Peridot was on her feet in a moment, the gemlings cradled close to her chest as she glared at Jasper in outraged disbelief. Much to the technician's annoyance, without her limb enhancements Jasper was taller than her even when seated.

"Have you completely taken leave of your senses?" Peridot spat furiously, slowly backing away from the other Gem. "You want to go to those Crystal clods and just offer them our helpless offspring? What, you think they'll be delighted and won't just shatter them on the spot?" Shivering at the thought, Peridot hugged her daughters to herself protectively. The gemlings had begun to chirp in distress, sensing their mother's anger and fear. One of the Peridots managed to wriggle loose and, to the technician's everlasting dismay, the gemling immediately ran to Jasper and vanished into the orange Gem's wild mane. However, Jasper herself had remained seated and was holding Peridot's glower with a calm, steady gaze.

"We need help, Peri." Jasper said, her tone suggesting that she wasn't entirely happy with the idea herself. "We won't get it from Homeworld. Stars, if they find us then shattering would be the kindest thing they'd do to us. So we're stuck here. With the Cluster. And other monsters like that one," she added, gesturing towards the bubbled Cinnabar. "We need allies, and the Crystal Gems are the only ones that we-"

"You KEPT it?!" Peridot's horrified screech drowned out Jasper's words as she turned to see the bubbled Gem, her eyes wide with terror. The gemlings in her arms started to struggle with protesting whines as her grip tightened around them reflexively. "And there's MORE?!" Peridot's first instinct was to run for the exit before the monster in the bubble regenerated itself, but the thought of there being others out there waiting for her froze her in place. In such an enclosed space there was no way that even Jasper could fight the crab monster that was lurking inside the red Gem, but what if there were more of them waiting just outside? What if they decided to carve their way through the rock to get at the defenceless gemlings? Earth rock wouldn't be dense enough to stop monsters like that from clawing their way through. And as for the Cluster, that thing would kill them all without even trying…

"Peridot, you're scaring them." The technician had been so lost in those awful thoughts – picturing them in gruesomely vivid detail – that she hadn't even noticed Jasper stand up until the larger Gem took hold of her arms and gently pried them apart. Two more of the Peridot gemlings – a striped one and one of the twins – immediately scrambled free and leapt into Jasper's arms then disappeared into her hair. The warrior Gem towered over Peridot now, the technician's eyes barely level with her waist. But once the gemlings had settled, Jasper sat back down, tugging at Peridot's arm gently to encourage her to do the same. Peridot obeyed automatically, still preoccupied with visions of impending doom. The remaining two gemlings in her arms – the eldest and the runt – were snuggling into her chest now that they were no longer being crushed against it, and for some reason that calmed Peridot more than anything else.

"Will you hear me out now?" Jasper asked. Peridot didn't reply immediately, looking down at the gemlings in her lap as she stroked their heads gently. Every time she touched them without her limb enhancements she was amazed by the softness of their hair and how warm they were. The other three slowly emerged from Jasper's mane to see what was happening; small green heads popping out first like mushrooms. Seeing that their siblings were settled comfortably in Peridot's lap instead of being squashed against her chest, they slid down Jasper's arms and then hopped across to snuggle down beside their drowsy sisters. Apparently the five of them liked to sleep in a pile.

"Fine," Peridot huffed, though some of the edge had gone from her voice. "Tell me why you think contacting those rebels is a good idea, but it better be convincing."

"Well, if we're not going to report back to Homeworld and submit to whatever they want to do to us and our offspring once they find out we successfully bred, then that makes us rebels as well," Jasper stated, seeing Peridot flinch at the prospect of turning their brood over to Homeworld authorities. "It doesn't matter how loyal we are Peri, we've done something that shouldn't be possible, let alone authorised. The loyal thing to do now would be to let them do whatever they want with us and our children. Anything else would be treason. You understand that, right?"

Peridot nodded shortly, blinking back tears. Having worked on Kindergartens for so many years, she knew exactly what would happen with the helpless gemlings that were currently snuggled together in her lap. She could visualise the little things being handed out to her Peridot sisters like lab specimens… and being treated as such. No matter how loyal she was, Peridot couldn't let that happen.

"Right," Jasper continued. "The Crystal Gems are our only potential allies on this planet. And we'll need allies, Peri. We need to know more about this planet, about humans, about how many Gem monsters are still out there. I was there when they were made, and there were hundreds of them. Stars know how many are left and how many the Crystal Gems have destroyed."

"Where did they come from?" Peridot asked. "The monsters, I mean. The only things I've seen that are even remotely like that are the Cluster prototypes. And they're not nearly as dangerous as the thing that attacked me."

Jasper's face twisted into a bitter grimace as she replied. "They used to be Gems. Some were part of Rose Quartz's army, some were part of mine." The warrior Gem's gaze grew distant, seeing the battlefield in her mind's eye. "In the final battle for this planet, the Homeworld authorities decided to use an experimental weapon which was supposed to only affect rebel Gems. The idea was that if we couldn't take the planet back from Rose Quartz, we'd render it uninhabitable. We had to evacuate when it affected Homeworld soldiers as well, and I remember Yellow Diamond saying that it didn't matter because that just meant there were even more monsters here – they'd wipe out all sentient life on the planet within a few centuries."

"Gee, I can see that was a rousing success," Peridot commented acidly. "It's not like there's billions of humans infesting the place or anything."

"There wouldn't be if it wasn't for Rose Quartz and whatever was left of her army," Jasper replied. "Somehow they've managed to keep the monsters in check, even though there must have been only a handful of them left after that battle. Rose Quartz wanted to protect the humans and this planet - that was why she rebelled in the first place. So if we want the gemlings to be safe, being with the Crystal Gems would be the best place for them."

"Oh yeah?" Peridot didn't sound convinced. "We're Homeworld Gems Jasper; we never fought on their side. You fought against them – we both did! So why would they want to protect our offspring? Maybe they'd just shatter them instead!"

"They won't hurt the gemlings, I can promise you that." Unlike Peridot, there wasn't a trace of uncertainty in Jasper's voice. "The Crystal Gems followed Rose Quartz, and whatever Rose Quartz might have been or done, she would never have harmed gemlings. Stars, she thought that humans were innocent creatures that needed to be protected."

"But Rose Quartz isn't…" Peridot began, then fell silent as Jasper shook her head.

"She isn't gone, not completely. That Steven thing has her gem, it's almost like he's her gemling except he isn't a full Gem. I have no idea how she managed that, but…" Jasper indicated the sleeping gemlings, "I have no idea how we did that either. And if this Steven is like Rose at all, he won't harm our children either. Neither will the Crystal Gems - they might be rebels but they wouldn't have followed Rose if they didn't share her values."

"Okay, I get it, they won't harm the gemlings." The technician seemed to be satisfied on that point, but still uneasy. "What about us though? What if they keep the gemlings and harvest us?" To Peridot's discomfort, Jasper didn't have an immediate response; instead the larger Gem shifted uncomfortably where she sat.

"If we surrender, then I don't think they'll hurt us," Jasper admitted eventually. "I'm pretty sure they won't harvest us – Rose Quartz never liked that either. But I can't guarantee that we won't end up like Cinnabar there," she added, gesturing towards the bubbled Gem. Seeing Peridot's eyes widen in panic, Jasper quickly continued. "I think you'll be fine though," she said, placing a large hand on Peridot's knee. "I was in command. You were just following orders. That much is true after all. And you've never fought them before – they're far more likely to be holding a grudge against me."

"And you still think we should contact them?" Peridot asked, her tone suggesting that Jasper had perhaps hit her head too hard when fighting the corrupted Cinnabar. "Wait, this isn't because you just want a rematch with the fusion, is it?" she asked suspiciously.

Jasper shook her head in response. "No. I'm not going to fight any of them. My plan is to go outside and wait on the beach until they find me – I'm assuming they can still track our energy signatures. I'd go to their base, but then they might consider that an attack. I don't want to give them a reason to fight me."

From Peridot's expression it was clear that the technician was now certain that Jasper had a concussion. "So… you're just going to sit there and wait, then surrender when they get here?" That wasn't the Jasper that Peridot was familiar with. Then again, the Jasper she had been familiar with would never have shown such affection towards their gemlings. Or been so gentle with Peridot herself. Maybe it wasn't a head injury after all – maybe it was something to do with Earth's atmosphere or gravity or the ludicrous amount of water covering the planet's surface.

"So… what happens if they bubble you? They'll be sure to find me and the gemlings next, what am I supposed to do?" Despite her words, the concern that was in Peridot's voice wasn't just for herself and her brood.

"Tell them I forced you." Jasper's response was simple. "You followed my orders because you were afraid of me. I'll tell them you only did as you were told when they get here. And if they ask why we mated, tell them I forced that too. They'll be more sympathetic if they think I abused you. You're a young Gem and you've never been away from Homeworld before, you're alone and afraid and you have gemlings. That should be enough to put their minds at ease."

"But Jasper," Peridot protested. "If I blame everything on you then if they bubble you, they'll never let you out. And besides," she added uncomfortably, "it isn't true. Stars, it's my fault you're even here, I'm the one who wanted an escort. And…" The technician's voice tailed off as she looked away, then down at the gemlings sleeping in her lap. "I… don't think I could tell them you forced me to mate. Then I'd have to tell our brood that as well, and I couldn't do that. I mean, I'll lie about everything else being your fault, sure." Peridot's chuckle was forced and brittle. "But not that part. Surely if these clods are as merciful as you think then me being a young Gem alone with gemlings will be good enough, right?"

Jasper didn't look entirely happy with the compromise, but eventually sighed and shrugged. "I still think they'd look on you more kindly if they thought I'd abused you, but you're right. You're young, alone and have gemlings to care for. If that's not enough then they've fallen a long way from Rose Quartz's cause. But you have to tell them that you were just following orders," Jasper added insistently. "And you have to tell them about the Cluster, you'll need to find a way to either stop it or keep it dormant." At those words, Peridot's eyes almost bugged out of her head.

"What?" The technician's voice was a strangled squeak. "I should just tell them that Homeworld took the shards of their fallen allies and forcibly fused them into that abomination? They'll harvest me for sure!"

"Not if you warn them about it," Jasper said reassuringly. "You were only being sent to check on it, you couldn't possibly be responsible for it, even the Crystal Gems would see that. You're not anywhere near old enough to have had any hand in its creation. And if they could handle several hundred corrupted Gem monsters, they'll find a way to deal with the Cluster."

There was silence for a few moments, then Peridot nodded tightly. The tears had returned but she fought them back, not wanting Jasper to see them. "So… when are you planning to go out and wait for them?" she asked with forced calm. "Tomorrow?"

"There's no sense in waiting," Jasper replied. "I might as well go out now, the sooner they find us the better for the gemlings." Shifting position to kneel in front of Peridot, Jasper carefully lifted each of the tiny Gems one by one. The gemlings made soft, drowsy noises as Jasper stroked each of them in turn and placed a gentle kiss on their heads. Peridot watched her quietly, struck by the tenderness of the gesture.

"You don't really think the Crystal Gems will bubble you, do you?" Peridot's voice was nervous, but both she and Jasper knew that wasn't the only emotion behind the question.

"I don't know," the warrior Gem replied, setting the runt back down with her sisters. The little thing hadn't even bitten her when she'd been lifted from the gemling pile, only growled sleepily into Jasper's palm. "Maybe, maybe not. Better me than you or the little ones. Take care of them, Peri. And yourself." Quickly, as if nervous herself, Jasper thrust her head forwards and kissed Peridot's gem briefly, then jolted backwards as if she'd been burned and leapt to her feet while the technician blinked in surprise.

It took a couple of seconds for Peridot's shock to wear off, and in those seconds Jasper had moved to the pool leading to the outside world. But rather than jump into it, the orange Gem had hesitated, looking back at Peridot and the gemlings. As their gazes met, Jasper looked away quickly, like she was embarrassed.

"Peri… leave your limb enhancers off," the warrior Gem finished awkwardly, as if she'd suddenly changed what she was going to say. "You look a lot more vulnerable without them." For a moment it looked like Jasper was going to say something else, but instead she plunged into the pool, leaving Peridot alone with her brood.

Swallowing hard, Peridot's arms tightened slightly around the sleeping gemlings. "Be careful you big clod," she muttered to herself, glad that Jasper wasn't there to hear the catch in her voice. "I'd prefer you back in one piece, and not in a bubble."


A/N: Since I started writing this fic before the reveal about Peridot's limb enhancements, I've had to go back over the previous chapters and make a few changes. As a result, the Peridot gemlings no longer have floating fingers, instead they have tiny hands. So Garnet better watch out. If you spot any places where I still need to correct the limb issue, please let me know!