Force Captain
Footsteps stumbled down the corridor in front of her, “can’t we just stay up a bit longer?” Adora half-heartedly resisted, as Catra herded her down the empty corridor. Her hair was in all kinds of disarray; loose from her usual immaculate pinned-back style and stuck to her face by a layer of dried sweat and dirt. “I thin— I think I’ll have it if I run the simulation just one more time…” she managed between breathy yawns. “I’m not even tired!”
It was post-curfew now and the night-shift would have already taken their posts for the evening. She works herself too hard. What’s she trying to prove? Catra’s instinct was to go to bed and let her burn the night oil, and yet she didn’t want to see her embarrass herself; that was her job. Adora is going to need to be at her best if I’m going to really show her up at the evaluation tomorrow. Else, where will the fun be?
Adora began to meander into the corridor wall before Catra placed sturdy hands on her shoulders.“Hah! Maybe I’d believe that if you could keep your eyes open long enough to see the bots.” Adora was too busy rubbing her tired eyes to respond and Catra steered her forcefully to her bed, placing her hand on the back of her head to guide her under the bunk.
If Catra could prove herself an asset to the Horde, she would be the one calling the shots. Once the evaluations are over, you won’t need to work so hard to stay ahead... and awake.
“I— I don’t need to… see the Princess bots to predict…” Adora yawned. Catra stood, arms crossed, and watched with no small amount of sick satisfaction as this strong warrior of The Mighty Horde fumbled unsuccessfully with her boot buckles, eyes still partially closed. “… wherethey’regonnabe—” she mangled. Catra shook her head and gently placed her hand on her friends chest; guiding her to lie down. Against the backdrop of Adora’s might and bluster, there was some part of Catra that was relieved that she still needed her for some things. Even if it was just the small things. Especially the small things.
“Alright, ‘Princess Slayer’, let’s get those boots off you before you hurt yourself.” She crawled onto the lower bunk and deftly unhooked the catches, working them off Adora’s tired feet. You won’t need to fight alone as long as I’m around.
Once the boots were defeated, Catra was still for a long moment. In the dark, it was almost as if it were just the two of them there, but the longer she sat there, the more aware she became of other bunks around them creaking. Then on cue from somewhere across the room Lonnie began snoring. Almost. Adora was already in deep slumber, spread out over the mattress. She never struggled to sleep and it was no wonder with how hard she trained. Makes us all look bad, she thought, but she would never tell her that.
Catra gave a resigned sigh. Her head will ache in the morning if I don’t… Catra reached over her holding her breath, trying to pull out her hair tie slowly with her claws, but knots tugged at the elastic and hair came out with it. Catra gritted her teeth in anticipation, expecting to wake her. There was no response from Adora, no movement at all in fact. She stared intently down at her; a morbid thought crept into her mind: is she breathing? Catra froze. Mild dread stole into her mind. Adora let out a loud snort and shifted around, lifting her legs to her chest, leaving space at the end of the bed. And just like that, the dread dissipated with the breath she’d been holding onto. Idiot.
Now she was already knelt on Adora’s bunk, she found that she was reluctant to leave. I’m too tired to climb to my own bunk, she told herself. The training that day had left her body sore and aching, there was no need to over-exert herself anymore by climbing up to the top bunk, she convinced herself. Catra folded her limbs to contour herself to Adora’s sleeping shape, leaving a tail-width between them. She always felt safer there, with some distance.
“Urg… your feet,” she said, louder than she had meant to. Grimacing at the pungent odour of Adora’s diligent training, she flapped around in exaggerated distress, but in the end she merely turned away.
“Stay…” A hand reached down for her, smoothing the length of her ear, careful fingers scratching at the sweet spot behind her ear. She jolted in surprise at the touch and swatted the hand away impulsively.
I’m not going anywhere… “…smelly, Idiot.”
The hand retracted and a soft “mmm,” escaped Adora’s lips as she nodded off again, prompting a hum in Catra’s chest that lulled her to sleep…
*****
Catra awoke to the sound of laughter. She reached out, kneading the sheets and found that they were bunching emptily in her grasp. Adora? “Hey…” Catra uncurled herself from the end of the bed and stretched. “… Adora?” It was in these fleeting moments between sleep and consciousness that she forgot she was alone all over again.
She rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her palm. “Where are—” the realisation flooded over her again, like a cold bath. Hmph.
Strange loud sounds rang out from the corridor. Who do I have to thank for waking me from that nightmare?
Poking her head into the hall she could see Scorpia. But who was she talking to? She ran her hands into her knotted mane, working through the knots and pulling it out rather than flattening it down. It helped her feel impressive; a force not to be challenged. “Scorpia?”
Scorpia lurched into a stiff greeting, “C-Catra! Fancy seeing you here! Outside the barracks… where we sleep. and at breakfast of all times!” She shifted from side to side, unable to stay still.
What’s that clomping oaf up to? Catra swore she could hear the metal-on-metal of a bot scuttling away down the corridor.
Catra darted her head around, attempting to get a better look between Scorpia’s arms, or over her spiked shoulders. “Who were you talking to?” Scorpia jerked her head to mirror Catra’s own, blocking her view. Catra’s eyes narrowed.
“No one, no one! I like to start my day with positive affirmations, and sometimes singing— to myself! Since Entrapta…”
Catra looked down, breaking the direct gaze, “Well, be quieter next time, your screeching woke me, and we were just about to crush the Rebellion,” and their stinking feet.
“Oh, sorry about that, Wildcat” Scorpia pinched her shoulders together ruefully. “Don’t worry about that though. Today’s operation is going to go off without a hitch!” Scorpia stepped closer to Catra, who took a wide step back. “Hopefully this will perk you up. I’ve been storyboarding the plan, look!” Scorpia beamed, her claws were clamped around a stack of papers with crude boxed drawings scrawled across them. “It starts with you, me and Mapal travelling to the outpost and taking up position,” Scorpia prodded at little figures Catra supposed were them.
“This one is you punching the Sparkling Princess, then hitting She-ra with her own sword,” she chuckled, wiping away a tear from her eye. Catra allowed the play by play to continue, with Scorpia waving each paper in front of her in turn. When the show seemed to be over, she quickly flipped past one that seemed to resemble Scorpia and Entrapta having a picnic. “And this one is Emily lasering another one in the face!” Scorpia stopped and thought for a second, “Did you know Emily scuffed her casing? It looks like claw marks to me, but that would be very strange. Emily’s not been out in the field for weeks…” she trailed off and coughed awkwardly, catching the indignant look on Catra’s face.
Catra’s blood went hot. Was she QUESTIONING her loyalty to the Horde?! “How do you have time for arts and crafts when we are in the middle of a war?!” she demanded, snatching the papers brusquely from Scorpia’s outstretched pincher. Can I not rely on ANYONE in this place?? Scorpia flinched. “We are finally gaining ground against the little Princess Rebellion, but I need people who are going to pull their weight around here.” Catra could see her point had been made, but she couldn’t resist digging the knife in, “what are you even here for?” Why is there no one I can depend on?
Scorpia receded into herself; suddenly appearing half her usual size. Catra gritted her teeth. She had let her anger guide her again, she needed to reign in her emotions. “When you’re done with your… finger-painting report to me at the loading dock,” Catra couldn’t bear to look at her friend so despondent a moment longer. She made to walk past her and then stopped, “We’re headed out on our mission today and you need to get the vessel prepared!” I need your help. “We’ll be leaving from the docking bay in the southern outreach post.”
Scorpia’s composure grew “Don’t worry, bestie. I’ll have Mapal up and running before you’re done flossing!” Catra walked off without looking back.
Scorpia called out, “I’ll be there, ready to bring the pain! If it’s a mission that needs pain that is. Then I’ll bring it!” Scorpia raised a clenched claw at Catra who paid her no heed.
*****
Catra paced back and forth along the empty workshop. The Fright Zone assembly lines continually churned out new robots, but this factory had been reserved for a new line of creations, straight from the disturbed mind of Entrapta. She might have been a Princess, but she was one of the good ones. If there was such a thing… I should stop kidding myself. She lent over the conveyor belt, hands planted either side of her, deep in thought. If there was one thing Catra thought she knew, it was that, “Princesses cannot be be trusted.” Her claws extended piercing the leather conveyor whilst she thought about flowing blond hair, overwhelming strength, an insufferable smirk— BEEP BEEP! She hissed, tearing her claws through the belt as she reached for the communication device demanding her attention.
“You’re late! You were supposed to check in last night. It’s almost sun-up!” she growled.
“Sweetie, if you want a golden opportunity to take out your Golden Girl you simply need to have a little patience,” Double-Trouble lounged nonchalantly in some kind of long, fancy chair enveloped by pillows. They partially transitioned from their usual form, growing out long-flowing blond locks and She-ra’s trademark circlet to make a point. Why did they say it like THAT--? They continued before Catra could get a word in: “I told you. Deception is a long-play game. You want to stomp down on their little Princess Party?”
They transformed again; this time into Flutterina, and glided in the air spinning around with the communication device. Her words came out sickly in this form. “You need to sprinkle in a little doubt, with a dash of dissent. That’s when things get really spicy. They’ll be eating themselves up from the inside; that was YOUR recipe for success, remember?”
Catra folded her arms attempting to regain her composure. She wasn’t in the mood for wordplay or mind games these days. “We didn’t expect that they’d let us lure them around so easily. The humiliation is going to be excruciating when we take the Sea Gate.” She’ll have a front row view as we take it all from them! “But, if there is even a chance we could use this intel to our favour, this war would be as good as won.” What do I have to lose?
“You are in luck! At this very moment, our stalwart hero is playing her part as scripted. Her bow-friend’s daddies were most obliging. It really takes someone with skill to fool a parent, but I pulled out all the stops - spun them a tale about the She-ra and her magical Anvil. They were tripping over themselves to contribute some curio to the cause, ” Catra’s brow stitched together, irked by the shape-shifter’s boasting. “I’ll send you over some pictures now! I did look fabulous with my midriff out, but a bit too breez—”
“Stick to our business”.
“Tch, an artist is never appreciated for the labours of their craft,” she wailed dramatically.
Catra’s tracker pad lit up and an image popped up next to Double Trouble’s camera feed. Her eyes opened wide. “What is it?” The artifact was angular and metallic with a notable point at the base. Deep grooves ran perpendicular around its circumference, dividing it into three segments. Scored into the pieces were some kind of symbols Catra couldn’t read, but she had seen the like before - when she and Adora had been trapped in the First-ones’ fort. Entrapta had been right! Catra was elated.
“Honestly. I have no clue, but it really got her baby blues glowing,” Catra stared intently at the picture of the metal object, as though it would reveal it’s purpose to her. “Look, I’d love to stay and chat. But now your prey has taken the bait, I have other mischief to busy myself with. You’ll have to get moving or you’ll miss your cue.” And with that, Catra was left staring at her own grinning reflection on the dark screen.
Catra only liked to gamble on a sure thing. Don’t get into a fight without a strategy, always be the one with the most firepower, and never let your opponent find an advantage. Even so, the reward for this risk was too enticing for even her to deny. With such tight time constraints, there would be no room for error on this mission. Perhaps that was what made her feel so exhilarated. Perhaps.
She could have walked through the Horde headquarters to get to the docks on the coast, but Catra wanted to get her thrills where she could. Where’s the fun in walking? She boarded an unmanned skiff, jostling the stick into gear and shot out of the courtyard; forcing a number of unprepared soldiers to hit the deck. “Woo, hahah!” Catra hooted. It had been a while since she’d had any fun, but she deserved it. Catra had almost made a big mistake last year, but all that mattered now was winning. She breathed the cool air in deeply as the skiff surged on. It smells so bad out here in the overland. Rotten, like us. She jerked the rudder left, then right suddenly, and the wind whipped up her fur roughly. “Now there’s no one to steal the reins from me,” she smiled.
“Force Captain!” A guard acknowledged her with a salute as she entered the docking bay. She strode by with indifference. It had been over three years since she had been promoted up to the role of Force Captain, but she still revelled in the power and respect that came with it. She had more than earned her title in the Horde, often making decisions above her station. Someone had to take charge when Hordak had locked himself away, and that person was her.
The place looked in quite the state of disarray. This post had all been abandoned whilst Hordak had been locked away fiddling with his bots. Soldiers scrambled around the warehouse making the final preparations for their excursion. One tripped over, dropping the box he was carrying. Weapons scattered across the jetty and into the water. A shock baton rolled to a stop under her toes and she claimed it as her own, measuring the weight of it in her hands and confirming its power level, “I’ll take this one.” Gleefully, she advanced upon him as he crawled to gather up the weapons. If Catra had been in a worse mood, someone would be getting reprimanded today. “You missed a few.” Without warning, she booted him hard in backside sending him tumbling head first into the water. He’ll be more careful next time, she mused.
A voice called out from the end of the jetty, “The Multi-Axis Hydraulic Propelled Aquatic Submersible.” Scorpia spread her arms out, wheeling around in exhibition towards the floating vessel. “But Entrapta named her, Mapal.” Scorpia scratched at her head, and continued to talk; barely audible to Catra from where she stood, “Not really sure where the ‘L’ comes from, but her naming conventions always went a little over my head as it was…”
It was smaller than Catra had imagined. A tin coffin built for 3, she gulped. No room for second thoughts now, just keep marching forward.
“I’m really happy you asked me to come along. I was starting to think that perhaps you didn’t want me around,” she trailed off with an awkward chuckle.
“This is somewhat of a two-man mission,” Catra admitted before Scorpia disappeared into the submersible, “and besides, you’re the only one who knows how to drive this thing,” Catra smirked.
Now confronted with the reality of being confined with no means of escape, Catra took the time to examine every aspect of the submarine vessel. Mapal’s bulk was spherical, no bigger than a Horde tank. It somehow generated energy enough to power itself beneath the waves - a technical marvel. Whatever. Rounded protrusions bulged from either side of the vessel. Their purpose was a mystery to Catra.
Finally, her eyes settled on the wide bulging window at the front. It worried her most of all. In Catra’s mind: More glass, more risk of exposure to the water. The thought got her hackles up.
Scorpia waved enthusiastically from behind the gaping window.
There was no turning back now.