Steven stood just out of reach of the waves that lapped onto the beach. He had ran ahead, but now turned towards the two that had brought him here, Pearl and Lapis who were still hurriedly walking to catch up.

"Is… this the right place?" he asked, glancing around uncertainly. The stretch of Korean beach was deserted, and there didn't seem to be anything of note around. He looked up to the sky, as if whatever they were looking for would fly overhead. Instead, all he saw were grey, dreary clouds.

Pearl and Lapis joined him at the edge of the water. "It is," Pearl said. "Or, it is as close as we can get." Steven wanted to ask what she meant by that, but Pearl continued talking before he could. "Steven. There is… something you should know."

Steven felt his gut turn and squeeze. His first reaction was to snap back, "Like the drill?", even as he knew he shouldn't say that. Even though it was weeks after he had learned about the drill, he still felt hurt when he thought about it.

It was stupid to still feel upset by something that had happened weeks ago, but…

At least Dad hadn't known about the drill either. So Steven wasn't the only one who had been left in the dark.

Steven shook the stray thoughts from his mind. "Okay. What's going on? What are we looking for?"

Pearl paused a moment, before simply answering, "Your mother's ship."

A jolt flashed through Steven's mind. "My… mom's ship? The one that brought you and her to Earth?"

"The very same."

Steven began to feel his heart beat loudly in his chest. "Where is it? Is it-" He looked up in the air again, as if expecting to see the ship hovering above them.

"It's there," Lapis spoke. Steven looked over at her and saw that she was pointing towards the ocean. "About ten miles out."

Steven blinked confusedly. "It's… out at sea?"

"Under the sea," Lapis corrected. "If you didn't know where it was, it's unlikely you'd ever find it."

"Yes," Pearl said. "Whenever your mother would come to Earth, she would always keep her ship in the same location. Hidden beneath the waves."

"But… then how-" Steven quickly gathered himself. "How did she do that? I mean, she was a Gem so she didn't need to breathe but… Swimming ten miles to shore seems like it would be a hassle."

"She did not need to," Pearl answered. "My Diamond's power was such that she could control her ship with a wave of her hand, causing it to fall and rise out of the ocean with merely a gesture."

Steven felt his heart sink, and not just because he began to doubt he had that kind of control over his powers. But the way she'd referred to his mother

'My Diamond'. Like 'my Steven'.

They both had to mean the same thing, or had the same meaning behind them. Subservient, submissive, servile…

Ha. It was the worst version of his vocabulary game ever.

Steven wanted to say not call his mother that, but… he knew what weight such an order would carry, so he bit it back, doing his best to ignore it.

"Are you okay, dear?"

He blinked, actually feeling his heart ease a little at Pearl calling him by 'dear' rather than… something else.

"Yeah, just thinking," Steven answered.

Pearl tilted her head to the side. "About summoning the ship?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

She nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately… despite how much your control over your powers has increased, in these last few months… I admit, it is doubtful that you would be able to summon the ship in a similar manner, at least for now."

"Like how you still can't unlock the Palanquin," Lapis added.

Pearl shot her a quick look, before returning to Steven. "Similarly, yes."

Steven crinkled his brow. "Well, then," he scratched his cheek, "why did we come out here? If I can't summon it yet, why bother coming out all this way?"

"Simple. I'm going to get us there," Lapis said, her watery wings emerging from her gem in demonstration. "I can fly us to where the ship is."

"Okay. But… I don't know if I can hold my breath long enough to swim to the ship," Steven replied. "It has to be pretty deep to be hidden, right?"

"Oh, it is," Lapis said, before smirking at him. "But I can do other things besides fly, remember?" Without even waiting for Steven to reply, Lapis held out her hand, pointing her palm at the incoming tide. And suddenly, a small round section of the tide stopped, not washing out, unflinching as the rest of the waves rushed around it.

After a moment, Lapis lowered her hand and the still water collapsed into its surrounding water. "Lapis's control of water is very well practiced," Pearl said. "She can create a bubble of air for us, as it were, while we submerge under the water."

"Oh! Right," Steven said, realization dawning over him. "Just like how you kept the water off me and Connie the afternoon I met her under the dock. And when we swam with the dolphins."

"Same idea, yeah," Lapis said. "So, when you're ready, Steven." She turned around, getting onto her knees. "You can ride on my back, like you have before."

However, Steven hesitated. He looked over at Pearl. "Will we even be able to get in? If I can't summon it, will I be able to open the door?"

Pearl paused to think for a moment. "The ship is designed to respond to Blue Diamond in a myriad of ways, many of which require no use of her powers at all." Another pause. "And if that doesn't work, I can open the ship."

"Really?"

Pearl nodded. "After my Diamond was gone, I was charged to look after her ship, as it was meant to be your ship." Yet another pause. Pearl wasn't wearing her hairclip today— she hadn't worn it for weeks now— but despite her covered eyes, Steven could still tell that she was considering him closely. Pearl continued, "Stored on the ship were tools, as well as information about the Cluster, such as its coordinates and exact specifications."

Steven felt his throat tighten. "So you've been in the ship a lot? Since I was born?"

"Yes. Though, not so much recently."

Steven swallowed hard, trying to hold back the ebb of hurt and guilt that was beginning to pound in his chest.

Hurt, because he still remembered it from the Kindergarten. That feeling as he realized that he was the only one that didn't know about the Cluster, that Pearl had told the Crystal Gems before him and that she likely would never have told him if she'd had her way.

But also guilt, because he knew it was petty and childish to still be feeling like this. Pearl had explained herself and it was difficult to argue with her reasoning of wanting to maintain the calm. Even now, Steven couldn't help but feel weird, knowing that somewhere below his feet was a force that was intended to destroy the planet.

He clamped his eyes shut and gave himself an internal shake. These were things to consider later, but for now…

"Alright," Steven said, putting on his best relaxed expression. "You can fly us there, Lapis?"

"Yeah, like I said," Lapis answered. "Just climb on."

Steven did so, letting Lapis help him up as he wrapped his arms over her shoulders. She then rose to her feet and turned to Pearl.

"Wait, there's no room for Pearl," Steven said.

"No problem," Lapis said. She walked over to Pearl and smiled. "Ready?" Pearl nodded and Lapis bent over and picked Pearl off her feet, carrying her in her arms. "Get a good grip," Lapis instructed.

Steven readjusted and tightened his hold and Pearl hugged her arms around Lapis's chest.

Even after confirming that everyone was ready, Steven was still surprised at the speed Lapis kicked off into the air, her wings flapping to propel them higher. And then, with a burst of speed, they were soaring over the ocean, the shore rapidly growing smaller behind them.

The three of them flew for what seemed like no time at all before Pearl said something. He couldn't hear her, the wind from their speed whipped too loudly in his ears for Steven to really make it out. But he saw her point to something below, and they came to a stop, easily and all at once, hovered over the water.

"What-" Steven began, but he cut himself off as he saw what Pearl had pointed to.

"The buoy," Lapis said. And Steven saw it, a single red buoy bobbing along with the waves. Its only unusual feature being that it was so far off from shore.

"It marks where the ship is," Pearl said. "The ship is not affected by the ocean's currents, but… keeping track of its location is important."

"Because it had stuff you needed to stop the Cluster."

A pause, before Pearl spoke, "The ship is your inheritance from your mother. I could never lose something meant for you."

Steven felt his stomach groan. "So how are we going to get down there? It has to be pretty deep, right?"

"Pretty deep," Lapis said. "But I move fast, even under water. Are you ready?"

Steven gulped. He was beginning to feel nervous. Not that he didn't trust Lapis or anything, but… "Yeah. I am."

"Pearl?"

"I am ready, Lapis."

"I'm going to need one of my hands free to do this," Lapis said. "So you'll need to hold on tightly, okay?"

Pearl shifted and tightened her hold around Lapis's chest. "I am ready," she said again.

Lapis nodded and took her hand that was bracing against Pearl's back and outstretched it, pointing it towards the ocean below them. Before Steven could ask what was going to happen, they were moving again, though this time they were heading directly towards the water.

As it got closer, Steven braced himself, closing his eyes and holding his breath and… nothing happened. Or at least, nothing that he felt. He opened his eyes and was amazed at what he was seeing.

Lapis had taken him underwater before, but never this deep, and never with a bubble so large. Beyond it was the ocean, deeper and darker than the shallows of Beach City. It was almost impossible to make out any specifics, everything becoming dimmer and dimmer as they sank, down, down, down. But still, Steven could make out shimmering schools of fish, the sinewy form of an eel, and all sorts of other sea life bustling around them, no doubt wondering what this strange new phenomenon was.

In the distance, he could just make out the echoes of what he thought to be whale song, but so muffled that he couldn't understand it, let alone call back.

"There. I can see it."

Pearl's voice drew Steven's attention away from the fish and to the seabed below. A darkish shape was growing rapidly as they approached, taking on a distinctive bluish tint.

"Mom's ship…" Steven breathed.

As they moved in closer, Steven could see the ship's form start to become clearer; an arm, a hand, and five fingers. Just like Pearl and Dad had always described it.

Something else that became very clear as they descended was the sheer size of the ship. He had no exact idea or reference for how large the ship was. Just a few days ago, Steven had been thinking how large Amethyst and Garnet's fusion had been, but now… the ship absolutely dwarfed her.

They finally got close enough to land, not on the sandy bottom of the ocean, but instead on one of the fingers of the ship which, with the ship's palm facing up, lay outstretched and pointing towards the surface. Lapis landed onto the ship's finger, carefully letting Pearl down, before bending down and allowing Steven to slide off her back. He fell down onto the cool, curving surface with a soft 'clank'. The alien metal was completely dry beneath him, all moisture banished by Lapis's power. Steven looked around, trying to find a hatch or door for them to enter, but at least from where they stood, the ship appeared completely sealed.

"How are we going to get in?" he asked.

"There is a hatch at the base of the ship," Pearl said. "It is meant for emergencies, but that is how I had to gain entry to the ship after your mother was gone."

"Why couldn't you enter the… uh, normal way?"

Pearl hesitated, before answering, "A Pearl would never have access to their owner's ship," she said. "Thankfully, my Diamond did see fit to leave me access to the secondary emergency entrance."

Steven squeezed his hands into fists. "Can that be fixed?"

"It can, but-"

"Good. Then we'll work on that when we get in." Steven peered over the edge of the palm. "Where is the hatch we need to get in?"

"Below, near the wrist," Pearl said, "However… we do not need that, I think."

"We don't?" Steven asked.

Pearl shook her head. "While you might not have the control over your power to summon the ship, I do believe that you will be able to warp us in."

"'Warp' us in?"

"Kind of like a warp pad," Lapis said. "Except without the pad."

"Okay," Steven said slowly. He looked down at the ship below his feet. It still looked like blue metal, with no seams or rivets or anything that he could see. So how was he going to 'warp' them in? With his powers, but… the idea of shooting lightning didn't seem appealing, especially so close to others…

"All you must do, dear," Pearl said, "is summon some energy from your gem. The ship will recognize you, and we will be warped in."

Steven had done similar practices with Garnet, during his past vision training. She had told him that summoning energy from his gem, just the amount he needed, no more, was the key to perfecting his powers. Steven had compared it to taking a deep breath and holding it, and while Garnet had been unsure how applicable that comparison was, Steven found that thinking about it that way had helped him with the concept.

"Okay," Steven said again. "I'm going to try it." Pearl nodded silently and stepped over to him, stopping by his side. However, Lapis stood still a few feet away.

"I'm… going to stay outside, if that's alright with you," she said.

"Um, okay. That's fine," Steven said. "Are you sure?"

"It looks like every other ship I've been on in my life," Lapis shrugged. "Besides, there's nothing in there for me anyway." She offered a small smile. "So you two have fun."

"You will be here waiting for us, yes?" Pearl asked.

"I will, yeah."

Pearl gave her a slight bow. "Thank you, Lapis." Lapis half shrugged and gave a wave in response. Pearl looked over to her side, at Steven. "When you are ready, darling."

Steven readied himself, doing his best to keep calm and even, despite the excited beat his heart had taken. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, before he began to gather the energy from his gem. He felt a warm, tingly sensation building in his chest. He blinked and- suddenly Lapis, the ocean and the life within it, was gone. Instead, there was bright light all around, similar to a warp stream, but this didn't seem to be rushing past them.

He blinked again, and just as fast as it had come, it was gone. Now replaced with… nothing. Or at least that's what it seemed like at first. A few more blinks and Steven's eyes began to adjust to the sudden darkness. Not that there was much to see. It was an empty room, its walls and door the same shade of blue as the outside of the ship. The door was huge, however, almost taking up an entire wall and stretching just short an equally high ceiling.

Of course it's big. It has to be Diamond-sized…

Pearl stepped forward and pressed her finger against something on the wall- a control panel, the kind Steven had seen before during their exploration of Gem ruins. The panel lit up and light entered the room from above, though not much. It was still fairly dim.

"It's running on emergency power," Pearl said, answering Steven's unasked question. "I put the ship in hibernation, so as to preserve its energy supply."

"Is the ship running out of power?" Steven asked.

Pearl considered the question for a moment before answering, "Not so much. However, here on Earth, without any place to recharge it, its energy is finite. And if it did run out of energy, then the ship would be trapped under the ocean."

"Okay, so you put it into hibernation to preserve its power. If we ever needed it," Steven said, nodding with understanding.

"Yes," Pearl answered. "But you are here now, and as such the ship needs to be brought back to its full power." She pressed her finger back against the control panel, and with a 'swoosh' the Diamond-sized door opened, revealing a dimly lit corridor, closed doors lining it as it ended in inky darkness.

Pearl walked out of the room and Steven followed after her, his head turning as he tried to look in every direction at once.

"I will need to reset the generator. And redirect the energy flow," Pearl said. "But that should only take a moment." She turned to him. "If you wish, you may stay here, Steven." She nodded at one of the doors behind him. "The control bay. And once power has been restored, I believe that will be the first place to explore."

Steven looked at the door. It was huge, Diamond-sized like the one they had just stepped through. No doubt that's where Mom… piloted the ship? No, unlikely. But she did probably oversee all of the ship's operations from there.

"And you won't be gone long?" Steven asked slowly. It wasn't that he was scared, exactly. If anything he felt excited. But… this was an alien place. Literally. And… he'd just feel better if Pearl was with him while he looked around.

"I will not," Pearl said. "The process is mostly automated, I merely need to be there to make sure everything proceeds as it should."

"Okay. Then yeah, I'll be fine Pearl."

A beat passed and Pearl nodded back. "I'll just be a moment," she said before turning, walking down the corridor, and eventually vanishing in the darkness.

And Steven did wait… for a time, anyway. After several minutes, Steven's boredom and curiosity began to outweigh any apprehension he had about being alone in the ship. It was his, after all, right? He wanted to look around, to explore, even if it was dark and kind of scary. To that end, instead of following through the large door Pearl had disappeared through, he went to the smaller one next to it.

There was a panel by its side, as all the ship's doors had, but it wasn't lit up. Pressing his fingers against it did nothing. Steven had even tried to pry the door open, but it was smooth and pressed together tightly, leaving no place to grab onto.

Ugh. For a super advanced intergalactic species, we should really try door knobs.

Steven had finally stepped away, about to resign himself to waiting, when suddenly light began to flood around him. Almost all at once, the corridor was lit, allowing Steven to see around himself perfectly. Not that there was much to see. Blue corridor, blue doors of varying sizes, all of which were shut. Even though he could see down to the end of the corridor now, he couldn't tell which door Pearl had gone through.

Rubbing his chin, Steven took a step back, hoping that if he could see all the doors he might notice some clue as to where Pearl had gone.

Something 'swooshed'. Turning quickly around, he found that the Diamond-sized door to the control bay had opened.

He peeked through the door and down the corridor beyond, expecting to see Pearl returning. He looked back into the control bay.

Pearl did say this would probably be the first place we looked. So when she comes looking for me, this will probably be the first place she looks…

Taking just another moment, Steven walked into the control bay. The first thing that caught his eye was the throne, blue and Diamond-sized just like in the Palanquin.

That's where Mom sat when she oversaw the ship.

Beyond the throne though, there wasn't too much else to see, really. There were screens on the walls, as well as many consoles all around. And each console had buttons, triggers, switches, dials and screens, all of which did things Steven couldn't begin to guess at, beyond the very broad 'pilots the ship'. He wished there was a Nephrite or someone around to teach him.

Steven circled the room several times, taking it all in before he stopped in front of the throne. Maybe Pearl could offer more insight about this room? She probably knew more about what every-

A flash of blue caught the corner of Steven's eye. He spun, only to flinch at a bright neon blue light shone directly into his eyes.

Shielding them, he heard a voice say, "My Diamond. You have returned."

The voice was flat and mechanical sounding. Was… the ship talking to him? Like some kind of Virtual Intelligence?

"Uh, yeah," Steven said, unsure how he should respond. "I- I have my mom's gem, anyway."

He mentally chastised himself. It was unlikely that anything Gem-related knew what a 'mom' was. However, the VI voice continued, "My Diamond, it is eleven point one four cycles past when you instructed to me to remind you about your message."

"Oh… Um, sorry?"

"Would you like to play the message now, my Diamond?"

Steven's brow creased. "What's it about?"

"I cannot speak to its contents, my Diamond. However, its designation is 'For Steven'."

Steven felt his heart jump what must have been twenty feet in his chest. "Fo-for me?"

"'For Steven'," the VI voice repeated. "Would you like me to play the message, my Diamond?"

Steven blinked and without really considering it, answered, "Yes. Play it."

The voice said nothing else, and for a split second nothing happened… Until suddenly, a figure appeared out of thin air, just in front of him. She was blue, from her skin and to her robe. The only exception was her hair, which was long, rich-looking, and pure white. She was tall, but not towering- maybe just a little larger than Garnet. And much larger in the stomach department. She was pregnant, very pregnant. Her eyes reminded Steven of when he looked in the mirror and even her wispy wavy hair reminded-

And then it hit him, all at once as he took in the full picture of who was before him now.

"M-Mom…"

She flickered and flashed a little, and Steven realized what exactly he was looking at. A hologram, but not like a Gem's body. Just one made of normal light, rather than hardlight.

Steven was staring at a hologram of his mother, looking all as graceful and elegant as she did in the pictures he'd seen of her. He took a step forward, and as if reacting to him, she looked down and spoke.

"Steven," she said, her voice soft and gentle. Almost as if she was really talking to him. A small smile creeped over her lips. "You're… here. Right now, watching this, aren't you?"

She rubbed her round belly as she spoke and Steven realized with another jolt that that was him. She had been pregnant with him while she was recording this. He nearly reached out to touch, but...

Blue Diamond looked at one of the now blank screens, her smile widening a little more. "This planet- Earth- it's so incredible, Steven. Mm… I see now what Pink saw in it, what she tried to tell us… and that we refused to listen." She sighed, her eyes turning downwards. "She tried to show us how it was a gift…" She looked back up, to the blank screen. "But now, I am going to correct that. The Earth is a gift, and it is mine- and Pink's- gift to you, Steven. A place to grow and learn to be a Diamond- a better Diamond then I could ever be."

Steven gulped and sniffed, suddenly realizing his vision was getting blurry. He wiped his eyes with his arm, and he saw his hoodie sleeve, the same color as the robe his mother had worn.

That she was wearing right now, in front of him.

He sniffed again, hugging himself, and the hoodie, tightly.

"Yes…" Blue Diamond continued, still looking listlessly at the blank screen before returning her gaze forward. "This will be your first colony, Steven. Your first mark on the universe."

A… colony? Steven's mind shot back to the Kindergarten. How everything was so desolate and… dead. And how the Crystal Gems had said that was what would have happened to the whole Earth, had they not prevented it…

Steven felt an uncomfortable pang in his stomach.

"When you are ready, when you have learned everything you need to, you will need to return to Homeworld, Steven. My ship- your ship- will be able to take you. And Pearl will be able to pilot it. She is competent enough.

"There are files within the ship's database that will need to be delivered to Yellow and White. They are final decrees of mine. All of my existing colonies will be divided up into other Courts, as will most of the Gems in my Court. While I wish to give you a fresh beginning, you will still need assistance. A platoon of Quartzes, a lab of Morganites, some Bismuths…" She smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I wish I could be there when they first swear their loyalty to you. It will be such a wonderful occasion."

"S-swear… loyalty?"

"You will expand through this system and into the ones beyond it. You will create Gems of your own, made in your own image, to serve and shape the universe itself. But Earth will be your start, Steven. Your first colony, to preserve and protect, however you wish. And a monument not just to yourself, but also to Pink. That she was right about Earth and everything on it."

Steven gripped the front of his hoodie, and he could feel his gem underneath his fingers resting against his shirt.

"But you will be a better leader, a better Diamond, then either Pink or myself could have ever hoped to be. I know you can be, Steven."

"No… No…"

"I… When you are watching this, I don't know if you're ready yet. Maybe that's what brought you here? You're finally ready to return to Homeworld. But, I suppose that doesn't matter. You're here now and… I can only hope you're happy. With Greg, and with Pearl. I know she is faithfully serving you, as she did me."

"No… No!" Steven finally yelled, the uncomfortable pang having grown into a swirling storm inside of him. "She's not- She's not serving me! And she shouldn't have served you! You shouldn't have treated her like that!"

But the hologram made no response, of course. It couldn't. It was just a recording, smiling serenely. The person Steven was screaming at had long ago passed.

"I love you, Steven. Never forget that. You're my little Diamond, even though I haven't even met you."

"I'm not! I'm no-" Steven felt his hoodie on him, but instead of feeling warm and comforting, it felt like it was needling him; poking and prodding him against his will. "I'm not a Diamond! I'm- I'm me!"

He took his hoodie and frantically removed it, slipping it over his head. His eyes were burning and he could feel his heart hammering in his chest.

"I believe in you, Steven."

"You don't!"

And with all the energy and anger he could muster, Steven threw his hoodie at the hologram. But again, it made no response, only flickering and corrupting briefly as the hoodie passed through it.

"You're going to do amazing things, my little Diamond. I just know it."

And with a click, the hologram disappeared, leaving Steven alone in the room, sobbing into his arms.


Pearl hurried down corridor, her eyes scanning for any sign of Steven but… Nothing. The corridor was empty. No doubt he had gone off to explore as soon as the power had come back on. She sighed in frustration. His curiosity always got the better of him.

No matter. He was in no danger on a ship so attuned to his every need. And luckily, Pearl knew its layout perfectly, and already had some ideas where he could be.

As she reached the end of the corridor, she heard a sound. It was out of place on the ship, and for a second, Pearl was unable to place what exactly it was. But as she approached the end of the corridor, she saw the door to the control bay was open and saw-

"Steven!" Pearl cried as she spotted him on the floor, his shoulders quaking. She rushed over to him, dropping to her knees at his side. But she wasn't able to get a word out before Steven spun around and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her chest.

"Steven-" she said again, but this time her eyes were drawn to the console behind him. A light was blinking, the light indicating that a message had just been played. And there was only one message on the ship, as far as she knew. That one her Diamond had made for Steven…

No. No. She hadn't wanted him to listen to it alone, she'd wanted to be there for him-

But no matter. He had heard it, and he needed her help.

Pearl's face scrunched as she began to softly rub Steven's back. She hugged him close and began to speak softly.

"It's okay. It's okay, I am here…

"I am here, dear…

"I am here."