Jasper ducked her head, entering through the side entrance of their new base and scouring for Steven.

After their old base had been compromised, Steven had asked Jasper to help him commandeer a couple of buses, and they'd made a 400 mile journey up North. Steven couldn't drive two vehicles at once, so he'd taught Jasper the basics.

She'd picked it up easily enough, it wasn't nearly as complex as piloting a ship. Although, Steven kept nagging about her tendency to drive too fast, and she'd had trouble understanding why pedestrians had the right of way.

Loading their scant cargo had been relatively easy. Steven had been worried about what they'd do with the Dondai, but Jasper easily solved the problem by hefting the car onto the roof and strapping it down for him.

The hard part was tolerating the passengers the whole way up.

It had been an eight hour trip. With singing. Jasper had smashed the radio an hour in, but it hadn't solved the problem. Especially with how loud Steven's bus was. Every time she got hers to stop, the obnoxious chorus from the other vehicle stirred them right back up again.

They finally found a new hole to hide in; an abandoned shipping warehouse by some harbor town. It was near a clean water source, which meant they didn't need to steal quite so often. It was old, it was dusty, but at least it was bigger and newer than their last base of operations.

She finally found Steven in his 'office' (which was really an old breakroom they'd repurposed), and straightened herself.

"My Diamond."

"Hm?"

"How are the plans coming?"

Steven looked back at her from where he stood in front of the mini-fridge. Set up on top of old crates and stolen from a nearby appliance store, it was the closest thing they had to a kitchen, barring a single camp stove sitting on the wood reel in the corner.

He was currently tacking on one of the Quartzes' drawings with a fridge magnet, rendered in crayon and depicting Steven along with the rest of her squad smiling and making daisy chains. He was absolutely taken by the image, but Jasper had been less than impressed. Personally, she wanted to rip it into tiny pieces, but it had made Steven the happiest he'd been in weeks. She knew how fragile his morale was, it'd be unproductive to ruin it for him.

"...Uh, what plans?" He asked absently.

"...Your strategies for colonization, My Diamond." She looked at the world map they'd hung on the wall, studying it. "Will we start with your planet's reigning monarch? Killing her would be the-"

"Whoa, Jasper, wait." Steven swiped his hands in a "stop" gesture. "It doesn't work that way. First off, the Earth doesn't have one leader. Second, the power structures that make up the world are super complex, there's a reason nobody's conquered Earth before. I mean, sure, some humans have come close, but-"

"You're not fully human." Said Jasper, and Steven's mouth clamped shut.

"Well, I guess not."

"You were made for conquering worlds, My Diamond. These puny human 'power structures' are no match for you."

"Well, I mean. Thank you. I, uh. I actually do have a couple plans laid out, y'know. They're not much, but…"

He held up a folder, and Jasper snatched it out of his hands, scanning over it critically. She squinted after a few seconds, frowning and holding it closer to her face. She gave him a look of displeasure, throwing it onto the table as if it was garbage.

"...I can't read this."

"Oh, yeah, that's- it's in English. Try asking Fives or Waxer to translate it for you, those two like to read."

Jasper stared at him for a moment, horror on her face.

"...You named them?" She asked.

"I let them name themselves . I wasn't going to call them by those stupid numbers-"

"You named them and you taught them to read Ing-glyph?"

"They wanted to learn!"

"That doesn't matter! They don't need-"

"I don't care!" He shouted, and even though the volume wasn't strong enough to shake the ground, Jasper paused, staring at him with wide eyes. Steven huffed shakily, slouching over on the table and hiding his face in his arms.

"...I'm sorry." He murmured. "I-I… I just… Oh, Jasper, I'm sorry…" The murmuring began to dissolve into something even more pathetic, and Jasper rushed to get the conversation back on track.

"Don't apologize, My Diamond." She said. "I stepped out of line."

He looked up at her, though half of his face was still hidden under the bubblegum pink folds of his sleeves. He looked like he was about to say something, likely to deflect the blame onto himself, so Jasper intercepted.

"...But if we'll succeed, we need a battle-ready army."

"We already have one." He insisted.

Jasper stepped closer, putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to hide her frustration.

"You saw them." She said. "The Crystal Gems crushed them like mica. Did reading help them there?"

"Oh, c'mon. They were trying their best!" He said.

"Their 'best' is pathetic!" Said Jasper. She stepped forward, pulling his chair around and looking down at him. "You're being too soft on them. They can't develop a killer instinct unless they are shown one."

Steven frowned at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"I… admire … how deeply you value your soldiers," Jasper tried not to grit her teeth. "But they need discipline and real training. Right now, you put them anywhere near a fight and they're dust."

"Well- ...Ok, fine. They're… unseasoned. You got any ideas?" Asked Steven. Jasper had already prepared her answer.

"I know a gem."

"One of your old war buddies?" He asked, and Jasper nodded. Steven looked pensive for a second, considering. "Is she nice?"

Jasper grinned.

"No."

Steven huffed, looking away.

"...Well, if you really think she'll be able to help..." He said nervously.

Jasper knew Hessonite, knew she'd probably felt just as lost as Jasper after the Authority disbanded. She'd be desperate for a purpose, and though her and Steven would need to warm up to each other, Jasper was confident she'd come around once she saw the power he commanded. The trick was getting Steven to use that power, he'd been so reserved ever since their last… training session…

Jasper shook her head and looked at the "troops". One of them had a blindfold on, and several others were throwing cheeseballs at her to see if she could catch them in her mouth.

"What wouldn't?" Asked Jasper.


"Alright, pebbles." Said Hessonite. "I need to measure your skill level so we can start."

She came to stand in the center of the makeshift training circle, completely weaponless. The Quartzes shuffled restlessly, some looked excited, others hesitant and nervous. A few glanced at Steven for reassurance, and he smiled warmly back at them. Nearby, an audience of evergreens creaked quietly as the wind ruffled their pelts.

"You're gonna attack me." Said Hessonite.

"You can do it, guys!" Steven cried. The Quartzes glowed under the encouragement, but Hessonite glowered.

"No moral support!" She shouted, and Steven shrunk. She turned back to the troops, raising her arms. "Now! Come at me!"

The Quartzes rushed her. She made short work of the first wave, and spent even less time on the second. They came at her from every perceivable angle, but she skillfully dodged each attack, coming back at them hard with her own. She flipped them, threw them, and sent some careening into the surrounding trees. Steven flinched every time, and tried on several occasions to intervene, but Jasper held him back.

After a very painful forty-five minutes, they were finally dismissed, left to grumble and lick their wounds. Many were covered in bruises and scrapes, and a few had even been poofed. Steven went to collect their gems and heal those still standing, but Hessonite stepped in.

"Hang on. You need training, too." She said. Steven just sighed, beginning to pull his jacket off. She stopped him.

"Not like that." She tapped on his forehead, and he flinched a little. "It's what's in here that's weak and useless."

"Thanks."

"But I'll fix that."

"How generous of you."

"I'm known for my generosity, yes." He tried to go around her, but this time, Jasper stood in his way.

"You too?" He asked.

"Me too." She said. "This colony needs a Diamond."

He sighed and deflated, but nodded. He turned to Hessonite nervously.

"Alright, what do you want me to learn?"

"Come with me to my office." She gestured to the breakroom.

"That's my office."


"Now, your track record isn't especially good. You've committed high treason, disbanded integral social norms, and threw Homeworld into political chaos within a single cycle. Also, the war you started in Era-"

"That was my mom."

"Don't interrupt me." Hessonite slammed the reports down on the table, making Steven jump.

"But that's the past. I'll admit, I was a little doubtful of you, considering your… um… unfortunate circumstance of existence."

Steven scoffed, she ignored it.

"But Jasper did say that humans are good at 'change'." She spat the word out. "You're gonna have to do a lot of that if you want this colony to succeed-"

"Can we stop calling it a 'colony'?" Steven asked. Hessonite batted her eyelashes at him.

"Can we stop pretending you're a competent leader worth a modicum of my respect?"

Steven crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking away with a huff. Hessonite went back to check the written plans, and something glinted in her eye.

"I have gone over some of your strategies, and I must admit; they're not half bad. Even if they needed… translation." She didn't spare him a glance, and her tone was full of vitriol, but Steven perked up under the praise anyway.

"Your, uh, your predecessor was an excellent tactician too, and a fierce warrior. I fought her personally, you know. During the war…" Hessonite got a wistful expression on her face, the same that Pearl used to get. For a second, Steven was a little worried she'd start telling him all her war stories, but she didn't.

Instead, she stood up stiffly, coming over to leer at him.

"If you have no further questions, we'll begin."

"Right now?"

"Right now." She grabbed the backrest of his chair so hard it wobbled, and he nervously stared up at her.

"There are rules to this."

"But- I- I thought- there's rules?"

"Rule one: You need to be ready to give orders and make swift, dispassionate judgements. Now. Give me a command!"

"Uhhm." He shrunk back in his chair, wilting under her harsh gaze. "Please get off me?"

"Insufficient!" She shook his chair, and he yelped, holding onto her for balance. "That wasn't a command, that was a question!"

"Sorry!" He said. Her eyes narrowed, irises flicking to where his hand rested on her forearm, and she dropped his chair to the floor. He gasped as his skull bounced off the dusty concrete, and he held his head, groaning.

Her shadow eclipsed his form as she glared down at him with mild disgust, as if she were a child and he was a snake dying on the side of the road.

He tried to scoot back, but she grabbed his shirt collar, bringing their faces near.

"Rule two," she said, "you do NOT apologize for your actions."

"Sor-" She shot him a seething glare. "I-I-I mean, um-"

"Rule three: No stuttering!"

He squeaked, flinching away as spit flew into his face.

"Ok! Ok!"

"And no simpering!" She hollered, pulling him even closer. His skin began to heat up, pink beginning to spread through it like water flowing into a cup.

"I am inferior to you in every way!" She cried. "You have the power to crush me in an instant, to command galaxies, to bend stars to your will! So PROVE it!"

"Let me GO!" He bellowed, shouting with such force that the light above them shattered. Hessonite was knocked back a few steps, forced to let go of his shirt in order to steady herself. His eyes widened, looking up at the broken light, then at her shocked face.

"I'm, I-I'm-"

'You DO NOT apologize for your actions.'

He steeled himself.

"I'm done." He said, getting to his feet and carefully stepping past broken glass on his way to the door. "If you need me, I'll be with my soldiers."

She dusted herself off, grinning at him.

"That's more like it," she said.


Over the coming weeks, the troops blossomed under Hessonite's hand, becoming strong and hardened, finally showing the competence required of them. They might have known, deep down, that they didn't make the grade, and while they'd been complaining about the new routine at first, they'd grown to love the challenge.

Before Jasper's eyes, that immature, lazy crowd of Quartzes became an elite fighting force, capable of leveling opposing armies (and unafraid to get their hands bloody, even though Steven had forbidden the use of live practice dummies). They still held traces of Steven's light-hearted, friendly nature, but it showed up less and less, and never during training sessions. To Jasper's immense relief, the singing and flower picking was over.

There was just one problem. Steven hadn't cracked yet.

He'd made a fraction of progress on the first day, but no matter how hard Hessonite yelled at him, no matter how hard she pushed him to be assertive and dominant, his improvement had stalled. He still insisted on using words like please and thank you, and he absolutely refused to give the Quartzes the tough love they needed. If anything, he only seemed to become more gentle and submissive, fretting over their wounds after training and looking away instinctively whenever Hessonite addressed him.

Today had been especially disappointing.

As an 'offensive measures' exercise, Hessonite had insisted on a training session between Steven and his Quartzes. It had been a total disaster. Not only had none of the Quartzes been injured or poofed, but they actually seemed to be having fun. As if they were playing some kind of game.

Hessonite had given him a choice; he either stopped holding back, or she'd take his place.

Needless to say, he was currently sulking in the break room after a tongue-lashing from his own drill sergeant.

"I don't get it. He can do all the things a normal Diamond can, but he constantly restrains himself. Why?" Hessonite asked. Jasper had a thoughtful look on her face, mind somewhere else.

You're right, Jasper. I have been holding back.

"-asper?"

Jasper shook her head, looking back to Hessonite.

"...Something happened last time we trained." She said.

"With the Quartzes?"

"No. Just me and him." Hessonite's eyes lit up with interest.

"How was that?"

"Incredible." Jasper answered. "I finally got him to see his full potential. He was an absolute brute, I'd never seen anything like it."

"Well, what happened?"

"I'm not sure. He won the fight, fair and square."

"He poofed you?" Hessonite asked, incredulous. Jasper shook her head.

"He shattered me." For some reason, Jasper had to be careful with the words, her voice didn't want to stay steady. Hessonite straightened in disbelief. Jasper was silent for a few seconds, before shaking the odd feeling off.

"He used his power, brought me back. Knew I'd be useful to him." She said proudly. "But ever since, he's been acting weird. Like he'd done something wrong."

"Why would he think that?"

"No idea." Jasper shook her head. "No idea."


"Is that how you restore your troops?"

Steven looked up at Hessonite, mid-kiss. The Quartz he was healing happened to have her gem smack in the middle of her forehead, and his hands just so happened to be cradling her face, making the scene even more incriminating than it already was.

"Um, yeah?"

"It's disgusting. Find a different way to do it."

"What, do you want me to spit on her?" He cried indignantly. But the Quartz in question started grinning.

"That would be fine, sure." Said Hessonite.

"Yeah! Spit on me!" The Quartz yelled.

"No!" He told her, before looking back up to Hessonite. "How is kissing more disgusting than spitting on people?" He asked. Hessonite gestured angrily to the Quartz.

"It's not Diamond-like. Besides, she gave you consent!"

"Yeah I did." Said the Quartz.

"I'm not gonna spit on her!" Steven cried, throwing up his arms in frustration. Hessonite glared right back at him, pointing a finger and leaning over him forebodingly.

To Jasper's surprise, he did not back down.

"You better!" Said Hessonite.

"Absolutely not!" Steven shot back.

Perhaps if it had just been the two of them in the room, Hessonite would have won the argument, or at least won a compromise. But the shouting match they were having had invigorated the Quartzes. All it took was one shout to start a chorus.

"Spit on me!" Cried the one.

"Spit on her! Spit on her! Spit on her!" Cried the rest. They pumped their fists, chanting in perfect unity, the kind of harmony that only a pack of Quartzes could muster.

The noise overwhelmed Steven, and he grabbed at his hair. Jasper watched solemnly from the corner, curious as to what he was going to do. He seemed like he was about to break; to whine, maybe even start crying. She worried for a minute that Hessonite was pushing him too far, like she herself had. That he wasn't ready for this step yet. The last thing she needed was for him to give up again.

But then his cheeks started to glow, and that glow spread across his face and down his neck, underneath his clothes. His gem burned brightly beneath his shirt, but he didn't notice; his eyes were shut too tightly.

"NO!" He finally shouted. Hessonite was sent back a few feet as cracks zig-zagged across the ground. The chanting came to a collective stop.

"I'm not spitting on anybody! I am not!" He roared, his voice echoing like a clap of thunder around the warehouse walls. "I'm going to kiss as many boo boos as I damn near please, and that's final."

The room was silent for several seconds, and Jasper prayed he wouldn't look down. If he saw his hands, if he saw the pink, he might shy away from himself again. As it stood, he was staring down an entire room, breathing heavily, and looking like an absolute force of nature.

Hessonite began to laugh.

"Very well. Do as you wish, My Diamond." She said, saluting him.

Steven only sniffed in response, still glaring at her, but Jasper knew that he was satisfied with the victory. The Quartzes started to break out from their stunned silence, some of them leaping down from their holes to approach him. Rancorous, innocent cries of "Kiss me, My Diamond," filled the cavernous room, and each soldier presented him with their gems. There were a few still injured, but the majority of them possessed completely smooth, uncracked gemstones.

Steven's glow faded, but Jasper could sense that something in him had changed.

Hessonite's work was complete.


"Jasper?" Steven called across the warehouse.

Jasper and Hessonite looked up from where they stood, watching him come towards them with arms full of papers.

"Ok, here's the final draft of the plan- don't- don't get that excited, we're just starting with one little country, and- it- it's not going to be easy."

Jasper and Hessonite poured over the notes (translated by Fives and Waxer, to Jasper's reluctant appreciation), unable to hide their grins.

"Oh, this is insidious." Said Hessonite.

"It actually might work." Said Jasper, eyebrows raised.

Steven glared at her, and Jasper gave him an innocent look. Or tried to, anyway. "Innocent" and "Jasper" didn't really mix.

"Heard that loud and clear, Jasper." Said Steven, and she shrugged in response.

"Anyways, this won't work unless we have transportation and a bigger army. The buses aren't gonna work." He said, pacing and resting his chin between his index and his thumb. "...We could snag some left over Drop Ships from the first invasion, but they'd need repairs, and I don't know how to-"

Hessonite raised a hand, and Steven raised a brow.

"Don't worry about that." She said. "I know a gem."


"So… who is that gem and why is she here?"

Jasper turned to look in the indicated direction, and squinted.

"Which one…?" She asked.

"The gem that just showed up? Like half an hour ago? Come to think of it, how did she get here…?"

Jasper gave him a confused look, and Steven was incredulous.

"She's green? Bright yellow, cube-shaped hair? She's the only other gem here shorter than me!" He looked down, glaring at his own stocky legs. "...Well, if she wasn't wearing those stupid limb enhancers..."

"...The Era 2 Peridot?"

"Yes!" He said, throwing up his arms.

"Hessonite recommended her."

"So you just put her on the team without asking me?"

"We needed a technician. For the ships."

"...Oh. That's the- Well, h. Ok."

"She also came to help survey the production of more Quartzes."

"Well, yeah… Can they still be pink, though? I'm kinda going for like. An aesthetic."

"...Sure." Jasper said, inwardly trying to figure out what an 'aesthetic' was. "We could make some Pink Lace Agates, some Raspberry Quartzes. Maybe even some Exotica Jaspers…"

"Jaspers come in pink?" He cried.

"...So the Peridot's staying, then."

"Ye- well, yeah, but." Steven put his hands on his hips, brow creasing in thought. "I mean, this is so weird. Can I give her a nickname?"

"She won't like it."

"..."

Jasper sighed.

"What d'you got?"

Steven looked at the Peridot a moment, before turning to Jasper and stoically saying;

"...Squaridot."

Jasper suppressed a sigh.

She hadn't told Steven, but word had gotten out about his turn over; there'd be other gems coming soon. Gems with hopes of getting in on the ground floor. She just hoped he wouldn't give them all god-awful code names. She felt bad enough for 'Squaridot' as it was.


"No." Said Steven.

"Why not?" Asked Jasper.

"Just. No."

"Give her a chance-"

"Nope! Not Happening. I don't want her anywhere near the Quartzes."

"If our army is going to grow, we'll need help training-"

"Not Her."

"Ehem."

They both turned to Holly Blue Agate, giving her their full attention. She smiled politely at Steven, and he wrinkled his nose at the obvious falsity of the gesture.

"My Diamond, if I may-"

"I am not your Diamond." He said, planting his hands on his hips.

Her fake smiled cracked slightly, and she held her composure for all of two seconds before falling to her knees and grabbing Steven by his hands, making him flinch. Even Jasper looked disgusted.

"Please," She begged. "You don't know what it's been like! Everything's been chaos since the Diamonds sequestered power! Please, all I ask is the chance to serve!"

Steven grimaced, pulling his hands away. He looked to Jasper for help, and only received a shrug in response.

"...Fine."

"Oh thank y-"

"But if I see that whip around any of my Quartzes, that is it. You don't touch them, you don't even breathe too hard around them. Understood?"

"Oh thank you, My Diamond, I won't fail you!"

"Yeah, whatever. Just, like. Ask Hessonite for something to do, I guess."

"Yes, My Diamond. Right away!"

She rushed off like a kid chasing an ice cream truck, and Steven sighed.

"I'm already regretting this."

"...I can see why, but we need help training the troops."

"I've seen her training methods. Not impressed."

"She trained me, and I turned out fine."

"She- what? What?" He sputtered, uncomprehending. "I- oh jeez, Jasper. That's- that's terrible."

"How so?"

"Well, she hurt you. That's bad."

Jasper looked at him blankly for a moment.

"I… I'm not following."


"Ok, Jasper. Level with me."

"Mm."

"This is super weird and awkward."

"...Yeah."

They tried to make their staring subtle, but it was difficult considering the circumstances. Hessonite had asked him why they didn't have an experienced terraformer on hand, and he hadn't had a very good answer to that. Peridot had mentioned they could just make their own, but they needed someone to teach them.

This led to the indoctrination of a Lapis Lazuli. Specifically, the Lapis Steven had tried to pitch his school to months prior. She was short-tempered and snobby, but experienced.

That didn't make things any less weird. Hessonite couldn't figure why Steven and Jasper were so skittish around her.

Steven occasionally thought about changing his mind about the whole situation, but the soldiers had already nicknamed her 'Curly', so her place in the group was well solidified. There was nothing Steven could do.

It didn't stop Steven and Jasper from referring to her as "Mean Lapis" behind her back, though.


"You have an incoming message, My Diamond." Said Squaridot.

"Uhhh… Is it somebody I know?"

"Of course it is."

Steven's blood ran cold, and he stood there rigidly.

"The Zircon from the last election. Everyone knows her."

Steven let out a long breath, clutching his chest.

"Oh, god. I thought it was- nevermind."

"There was an election?" Asked Jasper. She hunched over, trying to get a glimpse of the caller ID. "When was this?"

Steven huffed, nudging her so that she wouldn't obstruct his view.

"What does she want?" He asked.

Squaridot shrugged and connected the call, Yellow Zircon's face flickering to life in front of him.

"I want in." She said, fixing Steven with a strong, intense stare.

"Oh, it's you." Said Steven. He gazed up at her sympathetically. "...You lost the election, didn't you?"

"A little bit, yes. But that means my services are now available. When do you need me to start?"

"...Aren't you the Zircon who represented-"

"Well, yes, yes. But that was so long ago-"

"Maybe three years, tops-"

"And I had a job to do! My life was on the line!"

"So was mine."

"...Do you really think the Diamonds would have let me live if I'd lost that case?" She asked. Steven was silent.

"And at the time, how was I supposed to know you were anything but a-"

"What did you say you could offer him?" Jasper butted in.

"...You guys need a diplomat. Someone to represent your Word, and maybe perhaps… look after bases and colonies when you're not around…"

"...We do kinda need someone to negotiate surrender." Said Squaridot. "If you want to take over peacefully, that is."

"Ok, fine." Steven said, deflated. "Welcome aboard."


"Is that Emerald?" Steven asked. "Jasper, wait-"

"She entered without permission, My Diamond," Said Jasper, stalking towards the gem in question. "She needs to be dealt with."

Barely ten seconds earlier, Emerald had waltzed in as if she owned the place, going straight for the scant number of ships they'd managed to scavenge and repair.

Jasper had spotted the potential threat immediately, and was not hesitant to incite violence. It was kind of refreshing, if Steven was completely honest with himself. Bluebird hadn't been the only gem thirsty for vengeance after the dawn of Era 3. Back in Beach City, bitter gems would show themselves everywhere, from the arcade, to the boardwalk, to Little Homeworld. Even the beach near his house. They'd often stare at him hatefully when he passed, and it had led to a great deal of anxiety and trouble sleeping. Everytime he complained about this to the gems, they'd dismiss him and point to his own code of ethics.

It was nice to just… have someone take his concerns seriously, even if it wasn't necessary.

"Hang on a moment." Steven said. Jasper looked reluctant, but obeyed.

"Emerald?" Steven called, gaining her attention. He kept his distance, unsure of whether or not she'd come for revenge. They'd already had a few visitors like that, and though none of them could make it past the Quartzes, or Jasper, or Hessonite, or Holly Blue, or even Curly, it still had him on edge.

"Ah yes," Said Emerald, saluting him. "Hello, My Diamond."

"Uhhhhmmm… hi. What- What are you doing here?"

"Inspecting the fleet- it's absolutely inadequate. We need a new one."

"What. Wh."

"As your loyal Captain I suggest we-"

"You're my Captain?"

"What else would I be?"

"...I don't know? Did someone invite you here, or…"

"The great and admirable Emerald takes action when it needs to be taken."

"Oh. ...I see."

"Glad you agree. I'll be in the hanger if you need me." And with that, she stalked off, leaving Steven more confused than before. Jasper came to stand next to him, glaring daggers at Emerald's back.

"Jasper," Steven asked, "...What just happened?"

"We have a Captain now." She said through gritted teeth. She looked down at Steven, expression flickering into a mix between hope and bloodlust. "Unless you want me to-"

"No, no. That's. That's ok. We, uh. We needed one anyway. But, um. Jasper?"

"Yes, My Diamond?"

"...you can kick out the next one."

"Of course, My Diamond."