Introduction
The nature of humanity has always been misjudged for there has never been a true base line to really compare ourselves against. The best way to describe this problem is with this metaphor. Apples come in many flavors which range from sweet to sour. It is not correct to assume all apples are sour, but it is also not correct to assume all apples are sweet. The variety of apples provide a wide range that cannot be boiled down to a simple understanding. To truly compare the qualities of apples, you must compare them to a different fruit entirely. Now apply this logic to humanity, we have negative qualities, but we also have positive qualities. To truly gage the worthiness of humanity, you must compare it to another sentient species entirely.
Disclaimer:
The Gems depicted in this story are for experimental purposes and are representing a completely alternate species to humanity. I am aware of their association with homosexuality, and I just wanted to say that what I write does not reflect my position on homosexuality. I don't judge or care whether you swing that way or not for it is not my place to do such things. I am doing this story for I feel the setting and ideas present by Rebecca Sugar can be explored thorough multiple points of view. Like combining it with concepts from a science fiction post nuclear war video game (Fallout), and my own interpretation. Also obviously all rights are to the original creators, Cartoon Network, and Bethesda.
Chapter 1:
The Collision of Worlds
In the year 2217, humanity has mastered space travel and has colonized Mars and several moons of Jupiter. Humanity has been able to accomplish this under the guidance of the SEPRO company, who have resolved many of the problems that have plagued humanity for centuries, but it has realistically not been able to bring about true utopia due to the limitations of the natural laws of the universe. The only means to maintain this upward push is to establish colonies on decently sized planetary bodies. The bodies do not need to be in the habitable zone in order to establish bases, but humanity is preparing for a first contact event. One of the decisions that is being discussed is the downsizing the human military as to not threaten any civilization that may exist out in the galaxy. The military has taken on more of a research and development role for humanity by testing future concept weapons and armors in the deadliest environment known to humanity space. A squad of the military's top soldiers and scientists are on a test mission which will take place on Psyche a nickel-iron asteroid that is 150 miles on its longest side. Each member of this squad is the best in their respective field within the military. The squad has gathered to discuss the tests that need to be run.
"Alright everyone, gather around. We need to go over our duties in order to have a flawless test rounds. We don't need to have any incidents like what happened with Squad Z in company F." Said an American military captain with a strong tenor voice. He is wearing a simple gray pant and t-shirt combo with black combat boots. His dirty blond hair is cut in a traditional military style. He is sitting at a conference table with five other people sitting around the table.
"Easy Captain Trasco, we are the top soldiers in the whole bloody army. We can handle a simple weapon test." Said a Scottish man with a higher pitched tenor voice. He is in a similar look to the Captain, but he has a beard and has slightly longer hair that is reddish brown.
"Commander Bargus, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we need to be careful" said Captain Trasco with a little bit of sarcasm.
"I agree with Captain Trascovich. We are dealing with potentially volatile materials that needs our utmost attention and care" said an Indian woman with a soprano voice on the higher end of the scale who is wearing the same uniform as the soldiers but is wearing a lab coat over the uniform. Her hair is done up in a bun in order to keep her hair out of the science experiments.
"Thank you Dr. Chopra, Now I am curious on why we need soldiers involved in a purely scientific experiment?" asked a Chinese female scientist with an alto voice with a similar uniform to Dr. Chopra.
"For your information Dr. Zaung, I am an engineer, and I am here to repair the weapons if they break" said an African male with a deep bass voice. He is wearing a uniform that is the same to the soldiers.
"That is Lieutenant Gombasra's reason. I am the best piolet in the entire military, and I can get this ship through a soup bag. And Trasco here…" said Bargus before he was interrupted by Trascovich.
"I am the military's top combat expert. I am here to push these weapons to their absolute limits. I did get the top score in the combat simulator on the highest difficulty possible; I am used to prove a weapons functionality outside of tests. Now let's go over what we are testing…" said Trasco before alarms started to blare.
"Warning! Unknown object has entered scanner range, and it is in bound to our location" said a computerized female voice.
"Thank you Sarah, Alright positions every…" said Bargus before a blue energy surrounds them freezing them in place. They are aware of the movement of time, and they can move their eyes. They see abnormally large and fit women walking into the conference room and the crew is levitated off the ground. The women guide the crew off of their ship into a ship of their own. The ship the crew saw had a saucer structure and a crystalline texture to it which made every person question the logic of this ship, but they could not voice their concerns. Captain Trascovich was separated from the rest of the group who were all place in what looked like a holding room. He made a mental note of how the door looked and he kept track of where it was in the hallway. It was after four doors when he and his guard stopped in front of a similar door way. Trascovich noticed the guard typing onto what looked like a screen, but he could not make out the language that was appearing on it. The door opened to a holding room, and Trascovich was levitated to the other end of the room. His guard walked in, but the door did not close. He could only hear the guard walk in because he was not facing the door way. Trascovich suddenly feel to the floor because the blue energy surrounding him disappeared. He caught himself before he face-planted, but he was still a bit dazed for he just recovered all of his faculties. He realized that his guard was talking, and that he could understand her.
"I never thought that I would see organic life with the capability to travel space, but I am not impressed" said the guard.
"Organic life… Are you a robot?" asked Trascovich.
"What does that term 'robot' mean?" asked the guard.
"Um… a robot is a complex machine that can replicate thought or complex actions that a person can perform" said Trascovich carefully now having a feel for his surroundings.
"Us emulate you! Please we are far superior to you in every way. We have conquered…" said the guard as she turned away from him. Trascovich tuned her out as he checked his boots for his standard issue knife, and he found it after a good minute or so. He watched his guard who was still in monologue with her back to him. He grabbed his knife and slowly rose up to not draw her attention. He slightly played with his knife to get a feel for the balance of the blade, and looked at his captor and saw where he could kill her before she could make a sound. Trascovich raised his knife and brought it down on to the guard's neck. Before the guard could react Trascovich put his free hand over her mouth, and he kicked the back of the guard's knee. He did not hear any bones snap, but he could tell that he greatly damaged the leg. Trascovich twisted the knife in the guard's neck as he brought her down to his height and by doing this he realized that the guard was taller than him. His knife broke while he performed this maneuver, but he caused critical damage to the guard. He spoke to the guard saying
"Oh look, the inferior being just killed you. In a future life keeping your mouth shut it may save your fucking life."
After he said that the guard disappeared and a gem stone fell on the ground at his feet. Trascovich looked at it and thought.
"This is a nicely cut gemstone. I wonder how much it is worth? No, Trasco you will be committing a war crime. I will just let someone else grab this gem."
Trascovich left the room and he turned right down the hallway to get back to his squad. He got back to the room and he tapped on the door in Morse Code.
"- ... .. ... / .. ... / -.-. .- .-. - .. .- -. / - .-. .- ... -.-. - ...- .. -.-. ... .-.-.- / .- ... .- - / .. ... / . ...- . .-. -.- - -. . ... / -.-. - -. -.. .. - .. - -. ..-.." (Translation: This is Captain Trascovich. What is everyone's current status?) Trascovich waited for a reply for a minute when Bargus spoke up.
"Christ Trasco! You are proving that you are not someone trick pony. We are alright, but we cannot figure out how this door works."
"I don't know how they work either. I got lucky. My guard was an idiot. I believe the best course of action for me is to get to our ship to get access to the weapons." Said Trasco in a sort of whisper to keep his voice from echoing.
"But they have not been properly tested yet. We could be risking…" said Dr. Zaung
"We don't have time doctor. We need to either escape or take over the ship. Now what is everyone's combat level?" asked Trascovich in a serious tone.
"I have gotten to level 12" said Bargus.
"I completed level 10" said Gombasra.
"I got to level 4" said Dr. Chopra.
"Fine, I only got to level 3" said Dr. Zaung.
"Alright this can work, because I bet level 20" said Trascovich.
"Holy Shit! Are you insane. No one has come out of the level without extreme PTSD, and you are telling me that you have beaten that level, and you are not scared" exclaimed Dr. Zaung.
"Who said I got out of it scar free?" asked Trascovich sarcastically.
"Off with you man, you are the only one who can save our hides now" said Bargus.
Trascovich left the door and walked to where he remembered coming into the ship. He stopped at a turn and hide behind the corner for he saw two guards standing in front of big door that was open long enough for him to see the ship on the other side. He figured that it would be a bad idea to attack the guards without a weapon.
"Hey, over here" said a female voice. Trascovich slightly jumped when he heard the voice. He turned towards the source and saw two females that looked similar to the guards but they had slight differences.
"Wow, you got past a Carnelian. That is an impressive feat" said one of the ladies. Trascovich noticed that there was a yellow energy dividing him from the ladies.
"A Carnelian… Like the gemstone?" asked Trascovich confused.
"It's complicated. Look we can help you. We just need you to let us out" said the other woman in the cell like area. Trascovich weighed his options, and he decided the option had the greatest risk, but also had the greatest reward.
"Okay, I will let you out, but you must help me and my squad. I have a feeling that it would be more beneficial if we take control of this ship" said Trascovich.
"How do you plan on doing that exactly?" asked the second lady.
"I just need to get access to our ship. We have weapons that can turn the tables, so do we have a deal?" asked Trascovich
"I suppose. You seem to know to what you are doing" said the first woman.
"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, what do I need to do?" asked Trascovich.
"We need you to just stand in this energy field. We are hoping that you could block it allowing us to escape" said the first woman.
"Alright, um…, let me do an experiment before I really help you" said Trascovich as he slowly moved the back of his hand to the energy. He touched the field, and he felt a warm energy equivalent to a summer's day.
"Okay, time to bust you two out this can." Said Trascovich as he spread himself to completely fill the door way, and using is physical training climb to the top of the frame to block the energy completely.
"Wow, thank you, you really went above and beyond to get us out of there" said the second woman as she and her friend walked out.
"No problem, so my name is Captain Mathew Trascovich, but you may call me Trasco or Captain. What are your names?"
"I am Amethyst 10GA" said the Amethyst.
"I am Jasper 20HX" said the Jasper.
"Alright can I call you by your first names?" asked Trascovich.
"That will be fine. So what is the plan?" asked the Jasper.
"Okay so first is getting access to my ship and rescue my crew. I believe the best course of action is taking the two guards at the hanger. Once we have them taken out, I will go and get my crew. I just need one of you with me to open the door. After we do that and get on to the ship, I will ask you about what you know of this ship, so we can take it over. Now the important question is that do you know where you keep your weapons we are going to need those" said Trascovich.
"We can make them from nothing. Let me show you" said the Amethyst as a decorated ax forms from her right knee. Trascovich looks down and notices the gemstone where her knee should be.
"Wow. I never thought I would see weapons come from thin air. I will admit that it looks a little too fancy to use as a weapon, but I figure it has more advanced technology behind it. Now is there a way for you to make another weapon for me?" asked Trascovich.
"It will be worth to give it a try" said the Amethyst as she formed another ax this time handing it to Trascovich. He reaches out to grab it, but the ax dissipated when he makes contact with it.
"Whelp, that stinks but was worth a shot. After learning that, I will stay hidden, and I will only get involved if either of you call for help" said Trascovich.
"That is fine. It should not be too tough for us. Just stay aware" said the Jasper. The two ally gems walked out of the hall and towards the guard who immediately drew their weapons which were crystal morning stars. The allied gems grew their weapons, and Trascovich saw that the Jaspers weapon was a clamor sword. Trascovich observed the fight very closely seeing how the battle played out, and he saw a scene of a fantasy movie. With kicks, block, lunges, Trascovich was watching seeing the weak points we would have gone for. The Jasper eventually got the final blow on her opponent as she stabbed her enemies head with her sword. The guard turned too light and disappeared as all was left was her gemstone. The Jasper picked it up and a bubble formed around the gemstone. Trascovich suddenly realized the Amethyst was on the ground as the other guard was about to swing down on her. The guard had her back towards him, so he took the opportunity to run up behind her and to wrap his arms around her throat. The guard was taller than him, but he had enough force from gravity to reach the floor and bend the guard backwards. Trascovich started twist the guards head trying to break her neck. He put all of his normal strength into it, but the guards neck was still intact and she was now trying to escape. Trascovich thought about what would happen if he failed, and that is when his adrenalin kicked into overdrive. The genetic breaks have been removed and Trascovich felt his strength go up. The guard felt this too because she realized that she could not escape his grasp. In that moment, a loud crack was heard in the hall. Trascovich let go of the guard and saw that he was holding her head as her body laid at his feet. The head looked at Trascovich with to look of absolute terror and the head asked
"What are you?" The head and the body disappeared, and the gemstone was left. The placement of the gem seemed to have been in the small of the back. The Amethyst and Jasper stood there looking at Trascovich in complete and total shock. Trascovich kicked the gem over to them and asked.
"Have you never seen a soldier breaking a person's neck before?"
"We have never seen an organic being break our physical form before Oh… right." Said the Jasper as she bubbled the gem. She touched the top of the bubbles and the bubbles disappeared into thin air. In this moment, Trascovich thought about his earliest encounter with a gem
"How long does a gem remain body less?" asked Trascovich.
"It depends on the type. Us soldiers can recover relatively quickly, but other gems can take a long time to reform" said the Amethyst.
"Shit! We need to hurry. I think my guard has recovered, and she may have gotten help" said Trascovich realizing how much trouble they could be in.
"Oh… Alright I will get this door open do you want one of us to get your friends?" asked the Jasper hurrying to the monitor to open the hanger door.
"No, they would not recognize you as an ally. I just need to get to the ship and get the weapons we use" said Trascovich calming back down.
"Got it!" exclaimed the Jasper as the door opened. Trascovich ran to his ship, and when he reached it, he spoke this phrase.
"Emergency open code: Alfa, Lima, Oscar, November, Echo, 129064."
"Accessed Granted Captain" said Sarah the ships computer.
"Can you two stand watch? This is kinda top secret" said Trascovich.
"No problem we will call out if we see anyone coming" said the Jasper. Trascovich ran into the ship and he got his bearings in the entry hall way. The cockpit was to his left so he went right to the back of the ship. He stopped at a door to his right which was beside the door to the engine room. He typed on the doors console which allowed him access to the room. He felt relief on being able to understand what was on screen, but that feeling did not las for he knew he needed to hurry to save his friends. The door opened to a weapons storage room filled with enough guns to arm his squad and the two gem he made friends with. Trascovich called out to the computer and said
"Override code: Oscar, Victor, Echo, Romeo, Lima, Oscar, Romeo, Delta, 129064."
"Access to experimental weapons granted Captain" said Sarah.
"Thank you, how are you holding up?" asked Trascovich.
"Better now that I know you are okay. I am still worried about the others" said Sarah.
"I am too. That is why I am getting these experimental weapons." Said Trascovich as he walked towards a combat uniform that he does not recognize. The uniform looks like it has thick padding that has the feel of Kevlar. The helmet had a mask that had gas flitters, and small cameras on it. The mask looks like a metallic gas mask and it inspired terror in Trascovich. He walks towards the suit as Sarah spoke
"That uniform is designed to be the next step in human combat. The suit has no weak openings for stray bullets to damage sensitive organs like eyes, and it has advanced AR features that allow soldier to stay on task even in the worst of conditions."
"I will most definitely need that" said Trascovich as he put on the uniform. It felt heavy, but Trascovich was use to carrying around weight. When he completed putting on the uniform by putting on the helmet a robotic male voice spoke
"Hello Captain, your Override order is recognized. I wish to calibrate to you in order to maximize my performance."
"I will submit to calibration. What is your name program?" asked Trascovich.
"I am the Pip program, but you may call me Pip" said Pip.
"Okay, you may continue Pip."
"Calibrating… Captain Mathew Trascovich. Caucasian Male. Blonde Hair. Blue Eyes with 20/20 vision. Addendum is monochromatic color blind. Adjusting to compensate. Compensation complete. Height 6'5''. Weight 260 with well-defined muscles.
Level: 72 Soldier.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats:
Strength 10, Perk List: Heavy Gun rank 5, Unarmed rank 5, Melee rank 5, Carry Weight rank 4, Bash rank 4, Steady Aim rank 3, Unstoppable Force rank 3.
Perception 6, Perk List: Rifleman rank 5, Explosive rank 5.
Endurance 8, Perk List: Toughness rank 4, Life giver rank 3, Adamantium Skeleton rank 2.
Charisma 5, Perk List: Payday rank 3.
Intelligence 7, Perk List: Medic rank 3.
Agility 8, Perk List: Gunslinger rank 5, Commando rank 5, Moving Target rank 3, Quick Reload rank 3.
Luck 5, Perk List: Bloody Mess rank 4.
Fitting the field of view adjusting… complete. Overlay adjusting complete. Ready for combat, Captain."
"Alright, this is really comfortable. Okay what do we have Sarah?" asked Trascovich.
"In the experimental vault we have an automatic shotgun with three barrels. It has the option to fire from all three barrels. There is ricochet ammo that comes with the gun which is designed to maintain momentum and bounce off of hard surfaces" said Sarah.
"That sounds amazing as a primary. Any secondary weapons?"
"Sorry sir, but the shot gun has plenty of ammo for carrying and use."
"Okay, I can carry a lot of weight. Anything else of note?"
"There is a chain gun that has an experimental heat reduction system that transfers the heat to the bullets to where they can melt through metal walls and catch targets on fire."
"That sounds amazing how much ammo do we have?"
"1000 rounds and the clip size of the gun is 1000."
"That sucks, but I think that maybe a hidden blessing. Now problem how can I carry the shotgun shells to where I can quickly reload? There are no ammo pouches."
"I am magnetic Captain. You can place the shotgun on your back, and the back pack on your back is also magnetic. I can send ammo from the pack to your arm through magnetic manipulation. Also I am sound dampening to prevent hearing loss from gun fire" said Pip.
"Okay that is awesome. I have room to grab several pistols and a rifle plus ammo for everyone else." said Trascovich as he gathered weapons.
"For your benefit Captain, Dr. Zaung has an experimental drug that may be of use" said Sarah as Trascovich loaded the Chain gun.
"Thank you Sarah, I will keep that in mind" responded Trascovich. He stopped when he heard a scream coming from outside of the ship.
"Captain! We have company! All of the soldiers are coming!" yelled the Amethyst from.
"Sarah can you do a favor for me?" asked Trascovich.
"What is it sir?" asked Sarah.
"Broadcast this musical score on loop. The score is called Dominant Species.
(Okay to really get the best feel for this part, play this score while you read. Here is the link: watch?v=NKGU6UuW948)
The two ally gems were hiding behind the door as they hear the entire squad of gem soldiers stationed on the ship came to recapture them if not worse.
"Well we tried, but I guess our final fight" said the jasper holding her weapon.
"I hope Rose Quartz is having better luck than we are?" asked the Amethyst in a concerned readying her weapon. They suddenly heard the start of a sound they never heard before as they saw Trascovich run out of the ship carrying a large device and in a new uniform.
"Alright you two stay behind the door and be prepared it is about to get loud!" shouted Trascovich as he stopped at the opening to the door. He saw the soldiers coming towards his position. He spun the gun up and before the gun could fire he yelled
"I am Captain Trascovich, and I am taking control of this ship! Word of Advice: Don't fuck with humanity!" After he yelled the chain gun roared and start the spray of bullets. The gem guards had walked into their own death. The bullet ripped through them with ease even causing libs to be removed from the body. Trascovich keep the gun firing as he moved forward. The gem guards' forms disappear as he kept up his assault. The guards who were in the back retreated when they could to be behind the door the entered from when they saw that the rest of their friend were killed they shut the door. Now the bullets were only hitting the door, but the doors were not design to stop an attack like this. Trascovich fired for so long the bullets were now flying out of the now red hot barrel with a yellow glow. The spot where the bullets where hitting the door started to crack and the cracks spread across the door until the doors collapsed. It was at this point the chain gun ran out of ammo. Trascovich dropped the chain gun and pulled out the shotgun and load it with a clip as he walked down the hall seeing what he had done. He saw broken gemstones on the ground, but he was focused on finding his squad. He got to the door where his squad and he did hear anything. Keeping his cool he leaned down towards the door and knocked
"... . .-. . (here)"
"Christ Trasco! You know you how to make an entrance" said Bargus.
"Is everyone okay? I got access to our ship, and there are enough guns to arm everyone" said Trascovich.
"You monster! You shattered all these gems!" yelled the Jasper as ran up to Trascovich trying to tackle him. Trascovich dodged and said
"What are you doing?!"
"I am stopping a monster before it decides to shatter me!" yelled the Jasper.
"What is shattering? What did I do!?" yelled Trascovich.
"Jasper X stop! He does not know what he has done, and he protected use from them!" yelled the Amethyst.
"Your right…, I am sorry Captain for jumping at you. I am just shaken by how much damage that device can cause" said the Jasper as she got up from Trascovich.
"Breath. Count to four. Exhale… Alright, I can understand that all new soldiers have to work through the nerves at some point. Now we need to focus on capturing this ship." Said Trascovich holding back the urge to attack Jasper X.
"Hey Trasco, that uniform you have on there. It looks like a uniform from an old war movie, and it was not worn by the good guys" said Bargus.
"That may be true, but it is surprisingly comfortable and protective" said Trascovich.
"Whatever you say, so now that we are armed, what is our plan of attack?" asked Dr. Zaung.
"We need to get control of this ship and get it to the nearest base, so to do that we need to know the layout of the ship" said Trascovich.
"So, we are currently on the second floor. The engine room is on the bottom floor, and the command center is above us. Since Captain Trasco eliminated the quartz squadron both places are accessible" said the Amethyst.
"I believe our first target should be the engine room. If we can prevent them from leaving the Solar System that increase our chances of success" said Gombasra.
"I agree with that course of action. We do need to be careful and not damage any of the engines. What is the expected level of resistance for the engine room?" asked Trascovich
"I would say about three Peridots. They are not too dangerous, but they are surprisingly tough. We do have an ally in that room. She was not caught, so she will be keeping a low profile. I would suggest you let one of us go in order to talk to her" said Jasper X.
"Okay let's head out people" said Trascovich as he leads his squad down the hall. They reached an elevator which was too small for everyone to fit in so the group needed to reorganize.
"So, we need to split. I suggest we send a gem and three people down to provide support. Anyone volunteers?" asked Trascovich.
"I am always ready for a good fight" said Bargus as he stepped up.
"Your technology maybe different from ours, but there may be underlying principles that can assist in our takeover" said Gombasra.
"I can help in the conversion repairs if they are needed" said Dr. Chopra.
"Excellent, Engine Team grab the guns you are proficient with. So which one of you… um… ladies want to join with Engine Team?" asked Trascovich.
"Uh… why are you asking? Aren't you the leader?" asked the Amethyst.
"I am the leader, and a good leader tries to use their resources to their max efficiency, which includes asking your subordinates where they can best be used. I am only human, and in situations like this it is better to get everyone's thoughts and opinions" said Trascovich.
"That is really interesting to hear" said the Amethyst.
"We do not have time to discuss the differences between our cultures" said Jasper X.
"Okay, I will go with the Engine Team" said the Amethyst.
"Dr. Zaung, Jasper X looks like you are with me. Dr. Zaung grab a weapon and some ammo. You do not haft to aim for the head or chest because it seems that their bodies can't handle high pressure force. No offense" said Captain Trascovich.
"Whatever, we need to get to work before we get to far away from your home" said Jasper X.
"Alright Captain, we can handle the engine room. You get up to the bridge and show those hard asses whose boss." Said Bargus as he entered the elevator with the Engine Team.
"Alright now Miss Boulder Lass, we are going to need to find your friend quickly and for you to try to take out those Peridots... We don't want to fire our guns in the engine room just in case we cause serious damage with ricocheting bullets" said Bargus.
"Alright, now I must warn you…" said the Amethyst as the elevator doors open up to a pretty open chamber with a heart like core on the opposite end of the room. It has a pinkish glow and there are about six big arteries that sent the energy to the rest of the ship. There are three slender females with a lime green skin tone with darker green clothing with a pink diamond on their stomachs. The women are arguing in a language that the humans in the group could not understand. The Amethyst is able to understand the conversation, but it is no time to eavesdrop.
"Alright, unless you ladies want to end up in a snot nosed kid's class ring, you just need to relax and do as we say" said Bargus pointing an automatic rifle at the group.
"I suggest you listen to the organic being. They don't mess around" said the Amethyst.
"Like we are going to listen to an organic lover like you. And we are not afraid of pathetic organic life…" said a Peridot right before a gun fired sending a bullet into her knee causing her to collapse on the floor before she faded out of existence leaving her gem.
"I had a feeling diplomacy would not get us far" said Gombasra as he is lowering the smoking gun.
"Damn, that was a nice shoot Gombasra" said Bargus with a quick glance to his right to look at Gombasra. The Peridot to the left of the fallen foe pulled out a spear that matched her coloring.
"Stay back… or don't move… what did you just do!?" screamed the Peridot backing away from the group. The Peridot to the right of the fallen gem kept quiet as she summoned a green knife, and she stabbed the freaking out Peridot to the point where she faded out of existence leaving her gem.
"I am surprised to see you down here. I did not think you would be able to get out of your cell" said the Peridot as she picked up the two gems and green bubbles formed around them.
"We got luck by coming on this scout mission to this part of space" said the Amethyst. The Peridot placed her finger on one of the bubbles and it disappeared.
"Whoa, where did that bubble go?" asked Bargus before the Peridot could touch the bubble.
"It went to our base on a planet far away from here. Don't worry they will not be bothering us" said the Peridot.
"Leave the bubble here. My superiors would love to have a 'chat' with the lass trapped in that bubble. Besides information is power, and we need all the power we can get if this is just the beginning of an invasion" said Bargus as he relaxed his rifle.
"I hate to be a party pooper, but the technology used for this ship is beyond my expertise" said Gombasra looking at the core pondering the functionality of the structure.
"In fact it looks more like a heart than an engine, I might be able to use my understanding of knowledge of biology" said Dr. Chopra as she stepped forward examining the core. After looking at it for a minute or so Dr. Chopra had a brilliant idea.
"I think we can give this core a heart attack, if we block the tubes that go to vital travel functions we can keep this starship within the Solar System. Once this ship is under our control we can unblock the tubes to bring back functionality" said Dr. Chopra pointing at the tubes coming from the core.
"Or you can let the expert do her job and not run the risk of blowing the ship up." Said the Peridot as she typed on a hologram screen.
"There we are stuck in your system until we can get control of the ship and leave" said the Peridot with an annoyed tone.
"We will discuss were this ship is going to go once we get a control of this ship" said Bargus as he made a call to Captain Trascovich.
"Sir, we have control of the engine. We are not going to be taking a ride to the great here after in a literal sense" said Bargus.
"Thanks Bargus, Dr. Zaung, Jasper X, and I are about to head up to the bridge. I figured it would not be smart to get into a fight and accidentally send us half way to Andromeda." Said Trascovich as he motioned everyone into an elevator.
"Okay Dr. Zaung, fire at any gem that gets behind me. Remember, you do not need to aim for the head or chest just need to make contact. Jasper X stay in this elevator. I don't want to accidently hurt you in my ricochets.
"Fair enough. The pilots are Nephrites, and they are traditionally decent fighter but with your style of fighting I don't think you will have any problems" said Jasper X
"Captain, I have something that might help you just in case things get a bit rough" said Dr. Zaung reached into her lab coat grabbing an inhaler like object. She hands it over to Captain Trascovich.
"What is it?" asked Trascovich.
"It is an adrenaline enhancer that gives the user the feeling that the world is moving in slow motion. I and Dr. Chopra call it, Jet." Said Dr. Zaung.
"Hopefully, I will not need to use it, and Sarah told me you had this." Said Trascovich right before he was contacted by Bargus.
"Captain, I got a bit of news. The expert down here said she can open up the bridge from here. The bad news is that it has a lockout system that will cause the door to close within a minute, and it would be a serious lock that could only be unlock from the bridge." Said Bargus over the radio.
"Okay thanks for letting me know. I think we are on the deck now. I will give a signal to you to relay to the expert." Said Trascovich as the elevator doors open to a hallway revealing several quartz soldiers standing in the hall with their weapons. The soldiers look like the soldiers that got away from the chain gun. They were afraid of him, and he figured that they were not uses to fear. Trascovich got out the shotgun and primed it for firing.
"Pip open the mouth filter. I need to inhale a foreign substance." Said Trascovich as he brought the inhaler to his mask filter.
"Yes sir. Do you want me to send the signal to Commander Bargus now?" asked Pip.
"YES! HURRAH!" screamed Trascovich as the Jet kicked in. Time slowed for him and allowed him to perform surgery with the shotgun. He lined up his shots to take advantage of the ammo he was using having bullets bounce off of every wall making it impossible for the gems to dodge. Trascovich kept moving forward as he fired he reached the other side of the hall when he felt time speed back up. He made it to the bridge with his perception of time returning too normal. Trascovich saw the pilots of the ship, and he noted that they were very slender women, but they have the appearance of a cyclops.
"Alright if you don't want to end up like your friends out in the hallway then you are going to do exactly as I say…" said Trascovich just as he noticed a voice coming from a strange looking stone. He could not understand the language, but he understood context of someone trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
"I am Captain Trascovich. Your crew entered human territory, and has attempted to adduct high ranking military personnel. The only option you have that will not be a declaration of war is to open communications to our leaders to negotiate a solution to this fiasco." Said Trascovich loud enough for the stone to pick up.
"What… Nephrites, what is on the bridge with you? Answer me!" said a female voice on the other end of the stone.
"I will repeat, I am Captain Trascovich, and your crew is trespassing in human territory, and have attempted to captured me and my crew. I am going to be honest you are play with some serious fire." Said Trascovich with a slightly angry tone due to the woman ignoring him.
"Nephrites! I will report you for having this thing in your bridge. Now, report!" said the woman with an angry tone. Trascovich is now completely peeved off at this insult. He looked over at one of the terrified Nephrites. He went over and grabbed the Nephrite that looked like she had the most command and she dragged her over to the stone.
"Talk to your bull headed commander before I cut communication" said Trascovich as he adjusted his shotgun's aim.
"Hessonite, please this organic being is something you don't want to mess with. It destroyed all of the quartz's on the ship! They have control of the ship, and they have weapons that we can't handle!" screamed the Nephrite as she is being restrained by Trascovich.
"I will not stand for this insubordination. On your return you will be detained and your fate will be considered at that time." Said Hessonite coldly.
"You are a terrible commanding officer your inconsiderate bitch!" screamed Trascovich realizing what kind of structure this military functions on.
"Excuse me!" said Hessonite unable to ignore Trascovich's comment.
"You heard me! You are a horrible commanding officer. You show little concern for your subordinates even after they clearly tell you that they are in a dire situation. Your negligence is appalling. I going to lose this channel, and I'm not going to waste my time on a completely incompetent commander." Said Trascovich as he motioned for the Nephrite to turn of the stone.
"You will not ignore me. I am superior to you in ever…" said Hessonite as the channel closed.
"I am sorry about you being chewed out for no good reason." Said Trascovich as he lowered the shotgun.
"I… actually appreciate that. Funny, my enemy is more compassionate to me than my own commander." Said the Nephrite as she turned away from Trascovich calming down and walking toward a chair in the bridge of the ship.
"I have a feeling you and your crew are not going to be the only ones of your species that will be coming the solar system." Said Trascovich as he contemplates what has just occurred now that he is coming off his adrenaline.
"I am going to open up the bridge. I need to speak with the Jasper who was helping you." Said the commanding Nephrite as she typed on a screen in her chair.
"Captain, what are you doing? She is our enemy and a traitor to the diamonds." Said one of the other Nephrites who is recovering from their initial shock.
"I know, but after hear that conversation and witnessing the fighting prowess of this being. I am sure that my skills are better served elsewhere." Said Nephrite as the door to the bridge opened.
"Captain Trascovich are you injured or are you suffering any nasty side effects from the Jet?" asked Dr. Zaung as walked over to Trascovich.
"I am fine. Jasper X when you are done with the clean up the commanding Nephrite would like to speak with you." Said Trascovich now with some heavy breaths due to exhaustion kicking in.
"I am already done, so…" said Jasper X as she looked at the Nephrite.
"I would like to apologize for my order to imprison you and your friend. I have come to realize the truth that Rose Quartz has said about organic life now that I have seen the pinnacle of it firsthand. So does the offer to join the rebellion still stand?" asked Nephrite in an apologetic tone trying to hold back tears from her eye.
"Yes it still stands for you and the rest of your crew." Said Jasper X as she hugged the Nephrite.
"We will neve…" said both of the lower level Nephrite before they stopped themselves when they saw Trascovich raise his gun in their direction. Essentially his movement communicated that they need to really consider their choice.
"We will consider it." Said the two Nephrites sheepishly realizing how screwed they were about to be.
"Hey, Bargus we have control of the bridge. The expert can grant full access back to the bridge." Said Trascovich as he contacted Bargus.
"Will do. Hey Captain, I am curious about what are we going to with our guests?" asked Bargus.
"We will figure that out once we get back within communication range." Said Trascovich has he turned toward the gem group.
"So I am curious about this rebellion you mention, but I would like for you to tell your story to my superiors. This is actually my species first contact with extra-terrestrial life. I also think that you may have a cause worth supporting, also we honestly need access to your tech to prep our defenses against any future incursions." Said Trascovich honestly to the group.
"We will consider it once we get in contact with our leader, but I would like to visit your planet." Said Jasper X unsure about his offer.
"Well, planets and lunar colonies." Said Dr. Zaung
"Honestly, it is probably going to be best if you let plug in our ships AI into the bridge." Said Trascovich as he walked towards the exit of the bridge to head to the human starship.
End of Chapter One