Sorry for the long wait!
...again!
"That's fucked up." -Lance says over comms. Pidge can't help but agree.
Moonstone hums. "I agree, though I not always did. To me, sprouting into life from the soil was as natural as pregnancy would be to you humans. I never saw our existence as a sum negative until I saw Gem colonies like this one displacing or even consuming already established organic civilizations."
The Gem nods at the planetoid. "This is one of Blue Diamond's many abandoned colonies." -Moonstone explains, as they approach. "Gem worlds are meant to serve as communication and construction hubs after their roles as Gem-producing colonies are fulfilled - data storage and relays, shipyards, that kind of thing - but Her Azure Majesty has allowed many of her worlds to fall into decay and disrepair in the last few millennia."
Pidge raises an eyebrow. "Why?"
Moonstone shrugs. "They say Pink Diamond's death hit her hardest. I'm not sure I buy it - she may have always been the most...diplomatic of the Diamonds, but she earned her reputation as a Shatterer. You never want to be on a Diamond's bad side, but at least with Yellow, you usually knew where you stood - do your duty, and you could count on living out your immortality in peace. Blue, though...you never knew what might spark her wrath. And her wrath was always final."
Moonstone shrugs to herself. "In any case, this is an ideal spot to host a meeting as clandestine as this. The Kree will never come near this place, the Gems in Blue Diamond's court have given up on the colony, and the broken husk of a world is unsuitable for most organic life." -she says, brightly. "We are highly unlikely to be interrupted."
Pidge purses her lips. "...if you say so."
The Gem gives her the coordinates for the meeting, and the Lions dive into the atmosphere - or what's left of it, anyway. Certainly not enough to sustain even the simplest of life forms. Green sets down near a tall series of stone pillars, once proudly erected over the landscape, now strewn about its base like a city-sized toddler has thrown a tantrum. Moonstone leads the way out of the Lion, which immediately erects its protective barrier, as if shielding itself from the wrongness of this place. Lance exits Blue, alone.
"What happened? Where's Ruby?" -Pidge asks.
Lance shakes his head. "She refused to come. Sorry Moonstone, I don't know what she's got against you."
Moonstone chuckles - which they can hear, even in the near vacuum and through their sealed helmets. "Oh, I know why she hates me. I don't take it personally - she's far too indoctrinated by Homeworld. I was like her once, too."
"I wish we could help her. She just wants to go back to them." -Pidge admits.
"You're already helping." -Moonstone reassures her. "You organics tend to have a bit of a...corrupting influence on Gems. The more you mingle, the more likely it is that they'll break away from the system. Just ask Rose Quartz."
"We really should." -Lance says, frowning. "I don't know how I feel about immortal aliens living secretly on Earth. They could be, like, part of the Illuminati for all we know."
"No, no. You're thinking of snake people." -Pidge says, sarcastic.
Moonstone shakes her head. "Sorry. That was a figure of speech. The Crystal Gems may have won the war, but it was a rather pyrrhic affair. The remaining Diamonds destroyed every Gem on the planet upon their retreat. You might find her gemstone, but she's been functionally dead for over 4,500 years."
Pidge blinks. "I...think I see why Ruby's only heard of them through rumors."
"Mm-hmm." -the Gem nods. "Can't have the non-precious stones knowing the facts. The Diamonds may be all-powerful, but there's still just three of them. There's billions, possibly trillions of lower caste Gems by now."
Pidge tries to picture this, untold hordes of Ruby soldiers marching across the cosmos to the tune of the Diamond Matriarchs. It's baffling to think about, and that's without adding all of the other different Gem types.
Moonstone's gem - the round one, on the back of her left hand - glows, and she seemingly pulls something out of it with her free hand. It's some kind of...puck, a round, black device that starts beeping as soon as she holds it. "This is a communication and location device." -the Gem explains. "It's meant to be always active, but it can't transmit while inside my Inventory. It's risky for my contact to receive the signal outside of very specific timeframes, so this keeps our comms relatively safe."
"Your…'Inventory'?"
"Yes, all Gems can store physical entities as data within their gemstone." -she says, nonchalant. "I'd offer to carry your gear, but you Paladins seem to travel light."
The puck goes back inside the gemstone, and, nary a moment later, a crackling, hexagonal portal opens a few miles above them. Her helmet's optical zoom function reveals a small, interceptor-sized craft popping out of the presumable warp gate, and hurtling toward them.
"Right on schedule." -Moonstone says, approvingly.
"I thought the warp gates in this galaxy were fixed points in space." -Pidge notes.
Moonstone gives her a so-so hand gesture. "It's not that precise. If that were the case, pirates would ambush you at every entry and exit point." -she reasons. "The warp gate network is based on star systems. Basically, any system with the potential to hold life can be more or less reliably trusted to have a warp node, which means you can jump through pretty much any place, in and out of that particular star system."
Pidge hums as the small vessel gets close enough for details to be discernible. It's a strange, vaguely ovoid craft, its hull black and fashioned from a chitin-like material. Two wings or stabilizers protrude from its sides in a V-shape, towards the rear. The main, egg-shaped fuselage seems to be mounted on a somewhat flat platform, equipped with ventral thrusters and forward facing energy cannons.
"It's a Sakaaran Necrocraft." -Moonstone helpfully supplies. "Speedy little buggers, plenty of firepower. About as durable as a paper starship, though."
"It looks like it's covered in bone." -the Green Paladin comments.
"That's because it is bone - an exoskeleton, to be precise. It's called a Necrocraft for a reason. Sakaarans are insectoids, and they come in a few, wildly different varieties - the humanoid drones, the small worker grubs, and the largest ones, bull-beetles. They're not sapient, like their genetic siblings, but rather like cattle. When they die, their thick, sturdy carapaces are used for construction - starships included."
Lance looks like he'll hurl if Moonstone keeps talking. Pidge finds it fascinating, if utterly disturbing. Fortunately, the Necrocraft begins its landing sequence before the Gem has a chance to continue explaining.
Moonstone beckons for them to approach the bizarre vessel. A hatch opens, and a humanoid figure steps out, fully decked out in a pressurized bodysuit.
"You're late." -the visitor says, barely audible in the thin atmosphere. It's a female-sounding voice, and upon closer inspection, the figure cuts a vaguely female profile.
"We had to wait for a couple stars to line up." -Moonstone says. "Wiser to be patient, with these things."
The figure crosses their arms. "Wiser, perhaps. Not necessarily better. Ronan razed another colony on behalf of the Mad Titan while we were being patient. I barely managed to warn them on time for the civilians to evacuate. The defenders weren't so lucky."
The Gem's whole demeanor shifts. "What? Already?"
"He's getting impatient. Xandar is still very much in one piece." -they say. "Quickly filling up with refugees, but standing nonetheless."
"Stars…we thought we'd have more time."
The visitor nods, tersely. "You have the location?"
Moonstone pulls a tablet-looking device from her gemstone. She sends over a file, which Pidge surreptitiously picks up. It's a set of stellar coordinates, J00443799+4129236. Curious, Pidge sends the data over to Green for later inspection.
"I imagine Tivan will be drawing the attention of a few more interested parties?"
"You know him. One way or another, he will be getting that Orb."
The contact shakes her head. "It might be too late already...but I'll do everything I can." -they say. "Thank you."
They turn to leave, but Moonstone steps forward. "Gamora, wait."
'Gamora' stops and turns. "What? I'm cutting it too close as it is."
"The rebels on Methun IV, are you still in contact with them?" -Moonstone asks.
Gamora nods, dubiously. "Sparsely, yeah. They're not doing too well. Charity will only get you so far when you bring hostile extragalactic invaders to people's doorsteps."
Pidge frowns, grim. "The Galra?"
"That's what they called them." -she confirms.
"They were destroyed months ago, though. We should know, we helped."
Gamora shrugs. "You must've missed some, then. There's been a Galra flotilla searching the Methun system for a few weeks. They know the rebels are somewhere in there, but they haven't been able to find them. I've tried convincing Ronan to wipe out the invaders, but he believes they could potentially become valuable allies in his crusade, if the rumors about them are true."
"What rumors?"
"That their reach extends far beyond the galactic rim. That their forces outnumber any known army or navy by a factor too ridiculous to calculate."
"...yeah, that sounds about right."
Gamora pauses for a second. "Then we're in far more dire straits than we anticipated." -she says, darkly. "Who are you, again?"
Pidge points at the Lions. "We're Paladins of Voltron. Defenders of the Universe."
"Hmm. You could stand to focus on this corner of the universe a bit more."
"...we're working on it." -Pidge sighs. "I don't suppose you know if a 'Matt Holt' is part of the rebel cell?"
Gamora shakes her head. "I don't know any of their names. The Collector would know better."
Pidge can't help her disappointment, but she doesn't exactly have the time to dwell on it.
"Oh, sister. That is just the confirmation I needed."
They all freeze, and turn to see what appears to be a female cyborg has climbed up on top of the Necrocraft. Her helmet's HUD struggles to place her species, as the cybernetic enhancements seem to be extensive - the fact that she can shrug off the hostile atmosphere alone is mind-blowing - but it eventually designates the interloper as a female Luphomoid.
"Nebula." -Gamora hisses.
"Ronan will be pleased. He's suspected you of colluding with his enemies for some time. As have I, of course - you'd never been one to show your targets mercy before we were assigned to the Accuser's service." -the blue-skinned woman says. "Father, on the other hand...he'll be so disappointed."
Gamora brandishes a sword that extends from a hilt previously concealed on the small of her back. Nebula narrows her eyes. "You won't even try to deny it?"
"You said it yourself. It's all the evidence you needed."
Nebula tilts her head, perhaps in grudging respect. She raises her arms, and a platoon of black-clad troops files out from behind the Necrocraft. They're armored by the same chitinous material as the hull of the organic vessel. Pidge isn't too worried; peacetime or not, they're used to facing far greater numbers of Galra drones and warriors. She does share a look with Lance, who merely shrugs in confusion. The last thing either of them expected was to get involved in an alien sibling feud. Moonstone...doesn't seem all that surprised.
Gamora charges at Nebula, who responds in kind, both sisters roaring at each other like off-key alien lionesses. The soldiers blast green bursts of plasma at them, so Lance and Pidge close ranks and deploy their wrist-mounted shields, ushering the tall Gem to get to cover. Moonstone glows, and her form shrinks, becoming small enough to fit behind Pidge.
"So you guys are shapeshifters too, huh?" -Lance asks, sarcastic, pulling out his bayard and blasting at the enemy. As Moonstone predicted, the armor isn't quite up to snuff, crumpling and breaking before the hard light rounds. Lance downs three warriors with a single mag-cycle.
Moonstone smirks. "We're anything and everything that'll get the Diamonds a new colony, Paladin."
"No kidding." -Pidge says. "What's the plan?"
"Kill the Sakaarans. Let Gamora deal with her sister." -she shrugs. "This isn't the first time she's caught us. It likely won't be the last."
Pidge frowns, but doesn't ask for a more elaborate answer, as the insectoids begin surrounding them. She pulls out her bayard, takes aim, and fires at one of the soldiers. A couple of them dive out of the way in time, but the glowing green blade does find purchase in the chestplate of an unlucky Sakaaran in the back of their formation. She pulls herself towards them with the help of her back thrusters, letting her shield act as a battering ram, bowling over the soldiers. Once in the midst of their formation, Pidge switches her bayard to shock prod mode, and lets the glorified magic taser do its thing. Before she knows it, Moonstone is at her back, full-sized again, and wielding a fancy pike in conjunction with her own handheld blaster.
The Gem is, predictably, a much better fighter than her. Probably even better than Allura herself; she moves with almost mechanical precision, managing the battlefield and her enemies like she's already practiced and perfected this fight in her head. They already got a taste of just how proficient Gems are at combat, but Moonstone seems to have an edge above even the quartz soldiers. Pidge is pretty sure that, at one point, the pale Gem tosses her pike into an enemy, grabs another Sakaaran by the throat, and tosses him at the soldier she was about to shock, all in one swift motion.
The last Sakaaran soldier falls via headshot, courtesy of Lance's marksman rifle. As always, Pidge checks herself - and Lance - for injuries, thankfully finding none. Moonstone scowls, covered in alien blood, and clenches her whole body, expelling the offending fluid from her form with a bassy sound that pops her ears. She picks up her pike, which subsequently vanishes into so many light particles.
"You're kinda terrifying, you know that?" -Lance says, dispelling his bayard. Pidge follows suit.
Moonstone holsters her blaster. "So I've heard. Come along. The next part's a bit tricky."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask." -Pidge says. "What did you mean by 'not the first time she's caught us'?"
"Nebula is quite the huntress. She's suspected Gamora of colluding with the enemy for some time, and she's caught on to our communication methods - though I really hoped this latest trick would last longer." -the Gem explains.
Gamora approaches, dragging what looks like her sister's corpse behind her. Moonstone shakes her head, grim. "Fortunately for us, Nebula's cybernetics make her liable to...forget, at least until she figures it out again."
Nebula's body spasms with electric impulses, Gamora's sword stuck inside her chest. It's a grim sight, but the rebel sympathizer doesn't seem all that bothered by the fratricide. "This looks much worse than it is." -Gamora reassures them. "Her self-repair protocols will kick in in a few minutes, and she'll be back to normal in a couple hours."
"So you'll just...what, wipe her memories?" -Pidge finds herself asking, her tone dubious.
"Not wipe. Modify." -she says. "Nebula would never warn Ronan of a potential betrayal - not when she could catch me in the act and take me back with the evidence, instead - but he will know a battle took place here. We just need to make it look like a battle he'd approve of."
It's...icky. Everything about this screams at her Paladin sensibilities. Sure, the cyborg clearly intended on killing them all, but messing with her mind like this is…
Well, it's something she'd expect from Haggar and her druids.
On the other hand, Gamora seems to be important for reaching Matt and his band of rebels, so, as much as she hates to admit it, she doesn't really have a choice. Gamora pulls out some kind of data drive from her belt, inserts it into the port on Nebula's head, and quickly modifies what she needs to.
"There. Now she'll remember it as us putting down a rogue Sakaaran platoon, instead."
Lance crosses his arms, clearly unhappy with the situation. "Right. Any other shady crap you'd like to involve us in?"
Gamora tilts her head. "Not that I can think of." -she says, and retrieves the blade from her sister's chest. "I assume you'll be going to the Methun system next?"
"After we drop a passenger off, yeah." -Pidge says. "Think you could call ahead?"
"I will. But you'll have to deal with those Galra." -she warns. "The last thing this galaxy needs is another power hungry faction to worry about."
Pidge nods. "You've got it."
Gamora looks at her temporarily fallen sister. "Truly, I hope you do. I know your priorities lie elsewhere, but...well, we're running out of time, and if we fail here, the rest of the universe will suffer the consequences."
I've been told I should promote my Ko-fi now that I'm done with college and, suprise, surprise, unemployed, but I feel like there's greater causes to contribute your hard-earned bucks to. Like, Australia is burning to the ground as of the time of this writing, so maybe look at that first?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next one is nearly done, so it shouldn't be too much of a wait.