For the past few hours all she could see past the translucent hull of their ship was the eternal bleakness that was space. It was during these brief intervals of solitude that the rugged warrior could finally appreciate life outside of the battlefield. With a long suppressed sigh Jasper opened her eyes a fraction, all the while frowning with distaste. Her diamond appeared to be under the impression that planets beyond the splendor of Homeworld had the potential to become just as pristine…formidable and unbreakable. She looked down at her massive hand, analyzing every crease it made as she balled it into a fist. But shouldn't it be obvious? There was never a choice behind whether one was destined to be flawless or not; that was just something you were born with. Diverting her attention from her introspection Jasper let a slight grin cross her solemn demeanor as a certain pale blue dot met her line of sight. A blatant distinction against the monotone bleakness of the universe.
The orange behemoth's ears perked when a tentative voice severed her momentary tranquility. "Ma'am, we've just reached the expected location of the new colony. Should I prepare the pods for departure?" A small peridot glanced back up at Jasper expectantly from her lower subsect of the vessel.
Jasper's eyes narrowed instinctively. As much as she disliked the prospect of even being near a defect of this sort Pink Diamond's wishes rang blatant and absolute in the imposing quartz's mind. This journey had already taken them longer than her patience spanned. But those tiny specks of raw power among the ominous expanse of space never ceased to gain her attention, and at times were the only things that could quell her primal rage. With a shake of the head she got up to leave the observation deck, "No, I'll announce our arrival myself." Jabbing a finger at the small hunched figure Jasper continued snidely, "Just make certain you don't compromise this peridot. We're escorting a diamond after all. A privilege only I can fulfill."
Leaving without another word Jasper turned heel in pursuit of the central cavity of the private cruiser, the reverberating thud of her footsteps being the only sound that accompanied her for the longest time. Jasper had assumed she had seen the last of that planet the day she earned her place alongside her diamond, and she saw little reason for coming back. It had only been a couple thousand years to be fair, but her disposition on the matter hadn't changed much since then. Jasper's perpetual grimace only intensified upon hearing the faint yet distinctive sound of laughter in the distance. She still thought that desolate heap of space debris wasn't worth coming back to. Yet, as she would say again and again there was nothing she wouldn't do for her diamond.
The innermost sanctum was encapsulated in layers of reflective glass. Emitting a curtain of cascading pink hues that bathed everyone present in a pale peach light. Namely the tall onlooker standing in the middle of the transparent floor. She was a pillar of light in a world of obscurity. Poised over Earth, a small distinction against the canvas of space. Jasper hardly needed to say a word to announce herself because as soon as she set foot amidst her presence she was met with a deep voice of acknowledgement, "Oh, Jasper; your presence is always a pleasure."
"My diamond, we had recently exited the interdimensional wormhole. It'll only be a matter of moments before we make our descent."
Without so much as moving her eyes from the scene transpiring beneath them the pink clad matriarch answered evenly, "Save your formalities for my sisters Jasper…also yes, I can see that. I have been calculating our journey since departure, and now we can pick up where we stopped."
Jasper was taken off guard by this sudden assessment, and her attention continued to sway when a softer voice made itself heard, "Your ingenuity is really something else pink diamond." She was another quartz with a mass of large ringlets that draped her shoulders. Like Jasper she was a prodigy from birth, incubated for the sole purpose of accompanying their diamond to distant worlds.
Despite the apparent apathy in her voice Pink Diamond couldn't resist adopting a certain amount of gratitude, "Yes, well you will find that many of my inherent skills were not intended from origin like my sisters." Digressing her attention to the awaiting quartz soldier she continued, "Just as you were not expected to rise among your ranks so quickly…just as I have been so often accused of being the weak link of the diamond authority."
Her attention once again fixated on their surroundings below, gradually becoming more vivid with every passing second. The longer she stared the more her porcelain features gave way to a scowl, "Ever since I began to acknowledge defects as more than mistakes I've been ridiculed for tarnishing the diamond name!" With a disgruntled sigh she muttered wearily, "The truth of the matter is that I need some way to retaliate against the ongoing nuisances that threaten the stability of this colony." That brief interval of peace was yet again interrupted as Pink Diamond's usual placate persona only became harsher with every word, "They said that Earth wasn't worth their time. That it was just as obscene as the gems I chose to keep alive!" Her pleasant demeanor returned as she recovered a small handheld device from within the intricate folds of her pink apparel, and a small grin made its way across her rosy cheeks, "We'll be taking this to the moon base Rose."
Her trusted protégé merely nodded in response, her large eyes glued on the hologram depicting the future of gemkind.
Jasper on the other hand practically snorted in protest but, for the sake of her diamond, composed herself before asking, "If you're taking her then what was the point of having me come?"
Nodding in her general direction Pink Diamond responded, "I was just getting to that Jasper. We'll all have our chance to see the new world come to order once we've all done our part, and for you that means scrounging for whatever else may be lurking in the kindergartens I had built there many a century ago."
Jasper only just caught herself halfway in the middle of saluting before returning back through the interlacing antechamber on her short trek back to the forefront of the ship, where she would likely continue to berate that same unfortunate peridot from before. Jasper never held any interest for this lackluster planet, but if her diamond expected her to make a worthwhile colony out of it then she would do everything in her power to ensure that it became the pinnacle of gemkind's salvation. This planet was going to be conformed soon enough because Jasper had decided its fate the moment she emerged from the earth, her fighting spirit smoldering just as fiercely as it had then.
Years in the eyes of a gem of her class were little more than grains in a timer. Time that hardly meant anything to someone who had seen the rise and fall of countless civilizations that lay scattered among the stars, all left to become another portion of Homeworld within her diamond's wake. The clamoring of feet could be heard in nearly every direction, constantly pattering while avoiding to meet eyes with Jasper who was too busy to notice anyway. When she had been told about a couple hundred years ago that she would be returning to Earth to aid in the overseeing of the colony's construction Jasper had nearly lost her mind in front of her diamond. The very prospect of wasting her undeniable potential should be considered a crime in of itself. Nevertheless, she hardly noticed just how much time had passed while also taking into account the progress that had occurred during only a short hundred years. Their graceful and analytical Pink Diamond had spent much of her time and effort convincing her sisters to entrust the fate of this unsightly planet to her, and all for the sole purpose of providing a safe haven for deformed gems. A place she hoped would influence a new world view set apart from intended gem roles. The gentle breeze ruffled her light orange mane and, in an attempt to quell the ongoing banter emanating from the many gems of varying class and role, furrowed her brows in concentration. Of course that's just what her diamond thought, along with that snooty associate of hers who followed her everywhere she went like some kind of common pearl.
The perpetual shuffling of feet aroused both a sense of commitment and effort that Jasper knew all too well considering her to this colony's completion. The majority of her time had been spent either on the surface or in the sky sanctuary. A pristine architectural marvel high above the clouds, as delicate and carefully constructed as the surreal forms their gems took on. Although she wouldn't admit it to anyone; Jasper had to admit that it was an impressive testament on its own, but also served as the cornerstone of unification across all corners of their star charts. Shaking her head Jasper tore her eyes away with relative difficulty to resume her idle introspection, waiting for the group of gems she was to see to the surface. It didn't take long before a concentrated group of bismuths congregated from amongst a mass of gems who were still dutifully laboring on the always expanding project.
"You're Jasper I assume?" Receiving little more than a terse grunt as a response the bismuth in question shrugged as she leisurely put a hand on her hip, "So you're this prestigious quartz who's going to be escorting us? What an honor."
Considering just how distracted she was Jasper merely nodded while sparing a glance to the sky, "I am. Chose to take some time off of the battlefield as of late..." With an unprompted turn of the head Jasper met her with a stern look, "So, what's your excuse? Why are they letting an exchanged gem like you work on the sea spire?"
Chuckling slightly under her breath the bismuth did little besides shake her head in disbelief before making her way to one of the many small scavenger pods ported just around the parameter of the floating palace. But not without her slightly less audacious cronies.
It didn't take particularly long for the diminutive aircraft to make its way to the surface, but Jasper's absent thoughts from the sky sanctuary followed her. By now the horizon was shrouded in the ominous dusk that was night. Yet, it wasn't cold and suffocating like the ever present void of space. As Jasper allowed her conscious gaze to wander aimlessly among their small troop her thoughts remained stagnant. It seemed odd how back on Homeworld there was never any distinction between day and night; only the perpetual cycle of productivity.
With an apathetic glance Jasper noticed how crestfallen the other Bismuths appeared to be, all except for their surly ringleader of course. So without the slightest implication Jasper spoke raptly, "You never answered me back there. I haven't seen any of you around here before, so is there any particular reason why you were assigned to aid in the construction of something as vital as the sea spire. I may not be a peridot, thankfully, but I do know that we need it to quell this planet's unpredictable ocean. Then we can begin reforming this place as Pink Diamond sees fit."
Responding just as curtly the same bismuth from before exchanged Jasper with a challenging look, "Let's try to worry about that once the time comes. But just so you know, back where I come from I was the most capable architect alongside the rest of these hunks of earth." Jabbing her thumb behind her in reference to the trio of gems trailing behind her Bismuth continued without so much as a falter, "But my sisters and I have already spent too much of our lives building spires and flying castles for her majesty. Just know that we didn't exactly ask to come here, and we sure don't need some diamond telling us we're special."
As much as Jasper wanted to reply with a quaint punch to the face she didn't want to have to explain to her diamond why construction of the sea spire would have to be postponed because the chief builder indirectly upset her. She remained silent while thoroughly clasping her fingers into fists in favor of waiting to see how much steam the other gem would have to blow before finally falling over. All while assuming that the petty insults of one gem who chose to step far out of her place shouldn't be of a concern to someone as high up the chain as herself.
They had long abandoned the forested inland adorned with an abundance of flora to find the expansive coast which stretched on for what seemed like forever. But Jasper knew better than to become deluded by such fantasies. After all it wasn't as if this planet was going to stay like this for long. Admittedly it would be some time, but so long as she remained at the forefront of this operation Jasper would make certain that Earth would become the pinnacle of an already perfect empire.
It was then that a blatant sigh resonated from the gem beside her. When Jasper glanced over she could clearly see that all of the frustration from before had diminished, and all that was left was a somber gem who didn't quite know what else to say, "It's been a long day for us…I guess I am just still tired of the routine." With a firm shake of the head she pressed on down the winding slope, an adamant look plastered across her earthen features, "Let's just get on with it so we can hurry back. The sooner we get this assignment done the sooner we can get the next one over with."
Watching the others pass her in a vain attempt to keep up with their alpha Jasper merely shrugged before taking one more look out toward the tranquil ocean. "Likewise," She muttered before rupturing its reflective surface and wading toward the others who had already begun their descent into the foreboding depths of the alien ocean. She couldn't deny that she had been spending more time alongside her diamond rather than traveling the expanses of the universe like most quartz, broadening the influence that was the diamond authority. No matter how many times she denied it Jasper couldn't help considering what that Bismuth had said, and as she narrowed her eyes against the obscuring veil of water Jasper's worries only intensified. The instances where she was permitted to journey to the surface were few, but admittedly brought her more joy than all of her time spent on that uneventful sky sanctuary. Glancing around more earnestly now Jasper found it rather odd that for how few sentient creatures there were on this planet there were none who had ever been able to see what she was beholding in this luminescent labyrinth. She had to admit that even for all of the outlandish oddities she had come to expect from this place there were still a few things she found commendable even by her standards. Their footprints were the first to left only a vague reminder of who treaded the ocean floor, but remained only for mere seconds before dissipating among the multitude of grains. Maybe she was being petty by choosing to linger beside her Diamond all this time rather than aiding the cause, but she'd just have to worry about that later. The occasional gaps of moonlight could be seen piercing through the delicate canopy above them, dictating a visible path to the future location of the sea spire.
It was nearly morning by the time they came anywhere close to reaching their quota, but it was already shaping up to be something impressive. A blatant example of gem architecture that wasn't like anything else on Earth. When a hand clamped onto her shoulder Jasper paused for only a moment amidst her confusion before her head nearly snapped off her neck. But it was seeing the disagreeable Bismuth beside her, sporting a grin that nearly surpassed the size of her head that aroused a plethora of questions that seemed to ricochet off the sides of her skull.
When Bismuth turned to see the other gem's perplexed look she only smiled wider before returning her gaze to the pinnacle of reflective stones poised toward the sky, "It's a big job that doesn't get us much recognition. But so long as I am contributing to the cause in one way or another I am content."
The sun was only just on the horizon, and in the distance a solitary spire severed the blurry seam between ocean and sky. Signifying a night of continuous demand from the four Bismuths and a particularly finicky Jasper. As the other four gems casually began their trip back to the pod heavy thuds could be heard from the cumbersome footsteps of the fifth. Jasper didn't know what it was exactly, but it wasn't that she was tired. No, or course not, gems don't get tired; that was something that was exclusive to organic creatures. No, what she felt was intuitive, and it compelled her to look at everything in a new perspective. When the sun rose the land was illuminated in a smothering warmth that felt strangely invigorating to the young gem. Jasper's time on Earth was short, but these instincts aroused something in her that she never thought was feasible. It seemed that this place truly was the epitome of everything that Homeworld sought to purge. Her eyes grew fearful as she tried to shake these feelings from her head. Maybe Earth did still have an influence over her…a dangerous prospect that could only be more daunting if it turned out to be true.
A sudden jolt amidst the foliage gained her attention; it was instantaneous, but not nearly enough to evade Jasper's keen eye. However, she didn't have long to ponder on this before a restless voice brought her back to reality, "What's with the delay Jasper? We're the ones who built that fancy pillar over there, and if I recall you were busying yourself with fending off cuttlefish and sea sludge." She distastefully peeled off a stubborn wad of seaweed latched onto her arm which she promptly dropped with a huff, "Again, thanks for that."
Jasper took the hint and quickly doubled her pace, striding past the band of unruly gems who were obviously too dirt common to know how to treat a quartz of her prestige. Regardless of what she saw back there Jasper was equally certain there was nothing on this planet that should be of a concern to her. When the time came Jasper would just have to make sure she was there to confront it.