Four months passed.

Eight months, in total; Steven Universe had been on Homeworld for eight months. Four of those were hazy, blurry memories filled with snippets of conversations and thoughts and emotions. The rest of them were practically permanently embedded in his mind. The training, the fighting. The endless, unquestioning obedience and loyalty. His Diamond had noticed the shift only recently, and slowly, Steven watched things begin to change. She let him out of the Room more often, gave him occasional orders herself and sent him off on different missions. He would pass messages to soldiers and other Squadron Leaders. Sometimes he was responsible for rounding up Quartzes for training. Other times he was responsible for overseeing other soldiers' training. He assisted Agate in training the rejuvenated rebels dutifully, and he obeyed every other command and order he was given without hesitation and without question. He was a soldier.

He was a soldier - and he was a damn good one. With Yellow Diamond overseeing the training for the most part, he was occasionally requested specifically by her to train other soldiers. She would be nearby while he worked with the Quartzes alone, just watching. Sometimes, he couldn't help but look over at her, couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head. He knew Berry had told her things about him, but he didn't know what. That was connected to the part of him he was doing his best to stifle; there was no reason to dig deeper into it. The Diamond never mentioned anything to him, even when she came to retrieve him from his Squadron. He would walk beside her Pearl and nod when she spoke about training plans.

Toward the end of the third month, she had stopped him while he was training the new soldiers. "I'm aware that your first battle can be a very… jarring experience," she'd told him, while he sat himself on the warp pad and glanced over to where the soldiers were still training. After a moment of staring, just watching, the hybrid shook his head and looked back up at her again. "The second one isn't going to be much easier for you. But I do have a proposition, if you wish." He still said nothing, just nodding slightly as she eventually crouched down beside the warp pad. "I've been observing your progress with training the other soldiers. You've shown great promise, not just as a warrior, but as a general." She paused again. "I was considering putting you in command of a battalion to lead during the battle. The choice is yours to make."

Steven glanced at her, startled, then glanced away toward the soldiers again. Leading a battalion of his own… he remembered the first battle, the adrenaline, the rush of fighting. And he remembered following orders through the whole thing. That was what he did best at this point, wasn't it? Follow orders and do what he was told to do. Leading a battalion was a big responsibility; he'd be in command of soldiers, he'd be responsible for what they did and how they did it. He'd be responsible for making battle plans, overseeing training… another thing he could remember about the battle was the guilt. The guilt he felt, the anger he felt, whenever one of his fellow soldiers were shattered. It was one thing, to fight beside someone in battle and watching them get shattered in front of him. It was another to lead them to their death himself. The hybrid had sucked in a shaky breath, struggling to stifle the panic brewing in his gut. "If that's… something that you want me to do," he finally replied, cautious. "Then I'd be happy to."

"I want to know what you want to do," Yellow Diamond replied simply. "Leading a battalion comes with a different kind of pressure. There's different responsibilities. It's jarring - all battles fought are jarring, but being responsible for a group of soldiers that you're leading into one…" Yellow Diamond sighed, and Steven watched her gaze flick back toward the soldiers, the corner of her mouth twisting sharply, almost thoughtfully. "War is a horrible thing," she finally murmured. "That's why I wanted to keep Homeworld out of it. I know now that there's no way to ensure their safety by staying silent and not fighting. Even with all we've lost, we could lose so much more if we don't strengthen our defenses." She cleared her throat. "And put… capable gems in charge."

Steven hesitated for a moment, letting his gaze linger on her. After a moment, though, he flicked his gaze away - but he spoke, albeit cautiously. "With all due respect… your radiance," he added quickly, taking a deep breath. "I don't… I don't know if I am capable of leading soldiers."

Yellow Diamond just studied him, quirking an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

For a while, the hybrid stayed silent. He pressed his mechanical fingers together and spun them around lightly, staring ahead at the soldiers and watching them fight. He remembered the grief he'd felt over losing Mandarin, if only vaguely. The memory was hazy, but it was still there. He remembered the grief he felt over every fallen soldier in the fight. He remembered the guilt. Guilt he still felt, even now, just thinking back on the battle. He had been sent out there to save them. He'd been sent out there to bring Homeworld to victory, and he hadn't been able to do that. "Because I couldn't save them," he finally replied, quietly. "I couldn't save the other soldiers." Steven drew his arms closer to himself, curling his fingers into his ribs.

Yellow Diamond heaved out a quiet sigh; Steven saw her shaking her head from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't bring himself to look over at her again this time. "You tried-" She began.

"But I still couldn't do it," Steven cut her off before he could stop himself, and he flinched slightly the second he realized what he'd done. But Yellow Diamond had fallen silent, and when he glanced over at her to see if she was upset, to figure out if he was about to receive a punishment for interrupting her or not, he found that she was simply staring at him; she caught his gaze and nodded at him to continue, and, after a moment of hesitation, the hybrid did. "I was sent out there to win," he told her, somewhat despairingly. "And I still couldn't do it. I know I shouldn't- I shouldn't let that effect my decisions now, but I can't…" The hybrid ran his tongue over his lips and ducked his head after a moment, turning his head to look back at the soldiers.

Yellow Diamond was silent for a while, and Steven took the chance to compose himself again. He'd spoken a little more than he wanted to, said more than he'd intended. And to a Diamond… the hybrid grimaced, biting the inside of his cheek and silently berating himself. He was a soldier. He wasn't supposed to talk about his feelings, or his doubts, or his fears. "You know," Yellow Diamond said suddenly. Steven turned his head, but he kept his gaze on the soldiers. "I could name several of my greatest commanders that had the exact same problem."

Steven blinked, finally flicking his gaze toward her.

"Agate 4AX, for instance," Yellow Diamond continued, keeping her gaze trained on the Quartzes as they fought. "Hessonite Garnet 3AB. And that is what makes them so valuable, you know." She finally tore her gaze away to look down at him again, and Steven tilted his head back a little so that he could meet her gaze, furrowing his eyebrows silently and studying her expression. There was no vulnerability there; she was serious, genuine. "Because they know the value of life, and they understand the great… weight that comes with taking it." Yellow Diamond paused, and studied him for a moment longer before she ducked her head and looked away once again. "You and I could find things to blame ourselves over for the next hundred years. All of the 'what ifs' and the 'should haves'. All of the lives we couldn't save… the ones that we took."

"Like Pink Diamond," Steven said quietly. That was something he found himself thinking about more often than not; Pink Diamond, the gem he had shattered. His Diamond talked about her sometimes, when she was around. The other Quartzes murmured her name when he walked by them, ones that had fought in the first Gem War. Sometimes, he couldn't remember what he had done. But other times, he'd sit there, lost in thought, letting thoughts of Pink Diamond and the things everyone said wrap around his brain - and sometimes he'd find himself in the middle of a battlefield, gem shards falling around him, looking down at broken, shattered pink shards. Sometimes he didn't know if it was a memory, or if it was his imagination. He just knew the incredible guilt that came with it; the guilt he felt every time he heard her name, or saw her murals on the walls of the palace, or walked by a soldier that had been under her command.

Yellow Diamond hesitated, closing her eyes for a moment. Steven glanced away again, taking a deep breath and fixing his eyes on the soldiers, watching the swift movements and strikes from their weapons. Watching the clouds rise as some of them poofed, hearing swords and weapons clashing against each other. He rolled his shoulders back and shook his head. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"What's done is done," Yellow Diamond murmured. "All we can do is move forward, and learn." The hybrid didn't respond; he didn't know what to say to that, but he knew she was right. There was no point in lingering on the past when they still had the future ahead of them. For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder what his future had in store for him. Right then, it was war - but then what would happen next? What would happen if they managed to win, what would happen when there was nobody else to fight? A soldier's duty was to fight, to carry out orders; mostly on the battlefield. He supposed he'd just… return home. Just come back and… wait. "One day, I hope to find a way to bring gems back," Yellow Diamond said suddenly. Steven blinked, furrowing his eyebrows, and turned his head to look back up at her once again. "I keep their shards. Every soldier that fell in battle, and every gem that was caught in the crossfire."

Steven blinked at her, searching the Diamond's gaze for a moment. She was so… different. Different from his Diamond; he was loyal to her, of course, but she was cold, and distant. She was harsh, stern. Not that Yellow Diamond couldn't be stern - but she was… almost… gentle.

Almost.

"That's…" Steven trailed off, biting the inside of his cheek. "... that's really nice, actually." He tried to keep most of his surprise out of his tone, but he figured it didn't matter anyway. With how often she and his Diamond fought, it was easy to assume that she knew what he meant, what the somewhat pointed tone indicated. And it wasn't a secret that his Diamond had it in for him, specifically; he knew he only existed then, that he was only alive right then, as a punishment. He knew it, his Diamond knew it, Homeworld knew it - and he was sure Yellow Diamond knew it. The Diamond didn't respond - but he did see the corners of her lips tug upwards, just a little.

"I suppose." She paused, looking away again, and nodded toward the soldiers. "You should probably get back to training them- and don't worry about the battalion," she added as she pushed herself up again. Steven watched her, pushing himself off of the warp pad to stand. "You're not ready, and that's perfectly understandable. This is already an uncomfortable situation." Yellow Diamond sighed and glanced away, glancing down over the buildings below the training arena, and twisted her mouth into a frown. "I'm not going to try and make it worse."

"Thank you," Steven mumbled, folding his hands into the salute. "Your radiance."

"At ease, soldier." Yellow Diamond glanced down at him. Steven dropped his arms after a moment and turned away again to head back over to the soldiers, rolling his shoulders back.

After that, time seemed to go by a little faster. As they neared the four month mark, Steven started pushing the soldiers a little harder during training. Most of them were pretty good - rejuvenation hadn't impaired their skills, they were still Quartzes to the core. But he had to press them, like his Agate had pressed him during training. And it wasn't entirely his decision either; a few weeks after his talk with Yellow Diamond, Agate and the soldiers she was training - along with the Ruby Squadron she was overseeing, with Berry - were transferred over with him, so that the both of them could train the soldiers together. They switched back and forth between the Quartzes and Rubies; Agate often singled Berry out to help him, and he joined the two of them in pressuring the soldiers while they trained (much to Berry's delight and amusement).

"You've certainly made an impression," Agate commented once, standing beside Steven as they watched the soldiers train. Berry was yelling at them to 'pick up their gems and move faster', and the hybrid couldn't bite back a smile as he watched the Ruby. He turned his head slightly to look over at Agate, offering a one-shouldered shrug in response. Despite how many gems still didn't trust him, Steven had pretty much faced an uphill climb when it came to his rank. He was still under Agate's command as a soldier, since he'd already denied having a Squadron or a battalion of his own to lead - since he did better following orders than giving them out - but there was also a slight shift in his relationship with Agate now, as well. Something akin to respect.

He respected her, at least. She was a good mentor - to him, and to the new soldiers. He watched her with them often; she pushed them, not as hard as she used to, but she still made sure they knew what they were going to have to deal with on the battlefield. Admittedly, most of the pressure now came from Berry's side of things. The little Ruby was ecstatic to be able to push her fellow Rubies and Quartzes around, and it showed every time she was able to yell at them. The best part about it, Steven mused, was how Agate was often the one that had to step in and tell her to take it easy with them. Steven would be lying if he said it didn't disappoint him. Not that he had anything against the soldiers, of course - he just liked watching Berry go off. The soldier heaved out a sigh and leaned back, keeping his eyes trained on the Ruby for a moment. But he did eventually respond to Agate. "I learned from the best," he murmured.

Agate snorted. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Rose." Steven huffed out a chuckle despite himself, biting the inside of his cheek to keep back a smile as he shook his head and finally flicked his gaze over to the other gem. He noticed he was almost her height now; she still had a few inches on him, but he had gotten taller. And it didn't have anything to do with his limb enhancers, either, he knew that for a fact because he hadn't taken them off and put new ones on since he'd arrived. He was pretty sure he'd remember taking them off, too - because, stars, they hurt like shards most of the time and he would've remembered the relief he'd have felt.

"I'm serious," he insisted, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back against a pillar. "You're a good mentor. I don't think I'd have survived the battle if it wasn't for your training," he admitted - and he wasn't lying, he knew he wouldn't have been able to get through it otherwise. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew. He knew she had trained him so hard in the time leading up to the battle, and he knew that training had paid off once he was out on the field.

"It takes two for training." Agate narrowed her eyes, not looking at him. "You're quick to learn."

"Sounds dangerously close to a compliment to me," Steven mumbled, and let an apologetic grin split across his face when Agate turned her head around to glare at him in response. "Sorry." Agate continued to eye him for a moment, and he let himself settle again - with a small smile - when she turned away from him to look back at the others again. He let his gaze linger on her for a few moments, just studying her, before he turned his gaze away again. But he dared to speak, knowing he was treading dangerous ground - but also kind of wanting to see how far he could actually push her at the same time - with a half-smirk this time. "You like me, don't you?"

"That's preposterous," Agate scoffed, shooting him another glare. But she spoke too quickly, and she was fast to rip her gaze away from him again, too. "I don't like anybody. Shut up."

"Oh, but you like me," Steven commented, leaning himself slightly to the side when she shot him another warning look, and he tried in vain to keep the smile off of his face. Around her, and Berry, and even Sage, he was oddly comfortable. He hadn't been able to feel like that before, he knew. He hadn't been able to completely relax around them. "I've made an impression on you."

"Don't make me hurt you," Agate warned. Steven snickered, but he gave in after a moment, slumping back against the pillar again and uncrossing his legs to stretch them out a little. Agate fell silent, herself; she looked a little disgruntled, but not upset or angry. She was like Berry when it came to expressing affection. Maybe a little more closed off than the Ruby was… once Berry had gotten used to him, gotten to know him, she'd started loosening up a little more, hadn't she? She'd even given him a hug. She'd expressed sympathy, she'd softened. Steven was sure if he asked her if she liked him, she'd grumble about it, but she'd answer honestly. But when it came to Agate, he knew if she did like him, she would keep that secret with her forever. That was just part of who she was. Steven had realized that by then, and he was okay with it.

Agate sighed after a moment, and mumbled, "I hope they're ready…"

"We've still got a month, don't we?" Steven paused and glanced away, making sure he had counted right. Another thing that had come easier to him was how to tell time on Homeworld; one thing that was not, however, easy to him, and never had been and probably never would be, was math. "I'm sure they'd be ready by then. At least… as ready as they'd ever be." He fell silent for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek and leaning his head back. "It's… technically their first battle. I mean, the first one as far as they remember, anyway. It's gonna be tough."

"I can't work with Rubies!" Berry shrieked just as Agate opened her mouth to respond, and the gem let out a groan and rolled her eyes before simply squeezing them shut and raising a hand to her forehead. Steven rolled his head to the side and glanced up, fixing his gaze on Berry.

"Take a break," he called - not just to her, but the rest of the soldiers. "You've earned it. We'll pick back up again in a few." A break was what they all needed. Yes, they needed to prepare, but there was only so much preparing they could do now. He leaned back again, crossing his arms and watching the soldiers break away from each other, rushing off in different directions, clearly happy to have the chance to stop. And Berry looked even happier than any of them; as much as she liked yelling at them, Steven knew there was only so much enjoyment she could take from it before she started to get genuinely frustrated. He offered the Ruby an amused look as she made her way over to them, reaching up to put out the flames flickering in her hair. "And you've gotta learn to take it easy. At this point, you're gonna shatter from pure frustration."

"If I haven't already, I highly doubt I'm going to," Berry snapped back at him. Steven rolled his eyes, reaching out to pinch out a flame that she had missed between his mechanical fingers, and she reached up to swat his hand away as she usually did. "I just can't stand them, I swear. Quartzes? Fine, I can work with Quartzes all day. But Rubies… ohhh they make me so mad…"

"Yep." Steven popped the 'p'. "It's not like you are one, or anything…" Berry narrowed her eyes at him in response, and Steven cracked a smile. Teasing Agate was fun - but teasing Berry was even better. Mostly because, a lot of the time, she was the one firing most of the shots at him. All in good fun, he knew, but he couldn't resist poking the bear every once in a while, himself.

"We all know I'm the superior one," Berry grunted.

"I still think you should take it easy," Steven admitted, heaving out a sigh. "I know we've all gotta be ready for this, but we've still got a month left. I learned a lot in just one month, and they've had four already to prepare," he added, rolling his shoulders back and glancing over the training arena, briefly letting his gaze settle on the buildings down below. He pursed his lips, thinking. "And we've got some of our strength in numbers back. More soldiers, which means more battalions…" He fell silent for a moment, running his tongue over his lips, and glanced back over at them. "Yellow Diamond actually asked me if I wanted to lead one, myself, a while ago."

He watched Berry's shoulders twitch slightly at that, watched her expression shift into something more or less unreadable. Agate paused, glancing over at the Ruby, then slowly flicked her gaze back over to Steven. "That's quite an honor," she noted, almost cautiously. "What did you say?"

"I… told her I didn't think I was ready," Steven replied honestly, glancing between them now. Berry's shoulders twitched again, then drooped after a moment. She was relieved, but he wasn't sure why. The hybrid narrowed his eyes slightly, but he didn't say anything just yet. "Why?" He finally asked, glancing back over at Agate briefly. She stared at him for a moment, exchanging another glance with Berry, and Steven leaned forward to direct the other gem's gaze back to him. "Why?" He repeated, searching her face carefully. "Is there something I should know?"

Agate twisted her mouth, glancing past him once again. But, after a few seconds, she looked up to meet her gaze and shook her head. "No," she replied simply. "Nothing relevant." The hybrid narrowed his eyes again, studying her expression, then turned his head to look over at Berry. The Ruby shrugged and shook her head at him - but she didn't say a word. Not a single sound.

Steven sank back slightly, unconvinced. "Guys…"

"If it was relevant, we'd tell you," Agate interrupted sharply. Steven sighed, but he bit his tongue and nodded. He could tease her all he wanted any other time, but he knew when she was being serious, that he ought to shut his mouth and listen. Now was one of those times, and he'd be stupid to think about disobeying her now. Not out of fear, of course - he wasn't scared of her, and honestly, he couldn't remember ever having been scared of her to begin with. But he did respect her enough, as the leader of his Squadron and his superior, to follow her command.

"So, as long as we're taking a break…" Berry began, glancing over her shoulder, before flicking her gaze back up to Agate and arching an eyebrow. "I'm gonna go check on my lab."

"Be quick," Agate sighed.

"And be careful," Steven added, grimacing. It wasn't the first time Berry had sneaked away to her lab to do whatever the shards she did there, and it wasn't the first time he stressed over it.

"Ah, shut up," Berry muttered, brushing past them to head off to the warp pad. Steven turned his head to watch her go, keeping his gaze fixed on her until the warp pad activated and the stream sucked his friend away. The hybrid turned away after a moment, rolling his shoulders back, and calmly swept his gaze around the arena, glancing over the soldiers lazing around with a hum. There wasn't much to do during break time - sure, he liked the time to be able to lean back and relax again, but there was only so much relaxing he could do before he started getting restless. Not even anxious-restless, just… restless. Desperate to do something, to keep his mind busy. But he knew better than to cut break time short. He wanted to give them a chance to relax.

The hybrid twisted his mouth, thinking, then glanced over at Agate. "Wanna fight?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

The four month mark came and went. An entire week passed after that; the soldiers were doing great with their training, Steven and Agate were barely keeping Berry from shattering the other Rubies, and Sage had joined in with her Squadron to help them train a few days at the start of the month. Steven was… somewhat confused, but he wasn't going to question the company. The more the merrier, after all, and Sage was just another gem who could help them hold Berry back when the Rubies pissed her off. She was much gentler than any of them were - even Steven was stern with the soldiers when he had to be, but Sage didn't push them as hard. Which, he knew, could also be useful - so he let her do her thing, and he watched her and Berry butt heads from time to time as they clashed over training tactics. He and Agate even made bets every so often on who would win the arguments. Most of the time, it was just a tie.

Throughout the past week, Steven busied himself with getting back into training himself. He fought with Agate and Berry and Sage, taking turns with one of them at a time while the other two watched over the soldiers' training. And sometimes he'd watch the soldiers himself while they took turns training, as well; sometimes they'd all join in to train with the soldiers, even. One of the best parts about it was watching how much the soldiers had advanced in their training, how much better at fighting they had gotten. Hopefully, they'd hold their own in the battle. Steven knew there was only so much even training could do for them; they had to have the experience, and learn how to roll with the punches - literally - when they were out on the field.

"Keep your stance wide," he was advising an Amethyst soldier, circling around her as he spoke. Honestly, Amethysts… he wasn't really a big fan of that particular stretch of Quartz, but there was no reason to voice these opinions regardless. He'd deal with it for himself; his job was to train them, not to befriend them, so they didn't exactly need to be best of friends in this situation. "Keep your body lowered…" He trailed off for a moment, something stirring in the back of his mind - and he pushed it back sharply, stifling it right back down. He shook his head and continued, twisting his mouth into a grimace. "You have to keep your balance," he continued.

The Amethyst glanced down for a second, carefully adjusting her stance, and flicked her gaze back up to Steven. The hybrid paused in front of her, nodding his approval, and stepped back. "That'll do. Learning how to carry yourself in a fight will make a big difference - it'll make it harder for your enemy to knock you down." He rolled his shoulders back, summoning his scythe, and the Amethyst narrowed her eyes slightly and nodded. "Alright, do your worst-"

"Bad news! Bad news!"

Steven paused, letting his grip on the scythe loosen. "Hold that thought," he muttered as the Amethyst straightened up, tilting his head slightly to crack his neck before he turned around to face the other Quartzes that had warped into the arena. They were supposed to be with Sage and Berry at one of the other arenas - there wasn't enough room on just one of them for all of the soldiers, so they took turns going back and forth most of the time. He tightened his grip on the scythe, but he swung it downwards so that the blade pointed toward the tiles instead, making his way forward to meet the Quartzes with a frown. He didn't know what the shards this 'bad news' was, and why Sage and Berry weren't coming to tell him themselves, but he decided that last part wasn't as important yet as figuring out what was wrong right then. "What is it?" He demanded, turning and sweeping his gaze around carefully. Agate wasn't there, either.

"Rebels," one of the Quartzes gasped, skidding to a stop. Steven snapped his gaze back over to them immediately, pupils shrinking slightly. "The rebels- they're coming- they're here-"

"Here? On Homeworld?" Steven pressed, and the Quartzes nodded furiously.

"Hessonite 3AB sent us to- to find you and the other soldiers," the other one added hurriedly, looking absolutely petrified. "We were just notified- they've already breached the atmosphere, there's ships and we can't force them back- they're trying to attack Homeworld-"

"Breathe," Steven ordered, clenching his teeth and swallowing. He stifled the panic brewing in his gut, knowing most of it was just because the other Quartzes were panicking. He had no doubt, with the training they'd been doing, and with how many gems were on Homeworld that weren't there during the first battle, that they'd be able to at least fight hard enough to make the rebels retreat - but he also had no doubt that it wasn't going to be easy to do that, and that it was more than likely that they'd lose a little bit more than they would gain. He had absolutely no idea how the rebels had even come to the conclusion that attacking Homeworld directly was a good idea at all - but Steven, right then, was more determined than ever to make them regret it. "We need to make our way down to the ground. One of you, go tell Hessonite 3AB to meet us down below with the others," he added, and one of the Quartzes immediately turned to leave. "And you go find Agate 4AX. We're gonna need her now more than ever. Are the Diamonds-"

"They're aware," one of the Quartzes called, rushing back to the warp pad. "They're arranging battalions already- we've gotta hurry and get there before the rebels land, we're gonna have-"

"Just go," Steven insisted, turning back to the other soldiers. "You guys follow me and stay close. If you see anything up there-" He pointed upwards, shifting his mechanical fingers into arrows, and most of the soldiers tilted their heads back to look up - which, honestly, made him roll his eyes despite himself - and he dropped his arms again with a grimace. "Let me know."

The soldiers followed after him dutifully as they made their way off of the training arena. And, thankfully, by the time they had made their way to the palace, Sage and Berry were already there with the others. Berry was pacing back and forth, arms crossed over her chest, and Sage was making sure the soldiers were standing still and being quiet so they could hear the Diamonds over the panicked mumbling. Steven fell back a little, letting the soldiers he was leading rush past him to fall into place with the others, and he stretched up slightly to peer over the crowd, lifting his arms to catch Berry and Sage's attention. He succeeded; the two spotted him quickly, abandoning the others to make their way to the back of the crowd to where he was.

"Where's Agate?" He questioned the moment they reached him, stretching up again on the toes of his limb enhancers and taking another quick look around, but he couldn't see the gem.

"She…" Berry trailed off, exchanging a glance with Sage. "Uh, she had something to do. Listen-"

Steven rocked back on his feet after a moment, frustrated. Not particularly with Agate - but whatever she was doing, it had better be important, because Homeworld was about to be attacked; and Steven would have thought she'd be on the frontlines right then, ready to lead another battalion into battle. The hybrid grimaced and tilted his head back, looking at the sky. "She'd better get here soon," he muttered, setting his jaw. "This isn't going to be good…"

"Rose," Sage began, carefully. Steven grimaced, lowering his gaze again after a moment to look back down at her. "You need to listen, very carefully. We don't have much time here."

"You gotta come with me," Berry added, stepping forward.

Steven shook his head slightly, glancing past her again, toward the soldiers. "But the rebels-"

"Do you trust me?" Berry demanded; Steven hesitated, torn, and let his gaze flick back down to her after a moment. When the hybrid failed to answer, the Ruby narrowed her eyes slightly and held her hand out to him; he flicked his gaze down to it, silent, tense. "Do you trust me?"

Steven bit the inside of his cheek, searching her gaze. This was Berry he was talking to; he knew that. She had never really given him a reason to doubt her, had she? She was always honest with him for the most part, always open with him. She was still one of his best friends on Homeworld, memory loss or not, and he wasn't going to waste any time trying to deny that. Trusting her… that wasn't even a question. Even in the middle of a war, in the middle of a battle, he would always trust Berry to have his back. Because she had during the first one.

"Go," Sage urged. "Hurry."

Berry always has a reason, he reminded himself. To do the things she does. The hybrid set his jaw, steeled himself, and reached out to take her hand, curling his mechanical fingers with hers. She took off the moment she had a firm grip on his hand, and he rushed after her, glancing over his shoulder briefly. His mind raced, trying to figure out where she was taking him, what she was doing. Maybe to find Agate. Maybe somewhere, to get something that could help them here. He didn't know, but he didn't ask questions yet. He just followed her as she led him further away from the palace. As she led him to a warp pad, pulled him up onto it, and activated it before the hybrid had even managed to balance himself on top of it completely. She didn't let go of his hand even as they floated in the warp stream; if anything, when he looked down to check, her hand was clenched even tighter around his mechanical fingers than they had been before.

"Where are we-" He finally opened his mouth, but he didn't get to finish before they had landed on the warp pad. The sight of the shipyard startled him at first - but not as much as the giant ship that rested in one of the front rows. He couldn't remember that one being there before; and the more he thought about it, finally, tentatively prodding at the memories he had carefully sealed away, he realized it was the ship she was working on when he had first met her. He stared at it, following clumsily now as she tugged him off of the warp pad. "Berry, what's-"

"Shut up," Berry interrupted. Steven sucked in a sharp breath, gritting his teeth slightly, but he stayed silent. He clenched his hand tighter around hers, almost warningly. Hoping she wouldn't steer him wrong here, because she hadn't done so yet. "Just- shut your mouth, keep it shut." They reached the ship, and the Ruby paused; without letting go of his hand, she reached her other one up to press it to the panel beside the door, and it slid right open, almost abruptly.

He hesitated as she stepped up into the ship. "Berry…"

"Trust me." Berry's tone startled him; no anger, no frustration. Just urgency, desperation. She turned to face him, still reaching up as much as she could to hold his hand, and he faltered. His gaze flickered over her face silently as she continued, "just trust someone else, for once."

"You know I trust you," Steven muttered, stepping up into the ship with her after a moment. She wasted no time in stepping back to pull him in completely, finally releasing his hand to turn and shut the door, and Steven swept his gaze around the ship silently, furrowing his eyebrows. He counted the seats, the windows. He looked toward the control panel - and to the gem that was pacing in front of it. He stared, silently, as the familiar Peridot turned around to face them.

"You remember Lemon Lime, right?" Berry asked breathlessly, spinning around to face them again once the door shut. Steven couldn't even bring himself to roll his eyes at the comment. Of course he remembered Lemon Lime - it had just… been so long since he'd seen him.

Lemon Lime's face split into a grin almost immediately, looking half-relieved, half-nervous. He looked different, from the last time Steven had seen him; for one, his hair was slicked back, no longer pulled into the triangle shape he had tried so often to force it into. The hybrid blinked, flicking his gaze over the Peridot as the other gem lifted a hand to wave at him. "Hey, pal." His friend sounded almost… apologetic; Steven ventured a few steps forward, somewhat hesitant. The Peridot stepped forward to meet him, but he didn't move in for a hug, like the hybrid had honestly been expecting; instead, his eyes flicked past the hybrid, to where Berry was standing. "How long d'you think we've got? The rebels are gonna be here soon," he warned.

"They'll be here," Berry replied quickly. "Just a few minutes. They'll be here."

Steven turned to face the Ruby again after a moment. Something was definitely going on here, and Steven was definitely getting the feeling that he wasn't going to like it. "How long do we have for what?" He asked cautiously, studying Berry. "I really wanna know what's going on, B."

"All I can ask is that you please- don't- hate me," Berry began, spreading her arms out slightly. "And this wasn't all my idea, so if you wanna wait for the others to get here first-"

"I want an explanation-" Steven began, raising his voice slightly, but the door slid open again before he had a proper chance to chew the Ruby out. Berry whirled around immediately to see who had entered, and the hybrid could only stare when Candy climbed inside, with Sage following not too far behind her. He glanced between them furiously, still not comprehending. Or, at least - not entirely wanting to comprehend what was going on. Deep down, he knew it already, but he really… really hoped he was wrong. Steven grimaced, glancing between Candy and Sage for a moment longer before he turned his head, staring at Berry again. "Berry."

"Surprise," Candy cut in, and Steven glanced up, startled. The Pearl flashed a grin at him, and Steven's eyes widened slightly at the realization. Candy hadn't spoken to him at all the past few months; she'd been by Sage's side the whole time, dutifully following orders, as silent as ever. But the grin she flashed him right then was familiar, filled with mischief and excitement.

She hadn't been rejuvenated.

Steven paused, stepping back again, and glanced back toward Lemon Lime. Berry hadn't been rejuvenated, he knew that. Berry had mentioned the Peridot once or twice, so Steven had already come to the conclusion that he had been spared from the same fate. But he hadn't known Candy hadn't been rejuvenated, either. He hadn't known it was all an act, even to him. The hybrid flicked his gaze around, and took a deep breath, glancing from one gem to the next. "Okay. Okay, if someone- if someone doesn't start explaining what's going on, I'm gonna-"

"We'll explain on the way," another voice interrupted; Steven whirled his head around just in time to see Agate jumping into the ship, reaching back to shut the door behind her almost instantly.

"Thank the stars," Berry breathed, stepping back and rushing over to the control panel. Steven opened his mouth slightly, watching her, then turned his head again to look back at Agate. He genuinely didn't know what to say at that point. He didn't know what was going on, what they were doing, where they were apparently going and why Berry had chosen now, of all times, to try something like this. All he knew was that the situation was not funny, it was not ideal, and he was both unamused and somewhat frustrated at that point - as well as very, very anxious.

"Do you have them?" Sage stepped toward Agate as the ship rumbled to life.

"I've got them." Agate paused, her gem shimmering slightly. Steven just stared as she summoned two yellow bubbles from her gem, one in each hand. "Let's go."