Connie heard Steven yelling as soon as she entered his house.

"Peridot!" Steven shouted. "PERIDOT!"

Connie clutched the sci-fi books she'd brought for Peridot to her chest. She peered down the hallway and saw Steven knocking on the bathroom door.

Steven turned and noticed Connie. He gave a weak smile, but Connie was too concerned to return it.

"Steven, what's wrong?" Connie asked.

Steven frowned.

"It's Peridot," Steven said. "She's not answering the door." Steven knocked on the door again. "Come on, Peridot! I'm starting to get worried ... and also I really have to pee!"

Connie's shoulders tensed up. Connie had been worried about Peridot ever since her odd behavior after the Stevonnie drama last night. The way Peridot got so quiet and stared out at the ocean ... it wasn't like her at all.

"Are you sure she's in there?" Connie asked.

"Well, she wasn't anywhere else in the house," Steven said. "And she normally keeps to herself when she's not with us or Amethyst ..." Steven's eyes went wide. "Oh ... of course!"

He screamed into the air so loud it made Connie cover her ears.

"AMETHYST!"

There were sounds of hurried footsteps as Amethyst ran down the hall. She stopped in front of Steven, almost in a state of panic.

"Steven! What's wrong?!" Amethyst said.

"Peridot's not with you, is she?" Steven said.

Amethyst seemed to relax when she saw there was no danger. She raised an eyebrow.

"Nooooo," Amethyst said, confused. "You mean she's not in the bathroom?"

"Well, she's not answering the door ..." Steven said.

"We're really worried," Connie said. "I hope she's not like ... upset or crying in there or something ..."

"Who, Peri?" Amethyst said. She snorted. "Nah!"

Amethyst walked up to the bathroom door, looking it up and down.

"This is nothing," Amethyst said. "I'll get her to open the door. Watch this."

Amethyst cleared her throat.

"Just need to get into character ..." Amethyst whispered, rubbing her hands together.

Connie glanced over at Steven, who could only shrugged.

Before either of them could ask Amethyst what she was doing, she pounded at the door.

"PERIDOT!" she shouted in an overly-dramatic swooning voice. "PERIDOT, I CANNOT DENY MY LOVE ANY LONGER!"

She scratched against the door and dragged herself down the floor, making goo-goo eyes.

"I CAN'T HELP IT! THE WAY YOU SPEAK, THE WAY YOU WALK, THE WAY YOU CALL EVERYONE A CLOD, IT'S STOLEN THE HEART I BIOLOGICALLY DON'T HAVE!"

Amethyst pounded against the door again.

"PLEASE, MY LOVE FOR YOU BURNS LIKE A-" Amethyst's eyes darted back and forth as she obviously searched for the right word. "Um ... a big burny thing or whatever ..."

She raised her voice again. She closed her eyes, went down on her knees, and stuck her chest out.

"COME AND RAVISH ME WITH YOUR AFFECTION!" Amethyst shouted.

Connie could only stare in stunned silence. Steven looked wide-eyed.

"Wow ... you should really consider doing theater with Jamie ..." Steven said, impressed.

Amethyst opened one eye. She appeared concerned.

"She ... she didn't answer that?" Amethyst said.

"I, um, I guess not," Connie said.

Amethyst shot to her feet, terrified.

"OH MY GOD, SHE MUST BE DEAD!" Amethyst said.

"What?!" Steven said.

"WHY ELSE WOULDN'T SHE ANSWER THAT?! I MEAN JUST LOOK AT ALL THIS!" Amethyst said, gesturing to herself. "I'M BREAKING THE DOOR DOWN!"

"Wait, Amethyst, the door-"

Amethyst crashed into the door. It flew open with a loud crack, leaving wooden splinters against the latch. She fell against the bathroom.

Steven frowned sheepishly.

"... I was gonna say the door wasn't locked," Steven said.

Connie glanced at Steven.

"Wait, why didn't you just walk in?" Connie said.

Steven's eyes widened.

"Just walk in the bathroom without knocking?" Steven said. He put his hand on his hip. "Rude."

Connie looked in the bathroom and gasped in surprise. Last time Connie had been in the bathroom, it was still trashed from the ... unpleasantness with Rose's sword. But now the room looked spotless. The shattered mirror and shower curtain were gone. The painting Vidalia had painted of Peridot was in the spot the mirror once was.

But Peridot was not there.

Amethyst got up from the floor.

"Where'd she go?!" Amethyst said.

Before Connie could reply, she heard someone approach behind her.

"Well, you could have just asked me ..."

Connie turned to see Pearl standing there, holding an intact shower curtain.

"Pearl!" Steven said, his voice quivering. "Where's Peridot?"

"Is she okay?" Amethyst said. "Is something-"

"Both of you, relax," Pearl said. "Peridot is fine. I asked her to take a walk so I could have time to fix up her bathroom." She closed her eyes. "It was the least I can do after all her help last night."

"Hey, wait a minute," Amethyst said, glaring. "Why didn't you tell Steven and me this when we were yelling at the door?"

Pearl rolled her eyes.

"I was out getting this with Greg," Pearl said, holding the shower curtain up. "I just got back a moment ago." She nodded her head towards Amethyst. "Around the time you were making a spectacle of yourself."

Amethyst rolled her eyes.

"Okay, well, there's no time for me to criticize you for not being able to handle my sick feminine wiles right now-"

Pearl blinked.

"Sick femini-"

"Where is Peridot now?!" Amethyst yelled.

Pearl sighed.

"Like I said, she went out for a walk," Pearl said. "I'm not sure where. I don't see what the big problem is."

Connie bit her lip and spoke up.

"Pearl, did ... did Peridot seem okay when you talked to her?" Connie said.

Pearl opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated.

"Now that you mention it ..." Pearl said slowly. "She did seem a little more ... distracted than usual. She didn't want to talk much. The only thing she asked about was if Garnet was back yet."

Connie's eyes darted to Steven. It was clear by the distressed look on his face he suspected the same thing Connie did. Considering Garnet was out looking for Malachite, it wasn't hard to figure out why Peridot was anxious to know if Garnet was back.

Pearl frowned.

"Oh dear ... do you think she's alright?" Pearl said.

"I'm not sure," Connie said, clutching her books to her chest. "Some of the stuff she said last night has me a little worried."

Amethyst clutched one of her elbows, rubbing it nervously.

Steven looked up at the ceiling, his brow furrowed.

"I just wish we could figure out where she went," Steven said. "She doesn't really leave the house much so I'm not even sure where she'd go ..."

"Yeah, I-" Connie stopped. "Wait ... of course ..."

"What?" Steven and Amethyst both said.

"I think I know exactly where she is," Connie said.


Peridot sat on the beach, staring into the water, trying to convince herself she wasn't feeling guilty.

Which of course she was.

She gripped her tape recorder, clicked the record button, and spoke into it.

"Log date ..." Peridot started. "Um ... like Augusta or something. Earth's measurement of date and time makes no sense. I'm at the beach and I find myself feeling very ..."

Peridot stopped the recording and wound it back. After a sigh, she started it again.

Let's try that again, she thought.

"Log Date: Doesn't matter," Peridot said. "I've been performing some introspection on my past actions and ... ugh!"

Peridot stopped the tape and threw the tape recorder to her side.

"Forget it ..." Peridot said. She put her hand to her forehead.

Her eyes were once again drawn to the sea.

"You're thinking about them, aren't you?"

Peridot turned and saw Connie standing behind her. Next to her was Steven, who held Connie's hand with interlaced fingers, and Amethyst. Amethyst said nothing; she just stared at Peridot.

They were all concerned. That was clear. Honestly that made Peridot feel even worse. She didn't feel like she was worth feeling bad over.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about," Peridot lied, but it sounded feeble even to her.

"Peridot," Steven said, "I mean, if you don't feel like talking about it-"

"There's nothing to talk about," Peridot said.

"Peri, it's okay, we're just worried about you," Amethyst said in a gentle voice. The fact it was so different from how she usually sounded just made Peridot feel even more alienated.

"Well, you're just ... you're all overreacting, okay?!" Peridot realized she was yelling and possibly hurting their feelings, but somehow couldn't stop. "I'm just ... I felt like sitting here! There's nothing abnormal about that!"

Peridot gestured towards the ocean.

"I mean, just because I'm sitting alone on a beach staring at the ocean where two Gems I'm directly responsible for bringing here are trapped in unspeakable torment doesn't-"

Peridot's voice cracked. She felt a lump form in her throat that made her have to stop and take a breath before she could finish.

"It doesn't mean I'm upset about anything ..." Peridot said weakly.

She stared at the ocean, unwilling to look at her friends. Without any preamble, they all sat down with her, Connie and Steven on her left, Amethyst on her right.

Amethyst laid a hand on Peridot's lap. Peridot didn't even have the energy to feel excited about that like normal.

"Peridot," Connie said, "what happened to Jasper and Lapis wasn't your fault ..."

"Yeah," Steven said. "Lapis formed Malachite to trap Jasper and keep us safe-"

"Which was kinda stupid since we all could have just ganged up on Jasper and beat her up in like five seconds without any sacrifice ..." Amethyst muttered.

To Peridot's surprise, Steven shot Amethyst a harsh look.

Amethyst frowned, unable to maintain eye contact with Steven.

"Um ... sorry. Bad time to bring that up ..." she said.

Steven sighed.

"Well, Lapis has made some ... mistakes," Steven glanced at Connie. "I ... still have a hard time thinking about the time she fought us and almost hurt Connie ..."

"Yeah ... that was scary," Connie said.

"But ..." Steven said. "Even though she's messed up before, I know she really is a good Gem who cares ..."

Peridot narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe she used to ..." Peridot whispered to herself.

Apparently that was loud enough for Steven to hear because his eyes drifted to Peridot.

"What do you mean?" Steven asked.

"It's-" Peridot cursed herself for saying anything. Sometimes she wished she could keep her communication orifice shut. Peridot rubbed her eyes underneath her visor. "It's a very long story."

To her surprise, Connie reached over and touched her hand.

"Well ... we've got time," Connie said, smiling at Peridot. "Maybe talking about it will make you feel a little better."

Peridot shook her head.

"I'm ... I'm not so sure ..." Peridot said.

Amethyst rubbed Peridot's leg. When Peridot turned to her, her eyes were wide.

"Look, Peri ..." Amethyst said. "I-if you don't want to talk about this, I'll understand but ..." Her cheeks flushed and her eyes became glued to the ground. "I just want you to know bottling things up inside for too long won't help. It'll just make it so eventually you can't take it anymore and you just explode! And that's not good for anyone. Just ..."

Amethyst traced her finger in the sand.

"Just trust me. I know from experience," she whispered.

Peridot blinked. She had no idea what event Amethyst was referring to, but seeing Amethyst let her guard down like that ... it was impossible for Peridot to ignore her advice.

Peridot sighed and leaned back against the sand.

"Okay ..." Peridot said. She glanced over at Steven and Connie. "But ... I have to warn you ..." Peridot looked down, ashamed. "After you hear this, you may think less of me ..."

Connie only stared at Peridot and shook her head.

"Peridot ... what you did before doesn't change who you are now," Connie said.

"Yeah," Steven said. "We won't think less of you."

Amethyst gave a weak smile.

"No matter what, we'll still think you're the same huge dork you are right now," Amethyst said.

Peridot, as guilty as she felt, somehow managed to return the smile.

"I ... well, I'm not sure if I believe that," Peridot said, "but I hope you're right."

Peridot took a deep breath. She wasn't sure where to start. She'd never endeavored to tell a story before, unless she counted her reports and her logs.

"Well ... I suppose I should begin when I first met the Lazuli." Peridot pointed to Steven. "It actually wasn't long after I first saw you remotely at the Prime Kindergarten."

"Really?" Steven said.

"Yes ..." Peridot said. "Shortly after that ..." She coughed. "Well, one could say I was feeling slightly stressed ..."


The universe hated Peridot.

That was pretty much her assessment of the situation.

She had always believed the universe was conspiring against her but the string of misfortunes surrounding her life recently made her more certain. There was no other explanation.

The touch stumps of her limb enhancers floated around her as she paced back and forth along the floor of her Work Cube. She nearly knocked over her chair doing so, but she hardly cared. Even turning on the Work Cube's speaker to play some white noise, which Peridot used to find soothing, didn't help.

She wished her Work Cube had more in it than just a Warp Pad, a chair, two walls, and a speaker just so she'd have something to throw. That's how angry she felt. She found herself like this more and more lately, pacing and muttering about how incredibly insane this assignment had become.

She had no clue what she did to deserve this. The assignment had sounded so simple: write a report on the progress of the Cluster project on Yellow Diamond Planet 247, known locally as Earth. And it hadn't started bad, certainly.

Until, you know, it turned out the planet had Gem-murdering rebels infesting it.

She found herself replaying the entire sequence of events all over again, just to grasp how she'd gotten to this point. Every single little detail ...


Access data on status of the Cluster from the Prime Kindergarten remotely.

Didn't work.

Alright, no matter, use the Warp Network to get to the Prime Kindergarten directly.

Didn't work.

Access the planet's main Galaxy Warp to reach another part of the planet.

Didn't work.

Of course. No matter. Wouldn't have received this as an assignment at all if it was that simple. Besides, complications like this occurred all the time. Send flask robonoids to planet to repair the Galaxy Warp, go to planet personally.

That worked.

That worked amazingly well! Of course it did; after all, excelling at such problem-solving is likely how Peridot was chosen to report on such a high-profile project in the first place. Everything seemed to be proceeding optimally.

... and then-

Notice strange symbol on Warp Pad. That's ... unusual. Area may be compromised. It'd be ridiculous for that to be the case, but what else could it mean? Deactivate robonoids and tactically retreat, come back after reassessment of situation.

That worked well enough.

After brief report, superiors say to go back to the Galaxy Warp. Alright, not a problem, I'll simply-

Didn't work.

What? Try Galaxy Warp again.

Didn't work.

Try Galaxy Warp AGAIN.

Didn't work.

I JUST repaired it! Try it AGAIN!

Didn't work.

Take deep breaths. Calm down.

That worked even less than everything else.

Very well, clearly the area WAS compromised. Send another report to superiors.

Superiors just say to get assignment done, offer no potential solutions themselves because of course they don't.

Relax Peridot ... what are you, defective? Just remain calm. It's fine. This is fine.

It wasn't fine and Peridot was completely aware of that.

Ignore those thoughts, just ignore it. Focus on your work ...how about this? Send robonoids to fix remote override equipment on Prime Kindergarten and then access the data on the Cluster like I tried to do first. That shouldn't be too difficult to handle, then this catastrophe will be over.

Didn't work.

... send more robonoids.

Didn't work.

Send. More. Robonoids.

Didn't work.

Mash on the button that sends more robonoids!

It takes a while, but it works.

Finally! Just access the remote override equipment to reactivate the Kindergarten's computer system. No wonder this was such a problem, all these systems are positively archaic.

And then ... she'd heard a voice say, "I don't know, it looks pretty cool to me."

... who said that?

No, seriously, who said that?

And when she pulled up her viewscreen she saw ... it.

What is that WHAT IS THAT?! Why is it calling itself a Steven? What's a Steven? WHY ARE THERE STEVENS IN THE KINDERGARTEN?! Oh, it's talking to me WHY CAN IT TALK?!

This is getting unsettling. This Steven is looking at me and it's making me horridly uncomfortable. This is too ... unseemly. I have to smash it. I have to ...

WHY ARE THERE GEMS HERE NOW?!

What's a Crystal Ge- WHAT EVEN IS THAT ONE? IS THAT A FUSION?!

DOES THAT PEARL HAVE A SPEAR ?!

WHAT?

WHAT ?!

ALL THE REBELS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WIPED OUT, WHAT IS- they're breaking my stuff WHY ARE THEY BREAKING MY STUFF and-

And then the remote override stopped working.

... try again.

Didn't work.

There's no point in trying the override again.

Try again anyway.

Didn't work.

... please don't make it so I actually have to go there and deal with rebels! Work. PLEASE WORK!

Didn't work.

I'm going to have to go to that planet now, aren't I?

Almost certainly.

I'm going to die there, aren't I?

Probably.

Try not to cry.

... didn't work.


Peridot shook her head, breaking out of her train of thought. She brushed the tiny trickles of tears from her vision spheres with a cold metal finger. She took a deep breath. It was nonsensical to get this worked up. She hated herself for getting this emotional, but she was unable to control herself.

It should have been like every other assignment: straightforward, easily solved, never consisting of much more than standard procedures and occasionally some on-site maintenance. That's what every single day before was like and what every single day after was supposed to be like. That was her routine.

Peridot liked her routine.

And now, for the first time in her entire existence, Peridot wasn't sure how to resolve a problem.

Peridot shook her head.

No, that's not true, she told herself. I can resolve this. How bad can one planet be? And don't worry about the rebels ... the escort will take care of everything.

Assuming I ever get a response about that.

Peridot sat in her chair and allowed her fingers to spread apart to form her screen.

She checked her commlink messages. Still no response.

She sighed. She was sure she'd eventually get approved for a soldier escort on her now inevitable trip to Earth. It was a common request for on-site maintenance; there would be no reason for it to be denied, but knowing that did not prevent her from worrying about it.

Suddenly the white noise coming from the speaker on her Work Cube wall stopped. The speaker crackled and she heard a voice infuriatingly similar to her own.

"Peridot 5XG?" said the voice.

Peridot recognized the voice as the Facet 5 receptionist. Peridot dropped her screen and rubbed her temple with her touch stumps. Peridot wasn't sure why, but something about the receptionist just got under Peridot's appearance modifiers.

The fact the receptionist was another Peridot might have had something to do with it.

"5XG, are you there?" said the receptionist.

Peridot briefly considered her insecurities might make her dislike any Peridot that seemed more capable than her.

She dwelled on that for only a moment before deciding, no, the receptionist was just annoying.

She rolled her vision spheres and pressed the button on the speaker.

"Yes, Peridot, I'm here," Peridot said wearily. "What is it?"

"Um, there are some Gems here to see you," said the receptionist.

"Oh!" Peridot said. "Well, good, it must be the escort I requested."

"I ... find that unlikely," the receptionist said. "It's two Ruby guards and um ... they appear to have a ... prisoner?"

Peridot cocked an eyebrow.

"What?!" Peridot said. "No, that must be a mistake. I'm a Kindergartener. I don't have anything to do with prisoners!"

"Well, they said they were sent here to see you," said the receptionist in a matter-of-fact tone.

Peridot groaned. She clenched her touch stumps into fists. Great, she thought. Now she had to deal with someone else's screw-up and resolve this on top of everything else.

"Fine, whatever!" Peridot said into the speaker. "Just ... send them in here and I'll deal with it."

"Very well," the receptionist said. "Hope the rest of your shift is pleasant, 5XG."

"Yeah, yeah," Peridot said, half-listening. "You too, Peridot ..."

The speaker went dead. Thank the stars. Peridot could only deal with that receptionist for so long.

"Hope the rest of your shift is pleasant." Yeah, right.

What a jerk.

Peridot folded her arms and waited. In just a few moments, the Warp Pad hummed to life. There was a bright pillar of light and after just a second, it dissipated ...

Peridot wasn't sure what what Gem she expected the prisoner to be, but a Lapis Lazuli was probably the most unlikely candidate she could imagine. She stood on the center of the pad, her hands bound in front of her with electric Gem Destabilizer cuffs. Her short blue and black dress seemed to flow for a moment after the light disappeared. She might have looked elegant, if not for the contemptuous look in her eyes.

Her eyes were focused on Peridot. Peridot looked away. Despite not knowing anything about her, it made Peridot feel ... odd to have such aggression focused on her.

Peridot instead focused on the two Rubies on either side of her. Both were soldiers of Yellow Diamond going by the yellow sigil on their physical forms. They looked ... well, like any other Ruby for the most part: square head, red, tiny. The only differences were one had her Gem on her chest, a yellow visor on their head, and a serious look on her face that made Peridot instantly identify her as the superior officer. The other, however, had her Gem on her navel and the sigil for Yellow Diamond around her neck awkwardly rather than at the center of her body; she also had a doofy smile, as if she was unaware she was escorting a prisoner.

The superior Ruby adjusted her visor and took a step forward.

"Are you the Peridot working on the mission to Yellow Diamond Planet Number ... um ..." The Ruby's eyes glanced upward for a moment. She snapped her fingers, trying to think of it. "Number um ..."

"Earth!" The navel Ruby said, closing her eyes and smiling.

The superior Ruby groaned.

"Right, Earth, whatever," the superior Ruby said. "Are you that Peridot?"

Peridot nodded.

The superior put her hands at her side.

"Excellent," she said.

"We brought a prisoner for you!" the naval Ruby said, gesturing towards the Lazuli.

The Lazuli's expression remained unchanged. Her eyes only drifted to the Rubies as they spoke, then back to Peridot. That same bitter look on her face ...

It made Peridot extremely uncomfortable and she didn't need the stress. The sooner this mix-up was resolved, the better.

"Yes, but I fail to see why," Peridot said, standing from her chair. "Since when are Kindergarteners responsible for prisoners?"

"This is a special circumstance," the superior Ruby said. "This Lazuli was apparently on Earth until very recently, detained for suspected association with rebels."

This was the first time the Lazuli had any reaction to anything the Rubies said. Her eyes drifted to the ground, still furious.

"I'm not a rebel ..." the Lazuli said.

The superior's head snapped to the Lazuli.

"Silence, rebel!" the superior Ruby said.

The Lazuli glared back at the Ruby. The navel Ruby, however, gave the Lazuli a gentle pat on the back.

"Don't worry," the navel Ruby said sweetly. "She's this cranky with everyone ..."

The Lazuli glanced at the Ruby's hand on her back and winced, clearly disgusted. The navel Ruby didn't seem to recognize the hint.

"Anyway," the superior Ruby said to Peridot, "she was held in detention until someone noticed you were currently on the Earth mission, so she was ordered to be brought to you."

Peridot rolled her eyes.

"Nice of them to ask me first," Peridot muttered. "Who put in that order?"

"One of the Peridots from Facet 6. She said-"

"Of course!" Peridot said, raising her hands. "I should have known! Typical Facet 6 incompetence! My work would go a lot smoother if I didn't have to clean up their mistakes constantly!" She grunted. "You'd think with a Facet that large, they'd eventually produce a Gem with some degree of intelligence ..."

The superior Ruby glared at Peridot.

"... we're from Facet 6," she said.

Peridot shut her mouth.

"... oh," Peridot said. She cleared her throat.

"It's really quite a lovely Facet once you get used to it," the navel Ruby said.

"I um ... I see," Peridot said, wanting to hide herself from the persistent glare of the other Ruby.

The shadow of a smile touched the Lazuli's face, as if amused by Peridot's embarrassment. Peridot tried to ignore it.

"A-anyway," Peridot said. "The fact remains I'm preparing for other matters and, in case you didn't notice ..." Peridot waved her hand around her tiny Work Cube. "I don't exactly have a holding cell to keep her in."

The navel Ruby put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh yeah ... I guess that is a good point ..." she said.

"Shut up!" the superior said, holding up one hand. She stared up at Peridot and folded her arms. "You're telling me you have no use for this prisoner at all? This rebel-"

"Not a rebel," the Lazuli muttered in an annoyed tone to no one in particular.

The superior Ruby's eye twitched, but continued speaking.

"This rebel has actually been to Earth," the superior said. "She must have some information of value to your mission!"

Peridot clenched her teeth. All of these idiots were proving to be a pain.

"Very well ... you want me to ask questions? Fine," Peridot said. She turned to the prisoner. "Hey, you! Lazuli!"

The Lazuli glared back at Peridot.

"It's Lapis Lazuli," she said.

"Right. Lazuli." Peridot stared straight in her eyes. "Do you know anything about rebels called the 'Crystal Gems?'"

The Lazuli shut her eyes and shrugged.

"Never heard of them ..." she said.

"Do you know anything about life on that planet? About humans?"

The Lazuli opened her eyes. The corner of her mouth curved upwards.

"You mean those aliens that walk around and fart all the time?"

Peridot raised an eyebrow.

"Fah-art? What's is fah-art?" Peridot said. "Um ... perhaps, let me pull up my notes-"

The Lazuli, in sharp contrast to how she'd been before, nearly doubled over laughing.

"What's so amusing?" Peridot said, annoyed by the outburst.

"Oh, come on!" the superior Ruby shouted. "Don't you get it! She's obviously mocking us! She-"

The Lazuli stopped laughing and snapped at the Ruby.

"It was a joke," she said. She turned her attention back to Peridot, straightening up. "Humans aren't anything you need to worry about. They walk on two legs and can talk, but otherwise aren't very dangerous. Or important."

Peridot nodded. Despite her reservations over asking anything at all, that information was a relief.

"What about Stevens? Do you know about them?" Peridot said.

The Lazuli raised her eyebrows.

"I-" She stammered. "I'm sorry, do I know about what?"

"Stevens. Short little stubby creatures with stars on their chest. There was one in the Prime Kindergarten."

The Lazuli stared at Peridot. After a moment, she chuckled.

"S-sorry, can't say I know anything about that," the Lazuli said hesitantly. She shrugged. "I dunno, they must be new or something ..."

Peridot threw up her hands.

"As I suspected, nothing relevant to my mission..." Peridot said, stepping away from her. She pointed to the superior Ruby. "There, I'm finished. Take her back to wherever she came from."

The superior Ruby started to protest.

"But our orders are to-"

Peridot raised her voice.

"Well, my orders are to prepare for travel to that planet and finish my mission directly! And such a high-profile assignment clearly trumps the orders of a Facet 6 Peridot trying to shift work to someone else! I have an escort I still have to see about, I don't have time to deal with such trivialities!" Peridot pointed to the Warp Pad. "Take her back because you're certainly not leaving a prisoner here!"

The superior Ruby clenched her fists.

"... fine," she said. She stepped back onto the Warp Pad next to the prisoner. "Come on, Ruby, let's go ..."

The navel Ruby waved to Peridot.

"It was pleasant meeting you!" the navel Ruby said.

Peridot didn't bother replying. As the Warp Pad glowed, her eyes shifted to the Lazuli ... and she noticed something odd. Up until now, the Lazuli had seemed unshaken, despite being a prisoner. But now as she left, her expression seemed anxious, almost fearful.

The Lazuli's eyes met Peridot's, but before Peridot could even react, the light of the Warp Pad engulfed her and the Rubies. In not even a full second, they were gone.

Peridot's eyes lingered in the Warp Pad for only a moment before she shook her head. Why was she even concerned about that at all? The Lazuli was not her problem. She could get back to what actually mattered: trying to get an answer about her escort.

She sat down in her chair, trying her best to put the entire experience out of her mind.

After all, it was highly unlikely she'd even see that Lazuli again ...


Peridot stared out the window of the stardock at the ship floating amidst the blackness of space. It was a standard class Gem warship, shaped like a giant, green hand. Not the most sophisticated ship in the armada, not by a long shot, but certainly enough to be a threat to the enemy.

Peridot sighed. As nervous as she was about her mission to Earth, it was reassuring they had given her such a capable ship to travel in. Not only that, but she finally had gotten her request for an escort approved ... and she had been assigned a Jasper who had fought in the Rebellion to boot. Jaspers were notoriously hardened, loyal soldiers, so Peridot actually felt reassured.

Peridot stood in the corridor of the stardock. She'd been instructed to wait for the escort outside the window on Dock 359 before boarding the ship. She folded her arms, thumping the floating fingers of her limb enhancers against her elbows. The Jasper was already late. She hoped it wouldn't be much longer.

Peridot allowed her fingers to drift upward to bring up her screen. She nearly sent a commlink message to the Jasper, but resisted the urge. The last thing Peridot wanted to do was anger the Gem who was supposed to keep her safe on a dangerous planet.

She scrolled through the productivity applications on her screen, aimlessly.

"Wish these things had some manner of entertainment on them ..." Peridot muttered to herself.

"Peridot!"

Peridot winced and immediately closed her screen. To her surprise, the Gem standing in front of her was not a Jasper at all, but a Pearl. Her physical form was yellow, her gem was on the center of her chest, and she had frilly cloth on her shoulders which served no practical purpose Peridot could discern.

She stood with her hands behind her back and a sour expression on her face.

Peridot was surprised. She'd never encountered many Pearls before; after all, they were for diamonds and aristocrats, not engineers. She scratched the back of her neck. She never quite knew what to say to these things.

"Oh um ..." Peridot waved her hands in front of her. "No thank you, I don't need anything. That will be all-"

"I didn't ask if you wanted anything, clod!" the Yellow Pearl said.

Peridot blinked.

"'Clod?'" she whispered. Peridot had never been called that before.

It stung for some reason.

The Yellow Pearl ignored her. Her standoffish demeanor was unlike any Peridot had seen from a Pearl before (aside from the rebel from Earth, of course). Even though Pearls were servants and well below Peridot's social standing, the way she carried herself was off-putting to Peridot.

"Are you Peridot Cut 5XG?" the Yellow Pearl asked.

"Um ... yes," Peridot said. "What is this about-"

"Excellent," the Yellow Pearl interrupted. "There's been an alteration to your mission. An informant has been secured on your ship."

"Wait, wha- informant? I don't need an info-"

Yellow Pearl continued as if Peridot had not spoken. She straightened up.

"The informant is a Lapis Lazuli, a suspected rebel who-"

Peridot groaned.

"Great, this again ..." Peridot said. "Listen, I already informed those Rubies several rotations ago, I'm not trained to handle prisoners and, besides, she doesn't know any information that would beneficial to me in the first place-"

Yellow Pearl glared.

"If you'd shut up for a tenth of a second, I could inform you of all the reasons why you're wrong about that," Yellow Pearl said.

Peridot clenched her fists.

"Excuse me?! Who do you think you-"

"I am a Pearl of Yellow Diamond," Yellow Pearl shouted, thrusting her head inches from Peridot's face. "My orders come from the highest authority, so unless you want a report filed against you to My Diamond, you'll shut your mouth and listen!"

Peridot cringed. She'd never encountered any Gem that spoke with such disrespect to Peridot before. But the last thing Peridot needed was a bad report to Yellow Diamond, so she held her tongue.

"There, was that so hard?" Yellow Pearl said smugly. She rolled her hand towards Peridot. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I think you'll reconsider what information the Lazuli has once you know what she's done."

"What are you talking about?" Peridot said.

"Yesterday, the Lazuli destroyed the physical forms of five Ruby guards, including two assigned as her handlers."

Peridot's eyes widened.

"What?!" she said.

"Not only that," the Yellow Pearl said, "she also broke into an abandoned communications hub on one of Blue Diamond's facets and sent an unencoded message to Earth."

"What?! But ..." Peridot stammered. "She- she didn't look like much of a threat-"

"I can see you're an excellent judge of character," the Yellow Pearl said.

Peridot glared in response.

"And that's not all," the Yellow Pearl continued. "After her recapture, deeper investigation revealed a rebel Lazuli was detained during the Rebellion, but never extracted from Earth. I suppose even an imbecile like yourself can put two-and-two together."

Peridot was stunned. She remembered the fearful look in the Lazuli's eyes when she left her Work Cube. Peridot had never actually met a criminal before, but she imagined that they would look more ... vicious than that. It didn't make any sense.

"That's ... that's insane," Peridot said. She shook her head. "Wait, if she's a dangerous criminal, why is she on my ship?!"

"Well, obviously it's so you can interrogate her for information relevant to your mission-"

"Wha- wait, interrogate?! I'm not trained for-"

"If the Lazuli sent a message to Earth, it was obviously to the rebels described in your report," the Yellow Pearl said. "It's obvious she has relevant information. Having her as an informant will aid your mission." The Yellow Pearl straightened up. "Of course, any information you discover is expected to be included in your report."

Peridot's eyes were wide. She barely knew how to have a normal conversation with Gems since she spent most of her work in solitude, let alone interrogate someone. The fact the Lazuli might be dangerous only made it worse. As if going to a compromised planet wasn't risky enough, now she had to have a possible rebel on the ship.

No. There was no way.

"I-" Peridot laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, this must be a miscalculation. I really think-"

The Yellow Pearl shot Peridot a nasty look.

"Maybe you didn't hear me," the Yellow Pearl said. She poked Peridot's chest. "This is an order from Yellow Diamond herself! This is not a matter that's up for debate."

"But how am I supposed to-"

The Yellow Pearl brought her hand to her Gem. It glowed for an instant as she pulled a large diamond-shaped object from it's light. Each side of the object had a color that matched a member of the Diamond Authority. When the glowing stopped, she thrusted the object towards Peridot.

"Do you know what this is?" the Yellow Pearl said.

Peridot shook her head.

"This is a Diamond Communicator," she said. "It opens a direct communication channel to any member of the Diamond Authority. You have such a problem with your orders? Call Yellow Diamond and tell her yourself."

Peridot flinched, staring at the Communicator. The Yellow Pearl grinned.

"No?" The Yellow Pearl frowned. "Then keep quiet and do what's expected of you. Honestly, I've never met a Gem that complains as much as you-"

"Do you ever shut up?" a gruff voice said.

Peridot turned towards the voice. A bulky, orange Jasper approached them from the corridor, a scowl on her face.

Peridot blinked. She knew Jaspers were supposed to be huge soldiers, but she was still impressed by the sheer bulk of the Gem. Had Peridot not had her limb enhancers, the Jasper would have dwarfed her. Her Gem was where her nose would have been, glinting in the artificial light. But most striking about her was the chilling look in her orange eyes, filled with nothing but contempt for the Pearl next to Peridot.

The Yellow Pearl stared at the Jasper and grimaced.

"Oh great ... you again," the Yellow Pearl grumbled. "I was simply briefing the Peridot on her assign-"

Jasper didn't even acknowledge the Pearl was speaking. Instead, she turned and looked Peridot in the eye. She pointed her thumb towards the Pearl.

"Is she bothering you?" Jasper said.

Peridot's eyes darted to the Pearl. The fingers on her limb enhancers floated towards each other, fiddling nervously.

"Well, um ..." was all Peridot managed to get out.

"Thought so," Jasper said. Jasper turned towards the Pearl and waved her away. "Okay, you're done. Leave."

The Yellow Pearl gritted her teeth, furious.

"Did you forget who you're talking to?!" the Yellow Pearl said. "Just because you think you can get snippy with me on commlink doesn't mean I'll accept such treatment here!" She held up the communicator in her hand. "Do you not see what I'm holding? Because I will report you both to Yellow Diamond so fast-"

Jasper glanced at the communicator and shrugged.

"Go ahead," Jasper said.

The Yellow Pearl lowered the communicator and stared at Jasper. The confidence left her voice.

"I ... I'm sorry, what?" the Yellow Pearl said.

"Call her. Report us," Jasper said.

Peridot shivered at the thought of any bad report concerning her being given to Yellow Diamond.

"H-hey wait a second," Peridot said. "I don't-"

Without looking at her, Jasper held her hand up for Peridot to stop speaking. Jasper's eyes never left the Pearl.

"Go on," Jasper said. A fiendish grin crept on her face. "Don't be shy. You need my cut number?"

"I ..." the Yellow Pearl said.

Jasper chuckled.

"You know what?" she said. She held out her hand. "Give me the communicator. I'll make the call."

Yellow Pearl drew the communicator back, clutching it with both hands. Her eyes were fixed on Jasper, filled with fear.

Peridot hated to admit it, but she was smiling; considering how terribly the Pearl spoke to her moments before, there was a certain satisfaction seeing the Pearl uncomfortable.

Jasper dropped her grin.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Jasper said. "All talk."

"I ..." the Yellow Pearl said, her voice weak. "I'm Yellow Diamond's Pearl, you can't just talk to me like-"

"That's right, you're a Pearl," said Jasper, taking a step to her. "You don't give orders, you follow them. You don't hassle Gems above you. All you're good for is standing around and picking up garbage. Speaking of which-"

Jasper's hand shot out. Before the Yellow Pearl could react, the communicator was knocked from her hands. It clattered against the tile floor.

Jasper waved her hand towards the device, smiling.

"Well, you heard me?" Jasper said. "Pick it up."

The Yellow Pearl looked at Peridot. Peridot didn't even try to hide her satisfaction. The Yellow Pearl glared in response then, without glancing back at Jasper, knelt down to pick up the communicator. She hesitated.

Jasper knelt down next to her, nodding her head towards the communicator.

"Go on ..." Jasper said softly.

The Yellow Pearl's body shook. After a moment, she reached out for the communicator.

"Actually, let me help you with that," said Jasper. In a flash, she firmly gripped the Pearl's wrist. The Yellow Pearl screamed in pain, her face contorted.

Peridot's smile dropped.

"Whoa! Hey, wait a minute-" Peridot said, waving her hands in front of her.

Jasper didn't seem to hear her; she seemed focused on only the Pearl. The Yellow Pearl tried to pull away, but Jasper's grip remained strong.

Jasper frowned. Her tone was gruff, but casual, as if she assaulting someone.

"What's the matter?" Jasper said. "Not so tough around someone who can fight back?"

"I-I-" the Yellow Pearl gasped out.

Peridot raised her voice.

"Seriously, this is unnecessary!" Peridot said. "You can't-"

Jasper ignored her. She sneered at the Yellow Pearl.

"Gems like you make me sick," Jasper said. Her grip tightened. "Nothing but cowards ..."

The Yellow Pearl had tears in her eyes. The sight of it made Peridot go pale.

"You're ... hurting me ..." the Yellow Pearl said.

Jasper grinned. Peridot felt a chill run down her back.

"Oh, you think this hurts?" Jasper said. "I haven't even gotten started-"

Unable to stand the sight of this anymore, she gripped Jasper's shoulder.

"Stop!" Peridot shouted.

That finally got Jasper's attention. Jasper twisted her head around, her smile gone. She had a stern look as she locked eyes with Peridot.

Jasper glanced down at Peridot's limb enhancer, it's fingers against her shoulder.

It was at this point Peridot realized she had just tried restraining a dangerous soldier a million times stronger than she will ever be.

Peridot gulped.

"Um ..." she managed to say. She knew she should probably let go of Jasper by this point, but somehow Peridot had forgotten how to move.

Jasper's gaze lingered on Peridot a second or two ... then she smirked.

"Alright then," Jasper said.

Jasper released her grip from the Yellow Pearl.

The Pearl let out a strained gasp and took heavy breaths. She clutched her wrist.

Peridot could see red marks on her arm where Jasper had restrained her. Peridot averted her gaze, unable to stand the sight.

"Hey," Jasper said to the Yellow Pearl.

The Yellow Pearl looked up, still reeling.

Jasper gestured towards Peridot.

"Thank her," Jasper insisted.

The Yellow Pearl glanced up at Peridot. Her eyes had a vulnerable look to them, but she said nothing.

Jasper shook her head.

"Eh, close enough," Jasper said. "Run along before I change my mind."

The Yellow Pearl snatched her communicator up and almost stumbled to her feet. She walked backwards from Jasper, her eyes filled with fury once she was further away.

"I'll be filing a report about this!" the Yellow Pearl said as she backed away. "You hear me?! You're done!"

The Yellow Pearl turned and ran down the corridor, clutching her communicator.

Jasper waved dismissively as she fled out of view.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jasper muttered. "Worthless Pearl, wasting my time ..."

Jasper glanced at Peridot. Peridot stiffened.

"You are the Peridot I'm supposed to escort to Earth, right?" Jasper said.

"Y-yes," Peridot said shakily.

"Good," Jasper said. She pointed down the opposite end of the corridor. "The dock for our ship is this way. Walk. I have some questions along the way ..."

Without waiting for a response, Jasper began walking down the hallway. Peridot remained still, mystified by Jasper's complete reaction to what just happened. When she realized Jasper wasn't slowing down to wait for her, she snapped out of it.

"H-hey, wait up," Peridot shouted. Her limb enhancers clanked loudly against the tiles as she rushed to Jasper's side.

"Hold on a moment!" Peridot shouted. "What was THAT exchange about a second ago?"

Jasper stared straight ahead, not even looking at Peridot.

"An attitude adjustment," Jasper said with no emotion. "Trust me, she had it coming."

"But- but that seemed somewhat excessive for-"

Jasper stopped walking, looked up at the ceiling and groaned. She gave a harsh look at Peridot, who immediately felt cold sweat trickle down her Gem.

"Was that Pearl treating you with any kind of respect at all?" Jasper said gruffly.

"Um ... well, no-"

"You do think you deserve respect, right?"

"Well ... I mean, of course, but-"

"And when she walked away, she wasn't rude to you anymore, was she?"

Peridot blinked.

"Well um ... I- I guess not, but that doesn't-"

"So I fixed your problem," Jasper said.

"I ..." Peridot scratched her head. She wasn't used to being challenged on her own thought-processes. "Well, when you put it that way, I suppose that's correct, but that still-"

"Okay then," Jasper said. She shrugged. "Why are we even arguing about this?"

Peridot opened her mouth, but could think of nothing to say.

Jasper took a step towards the Peridot. Her face was stern.

"Let me give you some advice," Jasper said. "The only way to get respect is to take it. You'd do well to remember that. Don't let anyone walk all over you."

Jasper continued walking down the corridor.

"Especially not a common Pearl ..." Jasper said.

Peridot lingered for only a moment, dwelling on the Jasper's words. Everything Jasper said felt wrong to Peridot, yet ... she wasn't exactly sure why. Objectively, she couldn't fault Jasper's logic.

Not only that, but it occurred to Peridot ... why should she care about what happened to the Yellow Pearl at all? It's not like the Pearl was nice to Peridot, so what reason did she have for getting as invested as she did?

It made no sense, it was completely illogical ... and Peridot didn't have an answer ...

"Hey, hurry up," yelled Jasper, ahead of her.

Peridot snapped her head upward.

"R-right," Peridot said. "Of course."

She caught up to Jasper as they reached the end of the corridor. There was a Warp Pad next to another window overlooking the ship. There was also a speaker against the wall, much like the one in Peridot's Work Cube.

Jasper pressed a button on the speaker.

"We're here," Jasper said. "Prepare the ship's Warp."

A Gem on the other end (another Peridot from the sound of it) replied.

"Confirmed," the speaker said. "Preparing Warp."

Jasper folded her arms then shifted her attention back to Peridot.

"I have questions," Jasper said.

"A-about what, exactly?" Peridot said.

"The rebels," Jasper said. "I read your report. You saw three of them, right? A fusion, some type of Quartz, and a Pearl?"

"Y-yes."

"Don't tell me it's just three rebels there?"

"I don't- I'm not sure. I only saw three, but it seemed logical to assume there might be more!"

Jasper grunted.

"There better be. There's no point in coming if there's not," Jasper said. She glanced at the Warp Pad. "The fusion doesn't matter. Tell me about the other two."

"What- what about them?"

"The Pearl," Jasper said. "What did it look like?"

"Um ... like a ... Pearl?"

Jasper turned back to Peridot, staring at her with a stern look. She said nothing, but she didn't have to.

"I- I mean," Peridot stammered. "She looked a little fancy. Her appearance modifiers had like a sash ... thing attached and-"

"Did it carry a sword?"

"What?"

"The Pearl. Did it carry a sword?"

Peridot simply shook her head.

"No, um ... she had a spear or some similar weapon, but no sword."

Jasper was silent. She frowned, seemingly disappointed.

"Just another Pearl then ..." Jasper said. "And I almost thought I'd have the chance to fight her ..."

"Who?" Peridot asked.

Jasper rubbed her temple.

"The only Pearl who was ever worth anything and too long of a story to get into ..." Jasper said. "Nevermind that. I have one more question. The Quartz ... I don't suppose she was Rose Quartz, was she?"

"... who?" Peridot asked. She had never heard of that type of Quartz.

For the first time, Jasper seemed surprised.

"... seriously?" Jasper said. "You don't know who Rose Quartz is?! How does that even-" Jasper palmed her face. "Ugh ... how old are you?"

"Pardon?"

"You obviously weren't around during the Rebellion if you don't know that. So how old are you?"

"Um ..." Peridot touched her limb enhancer's touch stumps together. "Ninety-seven cycles ..."

"Ninety-seven-" Jasper rolled her eyes. "Guess they don't teach newer Gems anything anymore ..."

Peridot felt a blush on her cheeks. She felt insulted, but was too intimidated by Jasper to speak up.

Amazingly, Jasper seemed to lower her voice upon seeing Peridot's expression.

"An incredibly strong Rose Quartz led the Rebellion," Jasper said. "There used to be a bunch before the Diamond Authority killed production and harvested the rest. Probably why you've never heard of them."

"O-oh," Peridot said. "I see."

Jasper shrugged one shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. I'm guessing that Quartz wasn't her."

"Why? I haven't even said what she looks like. She was a little-"

Jasper put her hand up.

"Trust me, you'd know Rose Quartz when you see her," Jasper said. "She's ... eccentric." Jasper sighed. "Nevermind. I'm sure I'll see her personally soon enough."

"What makes you think she's still there?" Peridot said.

Jasper glared at Peridot so fiercely she flinched.

"I ... well, I just thought ..." Peridot said. "I was under the impression Homeworld deployed a geoweapon that corrupted the physical forms of all Gems on that planet. Even if some survived, what if she didn't?"

Before Jasper could reply, the Warp Pad hummed to life. The speaker on the wall crackled.

"Warp prepared," said the speaker.

Jasper stepped on the Warp Pad, her expression still sour. She gestured next to her. Instinctively, Peridot rushed to her side, still too nervous to speak.

Fortunately, Jasper spoke first.

"Trust me," said Jasper. "I fought during the Rebellion. Other rebels fall and die, but never her. She survives.

"Rose Quartz always survives ..."

Peridot stared at Jasper, mystified by how soft her tone of voice had gotten. It struck Peridot as the opposite of how she felt. Now there might be a phenomenally powerful Gem that Peridot had never even seen before on that planet.

Perfect. Just ... perfect.

But before she could dwell on it any longer, the Warp Pad glowed and engulfed them both in white light.


Peridot sat in the cockpit of the ship, thumping her touch stumps on the console. She'd set the autopilot to take over the bulk of the trip. On the main viewscreen, there was only the blackness of space dotted by the distant stars they rushed past.

It hadn't been long since the ship's departure. It would be some time before Peridot reached Earth.

Hopefully plenty of time to figure out this other matter ...

The door to the cockpit opened automatically as Jasper stepped through.

"I'm done moving our 'friend' to the interrogation room," Jasper said.

"I see," Peridot said. She sighed. "Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper shrugged and grunted. This struck Peridot as the full extent of Jasper's politeness.

Peridot widened her touch stumps to bring up her screen. A few quick taps and she connected to the ship's network. She brought up the video feed from the interrogation room.

The room itself was nothing special. Just a table and two chairs, both sides divided by a Gem Destabilizer force field. Behind the force field, the Lazuli was not sitting in the chair. Instead, she was huddled in the corner with her knees to her chest. Her head was down.

Peridot cringed. For some reason, it reminded Peridot of herself, when the stress of this assignment had caused her to cry. Peridot honestly thought she was the only Gem who had such episodes. It seemed like a potential defect to her and absolutely horrible to go through. To see someone else having similar feelings ...

Someone Peridot was expected to force information out of, even ...

Jasper cleared her throat, snapping Peridot out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" Peridot said.

"I'm going to my quarters to train till we get to Earth," said Jasper. "Unless it's important, don't bother me." Jasper shrugged. "Or unless your friend says anything about Rose Quartz ..."

"Yes ..." said Peridot. Just as Jasper turned to leave, Peridot was hit with inspiration. She yelled "Wait!"

Jasper twisted around.

"What?" Jasper said.

Peridot swallowed.

"Well, um ... it's just ..." Peridot gestured to Jasper. "You seem like a big, strong Gem."

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

"I mean ..." Peridot continued. "You seem very capable ... I was just wondering if, um ..."

Jasper looked Peridot up and down. Curiously, Jasper seemed uncomfortable.

"Sorry ... you're not my type," Jasper said.

"What?!" Peridot said. She waved her hands frantically. "No no no! I was going to ask if you could interrogate the Lazuli for me!"

"Oh!" Jasper said. "Okay, that's different." She sighed and seemed to return to her usual abrasive self. "Still no."

"What?" Peridot said. "But you did such a good job intimidating that Yellow Pearl ..."

In a display that was revolting to watch, but that's beside the point, Peridot thought.

Jasper pointed towards Peridot.

"My job is to escort you to Earth. Your job is to check on the Cluster and take care of her. Deal with it."

"I just ..." Peridot whispered. "It seemed like you might actually ... enjoy it more."

Jasper gave Peridot a curious look. It was almost as if she didn't understand why Peridot would say such a thing.

"It's no fun if they can't fight back ..." Jasper grumbled.

Peridot was surprised. There was almost a hint of something emotional in Jasper's voice. Then again, Peridot could have just been mistaken.

Jasper moved back towards the door.

"You're on your own," Jasper said.

"But- but surely you have some advice!" Peridot said, standing from her chair. "I'm not designed for this! I ..." Peridot heard her own voice squeak. "I don't know what to do ..."

Jasper rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please," she said. "Quit whining."

Peridot frowned. However, despite Jasper's annoyed tone, she didn't leave right away. Instead, she strode past Peridot and leaned on the controls of the ship.

"There are different ways to do it," Jasper said. "Getting them to talk by shifting the blame away from them, telling them what they want to hear, stuff like that ... but intimidation is the easiest way." Jasper glanced at Peridot. "Since that might not be as easy for you on your own ..."

Jasper hovered her hand over the controls. There was a small glow on the console as a long, forked instrument popped into Jasper's grip.

"You know what this is, right?" Jasper said.

Peridot cringed. She recognized it right away.

"A Gem Destabilizer?" Peridot said.

Jasper nodded.

"But, what help is that?" Peridot asked. "I don't want to destroy her physical form! I just need information! How does that-"

"At full power is disrupts a Gems physical form. But ..." Jasper twisted the Destabilizer and adjusted a dial on the bottom of the handle. "If you dial the power down, it doesn't do that. It just makes you wish it destroyed your physical form."

Jasper held the Gem Destabilizer out to Peridot.

Peridot stared at it.

Jasper nodded towards the weapon.

"Well?" Jasper said. "Take it."

"I-" Peridot found it hard to speak. The thought of using a Gem Destabilizer as a torture device was too much. "I can't just-"

Jasper groaned.

"Look, you asked for help. This is help," she said, practically growling.

"But she-"

"Who, the prisoner? She's a rebel. A traitor to Homeworld! Don't tell me you feel sorry for her?"

"N-no, of course not!" Peridot insisted. "She's no concern of mine! It's just ..." Peridot folded her arms. "It's simply not my job to perform such ..." Peridot gulped. "Procedures."

"Well, apparently it is now. You know what your orders are. You know what she is. So what's stopping you?"

"But- well ... what if she isn't? What if this is all some misunderstanding?"

"Don't tell me you're that stupid," Jasper said. "She destroyed the physical forms of five Ruby gems who were just following orders. You can't misunderstand that. You'd be insane NOT to have a weapon around her! And even if she wasn't a rebel, why do you even care? She's nothing to you, so what does it matter?"

Peridot couldn't think of a reply. Those were all good points. Honestly, Peridot had no rational reason for caring about the well-being of the prisoner ...

Jasper shook the Destabilizer.

"Last chance," Jasper said.

After a long pause, Peridot hesitantly reached out and took the Destabilizer.

For some reason, she felt filthy holding it.

"There," Jasper said. "Was that so hard?"

Jasper walked towards the door. It opened automatically.

"Now don't bother me again," Jasper grumbled.

Jasper exited the room, the door shutting behind her.

Peridot was left alone, holding the Gem Destabilizer.

Her mind felt blank. She had no clue what to do. She couldn't even wrap her mind around actually using the device for that purpose.

Peridot took a breath.

The hand holding the Destabilizer shook.

She hated this assignment so much she felt sick.

She didn't want to use it.

She couldn't use it.

... could she?

Peridot dwelled on everything Jasper said. She thought back to her words back on Homeworld.

The only way to get respect is to take it.

Peridot tightened her grip on the Destabilizer as a grimace formed on her face ...


Not long after that, Peridot opened the door of the interrogation room.

The Gem Destabilizer was in her hand.

Perdiot could see the Lazuli behind the forcefield seperating both halves of the room. She looked up from the fetal position she was in once Peridot entered.

She had expected the Lazuli to appear vulnerable, but instead she had a harsh, defiant look in her eyes.

It reminded Peridot of Jasper, in an odd way.

Peridot took a breath. She sat on the chair on her side of the room. She carefully placed the horrific device on her side of the table.

The Lazuli's eyes followed it, but she seemed unafraid. She did not sit at the chair opposite to Peridot on the other side of the forcefield. She did not move. She said nothing.

Peridot exhaled. She ignored the sickening feeling in the pit of her construct. She told herself things would go smoothly. that she wouldn't even have to use device.

She wanted to believe that, anyway.

She tented her touch stumps together.

"I would like to talk ..." Peridot said.


NEXT EPISODE: THE LAST ONE! THE FINALE!
LAPIS! REVELATIONS! ACTION! WE TIE UP THE LOOSE ENDS!
(And then after that we'll do I Want to Understand standalone one-shots for a bit before the next major storyline in this "universe." We'll talk more about that later ...)