How long had it been?
Hours? Minutes?
Seconds?
Pearl couldn't tell.
All she knew was that Steven was gone.
He was gone and they had taken them.
He had sacrificed himself to protect them, answering for his Mother's sins.
It wasn't his burden to bear.
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't right.
He shouldn't have done it.
Connie was inconsolable.
As soon as they had reached the shore, she collapsed into a fetal position, and began to sob; tears streaming down her face as she shook in the wet, warm sand. Sadie had knelt beside her, whispering comforting words into her ear.
Sadie was barely keeping it together herself.
Amethyst had joined her in trying to console Connie, silently stroking the poor girls back.
Garnet just stood away from them, staring up at the sky.
Pearl couldn't handle it any longer.
A tight knot began to form in her gut, slowly rising up through her. The deep feeling slowly began to come out in gentle gasps as tear began to fall down her porcelain face. These gasps soon became choked, rising in crescendo until Pearl had fallen to her knees, fully sobbing into her hands. She couldn't think, the world slowly melting away around her.
What were they going to do now?
They had no ship, no army, no technology that could compete with Homeworld's.
They had no one they could call for help; their allies had been wiped out long ago.
No, they were alone, and there was absolutely no way to rescue Steven.
Unless….
"If you ever need assistance, activate it, I'll be here as fast as I can."
The statement popped into Pearl's head from out of nowhere, causing her desperate cries to immediately stop. She tilted her head up, frantically searching the stars.
"Of course…." She spoke aloud, "Why didn't I think of it before!?"
Leaping to her feet, Pearl began sprinting to the beach house, the shouts of Sadie and Amethyst fading behind her. Taking the front steps two at a time, Pearl burst into the home, gaze shifting from one area to the other.
"Where is it!? Where did he put it it!?" she practically screamed.
Taking a moment to slow herself, Pearl began to search her memory, desperately trying to recollect what exactly Steven had done with it.
Finally, after racking her brain, Pearl knew where to look.
. . . . .
It was the same evening that they had rediscovered Rose's scabbard, and after a few hours of Pearl recounting her exploits in the war, they had returned home. Upon arrival, Steven began to pack items back into the unusual storage space that was Lion's mane. However, one object he hadn't remembered bringing out caught his attention.
"Hey Pearl," Steven called to her as she made a pot of tea for the two of them, "You have any idea what this is?"
Pearl moved into the den, gracefully placing the tray holding their tea onto the wooden coffee table. Moving towards Steven, she quickly hid her surprise at the object held in his outstretched hand.
It was small, about the size of an apple. Made of metal, its polished, round surface was unmarked, with a small band of circuitry around its circumference. A small indentation topped the object, providing a method in which to activate the object. As Pearl stared, the light bounced off of it, causing small flashes to fill her vision.
After all this time…. She never thought it had survived…..
"Pearl?" Steven questioned, shaking her out of her stupor. A look of concern had crossed the young boys face, unsure as to why the object had rendered Pearl speechless. Quickly recovering, Pearl moved to ease the boy's concerns.
"Oh!" she began, "I never thought I would see one of these again!" gently taking the object from Steven, she held it up to the light, as if to inspect it.
"This, Steven, is a Seeker! It was one of the first probes used by Homeworld, and is the precursor of Peridot's Robonoids!" Steven looked at the relic in wonder, hypnotized by the way it gleamed in the light.
"Does it still work?!" He asked energetically, "Do you think I could use it on missions!?" Pearl smiled internally, thankful her quick fabrication had paid off.
"I'm sorry Steven, but this thing is so old, the internal electronics are essentially dust." Handing the small sphere back to Steven, the young teen sighed in resignation. "Dang, it," he spoke sadly, "I thought I'd have a cool little robot pal."
Pearl, uncomfortable with seeing Steven disappointed, quickly moved to lighten the situation.
"Well don't put it back in Lion!" She spoke up. "That is a piece of Gem history…. Why not put it on display in your room?
This suggestion seemed to brighten the young teens mood, as a smile quickly formed on his face. "Great idea Pearl! I'll go find a place for it right now!" Launching himself up the stairs, Steven began to rearrange his things to create a proper exhibit. Breathing a sigh of relief, Pearl sat down on the couch, and poured herself a cup of tea.
Her story had been believed, and Steven would never investigate further.
Hopefully, he would never find out what it truly was.
. . . . .
Now, as Pearl tore up the stairs to Stevens room, she wished she had told him the truth. Maybe then, he wouldn't have been taken away.
Maybe then he wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself.
Frantically searching around the room, Pearl had finally found it, tucked inside a small glass jar that Steven had placed on the windowsill.
Quickly grabbing the sphere, Pearl rushed back downstairs, and burst out the front door. She made her way down the front steps of the house, passing Amethyst, who was confused as to what exactly Pearl was doing.
Pearl ignored her shouts, and ran to the shoreline, and began to wade into the ocean. Once thigh deep, she looked at the object in her hands.
She knew it needed to be as unobstructed as possible, and despite its metal components, would float if placed in water. Her fingers traced across the surface slowly, thumb gently rubbing over the surface of the switch.
If she did this, she'd have to answer for her actions over six thousand years ago.
If she did this Steven would have a chance.
If she did this, nothing would ever be the same.
He would probably stay on Earth until Homeworld was dealt with.
She could be forfeiting her life.
But Steven was her world, and if it meant saving his life, then she would gladly pay any price.
Pushing down on the switch, the small sphere began to whirl to life, the circuits around its outside flashing white and red. Slowly, the sphere split apart, a cylinder of circuitry and flashing red light connecting the two pieces. After a minute, the red light switched to white, and flashed at intervals of three seconds.
Pearl felt like the weight of the world had lifted off her shoulders.
It had worked.
After all these years, it had worked.
Reaching down, Pearl gently placed the beacon into the ocean, letting the calm waves hold it afloat.
Walking back to shore, Pearl sat heavily into the sand, knees pulled up into her.
All she could do now was wait
Hopefully, it would reach Him.
Hopefully, He would come.
. . . . . .
Aboard a small ship, a lone figure stood, watching the dead world he was slowly orbiting.
The bridge was quiet; no contact with Authority forces in weeks.
He wasn't sure when the pinging began, only that it had brought him out of his thoughts.
Gliding swiftly to the comms terminal, the figure began to input a string of confirmation codes, confirming the incoming transmission was a distress call, and had been activated by friendly forces. Glad to be free from the aspect of reverse tracking, he was began scanning various possible sectors of space.
Quickly isolating the signal, a small smile formed on his face, noting the source and planet from which it originated.
Moving to the pilot's seat, the figure punched in the coordinates of the planet, recalling them from memory.
It had been a long time since he had been to Earth.
Before activating the jump drive, he moved back to the console, quickly tapping on the keys.
Letting out a small chuckle, the figure settled back into the pilot seat, and prepped the ship for the intensity of slip-space.
Casting one last glance at the comms terminal, he engaged the drive as the screen confirmed its action was completed successfully.
LOCATING DISTRESS BEACON….
…..
….
….
….
….
BEACON LOCATED, SENDING CONFIRMATION SIGNAL….
…
…
…
…
SIGNAL DELIVERY CONFIRMED.
A/N: Hopefully this wasn't too horrid to read. This takes place the episode before the 'Wanted' special. I know Steven gets back on his own, and this story is set to take place after his return, with new allies to help fight Homeworld. I enjoy writing it, so hey, on it goes. Any criticism is appreciated, help me better my shitty writing.
Au revior