Happy Mom's Day, guys! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, everything has been so insane lately. I really am sorry. So, I have a multitude of projects of coming in the not-so-distant-but-just-a-little-bit-out-there future. I have plans for a Zelda story, an Until Dawn story and another Mass Effect story. Also, I have the first few chapters down in a fantasy story for Wattpad. Go check out JPLegends on WP and read "The Blade of Dragon's Blade," book one in the "Warrior of the Aegis" series. Special thanks to Dante Watterson for co-writing and providing a character and Lexboss for providing our newest character. If you have a criticism or story idea or whatnot, leave a review saying so. Enjoy the read!

God bless, JPLegends

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: A Push Inland

"Wait, wait, wait," Connie said for the billionth time to Steven. "So, Jewel was a subject of a human type incubation between and Emerald and Pearl?! Our Pearl?!" Her voice was full of excitement.

"Yeah!" Steven said, with as much excitement as Connie. They were sitting on a boat getting ready to strike the suburbs' gem stronghold. The plan would be to follow up on a series of drone strikes on the island, and kick the gems while they were down. This would allow the gems; shattered, defenseless and confused, to gun for a fight they didn't expect. It would be difficult, seeing as the militia stayed in Central Tokyo. But as of now, Steven and Connie were way too surprised that Pearl is technically Jewel's biological mother! Hamada was sitting at the front of the boat, looking into the vast, far away island shore.

A series of yellow flashes and smoke flew into the air from the island. A smile grew on Hamada's lips. "The strike begins. Everyone, storm our island! Leave no alien alive!" The boats start up and race across the waters, as the explosions become more frequent and precise, going deeper into the island. Steven and Connie put in their earplugs, preparing to go on shore.

"Plan is we have small teams begin to push into the island at different angles," Hamad says, shoving a clip into his rifle. "Once the five initial drone strikes are finished, we go in and make a direct push to the central base, fighting off bogeys as we go. We hit the base, save the civilians and hold down the fort no matter what. The drones will be circling the island so any foreign craft that comes in will be shot down. Strike one is over, teams. Hit the shore and move up at my order." The array of boats hits the shore and soldiers near and far begin to climb above shore, moving up to the island. Hamada's team, which consisted of Steven, Connie, Hamada and two JGSDF soldiers, were in a beach area with cars, concrete remains of buildings and trash cans scattered throughout the scene. A little bit away, an emerald green tower structure was on fire and crumbling apart. Hamada slid behind a trash can, the two soldiers went behind a concrete remain and Steven and Connie went behind a car. The team was scattered about, but there wasn't too much distance between each other, the shore and the upper area of the island. A little while away, gunfire started up and Hamada whistled. A little bit ahead was three gem soldiers.

The Major was the first to open fire, firing a burst of bullets from his gun. The bullets hit one gem straight in the chest, where he was stunned but his gem was nowhere near the chest. Hamada went behind cover quickly, and the three gems open fire. The one of the two soldiers moves around the sight and stays behind cover a little bit away from the gems. Steven turns toward Connie and nods his head toward the gems. Connie nods back, understanding what comes next. Steven summons his shield and springs from cover into the open. One of the gems shoots at him but Steven blocks it with his weapon. Connie leaps from his shoulder, sending her flying into the gem. She swings her blade, which makes the gem immediately poof. The gems, confused, turn and aim at Connie. Before anything else could happen, the soldier opens fire on one of the gems, making him poof. Steven throws his shield into the gem's head. It stuns him, giving Connie enough time to swing and poof the gem soldier.

A little bit away, another series of explosions, more frequent and aggressive, occurs off in the distance. After the fire dies down, Hamada says into the radio, "That's strike two. How are we on manpower?"

"This is Team Sword, we've taken one casualty," Garnet says into the radio. "We're good to go, otherwise."

"This is Team Bow, we have two injuries," Pearl says. "We can muscle through."

"This is Team Dagger, we are in tip top shape," Soren says. "We are ready to go."

"This is Team Hammer, we have two casualties and everyone else is injured," Amethyst says, sounding grim. "We are in no shape to continue."

"This is Team Warhead, we have one injury," Jewel says. "We are good to go."

"Copy, teams," Hamada says. "Hammer stay back. Everyone push forward." From that point out, the teams were moving from place to place in great strides. The gems seem to have been ordered to retreat, because there were rarely any encounters. After the fourth drone strike, everything went silent. Teams Hammer and Sword had to fall back to the boats, and other than that, everything was going according to plan. Hamada's team wound their way through collapsed gem towers, destroyed strongholds, shattered gems and ruins of the suburbs. Within an hour, everyone made it to the main base. When they got to the base, they found that the walls and inside were on fire and being faced with explosions. "Drone strike five is under way," Hamada says, his team in cover behind some ruins nearby the green base. "Bird's eye view shows many gems on the interior of the walls. Omega Sword, Bow, Dagger, Hammer and Warhead, do your thing." Steven had been ordered to stay behind as support for the JGSDF. The people Hamada called were Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Soren and Jewel.

Inside the base, gems started getting taken out. In five minutes, Garnet radioed "All clear."

"Copy Omega Sword," Hamada radios back. "Initiating drone orbital patrol of the island. Teams, head in." Hamada's team rolled out and along with seventeen other soldiers into the main doors of the walls of the base. They walked in to find the Crystal Gems stomping on the remaining gems that have not been shattered. The twenty-two soldiers gather around and look at the building.

"A warehouse," Connie noted. "They got fortifications set up around the area and the hostages would be somewhere around here. There should be a mild gem infestation." Hamada shouts something in Japanese at some soldiers. Two of them flank each side of the main door and four more surround the door.

"We breach the building," Hamada says to everyone. "Steven, you use your shield for fire cover. If you are fired upon, Kogara and Shinaku throw smoke grenades inside the building. The gems take them out and we advance into the warehouse. We search until we find the hostages. Agreed?" Steven nods. He walks up to the door and summons a massive shield. The strain pulls at his gem, making sweat drip down his face. The soldier on the left opens the door. Steven closes his eyes, expecting the exhausting strain of his shield being beaten on. Seconds later, bullets begin to hit his shield. Steven gasps, getting down on one knee. The strain was painful, tears welled in his eyes. The soldiers each threw in a smoke grenade as the fire continued. Everything in Steven burned, and his gem felt like it was going to rip right off. Even though it was a few seconds, the pain felt like it took forever. A gush of wind flew past and the firing stopped. Steven, exhausted, made his shield disappear and he crumpled. He was caught, prevented from hitting the floor.

"Woah, there," Connie said, as she held Steven up. "That really took everything out of you." Steven's muscles ached and he felt tired. He simply smiled and got to his feet.

"I'm fine," Steven says, balancing carefully. "Thanks." Hamada shouts something in his native tongue and the soldiers storm the building. While Hamada and his company take a left wing, Steven, Connie and the gems head the other way. Any resistance the gems could have picked up fell as the team quickly took the base with almost no issues. The gems were drove out by Hamada's team while Steven's team scoured the area. When on the top floor, the search team finds a room filled with civilians and soldiers, sitting and waiting. Some were looking out a window. Every bit of attention turned to Steven, Connie and the gems when they entered the room. "Hey, you guys," Steven yelled. "We found the hostages."

"This is Hamada," the major says through the radio. "All remaining gems are shattered or have evacuated. Sending drones for clean-up. We're headed to rendezvous on your location." Minutes later, Hamada's team came in to the room. "Excellent," He said. "Half of you take care of the civilians and soldiers. The rest hunker down. This is our new FOB."

After that, the gems decided to leave the suburbs and Central Tokyo alone, and started gunning for an attack in Shitamachi. A quick skirmish through the area allowed all of the civilians and JGSDF soldiers to be rescued and sent to the new base. Only a matter of time before the final push, but first, the citizens need to be sent home.

Sorry if the chapter seemed like it was half-baked. I didn't plan this far ahead and I forgot about Mr. B's four Ps. Go check out my Wattpad again. Happy Mother's Day! I'll see you next chapter.

God bless, JPLegends