Disclaimer: I do not own She-Ra or its related characters. All is the property of Noelle Stevenson, Dream Works Animation, Netflix, NBCUniversal Television Distribution, Filmation, Larry DiTillo, and J. Michael Straczynski.

Inconvenient Arrangements

Chapter Ten: Back on the Ship

Entrapta was disappointed that Hec-Tor did not allow her down to the planet.

She had never been to Krytis before. The Horde Empire always kept the planet very secure. Only official imperial vehicles were allowed to land on it –be they transport dropping off new prisoners/workers, or cargo ships picking up crates of ore and minerals from the mines. No commercial or domestic craft were allowed within the planet's finite space. Most commercial space routs navigated around the system entirely. There wasn't really anything on Krytis or in the system that would interest the average citizen anyway.

Entrapta had always been curious about it.

But Hec-Tor would not allow her to beam down. He said it was a security issue. He was not very clear on if it was unsecure for her, or if he for some reason thought she was a security issue. Entrapta hated it when people were not clear. It made for so many misunderstandings. Misunderstandings happened around her all the time.

But Entrapta promised to try and understand him when she didn't.

If he felt it wasn't secure for her, as in, not safe for her, he needn't worry. Entrapta might be a Princess (technically Queen), but she wasn't helpless. She was stronger than she looked, there was muscle under her overalls. And her hair was ten times as strong as her body. She could bend steel with her hair if she wanted. And, while from the outside it might look like she was easily distracted and didn't pay attention to her surroundings, Entrapta was actually quite good at multi-tasking. She was always acutely aware of her surroundings. She could follow a conversation between two people on the opposite side of the room while still putting together a tech project of her own, and not miss a beat of either. If an enemy might to sneak up on her, Entrapta would know, and she could defend herself. So, if the 'security issue' was that Hec-Tor feared for her safety, he didn't have to.

The other possibility was that her new husband thought she might be the security issue. In other words, that Entrapta couldn't be trusted with Imperial matters. If that was the case, she couldn't help but feel insulted and rejected in equal measure. The fact that she was married to him, and –thus- an Imperial Princess now, with a stake in Imperial matters aside. It meant that Hec-Tor viewed her as an outsider. Not a friend. Obviously, she didn't expect him to trust her implicitly immediately. They knew each other for literally a week before they were married and since being married, had spent probably a grand total of six hours together –accumulatively. But there was a difference between 'not trusting someone with the name of your childhood pet', and 'not trusting someone with information that could directly affect them too'. Entrapta found that she did not like it.

She flopped down onto the stateroom bed that was supposed be 'theirs'. Arms and legs crossed. Her face screwed up in a juvenile pout. Entrapta pondered the possible meanings of 'security issue'. If it was the former, she could forgive him. He didn't know her, not really, and so wouldn't know how capable she actually was. If it was the latter, then someone needed to sit him down and set him straight on how 'partnerships' were supposed to work.

At least she wasn't confined to the room.

Entrapta could still come and go as she pleased, anywhere on Monstron.

Imp, however, was confined to quarters until Hec-Tor himself, and Hec-Tor only came to retrieve him.

Needless to say, the small child was restless. He was used to having a large sprawling palace with multiple levels and outdoor areas to bound around in. Being trapped on Monstron and having to be under constant supervision during their journey was different enough for him, but now having to be locked in the royal suits while Dad did… whatever Dad was doing down on the planet was worse!

Imp flew laps around the whole suit. From his own quarters, through the refresher that connected them to Hec-Tor's suits, then back again. The door to the refresher sliding open and closed again with every pass. He squawked at Entrapta with every third lap, conveying his displeasure in the only way he knew she would understand since she didn't yet know how to read his Signing.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly happy with him either." She sulked.

Not even pausing in his flapping, Imp made a string of very rude hand sign that said exactly what he thought about his father, and this trip, and leaving Horde World in the first place. But Entrapta couldn't understand it.

"Even if he didn't want me going down there, he could at least say why." She said, unsure if she and Imp were even having the same conversation. "We're supposed to be partners, after all."

For the first time in what might have been more than an hour, Imp paused in his restless circling.

He darted back into his own quarters. Not as part of his pacing, but in a straight line, with a purpose. Imp came back into Hec-Tor's room holding a stack of data cards. He flapped in front of Entrapta, holding the stack out for her.

She stared at them confused for a moment. Unsure as to why this child was presenting her with the files.

Imp croaked out an impatient noise. Sometimes, it was so frustrating not being able to speak out loud and communicate in the way that the vast majority of beings in the Empire communicated. He grabbed a fist full of Entrapta's hair and wrapped it around the cards, indicating that he wanted her to take them from him. When she did, Imp then signed that if she was his Dad's partner, maybe she could look at these for him. Seeing as how he Dad seemed incapable of looking at them himself.

Entrapta did not understand what he was trying to communicate.

Frustrated, Imp grabbed a datapad off the bedside table, Imp typed out (and misspelled) the word partner ('patnr').

It took Entrapta a couple of moments to decipher the sequence of letters the child had typed out. But when she did, she nodded. "Yes, Hec-Tor and I are supposed to be partners."

Already frustrated with his father locking him in the suits, Imp's patience was low and he tapped the data cards she now held in her hair. Then typed onto the data pad again. 'Dad work.'

"Oh." She said, thinking she understood now. Because she said they were partners now that they were married, Imp wanted her to do his Dad's work while he was down on the planet. "Well, we are partners. But I still think I should ask him if he would feel comfortable with me helping him with his Imperial work. Horde Prime might not approve and I wouldn't wanna get your Dad in trouble with the Emperor."

She placed the stack of datacards down on the bedside table.

Imp threw his arms up in frustration. Sometimes it was impossible to communicate with grown-ups.

"I've got an idea!" Entrapta stood on her hair. "Why don't I go get Scorpia and Catra and they bring us a couple of board games and we all keep you company until Hec-Tor comes back!" She smiled proudly. "He said you couldn't leave. He didn't say anything about not having friends over to play."

…

Hec-Tor was exhausted when he finally beamed back aboard Monstron.

Eyes closed, massaging the sides of his head. He had the worst headache. All he wanted to do was take something for it, get back to his own quarters, turn all the lights off, and put his head down.

Instead, when he got back to his suit of rooms, he found Entrapta and Imp sitting on the floor with the ladies of Entrapta's entourage, Princess Scorpia, and Lady Catra. They appeared to be playing some kind of game with a map of the universe printed on the board, all the different solar systems in different colors, and each player appeared to hold control of sections of the universe with colored game pieces.

They all looked up when he entered.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hec-Tor demanded.

Entrapta pushed herself up on her hair. "Oh, Imp was getting restless, so I thought it would be fun if we all kept him entertained until you got back."

He assumed as much as soon as he walked in. Why else would three adults be playing board games with a toddler. But Hec-Tor had two objections to this.

"Why are you playing this in my room instead of his?" and "Do not give my son anything with pieces as small as these!"

He crossed the space and picked Imp up, scooping the child into his arms and hugging him tighter than was necessary.

"He didn't try to swallow anything." Entrapta assured him.

Picking up on the Prince's frustration and lack of patience better than the others seemed to, Catra began packing up the pieces and game board.

Hec-Tor fixed the ladies with a harsh glare. He had too much to worry about as it was. He did not need members of his new wife's entourage invading his suit to play childish games.

Catra finished packing up the game board and pieces before the Prince had the chance to order them to 'get out!'. She grabbed Scorpia by the arm and began pulling the other woman out of the room. "We're sorry to have disturbed you, Prince Hec-Tor."

Entrapta and Hec-Tor were left staring at each other.

There was the beat of a pause.

Entrapta fiddled with her hair, unsure of what she was supposed to do. "I, uh, I guess I should go too…" She muttered. Started to move past Hec-Tor to the door, then paused. She turned back, reaching across the space with her hair and tapped the stack of datacards on the bedside table. "Imp gave these to me. I think he wanted me to help you with your work. But I don't know if Horde Prime would get mad if I did, so I didn't look at them."

She left.

Imp squawked as the door shut behind him. He wanted to leave to! He wanted to run around, and do stuff, and be active. He was absolutely stir crazy!

"After we have left Krytis and are back in hyperspace, then you may have free reign of the ship again." He told his son, using the app on his datapad to dim the lights and ease his headache a little.

Hec-Tor carried Imp through the shared refresher into the adjoining room and began tucking his son in for a nap –which was the last thing Imp wanted at the moment. He had too much energy to sleep and was fussy. He kicked the blankets off himself and made every noise his malformed larynx was capable of making. This did nothing to ease his headache.

"Stop this at once!" Hec-Tor commanded. "You may either lay down and try to sleep on your own, or else I will give you something to help you sleep!"

Imp hated taking his regular medication as it was. He was not keep on the idea of having to choke down something he was not usually required to take. The child gave a huff of frustration, made a rude gesture with his hands, then pulled the blankets over his head.

Thinking he'd won, Hec-Tor went back into his own room to rest.

He heard Imp throw one of his toys against the closed door as he left, but Hec-Tor chose to ignore it. Reacting would only encourage more unruly behavior from the toddler. If Imp learned that such behavior was ineffective, he would give up on it.

Stripping off his armor and leaving his ports open to air out, Hec-Tor laid down in bed. But he did not go immediately to sleep. In spite of his headache, he was curious. What work of his would Imp have that he would give to Entrapta. Imp was a toddler. A literal child. He did not entrust Imperial matters to children. Imp should not have any of his work to give out.

Reaching for his datapad, Hec-Tor lifted the first datacard on the top of the stack. Then paused. It was one of the ones he'd told Imp to pack for him. Not Imperial work. Personal business. The last surviving datacards with information on the –now abandoned- search for Keldor. Hec-Tor was glad Entrapta had the forethought not to look at them without his permission. It would be very awkward if his new spouse was reading about his search for his old spouse.

Hec-Tor ran a thumb over the date. It was one of the more recent updates. From only a month before his engagement to Entrapta. He slipped the card into the datapad.

It said there were no new leads.

Hec-Tor didn't know what he was expecting.

He tossed the datapad back onto the bedside table, toppling the stack of cards, some of them even clattering on the floor. Hec-Tor left them there, laid back down in bed, and tried to sleep off his headache.

…

He only woke up once. When he felt the ship lurch as the massive vessel made the jump to lightspeed.

They were on their way to Denebria and the Nordor moon next.

…