"How much longer?" Pearl asks Peridot, an edge of nervousness coloring her tone.
The Crystal Gems have been on their way through space to Homeworld for months at this point, though it's difficult for them to tell exactly how long. The depths of space, especially when making small hyper jumps, is disorienting and no one thought to program a small, nearly disposable ship like the Red Eye with time keeping capabilities. Ultimately, if it weren't for Peridot's skillful piloting they'd probably be totally lost.
"I can't say for sure, but we're close." Peridot states as she presses a few symbols on the screen in front of her. "It would go faster if we could just jump past these meteor fields, instead of going around them."
"Ugh! Feels like we've been in this thing forever!" Amethyst huffs and lightly kicks the chair nearest her.
"I'm anxious too, Deepcut. Any changes Garnet?"
Garnet, who'd been leaning against a wall, hardly moves as she glances at Bismuth.
"It's still muddy. I still see possible futures where we're all back on Earth together, but the longer it takes us to get there, the fewer I see." She hugs her middle, as if to hold herself together.
The stress and uncertainty of Stevens' well-being is getting to her, causing Ruby and Sapphire to struggle to stay synchronized. Garnet's struggle has the others all on edge, making Amethyst grumble, itching to break something. Bismuth struggles to sit still as well, hands twitching as if she'd like nothing more than to be forging something, anything. Peridot's hands twitch, shaking slightly as they fly over the lightscreen, maneuvering their ship. Pearl shudders, hands clasped together over her mouth. They just want to get Steven home safe and be done with Homeworld. Though they also know it's unlikely they'll ever be truly free of its tyranny.
"Good news!" Peridot exclaims after she finishes fiddling with the screen. "I've honed in on a signal from a Homeworld landing bay!"
"And that means?" Amethyst asks, drawing out the s.
"That means!" Peridot holds a condescending finger up at Amethyst, "We clear this meteor field and we'll pretty much be at Homeworld. We'll have to be cautious when landing to not draw attention, but either way, get ready. We'll be there soon!"
Everyone straightens up, anticipation buzzing through the ship.
Just wait Steven. We're almost there.
Steven hums in glee as he looks in the mirror at his new accessories.
"What do you think?" White asks. She, Yellow and Blue spent a lot of time working with several technology and invention inclined gems to design and program their gift to him.
"I love them!" Steven exclaims. He rushes over to hug the three diamonds in turn.
They surprised him during his meeting hour, where gems of his court could freely come to him directly to air out any grievances they may have. The gems originally waiting their turn gladly moved out of their way, promising to return tomorrow to speak with Steven. The moment the last gem had left the large room all three diamonds plopped, yes plopped, to the floor, causing a tremor to shake the walls and rattle the crystal windows, and presented Steven with his gift.
Inside the small box they handed him were two cylindrical cuffs, one pink, the other with three colored segments each in the colors white, blue and yellow. The cuffs fit perfectly around the outer cartilage of Steven's ears.
"Allow me to explain their functions." Yellow starts.
"They do things!?" Steven gasps, eyes large with stars shining in them.
Blue giggles, covering her mouth with a hand, White raises a brow with a small smile on her lips, and Yellow tries to scowl disapprovingly but can't hide the twitching of her lips, and quickly coughs out a few giggles of her own.
"Ahem, yes they… do things…" she doesn't try to hold in the giggle this time.
The group spends the next few minutes explaining and demonstrating how the cuffs work to Steven. The pink one acts as a direct diamond communication line. All Steven needs to do is tap the cuff with a finger and say the name of the diamond he wishes to contact. He will hear a chime corresponding with that diamond and he will be immediately connected to them via a matching device. All three diamonds then revealed matching white, blue and yellow cuffs on their person. White's is attached to her hair over her cheeks, the outline barely visible, and totally invisible from a distance due to its small size and matching color. Yellow's is attached to her hair(helmet? Steven never did figure it out…) near her ear, Blue's is attached to her further up near her forehead, like a tiny hairclip human girls would wear. He hadn't even noticed them, the colors matching each diamond perfectly. Each line was secure and 100% private for their, mostly Steven's, safety.
The other cuff with the three colors acts as a hard light tablet for Steven's personal use. With a tap the three colors will separate and detach from his ear to become the tablet, similar to the fingers on limb enhancers. With it he can do work outside of his office, or draw, or make music, all sorts of features he can explore in his free time.
After the demonstrations and a little more fiddling Steven replaces them both onto his ears with a happy grin. This is the first outright gift the diamonds have given him, he'll treasure it always.
A few hours later Steven's in his room, lights dimmed so he can sleep as he reads a report that just came through as he played around with his new screen. At first he was worried he's becoming a workaholic like Yellow, but he's glad he read the report anyways. Good news is always a good way to help him sleep easy. He puts the screen away, watching as the colored metal reconnect to each other then reattach to his ear. He snuggles under his thick blankets and closes his eyes to sleep. He may not need as much sleep anymore but when his body says "sleep now." he better listen. He learned the hard way when he passed out during a training session once. He'd skidded on the floor, on his face, and had a red skidmark over his nose for a while after. Naturally the diamonds panicked, thinking he'd been hurt. Some of the amethysts who were there took to calling him "Skid Kid" as a joke afterward. So now when he feels tired, he goes to bed and rests without trying to fight it. Mere moments later the sound of snoring fills his darkened room.
Peridot deftly maneuvers around various meteors and satellites as they draw closer to Homeworld.
"Everyone strap in. We're going to maneuver around the planet to one of the abandoned kindergartens. I'll need all my concentration to avoid detection from satellites and scanners. Stay quiet so I can focus."
Everyone takes a seat and straps in tightly. Amethyst takes a seat near a view port. She can barely hold in her gasp as Homeworld comes into view. Something about the planet, cracked in half with chunks floating around its gravitational pull, drew her in. It's beautiful, even while broken, and she can't help but admire that. The thought grows sour however, as the realization sets in of who likely caused the planet to break. A scowl crosses her face, the people who could do this to their own planet have Steven. Who knows what they've done to him thinking he's Rose Quartz, and punishing him accordingly. It's a miracle he's even still alive. Though from what Garnet's told them all about Blue Diamond and her vindictiveness she can only imagine the torment he's endured.
Garnet has been… tense to put it lightly. She's constantly checking her future vision, making sure Steven's at least still alive. Some of the futures she's seen have caused her to nearly fall apart, her form glowing and destabilizing. She'll start muttering to herself, Ruby and Sapphire out of sync and talking to each other. She'll say something about holding it together for Steven so that doesn't happen. What that is Amethyst doesn't want to imagine.
Peridot's hands fly across the screens in front of her, silencing the engines and deftly maneuvering the ship around the planet on momentum alone. More than once she cuts all power, completely plunging them into dim darkness, the only light coming from the few small view ports. They all huddle in silence as ships pass them by, never registering their existence on their own radars thanks to Peridot's skills.
They circle around the planet, searching for unmonitored access to one of the planet's several massive kindergartens. Peridot huffs in suspicion as she finds one with far less difficulty than expected. When she lived on Homeworld she was often helping program the robonoids that patrolled the kindergartens. It was boring work she was happy to leave behind when she finally became a certified Kindergartener, however the sheer number of robonoids she worked on led her to believe the kindergartens were heavily monitored. Now however, there's not a single robonoid in sight as they make their landing.
The engines hiss as they discharge steam, cooling systems working hard. The moment the ship is settled she shuts everything down and turns to her fellow Crystal Gems.
"While you find Steven, I'm going to find us a new ship."
"What's wrong with this one?" Amethyst bangs on a wall as she asks.
Peridot scoffs at her single minded friend. "This one is registered as stolen, and as such, it's locked down. I was able to get us here with a lot of work and hacking. However if we want to get Steven home before he starves, or they catch up to us, it's best I find a new ship."
"Not only that." Garnet steps forward, "A new ship will give us better odds of successfully getting off the planet without suspicion."
"And!" Pearl pipes up, "It'll be a much shorter distance from wherever he's being held to the shipyards, than if we had to come all the way back here."
Bismuth nods in agreement.
Feeling a touch ganged up on Amethyst frowns, then huffs out an agreement of her own. If the gems actually from here think it's a good idea, then it's probably a good idea. They know the place better than she does after all. Ugh… she hates it when they're right.
"Ok so, find Steven, get him out of wherever, head to the shipyards? How will we know which one to go to?" She lists off the plan. It's simple, which means there's probably a lot that could go wrong.
"Meet me in the central shipyard. If, for any reason, I can't find a suitable ship anywhere, I will simply meet you there and we'll figure it out!" Peridot, hands on her hips, states confidently.
"Will you be alright on your own?" Pearl asks.
Peridot huffs in response. "Not to worry. I know how to handle myself around here, even without limb enhancers."
Everyone nods, steeling themselves for the trek ahead. Step one: Get out of the Kindergarten; Step two: Locate Steven; Step three: Rescue Steven; Step four: Meet Peridot with their new ship; Step five: Escape. Easy peasy.
The trek through the Kindergarten and up to the main levels of Homeworld was a long one. Constant climbing and pausing or hiding at the slightest sound. Thankfully they were met with neither gem nor robonoid, making the long trek smooth. Before they knew it they were at the surface. Bismuth frowns and shares a quick glance with the others, the expression on their faces showing the same thought as her. It's good they're not coming back the way they came, the lack of security is suspicious.
Peridot splits off from the group, the little gremlin easily disappearing amongst the buildings of Homeworld. Garnet unfuses, revealing Ruby and Sapphire.
"Alright, Bismuth Amethyst and Ruby, stay here, out of sight, while Pearl and I figure out Steven's location." Sapphire explains. Her future vision has been all but useless. Garnet had been able to predict meteor fields and ships to avoid, allowing them to make it this far when combined with Peridot's piloting, but nearly everything directly relating to Steven was a blur of uncertainties. Ruby huffs angrily, while Bismuth and Amethyst nod in understanding. She hated having to unfuse and leave Sapphire, but a Sapphire wandering Homeworld with a Pearl and a single Ruby would potentially draw unwanted attention, and doing so as Garnet was sure to get them shattered on sight. They got away with it at the zoo thanks to Amethysts shapeshifting, Holly's overblown ego, and help from the Famethysts. Homeworld is a whole other situation with more eyes watching every move. So Pearl and Sapphire will make their way to Blue's court where they won't look out of place, get the info they need, then return. As long as they're cautious they should be fine, Ruby can't help but worry anyway.
Thankfully with Pearl's skills, and a little coaching from Peridot earlier on the updated tech, all they need to do is find an information screen. These screens are scattered all over Homeworld so gems returning from missions and needing updates on the latest Homeworld gossip, but with no personal screens of their own, can keep up to date.
Before long they find one such screen. Unfortunately it's smack dab in the middle of a very busy street full of Blue Court gems. Sapphires, Agates, Lapis Lazuli, and more heading to and fro. Feeling herself begin to freeze Sapphire takes a steadying breath and with all the will she can muster guides herself and Pearl through the throng of gems.
Reaching the screen Pearl demurely steps forward, as if following an unspoken order from her Sapphire. Her fingers speed across the screen as she finds a general search and enters the gem glyph for "Rose Quartz". Her eyes fly across the screen as file after file appears, dismissing much of it as baseless rumor; file names such as "Rose Quartz Joins Homeworld Army" or "Rose Quartz Ate My Aquamarine!" until finally her eyes land on a promising title.
"Rose Quartz Detained, Imprisoned" Opening the file she reads carefully.
It's been confirmed by several quartz soldiers! Rose Quartz, traitor to Homeworld, leader of the Crystal Gem rebellion was captured! An Aquamarine and Topaz fusion, sent to Earth by the diamonds to collect more human specimens before the ultimate destruction of the planet discovered, overpowered and captured Rose Quartz, returning the traitor to Homeworld where she will finally face punishment for her crimes. She's now being held in the palace of the late Pink Diamond as some form of torture. Our diamonds are truly brilliant to have come up with such a clever way of punishing the evil gem. Keeping her captive in the very home of the gem she so ruthlessly murdered? Brilliant! Not sure how much stock I put in the rumors that she's stuck in some squishy organics body, unable to fully reform. If that's true, it must be another brilliant torture method thought of by our diamonds! Could you imagine? Being stuck inside a squishy, fragile, meat suit? The thought makes me want to dissipate my form!
Log date *
Pryope 2XL
Pearl scowls in disgust, the log is dated for shortly after Steven was taken. Using the former home of Pink Diamond as some form of torment for Steven. She could hardly believe it! However, several other files corroborate that as the most likely location. Homeworld's arrogance will never cease to amaze her. Not only would Pink Diamonds palace have no effect on Steven, but this rumor that his organic body is another form of torment is simply ridiculous. It does potentially explain why he's still alive after nearly a full Earth year stuck here. Closing the files she steps back beside Sapphire who guides them back the way they came, no gems giving them even a second glance.
As soon as they're out of sight they break into a run and rush back to the others. Sapphire glides rapidly beside Pearl, easily keeping up with her long graceful strides. As soon as they're in sight, Ruby rushes to Sapphire, the two fusing upon contact. Pearl skids to a halt, nearly toppling right into Bismuth.
"The palace!" she gasps, "He's being held in Pink Diamonds palace!"
Bismuth and Amethyst gape at Pearl as Garnet comes up behind her, calm and collected.
"Why would they keep him there? Amethyst asks, voice high pitched with concern.
Bismuth's eyes narrow, anger filling them, "Those twisted uppercrusts. It's to torment him isn't it? They still believe he's Rose so they're forcing him to be surrounded by constant reminders of what she did."
Amethyst whips her head to look at Bismuth in shock, while Pearl clasps her hands in front of her in worry and Garnet folds her arms, lips tightening in mutual anger.
"It's not only that. The gems believe Steven being organic is another form of torture, which could explain how he's still alive."
Garnet nods in agreement, that is the most likely explanation.
"How do we get to him though? Shouldn't a palace be, like, really heavily guarded? Especially if it's being used as a prison for public enemy numero uno?" Amethyst fiddles with a stray lock of hair.
Pearl smirks, "Luckily for us, I know a hidden entrance."