Chapter Nineteen: To the Stars Redux

"Once again, we have success!" declared Hessonite. Beside her appeared a holographic representation of Etheria. "It took quite a bit of coordination between the three of us, but we eventually managed to complete our seismic scan of Etheria, just as asked! You are quite welcome, of course."

"...Thank you," said Glimmer from her throne. After the attack, the rest of the Princess Alliance had reconveined for another meeting. "So, what did you find out?"

The hologram of Hessonite in the middle of the room was pushed aside by a hologram of Pyrope. "I'm so glad you asked that, it would be my pleasure to explain! So…" She tapped the model planet, which became a cross section showing a variety of tunnels dug underneath the surface. "As it turns out, Etheria is indeed hollow, in a way that could not have occurred naturally. This, of course, is proof that it was terraformed to some degree by the First Ones."

"That makes sense, considering Entrapta's theories," Hordak noted. "Proceed."

Pyrope was then, in turn, shoved out of the way by Demantoid. "According to my research, most of these tunnels and channels are located far underground. There are a few of these that reach up to the surface, but the most prominent is located here, underneath this large structure." She pointed out the location, which wasn't too far away from Brightmoon.

"The Citadel…" Glimmer said quietly. Where all of this had begun. "All this time, the gateway to the Heart's been this close…"

Hessonite pushed Demantoid out of the way, but left just enough room for her and Pyrope to remain. "Not quite, your majesty. This Citadel is indeed the entrance to the Heart of Etheria, but we currently have no way of activating the structure. Based on our–I mean, Demantoid's research, we would need some kind of internal computing entity to access the planet's inner workings through it."

Upon hearing this, Adora emerged from the background. "Someone like Light Hope?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, Light Hope would be perfect," said Demantoid. "Etheria's many structures were designed to be overseen by her, after all. Do you have a way of reactivating her?"

Adora looked down at her sword, holding onto hope that she could still be alive in there somewhere. She had seen her in person not long ago, hadn't she? Who else could that have been? "I don't know, but I might have an idea." She turned to Peridot. "Those coordinates–she must've given them to me for a reason."

"I…but…isn't that where you're from?" she said. "Why would Light Hope be all the way over there?"

"I don't know, but if it could get us down there before Catra, then we have to try," said Adora, before looking up at Glimmer. "How're Lars and his crew doing?"

Glimmer waited a moment before replying. "They weren't involved with the raid, if that's what you mean," she said, sounding surprised. "But, weren't you just going on about how bad it would be if I had the Heart just yesterday? What's with this one-eighty?"

She took a deep breath, stepping up before everybody. "You're right, I don't think anybody should have the Heart of Etheria if it's as dangerous as they say. But, if it comes down to us having it versus Catra having it…I'd rather it be in the hands of somebody who can be reasoned with. Don't get me wrong, I still don't think it should be used, under any circumstances…but if she's bold enough to try another attack on Brightmoon, we can't afford to play it safe anymore. We need something to deter the New Horde."

"I knew you'd come around eventually!" said Glimmer. Her satisfaction soon turned into disappointment. "Adora, I… Normally, I'd want to come with you. This could be your family, your home! But I can't leave Brightmoon, especially now that we're so close. But I wish you luck."

Adora felt the same way. When Light Hope had told her she could find her home, she couldn't imagine going there without Bow or Glimmer. But now, it looked like this was a journey she would be taking alone–not counting Lars and the Off-Colors, or course. "Thanks. I'll…be back as soon as I can. Who knows? Maybe we can go back there for real once this is all over."

For a split second, Glimmer smiled, before going back to her queenly, stoic demeanor. "Mara's ship should be set, just tell him you're ready to go. As for everyone else, we need to find out where Catra's gone while Hessonite's crew takes control of the Citadel. Spinnerella and Netossa will secure the…"

Her orders trailed off into the distance as Adora made her way out of the castle. Here it was; it was really happening. She could finally find out where she had come from, after all this time. Admittedly, it hadn't been a question she was that concerned with, but her chance meeting with Light Hope had planted that seed in her mind. She had to have a family, right? One who she had been taken away from? By Light Hope herself, ironically enough, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that she would finally know who she was.

"Adora!" She turned around as Bow hurried down the corridor after her. "Hold on! You didn't think I'd let you leave alone, did you?"

"Aww, Bow," she said. "I'm glad you want to come with me, but Glimmer needs you here." She glanced behind him, making sure nobody was watching. "And I need you to keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't make any bad choices with the Heart."

He smiled, even though he was sad to see her go. "I do want to go with you, but that wasn't what I meant." He handed her what looked like a miniature version of his trackpad. "If you run into anything unexpected or need our help, call me with this. I'll do anything I can to get you back safe and sound."

Taking the device, Adora made sure to stow it somewhere safe. "Thank you, Bow. You really do so much for all of us." He beamed at the compliment. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

"Good luck out there," he said. "And don't worry, I'll hold down the fort here!" Bow waved as Adora headed outside, towards new frontiers. "...as best as I can, at least."

"You ready?" asked Micah.

"Ready!" He and Scorpia looked down at Mosquitor's encampment from atop the mountain, observing its defenses. They couldn't see many guards from here, but more would no doubt make an appearance once they began. "So, how're we doing this? Straight down the middle? Lure 'em out? Go for the proverbial throat?" she asked.

Micah motioned for her to follow, and the two of them slid down the mountainside. "We only have one shot at this, so we'll need to make it count." He silently crept along, hiding behind some bushes. "I'll grab the attention of as many guards as I can, while you look for a weak spot. Break in once they're distracted, and you should have an easy path to–or you could do that, that works too."

Scorpia had already transformed, smashing through the walls with ease. The unprepared guards took a moment to react, due to the shock of a gigantic scorpion suddenly tearing apart their sturdiest of defenses. With a terrible screech, they were brought back to the present, rallying their numbers to take her down.

"This might just be easier than I thought," Micah noted, following her trail of destruction.

"Breach! There's been a breach!" yelled Mosquitor through the base's speakers. "Detain the creature immediately! We cannot let them interfere with Master Modulok's plans!" Despite the fervor in his voice, he was nowhere to be seen.

More guards poured out of barracks, taking aim with cobbled-together blasters. Scorpia was bombarded by a barrage of lasers, but her armor was far too tough for them to bother her. With a hiss, she took out another wall with a swipe of her tail, sending the entire battalion tumbling to the ground.

While she was on the warpath, Micah moved through the shadows, not that this was necessary considering everyone's attention was thoroughly seized. Working subtly, he incapacitated any guard that was looking to catch her by surprise. Though considering she was making short work of them so far, she didn't seem to need any help.

Mosquitor's camp had been designed to hold off any of the abominable monsters that inhabited Beast Island. Seeing as Scorpia wasn't one of these monsters, they were entirely unprepared for her. Most of the base was already in ruins. "...I hope she didn't accidentally flatten the ship," Micah said to himself.

Soon enough, once his army had been flattened, the master of Beast Island deigned to show himself. His presence was announced as a swarm of scraper beetles burst forth from one of the broken buildings, swarming above it like a storm cloud. "So, the princess of the Fright Zone has finally embraced her gift," Mosquitor said. He rose out of the basement, surrounded by the bugs. "How unfortunate for you that I hold mastery over all the land's insects! Be bent to my will!"

He thrust his hand out towards her, expecting her to writhe and convulse as she futilely struggled against his dominance over her mind. Instead, all she did was stare at him, possibly in confusion. "Um…I'm no expert, but aren't scorpions arachnids?" Micah pointed out.

"Silence!" Mosquitor directed the swarm towards the king, their hungry jaws chattering as they flew. He prepared a barrier spell, but this proved unnecessary, as Scorpia leapt in front of him. As before, the scraper beetles proved unable to pierce through her thick carapace. "Unworthy wretch! Taste the wrath of Mosquitor!" Try as he might, the beetles only proved to annoy her.

With Scorpia protecting him, Micah had the chance to cast another spell. Spinning his staff around like a baton, he summoned a powerful gale that scattered the beetles, leaving Mosquitor without his defenses. He looked around, but none of his guards were conscious enough to aid him. Scorpia ran forward, pinning him against a broken wall with her claw.

"Huh. That went surprisingly well," said Micah, approaching the lackey. He, however, was more focused on Scorpia, her beady black eyes appearing to bore straight through him. "I'll cut to the chase: we know Modulok keeps a spare ship around here, and you know where it's hidden. Care to show us?"

Mosquitor only laughed. "Try as you might, you're still nothing more than filthy castaways! It doesn't matter that you used to be royalty–I will never betray my master to the likes of–" He was cut off as Scorpia's stinger positioned itself right in front of his throat.

Though surprised by this, Micah continued. "Now, I'm pretty sure most scorpionkin have paralytic venom. But as for my giant friend here, I can't be certain. She's filled to the brim with the power of darkness, not to mention the sheer size difference. She might not even need venom, what with how big her stinger is! So…do you want to find out, or do you want to go for a ride?"

His efforts of trying to look tough didn't last much longer. Mosquitor gulped, absolutely drenched in sweat. "Y-you want the ship? Fine. I'll take you to the ship." Keeping her stinger closely pointed at his back, Scorpia let him get up and make his way over to what remained of his central stronghold.

Now that their enemy was essentially neutralized, she turned back to normal. "Hey, we did it! Good work out there, pal."

"Are you kidding? That was all you," said Micah. "You made short work of this place! …Come to think of it, I can't believe we were afraid of this guy."

The comment made Mosquitor raise an arm to summon more bugs, but a near jab from Scorpia convinced him otherwise. "Hey, none of that!" She turned back to her partner. "So, are you ready to see your daughter again?"

Micah should have been happy, but it seemed there was still more to do. "Not yet. I can't rest until Modulok is stopped. That's why I need the ship: to travel to his base and kill him once and for all. It's what I set out to do all those years ago, and I can't go home until it's done."

"Then let's go get that son of a…gun!" Scorpia said, eagerly raising her claws like boxing gloves. "I've come with you this far, so why not go all the way?"

The ground briefly shook, as Mosquitor had activated a hidden elevator beneath his base. The floor slid aside, and a small spacecraft was lifted up before them, thankfully just large enough for them all to fit. "Climb aboard," he said sardonically.

Battered, bruised, and thoroughly demoralized, Catra and her crew approached their hidden dropship. None of them, except maybe Catra herself, had expected the attack on Brightmoon to be terribly effective, but they had been thoroughly thrashed despite having the element of surprise. The addition of a master sorceress had probably aided in their defeat, as had Glimmer's surprising ferocity.

As bad off as they were, none had taken a beating worse than Catra herself. She could barely walk once they had exited the river, but was insistent on not being helped, leaving her to limp most of the way. Seeing how angry she looked, the others were content to leave her be, seeing as she might snap at any moment.

She waited impatiently as Crita dispelled her illusion, making their ship visible again. "You all stand guard out here," she ordered, heading inside. "With any luck, Entrapta won't be too busy." The door closed behind her, leaving the other five out in the cold.

"Did…did she just lock us out?" said Karikon. He knocked on the side of the ship, to no response. "Huh. Guess she really is pissed."

"I would be too, if I got beat that badly," Azurite said with a smirk.

"You were beat that badly," Carnelian reminded her. "We all were. Dunno why she's taking it personally…or out on us."

Sqalish sighed. "Whyever it may be, I'm beginning to get tired of bailing you all out. Consider yourselves lucky we've been fighting near rivers so far."

"Hopefully, we can finish this up and head back soon," said Crita.

Within the ship, Catra sent the call to Entrapta. After a few moments of waiting, not that long all things considered, but far too long for her liking, the scientist picked up. "Oh, hey Catra! It's been a while since I've heard from you guys. What's up?" She looked back into the ship, realizing Catra was alone. "Uh-oh. They didn't get captured, did they?"

"Not anymore," Catra muttered. "Look, I'd rather not stay here longer than I need to, so I'll make this quick. Glimmer and her princesses know about the Heart of Etheria, and they no doubt know where it is. So all we need to do is wait for them to lead us right to it. Is that good enough for you? Good, because we're heading back."

"Wait!" shouted Entrapta, quite forcefully. Perhaps too forcefully, as Catra stared at her like she had just requested she physically bring the Heart back. "...Stay there, we'll come to you! If Glimmer's going for the Heart, then we don't have any time to waste! I'll let Emerald know, and she'll send the Supermassive to take care of business. See you then!"

"Entrapta, hold on, don't–" But she had already hung up. Catra snarled, slamming her fist down on the console, before managing to calm herself. "Alright…this isn't a big deal. What's a few more hours with these idiots?" She opened the ship up, and was greeted by the five of them whispering conspiratorially. A clearing of her throat led to all of them turning around.

After an awkward pause, Karikon spoke. "So, I take it we're ready to head out?" he asked, stepping on board.

Catra sighed. "Yes, but apparently, Entrapta thinks Emerald will want to come to us. So we're stuck here until they decide to show up." She sat down in the captain's chair, none too pleased. "We might as well wait this out in orbit."

"At least our long, difficult journey is nearing its end," mused Sqalish, preparing the ship to take off alongside the others. It was clear that Catra was not the only one eager to get off this planet.

As they ascended into the sky, something buzzed at the back of Catra's mind. "What exactly were you talking about just now?" she asked.

It was clear Karikon wasn't prepared for this question, pausing awkwardly before asking "What do you mean? We were just talking."

"Is that so?" said Catra, her eyes narrowing. "I would appreciate it if you did a little less of that."

"...Less talking?" asked Carnelian. "How are we supposed to–"

Catra waved her hand, quieting her. "Yeah-yeah-yeah, I don't care. If at all possible, I'd like these next few hours to be spent in complete silence." She laid back in her chair, looking at the stars as the ship hovered in orbit. "Although…keep an eye on the comms at all frequencies. We don't want to miss anything."

AN: For some reason, autocorrect kept wanting to chance "beetles" to "beatles." Not even capitalized, either.