"So, you didn't reach the entrance yet?" Tansy asked the Crystal Gems at breakfast the next morning.

Amethyst shook her head. "But we will today, I'm sure of it!"

Just then, Garnet came into the hall.

Major Perigord raised his eyebrows at the sight of her. "Garnet? What the deuce are you doing back here, reformed? I thought you were spying on the vermin."

"That's over and done with now," Garnet panted. "We got caught. I barely escaped with my life."

"Oh," said Perigord. "That's disappointing to hear but I'm glad you made it back safely."

"Now that he knows Sapphire was a fraud, he might not bother to meet us at the ridge anymore," Garnet said. "He might just attack the Abbey directly. I'm sorry."

"That's all right," said Perigord. "You did your best. At least you were able to learn that Damug Warfang was creating his own Gem army, and warn us."

Tammo stood up. "Now getting into that ship is more important than ever!"

"That's right," said Pearl.

Skipper stood up too. "Mother Abbess, marm, with your permission, I'd like to venture out into Mossflower and round up a few more allies. I'm acquainted with every otter tribe in this neck o' the woods, and I got other friends too, squirrels, hedgehogs, and the like."

"Yes, absolutely," said Tansy. "We need all the help we can get."

"And don't forget," said Perigord, "If Riffle made it to Salamandastron, he'll have told Lady Cregga and the Long Patrol of our predicament. A Badger Lord can turn the tide of any battle, to say nothing of five hundred hares, wot!"

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Garnet joined the other Gems at the dig site that day. The hole was so deep now that they had to lower themselves into it with a sling the moles had rigged up.

"Impressive job," Garnet commented, gazing at the spaceship.

"Why, thank you," Amethyst said.

"Are you gonna turn back into a bulldozer now?" Tammo asked her.

Pearl answered for Amethyst. "No. We're too close now. This is the delicate part of the job. A big machine like a bulldozer might damage something we don't want to damage."

"Like the hatch?" said Tammo.

Pearl nodded. Tammo noticed that she had two pickaxes strapped to her back. "We're going to use these instead." She handed Tammo one of the picks and took the other one herself.

The four of them took turns using the picks. First Tammo and Pearl dug into the soil with them, while Garnet and Amethyst cleared away the rubble. Then Garnet and Amethyst would dig, while Tammo and Pearl cleared.

By three that afternoon they'd uncovered a circular groove on the side of the ship that looked like a manhole cover. "That must be the entrance!" Tammo said excitedly.

"Well, we can't stop now," said Garnet. "Keep digging!"

It took another two hours to completely clear the hatchway. It was about six feet in diameter.

"That's it," said Amethyst. "We're finished."

Pearl turned to Tammo. "You want to do the honors, Tamm?"

"I suppose so," Tammo said, his voice shaking. He pushed on the door and it swung open, making a high thin noise that sounded almost like a scream.

Tammo poked his head through the doorway. He was looking along a corridor. It was perfectly round except for a flat ledge of walkway. Soft light glowed out of the round, featureless walls.

He stepped in. The three Gems followed him.

But when they were all inside, the door suddenly swung shut again, slamming behind them. "Ruh-oh," Amethyst said. "That's probably not good." She tried to push the door open again but it wouldn't budge.

"Step aside," Garnet said to her. Amethyst got out of the way as Garnet strode over to the door and punched it with her huge fist. But the door did not move even one centimeter.

"We're trapped!" Pearl groaned.

Tammo tried to keep his voice steady as he said, "That doesn't matter, marm. We're here to explore this ship, and that's what we're jolly well going to do. We can worry about how we're going to get out later."

Amethyst clapped him on the shoulder. "That's the spirit! Come on. Let's see what's in here!"

They started walking down the corridor.

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Damug Warfang had been very busy all day. He and his vermin soldiers had installed the rest of the Injectors in the ground, and he'd filled them all with his sweat. He had a seemingly endless supply of sweat, as he never used deodorant.

Now he was simply waiting for his new hybrid life forms to emerge. Once they'd all been birthed, he would march on Redwall!