Chapter Twenty-One: Mieren-VII

"So," said Cairngorm, looking around the room. "Let's see: Pink Diamond's back, she fused with her...thingy…"

"Human," said Tanzanite.

"Right, her human, the Interlopers are close to finding this Giganova, Goshenite went off to try and stop them, and we're stuck here."

"I wouldn't say 'stuck,'" said Onyx. "There's still the Soul Evaporator. We could go to Mieren-VII if we wanted."

"I would not recommend that," said Tanzanite. "Goshenite specifically ordered us to stay here."

"Not really," Cairngorm said. "Sure, she said 'stay here,' but is that really an order? You could argue it's more of a suggestion."

"I choose to interpret it as an order," Tanzanite said. "Besides, we have caused enough trouble for the empire already. It is because of our actions that the Interlopers know of Mieren-VII's importance."

"They would've found it eventually!" said Onyx, almost defensively. "That scout we found, it was right in the same system, yeah? Obviously they had to have had their suspicions by that point. Maybe we sped up the process, but that's all!"

"It wasn't your fault, it was mine," said Cairngorm. "I was the one who brought you all down to Sublevel X." A brief pause, as the four Gems sat in silence. "Pearl? Are you alright? You haven't said anything since Goshenite left."

Pearl had indeed been silent, staring contemplatively off into space. "Hmm? Oh, I've just been wondering...Goshenite said that Teptromina was somehow able to find her on Gozyos-IV, right? But she still doesn't know how…"

"And you are worried that he will do so again," said Tanzanite. "Unfortunately, without knowing the means he is using, there is nothing either we or she can do."

"...No, I wouldn't say that," said Pearl, standing up. "Zoisite. From Gozyos, Goshenite said she had something. We could ask her."

"She does?" said Onyx. "Well then, why didn't she ask her before she left?"

"Because as soon as she got back, she had to deal with the Apexes, then us, and then Pink Diamond got back, had her ball, and then Heliodor called her away. She's had kind of a busy week."

"She might not be here to ask her, but we are," said Pearl. She walked into the other room, where she knew Goshenite kept bubbled Gems. It was the same place they had found Cairngorm, and Emerald before that. "Let's ask her ourselves."

"Pearl, wait," said Tanzanite, following after her. "This is ill-advised. Even if Zoisite is willing to share her information with us, there is no way for us to deliver it to Goshenite."

"Sure there is." Onyx put a hand on Tanzanite's shoulder. "Soul Evaporator, remember?"

"Ill-advised, remember?" retorted Tanzanite.

"Wait a minute...was that sarcasm?" said Onyx. "From you?"

"Of course not."

The three followed Pearl into the bubble chamber. She already held the orb containing Zoisite's gem in her hands. "Are you all ready?" she asked.

"I guess so," said Cairngorm. "Let 'er rip!"

Pearl burst the bubble. The yellow gemstone hovered higher into the air, glowing brightly. White light extended from the stone, forming into Zoisite's body. For a few moments, the form shifted, changing into her current form. She descended to the ground, where color returned to her body. Then, she spoke.

"-see through Tenrit's eyes! He is connected to the hive mind!" The other Gems leaned back, startled by her sudden outburst. Zoisite looked around, getting her bearings. "Ah...it seems I was destabilized. Where am I, exactly?"

"Goshenite's place," Onyx said. "...What was that you were yelling about just now?"

"Where is Goshenite?" Zoisite asked. "She needs to hear this."

"She went to Mieren-VII," said Pearl. "Long story. But she-"

"Is the Valurian with her!?" said Zoisite, suddenly sounding frantic. "Is Tenrit accompanying her!?"

"What? Yes," Pearl said. "Yes, she took him along..."

"Then I fear she is in great danger," Zoisite said. "Given what I have learned of the Valurian's artificial body, I have determined that he is how Teptromina has been tracking Goshenite."

"W-what?" said Cairngorm, sounding worried. "How does that work?"

"You see, Interlopers operate on a kind of hive mind," said Zoisite. "All information acquired by Interloper troops is funneled back to the Oculus. It can then be processed by Teptromina."

"Yep, we're familiar with that little factoid," said Onyx.

"So, wait, does that mean Tenrit's an Interloper?" said Cairngorm.

"I will tell you what it means," said Tanzanite. "It means that Project: Giganova is about to be exposed to the entire Interloper army. If they get to Mieren-VII before it can be deployed…"

"...Then it won't just be Goshenite in danger," said Pearl.

"Then we must leave to warn her immediately!" said Zoisite. "Quickly! Do we have a ship?"

"That we do!" said Onyx. "Quick, to the Soul Evaporator!" Onyx took off running towards the dockyards where the ship was stationed. The others followed.

"How exactly does the Interloper hive mind have entry into Tenrit's mind?" asked Tanzanite.

"I will explain everything during the journey," said Zoisite. "But now, we must get to Mieren-VII before it is too late."

Hyperspace, en route to the Mieren System.

The Xenocide, accompanied by a small fleet of other Gem battleships, hurried towards Mieren-VII. There was no telling how close the Interlopers were at that moment, so time was of the essence.

"Is there a plan here, My Goshenite?" asked Topaz. "Or is it just 'blow up any Interloper that gets close?'"

Goshenite looked up at her. "Topaz, as much as I would like to tell you we have a plan, I think it is just 'blow up any Interloper that gets close.'"

"I see," said Topaz, nodding. "I can get behind that."

"My Goshenite," a Peridot eventually said, "we've almost arrived at Mieren-VII. Preparing to exit hyperspace now."

"Good," Goshenite said. "Keep formation tight. We can't risk alerting the Interlopers to our presence."

Goshenite's fleet jumped out of hyperspace, the planet of Mieren-VII before them. An innocuous dwarf planet, it was blue in color, with a small ring of dust around the equator. A distress beacon could be detected down on the planet's surface.

Once they had arrived, Goshenite contacted the other ships in the fleet. "All ships, Goshenite speaking. We are potentially preparing for a full-scale assault, so we'll have to be ready. Stay in low orbit while I head to the surface." All of the ships approached the planetoid, but only the Xenocide traveled down towards the source of the beacon.

As the ship grew closer, a small Gem settlement came into view. A small scientific installation, it looked nowhere near large enough to develop a potentially war-ending superweapon. Nines even said as much. "It...doesn't really look all that impressive."

"Well, of course it doesn't," said Tenrit. "If a secret research installation looked like some cyclopean city, then the Interlopers would be all over it."

"True, true…"

The Xenocide touched down, and Goshenite, flanked by a battalion of Milky Quartzes, stepped out, likewise accompanied by Nines, Tenrit, and Topaz. Heliodor walked towards them, quite quickly.

"Goshenite! Thank the stars you got here when you did!" she said, frantic. "Our scanners detected the Interlopers searching this system-it's only a matter of time before they get here!"

"Alright, calm down," said Goshenite. "How long until this project of yours is finished?"

Heliodor took a moment to gather her bearings. "Technically speaking, Giganova's already finished. We just need to-actually, here, I think I'd better show you." She led the group through the facility towards a large building-at least, larger than the other buildings present, it was still on the smaller side.

"Would you three mind standing guard?" Goshenite asked.

"You got it," said Topaz, as she, Tenrit, and Nines took a place just outside the door. Goshenite and Heliodor stepped inside. The doors slid shut behind them.

Goshenite realized that the building consisted of only a single round room. She looked around, confused, as the room was also completely empty. "What exactly is this for?"

"This," said Heliodor. She input a code into a panel, and the walls of the room began to rotate, faster and faster. Suddenly, the whole room shot downwards like a bullet, speeding down an underground shaft. The giant elevator took the pair of them deeper and deeper into the planet.

Before long, the elevator began to slow down, eventually coming to a stop. The doors slid open once again, revealing the entryway to a much larger facility than the surface would have indicated. "This...how long has this been here?" asked Goshenite.

"Only these past few years," said Heliodor. "Once we arrived, we began digging a series of tunnels in the planet's underground, to better facilitate work on the project. Actually...I think it would be better if I just showed you." She began walking down the corridor, gesturing for Goshenite to follow. She did so.

Heliodor led Goshenite into a larger chamber, in which a team of Peridots were stationed at several consoles. In the center of the room was a glowing sphere of energy, sealed behind glass. The sphere emitted a low hum as it seemed to spin in place, small sparks periodically discharging from the surface. A series of pylons surrounded the glass, glowing with a similar energy. A warp pad rested nearby, as a precaution.

Goshenite was quiet for a few seconds as she took it all in. "So," she said, "this is Project: Giganova, then?"

"No," Heliodor answered bluntly. "This? This is just the payload. You're standing at the center of Project: Giganova itself now."

Goshenite looked to her in disbelief. "What? You mean...this whole facility-"

"Not just this facility, this entire planet," answered Heliodor. "I told you Project: Giganova was an explosive capable of destroying a star system, didn't I? That's what this is all about. In these years, we've been working tirelessly to convert Mieren-VII itself into a single gigantic bomb."

"A bomb...the size of a planet…" said Goshenite. "It's no wonder you wanted to keep this so secret."

"Indeed," said Heliodor. "As far as we're aware, the Interlopers don't know about Giganova's true nature. All they know is that it's a superweapon of some sort. I think we can use this to our advantage: once they attack, we'll lead them away from the planet, try to make them think we're transporting the weapon to somewhere else. Then, all that we'll need to do is-"

"My Heliodor!" one of the Peridots said. "I'm detecting warp signatures in the area-the Interlopers are here!"

"Crack, not now!" Heliodor exclaimed. "Well, it looks like now's your time! Hurry, go, go! I'll stay here to maintain the core!"

Goshenite hurried back to the elevator, giving one last look towards Heliodor as the doors shut. "My Heliodor?" said the same Peridot, her voice hushed. "I've looked over these warp signatures. This...this doesn't make sense...I've never seen a signature like this before!"

Heliodor walked over. "How so?" she asked, looking at the screen. Her eyes widened, and a chill ran through her form. "Stars above…"

The elevator reached the surface, and Goshenite stepped out to see the Gems present in a panic. She looked around for a moment to find Topaz, hurrying over to her when she found her. "Topaz, what's the status on the fleet?"

"Already on the move, My Goshenite," said the red Gem. "But I don't know how we're gonna get out of this one!"

"Yeah, you're telling me!" said Tenrit.

Goshenite looked to the skies. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Interloper battleships were approaching, with more jumping out of hyperspace. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and most likely out of luck. "We'll get out of this the same way we always have," she said. "We're fighting to defend our home, our empire, out people. We won't let them take…"

As she looked to the others, Goshenite trailed off, as all three of them were staring at the skies in horror. She followed their gaze, which landed on the next planet in the system, Mieren-VI, against which the invading armada was silhouetted. But it wasn't the planet itself that terrified them. A dark shape had begun to emerge from behind it, almost as large as it was. The surface of this titanic object could be seen as dark and metallic, and a bright crimson light glared from the center.

The Oculus. The Interlopers' last resort. Like a terrible eye, the planet-sized station loomed over the surface of Mieren-VII, and all those who stood on it.

Goshenite could barely find the words, only able to whisper a brief sentence. "Diamonds help us…"

AN: It's all kicking off!