Together

A lone gem trudged through the jungle, ducking and weaving between the dense foliage. The weary traveler growled in frustration as she advanced towards her carefully concealed spaceship. The length and arduousness of the long hike, combined with her recent humiliating defeat at the hands of a human child, served to sour her mood. The Homeworld gem fought the urge to stop and strangle the countless birds which squawked incessantly overhead.

"Ugh…stupid earth creatures…won't be quiet," she grumbled. "They're mocking me…they're all gonna mock me." The gem paused, and a painful realization came to her.

"I'll have to report this to Yellow Diamond. She'll have me destroyed. Unless…" A sadistic smile came to the gem. "She'll never know."

Pushing her way through several overgrown vines, the gem finally came to a clearing in the foliage. Stepping out of the dense tangle, the Homeworld gem let out a sigh of relief and looked over the massive ship before her. She had been allowed to commandeer the vessel to travel to earth. However, due to her limited experience as a pilot, her landing after the assault on the human town had been less than exemplary, and had caused some damage to the ship. The Homeworld gem was glad that she had encountered a gem technician on earth. Even though she couldn't stand Peridot's disdainful attitude, the lime-green gem had her uses. Still, the massive warrior had no intention of fulfilling her promise to her measly mechanic.

The Homeworld gem entered her ship and sighed, surveying the interior of the massive crystalline transport. She tromped through the countless corridors and hallways until she reached the bridge. Upon entering the room, she found Peridot working to effect repairs on the flight controls. Turning to face her, the technician scowled and let out a frustrated sigh.

"You're back," she stated coldly, returning her attention to a damaged panel. "I'm almost done fixing the damage you caused. I recommend you learn how to operate a ship."

"I recommend you be quiet before I make you," the Homeworld gem retorted sharply. "Keep working. I expect to be ready to leave soon." Peridot mumbled something before pausing and looking back at the gem warrior.

"So where's Rose?" the green gem inquired. "You did catch her, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the Homeworld gem responded. "She's gone. She tried to escape to the human settlement, but I caught her. And ended her." Peridot gave her a skeptical look.

"Really. Then where is her gem?" the technician asked, turning her attention back to her repairs.

"It's gone," the hulking gem responded tersely. "I crushed it."

"You're lying. Yellow Diamond wants Rose Quartz's gem intact. You don't have it because you didn't beat her."

"Shut up!" the brawler replied, her temper flaring dangerously. "One word of this to anyone on Homeworld and I'll crush your gem into dust!"

"Hmph," Peridot replied, dismissing her companion's threat. After looking over the control panel one more time, the green gem stood up. "The repairs are complete. We can now return to Homeworld."

"No," the massive warrior gem replied, "I can return to Homeworld."

"Huh?"

"You're not coming back with me," the gem warrior continued. "You have failed your mission repeatedly. I have no reason to help such a pathetic excuse for a gem. You deserve to stay on this worthless planet."

"But we had a deal!" the gem technician exclaimed furiously. "You said that if I help you find Rose and…"

"I don't make deals with weaklings," the gem warrior interrupted. "I'm going to go report to the Homeworld. I expect you to be gone when I get back." At that, she turned and left the bridge, ignoring the green gem's icy glare.

The Homeworld gem walked briskly through the interior of the ship, her footsteps echoing through the quiet corridors, and her thoughts echoing in her mind. She wondered if her plan would work. Peridot was right. She didn't have Rose's gemstone, and she had been told to retrieve it. If anyone pressed the issue, they would likely discover that she had failed her mission. The massive warrior briefly debated telling the truth, but quickly discarded the notion. If they learned that she hadn't captured Rose, the consequences would be severe. No, her only option was to make Yellow Diamond think she had succeeded.

The hulking gem finally reached her destination, and quickly went inside. The room was empty, save a control panel on the far wall and a transparent screen. Walking over to the console, the gem warrior entered a simple command, and the screen flickered to life, displaying data about the ship. Smiling slightly, she entered another string, and the display went blank. After several seconds, it lit up again, and a gem appeared onscreen. Looking down at the warrior, the gem scowled.

"Report," she commanded tersely.

"I made it to earth and scouted the Kindergarten. I encountered four rebels, including Rose Quartz."

"Did you complete your mission?"

"Yes," the Homeworld gem replied. "I eliminated Rose, and the rebels."

"Did you manage to locate the technician we sent?" her superior inquired.

"She was destroyed by the rebels," the warrior responded, shifting nervously. "I will be returning alone."

"She's lying."

The Homeworld gem turned to find Peridot standing in the entrance to the room. The green gem stopped a few feet from the screen before continuing.

"This is Peridot reporting. I am alive. She encountered Rose and the rebels at a temple, and then again in the Kindergarten. However, she failed to capture or defeat Rose on both occasions."

"She's lying!" the Homeworld gem stated defiantly, glowering at her backstabbing technician. "She's wanted to sabotage me all along!"

"If you really did beat Rose," the green gem replied slyly, "then where is her gem?"

"Yes," the overseer agreed. "Yellow Diamond ordered you to retrieve Rose's gem. Show it to me."

"I…crushed it" the Homeworld gem responded, her resolute tone belying her concern.

"You expect me to believe such an obvious lie." the overseer asked scornfully, causing her deceitful subordinate to back away from the screen. "How dare you try to trick me! You had one job. One! And you failed. Miserably. And then you have the gall to try and lie about your incompetence. Don't bother coming back to Homeworld. You're pitiful. I will report your flagrant insubordination to Yellow Diamond. She will decide what to do with you." At that the gem pushed a button, and the communication ended. The Homeworld gem turned to her traitorous companion and snarled viciously.

"YOU!" she seethed, baring her teeth. "You betrayed me! Prepare to die!" The massive warrior summoned her cudgel and swung at Peridot, but the green gem dodged. Landing behind her aggressor, she summoned her cannon, aimed at the ceiling, and fired several rapid shots. The blasts tore through the roof of the ship, creating a large hole. Not waiting for her outraged attacker to recover, the nimble technician whirled her fingers and began to hover, slowly rising towards the opening.

"Hahaha, you missed! You thought you could catch me. But you're just like those crystal clods, gullible and slow. Well, now you're going to regret not taking me back to Homeworld. I sabotaged the ship's engine. Now you're trapped here too. We both know what's coming. And we both know what will happen to you. There's no way for you to save yourself now!"

The Homeworld gem watched as the technician flew through the hole and out of sight. After a few moments, she turned and headed back to the bridge, muttering about her mutinous companion. Upon reaching her destination, she tried to initiate take-off, only to discover that Peridot had, in fact, sabotaged the engine, rendering the vessel inoperable. The frustrated warrior slammed her fist against the control panel. She couldn't believe that she had failed to destroy Rose. And she wished that she had taken care of Peridot when she had the chance. The Homeworld gem smiled grimly as a mortifying thought came to her. She and Rose had one thing in common.

They were both doomed.

A word from the author:

Hello again, everyone! I wanted to thank you all for joining me through this journey. This was my first fanfiction, and I'm so thankful for your continued support throughout my story. I would like to thank everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed. Your feedback has been greatly appreciated, and has helped me to grow as a writer.

I am also pleased to announce that since this story was so well received, I have decided to write a sequel, which will be titled The Odds are Against Us. If you haven't already followed me (the author, not the story), be sure to do so, and look for my new story. The first chapter should be coming out soon. Watch for it!

Once again, thank you. Stay awesome!

-Lotus