The other Crystal Gems had just landed on Homeworld, along with Lady Cregga and her hares. They had parked their ship just outside the city.
"Okay," Amethyst said. "Let's go rescue Tamm and Pasque."
"Wait," said Pearl. "We can't just waltz in there without a plan."
"We don't need a plan," Cregga said. "We've got a spaceship that shoots lasers. We should just fly up to those Diamonds and tell them we'll blast their city to ashes if they don't cough up our friends!"
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Garnet said. "The Diamonds have plenty of weapons too. They'd just shoot us out of the sky. Right now, no one knows we're here. That's an advantage. We'd be much better off rescuing Tammo and Pasque by stealth."
"That's gonna be hard," said Amethyst. "I don't look like other Amethysts, and you're a fusion. We're both gonna stand out. And that's not even taking into account Lady Cregga and all her hares."
"We can just disguise ourselves as Gems!" Midge Manycoats suggested. "I'll be 'Bloodstone.'"
Garnet unfused into Ruby and Sapphire. "We won't stand out if we play the roles we were made for," Sapphire said. "Here's the plan. I'll pretend I'm just an ordinary Sapphire, travelling with my Ruby guard, my Pearl servant, and an Amethyst for extra muscle. We'll bring Cregga into the city with us, and pretend we've taken her prisoner. That way, we can just walk into the jail without anyone noticing anything odd. Once we're inside, we'll find Tammo and Pasque and bust them out!"
"Okay, that's a good plan," said Cregga. The other Gems nodded their approval.
"What about the rest of us?" Joshy asked.
"You hares should stay here and guard the ship in case we get caught and need to make a quick getaway," Sapphire said.
"But that's not fair!" Joshy protested. "Dash it all, I want to play a part in the rescue! Tamm's one of my best friends, y'know!"
Major Perigord put a paw on his shoulder. "Now, now, sah, what Sapphire is saying makes sense. Suppose the Homeworld Gems launch an attack on this vessel while this lot are off galivantin'. We might need a wizard to help protect the ship then."
"I suppose," Joshy said. But he didn't look happy.
"Don't worry, Joshy," Amethyst said. "We'll be back here with Tamm and Pasque before you know it."
So Sapphire, Ruby, Amethyst, Pearl, and Cregga exited the ship, and started walking toward the city.
"Now remember," Pearl cautioned Cregga. "Don't attack anyone unless you absolutely have to. We're not here to fight. We're just here to rescue Tammo and Pasque."
"I'll do my best not to lose control of myself," the badger replied. "But if the Bloodwrath takes hold of me, there's no telling what I'll do!"
When they got closer to the city gate, Amethyst and Ruby took hold of Cregga's arms, and she pretended to be struggling with them.
The gate was guarded by two Amethysts, who regarded the group suspiciously. "State your purpose," one said.
"We found this creature on an alien planet," Sapphire said. "We're bringing her to the Diamonds so they can interrogate her."
"You'll never cage me, you rockheads!" Cregga shouted.
"What planet is she from?" the other Amethyst guard asked.
Sapphire and Pearl exchanged uneasy glances. They didn't want to say Cregga was from Earth because that might arouse the guards' suspicions.
"Granavenoo!" Ruby said, making up a fictitious name she liked the sound of.
"Seems legit," the guards said. They let the Crystal Gems and Cregga through the gate. Another pair of Amethysts met them inside, and led them toward the prison.
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"How much farther?" Tammo asked. He and Pasque were following the Off Colors through a tunnel that led up to the surface of the planet.
"Not too long... to go," the Rutiles said.
Rhodonite was quivering with fear. "I'm so terrified! We haven't gone up to the surface for years! What if we get caught?"
"We'll be fine," Tammo assured her. "My friends are waiting for us up there, and they'll bring us home to Earth in our spaceship. You'll be perfectly safe there. Nobeast will care that you're a fusion. One of my best friends is a fusion of two Gems. Her name is Garnet. I bet she'd love to meet you, wot!"
"Do you think there'll be room for me on the ship?" Fluorite asked ponderously.
Tammo looked her over. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but I think we'll be able to manage it. Once we get to Earth, you can join the Crystal Gems. None of you will ever have to hide again, I promise you that."
At last they emerged out into the open, and as luck would have it, they came out just a few feet away from the Martian ship. "There it is," said Padparadscha. "Just like I saw in my vision."
Joshy and Perigord came out to greet them. Joshy threw his arms around Tammo and Pasque, enveloping them in a hug. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you both safe an' sound, wot wot!" he cried. Then he saw the Off Colors. "My word! Who are they?"
"These are some new friends we picked up," said Tammo. "I trust nobeast will object to our bringing them back to Earth with us. This planet isn't a safe place for them."
"Great seasons, you must have had a fair few adventures," Joshy said.
"We'll tell you the whole story once we're safely away," said Pasque.
Major Perigord's face fell. "That's the trouble. We can't leave just yet."
"Why not?" Tammo asked.
"Because Lady Cregga and the Crystal Gems just went inside the city, looking for you!"
"Oh, corks!" Tammo exclaimed. "That's a bit of a sticky wicket."
