Catra's Redemption

Chapter 5

Catra stared blankly at the empty desert surrounding her. It had been a long time since she had been in the Crimson Waste. Her first mission as general of Horde Prime's invasion force was to go and end the siege of the former Horde.

Catra had been teleported to his outpost in the Valley of the Lost, and was now being driven to where she had ordered Octavia to go and hide all those weeks ago. How had Horde Prime found them? Catra assumed he must have accessed her memories while she had been under his control. She grimaced at the thought. She could still feel phantom pains in her neck.

Catra looked down at her uniform. It was the same one she had had when she first arrived on Horde Prime's ship. Miraculously, he had not got rid of it after he gave her the clone uniform. He had also had it mended after Hordak had ripped it during their fight. That being said, she did not have her head guard.

Catra had not asked about it (she did not want to spend any longer in Horde Prime's presence than necessary) but truthfully she missed it as much, if not more, than her hair. It had been a gift from Adora, just like that stupid red jacket she always wore had been a gift from her. Still, Catra was used to not getting what she wanted.

As she approached the old Horde outpost, she was reminded of the last time she was here. She had been on a mission to salvage First One's tech (as was frequently the case in those days) and she had met and recruited Double Trouble. Catra rolled her eyes. That had been a mistake.

The skiff stopped and Catra hopped onto the sand. The Horde's old outpost was underground and its entrance was surrounded by clusters of clones and robots. Catra slowly walked over to it. She had not thought of a plan and honestly did not care if she was shot on sight. She deserved it for working with a tyrant like Horde Prime. That being said, anything was better than a world without Adora.

Catra had meant what she had said to her. She could admit that now.

***

"You miscalculated." Adora fell to the ground as Horde Prime's words rang in her ears. She and her friends were on his ship, trying to rescue Catra. Only Catra did not seem to be there - Glimmer had only found an empty cell. Now Adora's ears rang from the forced severing of the comm-link she had had with her friends. She looked up and glared at Horde Prime with unbridled hatred. This was not working. They needed to abort the mission. Horde Prime distracted her from her thoughts:

"I see all. I know all. You have led your friends to destruction." Adora stood up and felt two clones grab her arms. She needed help. She needed She-Ra. This had not been a good plan. Horde Prime had called her bluff on the Heart of Etheria, had teased her about how much she cared for "her" Catra's safety, and had then proceeded to snap his fingers and nearly deafen her by destroying the comm-link.

Adora's thoughts turned to her friends. Horde Prime was right - this was all her fault. This mission had been her idea. She hoped they were alright. Adora then used all her strength to send one of the clones flying while just managing to break free from the hold of the other. Maybe she could distract Horde Prime enough to give them a chance to escape.

***

Catra typed in her old passcode and was genuinely surprised when the door opened. The clones next to her tried to go in, but Catra stopped them.

"I'll go in alone. Wait for me here." Before the clones could protest, Catra walked in and closed the door behind her. There were no sentries, but she had expected that. She did not think she would be stopped before she had at least reached the weapons store. This outpost was much bigger than most and it needed more than a few hundred people to properly staff it.

As Catra walked down the metal stairs she wondered what she would say to Octavia. Would she say she was wrong about Horde Prime? Or would she tell the truth and hope they killed her then and there? Just because Octavia had obeyed her orders did not mean she liked her. Surely one mean comment about her missing eye would be enough to send her over the edge. Her thoughts were then interrupted by a loud yell: