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Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Forty-Nine
(thanks as always to @real-fakedoors for proof-reading!)
It was an uncomfortable journey home.
Lars and Sadie spent much of it in the captain’s cabin, but found it hard to find the right words to say. Where did they start? They were a barely-human cyborg and an immortal pirate with one arm, and it had been years since they’d last seen each other. Ultimately, all they could think of were quiet, mindless platitudes - ‘How’s being a space pirate treating you?’ ‘Pretty well, pretty well.’
Whenever they emerged, Lars could see Jasper leaning against the wall, gazing warily at Sadie’s mechanical augmentations. The captain could understand that - how could they really know that some kind of Homeworld kill-switch wouldn’t suddenly activate? Or that a far-off Agate might not take remote control? Still, he couldn’t help but feel perturbed; she wasn’t a monster, after all.
The Home Guard didn’t seem convinced of that. Almost all of them were on the docks when the Sun Incinerator landed on New Earth, their weapons trained warily at the newcomer. Jeff’s reassurances - “It’s just a security measure!” - felt empty. He felt more like he’d taken Sadie to a prison than a refuge.
It was only when they’d reached Lenny’s apartment that the tension seemed to even slightly deflate - replaced by a deep annoyance.
“Some welcoming committee, Fryman.”
He turned to Peedee, who was standing with his husband by the door.
“This is standard procedure, Barriga,” replied Peedee testily. “We have to keep New Earth safe. If someone overrides your girlfriend we can’t-”
“Peedee, Lars, calm down,” said Jeff. “We can argue later. Right now we-”
The door to the other room creaked open, and Lenny emerged. She offered a nervous smile.
“She-she’s asleep,” she explained. “I-I had to p-put her… to put her under for s-s-safety reasons, but there’s no-noth-nothing i-in her or anything. She… she’s free.”
Lars ran a hand over his head and exhaled.
“Thank god,” he exclaimed. “Lenny, you mind if I stay overnight? I want to be sure she’s…”
“Y-yes, that’s fine, y-y-you c-can sleep on the… the couch.”
“Thanks.”
He turned to Jeff and Peedee.
“And you two,” he continued, “you’re gonna tell them she’s safe, right?”
Jeff put a hand on Lars’ shoulder.
“Of course we will,” he replied. “It’s all good, Captain. She’s home now.”
---
Stevonnie paced in front of the couch in Jeff’s penthouse - they felt thankful that the Frymans had let them borrow it for the evening. Having to deliver this message in the Diamond’s Lament, or even on the Island, would have felt too open, e too exposed.
As it was, they found it hard to look into the eyes of the other Crystal Gems. Crystal Gems - did those words still have any meaning?
“...so, what’s the word, ‘Von?” Amethyst was leaning on the armrest, her hand on her cheek. “You found another old friend?”
“I have a lead,” replied Stevonnie. “Well, I have a sort of lead. I… White Diamond talked to me on the last mission. She, uh, I think she uses her Pearl as a puppet.”
Bismuth shook her head.
“Like, she talks through her?”
“Yeah, she doesn’t seem to have any free will,” nodded Stevonnie. “It’s… really freaky.”
Bismuth grimaced. “That’s just sick.”
“I had heard rumours about that,” said Peridot. “That when a gem in White’s court does wrong, she… overwrites them.”
“Does she ever… unoverwrite them?” asked Stevonnie nervously.
Peridot shrugged.
“Tell me what she told you,” said Garnet evenly.
“I…”
They turned to Lapis - the blue gem gave her a reassuring smile.
“I think Pearl’s still out there, somewhere.”
Amethyst perked up, her eyes widening, as Peridot and Bismuth both straightened up in their seats. Even Garnet seemed to express surprise, her jaw dropping ever so slightly.
“I… Pearl’s alive?” exclaimed Amethyst.
Bismuth grinned.
“Can’t keep a good renegade down, huh?” She pounded her palm with her fist. “So, where is she?”
“I don’t know,” replied Stevonnie. “There… there’s something you guys need to know.”
They swallowed hard, closing their eyes; they felt tears pricking behind their eyelids, and their hands began to shake.
“Stevonnie…” Garnet’s tone sounded slightly worried, yet at the same time soothing. Keep talking, she seemed to imply. Whatever you say, I’m here for you.
They breathed in through their nose and began.
“White Diamond created her,” they continued. “She… she used to be Blue’s pearl… and Yellow’s pearl.”
“But they already have Pearls,” said Bismuth flatly.
“That’s the point,” said Stevonnie. “She was created to… to test them. By… by tempting them to rebel.”
The silence that followed was long and terrible - you could have heard a pin drop. Stevonnie’s eyes flashed from Amethyst (incomprehension, confusion), to Peridot (slow, horrified realisation), to Bismuth (and it seemed like a furnace had been lit in her eyes) and finally to Garnet (themself, reflected in that visor, as if it was a mirror of judgement.)
“She… she did what?” asked Amethyst.
“Oh my stars,” whispered Peridot.
“She… she knew the motto,” Stevonnie continued. “A-and she was qu-quoting Pearl directly, and… she said the only difference between Pin-mom and the other Diamonds was that… was that she f-failed the test, and…”
They heard the sound of boots on the floor, echoing in the suite. They turned to Amethyst, standing up, fists clenched.
“You… are you saying…” She seemed to be unable to come up with the words. “Are you saying she… Pearl led Rose on? That it was… that it was all some kind of sick test?!”
“I…”
Stevonnie glanced down at their feet.
“White said that’s what she was made for,” they said, “But… you need to think…”
“Did she know she was doing it?” demanded Amethyst. “Was it all just some big lie when she said she cared about us? That stuff about admiring us, about us being able to do whatever we wanted, Opal, Sardonyx, Alexandrite, was any of it ever real, Stevonnie?”
“Amethyst!” Bismuth rose to her feet, voice raised. “Lay off them!”
“No, I want an answer!” shouted Amethyst. “Was. It. Real?”
Stevonnie shrank back.
“I… I think… I think she…”
Their voice cracked.
“I don’t know,” they admitted, “but I believe…”
Amethyst shook her head.
“You know what?” she said. “Fuck her. Fuck her. I never want to see her again.”
“Amethyst, you know she’d never-” Bismuth began.
“No I don’t! And neither do you!” exclaimed Amethyst. “She was just, like, a liar or a robot sent by White Diamond or something else to fucking manipulate us, and I…”
She clutched her hair and screamed.
“Amethyst!” shouted Bismuth. “Knock it off. She is one of our own, and I’m not gonna…”
“She isn’t one of us and she NEVER FUCKING WAS!”
As the echoes of Amethyst’s last scream faded away, she became aware of a peculiar sound.
Stevonnie was on the ground, face buried in Lapis’ arms, their sobs softly filling the air.
“I’m sorry,” they were muttering, “I never should’ve said it, I’ve ruined everything, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Amethyst’s jaw dropped, and she seemed to struggle for words.
“I… I…”
Lapis looked up at her, her expression so cold it burned.
“Get out,” she snapped.
“Look, I didn’t mean to make them…”
“Get. Out.”
Amethyst glanced from Stevonnie to the door and back several times, like a startled cat. Then, her expression hardening, she marched outside, slamming the door hard behind her. Peridot gazed after her - she quickly got up, sprinting after her girlfriend. What followed was dead silence, save for quiet, fading crying.
At last, Garnet spoke up.
“We’re going to find Pearl,” she said.
“Please,” wheezed Stevonnie. “Don’t… don’t hurt her, she didn’t… she didn’t mean to…”
“Garnet, we are not punishing her for…” said Bismuth.
Garnet knelt down, pulling both Stevonnie and Lapis into a hug. Bismuth trailed off.
“We’re not going to punish her,” she assured them. “We’re going to get the Crystal Gems back together.”
Bismuth grinned, pulling all three into a big hug with her powerful arms.
“And then I’m gonna find White Diamond, and I’m gonna beat the crap out of her!” added Bismuth. “Because you know what we mean, Lapis?”
Lapis blushed.
“Do… do I have to say it?”
“Yep. Otherwise I’m just gonna have to hug you until you do.”
Lapis sighed.
“We mean Bismuth.”
Stevonnie burst into giggles, and Lapis couldn’t help but smile.
---
It was dark in Lenny’s apartment, and Lars slept soundly on the couch. The only sound was the quiet background noise of the radio - Radio New Earth, the best and only music station in town. It was just about enough to mask the sound of quiet footsteps.
“...well, it’s that sort of time of night, so I thought it’d be a good time to play a classic. Here it is, enjoy.”
Sadie grimaced slightly as she heard the opening bars of the song - of course they’d play that one, wouldn’t they? She shook her head, clutching the small note in mechanical, disembodied fingers. She lay it down on the coffee table.
I can’t help it if I make a scene,
Stepping out of my hot pink limousine,
Gently, she leaned down, planting a kiss on Lars’ bubblegum-pink forehead. The pirate smiled, just for a moment, and snuggled up on the lounge. Sadie gave him a small smile and headed for the door.
Outside, she met Lenny.
“Y-you d-don’t have to…”
“I do,” replied Sadie quietly. “This place is for humans and gems, and… and I’m neither.”
Lenny bit her lip and nodded.
Out they went into the streets of New Earth - it was late, and the only signs of life were those scurrying off to night shifts, or a few destitute souls stumbling home from the Diamond’s Lament. It was only a short walk to the docks, but to Sadie it seemed to take an age. She could feel the stares of every passerby, drilling into her soul.
I’m turning heads and I’m stopping traffic,
When I pose they scream, and when I joke they—
She tried to shake Lars from her mind.
Eventually she was there, next to the only ship accepting crew - a small scavenging ship bound for the furthest edges of the galaxy.
She walked to the loading ramp, gazing up at the captain - a grizzled old woman with a scarred face. For a moment, she glanced back, towards Lenny, towards the road back to Lars.
She shook her head and boarded.
By the time Lars awoke, she was lightyears away.
---
“I loved her once.”
I hypnotize by the way I’m walking,
I’ve got ‘em dazzled like a stage magician,
Amethyst leaned over a glass in the empty Diamond’s Lament, sitting across from Peridot in the dark, almost forlorn looking establishment. The green gem held her hand, watching in concern as her girlfriend threw back another of the strongest stuff the bar had.
When I point they look,
And when I talk they listen, well—
“Nah, more than that,” she continued. “I admired her. She played me like a fucking fiddle, Peri.”
“Are you going to go back?” asked Peridot.
Everybody needs a friend,
And I’ve got you, and you, and—
Amethyst sighed.
“To Stevonnie and Garnet and all them?” she replied, her voice slurring. “I… I don’t know. I’ve been… been calling myself a Crystal Gem for so long, but that… bitch came up with the name, and…”
She closed her eyes.
Can you blame me?
I’m too famous.
“It doesn’t even fuckin’ mean anything.”
She slumped onto the table, head buried in her arms, as she quietly and miserably sang along to the tinny sound of the radio.
Haven’t you noticed I’m a star
I’m coming into view as the world is turning
Haven’t you noticed I made it this far
Now everyone can see me burning…
Trillions and trillions of miles away, a solitary, lithe figure gazed up at alien stars, and softly sung to herself as she lay on the desert sands.
Now everyone can see me burning
Now everyone can see me burning…
Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Forty-Two
(special thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading!)
It didn’t take long for the forge to be established - a month, give or take.
And then, just as quickly, the Home Guard was being issued new weapons, straight from Bismuth’s hearth to their armouries. Bismuth wasn’t entirely on board with ‘guns’ - “They’re just not the same, y’know?” - but she was perfectly capable of making them and making them well. And for those Guards that preferred them, she soon had swords and spears and maces aplenty. One in particular took priority.
“Thought you could use this,” Bismuth had said, presenting Stevonnie with the new sword. It was slightly shorter than Rose’s, with a gold plated, star-shaped hilt.
“It’s perfect!” Stevonnie replied, stars in their eyes as they pulled the blacksmith into a hug.
Months went by, and there were no additional arrivals of drones on New Earth. Despite this, paranoia and unease ran rampant. Jeff was particularly concerned about how Homeworld had known where to send the first drone - was it sent by some regional commander? Or did Homeworld know of them? And if so, why not simply destroy them? Their defenses, even after the foundation of the Home Guard, were a joke and would make one hell of a punchline against Homeworld’s might, were they to attack. Homeworld technology could slice right through the repurposed vessels of the Human Resistance and crush them like ants.
This very real, but very terrifying, insecurity in New Earth’s approach of defense left them unacceptably vulnerable. There must be a contingency plan, Jeff had decided.
Weapons weren’t enough. They needed ships, and they needed them now. The bismuths and peridots were gathered, and Bismuth, Lenny, C and X were put in charge of designing and producing new warships to defend New Earth. Even Captain Franks was dragged out of obscurity to help. A permanent Council of War was set up to plan strategy.
It never sat easy with Jeff.
“It feels like I’m forming an army,” he lamented to Peedee.
“Well yeah,” nodded Peedee, “You kind of are? But that doesn’t mean you’re not doing the right thing.”
A year passed. And then another, and another.
Shortly before the first new ship was finished, Captain Franks died, lonely and bitter. Doctor West retired as head doctor, replaced by a Ruby who went by Ceara. People born immediately after the destruction of Earth were now in their twenties. It was a time of change, where the new filled leadership roles as the old began to fade away.
Despite it all, Stevonnie held out hope that some echoes of their past may still be out there, somewhere in the vast cosmos.
They’d forgotten the old maxim - ‘be careful what you wish for.’
“We’ve found a hulk, and it belongs to Pink Diamond.”
The words hung over Jeff’s Penthouse, and for a few minutes there was dead silence.
“So… a wrecked ship?” asked Amethyst.
“No, a giant green man,” replied Jeff testily, “Yes, it’s a wrecked ship!”
Amethyst raised her eyebrows, and Jeff sighed.
“Sorry,” he sighed, “My leg’s acting up today.”
“Did you break it?” asked Stevonnie, concerned.
“Nah, it’s just… something that happens,” Jeff shrugged, “Think it’s just a ‘getting old’ thing.”
“How old are you again?” asked Lapis.
“Lapis, you’re not supposed to ask humans how old they are! It reminds them of the inevitability of death!” Peridot scolded.
Jeff smiled.
“It’s okay,” he replied, “I’m fifty-one.”
“Fifty-one?”
Stevonnie clutched their head.
“Oh my gosh, I completely lost track of… did I miss your birthday?” they exclaimed, “Do I need to…”
“Stevonnie, it’s fine,” interrupted Peedee, “It’s all good. We don’t really do birthdays anymore, anyway. They, uh, lose their charm after forty.”
“Can we get back to the hulk, Petey?” asked Lapis.
Peedee raised an eyebrow.
“Huh, that was actually pretty close,” he said, “Anyway, some kind of Pink Diamond ship is just floating around a few star systems from here. We want to see if there’s anything salvageable on it, but there could be security systems or gem-operated tech, so we need you guys to escort our salvage team.”
“Who’s on the team?” asked Amethyst.
“Jenny,” replied Jeff, “And a couple of Home Guards. It’ll be one of their first missions off New Earth, so don’t go too hard on them.”
“So I take it the inflight movie can’t be Alien, then…”
“Well, it can, but you’ve gotta cut out all the bits with the Alien,” Jeff shrugged.
He turned to Stevonnie.
“You gonna be okay with this?” he asked, “I mean, it did belong to your mom…”
Stevonnie swallowed and nodded.
“Yeah,” they said, “I’ll be fine.”
It was an odd-looking ship - a giant pink pyramid with smooth sides and a flat top, not unlike the prism where Steven had gone on one of his first missions long, long ago. For a derelict, the hull was in surprisingly good shape. The paint was still perfect, there was no dust - the only sign of anything amiss was the giant hole in one of the sides. According to Zircon, most of the ship still had oxygen.
Inside was a very different story.
Stevonnie trudged through the dark corridor, flashlight in their hand - Jenny and Lapis were right behind them, with the Home Guards, Amethyst and Peridot taking the rear. It was cold and nearly pitch black, the sides smooth and lifeless, the only sound the echoing of their footsteps. The boots of the three Home Guards clacked on the hard floor, and the inexperienced soldiers exchanged nervous glances. Even Amethyst and Peridot looked unsettled.
“I’ve seen creepy wrecks before,” whispered Amethyst, “But this might be the worst.”
“Then you gotta go on scavenging missions more,” replied Jenny, “This isn’t even in the top five scariest places I’ve been.”
“Or I could, y’know, not scavenge,” said Amethyst, “‘Cause, you know, I’d rather take on Homeworld then some monster with eighty legs and a thousand butts…”
“Lapis,” whispered Stevonnie, “Is there any water here?”
Lapis jumped, clutching Stevonnie’s arm as they swung around to the source of the sudden sound. There was a long, long silence.
“Uh… I tripped,” said one of the Home Guards (an orange Pearl) sheepishly, “Sorry.”
“Bloody hell, Orange, I nearly shat meself!” snapped another, “I’m on edge enough as it is without havin’ to worry about some kind a’ fuckin’ facehugger…”
“Alright, that’s enough Johnson,” the third Home Guard said, “Everybody stay focused.”
They walked in silence for some time. There was no change in scenery - Stevonnie would have been afraid of getting lost if the corridor hadn’t been perfectly straight. It seemed to lead somewhere, somewhere in the deepest, darkest depths of the ship - they wondered if they wanted to know what it was.
“See anything worth taking?” whispered Jenny.
“Nothing,” replied Peridot, “This design is wrong. The hull looks like a standard Type-72 Colony Ship, but this… I’ve never seen anything like this. It… it’s just a hallway. It doesn’t make sense. What would Pink Diamond do with a ship like this?”
“Don’t know,” replied Stevonnie.
They bit their lip.
“Don’t wanna know…”
What Stevonnie didn’t know was that they were by no means alone on the ship. On the other side of the vessel, in another corridor, another team was making their way to the centre of the ship.
“Captain Lars?” asked Left-Rutile, “How much further do you think we need to walk?”
“I dunno,” shrugged Lars, shining the flashlight ahead, “But there’s gotta be good salvage here, right?”
“How did Fluorite get out of this?” muttered Right-Rutile.
“She couldn’t fit in the hallway,” replied Lars.
“Keep quiet,” hissed Jasper, “We might not be alone.”
“Who else is gonna be on this wreck?” grunted Lars.
Before long, they found themselves approaching a door. Only half of it was closed - the other half was twisted and mangled, sparks raining down from the roof. The Rutiles nervously glanced at each other, and Lars swallowed.
“Good thing this ship has been wrecked for eons,” he said, “Or I’d be pretty freaked right now.”
Lars, the Rutiles and Padparadscha slipped through the doorway, Jasper taking up the rear. She halted, studying the warped door closely, hand on her chin.
“Hmm…”
Beyond the door was a small chamber, about the size of a modest house - at the centre of the room was a floating sphere that shone a marble white under Lars’ flashlight. It was completely dormant, perfectly, eerily still, and Lars found himself swallowing again.
“Hmm,” said Left-Rutile.
“Odd,” added Right-Rutile.
“What is it, twins?” asked Lars.
“It looks like an observation orb,” explained Left-Rutile.
“...but why would they build an entire ship just for this?” added Right-Rutile.
“I predict we’ll find an observation orb!” exclaimed Padparadscha.
“Yeah, thanks Paddy,” nodded Lars, “I…”
There was a metallic scraping, and Lars jumped. Swinging to the right, his eyes widened as he saw a door slowly being forced open.
“Shit, company,” he whispered, drawing his blaster, “Stay behind me, guys, I…”
What remained of the door was torn open.
“Shit! Contact!” somebody screamed.
“Hold it! It’s human! It’s just Lars!”
Lars raised an eyebrow as Jenny, Stevonnie and Lapis stepped out of the gloom.
“What do you mean, it’s just Lars?” he demanded, “I could take you guys!”
“Sure, whatever,” said Jenny flatly, “What’re you doing here?”
“Lookin’ for salvage,” replied Lars, “Never know what you might need. You?”
“Same,” replied Stevonnie.
They smiled.
“It’s good to see you again, Lars.”
“I… yeah, sure,” nodded Lars, “You too. So, did you find anything?”
Behind the trio, Amethyst, Peridot and the Home Guards emerged through the door. Amethyst looked up, shooting a skeptical look towards the giant orb.
“Nope,” replied Lapis, “Just a big hallway.”
“Captain.”
All eyes fell on Jasper.
“The dent in the door,” she said, “It’s new. Someone got here before us.”
“What?” demanded Lars, “I… how new?!”
“Captain!”
Padparadscha spoke up, her voice underlined with panic.
“What is it, Paddy?” asked Stevonnie.
“I’ve had a terrible prediction!” exclaimed Padparadscha, “We cannot go aboard this ship!”
“Uh… and why would that be?” asked Lars nervously. He noted his throat seemed to be somewhat dry.
“Because it’s not a Pink Diamond ship,” said Padparadscha, “It’s not a ship at all. It’s a trap.”
Zircon looked up from her seat on the bridge - her book was pretty interesting (she’d probably never own a ‘Camaro’, but it was a nice read) but she felt the need to check on the derelict every now and then. Just in case something happened.
Her jaw dropped.
The pink hull of the ship was changing colour; the paint seemed to bleach, getting brighter and brighter, until suddenly Zircon was staring at a great white pyramid.
...a great white pyramid.
Frantically, she reached for the communicator on her console.
“Captain Amethyst! You have to get out of there, now!”
There was a sudden crash above them, as if something were moving in a vent.
They had little time to consider this, however, as the orb suddenly lit up and bright light poured into the room. With a quick flicker of illusionary light as it poured into the surrounding walls, the room in which they stood seemed to coalesce into a blind plane, now little more than a large, grey chamber, the walls and floors almost totally featureless.
“It’s showing us something,” whispered Peridot.
“Yeah, no kiddin’, ‘Dot,” said Amethyst.
Lapis turned to Stevonnie, only to find them staring up, their face a deathly pale. Slowly, she followed their gaze up - the moment she saw it, she felt her proverbial stomach drop straight through the floor.
“Hello, Starlight.”
White Diamond towered above them, her arms outstretched, her face set into an easy smile. Lapis couldn’t help but shudder - she’d seen her in a dream, many, many years ago, but to see her in person… it was like inhaling poison instead of steady atmosphere, a raw, cataclysmic sense of bone-chilling terror clamped down hard on the column of her throat. It was a noose pulled taut, and she was standing on the edge, prepared to fall forward.
“Are you enjoying our little game?” asked White Diamond, “I hear you’re having so much fun. Oh, and I’ve heard about your little… shall we say association with the Lapis Lazuli?”
Lapis felt her cheeks burn.
“Completely out of line, of course, we’ll have to fix that at some point,” White continued, “Oh, and all the heartbreak you’ve caused Blue and Yellow - they still think you were shattered!”
“What do you want?”
Stevonnie’s voice was uncharacteristically harsh.
“From you? Nothing,” replied White, “I was hoping to gather some of your little scavengers and pirates - getting you is just a nice bonus. And in any case, fighting a diamond will be an excellent shakedown for my new weapon.”
“New weapon?” demanded Amethyst, “What, another of your corpse drones?!”
White didn’t even seem to have heard her, instead keeping her focus on Stevonnie.
“Now, Starlight, I’d like you to give a warm welcome to Chrysalis.”
There was a reverberating clang, the shrill cry of metal on metal, and a vent subsequently tumbled down from the roof. A figure immediately leapt down, landing with a hollow clank on the hard floor.
The figure’s metal body was luminous beneath the harsh white light. It was short and humanoid - it had two legs; white thighs and feet and black shins. A yellow diamond was emblazoned on it’s white-painted chest, contrasted against a black torso. It had two arms, resembling limb enhancers; these too were black and white, black on top and white at the bottom, but the left arm, just below the shoulder, was broken by what appeared to be pale human flesh. A pair of black poles, almost like antenna, emerged from light blonde hair.
It lifted it’s head, and Lapis saw its face. Glowing eyes shone behind a yellow tinted visor, the only hint of artificiality to what was otherwise an entirely human face. She heard Stevonnie and Jenny gasp.
“Oh no,” whispered Stevonnie.
“What did you do to her?” demanded Jenny.
Lars stepped forward, visibly shaking. All of the bravado he affected in his captain’s persona had faded - he looked deeply vulnerable. Quietly, with a croaking voice, he finally spoke up.
“S… Suh… Sadie?”
Sadie narrowed her eyes.
“There is no Sadie,” she replied, her voice underlined by a mechanical reverb, “I am Project Chrysalis.”
Another Christmas gift! This one’s for @coreyww, and is based on his abolutely brilliant Connie Maheswaran Fanclub - this is them when they’re a bit older, either late teens or earlier twenties. I’m always down for Fanclub art, so this was a blast!
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Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Five
“I hate that you’re here.”
“Yeah, nice to see you too, Peedee.”
Peedee sat on a bed in a hospital ward, his arm bandaged, surrounded by his friends - and Lars. The space pirate leaned against the wall, arms crossed, clearly trying to look mysterious (and, undoubtedly failing to do so). Closer to the dockmaster sat Jeff, who seemed none the worst for his experience, Stevonnie and Lapis. Occasionally, Lars would glance around, clearly uncomfortable in the sterile environment, and Stevonnie wondered if he had a fear of hospitals.
In any case, they were glad to be able to see him this time, rather than simply be unconscious while he was around.
“So,” asked Peedee, smiling wryly at his husband, “Am I grounded?”
“Yeah,” replied Jeff, “You’re banned from being shot. Forever.”
“Well, once is enough.”
The two chuckled, Jeff taking Peedee’s hand.
“I gotta run soon,” Lars muttered, “I just… I can’t stick around.”
Stevonnie and Lapis both turned - for their part, Jeff and Peedee were too focused on one another to take much notice of Lars.
“What do you mean?” asked Stevonnie.
“This is all… too settled,” replied Lars, pensively rubbing his beard, “Too safe. We’ve been out on our own for so long, it’s just… this isn’t my world, you know?”
Stevonnie and Lapis glanced at each other.
“Yeah,” said Lapis, “We do.”
“That’s why we live in a barn,” Stevonnie shrugged.
Lars smirked, then sighed.
“Stevonnie,” he said, “I, uh, just wanted to say, I… I’m sorry.”
Stevonnie tilted their head.
“Sorry?”
“When I first heard you were fused, I was just… I guess bummed? Because I was thinking I’d never see Steven again,” he replied, “And I… that was wrong of me. ‘Cause you’re happy, and that means Steven’s happy, and if you’re happy… gee, this was much less awkward in my head.”
“Well, I’ll be seeing you,” said Lars, “Gotta get back to the ship in case Jasper reforms and takes it on her own.”
“I hope you find what you’re looking for,” said Lapis.
Lars smiled sadly.
“Me too, Lapis, me too,” he replied, “You take care of them, alright?”
Lapis chuckled as Stevonnie blushed. Then, with a flourish of his cape, he turned and strolled out the door, leaving them alone.
“...so is he still a jerk?” Peedee asked.
Stevonnie turned around, chuckling.
“Nah,” they replied, “And I don’t think he ever was.”
“...so I’m thinking, Human Resistance? They’re out - so we need something that works for humans and gems, right? So what if we made, get this, a Home Guard? I hope you like it because I’ve already spent a lot of time drawing uniform concepts, and…”
“Why does the helmet look like a bowler hat?”
“It’s a classic design!”
Garnet walked into the Diamond’s Lament and past the Curator, who was talking at a weary and beleaguered-looking Jenny. She paid them little mind, looking instead for the fusion sitting alone at one of the tables.
Rhodonite looked up as she sat down.
“I see your hiding from Lars,” said Garnet.
“I’m not hiding, I’m just… procrastinating. Going back. Because…”
She sighed, holding her head in her hands.
“Because I don’t wanna be a pirate anymore,” she sighed, “But I… I don’t wanna let the crew down, you know? I mean, I’m already a wreck, so I can’t disappoint them…”
“They won’t be disappointed,” said Garnet, “They respect you, Rhodonite. They’ll respect what you choose to do.”
She put a hand on her shoulder.
“So tell me what you want.”
Rhodonite bit her lip, closing her top set of eyes as she thought.
“Where would I stay?” she asked.
“I have a pad,” replied Garnet, “There’s room there.”
“...like a warp pad?” quizzed Rhodonite, “I don’t… I don’t get it.”
“It’s a room,” clarified Garnet, “You can stay as long as you want - until you decide what you want to do on New Earth.”
“And what… what can I do here?”
Garnet grinned.
“Anything.”
“You’re alive.”
Yellow’s words were soft, far softer than Blue had ever heard from her.
“Yes,” she replied, “And I’m… a rebel now, I think.”
Yellow’s hand raised to her mouth and she fell onto the chair. The two pearls were in Jeff and Peedee’s apartment, alone, taking the moment to reconnect.
“I… I thought they’d shattered you,” said Yellow, “And nobody cared. And I tried not to feel… to feel anything about it but…”
Her voice cracked.
“Are we defective, Blue?”
Blue sat down next to her, slowly and carefully placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“No,” she replied, “We’re us. We can do what we want now. It… our Diamonds… they don’t matter anymore.”
“So what does?” demanded Yellow, “Without our Diamonds, what are we?”
Blue pursed her lips, thinking for a moment.
“Free,” she said at last, “We’re free.”
She got up, walking over to the living room drawers and opening the top shelf, pulling out an old, ragged sketchbook.
“I’ve… I’ve been drawing a lot lately,” she said, “Would you… would you like to see?”
Yellow ran a hand over her wet eyes and nodded.
“Yes. I’d like that.”
Stevonnie and Lapis walked up to the warp pad, Vidalia following, crutches under her arms. The fusion had offered to heal her wound, but she had declined - “The doctors need work, and besides, it’s a learning experience.” It had been a long day - a long series of days, really - and right now, all either of them wanted to do was rest.
“So, I’ll send Amethyst and Peridot your way when they get back,” said Vidalia, “Wouldn’t want them to miss out on…”
“Uh, excuse me?”
Simon the Bartender leaned around the door.
“What’s up, Simon?” asked Vidalia.
“Couple of people here to see you,” replied Simon, “I…”
“Stevonnie!”
Simon tumbled over as Peridot bolted into the room, Amethyst close behind. The green gem leapt up onto their midsection, clinging to them in a tight hug.
“You’re alive!” Peridot shouted, “You’re alive!”
“Good to see you too, Peridot!” replied Stevonnie, pulling them closer into the hug.
“Hey, save some for me, ‘Dot!” said Amethyst, “Don’t choke ‘em.”
Peridot laughed, letting go of Stevonnie and dropping back to the floor, allowing Amethyst to hug to fusion. She turned to Lapis, and there was a brief moment of silence.
“...hey, Lazuli?” said Peridot at last, “Thanks. For, uh, for bringing them back.”
Lapis smiled.
“Anytime, ‘Dot.”
They turned, just in time to see Amethyst letting go of Stevonnie, stepping back and taking Peridot’s hand. For the briefest moment, Lapis felt a tinge in her proverbial heart - but it was small, almost unnoticeable. Her past with Peridot, she now knew, was just that - the past.
She smiled to herself and took Stevonnie’s hand.
“...so, I heard a few weird little rumours on the way in,” Amethyst was saying, “I know a lot happened, but you’re not telling me you just…”
She looked down at their hands.
“...nnnno,” she breathed, her mouth twisting into a wide smile, “You… you finally… you’re a… she’s your…”
Stevonnie shrugged.
“Yeah,” they replied, “She’s my girlfriend.”
Amethyst clutched her head, letting out a long scream before bursting into laughter. To Lapis, it was quite jarring - what was she doing? What did this mean? - but then she turned to Peridot and raised her hand - “Up top, Peri!” - and she realised that the quartz wasn’t upset, she was excited.
“Alright!” she cried, “They did it! I call Best Gem!”
“Amethyst!” Stevonnie did a double-take, blushing furiously.
“Well, Garnet’s gotta plan the thing, and Peri’s gonna be Lapis’ maid of honour,” replied Amethyst, “I mean, I guess you could have Peedee, but come on, that would be…”
“Amethyst, we’ve been in a relationship for, like, a day,” said Lapis.
“I’m messin’ with ya!” replied Amethyst, “Come on, we’ve gotta celebrate this! Party at ‘Vonnie’s place! I mean, unless you two wanna be alone, because that’s… that’s fine…”
Stevonnie and Lapis glanced at each other and smiled.
“Yeah,” replied Stevonnie, “Party at ‘Vonnie’s place.”
“Alright!” exclaimed Amethyst, “Me n’ ‘Dot, we’re gonna show you two a good… hey wait, is this a double-date? Oh man, it is! If I’m dreaming, never wake me up…”
The four stepped onto the warp pad, leaving Vidalia alone. She stood there, smiling after them, for just a few seconds.
Slowly, the smile disappeared.
She turned around, bones and muscles aching, and limped out of the room into the Diamond’s Lament. On the way, she passed Simon, quietly wiping the counter with a spare cloth.
“Feeling alright, Vidalia?” he asked.
“Yeah,” replied Vidalia, “Just, you know…”
She sighed.
“...getting old.”
Her eyes opened and she was met with instant agony.
She was in a void of pain, vision smeared with black and red. Everything, every single facet of her existence, was pure, unceasing throbbing. She couldn’t move, and everything felt wrong. Who was she? She knew she was a she, and she had a name, but all memory was drowned beneath the swirling pain.
She could hear a pair of voices - one strangely familiar, but the tone was wrong. On the other side of glass, she could see figures - silhouettes.
“Please, we’re working as fast as we can, but we need time… if we activate Chrysalis too early, there’s no telling how…”
“The Diamonds don’t want excuses.” The voice was haughty, and she knew she’d heard it before. “The Diamonds want results.”
A brief pause that felt eternal.
“The excess material. Can that be used?”
“Y-yes, but only crudely. In drones, perhaps - and we’d need more-”
“Lucky for you, we have an excess - My Diamond has allowed access to her reserve.”
“But… but Blue Diamond expressly stated…”
“White Diamond convinced her otherwise. This project is of utmost importance. Do not fail, Peridot - remember, you’re very expendable.”
“I-I-uh-yes, Aquamarine. Of course, Aquamarine.”
“Good… and why is it awake?”
“Uh… I, um…”
“Put it to sleep, now!”
“Yes ma’am, doing it now.”
A strange calm crested over her, and for a moment, her mind was unfogged - a memory played through her head, but even then, the image was spotted by white burns like an old film reel.
“No, not that, please… I don’t want this… I don’t want this!”
Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Forty-One
(thanks as always to @real-fakedoors for proofreading!)
“So.” Peedee’s voice carried a dangerous edge to it, one Stevonnie could only recall hearing a small number of times. Most recently, when his husband’s life was in jeopardy. “They’re making humans into drones.”
They had met Jeff, Peedee and Lenny right off the ramp - the Mayor wanted an update as soon as possible. Amethyst had just finished explaining her nightmarish tour of the lab - she’d left out some of the more gruesome details. The implications were enough.
“Well, thank God the HR’s gone,” sighed Jeff, “Can you imagine if they’d learned about that?”
“What’s our next move, Peeds?” asked Amethyst, “We’re not gonna take this lying down, right?”
“We’re gonna tell our scavengers to keep their ears to the ground,” replied Peedee, “If they can find any more information about Chrysalis, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, we’ve gotta prepare the Home Guard.”
“So we’ll go back and hit ‘em where it hurts?” asked Bismuth.
“When we’re ready,” replied Jeff, “Which won’t be for a while.”
“We-we don’t have enough… enough weapons,” added Lenny, “And… and training is… they’re not ready. T-they’re very not ready.”
Bismuth nodded.
“Well, I can help you with the first part,” she said, “Just need to set up a forge and I’m good to go!”
She scratched her chin.
“That said,” she added, “Reckon I’m gonna go find an old friend first. Where’s Garnet?”
“Right here.”
Jeff and Peedee stepped aside to reveal Garnet walking towards them, an enormous grin on her face. Without even stopping, she passed by the two humans and held up her hand. With a big grin of her own, Bismuth took it, only to tug her forward and throw her other arm over Garnet’s shoulder, a hug exchanged between old comrades.
“I knew someone was coming,” said Garnet, “But I thought it was just this cutie.”
She glanced down at Leggy, who was somewhat nervously hiding behind Bismuth’s leg.
“Heh, call it a surprise, then,” chuckled Bismuth, “You wanna show me ‘round this place? What is it, New Earth? Heard you even have penthouses here…”
Jeff shot Stevonnie a meaningful look - they chuckled and shrugged.
Lapis elected not to join them for the tour - she’d seen most of what New Earth had to offer, after all. Jeff and Peedee didn’t press the issue, instead inviting her back to their apartment.
Actually seeing the thing made Jeff’s claim that it wasn’t a penthouse even less believable - there was a wide plane of glass, almost the entire length of the living room wall, that overlooked the rest of New Earth. In another room, they had a ‘repurposed extraction device’ for cleaning off.
“It’s a hot tub,” whispered Peedee when Jeff was out of earshot, “It’s basically a hot tub.”
“Why don’t you just say that, then?” asked Lapis.
Peedee shrugged.
“Jeff gets uncomfortable about… I guess, feeling like he deserves anything special?” he replied, “He’s pretty humble, y’know?”
He grinned.
“He only accepted the tub because I told him it was his birthday present.”
The warmth in Peedee’s expression began to vanish, and suddenly he looked almost wistful.
“We’ve made it, you know,” he said, “It took thirty years, but… it’s almost like Earth.”
He sighed, sitting down on his couch.
“And yet, it’s nothing like Earth.”
Lapis nodded but said nothing.
It took awhile for the tour to end, and eventually Jeff and Peedee grew bored of waiting. They retired to their bedroom to ‘snuggle’, and Lapis found herself alone on the couch, reading a very old, dog-eared comic that Jeff had left on the table. She had only picked it up for stimulation, but it turned out to be surprisingly good…
The door opened, and Lapis jumped, dropping the comic.
“...you’ve got a real nice thing going here,” Bismuth was saying as she walked in, “Set me up with a forge, and I reckon I can… oh, sorry Lapis.”
Lapis was on the floor, picking up the comic, still looking a tad startled.
“Oh, uh, it… um…” Lapis stood back up, shaking her head. “It’s fine, I just, uh… it’s fine.”
Stevonnie stepped out from behind Bismuth and grinned.
“Sorry we kept you waiting,” they said, “We had a lot to show Bismuth, y’know?”
The door to the bedroom swung open, and Jeff and Peedee emerged, the latter yawning and stretching.
“Oh, hey guys,” he said, “Sorry, we got pretty comfy there. Almost didn’t hear you come in.”
“Where’s Garnet?” asked Jeff.
“She’s talking to Lenny about finding a place for me to rebuild the ol’ forge,” replied Bismuth, “I wanna get it set up as soon as possible. Give Homeworld something to think about…”
Jeff nodded.
As she and Stevonnie settled down to talk to with Jeff and Peedee, Lapis found herself wandering over to the bedroom in search of privacy. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Bismuth - it was that she didn’t know Bismuth yet, and wasn’t quite ready to be so… familiar with her. A quick shared glance and a nod told her that Stevonnie seemed to understand.
She sat in the room, occupying the edge of the bed as she finished reading. It didn’t take long - the comic wasn’t especially lengthy - and she’d soon set it on the bedside table.
Her distraction discarded, Lapis regarded the bed she was sitting on. If she was honest, she’d expected there to be two - one for Jeff and one for Peedee - but that was silly, she supposed. They were together, right? That meant they shared.
An idea struck her.
She climbed off the bed and walked out into the main room.
“I think I’m gonna warp home,” she said, “There’s something I want to do.”
Stevonnie stood up, looking somewhat concerned.
“Is everything okay, Lapis?” they asked.
“Everything’s fine,” replied Lapis, “I just… gotta do things, y’know?”
“I get’cha,” nodded Bismuth, “Nice meetin’ ya, Lapis.”
Lapis nodded.
“I… nice meeting you too, Bismuth.”
“See you again soon?” asked Bismuth.
Lapis paused for a moment, biting her lip.
“Yeah,” she said at last, fixing her expression with a wary smile. “See you again soon.”
It wasn’t until late afternoon on the island when Stevonnie finally warped home.
They strolled merrily down the beach, a spring in their step. Sure, the drones and Project Chrysalis troubled them - that went without saying - but they had Bismuth back, and they’d made a significant dent in Homeworld’s plans. That, if nothing else, was something to smile about.
They entered the barn.
“Lapis, I’m home! I…”
They trailed off.
Lapis was laying a green blanket on top of a mattress - a bigger one, most likely taken from their junk pile. She looked up as Stevonnie entered, her face lit up by a blush as she stood up straight.
“I, uh…” she scratched the back of her head, “I saw how Jeff and Peedee… uh… snuggle, and I thought maybe…”
“You want us to sleep together?”
Lapis bit her lip.
“Yes,” she said, “I… I’d like that.”
Stevonnie smiled.
“I think I’d like that too,” they replied.
They walked over, gently pulling Lapis into a hug and kissing her on the cheek.
“I’d like that a lot.”
Across the length of their little planet, the yellow sun bled out into the horizon, clouds and streaks of bluish-green rubbed into the edge of a canvas like turquoise charcoal. That solitary starburst of colour, something that had been solely theirs for nearly twenty years, had never felt like such a comfort, ripe with all the emotion of an old friend waving goodbye as it dipped into rich ebony night. The ending was not bittersweet, but hopeful, promising of its return in the morning, a promise that it would continue to keep so long as they kept calling this place home.
And out, beyond their private corner of the universe, outside of the life they’d built on their island, lay a reality that seemed to grow stranger and darker every day, but for now, they existed in the fortress of each other’s embrace, an impenetrable bastion of mutual respect, affection and love.
Project Chrysalis could be dealt with tomorrow. For now, all that mattered was them.
“I love you, Lapis,” Stevonnie muttered drowsily, their eyes closed as they pulled Lapis slightly closer.
Lapis smiled, closing her own eyes.
“I love you too, Stevonnie.”
And with that, she drifted off into peaceful, warm slumber in her partner’s arms.
