Fire Opal hated Tatooine.

It was hot, dry, unsanitary, overcrowded, and the crime levels were at an all-time high. Just thinking of all the bounties she could earn made her high on greed, yet she was fearful of disobeying her Diamonds' orders. She was assigned to bring back a black Gem, a rogue Pearl. Not because White Diamond wanted her back, no, she just had a high price on her Gem. The stories Fire Opal had heard of the rogue made her want to throw up. Burnt villages, entire family names wiped out, and many a gruesome bar fight. And for that, Fire Opal weaved through the clusters of alien crowds in the streets of Mos Eisley, scanning with her screen for the Gem who always slipped out of sight. She spent the whole day searching before deciding it was high-time for a drink at the cantina, also full of criminals of the most heinous sort. There was an assortment of mostly rugged alien men from all over the Galaxy. It was a pleasant looking social atmosphere, though. There was a coziness about it, yet a dangerous edge. Fire Opal strolled through the aisles of tables, some aliens hiding their faces whilst others catcalled. She stopped at the central bar. Fire Opal slid into her seat and ordered whiskey, but not too much. She had to be on guard. Once the shot glass was slid towards her, a voice, louder and closer than all the overlapping conversations spoke to her. "You're peculiar."

Fire Opal turned to the figure, a woman with her face veiled by a black hooded cloak. "You seem more peculiar than I." Fire Opal replied.

"Hmph. I'm just saying it's strange to find a Homeworld soldier in a place like this." The figure said. "So, Yellow Diamond? White Diamond? Who is it?"

"I'll have you know I work for the Militia of Flames, Homeworld's greatest army. I take jobs from all of them." Fire Opal replied proudly, her hand on her chest.

"Sheesh. Okay." The figure said. Fire Opal tried to peer behind the cloak, only to see a black Gem sparkle just a touch under a couple layers of sheer cloth on her chest, meant to cover it up.

Fire Opal squinted at the figure's chest. "So, who do you belong to?"

The figure chuckled, almost nervously. "Listen here, this ain't Homeworld. Out here, I don't belong to anybody."

"Your Gem says otherwise. Who are you?" Fire Opal leaned in closer, and the figure leaned in as well, not stepping back from a challenge.

"Jet."

"Who are you really?"

"Your worst nightmare if you ask any more questions."

"Since when were you the one in control?"

"When I left your garbage planet."

"Don't say you left on your free will. Everyone knows you were cast out by White Diamond."

The figure, Jet, growled, rolling up her lips to reveal her bared teeth. She pulled down her hood violently to reveal her obsidian hair, ashen skin, and cold expression. She drew a long, black spear and whipped it around, almost as a warning for evacuation in the cantina. Despite the warning, the patrons turned in their chairs to watch the good old fashioned bar fight. The band even played a more deviously jazzy tune to reinforce Jet's rhythm. "Last warning." Jet said.

"Please. You're nothing." Fire Opal slammed her fist into her palm and a few sparks flew into the air.

"Now you're just being stupid. Why would you want to burn the cantina down?" Jet grinned.

Fire Opal growled and pulled her hands apart. Instead, she wielded a Gem destabilizer and flicked it on with a quick movement of her thumb. It sparked and flickered to electric life. Jet didn't seem fazed by this, she just twirled her spear as an invitation to fight. Fire Opal charged Jet with the destabilizer, but Jet leaped and landed on Fire Opal's shoulder like a bird would its perch. Jet kicked Fire Opal with her slippered foot and scratched her face with the tip of her spear before Fire Opal knocked her off. Jet landed gracefully behind her, certain that she would be discombobulated. However, a Homeworld soldier like Fire Opal wasn't some mindless Quartz. She saw it as an opportunity to stab Jet in the back with her Gem destabilizer, all in one swift movement. Jet grunted in agony and hunched over, her body faded as she was about to poof. She turned to face her opponent, who was grinning already at the thought of the bounty she had just earned.

"How dishonorable. Stabbing your opponent in the back." Jet grunted.

"How dishonorable, hanging entire families from power lines." Fire Opal parroted Jet's words back at her.

"Clever girl. But with every great hero..." Jet pulled a switch from her Gem, pressed it, and threw it in Fire Opal's direction. "There's an even smarter villain." She smiled devilishly before running out the door. The cantina exploded in a fiery inferno before Fire Opal even knew what happened. Once she regenerated three days later and searched through the carnage for Jet, she realized that she had escaped.

"Scoundrel." Fire Opal muttered as she turned to head back to her ship on the outskirts of Tattooine.

*Megalomania.

UGH HOW SHORT

Aaaaaaah can I just say something about last night's episode? I did not see that coming. I really didn't expect the world to end that fast. I figured I would have more time to cram some character development episodes of Broken Together before Rho goes back to Earth to help out...Gaaaaah I feel so hurried. Screw character development let's fight the Cluster and the Diamonds

I didn't get the chance to watch Gem Drill, but Super Watermelon Island was superb as always. It was like Godzilla versus whoever the screenwriters came up with next. Steven's dreams are very interesting, and the whole watermelon thing was a very good way to see that fight. Also, Alexandrite's fighting style really put fusion into perspective for me, especially since this next chapter is going to be all about fusion! And seriously have some buildup first before you start the apocalypse I mean that ending was sudden

Fire Opal and Black Pearl have actually fought before...but Jet, being the clever girl she is, rigged the cantina with explosives so then witnesses couldn't get away and tell their friends. Smooth.

REVIEWS (and Critiques) ARE ENCOURAGED!