had been telling the dockworkers to unload the transport and beamed at the approaching princess.

"Sea Hawk." Mermista nodded, but she was smiling. Good news, then.

Or not - she couldn't have heard from Colonel Fores, yet, Seacat remembered as the two embraced. And kissed.

Seacat caught the admiral behind the princess openly frowning at the display. No surprise there.

"Seacat! How did the sword work? I can see that you didn't use its explosive function, but how did it perform otherwise?"

Entrapta was here? That was a surprise - Seacat would've expected her to be in Salineas. "I didn't get to test it in battle, yet," she told the princess. "There was no boarding action. It did cut lines very well, though," she added.

"Alright. Tests inconclusive, need more data," Entrapta told her recorder. "Oh. And how do you do?"

"I'm good," Seacat replied. "How about you? I thought you would be going back to your workshop in Salineas."

"Oh, I planned to - and we were - but Mermista then told me that I could analyse any Horde technology that we captured on the offensive! I've already examined the weapons left in the fortress, though they were standard issue. However, I've seen a new skiff variant that was caught during a skirmish, and it's fascinating - they improved performance by five per cent! Of course, that was at the cost of reliability and range, but still - they aren't any more explosive than before, either. If I can isolate the improvements and compensate for the loss in performance, I should be able to improve the latest mark of my engines as well!"

Now that was good news! Especially the bit about not exploding. "That sounds great," Seacat told her. "Do you think…"

A shout interrupted her. "You stole the transport?"

Seacat winced. That was Mermista being angry.

"We didn't steal it - we merely requisition supplies in a pragmatic manner," Sea Hawk defended himself. With a wide smile, he added: "Colonel Fores was most uncooperative and hoarding supplies. Going through the chain of command would have taken too long, so we solved the problem with decisive action!"

"We really needed those supplies," Seacat cut in. "And Fores can resupply much quicker than we can from Seaworthy. If he even needs to - he strikes me as the type of officer who only cares about his own troops and will hoard supplies for them."

Now the princess was frowning at her and at Sea Hawk. "You didn't check, though."

"No, we didn't," Sea Hawk admitted cheerfully. "But it's very likely. And even if he needed the supplies he can get them faster than we could, and we're the crucial part of the offensive - we need to strike west and take the river to cut off the Horde forces and strike north against the trapped troops; the northern front just has to hold."

"A week or two on half-rations won't kill anyone," Licy added, then grimaced and paled when that earned her a princessly glare as well. "Sorry…"

Alcy grabbed her friend's arm, probably pinching her, and dragged her a step back - and behind Horas. "We have to watch the cargo being unloaded, Admiral." Without waiting for an answer, they retreated up the gangway.

Well, Seacat couldn't blame them - Mermista could be terrifying if she lost her temper.

The princess turned back to glare at Sea Hawk. "You still stole the ship from her crew!"

"We temporarily borrowed it," he corrected her. "They'll get her back once we've unloaded the supplies."

Mermista pinched the bridge of her nose. "And they'll complain to Frosta, who will complain to me about you. Fores will complain to her as well. And probably to Bright Moon."

Seacat snorted. "The Queen won't hear him. Her daughter's going to be on the other front for this, and if we'd been late attacking along the river, her troops would have taken the brunt of the Horde's response." As would have Adora.

"It's still a breach of etiquette and of the chain of command."

Sea Hawk shrugged. "Sometimes, you have to break the rules."

"You do?" Entrapta piped up. "When is that time? I'm always wondering that when I hear this."

Uh-oh. Seacat suppressed a wince. Mermista didn't, as she could tell. Sea Hawk, though, beamed at the princess. "You'll know when it's time, trust me."

"Oh." Entrapta blinked.

"Yes. If you aren't sure, then it's not the time to break the rules," Seacat quickly added.

"Unless they are minor rules," Sea Hawk said.

Mermista's glare could've melted a cannon, in Seacat's opinion. "Rules are there for a reason. Especially when they concern experiments, data gathering and prototype testing."

"So, those aren't minor rules?" Entrapta asked, pouting.

"No, those are very important rules," Mermista replied.

"And what are minor rules?"

"They're rare," Mermista said. Shutting up Sea Hawk with a glance. "We'll tell you once we encounter one."

Seacat hesitated a moment, then spoke - this was too important. "It's also, well, mostly, a question of why you want to break a rule. If you need to break a rule to save someone, it's different from breaking a rule to make something easier. The more important the reason, the less important the rule becomes."

"Oh." Entrapta nodded. "That makes sense! So, if I needed to save the world, I could break all the rules!"

"Basically, yes," Sea Hawk said.

"But that's a hypothetical example," Mermista said. "The world isn't in danger of ending."

"Yes," Entrapta agreed. "The chance of a seismic event that would trigger enough tidal waves and volcano eruption to destroy most of the habitable surface of Etheria is very, very low." She beamed at them, her hair bobbing as she nodded.

Seacat felt like her stomach was dropping. 'Very, very low' didn't mean that there was no chance at all. Anyone who ever sailed with Sea Hawk would be very aware of that difference.

"You mean the world could end?" Mermista blurted out.

"Theoretically, yes," Entrapta replied. "After a landslide near my city, I looked into seismic events and started investigating, and my sensor readings showed that there's a potentially unstable element - as in an unstable part, not the element in a scientific sense - in the planet's core that could, if stimulated correctly, cause seismic shockwaves of an unprecedented power and scope."

Even Sea Hawk paled at hearing that. Seacat felt her fur bristle and her ears got flat against her head. "And… what's that... trigger?" she asked.

Entrapta shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing seismic, at least - it's not affected by shockwaves."

"Did… did you test that?" She wouldn't have done that, right?

"On a micro-scale," Entrapta told her. "I saw no reaction."

"You… you risked triggering this… this catastrophe?" Mermista all but shrieked.

Entrapta blinked. "What? Technically, yes, I suppose - but the energy carried by my micro-shockwaves was much lower than those by regular earthquakes."

Whew. Seacat sighed with relief.

"Although there was the possibility that the wave frequency could be the key to triggering the unknown element. I didn't test for that."

"And you shouldn't. Never. New rule: No poking the core of Etheria!" Mermista stated.

"That's an important rule, right?" Entrapta asked with a guileless face.

"Ugh… Yes!" Mermista snapped, then turned around and walked - stomped - away.

"My dear Mermista, wait!" Sea Hawk ran after her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Entrapta asked after a few seconds. "She sounded mad."

Ugh. "She was just shocked to hear that the world isn't as stable as she thought it was," Seacat explained. Not quite truthful - or, not completely truthful.

"But she seemed mad at me, even though that's not my fault. The world is like it is. I just shared my data," Entrapta said, frowning again. "Should I have lied instead?"

"No," Seacat told her. "Sometimes, people get angry. She'll calm down."

"But… it wasn't my fault."

"And she knows it. She's just a little… It's just been a little too much, what with the war, our transport, the upcoming offensive, and now this."

"Oh."

They watched the princess and the Captain disappear in the crowd at the waterfront in silence. "Say… where's Emily?" Seacat asked, as much to change the subject and cheer the princess up as to find out what the bot was doing.

"Oh, she's doing a patrol of the perimeter! I've enhanced her sensors, so she can spot skiffs at a longer distance than she can be spotted. And she doesn't need food or light so she can cover a lot of terrain without breaks. I also rigged some signal rockets to her so she can inform us if she encounters any Horde troops - I've made up a small code so she can tell us if she's seeing scouts, a skirmishing party, or a larger force of the Horde," Entrapta explained.

That sounded useful. And the Horde could mistake the bot for one of their own. Then again, so could Salinean soldiers. "Did you mark her as on our side?"

"Yes. I had to - she was almost attacked by some soldiers when we arrived, even though she didn't do anything!" Entrapta pouted. "Now she's got some Princess Alliance symbol painted on her hull, and it's weird."

"Ah. Well…" Seacat trailed off when she spotted three signal rockets arc through the sky in the distance. "Uh… what's the code for three red signal rockets?"

"That would be 'too many to count', why do you… Oh."

'Oh' fit the situation very well, Seacat thought.

*****​