Chapter Two: Remembering the Past, Part 1

"Topaz," said Goshenite, appearing on the ground floor of her complex. Her tone was not one of annoyance, but it was similarly stern. "There was an unexpected visitor today in my home."

A huge scarlet Gem stood guard by the door of the building. Her gemstone was on her stomach, and her eyes were concealed behind a reflective visor. "So, you found her out, huh?"

Goshenite beckoned for Topaz to follow her as she strolled out into the street. "Not that it was very hard," she said. "She is quite inexperienced with her powers. She will need to train harder to be able to use them effectively."

"I'm right here, you know!" Goshenite and Topaz turned around to see a gemstone floating in midair behind them. The rest of Cairngorm's body then became visible, as she stared at Goshenite with a hurt expression.

"I am aware," the white Gem said. "And I mean what I said. Now if you'll excuse us, I have an assignment I have to meet."

"Oh, is this that peace conference I heard about?" said Cairngorm. "Can I come too? I've always wanted to go to an asteroid."

"Absolutely not," said Goshenite. "Only authorized personnel are allowed. And it's not a peace conference, it's a meeting between some of Yellow Diamond's top agents. And because the current Supreme Admiral is...busy, I will be going in her stead. For that matter, how did you even find out about this?" She shook her head, remembering that Cairngorm was a spy. "Nevermind, stupid question. You can't go."

"Again with you and Emerald," said Cairngorm. "Sometimes I get the feeling you like her more than you like me!"

"I like neither of you," Goshenite groaned. "Topaz, please escort Cairngorm back to Maxixe. I have something I need to see to before we leave."

"Of course, My Goshenite," said Topaz, ushering the small Quartz in another direction. Goshenite headed off towards the Aquarius Sector, trying to ignore Cairngorm's pitiful protests. What she had said earlier, about liking neither her nor Emerald-it wasn't untrue, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. Cairngorm could be unbearable at times, but she truly did mean well. As for Emerald, she and Goshenite had been enemies for centuries, and only the invasion of the Interlopers had begun to smooth their feelings for one another over. Goshenite hated to admit when she was wrong...but if ever she came close, it would be her initial judgement of the former Supreme Admiral.

The more she thought about it, the more those two Gems reminded her of the other.

Aquarius Sector, Emerald's Residence.

Goshenite approached Emerald's dwelling, which she noticed looked surprisingly well-kept for being abandoned. Perhaps 'abandoned' is the wrong word-Emerald still lived there, she was just in no condition to maintain her household. Few Gems outside of the Council of Beryls and their immediate subordinates knew of her true fate, however. To many of the Gems that knew her outside of these, her condition was to be kept under wraps by order of Yellow Diamond, so as to prevent unrest among the populace. Goshenite was hard-pressed to agree.

She entered the building to find out just why the home was so immaculate: two Gems stood in the central chamber, cleaning out the room. A huge black Quartz, as well as a deep blue Peridot-sized Gem. Goshenite recognized them as two of Emerald's associates, waiting for them to notice her before she spoke up.

"Place the decorative statues in storage for now," said the smaller of the two. "As for the paintings, you can-oh, greetings, Goshenite. I did not hear you enter."

"Hello, Tanzanite," Goshenite said, trying to sound cordial. "Onyx. And what are the two of you doing here?"

"Evening, Gosh!" said the larger Gem. "Well, Tanz here thought it'd be nice to get this place cleaned up a little."

"It did not feel right to leave Pearl to take care of all of this by herself," Tanzanite said.

"Yeah," Onyx added. "Emerald'll be happy to see it so nice once she's all better again."

"...Indeed." Goshenite felt that their optimism was foolish, but she didn't want to impose. Besides, Emerald had managed to come back from the brink once before, so who was really to say she couldn't do it again? "Speaking of which, where is the little one?"

"She is downstairs, spending time with Emerald," Tanzanite said. "Oh! Is it time for the conference already?"

"Mmm," Goshenite said, heading for the basement. "You two...er...keep up the good work up here." With that, she descended into the lower levels of Emerald's dwelling.

The white Beryl descended the dark stairwell through the darkness, towards a light emanating from the basement. She could hear the pink Gem speaking before she could see her; Goshenite reached the bottom, and was greeted by the sight of Pearl speaking to Emerald. The latter was sealed behind a glass barrier that sealed off half of the room. She looked nothing like she had when Goshenite first met her: due to an accident during the Earth War, she had been transformed into a terrible beast. Although she looked quite monstrous, she seemed rather docile at the time, leaning on the glass as though she and Pearl were side-by-side.

"Hello, Pearl," Goshenite said, trying to mimic how Emerald herself had sounded when speaking to the pink Gem.

Pearl gasped lightly in surprise, turning to face her visitor. "Hello, Miss Goshenite," she said. Emerald turned her head towards Goshenite as well: luckily, she did not take her for a hostile. "How are you? It's been a while since we spoke."

"I've been...fine," Goshenite answered. "You've been well, I assume? It can't be easy living all on your lonesome after what you've been through."

"Oh, but I haven't been alone," Pearl said, gesturing to the wall behind her. "Emerald is here. Even though she can't speak, she can still listen."

"Is that so?" Goshenite said. Initially, she had just said it to humor the Pearl, but as she looked deeper into Emerald's countless eyes, sure she could detect some tiny spark of her old self within the body of this monster. Emerald's spike-studded tail swung to and fro, as if she recognized Goshenite."

"Mmhmm," Pearl said with a nod. "Plus, Onyx and Tanzanite come to visit me often. Nines and Tenrit, too."

"Nines and Tenrit…" said Goshenite, trying to remind herself who those two were. "Ah, the Citrine and her organic friend, right?" Pearl nodded. "Of course, of course. I'll be ready to leave whenever you are, so just let me know."

"Leave?" Pearl asked.

"Don't you remember?" said Goshenite. "The strategy meeting on Chiron Beta Prime is today. You made me promise to take you."

Pearl immediately lit up upon receiving this news. "Oh, of course! Wow, that's today? Where does the time go?" She hurried over to the glass, placing her hand on it. Emerald did the same with one of her claws. "Bye, My Emerald! I'll be back in a bit! We don't want Goshenite to be late for her meeting!" The small Pink Gem then bounded up the stairs, giving one last glance to Emerald before she was gone.

"Wow. That one can be a bundle of energy when she wants to," Goshenite said. She began to walk towards the stairs, but something caused her to turn back. Emerald was sitting up now, her eyes fixed on her former frenemy. "What?"

There it was again. Ever since she knew what had happened to her, Goshenite assumed that Emerald was transformed into a feral monster. But whether or not that was the case, she recognized those eyes. And she knew that those eyes recognized her. Pearl was right: Emerald was still in there.

"I, uh…" Goshenite wasn't really sure what to say. Reassurance was never her strong suit. "You'll...be back to your old self in no time. And, um, I'll take care of the little one. You have my word."

The creature that had been Emerald seemed satisfied by this. She yawned, lying back down on the floor. Goshenite walked up the stairs after Pearl. And whether or not what she had said to Emerald was true, she now believed it.

Every great commander of Homeworld's military had to have a flagship: the shining jewel of their fleet. It wasn't a rule per se, but it was a tradition. There were exceptions, of course, but they were few and far between. The Emerald that currently served as Supreme Admiral previously had the Sun Incinerator, and after that one was stolen, the Destiny Destroyer. Emerald the former Supreme Admiral had the Soul Evaporator. And though she didn't use it much, Goshenite had the Xenocide.

Although Goshenite's specialty was leading her armies from the ground, the Xenocide had served her well. It was a Class-4 dreadnought, armed with twin repulsor cannons, omni-polymer hull, ninth-generation warp drive, and top-of-the-line deflector shielding. Only the best for Homeworld's Supreme general.

"Commander on deck!" announced Topaz as Goshenite made her entrance. Pearl stood by her side, taking a seat beside her as the white Gem sat down in her captain's chair. "All hands are ready for launch, My Goshenite."

"Very good, Topaz," Goshenite replied. "Prepare for takeoff."

At her command, the Xenocide's engines fired up. Generators hummed and thrusters flamed as the vessel was brought up into the sky. With a resounding boom, its twin thrusters burst to life, carrying it out into space.

Once clear of Homeworld's atmosphere, the warp drive sprang to life. A distortion in space-time appeared in front of the ship, creating a personalized wormhole for it to be carried through. The Xenocide vanished, off into the far reaches of the universe.