-Universal Lizard claims no ownership of Steven Universe the show. I'd need more motivation before that could ever happen.-
"Incoming message, from Peridot, General."
"On screen," Jet replied, letting a hint of anxiousness slip into her voice. With a nod, Kyanite swiped at her screen a couple times, and the image of Peridot came full view.
"General Jet!" Peridot said, "Scans have received an update relating to the Drone Cruiser."
"Has anything happened?" Jet asked.
"Yes General," the olive gem replied, casting casual glances at her own console as she tapped buttons, "It appears the Drones have made contact and have... met resistance." In a flash, the image before Jet and Kyanite changed into an overhead view of the beach area they had seen before. Jet could easily see the image of the Cruiser, unfolded, and the light brown sand surrounding it littered with various colors, mostly black.
"Resistance you say?" she asked.
"Indeed, it looks like a small skirmish took place," Peridot said, "Unfortunately, it seems all of the drones have been... defeated." Jet's eyes widened slightly.
"So soon?" she said, "I expected them to hold out longer against them... just how strong are these followers?"
"With all due respect, General," Kyanite said, "Those drones dispatched were specifically crafted and assigned for guard duties. Direct assaults are not really their strong suits."
"I'm aware of that, Kyanite," Jet said, "I'm just surprised is all."
"I hope you're satisfied with this, General," a gruff, familiar voice cut in, "Because I'm not!" Jet and Kyanite's eyes shot back to the screen, just in time to see Peridot yelp as she was shoved out of view. Her image was quickly replaced by that of Jasper, looking very annoyed.
"Your 'caution' and your slow tactics are really costing us!" she protested.
"Jasper," Jet sternly said, "Have I not spoken to you already on patience?"
"Oh I know, and that patience has worn thin!" the orange gem's eyes flickered with anger, "Well I'm fed up with it! I'm tired of waiting around while you 'poke at the enemy to see what they'll do!' If you won't do anything, I will; I'll go down there and take them all out! I'll even bring 'em in alive so Diamond will recognize that it was me who did all of the work!"
Jet felt her annoyance slowly boil over into anger with every passing moment, but as she opened her mouth to retort, "Y-You will do no such thing! As your general, Jet will hold you on serious insubordination charges if you disobey orders!" Jet's head shot to her side when she heard Kyanite's normally soft-spoken voice speak out so fiercely.
"Ha! She can try it," Jasper flashed her teeth in a toothy grin, "And what are you supposed to be? Her little apologist? Stick to flying ships; it's all you're good for anyway!" Kyanite's face betrayed a look of surprise, and Jasper looked back to the black gem, "Have fun explaining your 'cowardice' to Diamond!" The screen flickered suddenly into multi-colored static, and both gems swore they could feel the other one fuming.
"Re-establish connection," she urgently told Kyanite, "that gem will regret this..." Kyanite returned Jet's order with a determined nod and let her fingers fly across the holopad to reconnect. Suddenly, both of them heard something. They looked up through the bridge view-port to see a small object rocketed towards the planet's surface. Jet was certain she could hear her teeth grinding.
"She has taken off on one of the escape shuttles!" Kyanite said. It was then that the screen flickered back into the image of Peridot's face, looking very cross and flustered all at once.
"Argh! The absolute nerve!" she protested, "General, that Jasper had the audacity to knock me away, and hijack one of my ship's escape shuttles!
"Jet? Are you there?" A sound filling her ears through her helmet caught her attention this time, "What happened? That was one of our escape shuttles that just launched; what was that?"
"That was Jasper, Zircon; she has taken off and is planning to attack them on her own."
"By Geode, she couldn't restrain herself after all, could she?" Zircon asked rhetorically.
"And by doing this, she's endangering our entire mission."
"General?" Peridot asked, "In case you wish to know... my primary cannons are... primed and armed..." Jet turned her head out back to the view-port and watched as the dot of Jasper's ship became smaller and smaller. The longer she watched it, the more she considered that Peridot's implied proposal was not entirely disagreeable. However...
"... That gem is more trouble than she's worth..." she said, looking back at Peridot, "But, best not to waste your ship's ammo... yet." Peridot frowned visibly, then turned her head back to her control screen, "No, for this..." she said with a heavy sigh, "Zircon, take your group follow her; she's heading straight for them... I assume. At least this way, you all will be there to provide back up."
"Understood, General," the orange gem replied, "But out of curiosity, what would you have us do with Jasper herself?"
"... We'll see what happens," Jet said. Zircon crossed her fist over her chest, and the connection between the two ships cut in a more cleaner manner this time. A few seconds later, and the small group of fighters zoomed towards the planet, following the path that Jasper had taken. The connection between the ships was still held, and Jet and Kyanite could see that Peridot's face watched the small squadron as they left as well. Once they couldn't be seen anymore, the three of them acknowledged each other once more.
"Forgive my impertinence, General," Peridot said, "But I think it was a mistake letting Jasper live after what she's done just now..."
"That may be true..." Jet said, "But she is doing what we came here originally to do..."
"But to not even heed the order of her own general?" Kyanite asked, "It's like she's actually asking for something bad to befall her!"
"Plus there's still the fact that she violently shoved me aside like some practice drone!" Peridot said, "In fact, why couldn't it be you to go down there? You could bring Jasper back and probably deal with Rose and her followers yourself."
"Honestly, nothing would give me greater pleasure," Jet admitted, "But my role as general must come first. Besides, Zircon and her team are just as capable..."
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"Okay everyone, gather 'round!" Steven announced. He stood at the corner of two intersecting streets, the Fish Stew Pizza store right behind him. Also behind him stood his gem guardians, all except for Amethyst. Steven knew the purple gem wasn't behind him since his hand feeling in his pocket at her gemstone constantly reminded him where she now was.
Before him, he had amassed the entire city's population in a small group. They looked forward at him and his Gems, waiting to hear what Steven had to say. Looking at them, the boy could see just exactly how small a head count Beach City really had. Still, he was proud to count every one of these people as a friend of his... even Onion.
"Ahh! It's that blue girl! The ocean thief!" Mayor Dewey declared, pointing an accusing finger dramatically at Lapis, "Why is she here? She's come to steal our city's bathtub water this time?"
"No mister Mayor Dewey!" Steven waved his hands in front of him, "She's not here to steal your bathtub water, your sink water, or any kind of water!"
"Then why is she here?"
"Everyone! I know this is all gonna sound a little crazy to you, but we have something to tell you! Something kinda important!" With everyone's faces watching him, Steven acknowledged his blue friend with his arm, "Yes Lapis Lazuli is here with us Crystal Gems, but she's not here to hurt anyone; she's here to help us! She wants to be our friend!"
"Then why did she take the ocean in the first place?" Lars asked skeptically.
"Please! I wasn't able to do anything else!" Lapis spoke up, "I just wanted to return to my planet, far out in space. My gem was cracked and I couldn't fly."
"You gems can fly, too?" Greg asked.
"Some are capable of flight, yes," Spodumene replied, grabbing the people's attention.
"And who is this? I've never seen you around this fair city before," Mayor Dewey said, "And most people in this fair city have only two arms." At that last comment, Spodumene looked down at Steven, who simply shrugged.
"Yes... erm, everyone! Her name is Spodumene," Steven announced, "She, Lapis Lazuli, all of us gems here; we're all friends! We protect the city from all sorts of nasty stuff that could happen... which is why we... kinda need you all to evacuate to somewhere safe..." Various gasps greeted his ears.
"Evacuate? Why? What's goin' on, Steven?" Greg asked, "Wait, does this have to do with that thing... that spaceship we saw?"
"Um, yes actually," Steven said, eyes widened with surprise, "How did you know?"
"Are you kidding? We all saw it!" Greg's arm indicated to the crowd he stood with, and they all nodded in agreement, "What was that? Alien invaders?"
"Called it!" Ronaldo's voice called out, though hardly anyone acknowledged him.
"Unfortunately yes, Greg," Pearl said, "Some... shall we say 'unwanted' visitors have come here to Earth. We don't know what for or even who sent them, but what we do know is that they attacked us, which means we have to assume the worst." The people started to exchange worried whispers among themselves.
"You all need to find somewhere safe and secure to hide yourselves in," Garnet added, "Indoors, underground, anywhere inconspicuous. We will keep you protected."
"Er, okay, we can do that, can't we?" Sadie asked, turning towards the crowd who all shook their heads in agreement, "I mean, one of these buildings has got to be large enough to fit all of us? Like er... the warehouse! That place is big enough, right Sour Cream?"
"Um, yeah I guess so," the pale, white haired boy said.
"Yes, that's a good idea!" Steven said, "Stay hidden there, while we-" The air around seemed to shake as everyone felt something. They all looked around as a tremor quaked.
"What's that?! Are they here?!" Connie exclaimed. The gems shot their heads around, scanning the skies. Garnet's pointed hand suddenly shot up, in the general direction of the temple,
"There! Something is coming, over on the beach!"
"Oh man! Okay everyone, get to the warehouse quickly!" Steven said, "We'll take care of this!" Almost as one, the group fearfully made for the city outskirts where the warehouse was located. Greg and Connie however did not move with them.
"But Steven!" Greg said, "It's dangerous! What about you?"
"It's alright, Dad!" Steven said, running up to his father, "I'm with the Crystal Gems! We're a team, and we've got this under control!"
"Do you know that, Steven?" Connie said, "What if it's too much for you? What if these invaders are too much for the Gems? Please, we don't- I don't want you to get hurt!"
"Steven, she's right..." Steven's head whipped around to Pearl standing behind him, "This is something we have to take care of. You need to stay with everyone here and keep them safe."
"What?!" Steven protested, "Come on, Pearl! I wanna help too!"
"Steven, Pearl is right on this one," Garnet said, causing Steven's eyes to flash back between the two gems in disbelief, "We will go there to the beach to meet these invaders head on. In the rare chance that they prove too much, we don't want you to be hurt as well. But if you're staying here, protecting the people, you will have done your part."
"B-but..."
"Rose-" Steven's and Greg's eyes suddenly shot up towards the yellow gem. Spodumene's upper arms quickly covered over her mouth, looking back and forth between the humans and the gems as she realized her mistake, "I... I apologize... Steven, I once made a vow to Rose Quartz, as her friend, to stay by her side and protect her. But if that now means protecting you, her... son, then so be it."
"They're all right, Steven," Lapis added, "Don't put yourself at risk for all our's sake. Let us meet this threat!" Steven pouted hopelessly. The then looked back to the pleading faces of his friend and father, and even the neutral face of his Lion, and finally with a hefty sigh,
"Okay, you're all right. I'll keep them safe with me."
"If it makes you feel any better, you'll have Lion and Amethyst with you," Garnet added with a smirk. Starry-eyed, Steven's hand suddenly shot back to the bump on his side pocket.
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I forgot about her! Come on guys, let's get the warehouse!" Steven cried out.
"We're right with ya, kiddo!" Greg said as he and Connie ran after him and Lion, "But wait, you said Amethyst? Where is she by the way?"
"I'll uh, I'll explain on the way!" his son replied.
"Alright gems, let's go give these invaders the welcome they deserve!" Garnet said.
"We're with you, Garnet!" Pearl said, and all ran back towards the beach.
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The air screamed violently as the pod bee-lined towards the Earth. Finally, with a massive explosion of sand, it landed. Heat steamed lightly from atmospheric entry as the pilot's dome retracted, allowing its inhabitant to jump out. Jasper landed one knee to the ground then rose to her feet.
"Alright, Rose, where are you?" She turned slowly to take in her surroundings, wearing a face of disgust and disinterest. She then gazed upon a giant statue of sorts. It almost seemed to emerge from the side of the cliff, and definitely showed signs of erosion from time. It looked like a gem, alright, a four-armed gem though missing one hand, and still bearing a face of content.
"Is that where you are?" Jasper called out, "Come on out from hiding! Face me like a-"
"Stop right there!" Her hair whipped as her head spun. Running up to her on this beach were four gems; two weak single gems, and two fusions from the looks of it.
"Well well, what do we have here?" Jasper asked, arrogantly crossing her arms over her chest, "The remnants of Rose's rebellion? Why does she not face me herself?"
"We don't depend on Rose Quartz to defeat you!" Garnet challenged.
"That's right!" Pearl added, "Besides, between the four of us, you'll find that we are more than a match for just one of you!"
"Is that so?" Jasper's arms lowered, "Do you really think you can-?" All gems were silenced as they heard another familiar sound. Looking back behind Jasper, they saw five more black dots against the sky, slowly growing bigger as they began to approach.
"By Geode, it's about time they decided to..." Her face suddenly remembered she was not alone on this beach, and was indeed outnumbered. She turned back to face her foes, "Well then, I'd say the odds are about to be tipped in my favor."
"What do you mean?" Spodumene asked. But Jasper didn't even need to answer, for at that point, the five shapes had finally reached the beach, a few yards away from where Jasper had literally crash-landed. In fact, in direct contrast to Jasper's arrival, each fighter gently touched down on the beach side by side each other in perfect synchronization.
"It is, isn't it?" Spodumene asked out loud, grabbing the attention of the other three, "Those are Crystarra fighters..."
"Well, that's not bad, right?" Lapis nervously asked, "We can take them, can't we?" Jasper didn't even bother to retort, instead chuckling to herself even as the pilot hatches on the fighters opened. Five figures quickly jumped out, all ranging from different colors, and rushing towards Jasper as soon as they saw her.
"Jasper!" Zircon called out, "By Geode, what were you thinking?! What has possessed you to disobey your general's orders like that?"
"You mean the mission of us finding and taking out Rose Quartz and her rebellion?" Jasper asked, then pointed a finger to the four gems, "Which, by the way, here they stand before us..." Looking towards where Jasper pointed, the five gems quickly jumped into fighting stance at the first glance of the other four.
"What the- so, here they are!" the sky blue colored gem.
"Is this all that remains of the Rebellion?" the pale green gem asked.
"So it would seem..." the golden gem replied.
"That's enough!" Pearl called out, "You... lackeys of the Diamond Authority! Why come back now, after all these years?"
"I think you know why," the light blue gem replied, "You traitors are about to be-"
"Larimar, wait," the gold gem suddenly said, her hand cutting her off, "We should try diplomacy first."
"You want to... talk? To our enemy?" the pale green gem said in an almost deadpan voice. The richer yellow gem gave a quick glare back to her companion, but still looked back to the four gems.
"Attention, gem deserters," she greeted professionally, "As representatives of the Diamond Authority, headed by her mistress, Lady Diamond, we are hereby to apprehend you and return you to your planet of origin, Crystarra, to face justice for your known crimes of treason against the order. You will also divulge the exact whereabouts of your leader, Rose Quartz. Failure to comply with any of these terms will result in your immediate destruction." Once she finished her ultimatum, Pearl could only stare slack-jawed.
"Are... are you serious?" she asked, "You expect us to... willingly surrender?"
"I told you, Citrine," the green gem could be heard mumbling under her breath.
"You-Your own gems must be severely damaged if you believe for a moment that we would just give up on this Earth!" Pearl continued.
"That is some very serious confidence, from someone whose..." Zircon started, until her gaze drifted over to the blue gem on the opposing side, causing her to draw in breath sharply. Could that be? Could that really be her- Lapis Lazuli? Thankfully though, her own gaze seemed to rest upon her entire group, rather than her personally.
'That's bad, that is really bad,' she thought to herself, 'That is definitely Lapis Lazuli! ... Jet cannot know...'
"And do you really think we would so willingly abandon Rose Quartz?" Spodumene's voice continued, Zircon silently sighing to herself as Lapis' head turned to the yellow gem, "She's our friend! Her cause has truth! She actually bothered to help gems in need! The way I see it, the Authority is foolish for wanting to destroy her!"
"Just because she helps gems doesn't make her less of a traitor in the slightest," the light green gem said.
"Then... then that proves it!" Lapis spoke up, "A group that is not willing to look out for its own members, that is not a group I, or any of us want to follow!" Her back stood straightened and her clenched fists held at her side, Lapis' allies regarded her with smiles. Jasper however snorted,
"Heh, weak little gems like you think they have a chance against us? We're skilled elites, while you're just... odd-gems!"
"Enough of this!" Garnet's voice cried out, "You are unwanted invaders to our planet, and we stand tall to repel you here. You will be stopped!"
"Don't be so sure..." Jasper wasted no more time. She dashed forward as fast as her bulky legs would carry her. At the same time the gem on her nose glowed, and a helmet with a solid hammer-like extension formed around her head. Sand kicked from every step she made as she bee-lined straight towards Garnet. The crimson gem was quick enough to summon her gauntlets, but unfortunately wasn't fast enough to stop Jasper's fist. The orange-brown gem delivered a powerful uppercut that sent Garnet flying straight into the air, towards the city. Jasper leaped into the air right after her, while the other gems watched on.
"Garnet!" Pearl and Spodumene cried. The both moved to follow after her, but the other gem enemies dashed in front of them, blocking their path.
"Don't bother chasing after them," the pale green gem said, "You'll still have us to contend with."
"Well said, Prehnite," Larimar agreed, "Besides, not like your friend 'Garnet' will be much of a match against such one as brutish as Jasper!"
"Don't be so quick to dismiss us!" Spodumene said, "Come on, you two, we must make our stand here!"
"But, what about Garnet?" Pearl asked, "She needs our help!"
"Pearl, please, remember it's Garnet you're referring to," Spodumene reminded with a smile, "She isn't the leader of your Crystal Gems for nothing! She can take care of herself... for now." Pearl looked out toward Beach City, where surely Garnet and that Jasper must have landed by now. Fear began to swell up within her, for Garnet, and especially for Steven. What if he was found? What would they do to him if they found out... who he really is? Shaking her head, she looked back to her new foes; Garnet could handle herself, and she could handle her own self, even with Spodumene here. She'd have to...
"You're right, Spodumene," she said, "she can take care of herself. Now let's take care of these gems here!" She and the fusion dashed to meet the four other gems standing in front of them. Lapis also was about to move to join them, until someone jumped in her way, someone orange.
"Not so fast, I will deal with you personally." Lapis gazed upon this orange gem, whose lower face was concealed behind some sort of face-mask. The was something strikingly familiar about this one, the way those eyes stared back at her with intensity, hate, and... jealousy?
"You... where have I seen you before?"
"I guess there's no point in hiding it any longer," this gem replied, "We have met before, Lapis Lazuli. It is I... Zircon." In an instant, Lapis' eyes flashed with surprise. She HAD seen this gem before! And worse, she knew exactly WHY she had remembered.
"It's... it's you!" she pointed an accusing finger at her, "You're the one... who imprisoned me!"
-Oh my God, a THOUSAND apologies! I had left you all hanging for so long! I'm sorry, but this chapter was an absolute nightmare to write! Just to get all the wordings correct and worse, actually finding time TO write whenever I wasn't distracted! However, I'd like to think my own lack of updating was due to the fact that SU episodes had been on hiatus for a while now, so my inspiration was drying along with. *sigh* if only it were that simple... Nevertheless, things are finally kicking off, and I hope to see this story to the end!-