Chapter Eight: Divide/Collide


The sight of yet another empty cave led Karikon to drive his claw against the wall, taking a good chunk of stone with it. "That's it! We've been at this for hours, scouring this lousy planet for any sign of this so-called 'Heart of Etheria,' and we haven't found jack! In fact, I'd go so far as to say we had more of a chance taking on the snakes before we came here! Y'know, for as smart as she is, I'm starting to think that Entrapta doesn't know what she's talking about!"

Catra's ear twitched, but if she planned on defending her old friend, she didn't. "If you're upset, just think about how I'm doing," she muttered. "Etheria's a big planet, and we still have a lot of searching to do. We might as well get to it." She headed off towards the next location on the map, leaving the others with no choice but to follow.

"Is it just me, or is the hunt for this artifact turning out to be a wild goose chase?" Crita said to Carnelian, whispering so as to not draw their commander's ire.

The Gem shrugged. "It would, if I knew what a goose was. What I do know is that I'm starting to doubt that the Heart even exists."

"Empress Catra, if I may?" said Bluebird. "This search might go a bit quicker if we split up. Y'know, to cover more ground. Besides, we'll be less likely to be spotted if we travel in smaller groups!"

Ready to snap at her, Catra instead considered her suggestion. As much as she hated to be undermined, the fusion did have a point. "Fine," she said, "whatever gets us off this planet faster."

Azurite smirked. "Great! I'll take Carnelian and Karikon, and–"

"Not so fast," interrupted Catra. "You're not taking all of the muscle with you. You can have Karikon, but Carnelian stays with me. I'll take Sqalish as well–he'll be useful for where we're going."

The mer-man reluctantly stepped forward. "And where, pray tell, are we going, O glorious leader?"

"I'm glad you asked," Catra said, matching his sarcasm. "The three of us are heading to Salineas. I imagine you're familiar with the place?" She took his silence as confirmation. "Good. Then with your expertise, we should be able to search twice as fast. Any objections?" Nobody raised any. "Good. I expect to hear back from you with an update, whether or not you've found anything. And stay on task!"

"Oh, of course!" said Bluebird. She waved as the group parted ways, Catra's party heading towards Salineas, while hers remained on the original path. "So, onward we go! Hunting for an elusive First Ones artifact! What a fun day we will have!"

It didn't take a genius to figure out she was up to something. "What's your angle here, Blue?" asked Crita. "If we're not looking for the Heart, what else are we going to do?"

The Gem scoffed. "What? And what could possibly make you think I had ulterior motives in suggesting a more efficient manner of completing Empress Catra's mission?" She flew around erratically, making big, exaggerated movements.

"Your tone of voice, for one," Karikon said. "Call me the suspicious type, but you've never struck me as a toady. You had your own reasons for coming along on this mission, so care to share what they are?"

Bluebird Azurite rolled her eyes. "Oh, very well. As your superior, I don't have to tell you anything, but…I suppose letting you in on a little secret won't hurt. Just so long as Catra doesn't find out!"

"Sure, sure, we won't tell her," said Crita. A promise she wasn't necessarily planning to keep, depending on how their next excursion went. If Bluebird was being sneaky, nobody said she couldn't be, either.

This was good enough for her. "Good! Follow me!" After making sure Catra and the others were long gone, Bluebird led the two in a different direction: towards Brightmoon. "You're right that I have a little mission of my own! Let's call it a side-quest, shall we? It's been a few years now, so I think it's finally time…Time for some revenge on Steven Universe!"

Crita and Karikon looked at each other. "Uh, revenge on Steven?" asked the latter. "Is that really the best use of our time? Not to mention, he's probably, uh, surrounded by Gems and Princesses, yeah?"

"Oh, relax, would you?" said Bluebird, a touch irritated. "It's not like we'll be barging in with no plan! First we assess the situation, then we determine the best way to strike! And furthermore, I don't think your job is to question your superiors."

"It's just what he does best," Crita said, walking past the scorpion man. "Though he does raise a good point–are you sure you know what you're doing?"

A sniff of irritation from the Gem. "Of course I do! For instance…if we want to get to Brightmoon, first we'll have to get through the Whispering Woods. Should be pretty easy!"


None the wiser to Bluebird's little detour, Catra, along with Sqalish and Carnelian in tow, soon made it to the edge of Salineas' border. A small port town built beside an inlet, they were hopefully far enough away from the capital to avoid drawing the Princess Alliance's attention.

Sqalish grimaced at the scent of sea air. "I was hoping to go the rest of my life without returning to this wretched place," he hissed.

"Are…are you ever happy?" asked Carnelian. "Seriously, I don't think I've seen you smile once. This is the place you came from, I'd have imagined this would be a happy time for you!"

Sqalish just glared at him. "Clearly, he's upset because this is where he came from," said Catra. "I can understand the feeling." She rummaged through some bins in a back alley, emerging with a black cloak which she wrapped herself in. "The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better."

When looking for information of any kind, there was one place to go: a tavern. Even with all the commotion around, the three of them weren't given a second glance: there was enough variety in both species and manner of dress that neither Sqalish nor Catra raised any eyebrows. Even Carnelian didn't garner much attention, as several Gems had come to live on Etheria in the time it had returned from Despondos.

The three of them took an empty table to discuss their plan. "Now, please don't just go and announce why we're here," Catra said. "We're looking for the Heart of Etheria, but we can't let anyone else know that."

"And how exactly are we supposed to ask about it if we can't tell anybody what it is?" asked Carnelian.

Once more, Sqalish rolled his eyes. "By being subtle, I should guess. Follow my lead." He approached the bar, taking a seat while trying to look as casual as possible. Considering how morose he was usually, this wasn't that difficult. Soon after, the bartender went over.

"What'll it be for you?" she asked. She was a gruff looking woman with pinkish skin, and a hook for a right hand.

Sqalish took a moment to examine her wares. "Whatever's cheap," he said. She poured him a glass of some truly vile looking fluid, which he choked down. "Can't imagine you get many rich folks around these parts. No offense."

She scoffed. "None taken. But I gotta say, that's kind of an odd question to ask. I mean, sure, some merchant ships pass through here from time to time, but they ain't exactly pleasure yachts. Why? You planning some sort of heist?"

"Ideally, no," he told her. "I'm something of a collector. All manner of strange and ancient curios, in particular those of historical significance. First Ones artifacts, some have called them. I figured taverns tend to be a good receptacle of gossip, so if anyone's heard something, it'd be you."

The bartender nodded, considering his query. "Yeah, alright, I think I know someone who could help ya out. Wait here, I'll see if he's awake." She stepped through a door behind the bar, and could faintly be heard talking to someone else. Carnelian and Catra each took a seat beside him.

"Wow, who'da thought you had a way with people?" the Gem said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a professional treasure hunter before joining the Horde!"

"Not exactly, but you aren't far off," he said, sipping on his drink. "Under the Princesses' rule, I had to do what I could to eke out a living."

Catra grinned under her cowl. "Sounds like we weren't the only ones who hated the princesses," she said. "I'm surprised you didn't join up sooner."

He shot a brief glare at her. "That's because the Horde was almost as bad."

Before Catra could snap back, the bartender returned, flanked by several rough-around-the-edges individuals. One of them, one of Sqalish's species with red scales and a bigger build, took her place as the one at the front. "So," he growled, "I take it you're a fellow connoisseur of the antique?"

Sqalish took a moment to finish his drink. "You could say that. I do hope I'm not intruding on your territory, Mr…?"

The other mer-man brought his fist down on the counter. "You know damn well who I am," he hissed. "Or, at least, we know who you are. You've got some nerve showing your face around here, Sqalish."

Silently, Catra eyed the two, sensing the tension between them. She held off from intervening under fear of being recognized, but hoped they could resolve their differences without making a scene.

As Sqalish slowly got to his feet, this was seeming less and less likely. "Kenek. I thought I recognized you from somewhere. And here I thought I was just recalling a nightmare I had."

Kenek glared. "You'd better believe I'm a nightmare! A nightmare to anyone who even thinks about turning his back on the clan. I should tear you to pieces right here and now…but instead of making a scene, I'll make you a deal. Whatever this treasure of yours is, I want in. Seventy percent of the profits–no, better make that eighty. We've gotta eat back home, after all."

All of this sounded like a pretty good deal to Catra. Not only were some free thugs a plus, especially ones with likely ties to Etheria's criminal underworld, but all they wanted in return was a cut of the money they wouldn't be getting. They were the perfect dupes for the situation. It seemed too good to be true, which it was, because of what Sqalish said next: "There is not a chance I would ever work with you."

"That's too bad…see, now that you can't offer anything to make up for your betrayal, we'll have to treat you like any other deserter." Two of Kenek's henchmen rounded the bar, ready to 'escort' Sqalish into the back room. "It isn't personal. No more than it is with anyone else who abandons us, at least. I hope you understand."

Catra interrupted. "We'll take the deal." She glared at Sqalish as she said it, and he glared right back. "Eighty, ninety percent–hell, you can take it all if you want. As long as you help us find it."

Sneering, Kenek approached Catra. "And who might you be?" he asked. "The leader of this little excursion? I should've figured Sqalish wouldn't be calling the shots. So, tell me…what exactly is it you're looking for, hmm?"

Catra wasn't considering telling him. She was about to keep her answer vague, or completely make up an artifact. Or both. Point him in the right direction, but keep him off the scent. She never got around to that, as Sqalish took that moment to escape from his captors, pushing one back and slamming the other's head against the bar with a tentacle.

"You!" shouted Kenek, and almost Catra too. He quickly put an arm around her neck. "Stand down, before I tear off her head!" She wasn't about to let that happen, and shot her elbow into his stomach. He doubled over, which she took as an opportunity to throw him over the bar.

Unlike the other two, Carnelian was much happier about how things had turned out. "Alright, now it's a party!" When one of the thugs went after her, she threw him across the bar with a single punch. That was when things got hectic.

Chaos erupted as the fight spread to the entire tavern, to the point that it seemed like the patrons were just waiting for an excuse to throw down. Much of the aggression seemed to be aimed towards Catra and the others, likely because they were on Kenek's payroll. As Carnelian went gladly into the fray, the other two fought for their lives.

Luckily, they were no stranger to this. Sqalish extended his tentacles to full, tossing around anyone who came near him. "I knew I shouldn't have come back here!" he groaned, slamming two grunts together. In response to a punch, his skin hardened into a crustaceous carapace, with which he returned the punch.

"There go our chances of staying under the radar!" groaned Catra, fending off a pair of toughs trying to surround her. When one went in to grab her, she knocked him over with a kick to the legs, sending him tumbling into the other. But another one blindsided her, pinning her against the bar.

This was when the bartender made her move, trying to drive her hook down on Catra: she just barely missed, embedding it in the wood inches from Catra's ear. While she tried to wrench it out, Catra broke free from the other one's grip, pummeling his face into the bar. The bartender swung her hook at her once again, but she managed to catch this one, sticking it even deeper into the wood, before knocking her out with a kick.

Meanwhile, Kenek had Sqalish up against the wall, several of his tentacles around the latter's neck. "For that little stunt, the price just went up!" he said. "Now, tell me what it is you're looking for, and I'll make this much less painful for you!"

"I never capitulated to you before, and I don't intend to do so now!" Sqalish hissed. Even as he began to grow faint, he kept fighting, clawing at the tentacles around his throat.

Kenek sneered, only to suddenly let out a pained cry. His tentacles went slack, with one end falling to the floor, severed. Catra stood behind him, wiping blue liquid off her claws. She turned the tables, putting him in a headlock and slamming him to the ground.

He was back on his feet fairly quickly, but now he had no way to defend himself when Sqalish grabbed him with his tentacles. His skin hardened as the two struggled, trying to tear the appendages off of him. Realizing he might be successful, Sqalish quickly rushed up to him, summoning all of his strength to lift him up and hurl him away. "Carnelian!"

The Quartz got the message, leaping into the air to meet Kenek, and delivering a punch that sent him crashing into the floor, through several tables, and finally against the wall. The three Horde members looked over a trashed bar, confident that the fight was over.

Indeed it was–everyone involved on the other side had either fled or been clobbered. But not everyone was finished just yet. Sqalish approached the defeated Kenek, lifting him up by the collar. "Good then, now that business negotiations are through, why don't you help us out? Where is the Heart?"

"What are you talking about?" he coughed. "The Heart? Now you're just talking nonsense!"

Sqalish responded by slamming him against the wall. "Don't try and make up excuses! The Heart of Etheria! I can't imagine an 'expert' in the First Ones like yourself would know! Either you can point us in the right direction, or you can't–and I don't like your chances if you can't."

He responded with a condescending laugh. "You idiot! The Heart of Etheria's nothing more than a legend! Nothing that powerful could actually exist! It's just a made-up story by the First Ones to scare disobedient Etherians into line!"

"And where is this 'legend' supposedly located?" he continued.

Kenek gave up trying to escape, simply shaking his head. "I wouldn't know. I tend not to waste my time chasing after fairy tales. Can't help you with this one–but by all means, good luck on your wild goose chase!"

"Huh, again with the goose…" Carnelian said to herself.

Having gotten what they could, Sqalish dropped Kenek back down. "He's telling the truth," he said. "If he really knew something we didn't you can bet he would be taunting us with it."

Catra donned her makeshift disguise. "Just in time, too." There was a commotion outside, indicating that some of the patrons had gone to fetch the guards. "At least it's something. Come on, we have to go." The other two followed, making their way out through the back room.

The tavern door burst open, and several guards filed in. "Everyone, stop what you're doing and put your hands in the…eh?" said the lead guard. Everyone inside was on the floor, and the victors of this little spat, if there even were any, were nowhere to be seen.


"Y'know…I know this thing's pretty derelict, but I'm still a bit wary about being in here," said Bow. He had crawled into one of the thrusters on Mara's ship to replace one of the igniters at the end, and despite the ship being nonfunctional, was a bit worried about being suddenly incinerated. "Actually, maybe that's why I'm nervous. It could go off at any minute!"

Back outside, Hordak resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The sooner you repair it, the quicker you can get out. And the faster we can both head back."

"You're right–just gotta get it done!" Bow said. The sounds of cranking were heard from within. "Aaaand…there! Alright, heading out!" He squirmed his way back out of the tunnel, relieved to be back in the open. "Phew! I'm not exactly the claustrophobic type, but I'd rather not do that again!"

"You realize this ship has three more thrusters?" said Hordak.

Bow's eyes widened at that revelation, before deciding to take a break. "Well, we'll get to those in a bit. Let's just take it easy for a moment–don't want to overwork ourselves in this heat!" He sat down in the shade, indicating for Hordak to join him. Reluctantly, the former warlord did so. "We're making pretty good progress so far," said Bow.

"Mmm."

Something seemed to be on Bow's mind. "Um…I know we aren't exactly close enough to be considered friends yet, but…do you mind if I confide something in you?" he asked.

"As long as I don't have to confide something back," Hordak said. He was met with silence. "...Yes, go ahead."

"Okay, good," said Bow. "So…do you know why Glimmer wants us to fix this ship?"

Hordak nodded. "I do. But she requested I not tell anyone else."

"Yeah, she told me the same thing. But since we both know…I get that she wants to go after Catra. I understand why–both reasons. Catra was responsible for Angella disappearing, and stopping her could deal a major blow to the New Horde. But is this really for the best?"

"Is this going to be some exercise in morality?" asked Hordak, irritated at the prospect. "In case you forgot, I am not exactly the person to talk to about showing mercy to your enemies."

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Bow said. "Well…not the only thing I meant. As bad as she is, I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea of killing Catra, but…I imagine Adora would be much less so. Sure, they're enemies now, but they used to be friends. Can you imagine what would happen when Adora finds out her new friend is conspiring to murder her old friend behind her back? What would something like that do to her? What would that do to them?" He looked off into the distance worriedly.

Hordak smiled, but it was not one of malice or sadism–more one of sympathy. "Ah, it seems you are trapped in a web of obligations," he said. "You are equally dedicated to both of them, and yet the dedication to one leads to the betrayal of the other."

Bow nodded solemnly. "That about sums it up. If I tell Adora about what Glimmer has planned, Glimmer would never forgive me. But if Adora finds out I knew but didn't tell her, then she'll never forgive me. No matter what I do here, I'm betraying the trust of one of my best friends!"

Just then, Hordak did what neither of them ever believed he would do: he patted Bow on the back. "Chin up. This problem may seem insurmountable now, but a solution will come to you in time. After all my years in the Horde, both leading and serving, one thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that one always does. It may take hours, it may take years, but every problem has an answer."

Although this response seemed to get through to Bow, he was still quite morose about his situation. "Yeah…only we don't have years," he said. He slowly got to his feet. "You're right, though. I guess all I can do now is wait. I…I think I'm gonna get back to working on the ship."

"You do that," Hordak said, his eyes closed. He appeared to be pondering something of his own. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'll stay here just a bit longer."

"Take your time!" With that, Bow picked up his tools, slowly crawling into another one of the ship's thrusters. Not long after he disappeared within, Peridot appeared. She strolled out from inside the ship, looking nervous.

"S-so," she asked, "how are things going out here? Repairs proceeding as planned?"

Hordak briefly opened an eye. "Yes, I'd say things are going well. The same on your end?"

"Yeah, yeah, pretty good," she answered. "I've pretty much got the navigation systems up and running." She looked around, confirming that they were alone. "Could I…tell you something? Scientist to scientist?"

Turning himself towards her, Hordak gave her his full attention. "I suppose so. It wouldn't be the first time I've been confided in."

"Right, Entrapta," Peridot said quietly, misunderstanding his meaning. "So…I have something of a dilemma. I don't know if you heard, but apparently, during the whole 'Etheria and Earth combining and then being deleted' fiasco, Adora ran into Light Hope."

"I believe she may have mentioned something about that," he said.

"So anyway, the other day, she told me that she told her a series of numbers, and she's been trying to figure out what they mean ever since. She theorized that they were coordinates of some kind, pointing to where she originally came from, and she asked me to help her decipher them."

Hordak nodded. "And the problem is…?"

"Well…this isn't the problem, but just now, I think I may have found out where she came from. I put the numbers into the computer, and they turned out some kind of First Ones base. But the actual problem is that she told me to keep this all a secret. Specifically, from Glimmer."

This was all starting to sound quite familiar. "I see. And what are her reasons for asking this?" asked Hordak.

Peridot shrugged. "I'm not sure. But what I do know is that…things haven't exactly been the best between those two. Ever since Glimmer became queen, they've seemed kind of tense. And I'm worried that if I tell Adora, she'll just leave, without telling Glimmer why or where for."

"I see," Hordak said. "You're worried about their already-frayed relationship reaching its breaking point, is that it?"

She nodded. "It's just…things haven't always been the best for me as far as relationships go. I mean, I'm friends with Steven and the Crystal Gems now, but we got off to a pretty rocky start. Lapis especially didn't trust me at first–I'm worried she still doesn't, to a degree. And then I was 'science buddies' with Entrapta for a while…" She decided to leave out this touchy subject. "...Nevermind. What I'm trying to say is, I want to help Adora, but I don't want to be responsible for ruining her friendship with Glimmer. But no matter what I do, one of them is going to end up getting mad at me."

This was sounding very familiar. "I may not be the best when it comes to 'friendship,' but I can tell you that the answers will come in time. Just do what your heart–Gem, rather–tells you is best for everyone."

Just as with Bow, Peridot took this explanation, but it didn't seem to cheer her up. "Best for everyone…that's gonna be a bit tricky. I'll, uh, see what I can do to fix the startup sequence. Let me know when Bow's out of there, okay?" She headed back inside to continue her work on the ship.

And so Hordak sat, pondering what he had just been told. The two of them had just about the exact same problem, coming from two different sources. But it was the differences, not the similarities, that really intrigued him. Glimmer was keeping secrets from Adora. Adora was keeping secrets from Glimmer. "Hmm…this is going to be very interesting indeed."