25. Gem Arrival
*A/N at the end of this chapter
Steven wondered what caused corruption; he imagined his mind would have started to rot by now, to use White Diamond's terms, if he wasn't half-human. Maybe next time around it would start – he could only hope so. He would very gladly be a shell of himself right now.
"Log Date: 20-57-3. This is Peridot. Preparing Secondary Level Trial 4. Reactionary lachrymation has been extracted successfully at each stage. Beginning Trial 4."
Each time it started, he felt the metal of his chair constrict a little tighter around him and a floating green digit would appear to collect his tears. The extra security must have helped to keep him from shaking, or else Peridot would never have been able to gather the wetness from his cheeks.
They weren't alone in the all-white testing room anymore. Now, it was Steven, Peridot, and Sapphire. She was… just like his Sapphire, actually, almost in every way, but he was pretty sure she was white. He thought his eyes had been playing tricks on him, her hair having shimmered in a rainbow of colors when she first entered, but when the door closed behind her she was pure alabaster, features soft as snow. The only other difference was the location of her gem. He would later learn it was located on the back of her neck, like Holly Blue Agate… Like Opalite.
She stood on a raised platform for a fourth time, facing him. He couldn't move his neck, so he just closed his eyes and waited. The whole experience felt even more backwards by his association with the gesture – it felt so wrong. Sapphire leaned over and kissed him gently on the temple, a loving touch that Garnet would share with him, but this was nothing like that.
The vision hit him hard, a milieu of feelings and memories overwhelming him in a instant, and then it was over again. It felt like he had just lived through ten years of his life, and yet hardly any time had passed at all.
How could he even explain it? It was like Opalite, his burning arm, the look on Pearl's face, the fatality of White Diamond's voice, all mixed together in his brain like the Cluster. He just floated in blank space, figures appearing and changing before he could even conceptualize what they might mean. Everything he had ever known, ever loved, was brought to the surface and struck down in front of him. Korea, Lion, the Hand Ship, every birthday he's ever had, Stevonnie, his ukulele, Empire City, Bismuth… It was like a maelstrom of sentiments, thoughts, places, and memories were being torn apart and then sewn back together, atom by atom, millisecond by millisecond, and then were hung out to dry like his clothes on a warm day. After the rush, there would be a horrible ripping feeling, a shortness in his lungs like when he had drifted out of the warp stream, and then he was back, sweat and tears washing over him, reality returning. It was so fleeting, but it so intense; so powerful, yet it left him so weak. It was undefined, infinite chaos.
Coughing, Steven came back up for air. His vision turned white and he blinked slowly, the rest of the white world materializing around him. Why did everything hurt? Where was he? It took several moments to untangle himself from the clouds in his Temple room, to shrug off Jasper's arm from across his shoulders, and to say goodbye to Sad Spoon. Life was upside down, backwards, and nothing made sense. It felt like he had just been smothered by his own brain and resuscitated with music.
He came back though, every time, words dying in his throat. What even was this Sapphire? Each time the vision was different, just as forceful as the first time, turning his heart inside out as he tried to reconfigure what was real and what was not.
Another moment, and then, Peridot spoke again.
"Log Date: 20-57-3, continued. Preparing to begin Secondary Level Trial 5. Reactionary lachrymation has been extracted successfully at each stage. Beginning Trial 5."
And then he was drowning. Again, and again, and again.
/
White and Yellow shared the majority of the Research & Development district, Blue not having as much an interest in technology as she had in culture. As a result, Yellow Diamond's influence here was extensive. She passed many of her own subordinates, all of whom stopped to salute and move out of her way, but she gave them no mind. Now was not the time for formalities; she needed to act, to stop White's reckless proposal while she still had a chance.
She stormed down a series of hallways until she reached the connecting lobby between the Yellow and White research units. Predictably, not a single of White's subjects were anywhere to be seen, hidden away like everything else she owned.
Too frustrated to seek them out, she found a Yellow Agate and demanded answers. "You – are there any new projects that have been started by White Diamond? Look it up – now." The Agate in question froze, not having expected her Diamond to appear, and especially not to be immediately commanded to act.
She jumped into a salute. "Y-Yes, My Diamond! Just one moment," she turned to another low class gem, who had stopped to salute in front of a screen.
"You heard her! Look! This week's records." Her voice was urgent, an echo of Yellow's own authority.
The gem trembled as she searched as quickly as possible, file after file.
She looked up, her face pained as if she had seen a ghost. "N-no, My Diamond. Nothing."
The Agate looked terribly nervous, domineering the other gem. "That can't be! Search again."
Another minute passed. This time, the Agate was watching the screen by her side, and he face fell.
"Nothing… Nothing from White Diamond in over a month." The fear in her voice was evident.
Not bothering with a reply, Yellow Diamond started towards the direction of their restricted experiments.
It only took another few minutes, but she was slowed down without her Pearl to work the small panels for her.
There.
It was immediately apparent when she had found the room she had been looking for, the yellow door displaying Testing in Progress, a warning not to disturb the trials. Damned be the trials – Yellow advanced through the door.
"This is – m-my my Diamond! I apologize, I was in the middle of – " she was cut off, replaced by a green puff of smoke that cracked with yellow energy.
Steven blinked through the sudden haze, disoriented as his blood was drawn for the second day in a row. Peridot had at least mercifully explained what she was doing when she stabbed him in the arm with a needle yesterday – taking the plasma from his blood – but she failed to explain why. It was a painful, slow process, so he sat with his eyes closed as he focused on cataloguing his memories, trying to clarify what was real and what had been twisted after the day's maddening ride of emotions.
It had taken sixteen mind-numbing trials before Peridot agreed they had done enough, declaring that WX90002 would begin the next day. That had made him feel ill; how could there be more to this? Were there going to be new trials, more trials? Was this even remotely related to him being the "key," or was this just another form of punishment? It was hard for Steven to even trust reality right now, let alone for him to try to question it.
That's why, when Yellow Diamond entered the room, he thought he was back again – back in another suffocating, alternate reality. He squeezed his eyes tight and tried to come up for air, but she was still there, and Peridot had disappeared, and he still had a needle in his arm. This time, the nightmares were real.
After a few more seconds of staring dumbly at her, Steven realized the she was speaking to him. He tried to focus, concentrate on his own world and not the pounding in his head, trying to understand what she was saying to him.
"… you are? Rose Quartz? Steven, that's what they call you? Well, I've had enough of it. There's been a change of plans, and you're my prisoner now."
He was still just staring at her, confused, light-headed from all the activity, but a shiver ran up his spine nonetheless. Those same words… Malachite.
Before Steven could catch up, Yellow Diamond leaned down and with a single, giant finger, she bubbled him. When Garnet and White Diamond had bubbled him, it hadn't hurt – and the barrier itself didn't really – but the tube in his arm was ripped painfully from his skin when she sealed him away from the outside world. He grabbed at the unexpected tear in his arm – it ran deep, the needle in his vein had torn through him rather than plucked gently outwards. It was almost funny, his bad arm now cradling his good one, but there was no laughter, just the soft trickle of blood as it pooled at the bottom of his yellow cage.
What is happening? Change of plans? What did she mean – I never stopped being a prisoner…
Yellow wasn't going to risk losing him, sending him off without a guide. There was no way to know how maniacal a rogue gem could be, so she held him to her face with her extended finger.
"I will say this once, so consider it wisely. The only thing keeping me from destroying you, your precious Crystal Gems, and the Earth is the thin film that separates my finger from your skull. Do not try to escape." She meant it, threat and warning all in one. Steven gulped hard, eyes wide as she studied him.
Yellow Diamond could only think of a single thing as she examined the pale, trembling figure that floated in front of her, red discharge – human blood, she guessed – collecting at the bottom of her bubble. He was a disappointing, waste of minerals. He was pathetic.
Turning on her heel, the tyrant left with her prisoner in tow. She needed to keep him sealed away at the time her message would release – White would come after him, but that was fine. Yellow was going to have her way with the traitor whether White liked it or not, but she needed to be careful – timing would make or break this plan.
Moving back through the hallways, towards her warp pad, Yellow listened for the announcement to be made. The hybrid was floating quietly in her palm, surprisingly tranquil, his eyes forward as they moved. There was no broadcast yet, but it would come within the hour, so she needed to move quickly.
/
The shirt that Dani had given him back at Pink Diamond's base had been replaced by an identical tunic the first day of his trials. They even upgraded his ensemble to feature white pants. The original shirt had lost its soft pallor, growing dirty over the days he's spent on Homeworld, so the replacement outfit was a nice change. It was sort of nice to have clean clothes, even if Homeworld didn't really seem to care about his health or hygiene. It was still a little sad to part with his jeans, his last little piece of home, but they were matted with dirt and sweat and were too big for him now. Looking at himself, the replacement outfit felt like a huge waste.
His crisp, white shirt had already been drenched in sweat, was torn jaggedly across the bottom, and now was soaked with fresh splotches of his own blood. Steven managed to stop the bleeding in his arm by tearing off the bottom of the linen and wrapping it around the point where the needle had dragged through his arm. He had watched a lot of T.V. shows where people would tie things like this to their wounds to stop blood loss, so he wasn't sure he did it right at first, but it did stop eventually.
For this moment, things felt oddly peaceful. Maybe it was just a relief to have escaped the despotic white world that had swallowed his mind, his heart, and his days as he had become White Diamond's plaything. When Yellow Diamond had taken him, he expected to be brought to another holding cell or to be another test subject for an experiment, a threatening yellow room that would shine severely down at him, but he had been wrong.
She had escorted him to a grand blue room that could only belong to Blue Diamond. It was powdery and lovely, elegantly framed around a long pointed seat – what he guessed could only be the Homeworld equivalent of a couch or a chaise. He was here, and he was alone. The world through his bubble sparkled a pretty green as the colors swirled together, a refreshing change from his monochromatic prison; at least things here were interesting to look at it, but he could only study them for so long before his head started to ache.
Sighing as he tried to dispel his dizziness, Steven didn't even entertain the thought of popping his bubble. What would it accomplish? Yellow Diamond's last words before leaving him were still fresh in his mind, playing again and again like a disturbing movie.
White may have given you the impression that you were special – exceptional, important. But that's just it – you're the opposite. The only thing that makes you exceptional is your remarkable insignificance. You're a plight, a mistake, a mark of the lowest rungs of our race. Remember that when I see you tomorrow.
He frowned, but he did not cry like he once might have. Even his hands were steady – he's learned a lot since leaving Earth, and if there was one thing that had been made perfectly clear was that his existence was a problem, a complication, a fool's errand. It was a lesson that only became clearer to him after the Sapphire had shared her visions – or, whatever those were – with him. If he didn't exist, the Gems and his Dad would still have Rose Quartz; they could have continued their peaceful, hidden existence on Earth. He was the one who was reckless, childish, stubborn. From the day he was born, to when his Peridot stepped out of the galaxy warp on Earth, all the way to Korea and now, he had dragged everyone he cared about into the chaos that was his entire life.
Resting his tired eyes for a while, Steven's stream of consciousness was interrupted when he heard a familiar voice. That voice… it was one from the mission to Zoo – the tone, the inflection – it was Yellow Diamond's Pearl.
Steven followed the sound, turning in the bubble, and gasped as he saw a massive iteration of that same Pearl towering over him. It took his brain a moment to catch up, to realize that she was not, in fact, fifteen times the height he remembered; she was being projected onto a large screen like the one he had first talked to his Peridot on Earth, beneath the Kindergarten. Her face was serious, judgmental, severe.
"On this day, the Diamond Authority announces a military victory in the name of Homeworld. No longer shall our race wonder after the fate of the traitors of the Civil War. The leader of these deceivers and defectors, Rose Quartz, will no longer scour the universe. Let any cut, color, and class of gem who lost their Diamond, as well as any other nonessential military gems, attend this Pubic Execution and see justice done in the name of those who gave their lives for Homeworld. At the quarter past the ninth hour, tomorrow, the Rebel Rose Quartz shall be put to death. One this day, the Diamond Authority announces a military victory…"
The message repeated again, then again, and another time still. On a loop, Steven watched the way her lips twitched into nearly a smile when she said death, the knitting of her brows as she spoke Rose Quartz name, the genuine sadness in her voice when she referred to Pink Diamond. Steven was not really upset by the announcement, just more confused than anything. This… really didn't seem like what he expected to happen.
I mean, maybe? Eventually? But Blue Diamond had seemed certain that they wouldn't kill me, at least not for a while. I wonder if the message reached the wailing stone all the way back on Earth? I hope the others don't hear it. Maybe White Diamond wants to use my shards in an artificial fusion? What would happen to my body? Does it hurt to die?
He released a heavy exhale, wondering, waiting. At least there would be no WX0002, no more horrible visions, no more fighting until he thought he would collapse. No more fear, no more Kindergartens, no more bubbles. No more shattering, no more Opalite, no more White Diamond. Things finally felt like they made sense.
Steven Universe was ready to die.
/
Garnet's mouth was drawn tight as she stood in front of the others, considering the best way to explain what tomorrow would bring. Amethyst and Pearl had returned, needing their separate minds fully focused on what was ahead, but Prehnite was enjoying her own company, so she remained present and attentive. Connie looked very tired, needing rest after all of the challenges in the past few hours. She stood expectantly, Garnet having promised her that they would talk about her vision when the others were together, but she still felt exhausted; finally warm with plenty of breathable air, her eyes drooped lazily as she listened.
"I have some… news. My visions have changed, but not very clearly. I am able to see the message sent to us by Yellow Diamond's Pearl. It may have been in the past, but it's been continually broadcasting on all Homeworld channels, so it exists in the future, too." She lowered her eyes, brows drawn together behind her shades.
"They… are going to host an event tomorrow. It will be styled like a festival; an exodus of gems will be gathered in celebration. It… they will hold a public execution, tomorrow. Early."
Pearl nearly fell over as the reality of her words washed over them. Garnet may not have said who the event was for, but they didn't need. A celebration, a public execution…
"I can't see the whole picture, but it will be hosted in the Center." Many of them exchanged a knowing glance, aware of the connotations associated with that place. The Center was by name a place of leisure and excellence, but it was better known to be a favored place of execution for captured war criminals, a massive courtyard where they three Diamond's sectors intersected.
Prehnite said nothing, her face blank as the words sank in. Then, she glided towards the control hub and immediately brought the ship to life, turning them around and throwing them forward into the blackness of space.
The group watched her, surprised by the sudden action.
When the fusion realized the others were staring at her, she turned her head slightly and spoke in an even tone. "What? If that's the message, then we have a timeline, and it's short. We have to go, and we have to go now."
They were all were troubled, certainly, but they were also pleasantly inspired by Prehnite's matter-of-fact attitude. To her, defeat wasn't even an option. Sure, their odds had been poor this entire time, but they had made it this far, hadn't they? And now, they had a fully-fledged war ship to their advantage, it's not like they were just going to wipe their hands together and go back to Earth. With this grade vehicle, they could get to Homeworld in only a few more hours, and they still had until tomorrow morning to jump the track of fate. It was now or never.
Sitting down around the piloting area, the others discussed strategy while Prehnite challenged time to a betting match. Connie's eyes had lost their desire to sleep, blinking attentively as she thought hard. "If we get there without any problems, how long will we have to find him? Until the, uh…" she mercifully didn't have to finish the thought, Garnet cutting her off.
"From the time we arrive, at this rate, we should have five hours to find him before he will be moved to the Center. That's the problem, though – I can't see where they're keeping him. The last I saw was him entering White Diamond's military district, but that was days ago. He could be… anywhere." The last word rang with finality.
Unfortunately, for all of Connie's spirit, this was as far as she could be useful – she knew Earth, and she knew her blade, but Homeworld was a mystery.
Pearl must have been on the same page then, tilting her head as she looked at the girl's sagging shoulders.
"Connie, I think you should rest. I'll need you to be at your best when we arrive, and exhaustion will only slow you down." The girl was frowning, but she didn't argue – as a swordfighter, she really did need focus, energy and endurance, and she felt like she had none of those things right now.
Using Greg's shirt as a blanket and Steven's as a pillow, she reluctantly tried to sleep, moving to one corner of the room. The others had suggested somewhere that was more private for her, but they didn't press the issue when she declined. After being thrown out into space, she wasn't exactly excited at the prospect of being alone if she could help it.
Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl focused on preparations while she rested – Pearl retrieving her sharpest, most precise sword from her gem, along with Rose's sword for Connie, and a hand-drawn map of the layout of Homeworld from her memory. She and Peridot had worked together to make more contemporary additions, so she felt confident that this was as accurate as possible.
Amethyst leaned over the lines on the paper, studying the unfamiliar patterns and shapes as she tried her best to memorize it. This was going to be it – her first time on Homeworld.
"Our best bet with the information available is rather to head for the Military District, or the Communications Hub. We know he was here for some amount of time," Pearl pointed at White's Military District, not fond of the memory of that place. "And, we know Yellow Diamond's Pearl sent the announcement from here." Her finger traced from the central southern part of the map to a large tower in the north-west.
"But, something about that irks me… With a message of this caliber, I would have expected the announcement from one of the Diamond's themselves, not a message to be delivered by a Pearl." She turned to Garnet, thinking.
"And you said Yellow Diamond isn't in the frame of the message?" Garnet shook her head in response, working through the same series of questions as Pearl.
"But… why? That's certainly not what I would expect, unless all of the Diamond were particularly busy with a joint task. They could be preparing for…tomorrow," she shuddered at that.
Amethyst was just confused, not fully grasping the social agenda of Homeworld. "Well, maybe the others just didn't feel like going all the way up there for just a message? Like, the only thing even nearby is this section, and talk about boring." She pointed at the Research & Development district, just south of the Communications Hub.
Pearl just bit her lip in response, dissatisfied with that justification. It just didn't seem like something Homeworld would do.
"Garnet? Do you… have any ideas?" Pearl didn't sound hopeful, but she disliked not having a plan.
Garnet, for her part, had plenty of ideas, but none of them were especially useful right now. "No – I mean, I can't see. But from what I know about Homeworld, I just have a feeling they will have kept him in Military District. That's where they keep prisoners, and I don't think they would see him as much else."
The Gems went on like this for several more hours while Connie rested, the girl relieved that she was able to drift into a dreamless sleep. The thought of a "public execution," given the context, could very well have sent her into nightmares, but she was too exhausted to dream.
She was awoken gently by Pearl, shaking her by the shoulder.
"Connie? It's time." The girl blinked into awareness slowly at first, but she flew up from sitting when she realized the implications of Pearl's words. Face set into a mask of determination, Connie nodded at her teacher who had extended her hands, offering her Rose's sword.
"We'll be entering Homeworld's atmosphere in ten minutes."
/
Steven had been floating in Yellow Diamond's bubble for several hours, listening to her Pearl read and re-read his death sentence until he had memorized it by heart. He imagined doing this might be considered a really morbid thing to do, but it gave him something to focus on that wasn't either of his arms – one scarred and the other bloodied – or wasn't Yellow Diamonds threatening final words to him, or Pearl's face when he left her in the dream, or Holly Blue Agate's arm draped across his shoulder. He could deal with the wispy intonations of her voice talking about him dying; that was far better than feeling like you were dying – he frowned, remembering the cold kiss of the white Sapphire against his temple, the secondary trials. Yes – listening to Pearl on repeat was a far, far better fate.
His discomfort was made worse by the painful pounding behind his eyes and the hunger in his stomach – he hadn't been given food today, and he had his blood drawn two days in a row, only to lose a fair amount on the way. The room wasn't particularly cold – at least, no colder than the rest of the places he's been – but he was shivering, his physical body craving food, water, and sleep.
Given the stillness in the room and the almost comforting loop of the recording voice, it wasn't a surprise that Steven audibly yelped when the blue door flew open. It wasn't Yellow Diamond, or even White Diamond – it was…
"Blue Diamond?" He had to rub his eyes to make sure he hadn't gone under the black waters of memory again.
She walked into the room, tall and magnificent and, by the look on her face, exasperated. "Yes, Steven. I'm afraid you've heard the news," she gestured a large hand towards the playback on the screen.
He almost laughed when he felt relieved by her voice – the day he had awoken at her feet felt like so long ago, and he had been so afraid. After having met Yellow and White Diamond, though, she seemed almost like a friend, a welcome substitute for the others.
"Y-Yes, I was surprised…"
Do I call her My Diamond? What do other people call other people's Diamonds? Will White Diamond make me shatter again if I was rude to her? Did this count as disobedience? Wait – calm down, you'll be dead soon. It doesn't really matter.
With a slow breath, Steven spoke as she came closer, lowering a hand to raise his bubble to a more comfortable height.
"What do I – or, um, is there a procedure for this? I know you said this wouldn't be for a while, so I hadn't thought about it…"
Blue couldn't help but smile at that – he was already so resigned to his fate. White had done better than she could have anticipated. Now, if she proceeded carefully, she could get what she wanted…
"Yes, well, you know, we needed closure, and it seems White has finished her use of you. Some experiments, some tests, if I recall correctly? Yellow was a bit anxious to get a move on. A pity – I would have enjoyed the chance to understand you better. There will be a ceremony – gems from all across Homeworld, and even some from the colonies will come to watch at the Center."
She had moved to sit on the uncomfortable looking blue couch, cupping Steven like a tiny prize in her hands. He didn't really know what to say to that; he was puzzled, of course, but he was also oddly disappointed. It wasn't like he asked for any of this to happen, the long and painful road it's taken him to get here, but the idea that he had been special, or important… it at least made it all feel a little more justified. Now it just felt pointless. If it still meant his one life in exchange for not only his family but for all life on Earth? Even if he wasn't special, he was glad he could this for them.
Blue Diamond must have picked up on his feelings, his mixture of disappointment and relief and pain, because her next words were totally disarming. "I'm sorry, Steven."
His eyes went wide – he never expected this. Blue Diamond was… being nice to him? Apologizing, even?
"I – b-but, why? You don't have to, we had a deal." He didn't want her to feel bad for him – he had gotten himself into all of this, after all.
She lifted him closer to her face; she was so beautiful, yet so sad. "That's just it, Steven. I did what I could, and you did what you could. I even had my Danburite that tended to you try to intervene, to stop it. I'm afraid they wouldn't listen." Now Steven was confused – why did Dani try to tell the Diamonds to stay his execution? She may have been nicer than he gave her credit for, but asking for something of this caliber directly to the Diamonds? That was practically a death wish.
Blue Diamond had to suppress the urge to laugh. Yes, exactly, that confusion. Perfect.
"Er, I hope Dani- Danburite isn't punished. She was really great. I just, I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. I told you I was okay with this – I expected the... punishment."
Now it was her turn to act confused – though in her case, it truly was acting. "Oh… wait, Steven – did she… did Yellow not tell you? I thought…" her voice grew pained as she trailed off, making Steven very nervous. Tell him what?
"I – well, maybe I should just show you." She stood suddenly, his bubble following her sweeping arm as she held him level with her chest. Walking towards the back of the room, Blue Diamond approached one of the walls perpendicular to the screen that still monotonously repeated Yellow Pearl's message. With the wave of a blue hand, the wall melted to glass, revealing the twinkling world below and beyond. In spite of all he's seen, Steven still managed to be amazed.
This was his first real view of Homeworld – buildings and walls, dividing spaces, buttressed by monuments and glowing architecture of every shape and size, all of it running high into the stars, like an epic maze that stretched far beyond the horizon. There were spires, towers, steeples and open courtyards, all decorated by complex murals of every color. He must have been relatively high up, because he could see the cityscape expand forward, far enough beyond the walls to see the world for what it was – a portrait of the magnificence, the supremacy, and the complexity of Homeworld.
There was a blaringly obvious flaw, however, much like the red blots that had stained his white shirt. Green and threatening, Steven saw a sight all too familiar to him – a giant, glowing hand was pointing straight down into the sprawling landscape before him. It was like a green star had flown too close to the world, approaching with malicious intent. He had seen the exact image on the beach outside of his home, and now he saw it from a regal balcony of Homeworld.
Steven craned his neck to look at the blue woman who held him aloft, and she was looking at him sadly, her eyes full of regret. "It's, I'm sorry, Steven. It's the Crystal Gems. They did not stay away, and now…"
"No! I can't, no – but, they can't, I told them – Pearl, why – is there anything I can do? Let me talk to them, please, I'll make them leave, I can – " All of the resolve, all of the will that had drawn him through these miserable few weeks all came from the safety of his friends, his family. Steven meant what he said to Pearl – he wasn't worth it. Even if his life had value, it was a waste to throw away their lives for just his. Now, they would…
Blue Diamond had shut her eyes at his pleading, her face screwed together in remorse. Well, it appeared as remorse, but it was pleasure. Deep, seething revenge – finally recompensed.
"I tried to tell Yellow and White to stand down. They would not listen. I…" she turned her eyes upwards towards the Hand Ship as it grew closer and closer, and Steven followed her gaze. They stood there, observing at the marvel of gem technology quietly. Steven was trying to think of something, anything – a way to get a message to them, or to convince Blue Diamond to let him do something, but there was nothing he could do.
Gazing upwards, the shooting star had combusted, burnt out, died. With a sudden flash, the ship itself began to came undone like it had once done in the sky above Beach City. This time, Steven watched from the below, mouth covered by his shaking hands, warm tears streaming down his face. The salty water joined the blood at the bottom of his bubble as he watched the Hand Ship come down.
/
With Prehnite at the controls, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Connie stood together, an act of solidarity as they approached. This was it – they had arrived. Homeworld.
Without stealth capabilities – these sort of ships intended specifically for combat and travel, not covert operations – the group settled on returning to the usual dock for ships, intending to act as a military unit returned from a mission. They would arrive just outside the Military District, which they agreed was the safest place to start their search.
Steering steadily, responding to inquiry calls with appropriate return messages, Prehnite had all but snuck them into the doors of Homeworld, when a shuddering started to erupt from within the ship, causing the others to look around fearfully.
"Pree, what is it? What's happening?" It was Pearl, she had run forward at the fusion to offer assistance if possible – she was the nearest to a technician the team had. However, before she could answer, there was a sudden emission of energy deep from within the ship, flaring below their feet in a series of tiny explosions. Garnet managed to catch Connie and Amethyst from being thrust forward, but Pearl had lost her footing and staggered towards the panel, slamming into Prehnite from behind. The blue fusion didn't even notice, consumed with the flashing diagnostic reports on the screen in front of her.
A remote disruption signal, internal radiation combustion, disabled emergency coolant system…? But why? There was no damage, no projectiles…
Then, realization hit, her voice weak. "No… but this means, they…"
They weren't taking damage, and the ship wasn't under attack. The engine system had been accessed by an external operator, terminating all circuits that kept them in the air, superheating the energy core. This wasn't an attack… this was a trap.
With a thunderous boom, the engine of the ship exploded. Fire, sparks, debris and metal, shouts and screams rang through the pilot bay. The floor below had splintered upon impact, jutting up dangerously and creating a series of hills and caverns that threatened to become their sharpened graves.
"Hold on!" It was Garnet, scooping the human and purple gem into her arms as she advanced towards the others. There was a horrible fissure, however, and the floor started to come apart entirely, air rushing into the room as they were exposed to the outside. It was like an iceberg split down the center, separating its pieces-parts, drifting apart into their own little pockets of hell.
Garnet's warning fell on deaf ears, however – there was nothing to hold on to. A particularly violent jolt slammed Prehnite into the panel that she had been using to steer, and the sudden impact forced her halves apart. Lapis was slammed backwards into Pearl, the two gems twisting and skidding backwards over a mass of metal that separated them from the others. Garnet, Connie, and Amethyst were huddled near the largest crater, the fusion holding them with one hand and grasping a disfigured piece of metal with the other. She had just enough arms to keep them from falling, but not to protect them from the debris that crashed down from above.
Lapis shook her head at the sudden flux, calling desperately through the sound towards the front of the ship, but once her eyes focused, the world came to a stop. The fires burned, the sparks shot, but there was no sound, no life, no movement for just a fraction of a second when Lapis saw her. Peridot, usually full of enthusiam and kindness, had been impaled through her back by a fallen beam, a javelin pinning her to the ground.
"Peridot!" The green gem raised her head, visor completely lost in the chaos, and she struggled to link cause and effect in the screeching world around her. She saw Amethyst, Connie and Garnet looking terrified, something she couldn't identify flying dangerously close to the human girl. Then there was Lapis and Pearl, a tangled mess on the floor that she could just barely see given that she was stuck. Wait, stuck?
She reached a hand down around her pelvis and winced as she realized what had happened. In a way, she was amazed that she hadn't poofed – but then, a memory. It was Steven, concerned but smiling as he offered her a hand.
You don't poof easily, huh?
Us Peridots are tougher than we look!
Time and tears caught up with her. They had fallen into a trap, triggered when they entered Homeworld's atmosphere, she had lost Lapis in the madness, the others looked like they might share her fate any moment…
She was pretty sure someone was yelling her name, or maybe multiple people, but she wasn't listening. The green gem directed all of her focus on a metal screen that hadn't been demolished in the chaos. Raising a shaky hand with her face screwed up in concentration, Peridot managed to drag it closer with her metal powers.
Yes… Almost there…
They were very close now, the gap between ship and ground shrinking fast, but the green gem knew what she had to do. It wasn't that hard, really, because she had done it once before.
Fingers flying across the screen, Peridot sighed a breath of relief as she watched her work unfold. The large chunk of metal that just barely held Garnet, Amethyst and Connie opened up from their side, a frightening image at first, but the metal swallowed them seamlessly. Peridot didn't watch as they were sucked into the ship, turning her head to Lapis who was yelling at her, Pearl clutching the blue gem by the arm to keep her from throwing herself through flames to reach her.
Peridot was able to give her a small smile as the floor came up to meet the two slender gems in the corner of her vision, horrified as they were dragged downwards through the metal.
From the outside, the mangled ship created an ironic peace sign, only a few miles from the ground, and shot the escape pods outwards. At least, thought Peridot, they were safe.
With another unnerving crunch, a warped piece of the ship jutted through the floor, piercing her from below this time. That had been enough – poof.
And then the ship burst, a million pieces flying over Homeworld, two escape pods blazing across the horizon in opposite directions, and a fragile green gemstone shot outwards from the blast, all of them at the mercy of sky above and the ground below.
*Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for your continuing support! Can't believe we're over 125,000 words - wow. I wouldn't have the gall to write like this without all of you, so I appreciate your kind comments, kudos, and humble reads as things continue to unravel. Coming up in the next few chapters, we'll see where the escape pods land, meet an unexpected ally, confront old enemies, and Steven will watch someone die.