Chapter 36: The River Offensive Part 1
"We can't strike at the Horde yards in the morning," Mermista pointed out, leaning over the map table. She tapped the bend of the river where the Horde base was located. "If we want to hit the base from both sides, we need to coordinate, and Princess Glimmer and She-Ra need a day to return to their forces."
"And a day to get ready for the march - or to send word back to you that something delayed us," the shrimp said, nodding.
"Ah, logistics and topography!" Sea Hawk hit his palm with his fist. "Many a good plan was wrecked by those fiends!"
Adora, the shrimp and Brain Boy were staring at him. Seacat rolled her eyes - the Captain was joking. Mostly. He was very much aware of both logistics and topography - no sailor worth their salt could ignore either.
"Yeah…" Mermista frowned at him. "Let's be, like, serious about it."
"Of course, my love!" Sea Hawk straightened and coughed into his fist. "I believe that even with the threat of more floating bombs, we can move our forces upriver and into position within a day. And, supported by one or two frigates, we shouldn't have much trouble landing them on the southern shores."
"Yes. The trouble we'll have will be breaking out of a beachhead." Mermista frowned. "If the Horde forces at the yard are as mobile as the ones facing us here, then we'll be handicapped. They can reposition faster than we can, and we will have inferior numbers of guns as soon as we leave the shore. And a direct attack on the base with frigates will be dangerous. They'll be prepared for that."
"But you can land your forces on the Horde side of the river without trouble. We can't do that as easily. And we can't fight our way east through the Horde lines on the southern side of the river - it would take far too long. So, we'll need assistance to cross the river on our side of the base," the shrimp said.
Seacat noticed Adora wincing during the exchange. Brain Boy also looked uncomfortable. "I take it you tried it before."
The shrimp nodded. "We performed a pincer attack on the Horde force blocking our way down from the crystal mines. It worked, but… we lost a lot of soldiers in the river."
"I wasn't fast enough to take out the enemy guns, once they revealed themselves," Adora said. "They were pre-sighted on the river and the shore."
"Indirect fire - our own guns couldn't reach them until we had eyes on them," Brain Boy added.
Seacat winced. So did Sea Hawk and Mermista. Crossing a river - even a small one, like the river close to the mines - under fire from several enemy guns, and without fast boats…
"We can send some of our transports upriver - but they will have to run the guns of the Horde base," Mermista said.
"And doing that, the Horde forces will be aware of your presence," Seacat added. "Though I don't know if you can hide moving so many troops downriver anyway."
"If we land farther away from the base, we should be able to establish a beachhead without much resistance," the shrimp said. "But we won't be able to attack the base right away in that case. And the Horde might be able to evacuate before we encircle the base."
"Or call in reinforcements," Brain Boy pointed out. "Those skiffs allow them to move strike forces quickly."
Like the Headhunters. Seacat pressed her lips together. "We haven't seen the Headhunters here, yet. They probably didn't expect Mermista to fight on the frontlines. But now that they know..."
Mermista nodded with a grim expression. "They'll send some down here - if they can spare them."
"Which means we could fool them to deploy Headhunters here while you travel upriver," Seacat went on. "If Entrapta can create artificial waves, and we find a body double…"
"Even without artificial waves, a body double might be enough for the Horde to send Headhunters to this front and keep them around," Sea Hawk said. "If only to be ready to react to landing attempts."
"But they'll have Headhunters in the yard as well," Adora said. "They'll know that we'll be striking at it - it's the last stronghold they have on the river. If they lose it, they are reduced to raiding. And, even with their new mobile forces, they aren't as effective when raiding as we are."
Seacat nodded. The Horde was focused on massed soldiers and guns. "They know we are coming. And they've had time to prepare for our attack." Not good odds for an offensive.
"That means we'll have to be creative and surprise them!" Sea Hawk said. "I might have an idea."
"Glad that's over!" the shrimp announced, stretching her arms over her head as they left the planning room.
"It's not quite over," Adora protested. "We only have an overall plan - we haven't hashed out the time tables and the marching order, final lines and unit disposition!"
Seacat snorted. "That's not our job," she said.
"What?" Adora stared at her with her mouth slightly open.
"That's the job of the Salinean and Kingdom of Snow officer corps," Seacat explained. "They are responsible for sorting out how to accomplish what Mermista decided." Which was why Mermista and Sea Hawk were still in the room, dealing with the pricks.
"But…" Adora blinked.
"And it's not your job to decide those things for the forces here, either." Seacat grinned. "Not that you'd be able to since it involves ships."
"Hey! I've read up on ships! And I helped out when we travelled on the Dragon's Daughter… III?"
Adora pouted in that way that made Seacat want to kiss her right then and there. So she did, putting her hands on Adora's cheeks and pressing their lips together.
"Aw!" The shrimp apparently approved.
Brain Boy cleared his throat - as if that would make Seacat stop. She was a sailor, not some prissy princess. She wrapped her arms around Adora's neck, digging her fingers into her lover's blond hair, and moaned loudly.
Brain Boy cleared his throat again, but by now, Adora was getting into it as well. Seacat felt her hands wander down her back, brushing over the strip of bare skin between her shirt and breeches, and grabbing… Yes! Damn, it had been way too long!
"Uh… perhaps you want to, uh, go to your room?" Brain Boy said.
"Oh, come on, Bow! They haven't seen each other in a long time!" the shrimp told him.
"I'm not objecting to their display of affection. I'm just… we're in a hallway outside the planning room."
He was right, of course. Mermista would be mad if they went any further here. Seacat broke the kiss, panting, and smiled at Adora - whose face was flushed. "Yes, let's go to my room!"
"But…" Adora looked at her friends.
"Go on!" the shrimp told her with a smile. "We'll see you at dinner."
"We're not going to head back until tomorrow," Brain Boy added, "when we have detailed operation plans to take back."
It was the first time Seacat was glad for the Salinean Navy's love of paperwork. "OK!" she said. "We'll be…"
Adora interrupted her by sweeping her up into a bridal carry. "Let's go!" her lover said, starting to walk without waiting for an answer.
Seacat blinked, then leaned her head on Adora's shoulder. This once, she'll let it go - she had been wounded until a few hours ago, after all.
Later, Seacat, in her bed, with her head on Adora's chest, sighed with a smile. It had been too long. Far too long. She didn't want Adora to leave again. Ever. But she couldn't ask that of Adora. The Alliance needed her. Needed She-Ra. She sighed again.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? I mean, we, ah, we…" Adora trailed off.
Seacat didn't have to look at Adora's face to know the other woman was biting her lower lip. "No, no, I'm fine." As if she'd be hurt by what they had done. Really! "I'm just… You're leaving tomorrow."
"Oh." Adora's chest rose as she took a deep breath. "I'm needed at the front - the western front, I mean."
"I know."
"Ah."
"That doesn't make it any easier to see you leave," Seacat went on, looking at the ceiling.
"I don't want to leave."
She smiled at that. "I would be hurt if you wanted to leave," she said.
"You could come with us," Adora suddenly said after a few moments of silence. "We need help with the crossing. And with the boats on the river. You're the best sailor I know."
Seacat took a deep breath. Going with Adora? Upriver? Leaving the Captain and the crew? Mermista and Entrapta? She wet her lips. They didn't have a ship. Wouldn't have one before the attack would start. Not even a gunboat. It was either a barge or a frigate. Neither appealed to her. And Adora was right - the Bright Moon forces needed people who knew their way around ships, not just boats. As large as the river was, having sailed some boats on Bright Moons shallow lake wasn't enough to handle the crossing. Although… Seacat alone would have her work cut out for her.
She grinned. "I think you need more than myself for that. Fortunately, I know a crew who's currently waiting for a ship."
"You want to return with Princess Glimmer?" Sea Hawk asked at dinner. Which was held in Mermista's dining room, making it both fancy and private. Good food but you had to watch your manners more than usual.
"We need help with ferrying soldiers over the river," Adora said before Seacat could answer.
"And with shipping supplies downriver," Brain Boy added.
Seacat frowned at him, then cleared her throat. "We're still waiting for a new ship, and we aren't exactly needed on barges or frigates here." The marines could handle the barges, and the Salinean frigates had decent crew, if not always good officers. But neither Seacat nor the rest of the crew would be accepted as officers.
"We were planning to send a selected group of marines with experience in such things upriver," Mermista said. She wasn't frowning, though.
"That's a good idea. We can tag along," Seacat said. "Or rather, we can travel with Adora and her friends and start preparing before the marines arrive." She frowned. "How are you planning to get them around the Horde base, anyway?" They couldn't exactly carry their boats and barges overland, and the Horde fortress's guns commanded the river there. "Run under the guns at night?"
"That, or send a couple of our skiffs to ferry them around the base overland," Mermista replied.
That would take most of their skiffs - neither the Salinean forces nor soldiers from the Kingdom of Snows had many skiffs, what with the things not working over water. It would work, though, so Seacat nodded.
"We'd need one skiff carrying us upriver, too," Seacat said.
"I think that can be spared. We'll need a courier anyway."
That sounded good. Mermista was on board. But the Captain hadn't said anything yet. Seacat glanced at him - he looked happy. She frowned for a moment. He wasn't happy to see her leave, or his crew. She knew better than that. Still…
"I think that's a good idea," Sea Hawk said. "You need the experience, and my dear crew will make a difference with your forces."
Which probably meant that they wouldn't be making much of a difference with the Salinean forces. Well, it wasn't really wrong - Seacat and the others were great at handling smaller ships, not frigates, and barges were, well… they didn't need a sailor.
"Have you asked the others yet?" Sea Hawk interrupted Seacat's thoughts.
"No." She shook her head. "I wanted to clear it with you first."
"Well, you did, First Mate!" He beamed at her. "And I'm sure they'll jump at the chance as well!"
Well, probably.
"Do you want to come as well?" Adora asked him.
Seacat winced - Mermista's scowl was one of the worst she'd seen lately. Fortunately, Sea Hawk was quick to reply: "My place is at my love's side!" as he reached over and wrapped his arm around Mermista's waist for a moment, and the princess smiled again.
"Oh, of course! Sorry!" Adora was blushing with embarrassment, Seacat noticed. And the shrimp was whispering into her ear.
Seacat's ears twitched, but she only caught the tail end of the shrimp's line: "...ly, Adora!"
"Sorry," Adora mouthed in return.
Seacat placed her hand on her friend's thigh and gently squeezed. She'd meant well, after all.
"So, what do we do now?" Adora asked, stretching, once dinner was over. "Carousing?"
"I'd love to," Sea Hawk told her, "but I've found that my and my dear Mermista's presence tends to, ah, inhibit the soldiers and sailors enjoying their leave."
Mermista rolled her eyes. "Duh. No one wants to get drunk under the eyes of their princess or commander."
"Really? Even if it's not against regulations?" Adora asked.
Seacat sighed with a smile as the shrimp and Brain Boy exchanged a glance. "Most people don't like to have their superiors know about the side of themselves they show while drinking," Brain Boy said.
Adora frowned. "Why not?"
"Uh, it's embarrassing?" the shrimp told her.
"Not everyone's as honest as you are," Seacat explained. "Some get rowdy and insulting when they're drunk. They wouldn't want their officers or Captain's to be present.
"So they wouldn't drink as much, which would impact the business of the tavern we'd visit," Sea Hawk added.
"Oh." Adora nodded. "We'd have to make up for the lost business."
"Or we'd have to punish people if they do something we can't overlook," the shrimp said.
"But… if they're breaking regulations, shouldn't they be punished?" Adora obviously wasn't quite familiar with how regulations were enforced, or not enforced, in practice.
"I'll explain it to you over a beer," Seacat told her with a smile.
"But…" Adora started.
Seacat ran a finger over her lips, interrupting her. "Shh. We can talk over a beer." She also ran her tail up the back of Adora's thigh.
"Uh… right!"
Adora blushed quite cutely, too.
"...and that's why the officers overlook such things on leave, but never on board." Seacat downed her ale.
"But if sailors - and soldiers - need this, this…" Adora gestured at the rest of the tavern, which was packed with sailors and marines. "...this 'winding down', why not adjust the regulations?"
"Because you don't want them bitching and complaining all the time. If it's officially allowed, then they'll do it at sea as well." Seacat told her friend. "Even if you say that they can only complain on leave or without insults, people will still do it."
"Would that be so bad? Soldiers curse all the time," Adora said.
"They do, as do sailors. But that's not the same as complaining about their officers." Seacat shook her head. "A frigate isn't like our own ship. She has a much bigger crew - hundreds of sailors. They need discipline to function. If you don't keep a lid on complaining and making fun of officers, they'll mutiny. And if you keep them from winding down, they'll mutiny as well. Or you'll end up with a system where the crew elects the officers and captain. Like pirates."
"Would that be bad?"
Adora was really naive. Seacat smiled at her. "You want the most capable leading you, not the most popular."
"Ah." Adora took a swallow from her ale. "But you said that the Salinean officers aren't the best."
She frowned. "They could be better, but they could be a lot worse, too. And overall, they have done decently well. It's mostly the admirals who are idiots. Well, about Sea Hawk - some of them know their business well enough."
Adora snorted, shaking her head "To hear you argue for discipline…"
Seacat forced herself to smile back. She wasn't Catra any more. "I grew up. I still don't like it myself - which is why I could never be a sailor in the navy." Following the orders of some prick officer? Hah!
"That was very interesting, but I think we've had enough lectures," the shrimp cut in. Brain Boy looked a little disappointed, but the princess wasn't looking at him. "We're here to have fun! Drink and dance and…"
"...be merry?" Brain Boy added with a smile.
"Bow!" The shrimp shook her head. "That is having fun! We need a third thing to do. It's a rule."
Seacat narrowed her eyes. Perhaps the shrimp hadn't been quiet during the explanations because Seacat had been a good teacher, but because the princess had had a few ales already.
"Singing! Drinking, dancing, singing!" Adora declared.
She'd had a few ales as well, Seacat realised. And she hadn't yet changed into She-Ra.
Uh oh. Seacat winced when her friend stood up and raised her mug as if it was her sword.
"Off to war we go, we go, for the glory of the…" Adora trailed off with a grimace. "No, not that one."
Seacat nodded. A Horde marching song wasn't a good choice here - or anywhere. Then she winced again when Adora accidentally emptied the remains of her ale on herself, yelping: "Eeek!"
The shrimp snickered - no, laughed, a full belly laugh complete with pounding the table with her fist. And Brain Bow's grin was threatening to reach his ears.
They had drunk far more than Seacat had realised while she had been explaining naval discipline and customs during leave to them. Far more than Seacat had drunk as well.
"Seacat!"
She turned her head while Adora was still trying to find a song that she hadn't learned as a Horde cadet, ticking off her failures on her fingers. There were Alcy, Licy and Horas, Lucy waving enthusiastically at them.
"Come, sit down," Seacat yelled to them. "And fetch me a couple ales on the way! We need to show those landlubbers that they can't outdrink a sailor!"
Not without cheating and transforming into a seven feet tall buff princess.
"I can so outdrink you!" Adora protested at once.
Seacat snorted. "Let me catch up to you, and we'll see!"
"Well, I doubt that anyone amongst us can outdrink Horas," Brain Bow commented.
"What?" The shrimp sneered. "Is that a challenge?"
"Drinking contest?" Licy beamed at them. "Bartender! As much ale as the table can handle!"
Loud cheering, not just from Seacat's friends, but from half the tavern, answered her. And Seacat could see the tavern owner's eyes light up at the thought of all the coin he'd make tonight.
Ah well, they had come here to carouse, hadn't they?
Seacat grinned. It wasn't her fault that Adora and her friends had drunk more than she had during her explanation. "We need a prize, too!" she said.
More cheering answered her.
The night was off to a good start!
Seacat blinked as she stared at the mug in front of her. That was… she had lost count. Too many mugs.
"Are you giving up?" Licy asked from across the table, brushing a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. Or trying to - she had a little trouble coordinating, or so it seemed.
Seacat scoffed. "You wish!" Even with the ales she'd already drunk, she could drink the woman under the table. She lifted the mug. "To Princess Mermista!" Then she raised the mug to her lips and tilted her head back.
The ale flew down her throat. She almost gagged, but managed to keep it under control - spitting out any beer would've made her lose.
Licy had copied her. Or was trying to. But she was swaying a little - and Seacat could see that she was struggling. Good.
And Licy started coughing. She was stubborn, though, and didn't pull the mug away from her mouth.
Which resulted in all the remaining ale splashing on her face and chest. And that meant...
"Yes!" Seacat cheered. "Another victory!" She stood, raising her hand in triumph, then had to sit down rapidly when her legs started to wobble. "Uh…"
Alcy patted her friend's back, then helped her wipe the ale off. Since Alcy had dropped out earlier, she wasn't actually helping. At least, it didn't look like she was helping.
And that only left… Seacat looked around the table. Horas was there, already refilling his mug. Adora was also sitting there, but she seemed to be not quite there - she was looking at a patch of the wall with a silly grin. With the shrimp and Brain Boy out already, that meant second place would be Seacat's - it wasn't as if she would be able to outdrink a minotaur. Though trying was fun.
Someone had refilled her mug while she had been pondering that, and she gripped it with her right hand. "Alright!" She could do this. She could beat Adora. And, maybe, if Horas had some… no, Adora had healed him. He wouldn't have some lingering weakness. Probably.
She shook her head and repeated herself: "Alright!"
"Wait!"
Seacat glanced to her side. Adora was struggling to hold the mug. "Giving up?"
"You wish." The blonde beamed at her. "Just getting my second wind." And her sword, apparently. Wait! "For the honour of Grayskull!"
Seacat winced when her lover changed, the sudden light briefly blinding her.
"Hah! Now I'm ready!" She-Ra announced.
"Foul!" Seacat protested. "No magic use!"
"Yeah," Horas agreed. "No magic!"
"That's the sacred law of the sailor's tavern!" Seacat went on. "You use magic, you're dis… dish… you're out!"
"What? I didn't know that! And Glimmer used magic before!" Adora gaped at her.
"She teleported to fetch more ale," Seacat said. "Not the shame."
"I think Queen Angella might disagree about there being no shame," Adora replied.
Seacat blinked. "Shame."
"Exactly."
"No, not…" Seacat shook her head, then regretted it at once when the tavern started spinning. "Anyway, you're out!"
"Yes!" a sailor standing near them yelled. "No magic!"
"That's the rule!" another agreed.
"Yes!"
She-Ra pouted. "That's unfair!"
Seacat giggled, raised her mug, and started drinking. She managed to empty the mug into her mouth and not onto her chest - though it was a near thing - and slammed it down. "Yeah!"
Horas, of course, had already finished his. "Refill!"
Seacat blinked, then raised her hand. "No need, I give," she said. "I mean, I give up. You get the mug!" The mug Brain Boy had engraved or something - she hadn't paid too much attention. Seacat nodded firmly, which sent the whole tavern into a spin again.
"Seacat!"
Oh. She had her head on the table. How had that happened? And Adora looked worried. Ah well! Seacat pushed herself up, then slid to the side, resting her head in Adora's lap. Yes! "Perfect!"
"Hey!"
She groaned in return and closed her eyes.
"Seacat?"
"Just a little nap," she told her friend. Her lover. Yes. Perfect.
"Seacat! Glimmer! Uh… Bow?
"Yesh?"
"What do we do now?"
"We drank, sho we… danshe!"
"You want to dance?"
"Yesh!"
"Glimmer?"
"Glimmer! Where did she go?"
"To she danshe floor!"
"Yes! Come on, Alshy!"
"Lishy!"
That sounded like a good idea. "Lesh danshe!" Seacat said and got up.
"Seacat! Wait!"
Oops. She almost fell down if not for Adora's arm getting in the way.
"How do you want to dance when you're like that?"
"With you!" She beamed at Adora. That was a silly question, anyway.
She could do anything with Adora.
Seacat didn't hurt when she woke up. That was a nice surprise. Usually, she had at least a slight headache after a drinking contest - unless she won quickly - but today? No, she felt fine. No headache. And the sunlight shining on her bed didn't feel like someone was stabbing daggers into her eyes, either.
And she was warm too - sprawled on top of Adora, basking in the sunlight warming her back, and her lover's body warming her front. A perfect way to wake up.
She rubbed her cheek on Adora's chest, then raised her head and rolled her shoulders. She was a little stuff, though. Stretching would do her good, and…
"Oh, good, you're finally awake! Good morning!"
That was… Seacat froze, then turned her head. Entrapta was standing next to the bed, smiling at her. How had the princess…? Ah. She had used her hair to walk, which meant she hadn't made any noise. "'Morning," she mumbled. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you to wake up, of course!" The princess nodded. "They said I couldn't wake you but had to let you sleep in, so I waited until you woke up."
"Oh." That made… some warped sort of sense. Or would. "I don't think they meant waiting in our room."
"But how would I know when you're awake? I could listen on the door, I guess..."
"When we're leaving the room." Now she was developing a headache. Sort of.
"Ah." Entrapta nodded. "I'll make a note for next time. But now, since you're awake and all: We can talk!"
"About the barges and gunboats?"
"About the rafts for shipping the Bright Moon forces downriver! I've made and tested a prototype for a raft that can be constructed quickly and operated safely - Sea Hawk and Mermista insisted on that quality even though that will reduce performance some. But, apparently, they won't be sending sailors upriver to steer them. Something I don't get, actually - it would make the raft much more efficient."
Seacat felt Adora move underneath here. She looked back just in time to see Adora open her eyes.
"Huh? Whatsgoinon?" Adora blinked. "Seacat!"
"Good morning, Adora!"
The smile turned into a gasp as Adora's eyes widened. "Entrapta? What are you doing here? You didn't… we didn't, did we?"
"She came in in the morning to talk to us," Seacat told her.
"Oh." Seacat felt and saw Adora relax. "That's good."
"Yes, it is!" Entrapta agreed. "And I can ask about your sexual activities as well."
Adora wasn't the only one who blinked at that. "What?" Seacat asked.
"Yes. Remember when you told me that Mermista would tell me about this subject?"
Seacat did Vaguely. That had been in Seaworthy. Some time ago. "Yes?"
"Well, she didn't tell me much. Not much I didn't know yet, anyway." Entrapta nodded. "But she told me to ask you two for the details."
Of course Mermista would do that. Great. And Adora was blushing and mumbling. Useless. "Rafts," Seacat said. "We need to talk about rafts first. The war takes priority."
"Right! Rafts, then sex. Actually, they're more like barges - just more square. I wanted to make them modular, but field engineers can't match the tolerances for that. Still, you can expand on the designs and make them larger." Entrapta showed them some blueprints. It looked like a normal raft, other than…
"Getting so many planks will be difficult," Adora said. Of course, as soon as the talk was about war, she was all business.
"No, it won't!" Entrapta beamed at them. "I made a portable sawmill with an enhanced cutting blade!"
Oh! "You adapted my old blade?" Seacat asked.
"Yes! And I've built it so you can easily cut all planks to specs! You'll be able to construct rafts aplenty as long as you have wood - and you can cut wood easily with my blades!" The princess nodded. "But the real trick is the glue!"
"Glue?"
"Yes! Normally, you'd use nails and ropes and stuff to construct the rafts. That takes time and is a structural weakness if you lash the planks together. It also means you need more parts if you use rope and nails. But my glue will keep the planks together easily! And it's much easier to transport, too. Just…." She winced. "Don't fall into it. Really don't. I'm still trying to get Ophelia her legs back."
"Ophelia? Legs?" Adora sounded shocked.
"My new bot. She helped to test my design. I could make new ones, but that wouldn't work for people who got their legs stuck, so I am working on finding a solvent to counter the glue."
Ah. That was a relief. A small one - seacat didn't want to imagine what would happen if she managed to get her legs or any other limbs glued together. On the other hand, that might be a good weapon for special occasions...
"So… let me show you how to build a raft in seventeen easy steps! Then we can test the designs in the harbour!"
The portable sawmill was pretty much only portable if you were Horas or She-Ra. But it worked very well - they had the planks needed for the construction ready in no time. On the other hand, the sawmill would also cut any sloppy soldier handling it to pieces in record time.
And the glue… Seacat kept her distance from it. Normal glue and fur didn't go well together. Special glue made to build a raft and hold it together? She shuddered at the thought.
Entrapta, of course, was handling a barrel of it as she demonstrated how to assemble the raft. "And that's the basic body. Now for steering and propulsion, we'll be using simple technology as well!"
"You mean paddles," Seacat said.
"Yes! They can be made with the sawmill as well, but you'll need some leather wrappings to protect your hands. Easy!" Her hair moved and dragged some rough paddles over. "I made a few already! And this is the setup to steer it in the current!"
That was a more complicated setup - double rudders, to be exact, linked with rope.
"You can just use paddles to steer, but that's not too efficient. But the important thing is this!" She pointed at the openings left in the raft. "You can use rope to tie them together, forming a bridge!"
"Could we use the glue, too?" Adora asked.
"Err…" Entrapta winced. "You could, I guess - but handling it in water is not advised. It's kind of easier to glue yourself in the water. You could stay upriver of the glue, of course, but… if you get stuck to the raft, the raft will be unusable."
"And it would be painful as well," Seacat pointed out.
"That, too, yes." Entrapta nodded and hair-walked over to the assembled raft. "So! Let's test the raft in the harbour!"
She reached out to the raft with her hair, but Adora stepped in front of her. "Let me! For the Honour of Grayskull!"
She-Ra could carry the entire raft without breaking a sweat, as she demonstrated by lifting it over her head.
Seacat couldn't resist. She pushed off the wall that she was leaning against, jumped on Entrpata's design table, flipped and landed on the raft in a crouch.
"Hey!"
The raft wobbled a bit while Adora adjusted, but it was nothing a sailor used to heavy seas couldn't handle - Seacat didn't even lose her balance. She smirked. "What? Am I too much for you?"
"What? No!" She-Ra announced and started to move towards the door.
"Uh… not the door; it won't fit. We have a gate here!" Entrapta called out. "For ships. Well, they were meant for ships, but I didn't build one yet."
Seacat didn't have to see She-Ra's face to know what she was thinking when the princess pointed at the canal inside her workshop and jumped off before She-Ra threw the raft into the water. Then she smirked at She-Ra - she wasn't born yesterday, after all.
She-Ra huffed, then pointed at the raft. "Come on, sail it outside!"
Seacat grinned and jumped off, landing on the raft. It was pushed a bit lower into the water, but she heard no creaks and saw no give - the glue held as promised.
But, as she soon found out, the raft handled as expected - like a slab of wood in the water. Fine for a calm river, but not for the sea. And she wouldn't trust it on a river or a lake during a storm, either.
But it would do what it was meant to do: Transport soldiers down and across a river. Provided they managed to build enough of the things. And if the soldiers could actually steer those things.
"So, it works, right?" Entrapta said.
"Yes," Seacat said. "Easy enough for even Adora to make and steer."
"Hey!" her friend protested.
Seacat laughed. Just teasing you. But you are a landlubber - so you're a good test subject.
"Right!" Entrapta nodded. "So, since the raft has been tested…" She smiled widely and pulled her recorder out. "It's time for the sex talk!"
Seacat grimaced.
"We'll need another skiff," Seacat said as she looked at the Bright Moon skiff. "Maybe two."
"Two?" The shrimp frowned at her.
Seacat pointed at the portable sawmill, the supplies, and then at Horas. "Unless you've got one of the Horde skiffs carrying a gun, those scout models won't carry us all and the gear."
"Uh, yes," Adora agreed. "We're already be pushing it with seven people in two skiffs. With the supplies…" She shook her head. "We need another."
"Or a carrier skiff," Seacat said. "But I don't think we captured one of those. Not a functional one, at least."
"So… three skiffs." Adora looked disappointed for some reason.
"I'll ask Mermista for one," the shrimp said. "Start loading the stuff!" She walked off instead of teleporting.
"'Start loading'?" Adora smirked.
Seacat sighed. "Go on, show off!" Adora pouted at her, and she smiled. "I'm teasing you, dummy."
"Ah! For the Honour of Grayskull!"
While She-Ra grabbed the sawmill and heaved, Seacat leaned over to Brain Boy and asked, in a low voice: "How often does she transform like that?"
"Actually, only when we need her," he told her.
"She doesn't stay She-Ra in the field?"
"Not always."
Seacat couldn't believe that. That was… if the Horde sent assassins or those Headhunters after her… She shook her head. "Damn. That has to change."
"What has to change?" Licy asked as she and Alcy joined them while Horas finished loading the supplies on the skiff.
"Adora needs to stay as She-Ra in the field," Seacat explained. That was safer.
"I do?" She-Ra asked.
"Yes. With the Horde going after you and the other princesses specifically, you have to be more cautious," Seacat said.
She-Ra blinked, then smiled. "Don't worry, I can handle them."
"Don't underestimate Shadow Weaver."
"I won't, don't worry."
Seacat clenched her teeth and refrained from making a scene. She-Ra was overconfident. She'd bring this up once they had a bit more privacy.
And there was the shrimp. "Mermista's sending a skiff over," the princess announced. "Who here has steered a skiff before?"
She-Ra, Brain Boy, Seacat and both Licy and Alcy raised their hands. Horas shook his head.
"Alright." The shrimp nodded at Brain Boy. "We'll take our skiff. Adora, you and Seacat take the cargo skiff."
"It's not actually a cargo skiff," She-Ra said. "It's a scout skiff; we're just using it to transport cargo."
The shrimp waved her comment away. "It's carrying our cargo, so it's our cargo skiff. And we need you two to pilot it since the cargo is crucial for our offensive, and you are the best to protect it."
She-Ra nodded with a serious expression. Seacat wasn't quite convinced that the shrimp was entirely honest. It would make more sense to have She-Ra ride on another skiff so she could fight without endangering the cargo, but if it meant Seacat could ride with her friend for the trip, she wouldn't complain. So she nodded as well.
The shrimp pointed at Licy, Alcy and Horas. "And you three are on the third skiff. Which should arrive any minute now."
Seacat doubted that. Mermista was the princess, but unless the fortress was under attack, the bureaucracy wouldn't be so easily moved. Not that she cared; after setting Entrapta on them, Mermista deserved some trouble with the bureaucracy. "So, we're following the river?"
"Yes. It should be safe enough, and we can do reconnaissance at the same time," She-Ra said. "We used the same route coming down."
"The Horde might have an ambush prepared, then." That's what Seacat would do in their place - send smaller parties over the river to scout and ambush - and to keep in contact with the trapped Horde forces to the north. And the Horde had been acting very sneaky lately.
"If they do, we'll smash them!" She-Ra said.
Yes, her friend was overconfident. Damn. She really had to talk to her about this. Preferably before they ran into a Horde ambush.