Mara paced inside the medical bay at the Arxia outpost. It had been around fifteen hours since Catra had started glowing and passed out and it was now early morning. She had tried to heal her as She-Ra to no avail. It made no sense. She-Ra could heal anything, so why did it fail?
Deciding to check on her again she went to grab her sword from the table she had left it at before an arm shot out grabbing her wrist. Mara whipped her head towards the person who had grabbed her. It was a woman with short red hair and green eyes. Along her nose were splotches of freckles. She was about six feet tall and had lean, strong muscles.
"Oh, hey Serenia." Mara said softly. Releasing a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Serenia let her wrist go as Mara took a seat by the door into Catra's room.
"That's Fleet Captain Serenia to you Ensign" Serenia said jokingly, a small smile on her face. At the lack of a smile from Mara, Serenia sighed.
"Hey, listen. She's going to be fine. You healed her, now all you have to do is wait. The rest is on her. Your part is done." Serenia said softly. Mara sighed, but didn't make a move to leave the room.
Serenia's eyes slightly narrowed, "Listen, your actions are making everybody uneasy. You showed up with an unconscious girl who looks like she's from Krytis and you haven't left the Medbay in almost fifteen hours."
Mara glanced at her for a moment before turning her head back towards the door, ignoring the woman. As Mara fiddled with the hilt of her sword, Serenia's face scrunched up in a scowl.
Serenia's hand whipped out and grabbed Mara's chin, forcing her to look at her, "I know you hear me, so stop ignoring me. You are scaring people. Forget about this girl and do your fucking job."
Mara immediately stood up, slapping her hand away from her face, "Do not touch me. And on another note, how about you go do your job, Fleet Captain Serenia. Do not tell me how to be She-Ra."
"No, see, that's not how this works. You listen and follow orders. You are a soldier and will do your damn job, which by the way is not being concerned about some Cat girl you found at the tavern. On that note, She-Ra can't be seen getting drunk at some tavern. You have an image to uphold" Serenia spoke in a commanding tone.
"My job is to be She-Ra, which makes this my job. Being concerned with the health of innocent people is my job, and I wasn't She-Ra when I was drinking. How I choose to spend my free-time is my choice." Mara fired back with equal intensity in her voice, before her voice dropped in volume, "And even if I wasn't in here, the people should be scared. Whatever is going on has everyone on edge. I know you feel it too. Somethings wrong, Serenia."
Serenia looked around, before lashing out and grabbing Mara's shirt and pulling her close, "Whatever you think is going on, I suggest you drop it Mara. We don't need to worry about whatever the higher ups are doing. We just need to harvest the damn magic and leave. There's enough here that the people won't even notice. The people will be fine. We aren't here to hurt anyone."
Serenia took a deep breath before letting Mara go, dusting her shoulders off, "Listen, I'll give you another hour in here before you have to leave. You're being requested by the Admiral. Don't be any later than that. I can't stand it when he's angry."
"And you think I can?" Mara asked, straightening her shirt.
"I think that if you are late, I will have you cleaning the ships' bathrooms." Serenia said with an expectant look. Mara sighed and nodded, "Don't worry, I won't be late."
"Oh I'm not worried. You'll give it your all, you always do. It's your best quality." Serenia said, closing the door behind her as she left Mara alone.
Mara took several deep breaths, clenching her fists tightly. Why didn't anyone listen to her? Something was wrong and nobody was willing to see it but her.
"Wow, that was something else. But yeah, she's totally right. God forbid you have some fun." A snarky voice behind her said, breaking the silence.
Mara whipped around, seeing Catra standing in the doorway. Mara immediately ran over to her, embracing her into a hug.
"Alright, that's enough of that." Catra said with a grin, pushing Mara off of her gently.
"You're okay. When you passed out and didn't wake up after I healed you I got worried." Mara said, relieved at the sight of Catra healthy.
"Yep, I'm alright. But I didn't leave? Have I been in this room the whole time?" Catra asked with a scowl. Mara's brow furrowed.
"Yeah, why? Did something happen?" Mara asked, concerned again.
"I think. . .I'm sensing a pattern here," Catra said slowly, putting the pieces together, "Can I see your sword for a second. I think I know what's going on, or at least a theory."
"Sure, but what's going on?" Mara said, handing the sword out to Catra.
Catra took the sword, examining it thoroughly. Yep, there was little doubt about it. Adora and Mara had the same sword. Although Adora's did have a few differences. Catra looked back at Mara as she handed her the sword back.
"You said that this Razz person calls you Adora, right?" Catra said, her eyebrows drawn together and her eyes narrowed. A look of focus and determination on her face.
"Yeah, she constantly calls me that. Why? What happened?" Mara quickly becoming desperate to know what Catra was withholding.
"Alright, then. Let's go see Razz. I'll explain everything once we're on the road." Catra said with a tone of finality.
"Wait a second Catra. Talk to me first. What happened to you?" Mara asked, putting her hands up in front of Catra.
Catra thought about it for a second, before speaking with a hint of caution, "When I told you everything that happened to me after I woke up, you believed me right? You didn't think I was crazy?"
"No, I believed you. And I still believe you. So talk to me." Mara said calmly.
"Alright, when I passed out the first time, I walked until I found the wall of water right? Well, when I passed out in front of you, I woke up beside Adora again. Except she was holding your sword. She was saying that she also knew Madame Razz. But she said that she calls her Mara." Catra said, looking at Mara with a raised eyebrow.
"That. . .is really strange. How long were you awake with Adora over there?" Mara questioned, intrigued at the prospect of some answers to this mystery.
"I don't know, around a day. Let's see. . .maybe fourteen hours, could've been fifteen." Catra said, pausing to think about it.
"You've been asleep for fifteen hours." Mara muttered, more to herself than Catra.
As she thought about this, Catra took note of her current clothing. She wasn't wearing her robes anymore. It looked more. . .militaristic? It was strange. Checking her pockets, she realized that the shard was gone.
"Hey, what happened to the shard?" Catra broke Mara from her thoughts.
"Oh, I'm not quite sure. It was gone when I brought you here. I even went back to check for it. It's like it vanished." Mara explained.
"Well, forgetting that for a second, let's go see Razz. I have some questions I want some answers to." Catra said matter-of-factly.
Mara grabbed Catra's shoulder, stopping her from passing, "We can't go yet. I have to go see the Admiral. He'll make my day hell if I don't show up."
"Forget that guy. Just don't show up, it's what I'd do." Catra said.
"I can't, I have responsibilities to my squad. I can't just go running off when I have orders." Mara said, final on the matter.
Catra looked to the side while biting the inside of her cheek, slowly nodding before clicking her tongue, "Alright, well then. . .I'll see you later."
With that, Catra jumped over Mara and walked to the door before opening it. Mara made a sound of exclamation, voicing her shock.
"Catra, where are you going?" Mara asked, exasperated. Catra, without even stopping, simply responded with a shrug.
"To find Razz. You said she wasn't far from that village. Of course, I might get lost and taken advantage of, what with my memory problem and all. Oh well, I guess that's just how the world works. It's okay, Adora said she'd help me too, but she ran off with her other friends and left me all alone. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll manage by myself." Catra said a tone of fake despair in her voice, walking a bit slower.
"I'll let Razz know you said hi. Y'know, if I don't get eaten by the wildlife first. I guess I'll see you later Mara. Thanks for being my friend while it lasted." It was getting a little harder to keep the grin out of her voice. Catra paused for a moment, not once looking back at Mara.
"Laying on a bit thick there, Catra. By the way, you suck." Mara said with a small smile, turning her sword back into her gauntlet. "Well, come on then. Razz is waiting."
"Yesss, I knew you were an awesome friend." Catra said, glee present on her face.
"Yeah, yeah." Mara said, "If I have to clean the ships' bathrooms because of you, you're gonna help me, got it?"
"Yeah,yeah. But only if you bring some more food and drinks, got it?" Catra said in a mock tone, smirking.
Mara smiled and nodded, "Sure, now come on before somebody catches us."
Catra and Mara walked through the outpost, unfettered in their efforts of securing a ride to Madame Razz' hut. As Catra walked with Mara, she took note of the weird technology. People marching with a purpose, scientists going over reports and numbers. Everyone had somewhere to be.
"March, cadets! I wanna see those legs moving. Kyle! Why are you falling behind? Lonnie, pick up the pace. Rojelio, go faster. Adora, nice work. Catra, I'm impressed for once.
"Everyone, STOP! Does everyone see Catra's times? I want to see everyone beat that by next week. That includes you Cadet Catra. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, Captain!" They all said in unison.
"I said 'Do you all UNDERSTAND!"
"YES, CAPTAIN!" They responded even louder.
"Good, then get back to running."
"Hey, are you all good? You kind of froze there for a second." Mara shook her shoulder lightly, concern written on her face.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think. . .I think I just remembered something from my past." Catra said, her brow furrowed.
"Oh yeah? What?" Mara asked, slowing her stride to walk beside Catra.
"I was being told to run by a voice, like, loudly. With a bunch of other kids." Catra explained, trying to remember more with no luck.
"Like, run how? Like playing tag?" Mara asked.
"No, it was more like 'Run, Cadets and keep Running!' kind of run. And we called the voice Captain." Catra said slowly.
"Hmmm, that sounds almost militaristic. Didn't you get told that you were a part of something called the Horde? Must be a military of some kind." Mara explained. As Catra thought about everything she had heard from Angella, Mara nudged her arm.
"We're here" Mara said, snapping catra out of her thoughts. In front of her was some sort of vehicle with hovering capabilities. It almost seemed familiar in a way. Shaking her head, Catra hopped up onto the top of it. Mara was taking a moment to board the vehicle, not quite as dextrous and agile as Catra.
"Need a hand?" Catra asked, her hand outstretched.
Mara took her hand before being pulled up. "Thanks. . .you're pretty strong for someone your size."
"What do you mean by that?" Catra asked in a nonchalant manner with a raised eyebrow.
"It's just that, you know. . .you're kind of small. No offense." Mara said sheepishly.
"None taken, although I suppose you're right. Must be my feline features." Catra said while taking a seat in one of the chairs. "It's okay, you can be jealous." A smug tone present in her voice.
"Oh, I'm not jealous," Mara said, as she started the engine and took off towards Razz' location, "Just slightly impressed. Only slightly though." Mara said with a teasing tone.
About two hours went by with Catra and Mara settling into a comfortable silence. The wind carried several pleasant scents and a pleasurable breeze. Catra yawned, her thoughts drifting towards the shard. It wasn't in her pocket anymore, which was slightly worrying, but she could worry about that later. Right now, she was going to see if this woman could answer her question. As she listened to the sound of the wind and smelled the breeze her head began to ache with a dull pain. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her temples, hoping to alleviate the headache. As she focused on the hum of the ship, she started to remember something. It was so vivid it was almost like she was there.
"I take it all back. You're officially awesome. I can't believe you actually stole a skiff." Catra said, pure joy in her voice.
"Borrowed. Please don't make me regret this." Adora said, slightly exasperated.
"I've always wanted to drive one of these things. Here, gimme." Catra said gleefully, reaching over and grabbing the controls.
"Whoa, there. Save us enough fuel to get back." Adora said, a hint of caution in her tone.
"That's a problem for future Adora and Catra." Catra said, not worried in the slightest.
"Hey, are you okay? You've been rubbing your temples for a bit."
"Yeah, I think I'm fine. It's just a headache, Adora. Stop worrying." Catra muttered. She snapped her head towards Mara, realizing what she just said.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Catra went to explain before being cut off.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure that's normal for people with Amnesia. But does that mean you remembered something?" Mara asked hopefully. Catra examined Mara and it really did seem like she wasn't bothered.
"Yeah. . .yeah, I did. I was on a vehicle, kind of like this one but it looked a little different." Catra explained slowly, trying to remember all of the details.
"Adora was there, right? Is that why you said her name?" Mara asked.
"Yeah, we had stolen the skiff, er, the vehicle I mean. She said 'borrowed' though. And we needed enough fuel to get back. I felt so ecstatic for some reason. But I guess I didn't care about the fuel? It's kind of hazy. Like I don't have the whole picture." Catra said, rubbing her eyes. She looked at Mara with an apologetic look.
"You don't need to help me, you know that, right? If I'm being a bother-" Catra went to continue before being cut off.
"Don't be ridiculous. I want to help you. We're friends, remember? Friends help each other out. Besides, if I get in trouble then they can shove it. What are they gonna do, ground She-Ra?" Mara said with a chuckle. "By the way, this vehicle is called a sky-craft."
Catra gave a small smile before sitting back. It was nice to have someone to talk to. After a moment, her thoughts drifted towards Angella. She'd invited her to dinner and wanted to talk with her, only for her to insult and demean her. She resolved to apologize to her next time she saw her. Another hour passed before Mara spoke over her shoulder.
"Hey Catra." Mara said, breaking Catra from her thoughts.
"Yeah? Are we almost there?" Catra asked. Mara shook her head in response.
"Well yeah, but that's not what I was gonna say. Have you considered a journal? Or maybe a recording? For your memories, I mean." Mara said kindly. Not too sure if this was a sore subject at the moment.
"Like writing? I mean. . .not really, but I suppose I could. Why would you suggest that?" Catra asked, confused.
"Well, several members of my platoon keep video journals. It's a good way to talk about things that bother you so that it isn't all bottled up. In your case you can record things you remember. I do it too sometimes." A moment of silence passed before Mara continued in a quieter tone. "It helps. When you don't have anyone to talk to. . . or don't want anyone."
Catra got the sense that this particular topic may have been a bit important to Mara. Catra hummed to herself for a couple of seconds before speaking up.
"No, I hadn't. But if you think it'll help, I'll give it a try. Couldn't hurt, right?" Catra said with a gentle smile. Mara smiled to herself as she veered the sky-craft toward the forests below.
As they descended, Catra noticed a small hunched figure with white hair and pink skin. She was also holding a. . .broom? Mara landed before hopping off and walking towards the woman with a smile.
"Hey Razz, how are you?" Mara asked with a beaming smile.
"Adora dearie, I'm doing well. I see you've brought company. Have you come to help me bake another pie?" Razz asked as she started walking around the area, picking things up and putting them in her basket.
"Maybe later Razz. I wanted to ask you some questions. This is Catra. She's having some memory problems and she knows Adora and. . . Mara?" Mara said confused, unsure of how to address the wording.
"Ohhh, Catra. How is Mara? I can't wait for her to visit again. We need to bake a pie soon." Razz said without so much as sparing a glance at Catra.
Catra whispered to Mara as Razz walked back into the hut.
"You weren't kidding. This woman is strange. Why is she acting like she already knew who I was?" Catra asked with confusion. Mara merely shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm not sure, but she kind of acted like that with me too. But she didn't get my name right. Like I said, she calls me Adora." Mara said with a look that didn't inspire confidence.
"Hm, well let's go see if she can provide any answer about whatever is happening to me." Catra said, walking past Mara towards the hut.
As she went to move the drape that acted as the door, Razz came walking out with a pie. Catra quickly jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding a collision with the old woman. Catra watched her zigzag throughout the clearing, stopping and picking things up, or just simply setting things down.
Catra let out a growl of annoyance. This was not helping in the slightest. As she went to march towards the woman, Mara stepped in front of her putting her hands on Catra's shoulders.
"Let me talk to her, okay? I don't want you getting too irritated and passing out again." Mara said placatingly. Catra, with narrowed eyes, nodded after a moment.
"Fine." Catra said, taking a seat on a nearby rock. Mara smiled and walked towards Razz.
"Razz, Catra has lost most of her memories and we thought you might know something." Mara said. Razz squinted at Mara for a moment before shaking her head.
"Nope." And with that Razz turned and went back to collecting her ingredients.
"Well. . .This was a waste of time. Looks like we're cleaning bathrooms for the rest of the day. Come on Mara." Catra said flatly, already turned around and walking back towards the sky-craft.
"Catra, you can't just give up that easily." Mara said, exasperatedly.
"I totally can. Watch, it's easy," Catra cleared her throat, and straightened up, "Mara, I give up. See how easy that was? Let's go."
Mara rolled her eyes, before grabbing Catra's wrist. "Just give me a second, please. I'm sure Razz has some sort of idea. It just takes her a moment. Besides, you don't know how to operate the sky-craft."
Catra sighed before gesturing towards Razz. "Go on then."
Mara turned back towards Razz and started saying something. Catra tuned out whatever was being spoken between the two. She caught a whiff of something sweet and turned towards the hut. It smelled amazing and seeing as how Mara was talking to the weird woman at the moment, there was no reason she shouldn't investigate.
As she took a final look over her shoulder at Mara and Razz, she snuck into the hut. It was bigger than she thought it would be. There were vases of all kinds of things strewn around the room. She ignored the weirdness of the space in favor of the delicious smell coming from one of the rooms. As she maneuvered through the clutter, she saw it. There, on the window sill was a pie. She could see from the steam wafting off of it that it was freshly baked.
As she made her way to the pie, she extended the claw from her index finger and went to stab the pie. All of a sudden, she was hit in the back of the head from a broom. It wasn't necessarily a hard hit, more startling than anything. She quickly whipped around at the offending object raised to strike her again. Snaking a hand towards the broom, she yanked it out of the weird purple woman's hands.
"No, bad, bad!" Razz shouted, "No touching the pie until it's done."
Catra bared her teeth and let out a slight snarl. Even if she was trespassing, she didn't think she deserved to be hit in the back of the head with a broom. Mara had literally just said that she had memory problems and the first thing this woman does is to try and give her more of them?
"Woah, easy Catra. She didn't mean anything by it." Mara said calmly. Catra looked towards the woman before throwing the broom down to the side.
"Did you get what we needed from her? Because I'm losing my patience with her." Catra said with an irritated tone. Razz went to pick her broom up, muttering something about Adora.
"Yep, I got it. She told me a few things that pertain to your situation. We just-"
"Good, then let's get the hell out of here. I'm sick of crazy crones with brooms" Catra cut Mara off, stomping past her. Mara pursed her lips and let out a breath. She had been hoping that Catra would like Razz. Her earlier interaction with her told her that Catra liked etheria and its beauty. She was a fun person who Mara got along with surprisingly well and should have, by all accounts, gotten along with Razz.
"Sorry Razz, she's just going through a lot right now. I'm sure she doesn't mean it." Mara said apologetically. Razz waved her off as she cut a piece of pie and handed it to Mara.
"It's fine Adora dearie. She's just upset because Mara and her are having troubles. Once they start talking again, she will feel better. Here, give her this. It will help calm her down. Razz' pie helps." Razz said.
Mara gave a small smile and took the pie. "Thanks Razz, I'll tell her you said that. And I'll give her the pie."
As Mara left the hut, she noticed that the day was almost half over. The trip here had taken roughly three hours and wouldn't be any faster on the way back. She thought about Catra's behavior and how she had interacted earlier compared to now. Mara couldn't piece it together without knowing more about Catra, though what she had learned about Catra thus far was painting a picture that she didn't like.
The ride back was quiet, neither saying a word. Catra had taken the pie but hadn't said anything beyond a quiet thank you. About halfway through the ride, Mara slowed the sky-craft to a halt and swiveled around in her chair to face Catra.
"What? Why are we stopping?" Catra asked.
"I want to talk to you and this seems like the quietest spot I can think of. There's no one up here besides us." A moment of silence passed before Mara spoke, "So, want to talk about whatever that was?"
Catra looked to the side, remaining silent. Mara pursed her lips, before slightly bobbing her head, "So, does this have something to do with Adora then? Is that the reason you're pissed off?"
Catra gave a small glance at her before looking away from her.
"I'm just wondering, you know? Because you kind of flew off the rails back there. So what's the deal Catra? I'm trying to help you here and you're kind of spitting in my face here? What am I supposed to make of that?"
"You don't need to help me, alright? I can figure this out on my own." Catra said quietly.
"I'm She-Ra, Catra. It's kind of my job to help people. So tell me. Did you remember something?" Mara said.
Catra seemed to think about something before standing up and walking towards the edge of the sky-craft. As she looked over the railing at the scenery, she spoke up.
"It's Adora." Catra said with a huff.
"You've got to explain it to me, Catra. I can't understand what you're going through off of that." Mara said.
"She left, okay? I don't know why that is so irritating to me, but it is." Catra said, turning to look at Mara.
"According to her, I'm her bestest friend in the whole world. But I am in clear need of some help and she runs off with these two people she, apparently, just met to some magical castle. I don't even remember her besides a few memories which I just got back. So why does it bother me so much? Why am I so angry? So go on. Help me She-Ra" Catra said in a nasty tone.
Mara leaned back in her chair. "I'm not sure how this Adora person thinks or what her exact relationship with you is and it's clear to me that you don't either. What I do know is that this feeling you're having. . .it extends to more than this single moment."
"What do you mean?" Catra asked, some of her hostility fading from her voice.
"I mean this most likely has something to do with your memory loss. These feelings are there from something else and it's kind of subconscious. My advice to you is to get those shards. When you touched one you got some of your memories back right?"
Catra stopped for a moment to think about that. She had touched the shard and experimented with it a bit. After she had woken up, she had received a few flashbacks along with her anger. In fact, she wasn't really upset about Adora leaving until after she had fiddled with the shard. Specifically before dinner with Angella. She realized Mara was right. When she had remembered something without the shard, it had sent her into a panic attack. But with the shard it had been natural.
Catra's eyes slightly widened, "You're right. The shards are the key. I think my memories are in the shards. How did you even come to that conclusion?"
"It seemed obvious. To me at least." Mara quickly added the last part.
Mara was getting a grasp on Catra's character here. Unfortunately, Mara was realizing her earlier thoughts on Catra seemed more and more likely. The anger towards Adora, the flashbacks of Marching, the militaristic upbringing, and most recently Catra was irrationally angry at Adora for leaving. It all pointed to something Mara wasn't quite comfortable with. She needed more to go off of. It was best not to make an assumption just yet.
"Earlier, you said that you had more shards? Do you use them for anything?" Catra asked, breaking Mara out of her thoughts.
"Actually, now that I think about it, not really? All of their power went into making the sword. Nowadays they're just pretty paper weights. Although we have around five of them in a vault back on base. If these things will give you your memories back then I'll get them for you. Nobody even uses them for anything."
Mara swiveled back around and started to fly forward again. As Catra sat back in her seat, she thought about what Mara had said. For some reason, she could talk to Mara without being so angry. Ever since she woke up, everyone had judged her. But not Mara. She never once got one of those looks from her.
"Sorry." Catra said quietly.
"That sounded physically painful to say." Mara said teasingly. Catra chuckled to herself and then went quiet.
"I mean it. I'm sorry. You've been nothing but helpful and kind and I keep lashing out. You haven't judged me once. So thank you for that." Catra said.
"Well, like I said earlier. We're friends. You look out for me and I look out for you. Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other" Adora said.
"You promise?" Catra asked in a small voice.
"I promise." Adora said with a smile.
"What?" Catra asked out loud.
"I said we're almost there. You alright? You kind of spaced out there for a second." Mara asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Catra said blankly.
As Mara piloted the craft down to the hangar, Catra noticed the woman Mara had been speaking to earlier in the morning. Serenia, she recalled. She wore a scowl, while crossing her arms and tapping her foot. All in all, not a good sight for Mara.
As soon as the sky-craft was docked and shut down, Serenia wasted no time in marching up to Mara as she dismounted the vehicle.
"Where in the hell have you been? I said one hour at the latest. It has been six. The Admiral is pissed off and I am now getting my ass chewed out. What the hell Mara?" Serenia exclaimed loudly, pointing at a large building. Before Mara could utter a response, Catra spoke up.
"Yeesh, you want to talk louder, I don't think the base heard you." Catra said dismissively, jumping down beside Mara.
"I see you woke up and are fine. Good, that means you don't need to keep bothering Mara. Beat it." Serenia said, seething.
"Mmmmm, no. I think I like bothering Mara. And besides, I promised to help her clean a bathroom if she had to. On that topic, come on Mara. Let's go talk to this Admiral. Better late than never." Catra said, completely ignoring Serenia by this point.
"It's too late for that. He already took care of the problem that he needed Mara for. So believe me when I say this. You. Will. Make those floors. Shine." Serenia said with clenched teeth.
Catra let out a snort, cutting off Mara once more. "So what exactly was it that he needed Mara for? I'm quite curious."
"Why don't you go ask him when you're done cleaning. I'm going to go try and calm him down." Serenia said, storming off.
Catra looked at Mara. Her head was hung low with clenched fists. Catra didn't know why but that look seemed eerily familiar and not in a good way. Before Mara could even go to say something, Catra let out a laugh. Mara raised her head to look at Catra, the tension in her body loosening somewhat.
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Come on, let's go see this admiral now." Catra said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the large building that Serenia had pointed at.
"Catra, wait. We can't just go to him. If I give it a bit of time, he'll most likely calm down enough that I can talk with him. Let's go clean the bathrooms first." Mara said with a defeated tone. Catra hummed at that. She didn't like the tone Mara was giving.
Mara was normally quite confident and sure in her movements. Here, she seemed so small. Catra narrowed her eyes, thinking about what she was feeling. She was sure of it. This feeling was too familiar to her and it wasn't a good one either. Catra took a breath and looked Mara directly in the eye.
"No, he can talk to us now. I'm not going to wait because he wants to throw a fit like a child. He's an Admiral, he should act like it. And you. You're She-Ra aren't you? I'm not sure what that is, but from what I can gather that means you have a lot of power, right?" Catra exclaimed.
"Yeah, I am very powerful as She-Ra. But that also means I have to do my-" Mara went to finish before being cut off.
"It means you don't have to take shit from anyone. If you really have that much power, then you don't need to scrub some floors because somebody's feelings got hurt." Catra said, throwing her hands up.
"I am still a member of GreySkull, Catra. Even if I'm She-Ra, it doesn't mean I'm exempt from responsibility. I broke the rules and now I have to accept the punishment." Mara said in a defeated tone.
"Not while you hold that sword." Catra said with an icy tone. Mara froze at that. She wasn't sure why that seemed to strike her at her core, but it did. Before she could say anything, Catra had already turned to walk towards the building.
"Are you coming with me or not? Serenia waited all day. Her little bathroom break can wait one more hour." Catra called over her shoulder. Mara shook her head, letting out a noise of annoyance.
"Wait for me." Mara said, walking after her. Catra gave a smirk.
"Cool, glad you're coming. Now which way is it to this guy, because my plan was to start kicking doors in." Catra said sheepishly. Mara rolled her eyes and took the lead.
"Come on."
As they walked through the building, she took notice of the people around her. Some looked like soldiers, others looked like standard civilians. It was bizarre in the fact that she could see some sort of militant infrastructure woven through the residents. She doubted she would have seen it had she not had some small semblance of her Horde memories back.
As they neared a decorated door, Catra could hear yelling. There were several people standing at the side of the door that saluted Mara as she approached. Their stances relaxed as she nodded at them. Mara took a breath before reaching towards the door switch. Suddenly the door and Serenia came out of the room. Catra couldn't get a glimpse at the woman, but she swore she was on the verge of crying. As Catra went to speak to her, what looked like a tablet of sorts hit her in the back of the head.
"And go get Mara for fuck's sake. I don't know why I have to deal with this shit. I needed her over five hours ago. Do your damn job Captain Serenia!" A man's voice yelled from inside the room.
Catra looked at Serenia as she leaned against the wall, blood leaking from the back of her head as she held a hand over it. Fury filled Catra's veins. She walked up to Serenia and leaned down to pick the tablet up. Serenia looked at Catra, confusion written on her face. Mara, seeing what Catra was about to do, was a second too late to stop her.
"Catra, don't!" Mara cried.
At the words, the Admiral turned towards the voice as Catra reared her arm back, took a step forward, and put her whole body behind the throw as she hurled the broken tablet into the man's face. The man's nose erupted into blood as he stumbled back into his desk. The sickening crunch told everyone present that Catra had most definitely broken his nose. As he held his face, he looked up and glared at Catra with rage.
"Thought you might want that back," Catra's tone thick with rage, "By the way, Mara's here if you wanted to order her around that badly. Me on the other hand. . .I have no problem telling you how it is."
As he pushed himself up, the guards at the door were unsure of what to do. On one hand, this unknown woman marched into their base and assaulted the Admiral. On the other, she was currently standing beside Mara, who had made no move to restrain her. They looked at the Admiral questioningly, unsure of how to proceed.
With narrowed eyes, the man straightened up and his hand began to glow. Within seconds his nose was healed, the only indicator of his previous injury being the blood on his face. As he took in the sight of Catra, he noticed that Serenia was bleeding profusely from the back of her head. Sighing, his visage softened as he strode past Catra up to Serenia.
"I apologize Serenia. I did not mean to hit you with that. It was not my intent." He said in a remorseful tone as his hand hovered over Serenia's injury, glowing.
"What did you mean to hit then? The wall? That throw was a little too accurate for an accident." Catra said in a skeptical tone. The Admiral looked back at her as he lowered his hand.
"I don't particularly care what you believe. As far as I'm concerned, the unconscious girl that Mara brought back is now in good enough health to throw things. She may leave now." The Admiral said in a commanding tone, leaving no room for argument.
"Oh yeah? You wanna see what else I can throw at-" Catra was cut off by Mara before she could continue.
"Catra!" Mara said firmly. Catra turned in disbelief.
"You're taking this asshole's side? What the hell Mara. He just busted your friend's head open." Catra said, throwing her arms up.
"I understand that. But you just broke his nose. I'd say that's fair." Mara said, trying to diffuse the tense situation.
"It's not about being fair, it's about getting even. I don't like Serenia very much, but that doesn't give him the right to throw shit at her like he's a fucking child who got his toy taken away." Catra exclaimed, defending her stance fiercely.
"Why, you little-" The Admiral went to speak before being cut off by Mara, who by this point had had enough.
"ENOUGH!" Mara declared, her sword glowing as she slammed it into the floor. The air had turned thick at her declaration. The guards shifted nervously, knowing that an angry Mara wasn't good for anyone's health.
"What did you want, Admiral Stratos? Speak fast as I'm quickly losing my patience." Mara said coolly. The now named Admiral took a deep breath. He had seen first hand how dangerous Mara could be and regardless of his position, there wasn't much anyone could do to stop her if she chose violence.
"Guards, close the doors and let no one enter. Serenia, step in here." The guards nodded and ushered Serenia into the room before stepping out.
"A report from Eternia came through. Apparently an unknown force has approached our planet. Their leader calls himself Prime. According to my records, I've been able to piece together that this 'Prime' has been opposing us for several years now and the knowledge has been kept from us," Stratos sighed before continuing, "The higher ups are sending several fleets to assist in the harvesting of the magic. We are apparently going too slow for their liking.
"Listen closely. She-Ra is the most powerful force in the universe. It is to my understanding that we are currently enroute to a war. I'm not sure of anything at the moment. . .but all signs point to an unavoidable conflict. We need you focused, Mara." Stratos turned and walked back to his desk, taking a seat. By this point, everyone's faces had gone white. Catra was unsure of what this meant. To her knowledge, the war had been going on for years now. Or so Angella had made it seem.
"Wait, what? I'm confused. Of course there's a war. Ever since I woke up, everyone has been talking about it." Catra turned to look at Mara, "I think I even told you about that back at the tavern."
"Explain. What do you mean by 'woke up?'" Stratos said. Catra shifted in place, a bit uncomfortable with everyone's focus on her.
"I woke up roughly two days ago with no memory of myself or identity. When I went to talk to the locals, they attacked me. They claimed I was an enemy soldier and detained me. Shortly after I fell unconscious. When I came to, a woman named Angela claimed I was a soldier for the opposite side of the war. Apparently Etheria has been in a war for years. How don't you know this?" Catra asked, confused.
Admiral Stratos narrowed his eyes before looking her in the eyes. "What are the opposing sides and who is this 'Angella?' Is she a commander?"
"She's the queen of Brightmoon?" Catra said.
"I have met the queen of Brightmoon and her name is not Angella." Stratos said. "Hmmm, I'm coming to a theory that I don't particularly like." He muttered to himself.
"As to your other question, they're called the Rebellion and the Horde. The opposing sides I mean." Catra finished, taking a step towards Mara.
"The Horde, you say?" Stratos asked softly. Catra only nodded once, his voice sending shivers down her spine. Catra was immediately on edge. Admiral Stratos looked away for a second, fiddling with something on his desk.
To everyone else in the room, the man had simply picked something up out of view, but not to Catra. Her enhanced senses had heard it. He had pushed several buttons and she could hear a frequency emitting from Serenia and Mara's belts. She also noticed it from the guards behind her. Her ear twitched, picking up the sounds of footsteps coming down the halls, the crackling of energy and smells of burning ozone hit her senses.
As the door behind her clicked open, the sounds and smells of the weapons were now prevalent. As the Admiral turned around, she noticed two things. One, he was holding a glowing device that resembled a gun too much for her liking and two, Serenia was now holding an object that resembled a shock baton.
Before anyone could make another move, Catra moved faster than anyone could react. Her bad feeling was proven right as Serenia had raised the baton, Stratos had his weapon leveled at Catra's positioning, and several guards brandishing weapons flooded the room.
She hoped that Mara would forgive her for this, but at the current moment Catra was more concerned with her own safety. Catra had maneuvered behind Mara, unsheathing her claws and putting them at her throat while, simultaneously, kicking the sword away. It didn't go unnoticed to her that Mara hadn't made a single move to resist.
"Seize her NOW!" The Admiral commanded in a harsh tone. At the same time, Serenia had shouted at Catra to let Mara go.
"STAND DOWN!" A voice shouted. Catra stood up straight, letting Mara go, almost like reflex. Everyone immediately lowered their weapons except for Stratos. As the soldiers parted to make way for the newcomer, Catra took in the appearance of the man. He was about seven feet tall and had sharp features. His very presence commanded respect. He had blue eyes and long shoulder length black hair. Overall, he was an intimidating presence, easily dwarfing herself.
"Fleet Admiral Kai, this woman is-" Stratos went to speak before being cut off.
"I heard everything. And yes, you are probably right. Girl, what did you say your name was?" The man, now named Kai, spoke. Catra, staying behind Mara, spoke up.
"It's Catra. . .sir." Catra said, adding the last part out of respect. She wasn't sure why, but this man seemed familiar. Everything from his voice to his looks. It all screamed something at her that she couldn't place. Catra was reminded how much amnesia sucks.
"Well Catra, if you would please step out into the open so that I may see you, you have my word that no harm will come to you." Kai said. Catra looked at Mara, hoping for some semblance of help, hoping she hadn't just ruined her friendship. To Catra's surprise, Mara had no resentment or anger on her face. In fact, she seemed almost encouraging.
Catra looked at everyone in the room before swallowing her nervousness. Every fiber of her being was telling her this was a bad idea. Unfortunately, she was in no place to argue. Taking a cautious step forward, she looked up at the man.
"Tell me something Catra. . . have you come to the conclusion about where you are? I have a feeling you have." Kai said patiently.
Catra had thought about it, but had thrown her thoughts to the wind. Her theory was completely ridiculous, yet it made the most sense. She needed to see the night sky for confirmation.
"I. . .think so. Why? Do you know what my situation is? How I lost my memories?" Catra questioned the man.
He shook his head, "No, while that part is a mystery to me, I believe I know how you came to meet our Mara. In fact, I'd imagine she has also figured it out. Care to share, Mara?"
Catra turned to look at her, wondering if her friend had drawn the same conclusion. "Catra, I think that you're from the future."
Catra, on her part, stayed silent before letting out a chuckle, "Oh man, it sounds even stupider when someone says it out loud."
"So you have thought about it?" Mara asked curiously.
Catra nodded, "Yeah, I thought about it when I looked at your sword this morning. It sounded dumb in my head, so I dismissed it. But after what this guy said about you guys and a war, well. . .let's just say I'm coming around."
"Wait, wait, wait. Time travel? Are you serious?" Serenia said aloud, "Do you all realize how dumb you sound you sound, no offense Fleet Admiral Kai. Admiral Stratos, help me talk some sense into them."
Stratos sighed as he put his weapon back into its holster, "I'm sorry Serenia, but that is what I came to as well."
"Then why the hell did you try and kill me just now?" Catra exclaimed.
"I wasn't going to kill you. It was simply a stun blaster. It may have been very painful, but you would have been fine." Stratos turned towards Kai, "She is part of Prime's army. You heard her. This Etherian rebellion has been engaged in a war for years with an army calling itself the Horde. We must take action."
"What I see is an amnesiac girl that is going through something that I couldn't imagine. That is to say if she's even from the future. We aren't monsters Stratos, don't start acting like the enemy." Kai said firmly, but not unkindly.
Catra got the feeling that this guy was probably well liked among his peers. As she went to ask another question regarding her situation, Serenia spoke up first.
"Wait a second. I saw Mara bring her in here. She paced the whole night beside this girl. She didn't go anywhere. So, praytell, when did you meet this Angella woman, hmm? Mara was talking about how she helped you when you were in your coma. It's not adding up."
"That's. . .huh, that's actually a good question," Mara said, thinking about it before turning towards Catra, "Earlier you said that you were with Adora for roughly fifteen hours. That's about how long you were unconscious for. If you really are time traveling, how is that possible? Wouldn't that be some sort of paradox, or something?"
"Time travel doesn't work that way"
"Actually, that's not how time travel works." Catra and Stratos said at the same time.
"What do you mean it doesn't work that way?" Mara asked. Catra shrugged.
"I imagine you're probably thinking that if you go back in time, you can kill your parents and then you aren't born right?"
"That's exactly how time travel works." Serenia said as Mara voiced her agreement.
"Well, think about it this way. If you did that, now you don't exist. So now you never went back in time and killed your parents and because of that you were born. That type of time travel is completely wrong. It's a recipe for paradoxical disaster." Catra explained.
Stratos nodded, "Exactly. Real time travel will have you going to a parallel timeline at the time and date you're aiming for. In Catra's case, I would imagine she isn't from this timeline. Although magic probably complicated things quite a bit."
"So the book series 'Tom's Timely Escapades' is a bunch of bullshit?" Catra heard a guard mutter from the back of the room.
"Well said. That is most definitely what has happened with Catra." Kai said. Turning to Catra, Kai looked her in the eye, "Catra, I do not know you nor do I have any inclination to trust you. Mara here has vouched for you and I hold her opinion in a very high regard. Right now, Eternia is engaged in a war with a being that calls himself Horde Prime. Do you know anything pertaining to that name? Anything would be helpful?"
Catra looked at Mara before looking at everyone else. She sighed, "I'm sorry, but no. Maybe I did at one point, but as I said before. I've lost my memories."
"That's unfortunate, maybe we can-" Kai went to say before Mara cut him off.
"What about the Shards, Catra. You said when you touched one, your memories came back right? We have some in the vault." Mara said.
"The ore? It's useless. All of its power went into making your sword." Stratos said.
"Hmm, if it can even restore some of your memories then it's worth a shot. Stratos, walk with me. Half of you, guard this room and let no one enter or leave besides Mara and Serenia, the other half with me. Stratos and I will return with the ore we have on hand. Mara, stay here with Catra." Kai commanded.
"But the ore is all the way over in the Arxia outpost. That's a 5 hour trip by sky-craft." Mara said. Kai nodded as he looked at her.
"Precisely. It's for that reason I need you to stay here with Catra. Meals will be brought to you as you wait and there is a bathroom on the side of the room." Kai said as he nodded.
As Stratos made his way out the door with the soldiers in tow, Kai turned around and looked at Catra, "Catra, I know this may seem like you are a prisoner here, but be aware that you are not. Right now, we are in a unique position to help each other and if you do right by Eternia, we will do right by you. This is for your protection."
Serenia and Mara watched everyone leave out the door as the guards set up a defensive position outside. As the last soldier left the room and the doors closed, Mara immediately turned towards Catra.
"Well that was something, huh?"
"I think I just lost a couple years off my life just now. Who was that guy?" Catra asked, breathing a sigh of relief.
"That is Fleet Captain Kai. He holds the highest rank of our complete military. Nothing gets done without him knowing about it. He is the boss." Serenia said, her tone full of admiration.
"Huh, well ignoring that for a second. Are you okay?" Catra asked with concern. Serenia waved her off.
"Yeah, his healing magic is pretty on point. I don't even have a scratch on me."
"I don't care if he can heal you. That wasn't right." Catra said in irritation.
"Hey, listen. Thanks for the concern, but he really didn't mean to do that. He doesn't have a record of assaulting people. I'm inclined to believe that it really was an accident. Really, I'm okay" Serenia said gently.
Catra looked her up and down before slowly nodding, "If you say so Serenia."
"Well, I'm gonna go stand guard. Just try and relax Catra. Oh and sorry about trying to hit you with the electric baton. No hard feelings." Serenia said as she exited the room.
As Catra sat there with Mara in silence, Catra swiftly turned towards Mara, "Mara I am so sorry. I didn't know what else to do besides grabbing you and then he had a weapon-"
"It's fine Catra. I knew you wouldn't actually do anything to me. Besides, that was probably the safest thing to do in your position." Mara chuckled.
"That still doesn't make it okay!" Catra exclaimed. Mara waved her off.
"Don't worry about it. Now, I want to ask you something. Have you figured out how you keep waking up beside Adora? I don't want you fainting in the middle of something important." Mara asked. Catra huffed at Mara's dismissal of her apology but switched her focus on the question.
"Actually, I might have some sort of idea on that." Catra said as she stood up. She looked around the room before seeing a couch on the side of the room. "One second."
As Catra went to pull the couch towards the side of the room they were all standing by, she realized that the couch was a little too heavy for her. As she pulled it inch by inch, she noticed it suddenly started moving with ease.
"Looked like you needed some help." Mara said, a little bit of smugness in her tone.
"I had it handled." Catra said defensively.
"Sure you did." Mara said teasingly. Catra felt irritation and anger flare up in her gut before pushing it down. She wasn't sure what caused that but Mara wasn't being malicious, just teasing. Catra shook her head, emptying those feelings.
"Alright, what did we need the couch for?" Mara asked. Catra immediately jumped over the back and layed down on it. Mara slumped and gave her a look that said, 'really Catra?'
"What, don't give me that look. Do you want me to risk fainting on my feet? Now then, right before I woke up here, I had been thinking of. . .you. My hypothesis is that if I think of Adora or someone else from then, I'll wake up over there." Catra said. Mara giggled as Catra explained.
"What's so funny?" Catra said defensively.
"Nothing, it's just. . .you've never talked all sciency like that before. My hypothesis. It's kind of humorous is all." Mara said.
"Huh, now that you mention it, I have never talked that way. In fact, I'm surprised I knew anything about time travel. Must be something to do with Earth. Regardless, I'm going to try and switch. If I'm waiting ten hours or so then that is a good attempt. I've also noticed that it was late morning here when I woke up, but at the time I switched, it was approaching midnight. If I am right then when I wake up over there it should be early morning, as the sun should be setting right now. Now, let's see if I can figure this out." Catra explained.
Catra's thoughts turned towards Adora as she closed her eyes. She thought of her dark blonde hair and fair skin, the way the light had hit her face just right when she had smiled. Her weird ponytail and gray-blue eyes. She thought of how her laugh sounded. Her face when she was concerned and how beautiful she was.
As her thoughts became more and more enamored with Adora, she felt something familiar flow through her body. It felt almost comforting. She thought she heard Mara say it was working, or something to that effect somewhere in the background. Her thoughts on Adora shifted towards the wall of water and her reflection and how it had felt when she had crossed the barrier. Then she felt it flowing through her once more. The same energy that had coursed through her veins. But, while it was exciting and exhilarating, it didn't have the same effect on her as when she did it with the shard in front of her.
Suddenly the feeling was gone as quick as it came. She immediately shifted her thoughts back to Adora, thinking she had messed up along the way. It had started to work, which meant she had lost focus when thinking about the feeling of energy. Taking a deep breath, she centered herself and focused her full attention. Something was off though, it was no longer working and when she felt a hand on her shoulder gently shake her, she let out a sigh.
"Mara, why'd you do that. It was working." Catra said, keeping her eyes clenched shut in concentration. "This time, don't speak. I think I figured it out."
"Catra, are you alright." A gentle voice asked, filled with concern. A voice that was clearly not Mara's.
Catra immediately opened her eyes. In front of her was Angella. She immediately sat up and looked around the room. She was back in Adora's room in the castle. She stood up and looked herself up and down. Her clothes were what she had been wearing at the dinner.
"Catra, answer me. Are you alright?" Angella asked.
"Yeah. . .yeah, I'm fine. I think I just figured out where Mara is." Catra said slowly as a smile slowly crawled its way onto her face.
"Have you now? Well explain. You've been unconscious for-"
"Nine hours, right?" Catra said, interrupting her. Angella's face was one of confusion and slight caution.
"Yes. . .How did you know that?" Angella asked slowly.
"It's a long story. But let's get something to eat. I'll explain it then. Come on." Catra said, jumping out of the bed and walking to the door, a grin present on her face.
"Ugh, I need a drink." Angella said as she followed the girl.
Sorry for the long wait, I've been fleshing this all out on notes and rough drafts. But expect at least one chapter a month, with each close to 10,000 words.
