Authors note: So this is the new chapter here, and it took a while mostly because I didn't exactly know where to go from here, so I would appreciate any suggestions to PM me to make the story move along. The Hierarchy will also have some new stuff you get to see in action this chapter, and it's still not the full army too. Other than that, I hope you will enjoy the new chapter.
Chapter 7: First Impressions
O-O-O
Nighttime had arrived to the Delmarva Peninsula, the air was cool and breezy but still warm, and the stars were out shining as bright as day, while the moon replaced the sun and drenched its shadowed light across the tiny region, showing that it was a peaceful night for the Peninsula's residents.
This peace would be unknowingly shattered soon.
Far up in the night skies, right in the middle of a seemingly deserted plains area of the region, a place where no sign of human civilization could be found, a large circular object could be seen coming down rapidly but smoothly, rotating itself in a circle as it moved, getting ever so closer to landing. That was the Hierarchy transport ship that had entered through Earth's atmosphere undetected earlier, successful in its stealthy approach into Earth's atmosphere due to the command ship jamming Earth's satellites, beginning the first phase of Earth's destruction.
It didn't take long to pick a perfect landing area for the ship, seeing that a suitable location to drop off the Hierarchy forces was at a wide flat plain, and descended down and arrived at the flat area, hovering right above it without worry.
The transport then unloaded the Hierarchy passengers, beaming them down in yellowish lights around a circular formation to give them space and the freedom of movement without having to bump into one another.
In the front of this circle was Nufai, the acting commander of the Hierarchy forces on Earth currently until Orlock arrives, so Nufai would have to savor every moment he has before his little title is taken from him.
"Spread out. We have work to do." Ordered Nufai to the rest of his small force, who complied as they moved around the plains area to make sure it was secure while a few stayed behind, wanting to set up an outpost.
The ones who stayed behind were a pair of Glyph Carvers Nufai had ordered, seven foot tall robotic builders, a sort of blood red colored small hexapod unit with six legs, having some kind of backwards arrowhead shaped "head" of sorts, it's "face" had only a bright yellow circular eye, having no weapons of any sort equipped onto it.
Nufai had also ordered two Reaper drones, which were much larger in comparison to the Glyph Carvers. Reaper drones are tall walker units that easily tower even the brutes with their height with Detection Drones, having three legs instead of six, its "body" was shaped like some kind of top, the bottom half having a cone shape while the upper half had tall and thin needle like structures on the sides of the top, along with having some kind of glowing bright green circle hole in the middle of the top of the drone, and even had a ring like structure around the bottom part of the drone, which had some kind of beam like device that could rotate in a 360 degree angle in a circle attached to the ring structure, possibly its weapon.
Along with Reaper Drones, there was also a Detection drone, another walker like unit with three legs, but its "body' was much smaller and fragile, the legs being more wide and flat unlike the thin and spindly legs the Reaper drone had, along with having some kind of flat circular structure on the bottom that supported the most important part of the drone on the top, which were large and thin triple radar structures, appearing to have quad needle structures on the radar's sides, giving the Detection drone a much wider range to scan anything around its general area while providing tactical visibility for the Hierarchy forces.
There were also more militarized forces as well, Nufai had also brought more Lost Ones with him, about thirty instead of twelve, and even a trio of the same alien beasts he used against the Crystal Gems on the off world temple from before, fittingly called Brutes due to their sheer strength and brutality.
However, the last of Nufai's forces he brought were neither Brutes nor Lost Ones, they were called Grunts, standing about twenty strong with Nufai and are considered the basic and mainstay infantry of Hierarchy invasion forces.
Grunts tower over Lost Ones easily, having to be just as tall as the Glyph Carvers at seven feet, having three toes and fingers with gray skin just like all other Hierarchy infantry, but they are also genetically modified soldiers made to adapt in any environment, and are equipped with near full body armor on them integrated with sensors, rebreathers, and life support systems built into it, colored blood red and covering their entire torso, shoulders, and head, the only kind of eye they had would have to be the yellow cycloptic ring on the "head" of the armor.
The Grunts also have large gauntlets on their arms, providing further protection while also having their weapon of choice equipped on their right arms, a large plasma shotgun capable of firing five plasma pellets in a wide firing arc, while also having plasma grenades they keep behind them in a special contain hatch for them, used to take down heavier targets that their shotguns may not be enough for.
These forces had spread out in a wide range, giving the Glyph Carvers the time and space to live up to their namesake, as one of them began to release a cutting laser of sorts onto the flat ground, etching the Glyphs that they were famously known for, the Glyph being carved appeared to be glowing in red, orange and yellow, in an elaborate and intricate pattern on the ground that even appeared somewhat artistic, eerily similar to those of crop circles, which when completed would be scanned by orbital supply ships from the command ship in Earth's atmosphere, determining what the ground forces needed going by whatever type of Glyph was carved.
While the first outpost was being set up, Nufai decided to order around his forces, eager to start his little quest to destroy the Crystal Gems while also proving himself to the Hierarchy once more.
"Nufai requires supplies for the outpost and the invasion. Our Detection Drone has scanned our surrounding area and has found a human town close by. I want six Lost Ones and four Grunts to go with them for early mining operations. You will receive your coordinates now along with extra Reaper Drones, Detection Drones, and escorts to your position, Nufai will give you the order to move in when you are ready."
The chosen soldiers complied, heading out with their Reaper Drones to their given coordinates.
"Nufai also wants a team of three Lost Ones and two Grunts to go up north with the Detection Drone. There is another town that has our designated targets and Nufai wants to get a good reading on its position. Go now."
The detection team also complied and went their separate ways, heading out to their scouting mission.
"The rest of you will await further orders when the outpost is built. The Glyph Carvers shall call down more Reaper Drones for harvesting. Once we have enough resources and information, Nufai will then call down a walker escort to assist our mission."
The rest of his soldiers complied, taking positions around the large Glyph being carved into the ground as he watched the night sky above, contemplating his next moves against the Crystal Gems.
Nufai had dug up much knowledge on the Gems in the Hierarchy's data archives, learning that long ago, the same empire he served now fought against these alien beings and lost. Nufai thought it was hilarious how many died on both sides, gaining absolutely nothing but loss and chaos, spilling blood and guts and devastating entire worlds with no gain, no cause, no purpose, and no reason since the Gem/Hierarchy war had lasted so long, neither side even remembered why they were fighting.
Nufai wished he was there to experience it.
Things are different now, even after all these years that had passed, the Gems still couldn't regain the same strength they had before due to their civil wars and dead worlds, and now there are these Crystal Gems who have rebelled against their own kind, choosing to stay on earth as its supposed guardians.
It amused Nufai how serious they were about their heroic status that he considered pathetic.
But it also made him think back to Pearl. That Gem in particular fascinated him in many ways, the way she moved gracefully, the fighting style that made battle so elegant, the emotional disparity that hid inside her, he reminded himself to not kill Pearl so easily when the time came, hoping to savor every moment of misery that he enjoyed to get out of the Gem.
"Do not worry, frail one. We will meet again soon." Said Nufai to himself, observing his Glyph Carvers create the proper glyphs to use. "And then, you will be mine."
Unknown to the Hierarchy invaders, a distant figure was observing their activities the whole time, taking off in a hurry as soon as possible after staying long enough to figure out what was wrong.
O-O-O
Ocean town was once a great city to behold despite the ironic name, but disaster after disaster made the city less and less hospitable, until a new election brought the city back from its unstable grave.
Now in the process of rebuilding, Ocean town may just get their spot on the map back once more, and hopefully be rid of their reputation for being just as habitable as New Jersey with police as nice as Detroit's.
But there was one resident in the city that wasn't so keen of Ocean city.
A figure could be seen walking through some suburbs, covering herself with a green hoodie over her upper body and some jeans on her lower half, her head down and walking through the night streets like a homeless person until reaching an abandoned house in the suburban neighborhood, one of many after the many disasters that plagued the city.
She went in as quickly as possible, making sure that she wasn't followed before entering the broken down house, having nothing inside but dirt, decay and an old couch in the living room on the left of the first floor. Settling herself down on the couch, the figure removed her clothes to reveal her already covered and robotic like body.
It was Peridot.
The Home world Gem who's main purpose was to go to the Kindergarten and fix it, now stuck in some old rotting house, going from her mediocre job of technician to lost on earth and with a failed purpose. Peridot wasn't the best at her job, she knew her stuff well and did everything by the book, go to a planet with a deactivated Kindergarten, activate said Kindergarten, and report back for further assignments.
But as much as she hated her job, it was all she had in her ageless life, and she messed it up big time, and now she was stuck on earth all by herself, surrounded by humans and being searched for by the Crystal Gems whenever they had spare time. Peridot decided to make another log to herself, mostly because she really needed something to keep herself sane while figuring a way off this world.
"Log date, 322. Still stuck on this backwater planet. Every attempt to contact Jasper failed yet again, probably dead by now."
Peridot sighed sadly, sadness being an emotion she never thought she would experience due to her hopelessness she felt until breaking it with a disgusted scoff.
"I never liked Jasper, getting in my way to ruin my work, nothing but some arrogant clod too full of herself, but she could have been my way off this world. I did call her for help, but I didn't think these Crystal Gems would be this bad, not to mention… The Steven."
Peridot continued speaking, now using more emotion in her voice when she spoke.
"That little clod ruined everything, and his friends keep breaking all my things. When I get my hands on him, I'll… I'll… probably just get killed by the Crystal Gems."
Peridot's voice flattened, her attempt of having some kind of threatening revenge was replaced by her logical thinking that she used to think ahead, realizing that getting revenge was a stupid idea.
"I can't fight back unless I have a Gem destabilizer. But the Steven isn't affected by it somehow, and even then, I don't have any combat experience. I'm just a technician! Not some meat head like Jasper! I just fix things, not break them."
Peridot just shook her head, trying to calm herself down.
"Whatever." Shrugged off the Home world Gem. "I'll find a way off this filthy planet. I may be surrounded by meat bags and rebels, but I'll leave this place somehow. And then… well, I won't go back to Home world. I know what happened last time I failed a mission."
Peridot then stared at her robotic arms and legs, frowning with genuine sadness before going back to her log.
"At least I'm not completely alone." Peridot then took out a robonoid from her hoodie pocket, activating it as it stood on her shoulder, providing her with some comfort.
"When the ship blew up, I found one robonoid intact. Don't know what to do with just one, but it keeps me company. It almost makes me feel happy."
Peridot looked at the robonoid, poking it slightly out of boredom and continued her log, thinking about other things on her mind she wanted to get out of her system.
"Now I know what hopelessness can feel like, Lapis taught me that early when I saw her crying on the ship, begging me to help her somehow. I felt pity for her, mostly because she was in a bad position, just like me and my job. I offered some advice to her, and she gladly accepted it and actually thanked me."
Peridot sighed again, taking another pause before speaking again.
"Maybe I can find her somewhere. This Ocean town is not far away from the Beach City I was told about, I could find my ship and maybe even Lapis. If Jasper's there, I hope we can control her to convince her to find a way off this planet instead of killing us, but I prefer Lapis's company more… she's nice."
Peridot stared up at the ceiling, leaning back on the couch while she wondered what she could do in her situation, scoffing at herself for what she just said.
"I can't believe myself, actually wanting a friend and having these kind of emotions. I know my Gem is supposed to represent compassion, but am I really this pathetic? No wonder I'm so mediocre at my job."
Sudden screaming could be heard from outside, getting Peridot's attention as to what the commotion was going on, rushing to a window to peek at what was going on as the robonoid held onto her shoulder.
"I'm ending this log early. Peridot out."
Explosions could then be heard, causing even more paranoia and fear to rise from Peridot as she put her clothes back on and ran outside, wanting to get away from the explosions that sounded awfully close. Peridot looked around her to see a horrifying sight, something that she only read about in data archives.
"It can't be." Said Peridot in shock, staring in shock at what she was witnessing now.
The chaos she was witnessing was being caused by a Hierarchy strike force, seeing mass explosions of fire and smoke, housing in the suburban area being annihilated by green plasma fire, the air filled with the panicked screams of civilians either running in fear or dying from plasma.
The more urbanized areas in the center of Ocean town were filled with even more plasma fire, along with several Reaper Drones, firing some kind of green beams at buildings, seemingly breaking down the materials apart from them and sucking them towards the beam, until the pieces disappeared in green flashes, while smaller objects such as fire hydrants, lamp poles, and even humans, were being sucked into the beams as well, disappearing in quicker green flashes.
Peridot didn't touch too much on Hierarchy history, what data recorded on them was terrifying but impressive however, using Reaper Drones armed with the specially dubbed, "abduction beams" to beam up any resources to orbital supply ships in a planet's atmosphere.
That's when the Home world Gem quickly realized something even more horrifying in just a few moments later.
The Hierarchy had returned, and they came here to harvest the planet that she was trapped on.
"I can't believe they're back." Peridot said to herself, staring at the Reaper Drones in shock. "This isn't logical. They shouldn't be back, and not here out of all places."
Peridot could then hear explosions and the sound of mechanical movement in her vicinity, turning her head to notice a pair of Reaper Drones, one in front and the other behind, casually walking along the far left of the suburban neighborhood, and chasing down a dozen human civilians running away from the invaders, and seeing more Reaper Drones further behind that smashed through houses and beamed up any humans hiding, along with any debris that they made.
The Reaper Drone in the back was busy beaming up random small objects around its vicinity, while the one in front went after the fleeing humans, beaming each one individually in a rapid manner as they screamed in horror, until they were silenced when the beams hit them.
Peridot ran as fast as she could, deactivating her robonoid companion and putting it in her hoodie pocket, running back to her house inside to hide, knowing that the Reaper Drones could hit her faster than she could run as she looked through the living room window.
While the Reaper Drones passed through without acknowledging her, busier trying to beam up resources ahead of her, it would have to be the escort close behind that Peridot worried about, which consisted to be about six grunts, all armed with plasma shotguns and ready to kill, along with about nine Lost Ones armed with light plasma rifles.
Peridot could see a few humans consisting of a father, mother and two children across the street, climbing out their window to try to sneak away from the Grunts. But the Grunts noticed the fleeing humans, and laughed when they saw them trying to escape.
A Grunt made a few deep chittering noises, pulling out a plasma grenade and chucking it at the family, vaporizing them with the one grenade that also took a part of the house they were at away, laughing again as the humans died in a plasma explosion.
'Meat bags were never too bright.' Thought Peridot to herself, as she ducked down from the window to avoid being spotted by the Grunts.
The Grunts stopped, as one of them made deep chittering noises to the Lost Ones to search the area and find any survivors, dead or alive, while the Grunts continued onward, but not before tossing a few plasma grenades around them, mostly out of their own amusement and to make the Lost One's search easier.
One of those plasma grenades hit Peridot's house, decimating the front of the house and formed a big hole right next to Peridot, blown away by the blast and flew across the wooden floor. Peridot quickly got up, jumping out of a window and bracing herself, not wanting to be caught or killed by the Lost Ones who ran into the house.
Seeing that Peridot was running away from the house across the backyard, jumping over the fences connected to other backyards on the right, the Lost Ones gave pursuit to the Home world Gem, as she leaped over the smaller fences while avoiding plasma fire from behind.
This felt just as terrifying as when she crashed into earth, really it was even worse, since at least she wasn't being chased by psychotic aliens that want to kill her or worse, turn her into a resource to fuel the Hierarchy's power. In many ways, she wished Jasper were here, she wished Lapis was here, she even wished the Steve and the Crystal Gems were here, but there was no one here to save her from the chaos.
Explosions constantly went off, plasma blasts burst through the air along with the screams of the panicked, abduction beams were casted upon buildings and people, making them disappear in green flashes to orbiting supply ships, and the sick sounds of manic chittering and laughter rang in Peridot's head, these horrifying sounds alone were enough to scare the Gem senseless.
This was the first time she felt true fear.
Peridot looked back to see the Lost Ones were catching up on her, using their phase modules to phase through the fences she had to leap over. One of them deactivated their module to get a good hit on her, who nailed her right on her back, making her cry out from the pain of the plasma shot, burning a huge hole through her hoodie and made her fall on the ground, much to the Lost One's amusement and glee.
As the psychopaths surrounded the defenseless Gem, she cowered in fear while trying to resist the burning sensation on her back, shielding her face to look away from the imminent death she was about to receive.
A loud roaring sound deafened Peridot, as she looked up to see the Lost Ones had been blown away and hit the back of a house, while turning her head to see her odd savior before falling unconscious from the burning pain.
The last thing she saw was a pink blur.
O-O-O
P.S. - Yup. I wouldn't forget Peridot now would I? And just to tell you shippers expecting Lapidot to happen, don't keep your hopes up. This story is about Gems fighting other aliens, simple as that, I'm not good with romance anyways. On the bright side, Lapis (My Waifu) will appear in this story and maybe Jasper too, maybe.
Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe or universe at War.
