"What the…?" I heard a gruff voice ask as we, assumably, arrived at the docking bay. The sphere melted away, revealing a Jasper and a Peridot. Both stared at White Diamond's Pearl and I, clearly confused as to why we were here. I couldn't say I blamed them. The Peridot's eyes widened, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face as she muttered,
"Oh my stars...Gems from White Diamond's court…!?"
"I know who they are," the Jasper shot back, though her tone was a bit softer than before. The two Gems stood up straight and held up their arms (or limb enhancers, in the Peridot's cause) in the Diamond Salute. The Pearl didn't respond, instead leaving, once again, in her sphere. How did she know where she was going, I couldn't help but wonder…
"Um…" the Peridot began, looking between me and her escort. "Can we help you, ma'am…?"
"Zebra Agate, Facet-1G7B, Cut-7XW," I introduced myself with no real emotion. "Her Clarity, White Diamond, has given me orders to supervise your mission to Earth."
"What?" the Peridot replied, cocking a brow. The Jasper, meanwhile, was only watching me. I couldn't quite make out her expression. The Peridot's "fingers" morphed into a small screen, one of them scrolling through some notes. "No one told me anything about this."
"I only received my orders a few minutes ago," I admitted. "And I was brought here immediately after to inform you personally. I understand this might be a bit of an inconvenience for you, but-"
"No, no," said the Peridot quickly. "It's just….unexpected, that's all."
"If there's no more surprise passengers," the Jasper had finally spoken up. "Should we get going?" The Peridot huffed, rolling her eyes.
Testy...I couldn't help thinking. Both of them. But nothing I can't handle.
The Peridot responded by fiddling with her screen again. One of the fingers of the hand-shaped ship lowered, and I found myself being engulfed in another sphere. This seemed to be a theme I was running into today…
"Well…" started the Peridot. "To fill you in, Zebra Agate, we're on a mission to check on the progress of the Cluster, as well as find out who's been destroying my Robonoids." That last part caused me to perk in interest. White Diamond hadn't mentioned that. I felt a slight burning in my cheeks as the embarrassment of questioning the Matriarch's clarity plagued me. The Peridot continued. "That's the reason I requested Jasper's escort."
"I still think asking me to come was a waste of time," interrupted the Jasper drily, to which the Peridot responded with a roll of her eyes. "It was probably one of those miserable organics messing around with your little toys."
"They're not toys," the green gem turned to face the much larger Quartz soldier, glaring at her directly in the eyes. My eyes widened. The Peridot was surprisingly vocal for a Gem on the lower part of the social ladder. Then again, Peridots weren't my area of expertise.
"Whatever," the Jasper scoffed, smirking as the Peridot let out a slight growl of frustration. Instinctively, I cleared my throat. It was time to do my job.
"Alright, alright," I began, putting on a calm, yet firm voice. "There's no need to argue. The sooner we get to Earth, the sooner we can go back to our old duties, yes?"
"Mmph…" both Gems grunted, though neither said anything further. At least they knew not to talk back to me. The transporting sphere fell away once we were inside of the ship's interior. I grimaced, being surrounded on all sides by bright yellow and green. It was things like this that made me appreciate the greys and blacks often used in White Diamond's court.
"We'll be departing momentarily," informed the Peridot as she began to walk away. "Make yourselves comfortable."
As the green gem's footsteps gradually faded away, I stole a glance at the Jasper escort. Now that I actually had a moment to look at her, I began to realize that I recognized her. This wasn't just any Jasper; this was the Jasper created in Earth's Beta Kindergarten, a Gem who'd go on to be one of Homeworld's greatest fighters. Is this what Yellow Diamond was having her do now? Gemsitting Peridots? How sad.
...Wait.
The warrior Gem turned then, catching my gaze. They were yellow...no...gold. They weren't as obnoxiously bright as the yellow on the walls, rather a deep and, admittedly, quite striking color. Had I not known her origins as an Earth-made Jasper, I would've easily believed that she had been made for Yellow Diamond. Their personalities were already similar enough. She stared at me for a few seconds before closing her eyes and resting her arms behind her head.
"Ugh," she grunted. "Guess I'll head to the training room, then. If that's alright with you, I mean?"
"Oh, it's fine," I assured with a slight chuckle. "I might be supervising, but you don't need my okay for everything. This is mostly the Peridot's mission, isn't it?"
"That's what I thought until you showed up. No disrespect, but I can't imagine White Diamond sending one of her Agates for something this simple."
"Well…" I began walking forward along the corridor. Jasper did the same, matching my pace. "I suppose you've got me there. I do have my own assignment, one that...actually might interest you, now that I think about it."
"Oh?" Jasper lifted a brow suspiciously.
"Rose Quartz may still be on Earth."
Jasper stopped. I turned to face her and saw a look of intrigue on her face. Her lips curled back into a wide and incredibly toothy smirk. I fought back a smile. My suspicions were correct, then.
"Funny you should mention her," said Jasper. "We have someone on-board who might've run into her recently." Despite my lack of a heart, I could feel a fluttering in my chest. I couldn't believe it; there really was a chance that the traitor was still alive.
"A Lapis Lazuli showed up not long ago, saying her gem was cracked and that she was being held prisoner by Crystal Gems," she continued. "She's locked up in the holding cells for interrogation. If Rose is involved in this, then maybe this is my chance to finally give her the beating she deserves, heh."
I couldn't hold it back anymore. I began to grin, letting out one of those amused exhales. Not even the Ultimate Quartz could resist sounding as eager as ever to go into battle. How adorable. As quickly as my smile appeared, however, it soon slipped away as I recalled what my Diamond had told me.
"Well, if you're going to do that, I must ask that you not go overboard," I said. "My orders are to bring Rose Quartz to White Diamond and I'm certain she won't be pleased with a pile of Gem shards."
"Tch," huffed Jasper, her brow furrowing in annoyance. She then shrugged. "Holding back isn't really my style, but I'll do my best."
"Very good." I flashed her an approving grin.
The ground beneath us began to jolt a bit and I could hear the faint rumbling of the ship powering up. I held out my right hand, and in seconds, my Gem weapon appeared. It was a large hooked staff, a crook, for lack of a better term. I slammed its base against the smooth floor, causing an audible clack. It was a habit of mine, summoning my weapon like this. I think somewhere, deep in my Gem, I believed that it would give me some sort of stability, especially during take-off. The Quartzes under my control had come to expect this, so for a brief moment, I thought nothing of my actions. That was when I realized that the Quartz beside me wasn't mine.
Turning towards Jasper, I could see that she'd taken a few steps back, her eyes locked on my weapon. Sure, a crook might not have been the most intimidating of weapons, but any Quartz worth their Gem knew that an armed Agate was serious business. Realizing my error, I gave her an apologetic smile and held the crook closer to myself.
"My apologies," I said sheepishly. "It's a habit." A dark tangerine blush crept onto Jasper's cheeks, but I only saw it for a split second before she turned away. I slowly began to smirk. "I didn't scare you, did I?"
"No," Jasper replied hotly, looking back at me with an offended expression. "You just caught me off-guard, that's all."
"Right, right." It was my turn to avert my gaze as I smiled at the wall. There was another grunt before I heard footsteps. Turning back to Jasper, I watched as she started off down the corridor.
"I've gotta go," I heard her mutter. I watched after her, lost in the sway of her mane and the swing of her broad shoulders. Oh...goodness me…
Alright, I thought once Jasper had disappeared from sight. I'd better get to work. Let's see what that Lapis has to say about Rose Quartz.
My search for the captured terraformer ended as I wandered past the interrogation room. It rested right in the center of the ship's prison area, and as I approached the door, I could hear the muffled voice of the Peridot. I stepped closer to the closed door, listening for a moment.
"Please don't make this difficult," she was saying, exasperated, by the sound of it. "All you have to do is tell me the location of the Crystal Gem base; Jasper and Zebra Agate will handle the rest."
There was no response. Ah...such a tired, old tactic. When would Gems understand that the silent treatment never worked? The Peridot groaned.
"Why won't you answer!?" she demanded. "You said you were being held prisoner, didn't you? So why protect those traitors!?"
Again, Lapis wouldn't answer. I decided that now would be a good time to make my entrance. I knocked, and seconds later, the door slid open, the Peridot staring up at me.
"Zebra Agate," she began, saluting to me. "Is everything okay?"
"You're interviewing the Lapis Lazuli?" I asked. I peered over the Peridot's shoulder and caught a glimpse of the prisoner. She looked up at me, and her eyes widened in what I could only assume to be dread.
"Yes, ma'am," replied the Peridot. "Though she's being difficult…"
"I see. Well, then, perhaps I should give it a try. She'd be a fool to keep information from one of White Diamond's Agates."
"Right." The Peridot stepped aside, allowing me to walk into the small room. The walls were even an even brighter shade of yellow, if that was even possible, though I figured it was to add some extra stress to those who refused to talk. The Lapis Lazuli was seated at a small, metal table, her wrists bound by cuffs of electronic energy. I stood across from her, looming over her as I summoned my crook.
CLACK!
The base of my crook hit the floor, forcing the Lapis to flinch.
"Now…" I began coldly. "Where do I begin with you, Lapis Lazuli? I don't know everything about your time on Earth and, frankly, I don't care to ask about most of it. However, there is one thing I'd like to know. I'm sure you know what it is. You might not be willing to tell the Peridot, but I'd advise against keeping information from me."
The Lapis' eyes wandered over to my hand, watching as it squeezed the crook's handle. She swallowed. It was hard to keep a straight face; there was a sort-of twisted satisfaction to making Gems bend to my will without the use of violence. A bit sadistic of me, perhaps, but it was what I was made for.
"...I already said that I don't know anything else…" the terraformer finally muttered. She hung her head, her hands clenched into fists. "I've said it a million times: The Crystal Gems held me prisoner and I escaped back to Homeworld as soon as I got the chance."
Fury shot through me like a surge of lightning when the Lapis mentioned the rebel army's name. I couldn't stop myself as I lunged forward, bringing the hook of my crook around the Lapis' neck and jerking her towards me. She cried out as her front half was roughly dragged along the table, not that I cared. Leaning down, I stared the terrified Gem in the eyes.
"You dare speak the name of those traitors in front of me?" I whispered. She could only reply with short, terrified gasps. "Those clumps of dirt who kept you prisoner with a cracked Gem? This shouldn't be difficult, and yet, you're hesitating to do what's right and turn them in. Does Rose Quartz need to shatter your Diamond next before you come to your senses?"
I held the Lapis Lazuli in that position for a few moments, watching her intensely as she shivered and panted. Tears were forming in her eyes; she was completely at my mercy, and she knew it. All too easy. My anger began to cool as I removed the crook from the Lapis' body. I rested a hand on her chin, gingerly lifting it up.
"Listen," I now said in a gentle tone. "You can't tell me that you don't want to see the Gems that hurt you face judgement. You tell us a location and all of this will be over. You'll be free to return to the life that was robbed from you for thousands of years." I paused, studying the Lapis' expression. She seemed lost in her thoughts; she lost eye contact with me. I could tell she was taking in what I was saying, though.
"We'll find them eventually, no matter how long it takes, and you'll be with us every step of the way. Make things easy for all of us. Give us a location."
A silence fell as I waited for the Lapis to make her choice. I could only imagine the Peridot's reactions throughout this entire interrogation. Finally, after what felt like years of waiting, I got the answer I'd been waiting for.
"Beach City," said the Lapis quietly, her eyes closing. "The Crystal Gems base is in a place called Beach City, along the ocean."
"There," I cooed. I allowed her to slip back into her seat. "See how easy that was?" The Lapis Lazuli didn't respond, and I didn't wait for an answer. I turned to Peridot. "Locate this "Beach City" once we reach Earth. I'll start my search for Rose Quartz there while you and your escort continue with your Cluster business."
"Of course," said the Peridot. I could see the faintest hint of admiration in her eyes. "Thank you, Zebra Agate."
"Mmm," I responded with a nod. I made my leave; the Peridot could deal with the prisoner now. A smirk graced my features as I headed for one of the higher-ranking quarters. All I had to do now was wait.