Pearl was brought in a small and poorly lit room with a large metal table in the middle, the walls looked exactly like the ones in the rest of the ship, on the far end of the room, opposite to the door, the Crystal Gem was able to see what looked like a small green drawer, she could only assume that it contained the instruments Jasper would've have used during her "questioning".

The idea sent waves of fear all over her body, she knew what Homeworld gem did to their prisoners during the war and Jasper was a veteran from that war, she seemed obsessed with Rose and nothing would stop her from getting every bit of information avaiable.

Pearl knew that she would've needed all of her will to keep Steven as safe as she could, she already failed once, she didn't want to fail twice.

Jasper suddently threw the Crystal Gem on the table, stunning her for a few seconds and typing some command on the table that began to light up, drawing on it's surface numerous green lines that gave a sinister green light to the poorly lit room.

Soon, the homeworld gem typed another command and from the table began to emerge thin bracelets wich automatically placed themselves on Pearl's wrists, ancles, waist and around her neck.

Then the futuristic rings began to glow green like the table and forced Pearl to lie on it's surface, like if she was kept in place by a very powerful magnet.

The Crystal Gem looked at her wrists, firmly locked on the metal table at the height of her head and her eyes widened in fear when she noticed that those green lines were beginning to extend on her skin next to the metal bracelet, Jasper quickly explained:

"Those will prevent you from shape-shifting, this is something we didn't have back then and it's very convenient for me and a less painful alternative for you."

Pearl took a deep breath to relax herself, she didn't need air to live but it felt good to do it every once in a while during a stressful situation, turning her head to the orange gem she stated:

"It doesn't really matter since you are going to torture me."

Using that word made the situation feel real to the pale gem, until then it all felt like a nightmare, one of those "messed up movies" Steven had every once in a while, she used to watch him sleep at every opportunity before he began to notice and was always ready to comfort her baby whenever he had a bad dream.

He might've been about to wake up in a reality that was worse than any nightmare and this time she wouldn't be there to comfort him.

Jasper moved towards the green drawer, while she was opening it she answered Pearl:

"I gave you an alternative and both you and the runt decided to refuse it, we might've forgiven you for your pathetic resistance back on that miserable hunk of rock, but you kept being a defective little Pearl."

Jasper took something from the drawer before closing while the Crystal Gem yelled furiosly:

"No mercy you could offer would ever be an acceptable exchange for Steven's well-being!"

She was unable to move due to her restrains but she still tried to broke free from the table and shut up that horrible and cruel gem, however she quickly calmed down when she looked in horror at the instrument Jasper was holding in her hand when the homewolrd gem entered again in her view.

Jasper hold the destabilizer a few inches from Pearl's face while speaking, enjoying the fear showing on the traitor's face:

"I guess a lost little Pearl like you will always need somebody to hide behind but here there's only me and you, Rose can't save you and you will talk!"

Jasper lowered the destabilizer to Pearl's chest, the Crystal Gem was scared, she remembered the pain that horrible weapon inflicted her but she didn't understand what use something like that could've had during an interrogation and she dared to ask about it:

"I-I don't understand why are you showing me that thing, sending me back to my gem can't be of any use to you!"

The orange gem grinned maliciously at the pale gem before explaining:

"Of course, you remember the old style interrogation when we would beat up the traitor until she was almost unable to keep her phisical form, but you see, we devised a far more efficient and civil method to deal with the likes of you."

At the end of her sentence Jasper quickly stabbed Pearl in the chest and the surprised Crystal Gem yelled from the pain.

The destabilizer energy felt less powerful than before and the pain remained concentrated in her chest area, however the pain was incredibly intense, it felt like she was being elettrocuted at first but after a few seconds she began to understand what was happening to her body.

That thing wasn't elettrocuting her but it was separating every molecule that composed her, it felt like she was being torn apart on a cellular level and the pain was overwhelming, when Jasper removed the destabilizer from her chest, the pain didn't fade right away but it took a few seconds.

Pearl stopped screaming and took many deep breaths while she noticed that her view was blurry from her tears, she didn't even notice until that moment and blinked quickly to clear her sight.

Jasper grinned again before explaining what happened:

"The destabilizer it's useful as a weapon at full power, but it's energy at lover settings could be used in various ways, for example as a barrier for your jailcells, painful to the touch but not strong enough to destroy your phisical form and of course, it's very useful for situations like these, I can inflict you all the pain I want and you will not retreat to your gem."

Jasper brought the destabilizer closer to Pearl's face in a treatening manner before asking again:

"Now, tell me averything you can about Rose Quartz and I will spare you from other pain, you were never made to take something like this, Pearls like you are fragile gems, that overcooked runt might be stupid enough to endure this, but you know better, you know that you will talk sooner or later."

Pearl took another deep breath before answering:

"N-no, I will not talk!"

Jasper's expression darkened:

"This was just a quick little shock and you are already a trembling crying mess, the next one will be a lot longer."

Pearl tought back to all the happy memories she had built with Steven and Rose, she couldn't betray them in any circustances, to any kind of pain, she would resist, she knew that Garnet and Amethyst would've done the same, Ruby and Sapphire were a lot stronger than they looked as well.

It was true that she was just a Pearl, that she was worthless on her own, but she did this for her friends, mere phisical pain couldn't bring her to betray them, she was stronger than Homeworld cruelty, she had to be.

She spoke again, esitantly:

"I...will not talk."

Jasper didn't speak, her anger grew looking at that weak and worthless gem keeping her from obtaining the information she wanted about Rose Quartz, that form she had taken was an insult to the respect she had for her most fearsome enemy, she run away in fear from what now was just a sick joke and that Pearl dared to keep her from her prize?!

The homeworld gem hit the Crystal Gem with the destabilizer, Pearl's screams were muffled from the special walls of that room otherwise every single gem on the ship would've heard them.