And now it's finally time! The Crystal Gems set off for the stars and this time of their own free will!
As the world kept turning in the wake of invasion attempt, the Crystal Gems were nearing the end of their major project. Two weeks after fending off thousands of troops and now the group was about ready to convert the Sun Incinerator from a small fighter into a proper cruiser that could carry them all to Homeworld with the firepower to avoid anything the Diamonds would throw at them and give them the space to properly live on while they made the trip.
Peridot, Pearl, Bismuth and Topaz had finally drawn up the plans for a ship that could fulfill their needs. The final plans showed a massive freighter over a hundred feet long with multiple decks and would even incorporate the spatial-adjustment technology used in the temple to incorporate a pocket room that could function as a training ground. Now the only problem was constructing it.
"It's not enough…" Peridot noted, looking over their design and then thinking back to the parts they had assembled.
"Well, we don't have much of a choice otherwise," Bismuth answered, "We've got four people who need a place to sleep, facilities to use and food to eat. I'd think that last one is the biggest problem."
"Oh, leave that to me," Pearl waved off, "Organization is my specialty. My biggest concern, however, is its defensive capabilities."
"That's handled," insisted Peridot, "It'll be a simple matter of upscaling the force field we have here to accommodate cover a larger surface. Plus, it'll be a cinch to upgrade with the components we've gathered."
"What we really need is a lot of metal," thought Bismuth, "We've found a few good chunks of hulls from the downed ships that we could melt down and repurpose, but it'll be cut pretty thin."
"We don't have the ability to cut expenses here!" Pearl debated, "If we have to raid passing ships or get assistance from mining companies here on Earth then so be it!"
"Hey guys," Steven said walking in, "What's up?"
"Oh, just tinkering with the plans for the ship," Topaz responded, "But we need a lot of space-worthy to build it."
"Well," he offered as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before going back to training with the others, "Why not use Pink Diamond's ship?"
"You mean for building material?"
"Why not? It's not doing much right now."
"That's… A really good idea," Pearl agreed, "I mean, it wouldn't take long to relocate Rose's possessions either here or in her room."
"Uh, won't that disturb our… visitor?" Peridot asked. Steven had told them all about Mercury as soon as possible and while the Crystal Gems were nervous at first, they were immediately assuaged when they saw the fearsome warrior completely engrossed in a chemistry textbook and learning that she had yet to leave the room once in the days since her arrival.
"I think she'd help us move if it means getting back to her reading faster," Bismuth countered, "But I'm in for Steven's idea! A Diamond-level vessel is made with the single best alloy Homeworld has ever made!"
"And I know exactly how to get it here!" Peridot exclaimed, "Once we have it, we'll be blasting off in no time!"
Meanwhile, the remainder of the Crystal Gems were preparing in their own way in the mountains. While Steven had a brief break, the others in the group all kept up the hard work. Rutile was now occupying Garnet while she had a free minute as the two-headed gem used her gravity powers to square off with the fusion. The normally unflappable fighter had to admit she was impressed with how one of their newest combatants was doing. One fling of her left hand was enough send Garnet flying and one pull of her right made the gem nearly fly into a punch to the face or kick to the shins. It did, however, serve as an excellent test of her reflexes and her strength as she had to stop herself from flying to and fro or smash apart the debris Rutile used as weapons against her.
While they were kicking up the ground, Amethyst and Cinnabar were burning a swath of the countryside. One was dashing around at super speed to bowl her opponent over running up walls and cliffs to do so while the other was sending out jets, balls and even bullets of flame to stop her while taking care to absorb any wildfires before the started. Despite how literally heated their fight was, the two were treating like a fun workout and regularly trading one-liners all the while. On the rare occasion they got within close combat range, they would trade blows so fast than any onlookers would only see a blur of red and purple that made the ground tremble before they broke up and resumed their game.
Further away from them was the two human parents of the group who were sparring against each other. Greg in his battle armor was firing his blasters at Priyanka who was firing crystal shards from her body to intercept his shots. It was both an excellent test of reflexes and accuracy especially since the good doctor was the newest with her powers. When they were not firing at each other, the two were testing Mr. Universe's hard light swords and grappling hooks versus Dr. Maheswaran's gymnastics expertise and superhuman strength. The two maintained a friendly demeanor towards each other, but they were always aware that they would soon be in a life-or-death fight for the sake of their children.
Connie and Rhodonite were engaged in an old-fashioned swordfight as they parried each other around the cliffs, leaping tall distances and clashing their blades together even as they jumped from great heights onto the floors of forests below. Despite Rhodonite only having two swords to Connie's many more as she sprouted more thanks to shapeshifting and one being a human versus a tireless never-aging alien, both held their own to the point where both were slicing down trees and boulders around them without even realizing it and hardly giving any ground in their duel.
And while all of the Crystal Gems made sure to give themselves enough space during their exercises to ensure they would not get in each other's way, the last matchup was so catastrophic it had to take place on the other side of the mountain range they were at. This was were Sandstone was helping the now-humanoid Fluorite develop her hand-to-hand combat skills. The newly bipedal fusion decided to forego weapons in favor refining her punches and kicks that could already turn houses into rubble. The much smaller fusion was creating massive mud fists and golems for her to fight off and was impressed how none of her constructs lasted more than a few hits.
The only one who was still through all of this was Padparadscha, who was instead getting a feel for her new weapon. When Bismuth heard days ago that she was currently the only Crystal Gem with no combat prowess, the blacksmith took it upon herself to craft the psychic something to at least defend herself with if she was ever caught by surprise by enemy forces. The result was a six-inch long orange dagger with grips built into the handle to make it easier for her to hold. At first, she was unsure about using it but remembered the gem pyramid and refused to be helpless the next time a perilous situation sprung up. She had gotten some pointers from Pearl and was now getting used to handling the weapons and practicing on some targets.
The groups were all making headway in their training, but they got even further once Steven got back from his break at the temple. Once he was refreshed, he went back to jumping between the different matchups both to sharpen his own skills and help the others test themselves against a different opponent and one that could easily overwhelm them both if they let him.
It astounded many of them, especially Amethyst and Garnet, that such a loving and optimistic boy could become such a powerhouse on the battlefield but each exercise he jumped into proved it more and more. Even without his new transformation, he could match any of them blow for blow and used his shield and bubbles to remarkable effect of holding back attacks long enough for him to find a counterattack. When it came time to join Fluorite and Sandstone, though, he activated his new form both to assure that he could activate it at will and give that a test run as well.
The battle between the two fusions was already intense, but once their third joined in the fray, it became too dangerous for anyone else to get involved. The four-armed colossus would try to pin him down only to find he was too fast and even clasping him between her hands meant he would pry himself free with a bubble. Sandstone would throw tidal waves of mud and hundreds of earthen weapons to stop him but he merely powered through them with his own veritable arsenal of gem weapons or simply shouldering through it with his barriers and super-strength that could easily let him weather tsunamis without budging.
This became a daily routine for the Crystal Gems as their launch date came closer and closer. Some days they would change the location to the desert, the more barren mountains or even the arctic on occasion so as to change up the scenery and how their powers were affected. They could not simulate fighting on the mechanical world that was their target, but they figured it was better to keep themselves varied. The four responsible for building the spaceship also made sure to join up on the training and they all regularly switched partners to further test themselves against different abilities.
At last, though, the day finally came. Turquoise was summoned to melt down Pink Diamond's spaceship and fly the massive glob of metal to the temple while everyone else moved Rose's collection to her room for safekeeping. Peridot's prediction turned out to be true as Mercury chipped in with the moving so as to get back to reading faster. The trip was simple thanks to Lion's portals, but it still took the better part of the day and the feline insisted on being rewarded with his favorite treat afterwards. Afterwards, they all went back to their routines with Mercury shoving her nose back into a copy of Aldley Huxten's Brand New World.
It took almost three weeks after Yellow Diamond's invasion, but the ship was finally complete by Turquoise melding all of their scavenged parts, the Sun Incinerator and the remains of Pink Diamond's ship into one metal blob before coalescing it into one shape. When it was done, the new ship sat gleaming in the sun: a circular pink disc several stories high and almost half a mile long with golden circuits running through the fuselage.
"What can I say?" Peridot admitted once she was separated, "I was inspired by human science-fiction."
"As long as it doesn't spin, I'm good," Priyanka commented, standing on the beach with her suitcase in hand. Topaz and the Off-Colors then went inside to fire the ship up for the first time leaving everyone else waiting on the sands for the final moments on Earth. The four humans of the group each had their essentials on hand and simply took in the atmosphere of their home planet one last time before they set off.
"So, what do we call this baby?" Greg asked.
"The Crystal Beacon," Pearl said as she walked in from inside, "It will be the guiding light that finally puts this conflict to an end."
"Nice!" Connie approved, "How do you feel, Pearl?"
"I don't think there's a word for the feeling, but I simultaneously want to get going and find the nearest cave to hide in."
"Oh, so it's not just me," Lapis sighed, enjoying the lapping of the ocean while she still could.
"Come on, guys!" Cinnabar insisted, "We're going to fly there, settle all this stuff and then come right back so I can go mud-surfing with Sandstone!"
"Steven," Bismuth asked, "Anyone you wanna say bye to before we go?"
"I already did yesterday. I told Lars and Sadie and they got in touch with everyone. My phone's full of texts from just about everyone in town wishing me luck…"
"Alright then," Garnet said from the porch, "Our plan is officially in motion. Peridot's timer on the warp pad is set to go off five minutes from now."
"Right when we'll have cleared the asteroid belt," Topaz said from the port of the ship, "She's warming up now. Everybody on board!"
"Alrighty," Amethyst saluted, "Our turn to invade a planet!"
"We're not invading," Adamite corrected, "We are going on a diplomatic mission to negotiate with Homeworld by releasing Pink Diamond."
"You think they won't try to fight us?"
"Oh no, that's a complete certainty. I'm just saying we do have a plan other than trash the whole world. As cathartic as that would be…"
"Easy there," Lapis said, taking hold of her partner's hand as they walked up to the ship, "I'm the snarky one here."
"Good thing you two will have your own room…" joked Cinnabar as she strolled in behind them. Soon, the only ones left outside were Steven and Connie.
"Scared?" the boy asked.
"Completely. I'm still amazed we're actually doing this…"
"Me too… I almost wanna go back to fighting corrupted gems and messing around with magic."
"No offense, Steven, but I don't wanna see your pants come to life."
"…Pearl told you?"
"Every detail! I couldn't stop laughing for ten minutes."
"Heh… Connie… I'm really glad you're coming with me. I… don't know what I'd do without you…"
"I feel the same way. I wouldn't be able to eat or sleep thinking you might not come back…"
"Let's just keep our heads during all this. Neither of us goes crazy trying to protect the other, right?"
"Yeah… I still feel guilty for slapping you that one time…"
"Nah, I needed that."
"You know, there's something I need to do first…"
"What's that?"
Before she could stop herself, Connie pecked Steven's cheek with her lips. The boy's eyes lit up like lightbulbs and his cheeks flushed to match his signature shirt while Connie just ran up to the ship, scrambling to find the bathroom on board. It took Lion licking his face to get the half-gem back to reality.
"Thanks for that… I'll miss you, buddy…"
In a rare display of affection, Lion actually rolled over and let Steven rub his belly before pawing back inside since he had a job to fulfill as well. With all said and done, nothing was stopping Steven from heading onto the Crystal Beacon. He found himself on a bridge where all of the Off-Colors save for Fluorite where at consoles pressing buttons and analyzing readouts.
"Thrusters activating," Rhodonite reported.
"Shields and weapon systems are now online," Rutile added.
"No mechanical errors found in the engine room," Padparadscha commented.
"Commencing liftoff…" Topaz said sitting in the captain's chair positioned behind her crew. Steven was about to head off down the sole hallway leading into the ship until he heard something.
"Is that… music?"
"Yeah, your father mentioned it," the captain said, "It seemed fitting, so I didn't have a problem with it. You just get settled, alright?"
Steven nodded as the opening of the song, the sound of harsh wind slowly fading to reveal a synthesizer beat, hit his ears and he made his way from the bridge down the corridors to see many of the Crystal Gems were likewise preparing for the journey. His own heart raced both from the reality of the enormous mission they were about to embark on, but also his tingling cheek.
The strumming of bass guitar, the rhythm of drums and a chord of another guitar then cleared his swimming head as he looked over and saw Connie and her mother readying themselves in their cabin, a sparse room with a bed and dresser on each side. As he peeked in while walking, he and Connie locked eyes just as the first lyrics sang out.
If you touch me, well I just think I'll scream…
Both of them blushed and he went on his way, quickly finding Greg waving him into his own room while also bobbing his head to his choice music.
Cuz it's been so long, since someone challenged me.
He organized his things into the metal-looking furniture before heading off to see more. Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst were chatting as the hallway split between the engine room (which was also accessible from the bridge thanks to a hidden lift) and the training room.
And made me think... About the way things are...
All three of them gave him a smile as he passed, turning right towards where the gems would be training.
Made me think… About the way they could be.
He peered into the sparring hall, marked as such by the sign on it, and saw Lapis, Adamite and Cinnabar were already starting to go at it which made him grin. It was hard to believe all of them at some point wanted to remove him from home.
I believe it- Why? Oh my...
The floor under him started to rumble as the music gradually rose in volume.
Ooh my lord… Ooh my lord… I don't even know why… But…
"Attention, everyone," Topaz's voice said over the intercom, sounding miles more confident than she ever was on Homeworld, "Lift-off will commence in two minutes. Please prepare for some turbulence as we leave Earth's atmosphere.
Oh! This feeling it is wonderful! Don't you ever turn it off!
Steven admired how strong and resilient she sounded, only imagining how her components were feeding each other strength. He never saw Lars as a captain, but now he had an idea how the Off-Colors persevered on the run for so long.
Oh! This feeling it is wonderful! Don't you ever turn it off!
He then walked past one of many ports dotting the hallways and could see the ship rise higher and higher. They had already past the head of the temple and climbing dozens of feet every second.
Feelings… Why? Oh my: human needs. Heartbeats.
He could feel the anxiety return to the point where he lost track of where he was going and wound up in the engine room. There, he saw Peridot and Bismuth personally keeping an eye on things with Fluorite once again in her insectoid form. While they were focused on their job, they all looked so at home working on mechanics like they have all been friends for life.
I can see it… All. By the way you smile.
He then stared out another window, now seeing his home fading into a blur. He could only imagine all of the people beneath them watching his family leave, remembering the outpour of support they got both from their hometown and the whole world.
I'm smiling too! I see myself in you.
Soon his vision was blocked by the cover of clouds and was replaced with the wide blue sky. In only seconds it was replaced by the black void of outer space broken only by stars and planets.
I am with it! Ooh man I am wired!
Ooh my lord! Ooh my lord. Yeah… Now I really know why!
Everyone on board was anxious yet eager to arrive at their final destination. It was as exhilarating as it was nerve-wracking, but Steven had full confidence they would succeed. The sight of the Earth slowly turning under his eyes convinced him of that as the final lines of Greg's song played with the vocals rising to a pitch just as the ship took off into the final frontier.
Oh! This feeling it is wonderful! Don't you ever turn it off!
Oh! This feeling it is wonderful! Don't you ever turn it off!
The tone on Homeworld for the past few weeks was so tense that many lower castes almost considered defecting just to get away from it. The news of Yellow Diamond falling in battle brought dozens of colonies in the making to a screeching halt without the driving force behind the operation. White Diamond had no choice but to halt all operations indefinitely as well as calm the immense unrest that was brewing across the empire.
The grand matriarch was also forced to do almost all of this work singlehandedly since Blue Diamond had become even more inconsolable. The thought of two family members lost to the same gem drove her to an even greater depression. She had no choice but to hole herself up in her palace or else an entire hemisphere of the planet would be reduced to sobbing wrecks.
Just as it seemed like it would never end, both of the queens found that a warp pad had been hacked and it contained only one gem. Both pearls then brought said gem back to the palace for their masters and, much to the utter shock of both of them, it was Yellow Diamond.
"WHAT?!" White balked, "How did they even send that here?!"
"According to our records," her pearl reported, "The Crystal Gems temporarily overrode the security measures for thirty seconds. We have adjusted the encryptions accordingly so there will not be a repeat occurrence."
"It can't be…" Blue whispered, barely believing her vision spheres, "She's still…"
"You cannot seriously be falling for this?! That is obviously a replica of Yellow's gem sent here to deceive us! For all we know, releasing it from that bubble will cause a titanic explosion!"
"But what if it is?! I have to know, White!"
The more sentimental diamond squeezed the bubble between her fingers to easily pop it even as White ordered her not to. Before an argument could erupt between the two, the gem immediately started glowing and their fellow matriarch reformed right in front of them much to one's ecstasy and the other's confusion.
In only a few minutes, Yellow Diamond was whole once more albeit very sluggish. "Wha…? How… Homeworld… Could I be-"
Any further questions from her stopped when Blue Diamond embraced her in the tightest hug she could, too overjoyed to see her alive and well to question anything else. As Yellow actually hugged her back, scarcely believing what was happening herself, White could practically feel her mind sending alarm bells. It made absolutely no sense to her that Rose Quartz or whatever her name was now would do this.
"My Diamond?!" Yellow Pearl gasped, having spent all of her time sulking in her master's palace, "How…?!"
"I don't know!" she admitted, "The last thing I remember is Steven attacking me with a massive sword."
"'Steven?' You're using her alias now?" Blue asked.
"It's no alias. There is no conceivable way a rose quartz could attain that amount of power so I'm actually willing to believe that this Steven really is a separate entity."
"That is concerning, but frankly I don't care right now! I'm just so glad you're still alive!" Blue then gave Yellow with another hug, the other diamond being happy to reciprocate for once.
"My Diamond, there's a note attached to you," her pearl pointed out. The gem looked down to see a piece of paper was attached to her foot and figured it must have been put there while she was bubbled.
"It appears to be a note from Rose, er, Steven's rebellion!"
"Read it aloud then," the diamond ordered, her two compatriots clearly waiting to hear this note as well.
"Dear Great Diamond Authority, I'm sure you thought this whole thing was one giant trap but no. I made a point to keep Yellow Diamond uninjured for a very specific reason… Faith."
"Faith?!" all three diamonds said in unison, barely believing what they were hearing.
"I'm not misreading anything, that's what it says!" the pearl cowered, fearing that she would get the brunt of any dissatisfaction.
"No, it's just surprising," Yellow Diamond insisted, "Go on."
"And by faith, I mean to show you the faith I have in my intentions. I have said over and over again that the Crystal Gems don't want to fight and even when it comes to the three of you, all we want is peace."
The room was silent for a minute, the pearl stopping to let that line set in and hope they would not boil over. Instead two of them burst into hysterical laughter, Blue and Yellow being reduced to their knees as they guffawed in ways they would never let any other gem see. The only exception was White who was struggling not to blow up the entire palace as she felt her anger threaten to erupt and ruin her composure.
"Oh my goodness," Blue wheezed once she managed to find her voice, "I haven't felt like that in ages…"
"Yes, that was a very nice bit of relief," Yellow agreed, "Now, Pearl, please continue."
"Y-Yes… I'm also very sure that last line either made you laugh or want to destroy something, but rest assured I am completely serious. And for that reason, we plan to-"
"Well?" White said, "What's next?"
The pearl started to shake, desperately wishing she could do anything else, but she was compelled to follow her diamond's orders. She had no choice but to continue. "W-W-We… plan to… fly to Homeworld to… n-n-n-n-negotiate…"
"WHAT?!" all of the monarchs cried. Yellow and Blue Pearl both dove for cover while White's servant slowly started backing out of the room, her face unmoving but a few trickles of sweat rolling off her that showed her anxiety.
"She's coming here?!" Blue said, the ground starting to rumble under her, "Then we need to immediately mobilize every fighter we have! Halt all colonies and maintenance until we capture her!"
"Hold it!" Yellow Diamond said, "We need to consider our options! With her gone, the Earth would be left undefended and we could easily bombard the planet and force her to retreat."
"I don't care about her planet! I care about her being shattered in my court! If she dares to come here, I'll have her broken down to atoms!"
"Don't you get it?! You want to blow all of our resources on this vendetta when we could hit her… him… that thing where it really hurts!"
"Don't you care about avenging Pink?!"
"Can you just think rationally for once?!"
"SILENCE!" White roared, "One more word out of either of you and I'll smite you both! UNDERSTOOD?!"
Both of the lesser matriarchs clammed up instantly, all but feeling White's power in their very cores. Once the largest gem in the room regained her patience, she looked towards Yellow Pearl who was frozen in fear from her outburst.
"We must hear everything this Steven has to say. There is more, yes?"
Unable to speak, the pearl just nodded.
"Very well. Continue."
The servant calmed her nerves, even if it took several minutes, and resumed where she left off. "I understand this proposition more than likely offends you on sight, but rest assured I am entirely serious. I know what motivates you to continue this fight, but that is why I plan to bring an offering: Pink Diamond."
"She means her shards!" Blue balked, "She thinks that will make up for-?"
"QUIET!" Yellow muttered, forcibly slapping a hand over her fellow diamond's mouth, "If you value your existence, then stay silent until the end! Please, Blue, just this once!"
"Well put, Yellow," White commended, "The message still isn't over. Pearl, resume your reading."
"T-This might be an opportunity in your eyes to attack Earth, but I would strongly advise against it. We have an agent left behind on Earth who, upon the first sign of any offense launched on the Earth, will deploy the Cluster to attack any force."
"Okay, STOP!" White demanded, "Now this has to be a farce! How does she even comprehend that?! That is the most outrageous bluff I've ever heard in-"
"It's no bluff…" Yellow Diamond eked out, daring to speak, "Steven… removed the Cluster from the Earth."
"You… You're serious… But how?"
"No idea, but it was done. You can check the logs from our latest attack, and they'll show it. One minute the fusion is about to emerge and then somehow disappears from our radars."
"You were right…" Blue gasped, "No gem could do that. Ro-Steven… What even is this thing?"
"It beats me, but now I'm onboard with your idea. Before we do that, though, Pearl?"
"Yes, My Diamond?"
"Finish the note."
"I hope it does not come to further conflict, but I will not sway from my mission to protect Earth now even as I travel towards you. I wish for nothing more than to resolve this issue after so long without resorting to overwhelming force and I have a hunch you wish the same. Once you have Pink returned to her home, I hope we will come to a better understanding. Signed, Steven Quartz Universe."
"Steven Quartz… Universe?" White repeated, "So we are truly dealing with something wholly unique."
"So, what should we do?" Yellow asked, "I know fully well the destructive capabilities of The Cluster. If they have control of that monstrosity, it would take half of our entire forces to even combat it."
"So, we have to intercept them before they get here. Get out there and scramble all of our fighters to cover as much of the surrounding area as possible. No matter what craft they have, we will shoot them down before they get here."
"But what about Pink?" Blue wondered, "It's not much, but having her shards here would at least be something to remember her by…"
"And who's to say this letter is being truthful, hm? For all we know this is an elaborate bluff to launch an attack on us."
"Then why give Yellow back? That doesn't serve them any strategic purpose at all!"
"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Yellow interjected, "But maybe this is their intention. That Steven very clearly had the power to shatter me in our duel and yet he only resorted to poofing me. Why else would he act this why?"
White Diamond looked down on both of them, hardly believing their behavior. "It seems to me that this is all one big ruse. We have no proof that they have Pink Diamond's remains and to assume as such is playing into this Steven's hands. If the rebels are coming here, even if they left the Earth protected, then that means we can focus entirely on either defeating them before they arrive or, on the off chance they get here, then we assault them with everything we have."
"There's a great deal of work to be done," Yellow said, "I'll prepare the Aveturescence immediately."
"But…" Blue stammered, "What about?"
"Blue, I sincerely hope you aren't questioning my wisdom," White said, "That would be awfully foolish given the circumstances, no?"
"I'll… Have all of my court focus on intercepting the rebels."
"Very well spoken. Now then, that will be all. I hope to hear news that the rebels' ship is destroyed as soon as possible."
The song towards the end is "Touch Me, I'm Going to Scream Part 2" by My Morning Jacket. You can thank EpicMusicLover on this site for the suggestion! Next time, though, the Crystal Gems start marking their way to Homeworld!
Thank you all so much for reading! Please feel free to leave any questions or comments in the review section.
