Peridot, like so many other Gems, was born to obey, but she didn't feel like it that day.
She had come almost to the end of hundreds and hundreds of reports on the terrible war that had devastated her world and another one, one far away, a now abandoned colony.
From the archive room where she took refuge between one mission and another, the petulant voice of Yellow Pearl had arrived.
Peridot snorted: she had a very bad idea of Pearls in general, but the one belonging to her Diamond was undoubtedly the worst according to her, with her hateful sweet movements of frightened fairy that turned into scornful giggles at the address of the subordinates as soon as Yellow Diamond looked away.
"What do you want?" the lime-colored Gem mumbled, without raising her green eyes from the monitors.
Yellow Pearl, disgusted and irritated, raised her upper lip; of all the Peridots created, Facet 2F5L was particularly disliked by her. She was very bright, brighter than the other Peridots, especially those of her generation, but also irritating and snobbish.
With what right then? She was working hard for Yellow Diamond from morning to night like her other colleagues, so why she considered herself superior?
"Er-hem, our Diamond wants to see you. Be quick."
She had uttered those last words with a hint of reprimand, as if she wanted to emphasize to the Peridot that she was a lazy dole.
Annoyed, Peridot turned her head sharply towards Yellow Diamond's chaperone.
"Tubby, I'm not wasting my time. I need these files. Can I understand something about the centuries of war that I lost or not?"
Yellow Pearl trembled with anger, pursing her lips, but said nothing more.
The technician came out of the archive, indifferently eyeing Yellow's lady, focusing on her deep yellow ballerinas, delicate stockings, slinky bodysuit and pretty puffed sleeves. She felt disgust with that decorative figurine, which also allowed herself to command her.
The two walked in silence along the long corridor that separated the archive from the control room. When there were only a few steps to the big automatic door of the hall, a Beryllium guard told them that Yellow had gone out because of an anomaly of the Red Eye, and had gone to pay attention to the Peridot team in charge of repairs.
"That Eye will be sent to planet Earth." Pearl told Peridot.
"To do what?" relaunched this bored as she controlled her last notes on her portable screen.
"To verify that on that strange planet there is no more trace of Gems!" Pearl snapped, tired of her insufferable attitude.
This last sentence caught the attention of the Peridot, who widened her eyes in an expression of pure bewilderment.
"What?"
"You heard me. Yellow Diamond wants you because you are the most prepared of all. A nice trip awaits you." Pearl grinned.
At another time Peridot would had loved those praises, but now she felt just angry, while a growing sense of frustration rose to her throat. Who the hell wanted to embark on that journey? Why couldn't she stay on Homeworld and take care of what she could do better, that was being a technician in charge of technology and Kindergartens?
Their chatter was interrupted by the imperious arrival of Yellow Diamond, which made the floor tremble beneath her pointed heels.
The Red Eye had suffered a small short circuit, promptly repaired, and was now ready to work.
"Peridot..." she called weakly, as if she were an insect flew into her study.
The Gem placed herself at attention, without showing fear or reverence. Her eyes were dreary, her mouth tightened.
"I need you to go to planet Earth to find out about the Cluster and the prototypes' progress. We will send the Eye to verify the absence of those... Crystal Gems... "
She spat out that nickname with poison, as if she wanted to kill them with her voice.
Shortly thereafter, Yellow Diamond ordered Pearl to escort Peridot to the training room, given the latter's specific request to test the Eye and the Robonoids assigned to repair the warp pads.
Puffing, Pearl consented and the two found themselves alone again.
Walking on those gray and monotonous floors, Yellow Diamond's companion tried once again to tantalize the technician.
"Hey, what do you think about fusions?"
"They disgust me."
Pearl gritted her teeth: that Peridot was really unbearable.
Upon arriving at the room, with its laboratory, Peridot found herself surrounded by her colleagues, who considered her a kind of celebrity and greatly admired her extraordinary inventiveness.
There was no friendship between them, they had no time or perfect knowledge of that concept.
Pearl listened to the praise for Facet 2F5L, grumbling from time to time. She should had gone back to Yellow, and instead she was bathing into the compliments for that detestable chick, who followed the last repair work curled up on the seat of the station, with her Enhanced Legs dangling and the Magnetic Fingers arranged in a screen around her with above the preparatory sketches of the robots, apart from one that stood between its owner's teeth. She appeared more insolent than ever to Pearl, and in her heart she feared that sooner or later, that insolence would had turned against her.
And yet, deep in her soul, she admired her.
The other Peridots had concentrated expressions, but far more friendly. The eyes of that sort of petit boss were cold instead, they were the eyes of those who had seen the War, they were the eyes of first generation Peridots, but it wasn't possible, because she had emerged from her hole a thousand years before, with the conflict already terminated.
Peridot finished her job quickly and briskly.
Yellow Pearl had remained there to observe her, officially to prevent her from messing up, unofficially because she wanted to understand what that Gem from middle-lower class had so special about.
Their eyes met.
"Are you still here?"
"I don't trust you."
"And you do well, because I don't trust Pearls either." Peridot retorted, elegantly spitting the magnetic finger on the screen, to close the operations.
That evening, while observing the view immersed in sidereal space, Pearl returned to her owner's studio muttering to herself.
She was still immersed in her speculations, when Yellow's powerful voice reached her:
"What have you got to chew on?"
"My Diamond... there is one thing I don't understand..."
The giantess' penetrating yellow eyes pierced her, but there was less severity than usual in them.
"What?"
"Why do you give all this responsibility to that Peridot? What does she have more than the others?"
Yellow's face remained impenetrable, closed in its mask light years away.
"Nothing. She simply has more specific skills, which allow us not to waste time and servants."
Peridot had released the Red Eye towards the Earth. Waiting for feedback, she enjoyed analyzing the technologies around her and taking notes on how to improve them.
She was doing just that when a platoon of Jaspers crossed one of the corridors.
Peridot casted a quick glance at those creatures, especially the noisiest, with perfect shapes and white and indomitable hair.
Jasper was considered a charismatic and fearless leader among the soldiers, especially without hesitation.
However, Peridot cared very little about her feats during the Rebellion, she just wanted her to stop making noise with her deep voice.
Grumbling, she walked away from that mountain of flexed muscles.
"HEY!"
Peridot jumped, she didn't expect to be called back by the boor.
"Yes?" she replied, with a shrill annoyed voice.
"What is the game you hold in your fingers?"
Jasper's intent was to make fun of what she called "a useless nerd" and immediately gathered support in her group, with coarse laughters and elbow blows.
Peridot stood still but narrowed her eyes in two slits.
"Something a pebble brain like you can't take."
There was silence, and the rest of the Jaspers placated, frozen. That technician had allowed herself to insult the best of them all.
How could she get away with it?
The warrior in fact made her way among her cronies, staring with superiority at the cursed one who had made her angry.
"Tell me a little thing, greenie... how many times have you heard of a Peridot poofing a Jasper?"
Peridot made the hologram screen disappear, retracting her fingers to form a compact hand.
"What is it, a riddle?"
Jasper's hand crashed into a fist against the wall of the structure, making it crack.
Small pieces of rock and dust descended from the ceiling, terrorizing the rest of the Jaspers.
"NEVER!" shouted the soldier, as fierce as a tiger ready to pounce on her prey, ignoring both the scientist's indifference and her companions' fear for the solidity of the ceiling.
"There is always a first time..." Peridot blew, before turning and walking back to the archive.
Jasper watched her leave, panting, and only the Stars know how much she wanted to chase and punch her for her irreverence.
As for Peridot, she opened her mouth one last time to hiss a "clod" addressed to the handsome Gem she had challenged.
Soon after, she had already forgotten Jasper and her arrogance, because Yellow Diamond's mission was the top priority.
On the other hand, your Diamond came first, wasn't it?