Chapter 37: The River Offensive Part 2
Mermista managed to get a skiff assigned to them before noon, and they set out after a light meal. The shrimp and Brain Boy led the formation, Adora and Seacat were in the middle with the cargo, and Alcy, Licy and Horas as the ones least experienced with overland travel in a warzone brought up the rear.
They made good time at the start, too - but then, they were still in the area occupied by the Salinean (and Kingdom of Snows) forces in Fortress Freedom. And the sun was shining, making it pleasantly warm.
Seacat squeezed past the sawmill tied down in the middle of the skiff and went to the stern, where Adora was controlling the skiff. She leaned against the railing there, smiling at Adora. "I still can't believe that you wanted us to eat rations on the way."
"It would have saved us an hour," Adora replied with a quick pouty glare at her before she focused her attention on the skiff and terrain ahead of them again.
"It also would have damaged our morale. Probably irreparably," Seacat told her. "Really, you should know best that you don't eat rations until it's an emergency."
"They're standard food in the field!"
"For the Horde. If we have to eat them, it's an emergency," Seacat said with a smile. She craned her head and enjoyed the wind for a bit. "So, you've travelled this route before."
"Yes. We know the terrain. We'll spot an ambush in advance," Adora said. "Bow is really good at it."
Of course, she knew what Seacat was trying to work towards. "Well, he better be good," she grumbled. "But there's always someone better."
"In the Horde?" Adora snorted.
"They've got good scouts, too."
"Compared to Bright Moon's rangers and Plumeria's irregulars? No." Adora shook her head. "Trust me, we've been beating them every time we faced them - and they didn't even manage to get through the Whispering Woods."
"But the Horde did collect their best soldiers for those Headhunters, didn't they?"
"Yes. But their scouts were bad before."
Seacat clenched her teeth for a moment. It sounded promising. And Adora did have more experience - both in the Horde and at fighting them on land. But… "I don't like this," she said. "Why aren't they even trying to save their encircled forces?"
"They don't have the supplies to move them through the wilderness and across the river. By staying put north of us, they at least tie up our own forces. You know the Horde leaders - they'd rather have everyone die fighting than running."
"I know." Seacat did know that. And it sounded logical - for the likes of Shadow Weaver. But… "I can't help feeling that we're running into a trap."
"If there's a trap, we'll spot it. Don't worry!" Her friend beamed at Seacat. "We're good at that." She raised her balled fist for a moment.
"Does running into a trap and fighting your way out count?" Seacat shot back, raising her eyebrows.
"Uh…" Adora suddenly found the horizon very fascinating.
Seacat smirked but soon sighed again. She had a bad feeling about this.
By the time they struck camp for the night - not even Adora wanted to travel at night and sleep in shifts on the skiffs - they hadn't encountered any Horde troops. Nor were there any nearby - Brain Boy had scouted the surrounding area with the shrimp's help and they were widening the net, so to speak.
That left everyone else to put up camp. Which meant Adora and Seacat, relying on Catra's memories from her Horde training, were doing it while Alcy, Licy and Horas were helping as best as they could - a sailor hadn't much use for tents and campfires.
"You know, the Horde had better tents. Tents which were easier to put up, at least," Seacat commented while she struggled with the poles for the second tent.
"That's because the dumbest Horde soldiers were expected to be able to do this," Adora replied.
"Well, that's not a bad rule," Seacat said.
"We're not dumb!" Licy protested.
"You aren't," Seacat told her. "But this could be easier."
"Well, that's Bright Moon's standard tent." Adora shrugged. "You get used to it."
"We should loot some Horde tents, then," Alcy suggested.
Adora grinned. "Well, we could… but the Horde tents aren't as comfortable as Bright Moon's tents."
"Never mind then!" Licy quickly said. "I'd rather spend a little more time putting those things up and be more comfortable! We can plunder Horde camps for other stuff."
"Most of the Horde gear and supplies are like that," Adora said. "Easy to use, cheap to make, but not as good as what the Alliance uses. They use crossbows a lot but few bows, for example."
"Well, their ships are the same," Alcy pointed out. "Not as good as Salinean ships, but they'll do the job."
"But taking a ship is far more profitable than taking some cheap tents," Licy added. "And we'd need a transport to grab stuff in bulk."
"If we can make additional rafts, we could ship a lot downriver," Horas said.
"You sound as if you're only here to loot the Horde base," Adora complained.
The three scoundrels grinned at her while Seacat chuckled. "Don't forget that while Sea Hawk's an admiral in the Salinean Navy, we haven't joined the Alliance. We're just sailors working for Sea Hawk," she told Adora. "And as such, we like prizes and loot."
"But…" Her friend gaped at her.
"We're not just here to loot, of course," she went on before her lover could find the words to complain. "But we won't dismiss the possibility, either."
"And the officers loot anyway," Alcy added. "The soldiers too - though they call it foraging."
"That's not the same!" Adora protested.
"It works out the same for those who have their farm plundered," Horas said, putting down a log meant for the fireplace.
"But the Alliance doesn't need to forage! We've got good supplies!" Adora shook her head. "And there aren't any farms left in the Fright Zone."
"Well, that's because the Horde razed them all and replaced them with factories and stuff," Seacat said.
"How do they get food, then?" Horas asked.
"Food? They raid for actual food. But they produce rations somehow," Seacat replied. Catra knew that, but not how they were made. Only that they made hardtack taste good in comparison.
"Rations are made from plants cultivated in controlled environments. I've seen them - huge tanks with green and grey stuff floating in it," Adora said.
"The Horde eats algae?" Licy looked shocked.
"I don't know what it is, but it floats and grows in huge tanks," Adora said.
"Sounds like algae." Alcy grimaced. "I'm almost pitying them."
"Well, Horde rations really don't taste well," Seacat said. "That's why they are so eager to raid."
"They could hunt and fish instead," Horas told them.
"That's harder. You need to have a reason to be in the woods, or at the shore of a lake or river, or you'll get punished. Raiding and plundering is part of the war," Adora explained.
"And if you hunt or fish, your squad will expect their share. If you raid, they'll have loot themselves," Seacat added.
"What a screwed-up system!" Licy scowled.
Coming from a former pirate, that was a condemnation indeed.
"That's why we're fighting the Horde," Adora said. "Well, one of the reasons."
"And we'll beat them!" Licy agreed. "First this base, then we finish off the Horde army in the North, then we cut into the Fright Zone!"
That sounded a good plan, Seacat knew. But the Horde wouldn't just sit there and take it. That she knew as well.
After the meal - some hardtack and dried meat, but also fresh fruits Brain Boy had gathered, and some roots they had boiled - Seacat sat down closer to Adora. "Hey, Adora."
"Yes?" Adora tilted her head and looked at her.
"We're soon in the territory contested by the Horde." Technically, they were in the contested territory already, but still closer to the Alliance lines.
"Yes?"
"Won't we have to expect those Headhunters to attack us?"
"If they do, we'll beat them. With the skiffs, we can outmanoeuvre them," Adora said.
"Yes. But what if they surprise us?"
"Uh…"
"What if they get a volley off before we're ready - or know that they are there?" They would only need to set up a battery for indirect fire and have someone spot for them.
"That would be bad. But we're looking for ambushes."
"Yes, but… She-Ra can shrug off explosions, right?" Seacat watched her lover's face as she asked.
"Yes, as long as they aren't too powerful, I can… Oh." Adora scowled. "You can't shrug off explosions."
"No, I can't - but you can." This was about Adora, not Seacat.
"But you'd still be dead." Adora shook her head.
Seacat blinked. What the…? Oh. Oh, no! She scowled. "Adora. If you had to sacrifice yourself to save me, would you do it?"
"Of course!" Her lover looked shocked at the question.
"Even though you'd die, leaving me alone?"
"Yes, though you would…" Adora trailed off, then set her jaw. "It's not the same!"
"It is the same!" Seacat insisted. "I don't want you to take unnecessary risks. You're a princess - the Horde is gunning for you. The Headhunters were created to fight you and the other princesses. If you're She-Ra, you're safer."
Adora pressed her lips together and didn't answer.
Damn. Seacat shook her head again. "Adora, you can't expect me to accept that you can sacrifice yourself for me, but I can't do the same. Sort of."
"If anyone has to die, it should be me," Adora said, looking away from Seacat.
"What? No!" Seacat reached out and grabbed Adora's cheeks, turning her lover's head to face her. "That's wrong!"
"I'm She-Ra. I'm supposed to protect everyone."
"But not like that!" How could her friend be so…" Did you talk to that ghost again?"
Adora looked away and flushed a little.
"You did!"
"She helped me figure out my powers a little better," Adora said. "Like healing."
"And she told you that you had to die for us?" If Seacat ever found the bunker again, she'd wreck it and Light Hope!
"She said I had a duty. I was chosen for this. She-Ra is the protector of the whole world. I can't let others die to save myself."
"That's not the same! What you're talking about is killing yourself pointlessly!" Seacat exclaimed.
Adora frowned at her. "I'm not going to let you die while I live."
"But I want you to live even if I die!" Seacat retorted.
They stared at each other. Why couldn't Adora see how stupid she was? Dying like that didn't help anyone!
"And I'm going to kill both of you if you continue this!"
"Huh?" Seacat turned her head and saw that the shrimp was glaring at them.
"Glimmer…"
"Don't you 'Glimmer' me, Adora!" the shrimp cut her off. "You're not going to kill yourself, understood? We're entering Horde territory soon; be She-Ra for the rest of the trip."
Seacat nodded in agreement. The shrimp knew what she was talking about.
"And you!" The shrimp turned to her with a scowl. "Show a little more understanding! Adora doesn't want to live without you! That's not smart, but it says a lot about her love for you!"
"But…" Seacat started to say.
"No buts!" the princess cut her off. "You're both stupid. Now kiss and make up or I'll teleport you into the river and keep you there until you do!"
Seacat blinked. "Can she do that?" she asked Adora.
"Uh… probably."
"She can, and she can hear you just fine," the shrimp added. "Now stop being stupid."
Seacat clenched her teeth. She wasn't stupid! She-Ra was the stupid one here! She looked at her friend.
Adra looked mulish - but also guilty. They really had to do something about Light Hope.
"Besides," Licy added - right, everyone was listening - "Have you done it as She-Ra and Seacat yet?" She giggled.
Adora blushed like a wildfire before Seacat could tell off the woman with a suitably lurid comment.
"You have?" Licy asked.
"No! I'm so strong as She-Ra, I might hurt Seacat."
Seacat closed her eyes for a moment and groaned. Really! "I'm not so flimsy," she told Adora.
"Uh…"
"Well, if you need some tips, we've done it with strong people," Licy offered. "And I'm sure Horas has experience with smaller partners, too!"
"I think that's a little too much information!" Brain Boy blurted out.
Seacat ignored them both. "Really, you aren't that strong as She-Ra," she told Adora.
Her friend frowned. "Are you sure?"
They had fooled around with Adora as She-Ra, hadn't they? Seacat remembered a little of that, at least. She nodded. "Yes! Besides, my claws can cut through armour - did you see me being worried about hurting you accidentally?"
"Too much information!" Brain Boy protested again.
"It's not the same," Adora insisted.
"Just try it out - you can heal her, can't you?" Licy wasn't really helping.
And the shrimp looked baffled - no, angry, now. Seacat wondered if they'd end up in the river anyway. "Ugh!" The princess shook her head. "That's enough of that! Sort it out in private!"
"But…" Adora started again.
"No buts!" The princess held her index finger up and almost stuck it into Adora's face. "You staying She-Ra in the field is a sound military decision. And Seacat's right that you can't expect us to live on should anything happen to you unless you accept the same for yourself!"
"B… I'm She-Ra." Now the girl was pouting. Really!
Seacat shook her head with a sigh.
"And you're our friend - and Seacat's lover," the princess added with a glance at Seacat. "We're all in this together. We share the risks and dangers, but only as much as we must; not as much as we could." She blinked. "Did that make sense?"
Seacat nodded. As did Brain Boy. And Alcy, Licy and Horas nodded as well, though Seacat wasn't quite sure if Licy was just nodding along with everyone else.
Adora still looked mulish. Sometimes, she was far too stubborn for her own good. Such as the time she had wanted to defeat a bot in training even though they hadn't had the weapons to do so. She had ended up in the infirmary - and Catra had been blamed for it by Shadow Weaver.
She didn't want to think about that. The shrimp was right - they had to sort this out. But not at the campfire. The tent didn't grant them a lot of privacy, but it was better than nothing. It wasn't as if you had much privacy on a ship either. "Tent. Now," she told Adora.
To her surprise, Adora nodded and followed her into the tent. "That won't keep anyone from hearing us," she said.
Seacat sighed. "But it'll help - if we keep our voices down."
Adora frowned but nodded.
Kneeling on their sleeping bags, they stared at each other for a moment without saying anything.
"I'm sorry," Adora said. "I just…" She looked away.
"I know. I'm sorry, too," Seacat replied.
"I don't want to lose you."
"I don't want to lose you either." Seacat sighed. "But we're at war. And the Horde's after us - they know us."
"They're after me specifically," Adora pointed out.
"Who was kidnapped?" Seacat retorted. "You or me?"
"You, but because of me."
Damn. "No, because Shadow Weaver is an evil bitch," Seacat spat. "That's not your fault."
Adora obviously disagreed, but she didn't contradict Seacat.
"Anyway. I don't want you to take unnecessary risks," Seacat told her. "You don't want me to do that, either, do you?"
Adora pressed her lips together. She couldn't really argue against that. But Seacat could tell that she wanted to. "I don't like it," she finally said, pouting.
Seacat shrugged. "No one does. But it's war. Until the Horde is defeated, we'll have to deal with this." And even afterwards… the sea wasn't safe. A sailor took a risk every time they set out on a voyage. But this wasn't the time to mention that.
Adora smiled - weakly - for the first time in this talk. "I guess we'll have to hurry up beating the Horde, huh?"
Seacat nodded. "I guess so."
Once more, the two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Adora cleared her throat. "They, uh, can hear everything, right?" she whispered.
Seacat nodded. And, judging by the lack of any sound from outside, they all were listening.
"So, even if we, uh…" Adora blushed again.
Ah. Seacat smirked. "So?"
"So?" The blush got worse.
Seacat pointed at her ears. "I can hear people even through doors." Thin doors, unless she was actively trying to listen in, but still.
"Oh."
"And I believe we need to test your claim about being too strong for me."
"Uh…" Adora was wringing her hands nervously now.
Perfect. Seacat leaned forward and then crawled towards her friend. Her lover. "Transform," she whispered into her ear.
She woke up with arms wrapped around her, held in the crook of She-Ra's arm. The princess was warm, like Adora. But she smelt a little differently. And she was much stronger. Much tougher, too, as Seacat had found out. Her claws could still hurt her, though - not that she had tried. Not seriously. Just a scratch or two.
She shifted a little. Through the hole in the fabric above her - raising your sword to transform wasn't a good idea inside a tent - she could see the reddish sky. Dawn, then. Time to get up. Even though she didn't want to. She wanted to lay there a little longer. Bask in She-Ra's presence.
But they had a mission. Sighing, she wriggled out of She-Ra's arms. "Wake up," she whispered into her lover's ear.
A groan was her answer. And this was the woman who had wanted to skip lunch yesterday to gain an hour. Sighing, she started poking She-Ra's face. That didn't do the job, either, so she unsheathed her claws and pricked her.
"Ow!" She-Ra's eyes flew open, and she sat up so quickly, Seacat had to jerk back to avoid getting clipped by her lover's head, then had to put her hands on She-Ra's shoulders to keep her from standing up.
"Don't wreck the tent… any more than you already have," she said.
She-Ra blinked, then pouted. "That was an accident. And your fault!"
Seacat raised her eyebrows. "My fault? How was it my fault?"
"You distracted me when I was about to transform, so I didn't think about the tent."
"Ah." She grinned widely. That was good to know. And very flattering.
She-Ra was still pouting, but, after a moment, she started to smile. Then she grinned.
Seacat's eyes widened. She knew that grin. When Adora grinned like that…
Too late. Faster than such a strong woman had any right to be, She-Ra pounced, and Seacat found herself on her back, with She-Ra's hands on her shoulders. "Gotcha back!"
"That's not how it works," Seacat protested.
"Really?" She-Ra kept smiling, then bent down to kiss her.
Seacat closed her eyes and sighed, then moaned into the kiss. Perhaps this was how it worked…
"We're leaving in half an hour! Get ready! Breakfast will be ready soon!"
She-Ra pulled back at once, gasping - and blushing.
Seacat wanted to claw the shrimp. "We heard you!" she snapped.
"So did we!" the princess shot back.
She-Ra's blush intensified.
Seacat sighed. "Alright, let's go get something to eat." She arched her back for a moment, stretched on the ground, then rolled over and crawled out of the ten.
The princess was up, as were Brain Boy and Horas. Alcy and Licy were… groaning in their tent. Awake, but not up.
"You know we've heard everything," the princess told her.
"Of course you did; you aren't deaf." Seacat snorted.
Both the shrimp and She-Ra gasped at her comment. She ignored that and looked at the pot of water hanging above the campfire - recently revived with a few more logs. "Do you have tea? Or chocolate?"
"Both." Brain Boy smiled at her. "Pick what you prefer."
"Tea then."
The tea was passable. She'd had worse. She'd had better, too.
"It's the standard Bright Moon tea," Brain Boy told her - he must have caught her reaction.
"For everyone in the army?"
"Yes, of course," the shrimp butted in.
"It's good then."
"'Then'?" the princess asked.
"If this was a special royal tea, it wouldn't be good," she told them.
"Well, I like it!" She-Ra declared.
"You grew up on rations. Of course you'd like it," Seacat told her.
"So did you!" She-Ra shot back.
"But only one of us never traded for better food," Seacat shot back. Adora had been too straight-laced for that.
Another pout was her reward. Adora remained Adora, even if she grew a foot in a moment. Seacat grabbed a sausage from the open pack next to the campfire and started munching.
"I wanted to make a hot meal, but…"
"We don't have time for it," the shrimp said. "This is the most dangerous part of our trip. We don't know if we have to make a detour, and Mermista is counting on us to arrive in time to move the forces downriver."
"And the Horde knows we're using couriers along the river," She-Ra added.
Seacat mumbled in response and took another bite out of her meal. As long as it was tasty, she didn't need a hot meal. Not when it was pretty warm outside. "Say… are there special royal tea brands?"
The shrimp frowned. "Uh… Mom got some special tea brands. I was punished once when I… Uh…"
Seacat grinned. "Raided the pantry?"
"I wanted to make tea."
"It came out more like some… soup?" Brain Boy said.
"I was four, damn it!"
Seacat laughed and finished her sausage.
"So, everything sorted out?" the shrimp asked a little later while Adora ran a check on their skiff. Seacat would've done it, but her lover was a little more familiar with the things than her.
"I thought you heard everything," Seacat told the princess with a smirk.
"We heard everything that you did in the tent. We didn't hear everything you said before that." The shrimp pouted slightly.
Seacat shrugged. "She's She-Ra now."
"Kind of obvious." Princesses could roll their eyes with the best of them.
"Why are you asking, then?" Seacat shot back.
"Adora's my friend," the shrimp told her. "And while being She-Ra in the field keeps her safe and is good for her, I'm not just worried about the Horde hurting her."
Oh. Seacat narrowed her eyes at the princess. "I won't hurt her!" she hissed.
"You know how devastated she was when you were kidnapped? She blamed herself for that."
So, she already hurt Adora? Seacat clenched her teeth. That hadn't been her fault. Not just her fault, then - if she had been more cautious about poison…
"Look, it wasn't your fault. And it's over and done, anyway. I'm just saying…" The shrimp sighed and glanced around.
"No one's listening," Seacat told her. "Or no one can hear us at this distance. Unless you start yelling."
"Ah." Another sigh. "Anyway… She-Ra might be nigh-invulnerable, but Adora's inexperienced in those things. Relationships."
"I know. We grew up together, remember?" Seacat suppressed a scoff.
"Yes. But… " The shrimp wet her lips. "You've been living a normal life for years. As normal as it gets with Sea Hawk, anyway."
"Hey!" She glared at the princess. Sea Hawk was the best Captain anyone could wish for!
"Adora, though… she's vulnerable. She's putting up a brave front, but she's… not as confident as she appears."
Seacat sighed. "I know." Adora was her oldest friend, after all. "She's no carousing sailor. But we're working on it."
"I didn't mean that!" the shrimp hissed. "I mean… Oh, damn it! Look, Adora's insecure. She thinks she has to protect us all."
"We've been talking about that."
"Good. Make her see that she doesn't have to sacrifice everything for others."
"I'm trying."
"Good."
They looked at each other for a moment. Then the shrimp nodded and turned to walk over to her skiff.
And Seacat went to join Adora.
"It looks safe," Brain Boy said.
"That doesn't mean it is safe," the shrimp replied. "The Horde could be hiding inside the forest there."
"It's a bad position. Too easy to flank, and since it's at the bottom of the valley, they wouldn't have any way to detect approaching enemies," Adora told them.
"Can't we just give it a wide berth?" Licy had joined them on the ridge, looking down at the valley crossing their route.
"We could. But if there are Horde forces there, it'd be better to know before we send our troops down there," the shrimp told her.
"Even if there aren't any now, there could be when we return," Seacat pointed out. "Best just go around them. Or around the empty forest."
"But while they don't have a good view of us, they can see up the valley just fine," Adora retorted. "If they have scouts in the woods, they'd spot us."
"So? They know we're using couriers on this route," Brain Boy said.
"We aren't a courier. We're a convoy," Adora told him.
"A small convoy," Licy added. "One transport, two escorts."
Seacat chuckled at that. "A tiny transport."
"Yes!"
"Ha ha ha." Obviously, the shrimp didn't like making fun of their mighty skiffs. "We should still check if there are Horde troops there. If there are, that's valuable intel."
"Use a skiff as bait?" Adora suggested. "Draw them out, and if they give chase, we hit them."
"And if they don't give chase, we'd be split up. And they'd still notice us," Seacat said. "Have they attacked any couriers so far?"
"No. Which is why I think they will soon," the shrimp retorted. "The Horde has been much more active lately. What with the damn Headhunters attacking us."
"Would they send Headhunters against couriers?" Seacat asked.
"If they don't have princesses to attack, probably. It would be wasteful not to use the troops," Adora said. "But they might keep them in reserve instead, in case we're about to attack them."
"All that doesn't help us. Do we try to get around them? Or just drive past them? The clock's ticking!" the shrimp blurted out as if she, too, hadn't kept them discussing things.
"I say let's drive past. Our main mission is to reach your forces," Seacat said. "Anything else is a distraction."
"Alright," Adora said. "Perhaps we should… Look!"
A skiff was racing out of the forest. A Horde skiff. And behind it were two more Horde skiffs. Firing at it.
Seacat trained her telescope on the skiff. It was a little tricky- the skiff was swerving wildly to avoid the shots from the swivel guns - but… She cursed.
"That's Lonnie! And Kyle and Rogelio!" Adora blurted out. "They're fleeing from the Horde!"
Or trying to appear like they're fleeing, Seacat thought.
"And those are Headhunters behind them," Brain Boy said.
"Damn!" Seacat muttered. That meant there were a lot of Horde troops down there. And if the Horde scum noticed them…
"We need to save them!" Adora said.
Change that to 'when', not 'if'. Adora would never give up on their squadmates. Former squadmates. Seacat sighed.
"It could be a trap," the shrimp said.
"They don't know we're here," Adora retorted. "We have to save them!"
There weren't any more skiffs chasing the trio, Seacat noticed. They could take two skiffs. Even if the skiffs had guns on them. "Can you teleport us on the chasing skiffs?" she asked.
"Yes, but not on both at the same time," the princess replied. "And not more than two people."
"Drop me and Brain Boy on the first skiff, then get Adora for the second," Seacat said.
"But…" Adora started to protest.
Seacat cut her off. "The second skiff will be expecting you."
"...right!" Adora nodded firmly. "Let's do it!"
"It's going very fast," the princess pointed out. "I can't match its speed."
Oh. That would be like getting hit by the skiff. "New plan. You drop me on the first skiff, then get Adora for the second." They could handle it. Brain Boy? Probably not.
"But…"
"Do it!" Seacat snapped when the leading Horde skiff fired again, and the upper part of the steering sail of the trio's skiff was ripped off. She drew her new blade - a replacement that hadn't been enhanced by Entrapta - a moment before she felt the shrimp grab her shoulder.
The next moment, she dropped on the deck of the leading skiff - and crashed into the pilot, almost impaling herself on the steering gear. The skiff was going so fast, she barely managed to hit him with her feet first, raking her claws over his chestplate and smashing the Horde soldier off the skiff, then had to grab and dig her claws into the steering sail to avoid getting thrown off.
But she did it and swung around, then clawed her way back to the deck just as the two gunners in the front noticed her. Snarling, she charged them, swatting the loader's staff away with her blade and raking her claws over his faceplate, down his chest.
He dropped, throat and chest shredded, with blood running down his armour, and she whirled, parrying the shock rod from the second Horde scum. The woman was good, she noticed quickly as she had to deflect, dodge and parry a flurry of blows. The Headhunters must be almost as good as their reputation.
But she wasn't good enough. Seacat leaned away from the next blow, then dropped, sliding over the deck, and slashed at the woman's ankles. Her blade didn't quite cut her legs off, but it cut through her armoured boots, and the Horde soldier dropped with a scream as her leg gave out.
Seacat brought her sabre down on the Horde scum's neck, decapitating her, then rushed back to take control of the skiff.
By the time she managed to bring it to a halt, Adora had finished off the second skiff - by cutting it in half or something; Seacat saw her jump off before the whole thing crashed into a boulder at the bottom of the slope.
"So much for a second prize," she muttered before remembering that Adora wouldn't claim the skiff as a prize in the first place.
The skiff the Horde scum had been chasing was slowing down, too, she noticed. Good - trying to stop the idiots would've been difficult. Or messy. Seacat brought her new skiff around - it handled decently well even with a slashed steering sail - and went towards her lover.
"Hey, Adora!"
"Seacat!" Adora jumped and landed on the skiff, and Seacat had to struggle for a moment to keep control of the vehicle.
"Watch it!" she snapped.
Adora laughed. "I thought you could pilot anything?"
Seacat huffed in return. "It's damaged." She glanced to the side and saw that their own skiffs were now cresting the ridge. "Well, the cat's out of the bag," she said.
Adora laughed again. "Let's go meet them."
"Right." Seacat brought the skiff around and headed towards their former squadmates.
They drew up next to the Horde skiff, and Seacat saw that the Headhunters hadn't just hit the steering sail. The hull was peppered with small holes, and Kyle was bandaging Lonnie's arm and leg. Canister shot - the woman had been lucky that the Horde skiffs mounted small guns. If that had been a frigate's gun, she'd lost a limb or two. Or her life.
"Lonnie?" Adora called out.
Seacat saw the other woman frown and clench her teeth, though Kyle beamed at them. Rogelio… well, he wasn't hissing at them.
"Adora! You saved us!" Kyle said.
"She didn't save us. We were outrunning them," Lonnie said.
"Sure, sure. And you'd have magically stopped bleeding out while steering the skiff," Seacat said as she released the controls. Lonnie glared at her in return, which made Seacat grin.
"What are you doing?" Adora asked.
Seacat didn't roll her eyes.
Lonnie had no such restraint. "What does it look like? We are deserting!" she spat through clenched teeth.
"And why are you deserting? I don't remember you questioning the Horde's goals last time we met," Seacat said.
Lonnie hissed and glared some more. Kyle, though, as expected, nodded and replied: "We didn't know any better, back then. But after we got back to the Fright Zone and healed up, we were sent to the Headhunters. Special units."
"We're familiar with them," Adora said.
Behind them, the shrimp and the others arrived. Lonnie tensed, Seacat saw. As if it mattered - Adora could've taken all of the deserters by herself. Blindfolded and with one arm tied behind her back. Seacat could've done the same, too.
But Rogelio stepped closer to the other two. Between them and the rest of Seacat and Adora's group.
Oh, of course! They didn't know the others, Seacat realised. And didn't trust them.
"Hello!" Brain Boy waved. He was the only one, though. Horas glared at Rogelio, Alcy and Licy stared at Lonnie, and the shrimp… jumped over to Seacat's new skiff.
"So, those your old friends," she said, cocking her head.
"Yes," Adora said.
"Old squadmates," Seacat corrected them. "The wounded is Lonnie, that's Kyle and he's Rogelio."
"And you're Princess Glimmer!" Kyle replied. The shrimp started to preen when he went on: "We were trained to recognise you on sight when we joined the Headhunters."
The shrimp frowned in return. "I see."
"Uh… but we deserted!" Kyle hastily added.
"And why did you desert?" Seacat repeated her question.
"Uh… the Headhunters weren't what we expected," Kyle said. "They were good, I mean, not the dregs of the Horde, but, they, ah…"
"They kill our own troops to get the enemy," Lonnie spat. "Use them as bait for their traps. And the Force Captain in charge doesn't care how many of the Headhunters die, either, as long as he achieves his goals."
Ah. Seacat nodded. That made sense.
"Oh, no!" Adora looked shocked. "We knew they were using bombs to trap us, and that they had killed their own, but we didn't know they planned to do so!"
Lonnie didn't look like she believed Adora, but Lonnie had always been like that. Kyle, though, nodded. "Yes. Once we realised that, we decided to desert at the first opportunity. And when we were sent to the outpost here, we had that opportunity."
"An outpost? How many Horde soldiers are there?" the shrimp snapped.
"Uh...we were ten with three skiffs, and… one left?" Kyle said.
"One was left in the outpost," Lonnie said. "The rest chased us."
"We wanted to sabotage their skiffs, first," Kyle explained, "but they caught, uh, me, and…" He hunched over. Rogelio patted his back.
"Should've escaped at night," Seacat said.
Lonnie glared at her. "We can't see in the dark."
Seacat grinned. "I know. But the Horde wouldn't have been able to see in the dark, either."
Adora cleared her throat. "Anyway, you did desert, and we saved you."
"Yes," Kyle said. "Thank you!"
"It was our pleasure," she replied. "We don't like the Headhunters."
"So… you want to join the Alliance?" the shrimp asked.
"Actually…" Kyle started, but Lonnie elbowed him in the stomach.
"Yes," she said, still glaring at them.
If that was an attempt to infiltrate the Alliance, it was the most inept one Seacat had ever seen.
"Are you sure?" Adora asked.
"What else can we do? Three Horde soldiers with a damaged skiff? By now, Murkin will have informed the base about us." Lonnie scoffed. "Alone, we won't cut it."
"Caught between the Horde base, the horde troops up north-east, and the Alliance," the shrimp said. "Not the best position."
"And the mountain passes are closed," Lonnie said. "We'd be stuck to the plains. And hunted by the Horde and the Alliance."
The shrimp looked at Adora and Seacat. "What do you think?"
"They'd be the worst choice for Horde spies," Seacat said. Her grin widened when Lonnie gritted her teeth at that. "And that's another skiff for our troops."
"They're our squadmates! We grew up together," Adora said. "I'm sure they'll help us."
Well, Kyle had been more hindrance than help, Catra remembered, but Seacat was sure the boy had outgrown his clumsiness. He wouldn't have survived years in the Horde otherwise.
The shrimp nodded. "Welcome to the Alliance."