The roar of the engine died down as Catra entered the main hold. The ship shuddered underneath her feet as it came to life for the first time since she was on board. She whipped around at a loud squealing noise behind her. Bow, Perfuma, and the other two Princesses had followed her on board. The purple-haired princess was vibrating on the spot, her head swiveling in every direction as she took in the ship.

"Oh, this is so exciting. Tech made outside of Despondos!" She rushed over to the table set at the side of the room and peered down into the glass surface. Her pigtails brushed on the buttons causing a holographic image of a planet to flicker into existence. "Fascinating."

Perfuma pulled the girl away from the table, shooting Catra an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Entrapta gets... Carried away."

"Right, just don't let her break anything."'

Bow was studying the image, hand on his chin as he leaned back. "It's Etheria," he said after a moment's consideration. "At least I think it is. I'd have to check a map to be sure." He pointed to a small area in the center of the largest continent. "Look, that should be Brightmoon, and there's Salinas." He shifted his finger to an area by the cost.

"Hey, egghead, we have other things to worry about," Catra snapped before Bow could continue.

"So what's the plan then?" the green-haired princess asked as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Do you even have one?"

"The start of one." Catra shrugged, crossing her arms as well to match the other girl's posture. "I want to get Vader's input before we plan in depth."

That answer seemed to mollify the princess, who pursed her lips but said nothing else. The ship rumbled around them again, groaning slightly as gravity shifted around them. It left Catra with a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, her tail swaying behind her to keep her balance.

"What was that?" Perfuma asked. She had gone pale and clutched the counter along the wall to stay upright. The green-haired princess looked little better, having sat down and placed her head between her knees.

Entrapta moved over to them, pulling out a couple of devices that she used to scan the princesses. "It appears to be seasickness. The symptoms match though it's surprising. Especially for Mermista, considering her powers revolve around water-"

"I can't feel it," Perfuma whispered, cutting over Entrapta. "The forest, my plants. They're just gone."

Catra frowned and reached out with the Force. The tendrils that once connected the two princesses to their power were stretched thin, so thin that they disappeared into the background between them and the planet. "I think I know what going on," she said as she left the group.

She made her way to the lift that lead to the cockpit, stepping inside so it could take her smoothly up to the cockpit. She had spent little time in this part of the ship, only occasionally using the seats to rest away from everything. Vader hadn't banned her from this part of the ship, nor had he taught her much about it, though that could be because she had shown no interest in it.

Vader sat in the second seat from the left, one hand on what passed for a yoke, the other tapping at a screen and flicking switches as needed. The various displays spat out, what was to Catra's eyes, gibberish interspersed with numbers.

None of that caught her attention like the view beyond the angled rectangular windows. The planet stretched out beyond the long nose of the ship, a curved plane of green, blue, and white that ended in a black void. Catra felt small before the sight of the planet laid bare in this way, a tiny speck in the world's tapestry.

"Whoa," Bow said as he entered behind her, the lift door hissing shut. "We're... In space."

Vader turned his head slightly to look at them. "Not space as you would imagine it. We are still cut off from the galaxy. Trapped in Despondos with the rest of the Etherian system."

Bow stepped forward, still entranced by the view out the window. "Still, this is... Amazing. I'm pretty sure we're the first Etherians to be off the planet in a thousand years."

"I remember when I first left my home planet, in this very ship, though I'm afraid the awe of the moment was lost on my young mind." Vader reached up, flicking a few more switches before locking the yoke and sliding back with a metallic thunk. "Come, we must plan our next moves properly."

He exited the cockpit, Catra following close behind while Bow scrambled to keep up. There was silence on the short ride down, though Bow kept shooting Vader furtive glances. The others were still in the main hold, with Perfuma having joined Mermista on the floor. They both looked up as Vader entered, though Entrapta remained engrossed in her datapad.

He spared a glance at the activated hologram before speaking. "Which one of you is more mechanically inclined?"

As one, the two princesses pointed at the third who looked up from her datapad, a mad gleam in her eyes. "We're in space!" She waved her datapad as her hair carried her over to Bow. "The tracking signal from my-"

Vader silenced her when he waved his hand, pulling the datapad she was holding to him. "That is all I needed to know." Another datapad floated in front of Entrapta who grabbed it with a manic grin. "This is the manual for the ship. Familiarize yourself with it, specifically the portion on the communications and scanners, you will need it soon."

"Um?" Bow interjected, raising his hand as if they required permission. He shrank in on himself when Vader's attention turned to him. "Not to doubt Entrapta, cause she's awesome, but I don't think even she could learn enough to pilot a ship in half an hour from a manual."

"And you would be correct. I don't expect her to fly this ship, merely serve as a copilot." The skeletal droid Vader had been working on since Catra first met him floated out of the forward hold. It settled on its feet in the middle of the group, standing at the same height as Bow. Vader reached out and flicked something underneath the panel on its chest.

There was an electric, high-pitched whirring as purple lines danced their way across metal limbs. A yellow light flickered and faded into existence behind circular eyepieces and a triangular chest piece. A jolt passed through the droid before it came alive with sudden jerky motions.

It turned its head back and forth for a moment, meeting the faces around it as if looking for someone. Finally, its glowing eyes locked on Catra. They brightened for a second before the droid spoke. "Hello, Mistress Catra. It is good to finally meet you."

Catra's eyes darted between the droid and Vader. "What is this?"

"This is a revised version of a droid I built for my second apprentice. I was going to use it to supplement your training." He then raised his voice slightly and faced the droid. "Proxy, head to the cockpit. Prepare us for reentry and prime the weapons systems, then go to the coordinates already selected on the navicomputer."

The droid, Proxy, turned to Catra and waited. The unblinking gaze from it caused Catra to fidget, her ears splaying back against her head. "What's happening."

"It is waiting for you to confirm the orders. It has yet to develop the nuances of its programming. Till then it will be... Rather rigid in its protocols. That will change in time."

"That's great, but why is it waiting for my orders?" Catra edged around the droid, the fur on her tail fluffing out as its eyes followed her. Bow's stifled giggles reached her and she turned to glare at him. His hand covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking as he held in his mirth.

"It is yours. I intended it as a gift to you." Vader nodded his head at her. "It will only obey your orders."

Something curled in Catra's gut. An uneasy warm feeling she wasn't sure what to do with. She wasn't even sure what to call it. Gratitude? That's what she should have felt right. That's what you felt when you got gifts.

But this wasn't what she had felt when Adora had given her things. Most of Adora's gifts comprised things she needed to survive. Food, for when Catra was denied it. Blankets when hers were taken. Pain killers when she was hurt. Even the lightsaber Vader had given her fell under this category, a required part of her training. All necessary, unlike this droid.

Bow nudged her. "Usually, people respond with thank you," he said with an earnest smile.

She brushed him off and looked the droid in the eyes. "Follow Vader's orders." She paused a second before adding. "And any further orders from him unless I say otherwise."

The eyes of the droid flickered once. "Of course, Mistress. I will do as Lord Vader says." With that, it turned and walked away.

Vader was already getting something else ready. He pulled out several storage bins and was rummaging through them. "Does your rebellion have a coms system yet?"

"Ah," Bow scratched at the back of his neck. "Kinda... But not for the small teams like this and-" A box was tossed to him, interrupting him as he fumbled to keep a hold of it. "What are-"

"Com links. Not military issue, but they should suffice for now." Bow nodded and started passing out the small cylinders from the box. Catra reach for one a well but was instead offered a set of black gauntlets from Vader. "These will be more suitable for you."

Catra wrinkled her nose at the proffered gauntlets but still took them. The mirror black finish was like Vader's armor, which was probably the point. They were lighter than she expected. Most armors in the Horde were heavy and ill-fitting. A consequence of how cheap they were, preferring to make armor to fit as many as possible instead of tailoring it to each soldier.

They slid onto her arms with little fuss, fitting securely in place. She fiddled with the buttons on the left piece and a burst of static blared from all the comlinks. The group cringed away from the sound putting their hands over their ears.

"Well, we know they work." Bow said.

"I assume you have at least the beginning of a plan?" Vader asked.

"Sewers," Catra answered as she rubbed her ears. "They have a direct line into the fortress. Gonna need a different way out. Soon as they realize we're there, they'll lock it down."

"And once inside?"

Catra wrinkled her nose again. "Hit the prison first. There has the most likely chance of finding at least one princess if not both. Should be able to find where they are from there if they aren't."

"Exit strategy?"

She groaned letting her head fall back onto the metal wall. "I don't know, maybe the front door."

Vader folded his and looked down, disappointment creeping into his presence. "While improvisation is a powerful tool, it is best bolstered by planning."

"Are you really turning this into a teaching moment?"

"Every moment is a teaching moment, my apprentice."

Catra swore she heard someone chuckle from the new group, but when her head shot up, everyone seemed more interested in the walls than her. She glared at them, with their too innocent expression, before frowning in thought. She had only left the Frightzone on her own twice. First with Adora, but that had been on a skiff and the place wasn't on high alert. The second time she had to jump off a wall...

"Go to the wall, the one I jumped off of. Have the ship meet us there. That should be doable right?"

She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as Vader nodded. Of course, the moment had to be ruined by one of the new tag-along. "Hold on, you haven't even talked to us about this plan," Mermista said as she pushed past Bow and Perfuma. "It's barely a plan anyway."

Catra spun, getting into the princess's face as she growled. "I'm sorry, are you the one who's lived in the Fright Zone since birth? No? Then back off fishy."

"You don't get to talk to me like-"

Bow silenced the girl covering her mouth with his hand. "Okay, let's just move on."

"Oh, come on let her finish crop-top."

"Enough," Vader's rumbling voice froze them in place. "Bickering like younglings accomplishes nothing." With barely a turn, he seemed to loom over Mermista, who suddenly alone faced him as Bow moved himself to Perfuma's side. "You would do well to voice your complaints in a way to not antagonize those around you. And Catra-"

Catra's ears splayed back against her head as Vader turned his attention to her. Muscles tensed as her fur stood on end. "Remember, when working with a group to listen to those around you. While you may think you have all the answers, differing perspectives may offer insists you do not have. It would be wise not to simply dismiss them, or rise to other's prodding."

With that, the air seemed to diffuse the tension that had been rising in Catra's gut. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, turning away from Bow's lingering eyes as she forced herself to scowl. "Is there a problem with my plan?"

All eyes fell on Mermista who sighed and crossed her arms. "Are there no other options to the sewers? Not looking forward to cleaning that out of my hair... or clothes... or just in general."

Encouragement and comfort leaned on Catra through the force, giving her pause before the ready-made quip left her mouth. She chewed her lip, collecting her thoughts for a moment before responding. "It's the most direct path through the Frightzone. They built most of the streets like a maze, with several posts that are manned constantly. While we could risk a topside route, I don't think its worth it. Does that answer your question?"

Once again, all the attention turned to Mermista, who rolled her eyes again. "Fine, but I call the first crack at the showers when we get back."

"I think there are enough showers for everyone," Bow said, relieved at the resolution.

Entrapta jumped up, waving around the datapad she'd been handed, "Done!" She brought the pad back down and stared down at it, a wide smile on her face. "I could spend all day with this. The ideas about FTL alone..."

Vader pulled the pad out of her hand and across the room to him. "Go assist Proxy and keep our coms open. If you have questions, ask him. Do not break my ship." She gave a quick salute with her hair before disappearing into the elevator.

Vader swept past the group, entering the cargo hold with a strange sort of determination. He pressed a button on the side of the door that separated the main hold from the front of the ship. "Proxy, are we at the selected coordinates?"

"Yes, Lord Vader. Currently holding position seventy thousand feet above the southeast quadrant of the area known as the Frightzone." There was a pause before the voice continued. "Quite frankly, I don't know why they call it that. Your fortress was much more-"

"I did not ask for your opinion on the aesthetics." Vader stopped in the middle of the cargo hold. "Activate the main hold ray shield."

"Of course Lord Vader."

There was a crackle of electricity as a blue barrier snapped into existence, separating Vader from the rest of the group. He pressed another button. The landing ramp lowered, letting in a buffeting wind that tore at Vader's cloak.

Catra's ears flattened at the roaring wind, though only the sound reached them through the blue barrier. "What are you doing?" She called out, yelling to be heard.

He turned towards her, his black helmet reflecting the brownish sky around them. "Providing you a distraction." Then he was gone, torn out of the ship with the wind.

Catra's heart lept into her throat as she slammed a fist against the blu shield. A second later a burst of power came from below the ship, staggering her back by its sheer ferocity. It swept over everything, a stifling wall that threatened to drown her.

It felt like She-Ra looked.

A few deep, forceful breaths set Catra's head back on straight. Her eyes opened to find Bow's face barely inches from her own. On instinct she pushed away from him, sending them both backward and into the floor, but now with adequate space between them.

"Sorry, sorry," Bow said, holding his hands up as he stood. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Just..." She shuffled back and stood. "Personal space," she said, drawing an imaginary circle with her around herself.

"Are just not going to acknowledge the fact that someone just jumped out of the ship?" Mermista asked, gesturing at the now closed landing ramp.

"Nope, he's fine." Catra brushed past Mermista's open-mouthed look.

"That was him wasn't it," Perfuma asked. She was staring at the floor, eyes wide and face pale. "That... surge. It was..." She shivered and backed up, wrapping her arms around herself.

Both Mermista and Bow turned to her with puzzled looks on their faces. "Felt what?" Bow asked.

Perfuma shook her head and looked up to smile at them. "It's nothing, not important right now."

"Right, we need to get going," Catra said.

"Where do you need to be, Mistress Catra?"

Catra jumped and hissed as Proxy's voice snapped out of her new gauntlet. She brought her wrist up to glare at the blinking, orange button. "Don't do that!"

"Of course Mistress Catra. I'll try to remember that in the future. Now is there something I can help you with?"

She ground her teeth together, already annoyed by the droid's tone of voice. Were they all like this? Still, she had better things to do than get into a fight with a hunk of metal. "Drop us off outside the wall."

"Please be more specific, there is a lot of wall to be outside of."

Entrapta's voice burst out of the gauntlet next. "There looks to be an outlet on the northeast side of the wall. It empties into a small river that runs nearby. The scanning equipment is amazing. So... Technologically advanced..."

"Please, miss Entrapta, contain your excitement. The way you look at those buttons worries me."

Catra growled before slapping the button, silencing the two of them. She remembered the area that Entrapta was talking about. It wasn't a place she went too often, too low and too smelly for her tastes. But it connected directly to the sewers and was wide enough for them to just walk in once the thick metal bars met her lightsaber.

She flicked on her com again, the sound of Entrapta and Proxy arguing spilling out of it. "Hey, shut up for a second." She waited for silence to fall. "Take us to where the egghead mentioned then return here for us to call."

"Of course, Mistress Catra, descending now."

Sparks flew across the cluttered dimly lit lab as another experiment failed catastrophically. Hordak sneered, throwing her hand in front of his face to protect it while Imp scurried underneath some fallen piping. Another portal failed, another day he would have to spend here, away from his brothers.

He aimed a kick at the still smoking blob of metal, the several layers of failure having distorted it beyond recognition. He regretted that decision immediately. While the armor he wore protected his foot from the blunt trauma of his actions, needles of pain shot up his leg and ignited a burning in his joints that were all too familiar now.

A ringing claxon filled the room, distracting him for the moment. One screen on his control center flashed a series of alerts at him. Imp's voice joined with the alarm and Hordak shuffled over to his chair. With clenched teeth and slow movements, he sat down to silence the alarm as soon as he settled in place.

Intruder alerts blared across his screens, a single camera feed being pumped in to accompany them. Grey and red dust clouded everything he could see with the occasional flash of green light that would fly past. He flicked to a different feed, one that was far away from the quadrant that he was interested in.

A plume of grey-red dust towered over the smaller building that made up the vehicle maintenance area. It had also spread out, filling out the street and alley in the vicinity. Soldiers fled the area, nearly tripping over themselves in their bid to escape. A figure emerged from the dust, clad in black and holding a weapon that Hordak had not expected to see here.

A red lightsaber.

"Jedi." The word made Hordak's lips curl into a sneer as he watched the helmeted figure march through his soldiers like they weren't there.

He had seen Jedi before, back when he was a general in Prime's army. They had been a thorn in Prime's side for generations, keeping his conquering relegated to the outskirts of the galaxy. A sizable territory, but Prime still wanted to spread his light farther.

This Jedi seemed different. The blade color was one Hordak had never seen before, most Jedi used either blue or green. They had observed once a purple lightsaber in a young Jedi working with a Neti, a race long thought extinct by Prime. But red was an odd color for a Jedi.

No Jedi had been as vicious either. Even in combat, often their primary goal was defense, sheltering those they protected until reinforcements came to drive off Prime's soldiers. This Jedi, though, cut a large swath of destruction through the Frightzone all on his own. That was odd as well since Jedi rarely worked alone. So where was the other one?

A quick moment of flipping through the channels bore fruit when a flash of blue caught his eye. In one o the larger sewer outlets a girl was cutting through the bars with her lightsaber. Her hooded cloak concealed her face from the camera as she dropped the last bar out and stepped through the opening. Three others followed her, two princesses that Hordak recognized and a boy he had seen in the company of the Princess of Brightmoon.

As they left the frame the girl stopped, her head tilting slightly before she turned and looked directly at the camera. A scowl pulled her face down and she struck out with her lightsaber, cutting the feed to static. There had been enough time though for Hordak to recognize her though.

It seemed that Shadow Weaver's ward wasn't as dead as she claimed.

The arms of his chair squealed in protest as he clenched his hands around them. He would deal with the witch later, right now he troops to attend to. He flicked on the intercom system and spoke, "Attention all units, report to your Force Commanders immediately. We are under attack. All hand to battle stations now." He paused a moment before speaking again. "Force Captain Lonnie report to my quarters at once." He typed a few more things into his computers and ordered the rest of his Forces Captains to engage the intruder with the goal of limiting his destruction.

He sat back after giving his commands and shuffled through the footage still being pumped into his feeds. The screens filled with different angles of the Jedi with the red lightsaber as he couldn't find the other group on any of his cameras. He sat there studying this new Jedi's movements. He was under no illusion, this battle was already lost. The Jedi pair were here for their captured comrades and would more than likely be walking out with them. While his Horde soldiers were under-equipped for this, it offered him an opportunity.

He could study the Jedi and possibly plan a way to defeat them once he returned to Prime. The portal experiments would have to be moved up in importance so he could have the proper reinforcements, but maybe he could return to Prime with something more valuable than a single planet; a plan to conquer the entire galaxy as was Prime's right.

"You asked for me, Lord Hordak?" Lonnie's voice echoed out behind him.

"I did Force Captain," Hordak said as he turned in his chair to face her. She stood at attention at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes flicking between him and the screens. It seemed Shadow Weaver's corruption was taking root if the sickly black eyes and pale complexion were anything to go by. "Shadow Weaver recently promoted you to Force Captain did she not?"

Her focus snapped back to him. "Yes, sir."

He stood from his chair and marched down the steps to her. "And she trained you didn't she? Along with four others, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, sir."

With a flick of his arm to signal Imp, the screen behind him all changed. Mismatched eyes glowing underneath a hood cloak stared out from them. The reaction from Lonnie was immediate, a deep scowl tightened her face as black smoke poured from her eyes. She stayed at attention, however, her posture never wavering, maybe there was further use for her.

He leaned in close and stepped around her, his hand coming up to clench her shoulder as he pointed to the screens. "Then, Force Captain, what can you tell me about former cadet Catra."

A/N: Hello! It has been a while, hasn't it? Not to worry I'm not dead, just spent the last two months dealing with a sudden and unplanned move. I finally got my desk set up about a week ago and started my routine back up. Even found a nice coffee shop nearby so... Good times.
In other news, someone made a cover for this little story of mine. They messaged me a while back and that's been fueling my writer instincts for the last two weeks. If you wanna check it out go to my Ao3 version of this fic and click on the link there.
He's also got another piece of art for VLA on there, just found that out. Really cool and I love it!
Anyway, this author's not has gotten a bit long in the tooth. I've already started on the next chapter for this as I will be focusing on this fic for a while I think.
As always, I'll see you in the future!