2820/Jasper's Return

Jasper's Return
Date of Scene:	16 August 2015
Location:	Gem Warship <GW>
Synopsis:	Jasper returns, much to the shock of Peridot and Lapis!
Cast of Characters:	836, 849, 858

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Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    It's about midday, and work continues on the kindergarten. The biophage-like injectors are still being set up and linked with will become their collective power core. Whether that power core is what's currently used by the warship or not remains to be seen. It will have to be unless Lapis and Peridot are able to find an alternative power core. At the moment, a collection of robonoids are outside the ship working on said kindergarten while Lapis remains on the bridge.

    It's been a startlingly quiet day after the dance with Peridot and the fight before that. No more trouble from the blue gem. Sitting crosslegged in the co-pilot's seat, Lapis watches the kindergarten through the command bridge window.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    Peridot walked onto the bridge from the weapons bay. she had been storing all the excess injectors there for her to work with, occasionally hauling one out to the more spacious command bridge to work on them a little less impeded. As was typical, her holopad hovered around her and gave her a constant read-out of various status's on the ship. Primarily her interface with her robonoids and what they were doing. Coordinating that many small machines was no easy task, but Peridot had a few thousand years to get really good at it.

    Upon seeing Lapis, Peridot smiled lightly. Though they had an argument a mere day or two prior, the nearly successful fusion dance that followed had instilled confidence in her that had previously been missing. It had left her the impression that between the two of them, Kindergarten was in good hands. Things were going to be okay, and on top of that, she had even more good news. "I finally got around to running analysis on the two of three of the remaining injector groups. Damage is not nearly as severe as the initial group I've been repairing."

    "I'll be tasking the plug robonoids with the transference of the ones I have repaired to the ground and begin moving some of the ones from the weapons bay here for repair. Excavation on the ground is going smoothly, the complex will be ready to have equipment moved in soon and we won't be so cramped up here for much longer." It seemed Peridot couldn't resist summarizing a report of her activities to someone, even if she didn't work for them. Since she couldn't transmit any to Yellow Diamond or... anyone, really. It was a void she kept filled by diligently keeping Lapis up to date.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     The almost serene tranquility of the warship's command bridge is suddenly broken by a slow, heavy pounding at the hexagonal door the seperates the room from the rest of the ship. Bang. Bang. Bang.

     The next heavy bang pierces the center of the door, courtesy of one giant orange fist.

     It can't possibly be-

     With a snarling growl, the giant figure shoves the door open and steps through, backlit, her shadow falling over the bridge. She's breathing heavily, the deep sound in the back of her throat sounding more like a series of growls than anything else.

     Even backlit, the sheer size of the figure, her mane of wild hair, and the slight glint of a gem set in the middle of her face makes it quite clear who it is.

     Jasper.

     She points one finger squarely at Lapis. "YOU! I *KNEW* I'd find you here!"

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis looks back towards Peridot when she begins speaking and relaying her report. Some of it loosely flew over her head, the technical details and statuses of the respective injectors remained a mystery to her. That old gem technology was something she was familiar with, but she could never work on it with the capability that Peridot has. "That's great news, Peridot." Lapis replies, taking hints from Peridot's own tone.

    Turning fully from the swivel chair, Lapis faces Peridot while she continues with the report. "So the kindergarten can start soon." At least, that's her understanding of what's going on here. She can't help but think a little bit about what Sunstone said. Her story about Peridot and their planet's own kindergarten, but she momentarily shoves it out of her mind. "That will be nice to have everything moved out. We'll --" The bang on the door freezes her reply as she peers over to the source. What?

    As the banging continues, Lapis looks more concerned, "What is that? It can't be the corrupted gem.." Bang! Bang! Crash! Jasper comes in through the door. Immediately Lapis bolts upright to her feet.

    "J-Jasper!" she shouts in surprise, backing away slowly. "I.. W-what..? How?!" She glances to the door, there's no real way to escape here, though she's pumping with the equivalent of adreanline. Her backside collides with the ship controls and she braces herself back against them with her hands gripping the sides. Her eyes bounce once to Peridot, then back to Jasper. She actually looks quite scared.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    At first, Peridot thought it was Steven. Which was not inherently logical. Steven would be hard-pressed to make that much incoming commotion. But who else could it possibly be? The only other person who had access to the ship was Ferham, and Peridot had her performing task far from the ship. Had she returned early? Then Lapis suggested corrupted gems. That seems very logical. Peridot knew she should have had them disintegrated! "What on Homeworld?" She asked, looking toward the door as the banging started.

    She had been holding a soldering tool when she left the weapons bay. It fell loosely from her fingers as Peridot's eyes shrank to small dots. Her mouth hung open in stunned silence as a wash of feelings rolled over her. There was her escort, right in front of her. Jasper. Peridot was certain she had died. But, she was once also certain that Lapis had died as well- even before unification. Things had gone so terribly awry that day.

    but after the confusion rapidly cleared it was replaced by another emotion... Joy, of all things. Jasper was an immensely useful asset to Peridot's mission, up until she took it over. And however much they disagreed, they both had Homeworlds interest in their heart. Which is something Peridot could always get behind. As the soldering tool clangs against the ground, Peridot raises her arms and begins walking toward the orange gem.

    "Jasper! Jasper you're alive! I thought you'd been reduced to shards!" She says approaching her. "It's been terrible here! We're basically stranded! Oh, I have so many reports to file to you!" She had completely misread the situation, and had unwittingly placed herself between Jasper and her true target, Lapis.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Oh, things had gone so terribly awry. They'd gone bad in a way that Jasper had never thought possible - defeated, and by a fusion at that! Rose Quartz, beyond her grasp! And then, as she'd taken on the power and mantle of Malachite, she was bound and chained and dragged beneath the waves. The indignation, the rage, the fear...

     Jasper's arm comes up and out in an orange blur, sweeping Peridot aside! "Out of my way, Peridot! That Gem-" She thrusts a finger at Lapis again, "Must pay!"

     "Surprised to see me, are you?" Jasper snarls, stomping forwards, stalking closer to Lapis. "You think you could get away from me?! Did you really think that you were *powerful* enough to contain *me*!? We had those Gems within our grasp, and you- /you let them escape/! There's no water here for you, Lapis, no water - and no hope!"

     She's incensed. Just what happened between them?

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    The irony being that Jasper despised fusions, saw them as weak. Just when she'd thought she could get the upperhand on Garnet, on the crystal gems by fusion... The one person she fusioned with betrayed her and dragged her under. Lapis forced Jasper under the water, kept her chained down and repressed. Now she was free.

    Lapis makes a little noise as Jasper jabs her finger in her direction. She flinches as though it might fly off Jasper's fist and impale her.

    Jasper was right, there was no water nearby. Nothing she could do to avoid this. With a cracked voice she shouts out, "You were going to hurt them!" Jasper was out of control. There's no telling if Steven would even poof if he sustained too much damage, there's never been anything like him.

    As Jasper gets closer, Lapis leans back further. The gem on her back glows as her wings sprout. Diving quickly to the left and with a flap of her wings, she darts for the door around Jasper in flight. Or atleast, she tries to.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    "Out of.. huh?" She blinked as Jaspers massive tree trunk arms raised faster than she could respond to it, to even register what was happening. The thick slab of muscle caught her in the shoulder, lifting her off her mechanical feet. She spent a brie period airborne before contacting with the floor roughly and sliding across the room until her back slammed into the smooth gemstone wall with a clatter. "Ah!" She cried out as the pain jolted through her body. Her shoulder, back and her hips managed to feel numb and sore at the same time.

    She stayed down, for the moment. Unsure of what was happening and not completely eager to get slapped out of the way again without knowing why. Her brows arched in a worried expression as she looked back and forth between Jasper and Lapis, listening. Confusion took hold as she listened to Jaspers accusations. Had Lapis let the crystal gems escape? Peridot squinted. She didn't believe that. One thing was consistent in the reports, Lapis hated the crystal gems as much as Peridot herself.

    Then as Lapis sprouted her wings and began to fly, Peridot blinked. She fully expected Lapis to deny the claims. But her statement... it made no sense? Of course Jasper was going to hurt them. Hurting them was the reason Peridot requested someone like her come along to begin with! She started trying to get back to her feet, as the pain in her back reasserted it's presence. She grit her teeth, and for the time being watched.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     "They were weak!" Jasper retorts, towering over Lapis as she leans back. "Of course I was going to hurt them. The fact that you defend them makes me sick! You turned your back on your own kind! And for what?!"

     Her arm snaps out again with speed that is in stark contrast to her titanic size, snaring Lapis by the upper arm as she tries to dive past. "You're not going anywhere!" She'll just let Lapis dangle there in her grip as she turns to Peridot. "That is, unless it's a cell..."

     Jasper watches Peridot rise and seems a slight touch more content now that she's, once again, established her particular brand of pecking order - whoever hits hardest leads. Unless she doesn't want to lead, or Peridot knows better. Which, Jasper reflects, tends to be the case.

     "So, Peridot, I think there's much I need to know. Why this one isn't in a cell, where those Gems are, what's our situation and - oh! - and where exactly we are! And don't make it too technical, you can see I'm clearly not in the mood."

     She gives Lapis a brief shake to impress her point.

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis gasps and let's out a small shout as her arm is taken. Jasper's hands are huge in comparison to her. Given her speed and velocity, the torsion causes some rather significant discomfort in her shoulder. "No!" She shouts, as she goes limp, held up a bit off the ground by Jasper's grip. Concentration clearly disrupted, her wings disperse back into nothingness.

    She'd worked so hard to make everything just a little bit better. She was with homeworld again, helping them restablish gemkind. She saw the need for them to continue with the kindergartens, to save themselves from extinction if homeworld didn't exist anymore.

    "I'm not going back!" She struggles a little bit as Jasper threatens to put her back in the jailcell.

    Shaking her seems to stop her struggling, causing another gasp of pain. She briefly looks up to Peridot, a defeated expression returning that Peridot likely hadn't seen since the warship was headed to Earth.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    Peridot's brain felt like it was in overdrive. Had Lapis betrayed homeworld? Other dark thoughts flowed through her head before she forced them out; those ideas would have to be scrutinized later. She couldn't know how deep this went without more intel and wild speculation would not help. She finally managed to get up and walk back over, her brows still arched in a worried expression.

    "Jasper! I don't.." She looked to Lapis, and back to the orange gem. As Jasper mentions throwing Lapis in a cell. A cell? Peridot had been relying on her. Trusting her. She was slipping into madness the weeks before Lapis showed up. Peridot had invited her as a free citizen. "You're mistaken! I don't know what this is about but Lapis has been helping me! She's been loyal to Homeworld since I found her!"

    Peridot's brows furrow in concentration as she looked back to Lapis. "She would never betray us!" And then, perhaps surprisingly, Peridot reached and grabbed Jaspers wrist. The one holding Lapis. It wasn't immediately clear what she was trying to do as she didn't have the strength to pry Lapis free, but it felt better than doing nothing. She pulled on it as much as she could. "Let her go! You're hurting her!"

Jasper (858) has posed:
     "Words are meaningless, brat," Jasper snaps to Lapis, hefting her to bring her eye-to-eye with her. "Actions are the one thing that matter." With Lapis subdued, as she always should have been, Jasper returns her attentions to Peridot. As Peridot pulls at her arm, Jasper /smiles/. And it's not a pleasant smile, it's the feral, toothy grin of a shark. "I know," she says, which is possibly the one phrase that could sum her up perfectly. Maybe not out to inflict pain like a sadist is, but certainly not willing to care when she causes it. Her wrist is almost impossible to move.

     She says nothing, does nothing, just stands there like an impassive statue. Maybe she's impressed by Peridot's sudden resolve, even after being slammed like she was, or maybe she's just stopped caring about it. Maybe she's aware that Peridot is still, technically, in command of this ship and the mission. Either way, whatever the reason, Jasper drops Lapis to the deck of the ship.

     "She'll know better than to do it again," Jasper seethes. "She's loyal now, sure - but I wonder how loyal she'll remain when we run into those rebels again. I'll be keeping an eye on you." The last phrase, going by how her golden eyes wander down to glare at Lapis, is obviously directed at one person in particular.

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis frowns when brought up to eye level with Jasper. She doesn't struggle or try to escape. Jasper could at this moment inflict more harm on her than just hurting her arm, and she knows it. Then Peridot begins struggling to free her! This grabs Lapis' attention for a bit, and she looks back up to Jasper. That toothy grin and malevolent voice.

    Then she's released and dropped to the floor. Clearly not expecting this, her feet skid against the floor and she lands on her back and behind with a small yelp, hands bracing her the best she can against the impact.

    Slowly she gets back up to her feet, giving Jasper a look in return to her comment. Taking a few steps back, she gives Jasper some distance. It's obvious that she's scared of Jasper, but that's always been true.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    Peridot let Jasper go when she let's Lapis go. She exhaled quietly. It almost just dawned on her what she had just done. She hadn't consciously stood up to Jasper, it had just happened before she had a moment to think. She could very well consider herself lucky Jasper didn't just poof the both of them and sort it out for herself. Though Jasper was her escort, there wasn't a whole lot Peridot could do to stop her from commandeering everything.

    As Lapis gets back to her feet, Peridot looks to her wrist then to her face. "What's this all about?" She ask squinting. "What is she talking about? You said in your report that you had no idea what happened to her!" She waves her hand in Jaspers direction. "Everything got scrambled after the ship went down."

    She looked to Jasper as well. "Someone tell me!" She curled her fingers into fist at her side.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Jasper crosses her arms, meeting Peridot's gaze with a cool expression. To admit what happened would mean admitting that she had fused with Lapis, would mean admitting that she wasn't strong enough to handle the rebels without needing /help/, it would mean admitting /defeat/. It's utterly anathemic to her. For all her raw strength, Lapis - empowered by an ocean's worth of power - had been stronger. It didn't matter how much Jasper had railed against Lapis, how she had thrashed and roared and screamed inside Malachite... she had been held there.

     So, Jasper doesn't say a word to Peridot beyond a grunted 'hmph'. She glances to Lapis and in that glance is an unspoken command: be very, very careful about saying anything.

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis looks to be largely unharmed. Gems are tough things, even soft gems like Lapis Lazuli. Having gotten a little distance, Lapis looks between Peridot and Jasper. Peridot, demanding to know what had happened, and Jasper giving her that stare. She had to say something, but even /she/ didn't want to admit what really happened on that beach.

    "I.. did see Jasper after the crash," Lapis says carefully, tiptoeing around the events that occurred. She could risk Jasper's wrath, but something tells her that is unavoidable either way. Still, being completely truthful might make it worse. So she fabricates further.

    "Jasper was going to detain the Crystal Gems and I tried to stop her. Using the Earth's ocean. The Crystal Gems got away." She looks away as she says this, rather than meet Peridot's stare. In this version, the failure appears to be hers. She was the obstacle that gave the Crystal Gems enough time to flee. The only constant truth was that she had acted against Homeworld.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    "You tried to help those crystal clods?.. those rebels?" Peridot put a hand on her hip, as her brows furrowed even further. "Do you know how many Homeworld gems they've killed during that little rebellion? All the trouble they gave me while I was trying to resume Homeworld activities on earth!" Peridot took a step back from her. This was big news, though-- Lapis was spared, it seems from the full truth. An unspoken conspiracy between her and Jasper to hide the real truth. The truth that would have sent Peridot off the deep end. Trying to let some gems escape was one thing. But trying to imprison Jasper for all eternity?...

    Peridots angry expression shifted to something more... disappointed. Perhaps even a little hurt. "This is why you're so friendly with that ridiculous Sunstone! They've infected you with their earth like ways. Are you some kind of double agent? Trying to warm me up to their agenda?"

    "And what about the mission? These gems you love so much, would gladly hand our entire species a death sentence and completely tear everything we've worked so hard to achieve down." Peridot grabbed Lapis by the shoulders, however it was not with the same spirit of how Jasper had just done it. Peridot was pleading with her. "In order to save gem-kind. We have to kill this planet." Peridot squinted stating the facts bluntly and clearly. "They have, and always will stand firmly against that. You cannot live in both worlds. We cannot let ourselves be snuffed out in this corner of the galaxy."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Ah, that's more like it. Jasper's gloating grin says enough - Peridot's on the case and Lapis is at least smart enough to keep the worst part of it to herself. Peridot might be concerned out of some Homeworld loyalty, and Jasper might be too, but it's the damage to her /pride/ that's the most worry to the larger Gem. She'll let her smarter companion stress the importance, the necessity of the mission. Truth be told, Jasper's only here to ensure it gets done - the task itself doesn't matter. She can respect Peridot's blunt facts, though.

     "They'll get in the way again, and I'll be there to meet them," she says. "Sunstone?" Jasper grunts the question. "Who is that? Why should we care?" Ah, Jasper. She's not the most forward-thinking Gem, only really thinking about the next six feet in front of her at any time.

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis brushes Peridot's hands away with her own, "I know what it means, Peridot!" She affirms this with a level of authority. She knows what kindergartens do to planets. She knows that it drains them to lifeless hulks for gemkind to thrive. It is a fact of life for gems, it's something they accept as necessary.

     Homeworld gems are perfect. Homeworld gems are superior. Homeworld is perfect. Homeworld is home.

    "The crystal gems are monsters," she agrees, they kept her locked in that mirror for so long. Even if Earth did have a chance of being something else, something.. not necessarily perfect, but different, it doesn't now. The multiverse isn't Earth. "Things are different now," Lapis explains, for the benefit of Jasper as well as Peridot.

    "We're the only ones left. Supposedly there are more gems, but we can't find Homeworld. We're all that's left. This isn't one kindergarten in a thousand. This is our last one." The tone she takes is sullen. She knows the stakes here, and nothing she's done has been against the kindergarten.

    Lapis gives a hard stare towards Jasper, obviously defiant, "Which means our mission against Steven is over."

Peridot (836) has posed:
    Peridot let her hands get brushed aside. She had said all of this to lapis before, but hearing Jasper make all these accusations, and even hearing Lapis admitting she raised a hand against Homeworld. Peridot had to make sure. She had to get it out there again. She had to know her friend was not going to backstab her.
    She closed her eyes for a moment. "... I'm sorry." Lapis had convinced her. Had said the right things. Peridot was not the sort to throw out apologies very easily. This prompted her to turn her attention to Jasper.
    "Lapis... is correct. The Steven has been shifted to being a low priority target. We have far more grave concerns to deal with Jasper. We three are the only three loyal to Homeworld on this planet. Perhaps in this galaxy. I don't know exactly what went on between you two. But, it's all in the past now. Lapis was once my informant, but now she is our ally. We are all three of us, irreplacable resources for our cause. We are all we have."
    "There.. is much we have to catch up on. Things are different now, everything has changed including the mission." She folded her arms. "We are not on the earth, or universe that we knew. " Peridot winced. "There is no Yellow Diamond for us to bring the Steven too. I don't know if she, or Homeworld exist here. I've spent weeks searching... broadcasting. I can find no evidence of Homeworld, period. Until It is located, I am forced to operate under the assumption that it is no longer there."

    "However I am coming across more and more evidence of Gemkind on earth. The three of us are the only documented gems on this planet. Save for- Sunstone and a few corrupted gems we have bubbled in the brig." She looks to Jasper at this. "Sunstone is a gem who once held a position like mine. A planet conqueror. She learned about what Quartz did, and sought to duplicate her results. I was sent to put a stop to that situation... and, Her rebellion had a drastically different ending. I thought her dead, until she showed up here."

    "And she's just as rebellious as I remember her." Peridot concluded. "A threat that I've continued to monitor."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     "What?" Jasper snaps at Lapis, "You think you can give orders to me?!" Her tone is dark, like she finds it funny. And she's not known for having a good sense of humor. She seems to be about to press the issue, to demonstrate the apparent humor in it all, when Peridot speaks up.

     "But it's not 'Steven'," Jasper insists, "It's Rose. It's gotta be- that shield, that gem! Why play along with her /obvious/ charade?!"

     Still, while Jasper always /hears/ people, for once it seems like she's actually /listening/. If this is all true, and Jasper trusts Peridot's position - if not the Gem herself - to have no reason to think any of it is a lie, then this is a big problem. It's an opportunity, sure, but Jasper is nothing if not a loyal warrior for her homeworld. The fact it could just be gone...

     It vexes her, to say the least.

     "Then keep looking for Homeworld, you can't just /lose/ a planet! But if we have more Gems revealing themselves, we face the very real prospect of being outnumbered..." Jasper grins as she says this - no, she's not worried about being outnumbered in the least.

     "I'll prove I can be magnanimous then. Like you say, Peridot, we'll put everything in the past and continue with what we can. Under the assumption that I won't have to deal with any such interference from the brat again." She'll hold a grudge, too. Anyone who's known Jasper for as long as these two have could easily assume that.

     "What's our overall status? Robonoids? Weapons? The ship? This Sunstone, is she actively working with Quartz's forces?"

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis shrinks a little bit when Jasper snaps at her. Nothing will change that she's frightened by the presence of this gem. Peridot might forgive her transgressions, even for the 'Steven incident' but if Yellow Diamond is out here, and she is, then Jasper will not hesitate to tell her everything. Anything after that will be worse than the mirror.

    But the possibility exists that Jasper will spare those details for her own pride.

    Jasper makes a good point about losing the planet. A planet full of homeworld gems likely trying to find where they are just as much as Peridot and Lapis are. "It's possible coming to this universe damaged their infrastructure," Lapis admits softly, not daring to suggest Homeworld in all its perfectness could be disabled under normal circumstances. "All the warp pads we've found have also been damage, though that might have been from the Crystal Gems. Who we've not seen at all. Sunstone has also declared she is not a crystal gem."

Peridot (836) has posed:
    "Status is sub-optimal but trending upwards." Peridot answers, creating her holopad out of her fingers. She floated the display in front of Jasper that had various reads out flashing at regular intervals. It went over many things. Including the status of damage around the ship, blueprints of kindergarten and statistics on available resources including Robonoids, injectors and escape pods.

    "Your battle did a massive amount of damage to the ship." She tried to keep the sass levels to a minimum. But, she was Peridot after all. There was only so much she could do. "I spent a few days repairing the core and got the ship back off the ground. However there is significant damage done to the hull, it can fly but it's not space worthy yet. After my attempts to locate Homeworld failed, I started immediately on repairing the injectors which is halfway complete. We need to get kindergarten up and running asap."

    "Lapis is correct, Sunstone does not identify as a Crystal gem. But make no mistake, when I tried to put a stop to her rebellion.. a life time ago. She brought down the warship I was on just the same. So far, attempts to coerce her to our side have been fruitless. Approach with extreme caution."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     "Hmmmm..." Jasper murmurs, arms crossed. The display is floated to her and, while she looks at it, it's clear she's only skimming the information presented to her - if she's even doing that. She looks bored by it. Yes, yes, damage reports, blueprints, escape pods that she never plans on using...

     "Yes, good. This Sunstone doesn't have an army? No supporters?" The look on her face is, well, fairly /happy/ as far as Jasper goes. A foe with no one to help them? That's like shooting fish in a barrel! "Caution? Are you serious? She's one Gem. If she attempts to stop us, she'll end up in the brig with the rest of the trash."

     Something ticks over in her mind, then, and she glances at Lapis. "'This universe'?"

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis frowns a little bit at the thought of Sunstone imprisoned, but doesn't share any additional thoughts on that. Shifting a little bit, she nods at what Peridot says. "Sunstone is peaceful, for the moment." If she can at least paint her as a non-threat for now.. But she shakes her head, "The Union supports her, in that she belongs to that faction." She eyes Peridot warily for a moment, the creases under her eyes seemingly more visible than usual.

    This encounter has been plenty stressful.

    "We're in a new universe, Jasper.." Lapis says carefully, "In some place called the multiverse. The humans aren't weak here."

Peridot (836) has posed:
    "Lapis is correct. She has no army that she commands. But, she has supporters." Peridot answered. Her lips pursing at Jaspers bored reaction to her holopad. All that documentation took work! She takes the pad away and reforms her fingers. "But so do we."

    "When I arrived, I was alone for many weeks. Initially I could find no other gem, gem technology or structure. Therefore, I found it prudent when an opportunity to forge an alliance with a powerful faction. I took it. The people of this planet, are.. strange. Different from the ones we knew. We are in direct competition for control of this planet with many other individuals of varying power... some rather frighteningly strong. As I understand it... These competitor have decided to pull their resources into an uneasy alliance called the confederacy. Of which, we are apart of."

    "This puts us in opposition of the aforementioned union who have taken it upon themselves to halt the work of beings such as we. So long we lend aid to our allies when battling these foes, we will in kind receive resources that we are in desperate need of."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Lapis' words provoke a sceptical response from Jasper, etching it all over her face. Humans that aren't weak? What is Lapis even saying? "I'll be the judge of how weak they are," Jasper tells Lapis in no uncertain tone of voice.

     Jasper sets herself down into one of the seats and she seems entirely too big for it. "The Confederacy..." she murmurs the word as she listens. "Tell me more. What're the terms of this alliance? I won't be ordered about by some non-Gem - that's degrading! That can be your job, Peridot!"

Lapis Lazuli (849) has posed:
    Lapis goes quiet under Jasper's skeptical response. Her seat's also been taken by Jasper. With a slightly quieter voice, Lapis says, "I'm going to my room." And she turns to start walking away, unless ordered to otherwise stay.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    "We take orders from no one!" Peridot said back quickly. She appeared to be insulted that Jasper would even think she would work for a human.. At least without some manner of weapon pointed at her gem first, that is. She certainly wouldn't do it of her own accord. "We have more..." She squints. "Guidelines. Best practices. Suggestions." She went on, closing an eye. "We can throw them out the window, but we are trying to get what we need. It's more.. of a cooperation. Just don't kill any of our allies... without good reason." She suggest as a compromise.

    Peridot nods to Lapis as she leaves, letting her go. "Don't forget. I wish to have your aid when I begin moving the injectors to the ground." She didn't mind that Lapis was leaving. It was best for the time being because of the topic she was about to go into. She waited... and then looked to Jasper. "The alliance is already paying off, as a monstrous human of sorts had been harassing me until I identified as a confederate. I then successfully negotiated a deal that prevented him from attacking Lapis and the Steven, and instead redirected him to assault Sunstone." She folded her arms, and smirked. "Preserving an asset to our mission, while taking another out in one fell swoop! It was brilliant!"

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Jasper doesn't even give Lapis a second-glance or anything approaching a friendly farewell. She probably assumes she'll go right back to her cell, maybe missing the usage of the word 'room'. "I think I can handle not killing any of them, without good reason." Of course, isn't that just so subjective?

     "How devious of you," Jasper says to Peridot's choice of tactics. "If we can keep those Gems busy with our allies, we can get this mission back on track after that little disaster on Earth. And a supply of allies would be an easy way to ensure that my strength is as it's always been. Beyond compare. Hmm." She adds, leaning back, and the chair /creaks/. "You could say I'm almost looking forward to it. It's been a while since I've had a /real/ challenge." And what was Garnet, then? Or Malachite?

Peridot (836) has posed:
    Peridot grinned. There was something she didn't get from Lapis. Validation for when she managed to utilize her cunning towards treacherous ends. Peridot never needed praise... but she certainly wanted it.

    "Our next priority, now that Sunstone has her hands full is the acquisition of a power source capable of powering the complex beneath Kindergarten. Currently the warship is providing the power we need, and the defenses. However that means it's tied up as an asset here and cannot be deployed when I need it to more pressing fronts." Peridot walked over to the command console, bringing up imagery of Kindergarten itself. "Of course, I've had to dedicate a lot of time to the injectors, if they don't work this whole operation is for nothing. But, I'm growing increasingly satisfied that we have an ample supply of working injectors. Though we did lose a few in the crash."

    "I currently have no solid leads on a replacement source. But we need to find one, and then take it by force if we need to." She looked over her shoulder to Jasper. "Do you think that will satisfy your need to punch things?"

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Jasper uncrosses her arms so she can slam one big fist into her waiting palm. That seems like a yes.

     She glances at the imagery of Kindergarten, squinting at it. "If you have enough, then you have enough," she says about the injectors. "Just tell me what kind of power source you want and where to find it and I'll bring it back - I don't care about the science behind it. I want this ship moving again, in case we need to eliminate any particularly invasive holdouts of vermin. I'd anticipate a response from the Crystal Gems, particularly if they think I'm still..."

     A slight pause then, Jasper frowns.

     "...busy." Yes, that's a good word. Good thinking, Jasper.

Peridot (836) has posed:
    Peridot nods. Though in the imagery of Kindergarten she took notice of a small blue smudge flying away from the ship. This gave her some pause. But she chose to not alert Jasper about it. She had after all, treated Lapis like a free gem. She considered briefly that Lapis was perhaps going to warn Sunstone about Jaspers arrival. This makes her frown. But, surely Lapis wouldn't immediately betray them again. Not after that talk. No... she trusted Lapis, still. Her bottom lip presses against her top, and she switches cameras to get her off the screen.

    "I'm on it then. In the meantime You will find your quarters largely in the state you left them in. I have documented everything that has occurred here since my arrival, and you should be able to access these reports and logs in your terminal. That should get you up to speed on all things of relevance. Including where we've been storing the Steven."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Thankfully, Jasper seems to miss Lapis' departure. It's a small miracle for the other Gems, perhaps. She leans forwards, elbows on her knees as she listens to Peridot. She won't lower herself to saying she'll do what Peridot says, like it's an order, but she nods - and that's enough to let Peridot know that Jasper will go away and study.

     At that final mention, though, Jasper grins. "Well, at least we have /some/ good news," she says, and then makes her way out of the bridge. All business, as always.