You wake up to Peridot's fingers poking and jabbing your face.
"Mmph!" You slap at Peridot's hand and roll over.
"Finally, you're awake."
"What do you want?" You stifle a yawn.
Peridot jerks her thumb at the window behind her. "In case you haven't noticed, we're closing in on Homeworld."
You look out the window to see a planet similar to Saturn, only the rings are smaller. Hand- and teardrop-shaped ships hover around the planet. Rods poke out of the planet in different places and satellites litter the atmosphere. Peridot throws a tunic at your face.
"Let's go."
"What are we doing?" You grab the tunic and pull it over your head.
"We're getting ready to land. Jasper wants you on the bridge. Hurry up and make yourself presentable."
You stumble to the bathroom to wash your face and brush your hair. Peridot is impatiently tapping her foot when you finally emerge.
"Finally. Last thing..." Peridot grabs your wrists and cuffs them together. "A reminder of your position in case you get any ideas."
You sigh inwardly and follow Peridot out into the ship. After several twists and turns, you see Quartzes and Rubies at consoles and Jasper sitting in a central chair, calling out instructions. Peridot assumes her position at an empty console, leaving you at the entrance to the bridge. Jasper grins upon seeing you and beckons you closer. You walk over to the chair, ignoring the snickering at your expense. Jasper puts an arm around your waist and points at the planet coming into view.
"Look, human. In front of us is your new home."
You shake your head. "My home is Earth."
Jasper's mouth puckers into a frown, but immediately relaxes. "You'll change your mind after you've been here a while. Everyone knows their place. Everyone has a role. No war. No jockeying for position. There's perfect order and balance on Homeworld."
"And what will my role be down there?" You raise the cuffs to Jasper's line of sight for emphasis.
"The same role as a Pearl: a servant. Well..." Jasper chuckles to herself. "Maybe more. Pearls aren't as fun as you are." She emphasizes her statement by sweeping her fingers under your chin.
"If everything is so perfect there, why were you on my planet looking for the rebels?"
"They were defective. Anyone that can't or won't follow the natural order are purged."
You formulate a counter-point about how Homeworld soldiers were the ones running roughshod on Earth. But you realize it's useless. As Peridot stated, the manacles around your wrists remind you of your position as a prisoner of war. You don't know why you thought Jasper would see you as anything more than that. You sink down to kneel beside the chair, like you believe a hostage should. Once you are settled, Jasper draws your head to rest on her thigh and strokes your hair. You stare at the view screen, wondering what your life will be like on Homeworld.
–
"Oh, wow! Is that a real human? Is it tame? Can I pet it?"
You start to appreciate Jasper's big hand on your upper arm now. You've lost count of the number of times you've heard this refrain from strange Gems, talking over your head as if you are a dog. Jasper, to her credit, won't let them touch you, saying that you are still feral. Maybe she remembers what you did to Holly Blue Agate. Or she just doesn't want them to touch her property.
Ugh. You just referred to yourself as property.
Jasper leads you through the busy receiving area, with Gems and cargo coming and going in all directions. It's hard to understand which direction you are going, but Jasper drags you through the throng of Gems with a purpose. She enters a clean, sterile building and heads to a reception area. A Peridot with her Gem on her chest barely looks at you before typing into her screen.
"What's being quarantined?"
"Human from Earth. Carbon-based organic."
"Y12 is free. To the right."
"Quarantine?" you query. You can't hide the tremor in your voice.
"Standard procedure, little one. Nothing to be afraid of."
Too late. You're quite frightened and Jasper almost has to pick you up while you dig your heels into the tiled floor. You approach the cell the Peridot indicated and you shake your head. The cell is only big enough for you to just barely stretch out. You suddenly feel claustrophobic.
"Please don't make me go in there," you plead.
"It's just a few days," Jasper explains. "I'm going to be busy getting everything unloaded and debriefing my superiors, so I won't be far. Then I'll take you home."
Jasper strokes your hair to reassure you. You look back at the tiny cell and shake your head again, knowing you aren't going to win this debate. Jasper sighs heavily and picks you up. You panic and fight her, throwing your weight back and almost throwing her off balance. But she finally wins and has you in the cell. She quickly steps out and closes the door before you can dash back out. As you hear the hiss of the room sealing itself, you bang uselessly on the windowless door, crying out for Jasper to come back.
–
The cell is eerily quiet. Even the panel by the door is quiet as it dispenses food and water for you. The panel is the only way you can measure time. You try singing to yourself, just to hear something. You try napping, but your body is too wired to let you sleep. You try a little exercise to pass the time, but the cell feels like it's closing in on you after a few minutes. After a couple of days, you barely touch the food given to you because your stomach turns every time you think about eating. You hear a hiss of gas from time to time, which you guess is Homeworld's way of disinfecting or inoculating you.
The walls and floor all have a thin padding, probably to keep you from hurting yourself. Lights beam down from the ceiling, killing your sense of time and your ability to sleep. Exhaustion finally takes you and lets you sleep in short intervals, but your own anxiety wakes you up way too soon. You curl up in a corner, trying to pretend the cell is bigger than it is.
You cry. You whimper. You call Jasper's name, hoping she'll walk by and hear you. You give up on her coming back.
The cell door opens and you shrink into the corner. That can't be Jasper kneeling in front of you. That's not her claws tickling your scalp as she strokes your hair. That's not her throaty voice trying to coax you out of the corner. Your animalistic whine comes from far away and you refuse to believe those muscular arms embracing you are hers.
"... ld you I'd come back. Time to go, little one."