Chapter 54: Fitting Out

"Beast Island?" Seacat shook her head at Adora. "Beast Island is a myth! A scary story told to Horde cadets so they won't break the rules!" She would know - Catra had lived in fear of being banished to Beast Island by Shadow Weaver for years!

"It's not!" Adora protested.

"I've been sailing the seas for years; I've never heard of anyone discovering the island," Seacat retorted. And she had asked around after Sea Hawk had taken her in.

"But I've heard about it! And Entrapta showed us that there is an island in the Southern Sea!"

"That doesn't mean that it is Beast Island!"

"Excuse me?" Glimmer stepped between them with a frown on her face and her hands on her hips. "What is Beast Island?"

"It's an imaginary island where the worst Horde criminals are sent to die," Seacat told her. "It's populated by giant beasts which will eat them alive - or so the story goes."

"It's real," Adora insisted. "I've seen the records."

"Why would the Horde send anyone to an island to get eaten? They could just kill them! Hang the bodies from a wall as an example!" Seacat shook her head. "That makes no sense."

"You've never heard of an island in the Southern Sea?" Bow asked. "Did anyone explore it fully?"

"There's a part full of reefs and currents strong enough to smash ships on said reefs," Seacat told him. "Ships which venture there don't return."

"Or they don't return because they end up on Beast Island," Adora said with a frown. "And the crews get eaten."

"If the island would cause every ship to get wrecked or sunk, how would the Horde transports return?" Seacat countered.

"Because they know the secret route through the reefs?" Adora tilted her head. "That would allow them to travel to and from the island safely, wouldn't it?"

Her lover was correct, Seacat had to admit. But she was wrong as well. The Horde sailors weren't good enough to find such a route. If they were, Salinas would've fallen long ago. "And how did they know the safe route?"

"Probably from Fright Zone sailors before the Horde took over," Castaspella said.

Seacat clenched her teeth. "But why didn't any sailor know about this island?" She shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense; if there was a safe path and a hidden island, sailors would've known. Stories travel."

"Unless it was a state secret of the Fright Zone," Glimmer pointed out. "If the kingdom kept it a secret, then no one but a few, probably the royal family, would've known. After Hordak's takeover, he could've just kept it a secret and nothing would've changed."

Seacat narrowed her eyes. "That sounds as if you're talking from experience."

Glimmer met her eyes. "You don't expect me to tell you if Bright Moon had a similar secret, do you?"

Seacat glanced at Bow; she wouldn't expect the princess to tell her, but to Bow? Yet, the man looked surprised - and pensive. So Seacat shook her head. "No, I don't."

"That doesn't mean that there is a secret," Glimmer was quick to add.

Adora nodded with a stern expression. "Yes. Need to know. The Horde did the same."

The way Glimmer's lips twisted, she didn't like what Adora had just said no matter that Adora had tried to be supportive.

"So… we need to ask Scorpia about the route to this island. After we verify if the island is our destination," Entrapta spoke up.

"And if it isn't the same? If they don't know about an island there?" Seacat asked.

"Uh…" Entrapta pursed her lips. "Then we'll need to find a way through those reefs!"

"That's going to be very dangerous," Seacat reminded her.

"Even with an improved engine? How strong are the currents?" Entrapta asked.

That was a good argument. The engines were brand new - the ships which had been lost had been sailing ships. They couldn't manoeuvre as well as a ship with an engine. Seacat nodded. "I think that might work."

"And if it doesn't work?" Bow asked.

"Then we need a way to survive a sinking," Seacat said.

"Oh, that shouldn't be hard! I've got an idea!" Entrapta beamed at them.

Seacat had a bad feeling about this. But with the planet at stake, they had no choice - they had to reach this… island. No matter what. "Then we need to go and question Scorpia," she said.

"We'll ask her," Glimmer corrected her. "I doubt that she'll refuse us - this affects us all."

Seacat hoped that Glimmer was correct. The Horde princess had handed over her runestone far more easily than Seacat had expected, even though she hadn't been connected to it, so she hadn't been using it, anyway. But state secrets? Some people got very weird about secrets. Depending on the secret, of course.

"Beast Island?" The bug princess asked with a big frown on her face.

"Yes," Adora said.

"No," Seacat said at the same time. She ignored the eye-rolling from Glimmer. "What we need to know is if you have records about an island hidden in the Southern Sea, amongst reefs and currents."

"Yes, Beast Island." The Horde Princess nodded.

Seacat ignored the gloating looks from Glimmer and Adora. "And you know the route there?"

"I think there are records, yes. We didn't cover that in-depth during Force Captain orientation."

Ah. Seacat turned her head to look at Adora, whose gloating smile had been replaced by a pout.

"I didn't go to Force Captain orientation," she said. "I defected on my first day."

"Well, you didn't miss much." The bug princess shrugged. "It's supposed to be a secret base, but we lost contact with it long ago. A few ships were sent there to check up on the island, but they were attacked by monsters. Hordak decided it wasn't worth the troops to retake the island and wrote it off."

"He wrote off a secret base?" Adora shook her head.

"A secret port in the middle of the Southern Sea!" Seacat shared her lover's surprise. That could've changed the outcome of the naval war - well, not the outcome, but it would've probably prolonged the conflict. And if pirates had secured the island… "Who knew the safe route? Are they accounted for?"

"I think so? I didn't really care about it; I'm shock infantry, not navy," the bug princess said, touching her pincers together. "And when I got promoted to leader, the whole war was all but over."

"And we're all happy about that," Glimmer cut in. "But abandoning an entire base…"

"It's not as if there was anything important on it. The island was mainly used as a prison by the Horde. At least that's what I heard."

"You had special prisons in the Fright Zone," Seacat pointed out. She had been held in one, after all.

"Those were built afterwards, I think."

"Can we go back to talk about the monsters?" Adora asked. "What kind of monsters would drive a Horde garrison from an island? And repel attempts to retake it?"

"Large ones with armour. Sounded like some of the monsters Mom told me about that used to roam the Fright Zone." The Horde princess frowned. "They kept the borders secure, or so I heard."

"Great. We're gonna have to fight guard beasts that beat the Horde," Seacat commented.

"That's why it's called Beast Island," Adora said, a little smugly.

"But the Horde never sent prisoners there to be eaten," Seacat countered.

"No. Unless you count the ones sent there before the monsters overran the island," the bug princess just had to point out.

"Fascinating. Where do you think those beasts came from? Sea monsters?" Entrapta asked. "Perhaps attracted to the island by experiments with the prisoners?"

"There were no experiments on the island," the bug princess replied. "Not with prisoners or otherwise. Hordak did all the experimenting himself in the Fright Zone."

"That also means we have no idea what awaits us. Unless we find a survivor from the Horde expeditions," Seacat said. "Preferably one who can take us through the reefs and currents." A ship with an engine shouldn't have too much trouble with the currents - this wasn't the Maelstrom - but a safe route would be better.

"Well, I'll ask around. And look in the archives - those that survived you - before we set sail."

Seacat stared at the Horde princess. "'We'?"

"It's part of the Fright Zone - my kingdom." The princess smiled at her. "Of course I'm going to check."

Seacat was just finding the words to tell the brute off when Adora nodded. "That's a good idea. And it was your family's island."

"A prison island," Seacat muttered.

"Beast Island," Glimmer said.

"The location of the First One's control station!" Entrapta beamed at them. "This will be great!"

"We'll need a ship, though," Seacat pointed out. "A real ship, none of the Horde boats left."

"With a great engine!" Entrapta agreed.

"So… Fright Zone, then Salineas for a new ship?" Adora asked.

"Bright Moon first," Glimmer cut in. "Mom needs to know. And the other princesses or they'll wonder what we're up to."

"Of course we'd go first to Bright Moon," Adora was quick to agree.

"Wow, you don't trust your allies?" the bug princess shook her head. "That's a problem the Horde never had."

"Because you didn't have any allies," Glimmer retorted.

"And the Horde lost because Shadow Weave and Hordak fought each other," Seacat added.

She smiled at the Horde woman's frown.

Back again in the Fright Zone. Seacat sighed as she looked around. Nothing had changed since her last visit. Well, except for the whole area being much greener than she remembered. And not the kind of green used to paint steel and concrete - there were plants everywhere between the buildings.

"Things changed," Adora commented next to her.

"Yes," Seacat agreed.

"Scorpia!" And there came the culprit. Of sorts.

"Perfuma! Is this your work?" The bug princess jumped off the skiff and landed in front of the other princess.

"Yes. Do you like it? I thought it would be a good idea to add more plants, not just crops. They should help cool the area as well, and clean the air! Although if you think it's a bad thing, then I can make them wither…"

"No, no - it looks nice. And a cooler summer would be nice as well. I can stand the heat, but we have a lot of soldiers who can't." The bug princess beamed at Perfuma.

Seacat rolled her eyes.

"Oh! Adora! Seacat! Glimmer! Bow! Entrapta! I'm so sorry I didn't notice you - I didn't expect you."

"It's OK!" Entrapta told her. "You can't greet everyone at once!" Nodding, she jumped off the skiff as well, her hair cushioning her landing. "It looks neat! And those plants filter the air?"

Seacat swallowed the sarcastic remark she had been about to make to Perfuma about priorities.

"And the ground - the soil isn't the best; a lot has been contaminated," Perfuma explained.

"Oh! Oil? And metal?"

"Yes. You're familiar with that?"

"Oh, yes. I had the same problem at home when I tried some outdoor experiments."

"I could give you some saplings which should grow in your country," Perfuma suggested.

"Oh, I had the whole area sealed off so it wouldn't leach into the water supply - I would have to remove that, first, and I can't take the time since we need to get to Beast Island first, to save the planet!"

Seacat pressed her lips together. So much for secrecy. At least none of the Horde soldiers was around, and Perfuma was cleared for this…

"Beast Island?"

"It's a secret Island with creatures so dangerous, they defeated the Horde and ate everyone present - and a First One installation that will allow us to access the runestone network!"

"The beasts didn't defeat us - we just didn't think the island was worth the casualties we'd take," the bug princess cut in.

"And you're going to visit the island?" Perfuma sounded shocked.

"Yes!" Entrapta didn't.

"Once we find out if there are records left in the Horde archives," Seacat told them. "Which is why we're here."

"Oh." Perfuma looked at them with her mouth half-open, then nodded firmly. "Then I'm coming with you!"

"A-Alright!" the bug princess replied before anyone else could say anything.

"Aren't you needed here?" Glimmer asked.

"The fields are planted and growing. I could make them grow faster, but that would not help the soil. Though I could spread more plants over the country, that's not as important as saving the planet, is it?"

Well, if she put it like that… Seacat certainly wouldn't mind her coming with them. Control over plants might save their lives if those monsters were as bad as they seemed. And Perfuma might also help her keep Adora from doing something stupid.

"To the archives, then!" Entrapta pointed ahead, towards the larger buildings visible.

"Uh, the archives are this way," the bug princess corrected her, pointing towards a collection of smaller, shabbier buildings.

"To the archives there, then!"

"So… we've got a chart for the island, but it's missing half the information we need because you thought keeping the other half separate was a good idea. And then lost that half." Seacat sighed.

"Hey! It was Hordak's order," the Horde princess tried to defend herself. "And you burned down that part of the archives."

"You could've stopped the fire," Seacat retorted.

"Half the country was on fire after your bombs," the princess shot back. "Protecting the archives wasn't as important as protecting the barracks."

"Or so it seemed. In hindsight, protecting the archives would've been more important." Entrapta looked up from the blueprints she was studying.

"You couldn't have known," Perfuma said, putting her hand on the bug princess's arm. "And prioritising people over paper is never wrong."

Except for when it was. But Seacat didn't say that out loud. "In any case, we need to find out if a sailor from the expeditions survived."

"Those records were in that half of the archives as well."

Well, damn.

"We can ask around?" Perfuma suggested.

"That would reveal our destination," Adora objected. "And a group of princesses travelling together to an island will draw a lot of attention. We don't exactly want everyone to be aware of the island's importance."

"No, we don't," Glimmer agreed. "We need a permanent garrison there to protect the First One's installation."

"If the monsters are gone, then the Fright Zone will take over the island, as before," the bug princess said.

"Yeah, right," Glimmer blurted out.

As the two princesses glared at each other, Bow spoke up: "Uh… it seems to be too important for any single country."

Perfuma nodded. "And too dangerous."

After a moment, the bug princess sighed. "We lost the war, didn't we?" She shook her head.

Seacat didn't comment. But it was hard not to.

"Salineas ahead!"

Finally! Seacat had to restrain herself from scaling the rigging of the courier that they had commandeered to take them to Salineas. She was only a passenger on this ship, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time. She had to let the crew work. Even though she could do so much better.

Sighing, she leaned against the railing. If the lookout spotted the island, it would soon appear on the horizon.

"You know, it could've been worse," Adora, next to her, said.

Seacat frowned at her lover. "How?"

"We could've taken a Horde ship, as Scorpia had offered."

Seacat glared at her. Sailing on a Horde ship? And one they hadn't taken as a prize? With Horde sailors as crew? "I'd swim before accepting that," she growled.

Adora laughed, reached over and pulled her into a hug. "We know. I don't think anyone in the Fright Zone doesn't know."

Seacat huffed. The Horde princess hadn't been amused, but that was her own fault. Everyone knew the Horde sailors were the dregs of the service. And really, showing up in a Horde ship in Salineas? They would've been escorted anyway, so why bother travelling on a Horde ship? The courier was much faster, anyway.

Adora ruffled her hair, which made Seacat frown even more. "Hey!"

"Sorry."

Adora didn't sound sorry. Nor did she look sorry. But that was a good thing - she had been so sad for most of the trip, despite everything Seacat had tried. She'd let her lover ruffle her hair anytime if it cheered Adora up. "It'll be good to see Sea Hawk and Mermista again," she said, leaning into Adora's side.

"Yes."

And there was the island, a speck on the horizon, quickly growing as the courier raced atop the waves, a favourable wind pushing them on.

"Seacat!" Sea Hawk spread his arms and beamed at her.

"Captain." Seacat managed to nod before she was swept up in a hug and twirled around as if she were still fourteen years old. But it felt good.

Even if Mermista was shaking her head. Well, she was smiling as well before she turned to address the others. "Welcome to Salineas. I assume you didn't just decide to visit us to enjoy the sea," she said, with a pointed look at the bug princess.

"Ah… no." Adora winced. "We kinda have a problem. A big problem. Urgent, too. And secret." She looked around as Sea Hawk set Seacat down.

Mermista frowned, looking at her guards, then back at the others. "Ugh, fine. Guards, leave us!"

The guards filed out of the throne room. "So, what's the latest crisis?" Mermista stared at the bug princess.

"Well…" Adora trailed off.

"We need to stop an old First One device from using the runestone network to blow up Etheria," Entrapta announced.

"What?" Mermista gaped. As did Sea Hawk.

"Yes. And that's why we need a new courier ship with an improved engine so we can travel to Beast Island and stop the whole thing," Seacat added. She flashed Mermista a grin when the princess turned towards her with a scowl.

"I believe I need a bit more of an explanation," the princess said.

"Right!" Entrapta nodded enthusiastically. "It all started a thousand years ago when the First Ones created She-Ra's sword for Mara, the She-Ra of the time - and a First One. Because they were fighting a war at the time against the Horde. Only, not our Horde, but a Horde made up of many people like Hordak, and…"

"...and that's why we're here now. Can we get a ship?" Entrapta beamed as she finished her explanation.

Mermista blinked. "So… You plan to use half of a chart to navigate the Southern Sea's reefs to find a safe route to Beast Island, then disable a First One's device to save the planet."

"Yes!" Entrapta said. Seacat nodded, as did the others.

"It's not the best plan," Seacat said, "but our options are kind of limited. We didn't find any survivors from the Horde expeditions. And the other half of the chart was lost."

"When you burned down our archives," the Horde princess added.

"In retaliation to your aggression," Mermista retorted.

"Please!" Perfuma stepped up. "Blaming each other won't help anyone - we need to work together to save the world!"

"Blaming the Horde certainly makes me feel better," Seacat heard Mermista mumble under her breath, but the princess nodded - with obvious reluctance.

"Indeed! A gallant expedition into the jaws of danger to save the world!" Sea Hawk jumped on the table and raised his fist towards the ceiling. "Huzzah!"

Seacat nodded, then realised the others were staring. "Did you really expect the Captain to stay back?" she asked.

"We're both coming," Mermista declared with a scowl that made sure that disagreement wouldn't be tolerated.

Well, Seacat had expected that as well - she knew the couple, after all. And they would need them - Seacat was a good sailor, one of the best, but the Captain was the best, period. And Mermista… well, she controlled water. That could save their lives and their ship if the current turned out to be too strong. Though, as far as Seacat knew, the Southern Seas didn't have a Maelstrom.

"Good," Glimmer said. "But no burning down the ship!"

"Unless it's needed to save the world!" Sea Hawk retorted.

Well, there wasn't much anyone could say against that.

"Could we take a frigate?" Adora asked. "You have enough of them, don't you?"

"I doubt that a frigate can safely travel through the reefs," Seacat pointed out. "The chart is incomplete, but even so, I can see that the draft of a frigate would be too deep. Back when the island was first occupied, ships were smaller in general."

"Indeed! What we consider a courier these days would've been a flagship for the fleets of the Ancient Age!" Sea Hawk added. "And our current frigates will, no doubt, one day be outclassed by ships of even greater size!"

"Or airships," the bug princess added. "If someone hadn't wrecked our airship, we could easily travel to the island."

"If you had your airship, you'd be threatening to bomb our lands," Glimmer countered.

"Please!" Perfuma held her hands up again. "I know that the threat of Etheria being destroyed by the runestone network makes us all anxious, but we have to work together. Accusing each other won't help anyone!"

Seacat swallowed her retort - the princess was right, after all. But it was the Horde princess's fault, being a sore loser. "Yeah, yeah," she said. "Let's focus on getting this expedition going. Do you have a fast courier Entrapta could add a new engine to?"

"We actually have a ship being built that would be perfect for this," Mermista said with a grin.

She was a beauty. Slim, sleek lines, a mast that was the highest Seacat had seen for that class of ships… everything about her screamed 'speed'. And she was elegant - Seacat had to take a second look to see the intakes for the engine. They hadn't been tacked on, like with so many other ships, but designed to be part of the ship from the start. And the bridge… the steering wheel was smaller than she was used to but moved the rudder easily, and there were controls for the engine built into a small pedestal next to it - you could run the entire ship by yourself if you had to

"Look, Captain!" she exclaimed, showing the foldable sun covers. "No more sunburn!"

"You get sunburn?" Adora asked, looking up from where she had studied the stairs leading to the main deck.

"Me? Rarely. But the Captain doesn't have fur covering his skin," Seacat told her. Neither did Adora, of course.

"Oh." Adora looked at her arm. "I could heal that, I think."

Of course she could. Still… "This is a great ship!"

"The latest design." Mermista sounded smug.

"It's perfect! Well, mostly!" Entrapta stuck her head through the opening leading to the hold. "It still needs an engine, but I can fit my latest mark in there. I think."

"We designed the hold with room for expansion," Mermista explained.

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk beamed at them. "This is a ship built to last - to grow with her captain!"

Seacat nodded. She shouldn't have expected any less from the Salineans, of course - they did build the best ships in Etheria. Although she couldn't help wondering - privately, of course - how long Sea Hawk would take to sink the ship.

"Does that even matter?" Glimmer asked. "How long do your ships generally last?"

"Oh, they last as long as they need," Sea Hawk told her. "But why do you ask? This isn't my ship."

"No?"

"It isn't?" Then a new courier ship for the Navy? Some Salinean captain would be disappointed for losing their ship before it even was finished, she guessed.

"No, she's Seacat's," Mermista said.

Seacat blinked. That… this… "Mine?" This ship was for her? She was to be her captain?

"Oh, that's great!" Adora cheered and grabbed Seacat, lifting her up. "Just the kind of ship you wanted, right?"

Seacat nodded, almost absentmindedly. Her own ship. She had expected to get one, of course, but so soon? And such a ship? She had to have cost a fortune, an all-new design, not even counting the new engine…

"You deserve it," Mermista said with a wide smile. "Consider it compensation for stealing your captain."

Oh. She had expected that as well, but she hadn't expected it so soon - or in this manner. To have it confirmed - and with such a beauty! - was… Seacat nodded as Adora set her down. Then she swallowed. "Thank you. Thank you!"

She had a ship. She'd be captain of her own ship!

"So, should I be jealous?"

Seacat looked up from where she had been pouring over the charts in the captain's locker. Adora was smiling at her, but she seemed a little on edge, too. "What?" Seacat asked.

"Well…" Adora laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Just wondering if I'm being replaced by a ship."

Seacat blinked. "What? No!" She chuckled. "How could you think that?"

"Well, you've been busy with the ship for hours now."

She had, hadn't she? "There's a lot of things to be done before we can sail," she said.

"Entrapta is still working on the new engine," Adora pointed out.

"Yes. But the fitting out isn't done yet, anyway - it wouldn't do to set sail and then discover halfway that we're missing an anchor or spare sails and lines."

"Ah." Adora sat down on the bunk. "I didn't realise ships took so much… work."

Seacat snorted. "Landlubbers rarely do. But don't worry, we'll make a sailor out of you yet."

Adora nodded, her smile widening a little.

Seacat frowned. "Was that what you were concerned about?"

"No!" Adora blinked. "Well, a little…" She sighed and ran her hand over the sheets. "I just… I don't get half the stuff you're doing, and it all sounds so important."

"It is important," Seacat told her. "But no one learns everything in a day or two. It takes time to learn how to run a ship. That's why the Horde had so much trouble on the sea - they rushed things."

"You mean it takes years?"

"To become a captain or first mate? Yes." Seacat smiled. "It took me three years until Sea Hawk promoted me."

"Oh." Adora hunched over a little.

"But it doesn't take as long to become a decent sailor," Seacat pointed out. "And it's fun to learn - you're doing it while you're at sea. Not on a field or in the training hall."

"Hey! The exercises were fun. Kinda," Adora protested.

"Sometimes," Seacat said. "But I could've done without all the tests and forms." And without the 'debriefings' by Shadow Weaver.

"Paperwork moves an army," Adora quoted one of their instructors

Seacat didn't remember who had said it. "Or slows it down." She shrugged. "Anyway, the Salineans know how to build and outfit ships. I'm mostly checking that everything's in order." She wouldn't allow the first ship of her own to be anything but perfect when setting sails. The embarrassment in front of the Captain would be too much!

"And is it?"

She snorted. "We're working on it. The charts seem up to date and in order, though we're still missing the cannons."

"Cannons?"

"Two swivel guns. One at the bow, one aft." Double the guns of an average courier vessel. Not enough to threaten a sloop, much less a frigate, but they would come in handy if they encountered anything smaller. And they could outrun any sloop or frigate.

"Oh."

"Then there's the food to be stored, spare lines, spare parts - both for the ship and the engine - and hammocks for the crew and passengers…"

"We're sleeping in hammocks?"

"Most sailors do," Seacat said. Adora should know that.

Adora pointedly looked at the bunk upon which she was sitting.

Seacat laughed. "Well, that's for the captain - and her lover."

Adora blushed in return. "So, no hammock for me?"

"Nope!"

"Glimmer will be jealous."

"We can probably rig some makeshift cabins in the hold," Seacat said. "Unless they want to sleep on deck - which many sailors do when sailing the Southern Seas."

"Oh?"

"It's going to be hot," Seacat explained. "So, most want fresh air and a breeze instead of sticking to the hold."

"Most?" Adora raised her eyebrows.

"Some prefer the privacy the hold might offer."

And the blush grew worse. Seacat grinned.

"Uh… we'll be crowded, won't we be? You, me, Glimmer, Bow, Entrapta, Scorpia, Perfuma, Mermista and Sea Hawk…" Adora ticked off finger after finger.

"And Alcy, Licy and Horas. My crew," Seacat added.

"Right. Eleven people." Adora frowned. "We'll be really crowded!"

Seacat laughed again. "A frigate is worse. Much worse. Hundreds of people on a single ship." Sure, a frigate was larger, but not that much larger. "And in a pinch, we'll be glad about having so many people with us."

They were sailing for Beast Island, after all.

"Ah. Still…" Adora knocked on the cabin's wall. "The walls aren't too thick."

Seacat laughed once more. "Oh, you learn to ignore that, at sea." She stepped over to Adora. "Besides, the walls are thicker than a tent's, aren't they?"

Adora's blush returned, even stronger, as she was reminded of that trip. "Uh…"

Seacat slid into her lap, then pushed her down on the bunk, straddling her while Adora ended up on her back, staring up at her.

"Ah. Aren't you busy preparing the ship?" Adora asked, though her tongue was wetting her lips.

"I'm about to test if the captain's bunk is adequately constructed," Seacat said. "And I need your help with that important task."

Adora was, as expected, good at that task. Very good.

"Licy! Alcy! Horas!" Seacat beamed at the crew - her crew! - when they approached the ship and came onboard.

"Seacat! I mean, Captain!" Licy saluted - a little sloppily, but it was an earnest attempt; Seacat could tell.

"Captain." Alcy nodded at her.

Horas grumbled something that passed for a greeting.

"So you've heard the news," Seacat said.

"That Mermista gave you a ship as a reward for your services during the war? Yes," Alcy said.

"And as a wedding gift for you and Adora!" Licy added with a wide smile.

Alcy rolled her eyes at that. "That's a silly rumour. We would've heard about a royal wedding being prepared. Sea Hawk wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret."

"It's still a nice rumour," Licy retorted, looking around. "Where is she, by the way?"

"She's fetching some supplies. Putting that great strength of hers to use," Seacat said with a grin. Though privately, she wondered - a wedding? Adora and her? That was… She hadn't considered that. She hadn't even considered whether Sea Hawk and Mermista would marry. The Captain had never talked about marriage. But wouldn't they have to marry, so the children would be legitimate? Or would the magic powers prove that?

She pushed the thoughts away; there was no need to worry about that when the world's fate was in danger. "She's not a wedding gift," she told them. "But she would be a worthy gift. Look around - isn't she a beauty!"

Licy nodded eagerly. "Oh, yes! I bet she's the fastest ship on all the seas."

"She will be - once Entrapta delivers and installs the engine," Seacat replied.

"Oh! Is it true that all the princesses came here to attend the ship's maiden voyage?" Licy asked.

Seacat pressed her lips together and looked around. No yard worker was around. "In a manner of speaking," she told them.

Alcy sighed. "I guess this isn't a shakedown cruise with royal guests."

Seacat shook her head. "Not exactly. Don't tell anyone, but we're on a mission to save Etheria."

"Etheria? I thought the war was over! Isn't the Horde princess now an ally?" Licy blurted out.

"She's an ally of sorts, yes," Seacat confirmed. "The threat to Etheria isn't the Horde's fault." Well, not directly. "It dates back to the First Ones. And their magic experiments."

Alcy looked even grimmer. "I take it that 'saving Etheria' isn't hyperbole.

Seacat shook her head. "No. We're literally going on a mission to save the entire world from blowing up."

Alcy cursed under her breath, Horas growled, and Licy gaped at her, her mouth opening and closing without making a sound.

Perhaps Seacat should've said this a little less bluntly.

"Say, Ca-Seacat," Adora said as the sun was setting and a stevedore delivered another bag of powder for the still missing swivel guns.

"Yes?" Seacat replied, leaning with her back against the railing and watching Alcy, Licy and Horas check the mainsail.

"What are you going to name her?"

Oh. Seacat smiled. "Victory's Daughter!" It was the perfect name!

"Oh. That's… a nice name."

But Adora didn't sound very enthusiastic. "What's wrong with it?" Seacat asked with a frown. It honoured both the Captain and the outcome of the war.

"Well… it reminds me of the Dragon's Daughter," Adora said, fidgeting with her hands.

"That's the point," Seacat told her.

"But isn't that unlucky?" Adora cocked her head sideways. "I've been reading those sailor stories again…"

"You have?" Seacat grinned, showing her teeth, as Adora blushed.

"Yes. And they said picking names of sunken ships was unlucky. Well, one of the characters said that."

Seacat scoffed. "Those books were written by landlubbers. Would Sea Hawk have named his ships Dragon's Daughter if that was attracting bad luck?"

Adora winced. "Well, they all sank…"

Seacat frowned at her. "They were sunk, which is a difference. Victory's Daughter won't sink!" She wouldn't let her. And she wouldn't let the Captain sink her.

Unless, a voice whispered in the back of her mind, it was needed to save the world. Or Adora.

"Are you sure?" Adora asked.

"Yes." Seacat nodded firmly. "She won't sink."

"And she won't burn down, blow up, get stuck on a reef?"

She narrowed her eyes at her lover. "Just how many of those stories did you read?"

"Uh…" Adora bit her lower lip in that cute manner of hers and twirled her fingers. "All of them? I mean, all of them that I could find? I wanted to learn more about sailing!"

"Didn't we get you real sailing books?" Seacat asked.

Adora hunched her shoulders a little. "I also was… well…" She blushed again.

Seacat smiled as she shook her head. Her lover was too cute like that.

She hesitated a moment, then took a step and leaned into Adora's side with a contented sigh. "Did you know that there's a rumour that she's a wedding gift for us?"

"What?" Adora pulled away. "A wedding gift? For us?" she blurted out.

Seacat nodded. "That's what some people say. It's a good cover, I think, for our mission."

"Really? But…" Adora swallowed. "A wedding?"

"A wedding gift." Seacat snorted. "Don't worry, we don't have to marry for our cover."

"Oh."

Did Adora sound disappointed? It seemed so. At least to Seacat. She licked her lips, then added in a lower voice: "If we marry, it won't be for a mission or because others say we have to. It'll be for us."

Adora made a strange sound, and Seacat found herself lifted up and hugged.

It was entirely unfitting for a captain on board her own ship.

Seacat didn't mind.

"Give it another try!" Entrapta's voice sounded up through the small pipe leading from the bridge down to the hold - a speaking tube, she called it. "I think I've worked out all the problems now!"

Seacat took a deep breath. She trusted the princess, she really did, but… hearing about things like 'this should prevent the engine from tearing up the ship, now' wasn't really comforting. And yet… No. Entrapta knew what was at stake. She pushed the lever next to the steering wheel forward.

And she heard the engine in the hold starting to hum as the ship - Victory's Daughter - began to move.

Licy cheered. As did Adora.

"Working nicely!" Entrapta reported through the speaking tube. "Push her further!"

They had to leave the port first, so they wouldn't ram the mole or another ship - Salinas was the busiest port in all the Seas, especially now with the war over. But that was easily accomplished with a few turns.

And then they were on the open sea, and Seacat was pushing the lever as far ahead as she could.

And Victory's Daughter, her ship, raced on the waves.