Steven watches blues arm rise leaving the planet his hands behind his back. He turns to see Yellows yellow pearl standing waiting patiently.
"Yes pearl?" "Yellow diamond requests your presence,"
"Blue pink you can stay here, yellow lead the way." he claps his hands and she starts walking opening doors for steven the faces on the walls staring at him as he walks down the hall being led to a big yellow door opening to reveal yellow in a sauna
"Thank you pearl." he says walking into the room ."Hello yellow, is this new?" he asks looking around the sauna. "Only a few thousand years old." "Are blue and white joining us?" he asks and yellow laughs. "Oh that's rich, blues off world and white never leaves her head. Not since era 2 started and you left." he hops up sitting on the ledge. "Where did blue go?" he asks.
"She's decided to start a new colony, hoping it will help her clear her head. Ist about time too"
"and this planet she plans to destroy, is it inhabited?" he asks already knowing the answer
"the main population of the planet is only as smart as you're humans, blue will have no trouble."
"Well see." he says sitting back against the wall.
"This is nice."
"Yes it is, and with you back hopefully we can begin producing our better gems again soon."
he just hmms a plan coming together in his head
"As a diamond my hand print should open any door right, pink wasn't coded out of the system?"
"you have access to everything pink, you're a diamond. " she says as if it's common knowledge. A tone sounding. "Excuse me." she says, focusing , the liquid on her body sliding down onto the floor, Steven following her lead not wanting to spawn any sentient life while walking out.
"I'll be in touch… it's good to have you back." she says before walking out Steven sees yellow pearl waiting for him by the door. "I need to make a quick pitstop in my room." he says picking up pearl in his palm walking quickly.
"Can you pull up where Blue diamond is headed?"
"From your throne yes my diamond."
"Do that when we get there then." he says, the doors reacting to him even without him having to touch them until he reaches his room setting down pearl walking over to the window scanning the buildings looking for anything resembling a hanger, his eyes spotting a white hand ship. Turning around.
"Have you found it?" he asks yellow and she nods spinning the screen for steven to see Steven memorizing the numbers and doing the math on how long it would take blue to finish the moon spire and make planet fall giving himself around 3 days.
"I'm going up to my room, thanks for the help." he tells them, walking away leaving the 3 pearls in the throne room and making his way up to the room pink had shown him.
"Pebbles?" he calls and the walls and floors open up revealing the little pebbles.
"Pinks back!" they cheer starting to climb up his legs.
"I need a place to lie down and a pedestal" he says laughing with them and spitting one of them out along with a little house
. "And please stay out of my mouth." he adds watching as they start to put together a pedestal Steven walking over to the wall opening it up and walking to a desk with a large mirror taking in his face, so much like his mothers. reaching into his pocket and pulling out the emerald gemstone setting it down leaning forward to get a good look at himself, at how he is now.
"Now i look the part." he says softly knowing this wouldn't help him convince people of him not being his mother. Or was he at this point, with the memories she had given him floating around in his head
"Ok, i can manage." he stands grabbing the gem walking back out into the main room finding a large lounging chair, and a pink ornate pedestal with a pillow on top, he sets emerald down laying on the bed closing his eyes and reaching out for emerald with his mind.
Steven finds himself inside of a green expanse, a ball of bright green light resting in the middle.
"Emerald, I need you to reform."
"Who are you?" she asks her voice distant.
"Im Steven, the new pink diamond."
"Steven….Lars's Steven?!"
"Yes, Captain Lars's Steven. I need to know how you keep tracking the ship."
"scan… The engines give off a traceable energy."
"Show me, we're in your mind."
A set of codes appeared around him and he memorized them.
"Thank you emerald, yellow has gifted you to me so re brand accordingly."
He pulls away from her mind standing from the newly made bed pulling emeralds gem from the pedestal and heading downstairs back into his throne room..
"Pearls were going on a little field trip"
"Yes my diamond."
he picks blue and yellow up setting them one on each shoulder and pink in his hand heading towards the warp pad warping away appearing in a hangar filled with nephrites and peridots finding row after row of white ships.
Finding one like the one that aquamarine used walking towards it everyone moving out of his way with wide eyes saluting
"I'm taking this ship, and you're not going to report it for four days if any of your superiors ask questions poof them and hide their gem until the time's up."
They nod awed at his very presence.
"Good, that will be all." he claps his hands, sending them on their way and stepping up into the ship, the lights turning on.
He sets the pearl down.
"Pearl, you have the coordinates." he gestures to the captain's seat, Yellow pearl walking over her head held high.
"Yes my diamond. She says moving to the pilot's seat putting in the coordinates , a planet appearing on the screen.
"Good, now make the ship pink, we need to make a good first impression."
"Yes my diamond." She presses a few buttons and Steven can assume that the ships color has shifted from its standing white to pink.
"Alright pearls, get us in the air." The ship takes off and Steven moves to a screen putting in the scan parameters that the emerald had given him. A blip popping up on the map.
"There, that's our first stop."
Stevens' ship comes out of warp above a gem controlled planet.
"Knowing Lars they've landed to refuel, land at the refueling station on this colony pearl."
He opens the door staring at the planet, seeing for himself in person what his people would do to every planet in the universe if left unimpeded.
"We've found it." he hears. "Take us there" he shuts the door as the ship moves touching down on the planet the audio blazing to life
"Identify yourself or be destroyed!" a voice says and Steven opens the door stepping out to see a quartz battalion running over freezing up at the sight of him.
"You're going to destroy me?" he asks and they stare wide eyed.
"T..that was our agate, my diamond."
"Bring her to me then," he turns scanning the shipyard spying the sun incinerator.
He claps and they run off, Steven walking his way towards the sun incinerator pausing in front of the door deciding how to go about contacting lars. He knocks on the door in a very human way hearing screaming from inside. The door opens to Lars who goes to say something, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping as he looks up into Steven's diamond eyes.
"Hello, captain Lars." he says stepping inside of the ship.
"W..we're refueling!" he yells trying to recover the situation.
"You were in home-world's airspace earlier, you hail from earth yes? Beach city Delmarva?" he can hear Lars gulp.
"H..How could you know that?"
"Because Lars, i'm Steven universe." he grins and Lars chokes.
"Oh!" he hears from below deck.
"STEVENS A DIAMOND NOW?!" padparadscha yells from below deck hearing screams of disbelief.
"STEVEN!? You scared me half to death!" lars yells at him.
"Yea, that was kind of the point." he chuckles as Lars punches him in the side.
"What happened to you?!" he gestures to him.
"You weren't like this when we dropped you off."
"It's actually similar to what happened to you, except this body is new."
"That's awful! I'm sorry for leaving you. God i still a fuck up."
"Lars, this was the plan from the beginning. Give myself over to the diamonds and tell them the truth. And now i'm a diamond and i can fix things."
"It was a fucking stupid plan, i trusted that you'd be able to do this because i believe in you but if id know it'd kill you id have stopped you."
"I'm not here to be lectured, I just came to let you know that the path to earth should be cleared now. And emerald is off the board." he reaches into his pocket holding up her gem hearing a gasp he looks over to see the off colors peaking all but padparadscha ducking down a red hand flying up to pull her down as she gasps delayed at emeralds gem.
"I don't have long here, I need to go to the colony blue diamond is starting and stop her, padsperacha, rutile twins, fluorite, and rodonite. It's good to see you again."
He spins on his heel to leave when the twins pop up.
"It's good to see you too…." They say unsure. They had liked Steven but were obviously worried about a diamonds presence.
"You don't need to worry, i won't hurt you." he hears footsteps turning to see a pink agate approaching tears forming in her eyes as she approaches. "M...My diamond?" she asks hopefully.
"You knew pink diamond."
"I was made in the home-world kindergarten to control your earth made quartz's."
"Then why is that blue agate in charge of them?"
"Blue diamond wanted them to be under her agate, I was unproven."
"Hmm, the agate spots the rutiles peeking back up and gags, what is that, quartz's grab it. "
"Don't move." his voice is cold and commanding.
"As of this moment you've lost your squadron, go to my palace on home-world and wait." he tells him and she nods not willing to argue saluting and going to leave
"How long ago were you made?" he asks the quartz's.
"16,000 years."
"The oldest quartz I've met was an earth jasper. Only 6000 years old, pearl was much older than that. This ship is to be refilled and sent on its way. Captain lars and the off-colors have authorization by my order to leave."
"Yes my diamond."
"Good, my ship is the pink one. See to it i get a crate of destabilizers." he claps and they take off to follow his orders.
"Wow." Lars says whistling.
"Steven saves us!" padsperacha yells.
"Stevens is still on our side." "I knew it!"
"Thank you rutiles." he smiles at them.
"i'm coming with you." lars says determined.
"What?" rhodonite yelps.
"You guys can take the ship and go to earth, I'm going with Steven to wherever he's going."
"Lars, you don't want to come with me, i'm going to stand against the diamonds head on."
"I'm not leaving your side steven, I know you'd do the same."
"I would like to help the pink Steven." Padsperacha says popping up from below deck
"WHAT?!" Rhodonite screeches.
"Ii amm wiithh ccaappttaaiinn llaarrss."
"Us two." the Rutiles say in unison
"THIS IS AN AWFUL IDEA!"
"But it can do so much good a second voice from inside of rhodonite speaks up.
"You're right" a soft voice speaks up and rhodonite sighs together again.
"Were in."
"I..I really appreciate it guys,"
Lars walks up to Steven pressing a palm to his chest. And Steven wipes a tear from his eye.
"Alright, we'll take the star skipper, it's faster than my ship anyways. I need to get the pearls, and the crate, I'll be quick." he turns on his heel walking down the entryway making his way towards his ship, a amethyst fusion carrying a crate on her shoulder Steven walks over.
"Thank you." he tells her Taking the box onto his shoulder, leaving her wide eyed as he walks into the ship.
"We're switching ships' pearls. Some ground rules you are to say nothing bad about the off colors, don't recoil, do not make them feel bad. Understand." they nod following after him as he turns again walking the pearls following behind him across the hanger and back into the sun incinerator setting the green crate down with a thiud and pressing a palm to the top the sides disappearing multiple racks of destabilizes appearing.
"Are those the things you made me take my pants off for?"
"If you press this against a gem's body they'll poof, everyone should take one i plan on giving them to the planet's inhabitants."
"Yea good looking out." lars says walking over
"Come on off colors, grab yourselves one." he says and they hesitantly come up from below deck
The pearls gasping in unison.
"Pearls." he chides
"They all straighten up diamond saluting him and he groans
"I owe the off colors a lot, take that into consideration."
"Yes my diamond."
The off colors hesitantly take the destabilizes Steven grabbing one and walking over to padparadscha handing it to her.
"Pink pearl, give captain Lars the planets coordinates"
"Yes my diamond." Steven walks and sits against the wall pausing.
"Is the ship functioning, I know last time it had taken a few hits."
"Most of the systems are functional, we could use some work but you seem to be in a hurry."
"Alright, are we refueled"
"Yep." lars sits down in his chair
The ramp pulling back into the ship and the door shutting. The ship taking off into the sky.