Hey, guys! Sorry I've been really stagnant lately. I've been focusing more on my studies lately and as such, I haven't been updating FF lately. So, I can focus now on you guys! So, as usual I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, ideas, ect. Credit goes to Dante Watterson for creating the character Soren Spessartine and helping me co-write this story and Lexboss for creating the character Jewel. If you have an idea, leave it below and I'll tell you if I can let it work. If you haven't figured it out yet, the production of my stories is Steven Universe, Mass Effect and Destiny. And I've made a Wattpad too, so watch out for that. Anyway, enjoy.

God bless, JPLegends

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: The Observer

Ever since they got back the HQ, activity in Tokyo according to Hamada has gotten better. Activity in Central Tokyo has dropped to a minimum thanks to the drone strikes, effectively bringing Tokyo back into humanity's hands. Meanwhile, the remaining gems in Central retreated into the Suburbs, making the area a medium strength stronghold, considering the amount of time they threw everything together. Shitamachi, meanwhile, stayed more or less the same. They started closing off the bridges and started hourly patrols, which means they are wary off a full scale assault now, and that they're gunning for a fight. This could either be good of bad depending on the situations that play out, but either way, it would make that district extremely hard to get in to. But for now, they need to focus on the Suburbs.

"Speed is key," Hamada says, bringing up the Suburbs on his laptop. "We pull this off, we'll have back our established Military and plus some. It depends on how we attack the Suburbs." Steven looks at the activity in the restaurant. Military forces are modifying and fixing their weapons, and counting their causalities. The militia is doing the same, except they seem to be having a vivid conversation. Ever since they got back, Jewel hasn't really been her rapid, energetic self that Steven saw in battle a few moments ago. She's just been sitting far away from the group, and the only one who went over to talk to her is Sour Cream. Even then, Jewel wouldn't make eye contact. She shyer than he expected.

"We have the advantage of surprise now," Connie says. "The gems didn't know that the attack would happen and their response is golden. If they knew what our goal was, they would have started boosting defense in the Suburbs, sending reinforcements from Shitamachi and they would have started executing or boosting security on the hostages. Either way, sir, you're right. Peridot is a tactical genius. It won't take her long to realize what our game is and she'll start boosting defenses in the area. We need to hit quickly."

"Human lives don't matter in her eyes, though," Steven says. "If she starts doing that, she'll think that we're just trying to drive them out instead of going for the hostages."

"What we need to do is trap them," Connie says. "We send in airstrikes from the drones that attack key points in the stronghold. The gems scramble for battle stations while the drones hit everywhere else, and the second the drones give them breathing room, we head in and shatter them. The ones that we don't get will likely head for Shitamachi."

"Good plan," Hamada says, pulling up zooms on the suburbs. They have one stronghold in each of the districts, with the hostages being held in the Central area of the district. The drones hit the surrounding areas, forcing them into that area and when they clear out, we storm in and hit them where it hurts. We'll have two of our districts from there. On to specifics…" At this point it was up to Connie and Hamada to figure out how this plan would work. Steven turned around to see what everyone was doing. The JGSDF were doing their routines, which was fascinating to watch. They were eating, fixing and modifying their guns, mourning the dead and some were praying. The militia was more or less doing the same thing. The gems were discussing something, except for Soren and Jewel. Soren was practicing some sword techniques outside of the base and Jewel was sitting away from the group, talking with one of the militia members, which on closer inspection, Steven saw to be Sour Cream. Sour was talking to her rather casually, and Jewel was just silently listening, never making eye contact.

Steven walked away from Connie and Hamada to a nearby table and sat in a seat, watching the two talk. It was so interesting to see this side of the gem who Steven assumed to be violent and ruthless. In reality, if it wasn't battle, she is completely shy and anti-social. And it was even more interesting to see Sour Cream interact with her. Cool, suave Sour Cream having a sort-of conversation was a gem who wouldn't even look at him. She would chime in every once in a while, but mainly she was silent. "She's like that silent kid at my old school," Connie said, walking in and sitting next to Steven. "Never interacted with anyone. Never talked or made eye contact. He always sat at the far corner of the cafeteria. Watching. Listening."

"Did you know the kid?" Steven asked.

"Not really," Connie said back. "He was more of an observer than anything. Never took any part in the middle school drama. Like I said. Watching. Listening."

"Sounds disappointing," Steven said, before making a connection. "It sounds like you before we made friends." Connie looked at him with a weird expression on her face. He could not make it out, and he didn't like it. Was she mad? Did he hit a nerve? She responded a few moments later with a curse.

"I was just like him," Connie said. "An observer. You broke me out of my shell, Steven. But that kid. Looking back, I wish I knew him a bit more. He was more like me than I thought. We could have been good friends. And then the war came and now I don't know if he's even alive." Connie grunted and turned toward Steven. "The observers end up getting hurt. I'm lucky I met you." Before Steven could even contemplate this, Connie up and left in a hurry. Steven didn't know any issues like this. He was mainly homeschooled. But there was a hint of a bigger picture. Social isolation. The observers end up getting hurt.

Steven looked at Jewel, who was now alone. Like Sour Cream to only make a quick conversation. He got up and walked over to her, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. "I saw you talking to Sour Cream a bit ago," He said to her. "He seems to like you." Jewel smiled a little bit.

"Humans are nice," She said, looking a bit away. "The gems are really smashing them into the ground, aren't they?" Steven followed her gaze. It was on Sour Cream talking to Jenny and Lars.

"That's a… brutal way of looking at it," Steven said, frowning a bit. "You really want to protect humans?" Jewel snapped her head around to meet Steven's eyes, her eyes glinting with anticipation.

"I want for the Homeworld Diamonds to suffer," She said. "I want their gems to be held to the fire for all of the things they did to me!" Steven flinched a little bit, mainly because he was not expecting Jewel to change gears like that.

"But Sour Cream," Steven said. "You don't like him?" Jewel sighed, turning her head back toward the group.

"He's a really nice human," Jewel said. "But I don't know anything about Earth. I was only released moments ago." Steven took note that since gems have an infinite timespan, decades and centuries could be to them like minutes.

"You were experimented on under that mountain for all of those years," Steven asked. "Why?"

"I was an 'incubation malfunction'," Jewel stated, huffing. "The gem rebels led by Rose Quartz intended to sabotage the gem making process by fusing one gem's DNA with another's. Originally, I was supposed to be a Pearl. But my DNA got fused with an Emerald and now, here I am. The same," Jewel gestured, exposing her body so that Steven could see her features. "But different."

Steven was amazed at how much that sounded like human reproduction. "And the gems were astonished?"

"They freaked out," Jewel said. "I was a successful birth-fuse. A dominant Pearl with Emerald capabilities. They couldn't comprehend it and the Diamonds took that as an opportunity to make weapons. They ordered research to be green lit, and for centuries I was experimented on. Changed. Demoted. Alienated. I wasn't a Pearl anymore. They 'enhanced' me, tortured me, took control right down to my DNA. And the gem hierarchy was amazed that the mother pearl was so bold as to add some of her DNA as well. I have memories of her, stuck in my head."

Steven was amazed. A mother! Like a human! "Who is the pearl?" He asked. To answer, Jewel pointed at the group of gems.

Garnet. Amethyst.

And Pearl.

Thanks for reading! And I was serious about the whole observer thing. The observer will get hurt. I could go on for hours on how, but the main message is to get to know the observers. Get to know that quiet kid at lunch. Get to speak to the over-working co-worker. You may get a loyal friend out of it. And maybe something more. Thanks for reading. See you on the next chapter.

God bless and keep you, JPLegends