For a moment, everything felt normal.

For a moment, she had escaped from the chaos that had engulfed her home.

Pearl took it upon herself to walk the shoreline every morning, knowing the sea would move the beacon back to shore with the coming and going of the tide.

Finding it, she would then walk out into the shallows, and place it gently into the water, giving It the chance to transmit as strongly as possible.

She found it to be the highlight of her day.

And given the circumstances she found herself in, there wasn't much enjoyment to be had.

In the evening, Pearl would look off the deck of the house, just before setting off to work on the dropship with Peridot. Seeing the flashing white light was…comforting.

It gave her the hope.

And hope was what they all needed right now.

Several days had passed since she had set off the beacon, and as she made her way along the beach in the blossoming morning sunshine for the third time, she found the beacon partially buried in the sand, its repeating cycle ceased.

Instead, a solid, blue light had taken over, partially illuminating the surrounding sand in the early morning surf.

Pearl fell to her knees.

She, more than anyone, could recollect how They confirmed their messages.

Tears began to fall as Pearl cried out in relief, quickly scooping up the glowing metal cylinder and making a mad dash for the house. She quickened her pace further as pure joy filled her chest.

'This is it!' She thought to herself. 'We'll have Steven back in no time! It may not be too late! There might still be a chance to save him befo-'

Pearl, so preoccupied with her thoughts of Steven's rescue, smashed into something solid on the front stairway, stopping her dead in her tracks. She fell backwards into the sand, the beacon falling from her grasp and rolling away down the slope. Quickly gathering herself up, she looked to see what exactly she ran into.

She hadn't expected to see Garnet standing there, as stoic and strong looking as ever.

Whatever Pearl had prepared to say died in her throat.

Garnet, unperturbed, continued to simply stare at her.

Pearl, anxiously wringing her fingers together, returned her gaze; mind running on overdrive trying to formulate a coherent response.

At last, Garnet's eyes shifted slightly, landing on the glowing cylinder lodged in the sand.

She slowly made her way over to it, bending slightly to pick it up and gently hold it in her hands.

A minute passed.

Two.

And Garnet finally spoke, voice steady and eyes still glued to the object in her grasp.

'How long?"

Pearl released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"About three days." She replied, Garnet nodding as she digested Pearls answer.

"And you're prepared for any consequence?" she questioned, eyes moving from the beacon to Pearl.

Pearl, unable to meet her gaze, instead tilted her head down, hands clutching at the sand beneath her.

"I'll do whatever it takes to bring Steven home."

Garnet only nodded.

"Good," She spoke, looking away from Pearl, "Because it looks like you won't have time to change your mind."

Frowning, Pearl looked up to Garnet, confused about the fusion's cryptic statement.

There, at the end of Garnet's outstretched arm was a small, gray speck, seemingly suspended in the upper atmosphere.

Pearl's stomach dropped.

Almost as if on cue, the beacon began flashing once again, this time at intervals of two.

Immediately, Pearl scrambled to her feet, grabbing the small cylinder from Garnet's grasp and sprinted away from the house. Stopping in the flattest, clearest stretch of beach she could find, she placed the beacon into the sand, taking a few steps back.

She knew the Arcadian landing signal by heart.

She had studied at Akios after all.

Turning her attention back to the speck, Pearl noted how it seemed to be growing.

Slowly, the speck turned into a blob.

Then the blob turned into a shape.

And the shape turned into a ship.

A roar began to build in Pearls ears, quickly filling the beach as the ship continued its descent. The wind began to pick up, whipping sand in all direction. Pearl braced herself, closing her eyes as her hair and attire were blown wildly.

Finally, through the din roar, Pearl heard the distinct sound of landing supports digging into the sand.

As the engines began to whine down, the gale force winds slowly began to settle, and Pearl allowed her body to relax, opening her eyes.

It was exactly how she remembered it.

And It was one of the most beautiful ships Pearl had ever seen.

Despite being several millennia old, the vessel itself was in immaculate shape; rust spots were non-existent, communication arrays were well taken care of and repaired, propulsion engines seemed upgraded with advanced tech, weapon systems looked polished and updated.

Sprawled on its side, in block letters, was the word Nomad, a small emblem emblazoned next to it.

Seventh Squad's old insignia.

Her old insignia.

"It's like no time has passed."

Pearl, shaken out of her stupor, hadn't noticed Garnet had moved up next to her. She shook her head in agreement, eyes never leaving the metaphorical ghost.

"No, not at all."

Placing her hand on Pearl's shoulder, Garnet gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Be strong Pearl, everything will be alright."

A small smile formed on Pearl's lips, handing moving to grasp Garnet's. They stood there on the beach, watching what they thought had disappeared, and would never be seen again.

Their grip tightened as they head the unmistakable sound of a landing ramp extending.

This was it, no turning back.

Hand still intertwined with Garnet's, Pearl allowed herself a deep breath, steeling herself for the coming storm.

"I sure hope you're right."

A/N: Hopefully this was as entertaining as the last chapter. Give me some feedback on what I could improve; help me better my shitty writing.

Au revoir.