THE INVASION OF EARTH WILL COMMENCE IN: 727 ORBITS

Chapter 2: In Confidence

"You can rise, Jasper. There's no need to be formal with me."

That was the first major oddity Pink Diamond had in store. Jasper grimaced to herself as she rose to her feet from the bow she had sunken into to recognize and honor her superior. Her nose was about level to Pink's, although the prior had a more powerful girth. Even in simple diamond authority garb, she was still as imposing as the other Diamonds, albeit hiding a weaker demeanor. But Jasper assumed any normal personality she would have with the other diamonds. She was there to spy, after all.

"I hear you have the greatest battalion in Yellow's troops." Pink led Jasper away from the warp pad she had emerged from and towards her living quarters, flanked by her snooty-nosed pearl who shot distasteful side-glances at Jasper now and then.

"You've heard right." Jasper replied proudly. "I've won the last six attacks in Homeworld with my battalion alone."

"Well aren't you accomplished?" Pink gave a warm smile to Jasper, which took the orange Gem by surprise. "I feel very confident having you by my side for this invasion, Jasper. I'd like to show you the gems you'll be working with for the next 720 orbits or so." She led her to a training arena that was amass with sparring gems.

"Firstly, this is Pearl," Pink indicated the servant gem standing next to her. Jasper grunted, mentally taking note of another of Pink's abnormalities; acknowledging a pearl. The pearl's appearance indicated Pink's status as a Homeworld leader, sporting short hair, a bunched skirt, and a regal vest and polished shoes holding Pink's insignia. She was quite fancy-looking, one of the more well-manufactured ones it seemed. Only Diamonds got the best pearls made.

"And here on the sparring grounds are Kunzite, Jade, Beryl, Topaz…" Jasper stood idly by while Pink listed every single name of each gem. She grew bored, but stood through every painful minute. Pink seemed overly-pleased in making sure Jasper knew the name of every gem, but Jasper didn't even bother to remember the first one. Why was this gem so eager to waste time? If Jasper had a battalion like this, she wouldn't be having them training at such a relaxed pace. She'd have them under enormous amounts of pressure, testing their limits, only choosing those who weren't weak enough to retreat back into their gems. She'd march them proudly into the invasion, then come back with the news of the newly conquered planet. Yellow would make her the top army leader, even name the planet after her among throngs of cheering gems….

"And over there are Ruby and Sapphire."

Jasper snapped back into reality at the mention of the two names. Following Pink's hand, Jasper saw the two smallest gems on the arena, exchanging jab after jab at each other. The blue one was swift and quick in her movements, evading the red one's heavy blows. Both had gauntlets on one hand for offense, while their bare hands were used for defense.

Tiny, pathetic, weak little things. They should have been crushed the moment they were brought out of their holes.

"Is it true what they say?" Jasper muttered low enough so that only Pink Diamond could hear. "About the ruby and sapphire? What they do?"

Pink glanced sideways at Jasper before waving a hand dismissively. "You shouldn't be so quick to pick up rumors, Jasper. Aren't you a respected leader? Ruby and Sapphire would never fuse unless absolutely necessary."

Jasper nodded, slightly annoyed at the questioning of her rank. She was brought to Pink's quarters, where the pearl was dismissed and it was just Jasper and her leader. The heavier woman sat at her panel board, pressing buttons and bringing up an image of the new planet, the pathetic water droplet in space.

"Can I confide in you, Jasper?" Pink inquired.

This'll be easy. "Absolutely."

"I have never known anything else but the Homeworld, so you can imagine my excitement when the opportunity arose to leave. It's a silly thing, really. But I have such high hopes." She tapped her screen, and the image of the new planet was magnified. Jasper could see clouds moving across the planet. "Not to leave leave, but… to explore. Don't you ever get a little… bored, of Homeworld?"

"Not in the slightest, Pink Diamond. My allegiance to the Authority is greater than any boredom I'll ever experience."

Pink laughed, furthering Jasper's annoyance. "My, my, you are quite the loyal soldier. I'll have to thank Yellow for giving me such a top-notch gem to train my troops. Your loyalty is astounding."

"Until the end, Pink Diamond."

Pink surprised Jasper yet again by bowing her head and exposing the back of a mass of pink curls to her. The orange gem hesitated, and bowed back.

"Welcome to quadrant P."

Jasper grinned. She would enjoy feeling the crunch of Pink's gem under her boot.

Shows interest in leaving the Homeworld. Expresses boredom. Treats troops with unsettling gentleness and consideration. No signs of straying from the mission yet.

Jasper proofread and finished her report before sending it to Yellow Diamond, then reclined back in her seat, watching the stars blink in and out of sight from her view. Pink had given her her own quarters within the quadrant with a comfortable outlook of Homeworld, where Yellow's quadrant was in plain sight. Compared to any other quadrant, it shone brighter, more powerful, more vivid. Jasper closed her eyes and imagined an orange quadrant right beside it, envisioning herself watching from her own throne as Quadrant P burst into a black hole. She smiled to herself just as a new message from Yellow pinged on her monitor.

"Excellent, Jasper. Your new title is just within your reach."