The Logistics of Being Free
At his father's insistence Steven took the day off. Now he was blindfolded and being led by Greg and Peridot to parts unknown.
"Can I take off the blindfold now?" asked Steven as he stepped out of the car.
"Not just yet," his father said.
"Can I take it off now?" asked Steven as they walked a few more steps.
"Not now," answered Peridot.
He could feel then leading him into some sort of room. With a flourish his wife took of the blindfold. Steven found himself surrounded by freezers and strange equipment. His father and wife smiled at him.
"Surprise, it's an ice cream shop. I decided to open my next shop right here in Rossmore and you get to be the manager," said Greg proudly.
Steven's face fell, "That's really great and all but running a business is a lot of work. I'm already busy enough as it is."
"Steven as a manager you get to hire anyone you want. Think about Mitch. Is he at the diner all the time?" asked Peridot. "Look just take the shop, I'll help you with the paperwork and stuff. It will give us more time to be together."
Steven looked down on Peridot's pleading look. He couldn't say no to that face. So with a simple nod, he accepted. His father pulled him into a bone crushing hug.
"Great, I'll teach you the ropes and once you get your license you'll be set," cried Greg.
"You need a license to run an ice cream machine?" asked Steven a little shocked.
"Steven, this is America. You need a license to do everything," said Greg.
Peridot left father and son to bond. She drove the blue van to the Beta Kindergarten. There by a large entrance to the recently built underground city she parked the van and went inside. As she walked through the tunnels her sisters greeted her. Finally she came to a large hall where her sisters and the other gems helping out stood. With the help of a Nephrite she made it to the center of the room where a platform stood. Pregnant and large, the Nephrite helped her again up to the platform. Peridot gave a nod of thanks and picked up the microphone there.
"Welcome to our first question and answer session. Now that the city is operational I imagine you have all sorts of questions about your new home. I will answer them as best I can," announced Peridot.
A green hand shot out from the back. A voice shouted, "Why do you have a growth on your stomach?"
Peridot blushed, "Look it's not a growth. I am gestating offspring," she said hotly.
"How did that happen?" asked another voice.
"Well it's rather personal."
"No tell us, please," shouted one voice. "You promised," shouted another. The cries of her sisters filled the room.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. The process is called mating. Steven injected his gemetic material into my uterus and when conditions are right it combines with my gemetic material to produce an embryo."
"Did that hurt?" asked another
"No, no it was a very pleasant and personal process," began Peridot. And with a series of holographic diagrams she did her best to explain the wonders of human biology and the mysteries of dating. Her sisters listened raptly. No one said a word.
"And so taking into consideration that this is an emotionally charged event and the fact some of you could be fertile like me none of you should partake of this act until you are emotionally ready and even then only with a partner you can trust," concluded Peridot.
The room was silent until one hand shot up. "How's the baby going to come out?"
"Through a process called labor. From what I can tell it is a painful process. Once I have registered you in the local library, you can find out the answer yourself. I have arranged English language lessons for you all at a local learning center. Now I must rest, the baby is taking a lot out me." With that Peridot stepped down.
The next day Steven walked in on a tutorial that Peridot was holding for a small group of Peridots. He walked up to where Peridot was sitting and gave her a big kiss. The Peridots stared at them.
"Everyone, this is my mate Steven," said Peridot.
Her sisters ran out screaming from the room. One of them yelled, "I don't want a baby!" Steven looked at the retreating gems, totally bewildered.
"Was it something I said?"he asked softly.
Pearl had just fended off a lot of uncomfortable questions in the UN and had warped back home glad of the quiet. She had dismissed Spunky's babysitter a Lapis gem when the warp pad flashed. On it were 3 sheepish looking Peridots. Other than the fact they were bald and one had her arm in a sling they looked just like Peridot when Pearl first met her.
"Excuse us but we're not enjoying our stay on Earth," said what looked to be the leader.
"Well I'm sorry we can't allow you to return to Homeworld," said Pearl firmly.
"No, no, no we don't like staying on Earth. It's took heavy and bright," explained a slightly smaller Peridot.
"What my sister is trying to say is that were technicians in space station. We heard that you had a base on the moon and we would like to be stationed there," said the Peridot with her arm in a sling.
"As much as I'm glad that you want to go to the moon base. It will be a lot of work," said Pearl.
"That's okay we're used to hard work," said the leader.
"And that you'll have to work on its life support," cautioned Pearl.
"We did that all the time, in the yacht club," said the leader. The others shook their heads behind her.
"Very well I'll contact the Nephrite captain and you can go, Peridots?"
"1,2 and 3," said the leader.
"Okay lets see if there are other gems who'd like to get involved. The first thing you need to do is install a warp pad," said Pearl.
The Peridots cheered then the hurt one peered at Pearl. "Hey how are we supposed to get there?"
"On a ship, that's why I need to contact the Nephrite captain," replied Pearl.
Emerald and Jet were supervising a group of Peridots on a rest break. As caretakers of the original Peridot, they felt the most qualified to do this. The Peridots were very much like gemlings, cowed and fearful gemlings. They felt they had to ask permission to do everything. Most of the time they would sit there watching TV. So when Jet saw someone move out of the corner of her eye she focused on the Peridot.
There off in a corner a Peridot had modified her limb enhancer into a razor. She was in the process of shaving her head when Jet knocked her arm away.
"No! You are a free gem, now. You do not shave your head anymore," scolded the black gem. Thus Jet began her first lessons on teaching the Peridots on how to be free.
After a news cast showing the a disgruntled president holding a Peridot baby, the adoption agency set up was flooded with calls and emails. There were hundreds of couples interested in adopting a Peridot baby but Nephrite 10RX wouldn't just let anybody take them.
"Hello Refugee safe house how may I help you?" asked Nephrite pleasantly.
"Yes I'm Mrs. Kelly. My husband and I have been trying for years to have a child. Do you have any babies like Alice?" asked a voice.
"We have children up to the development of a 4 year old human," replied Nephrite her sweetest voice.
"We were hoping for a baby, a little boy."
Nephrite suppressed a laugh, "Mrs. Kelly do you know anything about the Gems? No? We're an all female race. Our bodies are light projections generated by our gems. We're looking to home our children with couples who understand just what gems are. Now if you're still interested, come to our city and we will give you courses on how to care for a Peridot."
They woman had hung up. Another call, "Yes I heard about your gem children and my wife and I are interested in adopting." The voice sounded foreign.
"Yes, but there are some conditions. If we are satisfied with your interview we would ask you to move to Rossmore so that your child may grow with others like her."
"But my neighbor across the road has a green baby and we're in Port Rush."
"Interesting, I'll take this up with my superior. Still if you are interested in a child you must come to Rossmore for an interview and courses on how to raise your Peridot."
There were many such calls like this. Most were people just putting out feelers still many were genuinely interested. A few days later the couples started arriving. An amusing incident happened during one of the children's playgroup.
Peridot was supervising a small playgroup of toddlers. Steven and Greg had just finished building a playset on which the children were playing. Peridot was pushing one of the children in swing when a middle aged couple walked up to her. The woman placed her hand on Peridot's belly.
"Don't worry we'll make sure your baby has a good home," said the woman.
Peridot jumped back, "Er there's been a misunderstanding. My husband and I are keeping the baby."
"Did you hear that Mavis? We could have grandchildren, grandchildren," said the man joyfully. "Let's go into the adoption agency right away."
The couple left Peridot babbling away. Once they were gone Peridot looked down at her outfit.
"I have got to get nicer clothes,"Peridot said to herself.
Over the next few weeks it became increasingly obvious to Peridot and the others how damaged her sisters were. Even the ones like Peridots 1,2 and 3 who had a relatively easy life were crippled with psychological issues. The other Crystal Gems tried to help but had to face a very hard truth. Gems had nothing in their culture to deal with this sort of damage.
Before the advent of Rose Quartz and the civil war, cracked or chipped gems were shattered and replaced. If a gem showed mental or psychological aberration this would be ignored unless it interfered with her set purpose then the gem would be harvested and placed in a gem powered artifact.
Corruption was more akin to brain damage rather than emotional trauma. Despite the many advances made by Peridot and Bismuth made on healing their own kind the gems had no way of dealing with the issues that plagued the new Peridots. They stood by helplessly as the new Peridots suddenly burst into tears or cowered in their tunnels refusing to leave. A sharp word or an angry look would cause a refugee to cringe.
The Crystal Gems needed help. They sent out word to the psychiatric community of their plight, combing women's and children's shelters for any social worker who would be willing to help. But the problem came with the need for money. Humans needed to eat, and to do that the gems needed money. Despite Amethyst's lucrative wrestling career and Peridot's growing business there just wasn't enough.
So this was why Peridot was waiting just outside an office of the Department of Energy with Jasper sitting at her feet as a bodyguard. She clutched awkwardly at the large case she was holding as she waited, the clock ticking. For such an important meeting that could change the course of human history this was taking far too long. Peridot had been waiting here for over half an hour.
Finally the door opened and a man brusquely invited her in. She found herself in a boardroom with several old white men staring at her.
"Miss Peridot," said a fat man.
"Mrs. Universe," Peridot corrected.
"Ah yes," the man continued. "While the landing of your sisters? Has been of great interest we do not understand why you have contacted us."
Peridot plunked down her case on the table and opened it up. Inside was a glowing white sphere held in what looked like a glass cage. The men winced at the bright light produced.
Peridot started,"Simple, what I have here is a fusion generator. With this I am able to produce plentiful, cheap and clean energy. For a price I am willing to impart the secrets of nuclear fusion to your country starting a new golden age."
The men just stared at her for a little while. Then the man at the head of the table stood up. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Miss Peridot despite our name we are not interested in producing cheap and plentiful energy," he laughed gently. "Our economy is based on supply and demand. We use oil and nuclear energy to produce power. The processes created extracting this power creates jobs which runs our economy. Now you come in here with a system that would take away all these jobs. Well Miss Peridot it would be a disaster."
"But your system is damaging your planet," spluttered Peridot.
"Not our concern. Our concern is with the American people," smiled the man condescendingly.
Peridot opened and closed her mouth. She could not believe the stupidity of these people. The young technician simply turned heel and left. Perhaps another government would be interested. Either way Peridot was not going to get money from these people today.
It was Pearl who strangely enough found a solution. In one of her rare breaks Pearl took Spunky out of school. The pale gem watched as Spunky and her robinoid played among the waves when a strange woman came creeping by. Pearl did her best to ignore her.
The woman cleared her throat. Pearl turned around. Right in here face was a brightly colored card,
"Madame Prime Minister, my name is Hillary Sprog from Funco toys. Your daughter's toy is of great interest to us. For a fee we would like to buy the rights and plans to your robo ball?" said the woman humbly.
"Just how much money are we talking about?" said Pearl.
The woman gave her a figure. Two weeks later the Funco vans arrived to pick up their first shipment of training robinoids. Steven and the other gems looked on proudly.
"Well thanks to this contract with Funco toys you'll be able to hire all the social workers, psychologists and teachers you need, Peridot," said Steven proudly. "It looks like it will all be smooth sailing from now on."