Jasper breathed heavily, adrenaline still surging through her veins but her muscles too weak to even rise. Blood tanged her tongue from a split lip, and even more dropped down from her nose onto the trampled grass below. She could feel every bone in her body ache, sore and tired from the battle that had just induced. A battle that she had lost.
"Rise, soldier." A deep voice commanded, as a pale pink tip of a sword entered her vision. Jasper remained on her knees, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. It would be near treason to obey the orders of another ruler, and a devastating blow to her pride as well. The other gem suddenly sighed, and the sword disappeared from her view.
"Your armies have fallen, your leaders have retreated. You have no other reason to stay on this planet, soldier. Leave at once."
Jasper gritted her teeth. "A merciful ruler is not made for war."
"But I have won." Rose Quartz. Leader of the Crystal Gems. Enemy of the Homeworld. A sudden wave of sickness overcame her, and began to heave, vomit flecked with blood. How could she have been so weak, to lose to the likes of them?
Rose politely waited until she had finished, and as she wiped her mouth of the bile, she spoke again. "You fought well, but you have lost. There is nothing else on this planet for you."
"Nothing but my pride." Jasper muttered, sitting back on her legs to stay out of sickness. Rose suddenly giggled, soft enough to be respectful. Still, Jasper's stomach churned.
"What is your name, soldier?" She asked, extending a hand to help her up. Though she throbbed with pain, she swatted it away as she struggled to her feet. Honor demanded independence.
"Jasper." She finally answered, looking the woman in the eyes for the first time. Of course, it wasn't like she hadn't seen her face before: it had been plastered everywhere over Homeworld, branded as the traitor of the entire empire. But as her position was far from the center of action, this was her first glimpse of her in the flesh.
Her first thought was that she was beautiful. Rose was a giant woman, standing almost above her height. Long, luscious rose-colored curls spilled over her shoulders, reaching all the way down to her dress shrouded waist, armor covering her chest and shoulders. Her skin was a soft pink, and her lips a darker shade. Long lashes framed her eyes that glinted strangely. Jasper saw her lips moving before it registered in her mind she was speaking.
"That's a beautiful name, Jasper." Rose said, smiling friendly after. Such a strange tactic for the gem that had just been slaughtering her entire planet.
Jasper spit out the lingering taste of vomit, wiping her mouth again with the back of her hand. "Sweet words from the backstabber of the Homeworld. Tell me, Rose," She spat out the name like bile. "What are you hoping to gain from this?"
Jasper couldn't say that the woman looked particularly shocked. Perhaps she was used to it after trying it out on other fallen soldiers.
"I can't be nice?" Rose asked, sheathing her sword into the carved scarab.
"Is that a joke?" Jasper chuckled grimly. "After you just tried to spill out my guts?"
"I'm sorry, Jasper." She didn't sound sorry. "But your means were way out of bounds. There is life on this planet; that's not something up can just stomp out like those other vacant planets."
"What does it matter to you?" Jasper bit back, lunging forward to spit right into her face. Rose stayed still, not backing down from the argument. "This is a move to better your world, your life! Why would you let that opportunity be wasted? You are a disgrace to your entire planet!"
"Let me ask you this." Rose said quietly, eyes looking off into the distance. "What would you do if everything you ever known was being driven towards something only you could see was wrong? Would you sacrifice life and limb? Or would you just sit by idly?"
Jasper suddenly became silent. What kind of question was that? Her version of mind washing? Jasper had pledged life to Homeworld, this one rebellious woman would never waver her faith in her world. It was like asking a mountain to bend to let a stream pass.
"My nation." She answered shortly. Rose's eyes made contact with her own, but the look in them was not what she had expected.
Disappointment.
"I see." She said, even shorter. She turned on her heel, casually walking back in the direction she came. Only then did Jasper see the full scale of carnage lying about the fields; gems, chipped and broken in half, weapons discarded and dejectedly fallen to the ground, only a handful of gems from Homeworld still alive, but injured.
When Jasper turned back to the giant pink gem, she had disappeared, the whirlwind of destruction being the only sign she was there at all.