And now it's finally time for the Crystal Gems to ready themselves for zero-hour. How will they all take the upcoming return of Homeworld? Time to find out!
After their trek to the deserted Homeworld base, the Crystal Gems were in high spirits as the preparations continued. Bismuth and Peridot soon found themselves chatting about all the possible trinkets they could create with their freshly pilfered technology. With the former's talent in metallurgy and crafting and the latter's mechanical knowledge they became fast friends and spent the day in Peridot's room tinkering.
With those two holed up building some new gadgets, Steven resumed his training with the remaining four. The youngling was getting the hang of his new weapons and was now testing them in combat. While he could now add the whip, spear and gauntlets to his repertoire, he was far from a master but the others were pleased with his progress nevertheless. Lapis had also grown much more proficient with using her water control in battle and was quickly becoming a fighter on par with the veteran members. After several hours of work, the gems called it a day and found Greg and Connie waiting for them to learn about the day's mission. The evening was filled with jokes and banter until the subject turned to Turquoise.
"You guys should have seen them! They were incredible!" boasted Steven as he ate his dinner as the conversation went on. Lapis blushed at his compliments, but still looked uncomfortable about the topic.
"Thanks but… I don't think I'll be doing that again," remarked Lapis much to the boy's shock.
"Why not? You and Peridot were awesome together! I bet Turquoise could beat a room full of Homeworld gems by herself!"
"That may be the case, but fusion is no laughing matter," added Pearl, "Heck, even I was flustered when Rose and I fused for the first time. Now, admittedly, I was less reluctant and-"
"Careful Pearl, there's kids here. We don't want things to get too steamy!" jeered Amethyst causing her to laugh heartily as Pearl's cheeks turned blue.
"Lapis, don't stress yourself out," spoke Garnet, "Fusion is a unique experience to every gem and it happens at its own pace. None of us will pressure you into something you aren't 100% comfortable with." As Lapis smiled at her, she continued.
"Now I understand you had a terrible time as Malachite, but you know Peridot is nothing like that. A healthy fusion is one that is greater than the sum of its parts and it seems Turquoise can be one. You two can explore that more or simply save it for later. It's entirely your choice."
"She's right, you know," said Connie, "I may really enjoy being Stevonnie, but that doesn't mean anyone would be. It's especially weird the first time."
"Wow. Thanks guys." Lapis was touched by their concern and openness. She felt a weight lift off her dainty shoulders and headed outside to enjoy the evening ocean air while the rest cleaned up the place before one last round of training before their newest member headed off to bed.
For the next few days the group settled into a comfortable rhythm combining Steven's progressing training, concocting new ideas to ward off invaders and the occasional goofy occurrence that kept the mood light. Whether it was Amethyst trying to get Bismuth into professional wrestling, Peridot's persistence at learning the details of nuclear energy or Pearl trying to keep the house tidy with so many new occupants around, everything seemed to be at ease. That all changed when Garnet revealed a recent vision she had.
"Homeworld's coming in three days," she announced to Steven and the other gems after another training session at the Sky Arena. The only sounds that could be heard for many agonizing seconds was the wind blowing through the group and the contents of Steven's water bottle being emptied onto the floor as he was frozen in place halfway between raising the container to his mouth for a drink.
The entire group sans Garnet shouted "WHAT?!" in dismay and began clamoring over each other until the fusion regained their attention by stomping the arena so hard it rattled the entire structure.
"We all know panicking is not going to solve the issue. We've spent weeks readying ourselves and now we need to take stock of anything we can use to protect the base."
"Peridot and I did get a start on making our own version of the force field like that other base. Ours could even alter its size and density for a more focused defense if it's needed." replied Bismuth. The others took some relief in knowing the temple could not be simply bombed out of oblivion before they had a fighting chance.
"I'm probably the best chance we have if they send some huge ship out of us. If they come too close, I can use the ocean to stop them," added Lapis. The group also appreciated having such a force on their side.
"And if worst comes to worst and there's a full-scale battle, we'll have to rely on tactics. Fortunately, that's something we had to rely on back in the old days, so we have plenty of ways to outsmart them," contributed Pearl, further alleviating their fears that Homeworld would simply overwhelm them with superior tech and forces.
The only ones who did not look too convinced was Steven and, of all gems, Amethyst who appeared to be trying to sink into the floor by staring at it hard enough. The others only partially took notice and chalked it up to nerves. Now they had a strict time limit before they had a serious threat on their hands. The rest of the day went by in a blur as the group ran left and right beginning to fortify the temple, cram as much training in for Steven as possible and confront the possibility of a second war for the planet Earth.
The next day was spent training as hard as possible. Since everyone knew their enemy's goal was to capture Steven and sentence him to Rose Quartz's crimes they had to be entirely sure he could defend himself. The main trio spent hours drilling in how to use their weapons and the time has come to test him once again. All of the Crystal Gems, save for Peridot as she toiled away in her lab, were at the DeMayo family field standing around Steven for a more intensive sparring session.
"Steven, this time we want you to retaliate as we come at you. Don't be afraid of causing us any harm, we need to see how well you can fight back against a wide array of opponents," instructed Pearl. Garnet continued from there.
"And try using the different weapons this time. It will keep your opponents guessing and could be the difference in a battle. Now get ready. Come at me first."
With the rules laid out, Steven readied his shield and began running straight towards Garnet. The fusion quickly summoned her gauntlets and sent a punch straight towards him. Rather than dodging, the younger warrior let the blow push him backwards. Garnet rushed in to take advantage of his mistake, but soon found herself on the receiving end of Steven's gauntlets. The two traded blows back and forth, neither one making a hit until Pearl rushed in to intercept him. He only barely saw her coming out of his peripheral vision and leaped out of the way.
Much to Pearl's surprise, however, Steven lowered his shield at her next attempt to spear him. He then summoned his own whip and proceeded to catch her by her legs and send her tumbling with a quick pull. The slender gem grinned in appreciation of his strategy, but he was then met by Bismuth barreling towards him and trying to grab him. Steven summoned his gauntlets in retaliation and began meeting her fists with his own. Amethyst took the chance as the two clashed to leap out in surprise and bowled right into Steven. As he was flung backwards, however, he regained his senses and forced himself back on his feet and summoned his shield as the pudgy rapscallion charged at him again. Rather than just stopping her charge, however, Steven chucked his shield and sent Amethyst sprawling mid-lunge. Once again, though, he did not have time to revel in his victory as Lapis began circling him high above his head and began pelting him with spheres of water the size of his head.
At first he was able to dodge many of the projectiles, but soon Lapis began thinking outside the box and reshaping the liquid after it hit the ground and soon Steven found himself under fire from every direction. He knew he could summon his bubble to protect himself, but he thought of another solution. Steven instead summoned a spear and began parrying and blocking several shots while still maneuvering around and eventually made his way to Lapis herself where she still proved woefully inept in hand-to-hand combat and was quickly knocked down and out by a few strikes. The others were thrilled by his progress and decided to pass him with flying colors. Even as he was being praised, Steven knew his training was not over and needed to keep improving. One of the first lessons Pearl taught him about war was the battle was never over until either formally surrendered or there was nothing left to oppose. The rest of the day went by with the other gems practicing with each other, Steven pushing his body to his limit and Peridot eventually joining them after making some great progress which she planned to show off tomorrow.
Sure enough, the next day was kicked off with Peridot proclaiming she had made some new technological doodads that could help the Crystal Gems. With Homeworld due to show up tomorrow, they welcomed any advantage they could get. So far she had kept any project of hers secret save for Bismuth who ended up becoming her partner in crime thanks to her experience with construction. The two tinkerers had the entire group, now including Greg, assembled around the new island which held their invention under a bedsheet. Even in the face of a small hostile invasion, Peridot's sense of dramatics never wavered.
While she wanted to hold off the reveal for dramatic tension, Amethyst urged her to get on with it already and thus let Bismuth reveal their creation - a rectangular box that mostly resembled a common household safe. The only way they could tell it was of any special value was the fluorescent panel made to read handprints instead of numbered keys which was clearly taken from the pillaged gem base.
"Behold! Our very own portable force field! We've managed to rewire the panel into a smaller, easily movable form without compromising the integrity of the shield. Observe."
With a press of her hand on the pad, a massive pink bubble of energy emerged and quickly spread through the house until it eclipsed the walls and soon covered the entire beach house in a translucent pink dome. To reiterate her point, Bismuth then walked outside and began pounding away at the dome with an old axe she forged centuries ago. Despite still looking as sharp as ever, it could not make a dent against the shield even with all her striking force.
"As you can see, we are now safe from any sort of large-scale bombardment or infiltration by Homeworld forces. While it is impervious to external damage, it will allow us to travel between the outdoors and the house without any interference. We'll need all of you to input your handprints into the scanner so that it will recognize your gem and allow you to enter."
Bismuth, having already inserted her sample, walked back in with no trouble just as Peridot described. The others all did as she asked, but not without giving her praise as they did so.
"Nice going, dweebs."
"I'm just grateful we won't have to resort to building a bunker. We still don't know what happened to the last four."
"Sweet."
In Garnet's case, a simple thumbs-up sufficed.
Steven, however, instead had a question on his mind. "So what did Bismuth do to make this?"
"I helped engineer the power source. We ended up creating a generator using some of that lightning from Peridot's room. I also added a security measure in case someone tries to sabotage it, but that's about it. We were going to use the power source from the base, but we have other plans for that," responded the bulkier gem. Greg, even though he had no gemstone to classify, walked up to the green techie and whispered to her something none of the others picked up. Apparently he was still having some personal project developed by her which only those two and Bismuth seemed privy to. The others just assumed it was some mundane request and let him discuss it when the time came. He then hastily ran out the door insisting he needed to order more car wax.
The rest of their last free day was uneventful with more training, though there was a noticeable mixture of tension and relief between all of them. They all took solace in that they stood a fighting chance, but that also reminded them that a battle was coming to their doorstep any minute.
It was the day. Their time was finally up. Homeworld was coming any minute and now they had to face the music. They were all aware that while Steven was supposedly their target, they all faced the risk of being hauled off to a different galaxy for their resistance. That was also assuming they avoided being reduced to shards by their opponents baying for their hypothetical blood. The group was all taking this in different ways.
Garnet was, as usual, remaining calm and collected. She was not only their most versatile fighter, but also had a serious element of surprise with her new fire and ice powers that could easily throw their attackers for a loop. The rigid gems on Homeworld already thought she was a war machine, but now she was essentially a mutant in their eyes. Something about that made her smile and want to stick it to them all the more. She could not foresee the outcome of the battle but she knew they would not get Steven until her and both of her components were ash.
Pearl found herself bizarrely nostalgic about the whole affair. This was her life for so long. Facing a mammoth conflict with only a ragtag bunch of oddities, staying optimistic even with death potentially one minute away, never giving up even when the only viable option was to raise the white flag. She could almost laugh at how familiar this all was for her. Even if Rose was not here to fight with them, she knew that gem would be smiling at how far they had all come. Especially Steven whom Pearl was exploding with pride for, even as the fear of his safety invaded her mind.
Amethyst could not be any different from her usual self. In any other scrap, she would be cracking jokes or psyching herself and her buddies up to whoop Homeworld to the next galaxy. She would still crack smart-aleck remarks, but ever since news of the imminent approach of Homeworld she had become mostly quiet. She was hyper-focused on her training, could be found staring at the walls or the floor for minutes on end, and would shrug off any attempt at comfort or concern as she was just thinking. It was the only way the little gem could stomach her anxiety at this point. She hated to admit it, but this was the most afraid she had been in decades.
Bismuth was stressed in the best and the worst ways. On one had she was already slipping back into her groove, ready to show those upper-crusts what she was made out of. They could never break her or her team and were going to pay for trying. On the other hand, she knew that same attitude was what landed her in a bubble for several millennia. She could almost certainly Steven would never consider doing such a thing shy of her going rogue, but she was almost more fearful of herself than the coming battle. What if she could not stop from becoming that same reckless gem who hurt someone for no reason?
Peridot and Lapis Lazuli were both more nervous than they had ever been in their entire lives. While both of them proved their worth with the ruby encounter weeks ago, and have refined their skills since then, this was their first real battle. This was bigger than their scuffle with Adamite and Cinnabar, two rogue gems who seemed more lost than truly dangerous. This was a full-scale attack by a force they both intimately knew was capable of wiping out planets. Sure they failed to take the Earth, but that was when Rose Quartz had a small army of her own. There was not enough of them to count off to reach double digits. Peridot was banking on how overconfident the Diamonds were that they would send a weaker force their way. Lapis was trying to put on a brave face so she would not relive that day she flooded the house.
Steven, of all people, was actually ready for Homeworld to show up. He should have been terrified, and to some degree he was, but now he was just sick and tired at how they had put his whole family on edge. He wished there was another way out of this, but those rubies proved that Yellow and Blue Diamond were in no mood for talking. They were out for his head, ready to have him executed for his mother's crime, and he was not sacrificing himself to them again. The only way he would leave Earth again is on a space adventure with the Crystal Gems or if he was bound, gagged, and dragged off world against his will.
Hours passed as the group alternated between watching out windows for any signs of trouble, standing around the beach house in awkward silence, getting some last-minute training in, or trying to make conversation to lighten the mood. Then, at just before two in the afternoon, the group spotted a familiar conical ship appear in the skyline before descending on them. Besides that, there was a few roaming eyes much like the ones Lapis trashed, and some slimmer models that closer resembled jets, but in the shape of diamonds. What they could not see was a second wave of fighters and a scouting vessel waiting in the atmosphere in case a large-scale airstrike was necessary, but the sight of only a handful of ships gave the group hope. That hope dwindled, however, as many recognized the ship leading the charge. All eight of the Crystal Gems stood on the beach to meet the invading force head on. The ships stopped around fifty feet above the ocean and two figures emerged from the top of the ship. A miniscule flying gem with a teardrop gem on her cheek and a look of pure smugness on her face. Beside her stood a stocky yellow gem with two circular gems in place of ears with a look of complete stoicism.
"Attention Rose Quartz, you are under arrest for the shattering of Pink Diamond, hundreds of other war crimes committed from your former rebellion, and destroying a personal palanquin of the Diamonds. If you surrender now your fellow rebels will be spared, otherwise they will be brought to Homeworld and shattered," spouted Aquamarine as she literally looked down on them. Topaz was as impassive as ever.
"Ugh, you two again? What are you even doing here?" groaned Steven, clearly unhappy with the pair from his last run-in with them.
"Blue Diamond personally selected me to lead this brigade seeing as I captured you once already. Now are you going to surrender willingly again like an intelligent being or do you insist on fighting back?"
Steven's only answer was to brandish his shield and take a stance as the others all did the same. The petite commander rolled her eyes and grinned, amused by their defiance.
"Very well then. Topaz, go collect Rose Quartz while the troops fight off the rebel scum."
Yep, Aquamarine and Topaz are leading the charge against the Crystal Gems. How will our favorite team of alien women fare? Find out next time!
Thank you all so much fore reading! Please feel free to leave a review!