"Her parents were killed in front of her when she was young. Apparently the person that did it, decided to dissect them while they were alive and in front of her." Jace explained and could see her eyes light up with understanding as he grabbed a different tool and started adjusting some other piping. Securing it so the ship can operate in gravity. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"That was... so she is under the belief it was me." Catherine answered with a gulp.

"What happened when you arrived in this galaxy?" Jace asked. "Tell me from start to finish what you remember." Remember, an important word to use in this case.

Catherine shook her head. "It is scattered because of the mutations that occur when you use a hyperdrive through a wormhole." She crossed her arms as she began explaining. "My husband and I came to this galaxy together using a short range jump after faking our deaths. The wormhole was located near the edge of the Sister system and was unguarded and unwatched."

"I am guessing it closed shortly after you passed through it." Jace pointed out as he moved away to check some inconspicuously installed hover plates. Which was the reason the craft took extra time to construct.

Catherine nodded her head. "It did indeed. Then not shortly after, I passed out. But for the few moments I struggled to stay awake, I could see as we entered the new galaxy I just did not know for certain that we had come to the right one until much later."

"What happened after you woke up?" Jace asked.

"Well-" She seemed hesitant. "I ’woke up’ for the first time standing up and at the helm of the ship with my husband nowhere in sight. Before he was standing next to me on the bridge then we went through the wormhole and I remember him running towards me as I collapsed after we exited the wormhole and arrived in this galaxy."

"So you were separated from him?" Jace asked in surprise. Mostly because this was starting to sound more and more like a split personality had emerged in her mind. If that happened then her abilities are psychic in nature. But he oddly could not remember if the files of his mother ever had mention of her abilities.

"Not just separated. Because shortly after I awoke at the controls I found the ship had been caught in orbit of the planet and was crashing after taking critical damage from an attack that commenced from a pirate ship." She explained in detail.

"You researched what happened afterward?" Jace asked as he set down some tools and started walking around the ship. Running his hands along the sharp edges as he confirmed that nothing was out of place.

"I did indeed. Nothing that I could find. This system was not as heavily militarized when I got here." Catherine explained as she followed him. "I was able to save myself and crashed near some islands but then I blacked out again. The next time I woke up was when I was on a literal water-based ship that was going to the Northern Continent of Prima Terra."

"Huh... at what point did you realize that the blackouts were a problem?" Jace asked with a chuckle as he realized the ’event’ happened during the blackout she just described. Which was quite large and essentially meant she did not even remember getting on the island.

"Almost immensely, but they were happening so quickly that I did not know what to do. It was like my life was on fast forward but I was pausing every few minutes to go at normal speed." Catherine informed him as she ducked under a wing of the craft to try and move in front of him.

"That is definitely an issue. Go on." Jace told her as he stopped and looked at her before moving to the next area of inspection. The main engines.

"For the next four years it continued like that. But after that one time where I crash landed in water and then found myself on a boat. The time started shortening. I was able to time it eventually." She explained. "I found myself in space after the next time skip. Then on a station in the middle of combat after I apparently stole some money. Suffice to say I completed that before going to an address on the station that I found in my pocket where I had started an impromptu lab to get some decent equipment."

"Equipment for what?" Jace asked in surprise.

"I had no clue. At least until much later when I learned about stabilization for mutations." She told him as she stood back and watched. "Initially I was shocked to learn about something like that. Then it made sense, what I had been going through was a form of mutation. I figure the mutation is dependent upon something dormant in your body, like how mine was likely a mutation due to my Psychometry."

Jace stopped as he was almost done with inspecting the last of the auxiliary thrusters. "Psychometry?"

"Yeah, it is the main ability I have. It essentially lets me read the history of an object or person when I touch it. It is rather useful for a variety of things. But mostly for stealing." She explained almost like it was a reflex before continuing. "Eventually I was able to start navigating my life again on my own terms. But by that time I had been discovered."

"The local government?"

"Indeed." She nodded her head. "One of the consorts of the former emperor took me in and had me teach her child. The princeling you had met before, unfortunately he was always spoiled and favored by the emperor. So when the emperor died..."

"He lost his main line of support. I am guessing a domino effect of incidents happened that forced him to grow up quickly and seek power for himself. But why is he still alive if he is still just a prince and not the new ruler?" Jace asked as that part did not fit in his mind. While in real life he was moving to another part of the ship, the landing gears which were just five protrusions that lowered from the bottom. Originally it only had one, he had to install the other five which were necessary for stability while landed. He even altered the design slightly so they would work better.

"No, all of them were too young. So a council of his advisors came up with a plan to hold on until a worthy successor revealed himself. But all they did was kill each other and scheme until about just over a year ago when Mars revolted." Catherine did not follow him under the ship, instead she walked over to his larger tools. "The rebellion was put down with my help and by this point I had not only deeply embedded myself with the prince I had even built up a spy network and taken West under my wing."

"So you helped the prince put down the uprising and what? He got more benefits from the action?" Jace asked as he finished inspecting the underside of the ship and moved out towards his tools.

"He did, he got something he had been dying to obtain. His own planet. It is in another system that is a week’s journey away from here. But during my time as his tutor I had slowly developed technologies and many other things for him while also collecting the composed history of this galaxy." Catherine began explaining as she discreetly picked up a hammer and started looking over it.

Jace turned his back to her as he pulled a towel off the nearest counter top and started wiping off some stuff from his hands. "I think this is starting to pull away from your blackouts. You said they disappeared, but how are you so sure they did?" Jace asked as he reached for another tool. As he did he spotted her in the reflection of a metal container, she had moved up behind him and raised the hammer up to strike him.

"She isn’t!" Catherine declared as Jace spun around and caught her wrist with one hand and her neck with the other. He then lifted her up and raised an eyebrow. She was grinning madly and her eyes were glowing red.

Ting!

He felt it like a bee sting and looked to the side to see the now bent knife that had just been used to stab his neck. Or rather had been attempted to be used. Jace looked from the now useless knife to the wielder to see her completely confused face. Then he tossed her across the room to the door.

Not hard enough to kill her. But hard enough to knock her down. He then grabbed his communication device. "Victor. Get down here to pick up Catherine Hex, and this time do not just lock her in a cell. Lock her in a cell and make sure it is impossible for her to get out. Looks like she is going to be a problem after all."