Chapter 163: The Clones Question Part 3
Outside PT-9621 System, May 1st, 2000 (Earth Time)
"We have made contact with you so we can find out what your intentions are, Commander."
While Adora spoke to the 'Commander of the Horde', Jack O'Neill studied his image on the screen to the side, out of the field of view of the camera. It wouldn't do to let those clones know that Etheria and Hordak were working with Earth. Honesty was all good and well, but you didn't have to be stupid about it.
And Catra had been correct - the clothes of this 'Commander' showed signs of something heavy he had been wearing on his shoulders. Though it wasn't a backpack. The position wasn't right for that. Unless it was some weird alien-style backpack - but the bodies of clones were so close to humans, that would have had to be a rather inconvenient setup for them. And while Jack had never met Horde Prime himself, his impression was that the megalomaniac wouldn't have settled for anything short of perfect for his clones.
On the other hand, the outfits weren't exactly practical.
"You wish to know our intentions?" The Clone Commander - Jack made a note to sneak in a G.I. Joe reference sometime - sounded suspicious.
Adora, though, merely smiled widely. "Yes. You're fighting the Goa'uld, after all."
"You know about them?"
Definitely suspicious. Although… should he have expected that, since they were meeting in a system that was, if not a frontline system, as far as you could have a frontline in space, so very close to it?
"We're First Fleet," Hordak spoke up. "We are aware of many things Horde Prime did keep from other fleets."
"You claim to be First Fleet. I do not see the Velvet Glove with you. And I do not recognise you."
"He must know that Horde Prime is dead," Daniel commented on the obvious in a low voice. "He didn't ask about him."
"The Velvet Glove was lost when Horde Prime died," Hordak said. "As were many ships. But we have rebuilt, and now we are stronger than before."
The Commander stared at him, and Jack caught the hint of a sneer on his face. "How did Horde Prime die?"
"He attacked me and my friends," Adora cut in. "He tried to conquer us, and we defeated him."
"Who are you?"
"I am She-Ra, Princess of Power. Protector of Etheria," Adora replied.
Glimmer scoffed. "He's rude to make her repeat herself."
The Commander's eyes flicked to the side, staring at Hordak. "And you follow her?"
Hordak slowly inclined his head. "Horde Prime tried to erase me. He failed."
The Commander nodded. "He was not fit to lead us."
Jack wasn't the only one to be surprised - he heard a couple of gasps so loud, the microphones on the bridge would have picked them up if not for the filtering software Carter had installed.
"None of the other fleets we found rejected Horde Prime like that," Daniel whispered.
"If they rejected Horde Prime and are fighting the Goa'uld…" Glimmer trailed off, but her hopeful tone clearly showed what she was thinking.
"The enemy of my enemy is the enemy of my enemy," Jack muttered. Those were the same guys who had wiped out entire worlds and species for their leader. And unlike the clones in the Alliance, they hadn't seen Horde Prime fall and then were welcomed by the princesses and turned into allies.
"Yes. He was cruel, arrogant and treated you like tools," Adora said, nodding firmly. "You deserve better than that. Everyone does."
"So, what are your goals here?" Hordak asked. "Why are you fighting the Goa'uld?"
"You ask about our goals, yet hide your own."
"We have been rebuilding our numbers, and now we're working to restore what was lost in the war," Hordak said.
Like magic, Jack thought, clenching his teeth for a moment.
"We're looking for allies," Adora added. "And for threats to us."
"And do you think we are such a threat?"
"That depends on your intentions - and on your reason to fight the Goa'uld," Adora replied.
Well, that was obvious to anyone, in Jack's opinion.
"We are fighting the Goa'uld System Lords because they are unworthy leaders like Horde Prime."
"And who is your leader?" Adora asked.
"I lead the Horde."
Jack frowned. That was…
"He's evasive," Daniel said.
"Does that mean you claim power over all Horde remnants?" Hordak asked.
"That depends on your intentions." The Commander's lips twisted into a brief smile.
Smug bastard, Jack thought.
"You know our intentions," Hordak retorted. He made a point to look at Adora. "We follow She-Ra. She has proven to be a leader worthy of respect. Someone who cares and protects her people. And she has defeated Horde Prime in single combat."
Jack winced. That was throwing down the gauntlet - all that was missing was a direct challenge.
"I see." The Commander stared at her. "Are you a First One?"
Adora suppressed a wince. That was a difficult question. She didn't want to lie - omitting the truth was bad enough already - but the Alliance had gone to great lengths to make Apophis think that Hordak was fighting the First Ones and their descendants. And since this fleet was fighting the Goa'uld, what were the odds that they were aware of that bit of intel? Or that they would become aware of it?
So she smiled and said: "I was born a First One but was taken as a baby from them and raised in the Horde under Hordak."
For the first time, the Commander seemed obviously surprised. "What? You were raised in the Horde? By Hordak? Who follows you now? A First One?"
Ah… Adora saw Catra shake her head outside the camera's field of view.
"There were no First Ones left except me," Adora said. "They tried to destroy our world, Etheria."
"I was stranded on Etheria decades ago," Hordak said. "I gathered what forces and resources I could to conquer the world - for Horde Prime. And yet, when I was returned to the fold, I was judged a mistake to be fixed."
"And we took him in," Adora said. "We protect our world from any threat, whether it might be the Horde or the First Ones." She stared at the Commander.
He inclined his head in return. "And you wish to know if we are such a threat."
"As we told you already." Adora resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. And ignored that Catra did roll hers.
"You defeated Horde Prime - or so you claim - and then took over First Fleet. Are you here to attempt to take us over as well?"
"We are not here to take over anyone," Adora explained, clenching her teeth for a moment. Why did people always assume the worst of her and her friends? "We did not take over the Horde either. We welcomed them as new allies whom Horde Prime had hurt as much as he had hurt us, even if many had not realised it before he was finally defeated." The clones might not have had the same chips Catra and the others had suffered from, but they had been as tightly controlled, bound to Horde Prime's whims.
"So, you claim you are a worthy leader," the Commander said after a moment.
"Yes." Adora nodded firmly. She wasn't perfect, but she tried her best. And that had to count for something. There were certainly many worse leaders.
"Yes, she has proven her mettle," Hordak agreed.
Adora managed not to glance at him in response. He could just be playing his role, but… Later. "People follow us out of their own free will." In some cases even against her wishes. "We're here to check up on you, nothing more. We are not here to recruit you."
"So you claim."
"What can we do to prove that to you?" Adora asked. That was the heart of the matter.
"A demonstration of the power with which you defeated Horde Prime to prove that claim," he replied at once.
That would be… difficult. She couldn't exactly replicate the circumstances of Horde Prime's defeat. She could restore a planet's magic and use the power for an impressive display of magic, though.
She noticed that Catra was glaring at her and mouthing 'no'. But this was an opportunity to convince the Commander that they were speaking the truth about Horde Prime. "Pick a planet nearby, and I can show you my power." She blinked and quickly added: "I will not destroy it or render it uninhabitable."
The Commander looked at her for a moment - was he surprised by her accepting his offer - or challenge? Then he nodded. "As you wish. I shall contact you with a suitable location soon."
The connection cut, and the screen turned black.
Adora sighed, smiling. "That went well." Better than she had feared.
"So, we're showing off magic to them?" Jack asked.
"Apophis and anyone with spies in his court already know about magic after the battle in front of his palace," Hordak retorted.
"Not the point. But what if this is a trap? We're giving them time to mass more ships," Catra said.
"We also have time to prepare," Glimmer retorted. "And Adora can turn their ships into plants if she has to."
"Ah…" Adora wasn't sure she could do that with the magic of a single planet. And she hadn't really planned to do it, back then.
"Guys!" Daniel spoke up before she could explain that. "About the clone's clothes…"
As everyone turned to look at him, Sha're took a step forward. "Those marks fit what an Usekh leaves if you wear it constantly over the same clothes."
Adora frowned. Usekh?
"That's the ornamental collar many Goa'uld and Jaffa wear," Daniel said.
"Indeed."
Oh…
Marks from an ornamental collar? Samantha Carter was not an expert on Goa'uld fashion. She was a physicist, not an anthropologist. But Sha're had years of experience living as a host, and Teal'c had spent decades in Apophis's service. She trusted them.
"If this fleet is under a System Lord's command, and if Apophis has a spy at their court, then She-Ra being allied with First Fleet will have revealed our ruse about the Horde fighting Earth," Hordak said.
"If Apophis had spies who knew about the Horde fleet here, I think we would have heard about it already - it's a threat he wouldn't ignore, and he would inform the other System Lords about it," Catra retorted.
"Of course, the clones here following a Goa'uld is merely a hypothesis. There are other possible explanations for those marks," Daniel said. "And many cultures had similar ornamental collars."
Sam could tell that he did believe Sha're's guess - and Teal'c's - was correct, though. She did as well.
As did the General. He nodded. "If those clones are working for the snakes, then having our ruse revealed is the least of our problems…"
Sam nodded. Goa'uld with access to Horde technology were a much more dangerous enemy. Combined with the resources of their Empire…
"We don't know that," Daniel repeated himself. "Even if the Commander has been wearing an Usekh, it doesn't mean he's following a Goa'uld - he could have looted such a collar and worn it as a trophy."
"He was trying to hide it from us, though," the General pointed out.
"He had no information about us. If First Fleet had stayed true to Horde Prime's ideal, wearing such clothes could be seen as corruption by them," Daniel said.
"Horde Prime definitely wouldn't have tolerated that amongst his clones," Hordak said. "He had clones disposed of for much smaller divergences from his chosen template."
He knew from personal experience, Sam reminded herself.
"At least we know he's not a host. We do know that, right?" The General looked at her.
"Clones, like the Asgard from which they are descended, reject the symbionts," Sam confirmed. "Trying to possess one would be fatal over time."
"And he has no mark on his forehead," the General went on. "So, he's not a First Prime."
"He might not have yet served loyally long enough to have earned that reward," Teal'c said.
Sam knew that that didn't mean the Commander wasn't as fanatically loyal, though. Priest and his followers were the best example. And new converts were, usually, more fanatical than older members of a religion.
"If the fleet's serving a System Lord, it would explain why they're looting and salvaging Goa'uld resources and ships," Catra said. "They would have Jaffa serving him who can use the loot."
"Yes." Sha're nodded. "And turning a Horde Fleet on their rival System Lords would allow them to hide their actions and avoid retribution. They might even plan to use this 'threat' to form an alliance with their rivals only to betray them at the most opportune moment."
"But who could be doing this?" Glimmer asked. "It can't be Apophis or he would have sent the Horde against his rivals - and against us."
"Every System Lord would do this if they could," Sha're said. "And any of their underlings would defect in a heartbeat and try to take over themselves if they managed to take over a Horde Fleet."
"They would have become one of the most powerful Goa'uld at once," Teal'c said. "Though they would also drive the others to unite against them, should they be exposed."
Adora shook her head. "If they're following a Goa'uld System in the first place - we don't know that for sure."
"I think we can safely dismiss the claim that they're fighting the snakes because they hate such leaders," the General said. "The Commander was far too shifty to be an idealist."
"The other clones might be, though. It wouldn't be the first time that a leader is manipulating their followers by using their beliefs and claiming to share them," Daniel retorted.
"The False Gods have been using that ploy for thousands of years," Teal'c said. "Although they would not tolerate such cynicism from their warriors."
"They do expect it from the Goa'uld serving them," Sha're retorted.
"And some of the snakes might buy into their own lies," the General commented. "They're certainly arrogant enough to think they're gods."
"Can we convert them?" Bow asked. "Like Priest converted?"
Adora looked torn, Sam noted. But others nodded.
"Seeing She-Ra's power would impress anyone," Glimmer said. "We know some of the most loyal Jaffa have converted after seeing her."
"And after fighting her," Catra added.
"It is worth a try," Hordak agreed. "Unlike the Goa'uld, Adora does not need to fake her powers with technology. Nor does she rely on blind faith without any supporting evidence like Earth religions."
That wasn't entirely correct, as far as Sam understood things - she hadn't done any actual research into the matter, but the reports of spirits manifesting on Earth following the return of magic had an influence on religions that worshipped such spirits. Like Shinto. Though Daniel expected at least some established religions, even monotheistic ones, to adapt their dogma as well, or so he had said a bit ago.
But this wasn't the time to discuss religion. Not that she wanted to discuss religion at any time if she could help it.
Glimmer nodded. "Should we call in Priest then? He can use the Stargate to join us."
"We need reinforcements as well. First Fleet is the closest, but we probably can't stall long enough for them to reach us before the demonstration," Catra said, frowning at Adora. "So, we also need to plan how to handle the Commander betraying us."
She seemed quite sure that such an attempt would be made, Sam noted. And she wasn't the only one. The General and Hordak agreed as well.
And Sam couldn't disagree. Not with the information they had.
Outside PT-9497 System, May 2nd, 2000 (Earth Time)
Catra had to hand it to the Commander (whom she really had to give a nickname or something; "Commander" sounded far too pretentious to her): He had picked this system well. It was close enough to reach it in a few hours in a Horde ship, but further away from former Horde space than the system in which they made contact. That meant the rest of First Fleet couldn't reach them in time for the 'demonstration'.
Not only that, but, as their scanners and spreading spy bots showed, the other fleet had had additional forces close enough to reach the system, which meant the task force was now even more outnumbered. Worse, those reinforcements were trying to hide, staying out of range of the standard sensors of the Horde frigates.
"This is a trap," she said, pointing at the holoprojection on the bridge that showed the system and the surrounding space, including the two Horde flotillas in question.
"We don't know that," Adora retorted. "The Commander could have called them as reinforcements in case we ambushed them." Catra cocked her head and raised her eyebrows at her idiot of a lover, and Adora flushed before raising her chin a little in that endearing stubborn way of hers. "It's a possibility. We would do the same and we don't plan to betray them."
Catra snorted. "I've been planning various preemptive strikes ever since we've set out for this system." She hadn't managed to come up with any that she liked, though - and those reinforcements had rendered all plans with halfway decent chances of success obsolete.
"I know," Adora replied. "But you weren't planning to betray them from the start. This is just a contingency if they betray us."
"Well, it sure looks like they want to ambush us," Jack commented.
"They're staying back, though - they're not moving to encircle us, for example," Daniel objected.
"Those two forces could reach us in minutes through hyperspace," Catra pointed out. "If they want to encircle us, they can exit hyperspace behind us." Of course, they would have to plot their course when they were still minutes away, which meant they could only drop from hyperspace in close range if their targets were stationary or at least in predictable orbits. Or fixed in place by the force meeting them openly.
And the latter tactic was quite difficult to pull off in a battle, especially if your enemy just wanted to get away and was ready to sacrifice a rear guard to hold your forces while the rest escaped. Which meant that Catra was pretty confident that the Commander was planning an ambush without warning. They could spoil that by keeping their task force moving around the system in random order, but that would tip him off that they knew or at least suspected his treachery.
She shrugged. "So, do we want to bait him into attacking us by staying stationary, or do we tell him we know what he's planning by staying on the move while we're in the system?"
Jack snorted. "If we had the entire First Fleet here, I'd say bait him into dropping the facade and attacking us, then turn the tables on him and counter-ambush them."
"That would put everyone in the task force at risk," Adora protested.
"They'd still be safer than we will be on the planet's surface," Catra pointed out. "Even with a stealth shuttle." If the other fleet could move enough frigates to start a saturation bombardment, things would get tricky. Even stealth shuttles could be hit by firing blindly.
Her lover frowned at her, and Catra flashed her fangs in return. Did Adora think she would let her go down on the planet by herself?
"I doubt they will attack, if they're planning to turn on us in the first place, before Adora has demonstrated her powers," Daniel said. "They want to know what they are facing."
"They could also just want to decapitate our forces," Catra retorted, clenching her teeth. She'd rather not bet Adora's life on the Commander wanting more intel.
Sha're shook her head. "If they are serving a System Lord, they will want to know more about Adora's power - as much as possible, actually, since they will want to know if they can take it for themselves. They won't risk losing out on such a prize by striking too soon and killing her."
That did sound exactly how the snakes thought. Catra could see whoever took over a Horde fleet trying to gain more power from their enemies. Of course, that just made it less likely that the Commander would play it first and try to kill them right away, not impossible. And once the demonstration was finished…
"But once they know it's magic, they will know they cannot take it for themselves," Glimmer pointed out.
Catra nodded. "And they will try to kill us to deny this to anyone else."
"And to stop us from using it against them," Hordak added.
"Only those of them who reject the evidence of their own eyes - and sensors - and deny Her Divine Might," Priest spoke up. "As in the past, Her Holy Deeds will enlighten even Her enemies and show them a better way."
Judging by the way Adora flinched, she regretted calling Priest to join them through the Stargate on the flagship. But it was good to have Priest here - he brought a different perspective.
"As nice as it would be to have the entire enemy fleet convert to worshipping She-Ra, I don't think we can count on that," Jack said. "It never worked so far."
"Many converted to Her faith after seeing the truth of Her Divine power, wisdom and mercy themselves," Priest retorted. "That others remain blind and determined to fight the truth does not change that."
"Despite a number of deserters, and likely more who keep their change of allegiance secret, the bulk of Apophis's warriors remain loyal to the false god," Teal'c said. "It would be reckless to expect otherwise here."
Catra nodded. Adora changing a planet with her magic might impress the clones, but enough to change allegiance? She doubted that. Most Jaffa they knew to have converted had experienced a much more personal encounter with Adora's power, having fought her and then were healed by her.
No, she was quite sure they couldn't count on that to win the day here. They would have to win using their wits and guts, as Jack would put it.
And time was running short - the Commander expected them to enter the system now.
Fortunately, Catra had some ideas ready.
Orbit above PT-9497, May 2nd, 2000 (Earth Time)
Having his own stealth shuttle had a number of perks. One of them being the most experienced stealth shuttle pilot in the task force, which meant Jack O'Neill was a shoo-in for the 'contingency mission' everyone but the most optimist worshipper of Her Divine Highness She-Ra knew would be necessary to counter the Commander's imminent betrayal.
Well, even if he weren't the best choice as pilot, he would have been on the shuttle anyway - since SG-1 was kind of famous, or infamous, amongst the snakes, they couldn't go down to the surface with Adora and the others, and staying back on the bridge of the task force's flagship wasn't Jack's thing - he was Special Ops, not Navy. And any advice he might be able to give to Hordak he could as well do over the communicator.
An argument that had the drawback of also applying to Daniel and Sha're, who were on the shuttle as well, together with Carter and Teal'c, but you couldn't win them all. Besides, it wouldn't feel right to go on dangerous missions to foil the plans of evil aliens without his best friends at his back.
And speaking of friends… He pushed the button of the intercom. "Hello everyone! This is your pilot speaking. After sneaking into this system, we've arrived at our destination and entered a holding pattern. So far, we haven't been cleared to land, so please be patient and ready to disembark on short notice."
"Jack…" Daniel complained from behind him, but he heard Sha're giggle, once, and Carter would likely be hiding a smile as well.
Time to double down! "Please check the entertainment system for the local news!"
"The delegation hasn't landed yet, sir," Carter reported.
He could see that on his screen - the shuttle, a regular model, carrying Adora, Glimmer and Bow down to the surface was still approaching the planet, and the First Fleet's task force had taken a formation in high orbit that should discourage a surprise attack by enemies dropping in from hyperspace - the odds of hitting the planet when coming out of hyperspace were a bit too high. Not that it would be a surprise, anyway; they had eyes on the enemy flotillas outside the system and would be alerted at once should they start to move.
"I should be on the shuttle," Catra complained from the rear.
"Sorry, catwomen are a bit too distinctive," Jack told her, turning to grin over his shoulder.
"So's She-Ra. Everyone saw her on Saqqara," Catra retorted.
"But she's already known." Jack shrugged. In hindsight, they shouldn't have revealed Adora like that. Jaffa were worshipping She-Ra, which meant news of her was spreading alongside her faith among Apophis's warriors and slaves. Any spy could hear about her. But Adora hadn't wanted to use a fake name. Honesty and all.
Still, that didn't mean they had to reveal Catra as well. She had been a bit more noticeable during the covert part of the mission on Saqqara, when they had been passing themselves off as a delegation bringing tribute - including her. An unknown alien species? That had been noticed, and the guards and servants at Apophis's Stargate and palace hadn't been distracted by a fight for their survival at the time either. "Athletic blonde women are not that uncommon." Athletic blonde women who could do magic, on the other hand… well, that ship had sailed already.
"Yes! Athletic blonde women are very common on Earth, as our data indicates! Even more common than their genes' spread amongst your population would indicate, actually!" Entrapta chimed in. "And Glimmer can only teleport two people with her."
"I should have taken Bow's place," Catra hissed.
She could have, but Bow was the more experienced pilot. And he was a Techmaster, which Jack knew from long experience could come in very handy when things went sideways in unexpected ways, which they tended to do, in Jack's experience.
Not that he would say that out loud and trigger another argument - Catra was already too worried about Adora and the others. A sentiment Jack shared. The clone was going to stab them in the back; Jack's gut told him so, and every piece of intel they got confirmed it. The question was just when. Smart money was on 'after Adora's demonstration', but it was by no means certain. The Commander might also be waiting until she was in the middle of her demonstration, to attack while she was distracted.
Then again, attacking She-Ra in the middle of releasing a planet's worth of magic? There were far easier ways to commit suicide in Jack's experience. Hell, he was almost hoping the Commander would do that - he was curious if the clone frigates would end up as space plants in orbit.
"A shuttle has just left the other fleet's formation and is headed down to the planet's surface," Carter reported. "Scans do not show any explosives on board."
"Any bets that the Commander isn't on it?" Jack asked.
"That's a sucker's bet," Catra replied. "He'll send some expendable clones."
"The other fleet isn't in a position to conduct an orbital bombardment of the meeting place," Carter said.
"They're just a short flight away, though," Entrapta commented.
On the screen, Jack could see that their own shuttle had touched down. A few more minutes, now.
He checked the enemy fleet. They were holding their positions opposite the task force. And the enemy shuttle was still on course. If the clones planned to crash it into Adora's shuttle, they would have to act now to hit it with enough force…
But the shuttle continued to brake, touching down about a hundred metres away from Adora's.
Jack nodded. "Showtime."
PT-9497, May 2nd, 2000 (Earth Time)
Adora watched the Horde shuttle's ramp come down and straightened. Time to impress them and avoid a fight.
"Here they come," Glimmer commented from the shuttle where she was watching with Bow, as two clones disembarked, followed by four bots. All of them started walking toward Adora, throwing up dust with every step - the planet was mostly barren, with only primitive plants growing in spots.
"Based on the mass of the shuttle our scanners show, that only leaves the two crew inside," Bow added over the communicator. "Unless they've altered the shuttle to reduce its mass to hide more people inside it. But that's a standard model, designed by Horde Prime himself, made for his clones and bots with minimal accommodations. To reduce its mass significantly would have taken a lot of effort."
And Adora didn't think the clones would go that far just to hide a few more of their number. Not that it mattered.
"Thanks, Bow," Glimmer said. She sounded tense and impatient. "More importantly, is the Commander amongst them?"
"No," Adora replied.
"No," Bow confirmed a moment later.
"How can you tell without a scan? They all look alike," Glimmer asked. "They haven't customised their appearance like our clones."
"The way they move," Adora told her. And a gut feeling - she had been raised in the Horde, after all, which had been very big on having their soldiers look alike as much as possible, down to uniforms that hid as much of them as they could. And she had spent a lot of time with the clones after Horde Prime's death. Probably a bit too much, in hindsight.
"Hello," she called out, smiling, as the clones reached them. "Welcome."
The clones nodded at her in return, then stared at the shuttle behind her. The cockpit windows were polarised, so they wouldn't be able to see Adora's friends inside. Of course, if whoever was behind this fleet had access to Apophis's intel from Saqqara, that wouldn't help too much, but at least it couldn't harm. And Apophis had gone to great lengths to suppress knowledge of his humiliation there.
"So, who are you?" she asked.
The clones turned to stare at her. "We represent the Commander of the Horde," one of them said.
Adora was feeling a little annoyed at the implied claim, but she couldn't blame them for it; they didn't seem to have grown past their conditioning yet, unlike the clones in the Alliance. It seemed only the Commander had. "So, you're here to watch me demonstrate my power," she went on.
The clones nodded in unison, and Adora couldn't help remembering her first encounter with Horde Prime. All the clones, moving like parts of a machine, tools to be manipulated… Not if I can help it, she thought. And she would.
"So, watch. And don't worry - no matter how it looks, you're safe."
She took a step to the side and raised her sword. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused on her power. She-Ra's magic. She felt the familiar pattern around her, barely restraining the planet's magic. She connected her own power to it, opened herself to the magic, and clenched her teeth as the magic rushed into her. As often as she had done this, it was still a struggle to hold it together, contain the magic, keep it from lashing out even as it felt as if she was about to burst herself, caught between the magic of this world and the pattern holding it back, trying to funnel it towards herself.
She slashed her blade down, cutting the pattern, and the magic was released in a blaze.
She opened her eyes and turned, looking at the clones, at the shuttles, at her friends, at the world, and channelled the magic into the world. Into the tiny plants and animals struggling to survive, into the water full of metals and other pollution, into the air dusty from smoke.
And she felt the world change as magic cleaned it and filled it with new life. New plants sprouting all over, growing rapidly, animals changing, spreading, evolving. Life changing from what was into what could have been. What would be, now.
The magic kept coming, wave after wave, changing the world. Finally, she felt the pressure vanish, stabilise, and shuddered as she lowered her sword.
The landscape around them had changed. No longer a practically barren, dusty plains, it was now a lush mix of forests and fields. She could hear birds sing and insects buzz around.
And she saw the clones gape at her, shocked and shivering.
"This is my power," she told them.
"This is… this" one of them stammered, rubbing his arms.
"Not even Horde Prime could have done this!" the other exclaimed. "The whole world changed! You made it come alive!"
She nodded. "I told you the world wouldn't suffer. Quite the contrary."
"This… this changes things," the first said. "We have to tell the others."
"Yes." Adora smiled. It was working. They could avoid…
Before she could finish the thought, the bots jerked and raised their weapons. Adora changed her sword into a shield out of reflex, ready to block the blasts - but the bots shot the clones.
Orbit above PT-9497, May 2nd, 2000 (Earth Time)
"Shots fired!" Samantha Carter announced.
"The enemy fleet is moving!" the General snapped.
Her eyes darted from the screen showing the magitech scanner's focus on the area on the planet's surface where Adora and the others were to the holographic display showing the planet's orbits and back. The General had the con. She trusted him and focused on the scene on the ground. This was the betrayal they had expected, So… Oh!
"The enemy bots shot the enemy clones," she told the others. "She-Ra has destroyed them in return."
"Bugout is a go, I repeat, Bugout is a go!" the General announced. "The enemy ships are moving into bombardment range. Get the hell out of there!"
Sam clenched her teeth and watched Adora check the clones before sprinting back to the shuttle. Even if the clones were still alive, they couldn't save them!
"Shuttle's taking off," she reported, then glanced up to check the enemy fleet.
"Horde flotillas outside the system have entered hyperspace," Entrapta said.
As expected, Sam thought.
"Noted." Hordak sounded calm and collected on the comm. "Moving to support Bugout."
Sam barely noticed the view through the windows changing as the General changed course and dove down into the atmosphere. Instead, she was focused on the shuttle's course below them. The first frigates were now coming within range of the task force as they tried to intercept the shuttle carrying Adora, Glimmer and Bow.
"Adora!" Catra snapped. "Get out now!"
The enemy frigates opened up, their fire split between the task force's vanguard and the shuttle climbing up.
A moment later, she heard a faint pop and sparkles briefly lit up the shuttle's interior behind her. Glimmer had teleported in.
"Adora! You idiot!" Catra exclaimed.
"Hey! We were fine!"
And on Sam's screen, the shuttle blew up as several beams struck it.
"Bugout complete," the General snapped. "Leaving atmosphere again."
"Understood," Hordak confirmed. "Withdrawing."
Sam looked at the holoprojection and saw the task force's formation split up as the ships changed course and accelerated, no longer flying directly at the enemy, but enveloping them as they sped past - a very dangerous manoeuvre as the enemy dense formation plunged directly into the former centre of the task force's. And at that close range, the fire would be murderous - already, Sam saw several ships on both sides getting hit, their shields flaring and failing.
But the Commander's fleet wasn't reacting quickly enough - the ships which had fired at the shuttle had fallen back and overcompensated, messing up the enemy formation. And they seemed to have trouble focusing their fire, Sam realised - unlike First Fleet's ships. By the time the enemy had restored their rough wedge formation, First Fleet's ships had savaged their outer flanks and were past them, reforming into a defensive formation while staying their course. Sam hadn't recorded any total loss on their side while one enemy frigate had blown up and another had lost all power.
More importantly, the enemy now had to either turn around while maintaining formation, which would slow them down considerably, or execute a much more complex manoeuvre where every ship turned individually and took a different place in a reformed formation.
They tried the latter despite multiple ships having suffered damage, and the slightly ragged formation was torn up completely. Two ships even collided, and more had near-misses that led to frantic course changes, which disrupted the formation even more.
"Reverse course and attack."
Hordak took advantage of it at once. The task force's ships all cut their engines, turned a hundred and eight degrees without changing their course, and then redlined their engines to quickly reverse their course - driving at the disrupted enemy fleet at an angle that cut straight through their right wing.
They were in close range before the enemy could reform, and their focused fire claimed half a dozen already damaged ships without suffering any total losses themselves before the fleet separated again.
"According to the spy bots' data, the reinforcements for the Horde will arrive in a minute, Hordak," Entrapta reported. "If our estimates are correct, which I think they are."
"Noted."
Thirty seconds later, while the enemy fleet was still rearranging their tattered formation, the task force entered hyperspace.
"Are you picking up any beacons from escape pods on our side?" the General asked.
The task force had not suffered any total loss, but Sam checked the sensor's results again before answering: "No, sir."
"Check for enemy survivors!" the General ordered.
"Enemy flotillas dropping out of hyperspace! Aw, we didn't get their positions right!" Entrapta sounded disappointed.
While the scanner searched for survivors amongst the enemy wrecks, Sam quickly verified the positions of the reinforcements herself. They were further out than expected. And quite a bit off from the ideal positions they had calculated. Either they had overestimated the enemy - or the Commander had been a bit too confident and anticipated their response.
Either way, the new arrivals were no concern. "Tracking life signs in the closest wreck, sir," Sam said. That was the enemy ship that had lost all power in the first exchange. And it was the furthest from any enemy formation.
"Good. Let's see if we can get a prisoner before we leave." The General grinned. "Might as well save something from this, right?"
The safe course of action would be to leave the system as quickly as possible and then arrange a pickup outside with the task force, but Sam nodded. They needed more information about this fleet.
So, while the General moved the shuttle towards the enemy hulk, Sam and the others suited up and prepared to board the drifting frigate.
PT-9497 System, May 2nd, 2000 (Earth Time)
"We don't have much time - two frigates are headed this way already. So, get in, grab someone and get out again!"
Catra snorted at Jack's comment. As if they wanted to stay any longer than needed in the enemy wreck. Adora had already risked her life doing that stupid stunt - and then doubled down and tried to save the lives of two enemies at the risk of her own! - there was no way Catra would let her risk her life pointlessly again!
"Docking."
She flexed her claws as she heard the sound of metal touching metal and felt the floor rock a little as the shuttle locked onto the frigate's hull.
"Opening!" Entrapta announced, and the door slid past, revealing the slightly scorched airlock of a Horde frigate.
Entrapta and Sam started working on the door controls at once, and half a minute later - far too long, in Catra's opinion! - the airlock opened.
She was the first through, followed by Adora, Glimmer and Bow. The airlock closed behind them, then air filled - the frigate had lost main power, but emergency systems were still working.
As soon as the inner door opened, she dashed through, glancing left and right. The engine room would be to the left, and any damage control parties would be there, restoring the ship's power was the priority. Maybe…
Her ears twitched, and she grinned. "Someone's in the compartment next to us!"
A few swipes of her claws cut a hole in the wall in front of her, revealing a startled clone. Before he could react, Adora hat hit him over the head with the flat of her sword and knocked him out.
"Done. Returning!" Catra reported over the communicator.
Half a minute later, they were back in the shuttle.
"And we're leaving! Company's coming!" Jack announced as the shuttle undocked.
Catra was about to say something about an easy job when she heard a gasp. Turning, she saw that Sha're was kneeling next to the prisoner, holding up a small golden amulet that the clone must have been wearing under his uniform. It looked kind of familiar - definitely snake style - but she couldn't place it just…
"Ba'al," Sha're spat.
Oh. That one. Catra grimaced.
