Chapter Text
Nobody had ever expected much from her. She was a Jasper. She was big, she was strong, and she didn't ask questions. Not at first. She was made to be a soldier, and she was good at it. Created on Earth and forged during the fire of the civil war, Jasper was given her calling in life from the moment she pulled herself out of a cliff face. Summon helmet, crush traitors, follow orders. She knew what she had to do, and there was nothing to be done but to do it.
In some ways, she was lucky. Her size and strength put her above other gems like her. She was noticed by her commanders from the beginning. Unfortunately for her, that meant being chosen to fight on the front lines. She didn't think about the implications of it at first. It had seemed like an honor. Recognition for her inherent superiority. It was something she was told from the day she understood spoken words, from her birth into the tumultuous, war-torn battlefield called Earth.
'Only the strong survive.'
It was repeated to her, and she repeated it to herself. A Lie. Or rather, an incomplete truth. It's something that slowly dawns on her with each passing battle, each time she survives and others do not. The commanders begin to pay attention to her, the way she watches her enemies, skirts around cannon fire, deflects punches with her helmet, then waits for the right moment to attack. She needs more than brute strength to survive; she needs wits. And the more she thinks, the more she realizes that intellect not something a Jasper is supposed to have.
She is a Jasper. She is a solider. She is disposable. Her duty is to charge into the fray head-on, regardless of the risk. The other Jaspers obey, and the other Jaspers die. There's always more Jaspers though, an ever-changing stream of Jaspers coming and vanishing from one battle to the next. She's the only constant. She raises the interest of her commanders, but ultimately they don't care too much one way or another. Her willingness to fight is all that matters, and on that account, Jasper is more than happy to oblige. That is, until the time comes that she does not obey.
She's under the command of an Agate, a small gem, dim witted and sharp tongued with a mind on greater ranks. Jasper hates her. Desperate for power, but too afraid to actually fight herself, Agate commands her troops from a distance, then swoops in to seize any glory left behind. A wretch. With every blow Jasper takes, every enemy she fights, she thinks it to herself over and over. Why does Agate get the praise when Jasper and the others are the ones doing the fighting? Who gave Agate the right to sit behind and let other gems fight and die for her? Jasper's fought longer, fought harder, knows this war more intimately than Agate could possibly understand, so why does she always get treated dirt and Agate gets praise? Coward. Sniveler. Wretch.
Agate gathers her squadron around one day, ready to announce a new plan. Jasper stands near the front, arms crossed as she simmers in her distaste. Agate struts around in front of the gems under her command as she lays out details of a new plan. A rebel base nearby happens to have a stockpile of wailing stones. Agate wants them all to storm the base and take the stones. Jasper stares at her commander in slaw-jawed disbelief. When Agate asks if there's any questions, Jasper raises a hand, and all eyes turn to her. Agate raises a brow and gives her a suspicious nod.
"Why, exactly, are you making us risk all our lives for nothing? Wailing stones are as common as dirt; they're not important." A dead silence hangs over the group as the gems near Jasper back away, their wide eyes darting back between her and Agate. Agate marches over and eyes Jasper up and down, the smaller gem barely coming up to Jasper's chest.
"So sorry, let me explain it to you on your level." Agate sneers. "The rebels are bad. We want to stop the rebels. If we take their wailing stones, they can't talk to each other. If they can't talk to each other, they lose and we win, which is good."
"BUT THAT'S POINTLESS!" Jasper roars, her whole body trembling in anger.
"OH, JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME, YOU STUPID BRUTE!" Agate snaps. Jasper punches her in the face so hard she can feel Agate's physical form pop under the force of her blow. Agate's gem drops neatly to Jasper's feet. The squadron flees. Jasper's summoned by a Topaz the next day. The commander's eyes go over her once, a mean glint reflected in the light.
"It's Jasper, isn't it?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Jasper responds.
"Would you care to explain why you attacked your superior officer with such force that it destroyed her physical form, rendering her unfit for battle for the remainder of the day?"
"She was trying to kill my squadron." Topaz raises an incredulous brow.
"Would you care to explain that?"
"She was trying to send us all to capture a stockpile of wailing stones, knowing full well that the area was well-guarded and the stones were of no strategic importance whatsoever."
"Oh? and you would know about strategy?" Jasper bristles under the comment, the constant reminder of what her place ought to be, what she ought to be. Obedient. Stupid. A big, dumb hulk to be ordered around by someone else. To hell with it. If she's going to be executed for insubordination, she won't do it sniveling and playing the fool.
"I've been fighting in this war just as long as she has. I'm the one who's been on the front lines while she barks orders from the rear. I know a damn sight more than her about what's important and what's not." Jasper says. Topaz says nothing, just smiles thinly, thanks her for her time, and dismisses her.
She's been given a new assignment the next day. She's placed in control of Agate's squadron and tasked to take out an underwater refuge. They're all foot soldiers, as in experienced on land. Not one of them has fought around the ocean, much less beneath it. Jasper stands on the shore, feeling the questioning eyes of her comrades burning holes in her back. Agate still needs time to recover, her squadron is told by Topaz. They have all been placed under Jasper's command in the meantime, since she's obviously got some good ideas. It's all up her, and they expect a major success.
A suicide mission.
Jasper, Topaz, and the squadron all know it's a punishment, a warning for what will happen to Gems who don't know their place. Jasper's fists clench as the waves surround her feet, and she wishes she could smash Topaz into pieces. Instead, she resolves to do better. She resolves to live.
*****
The sanctuary is destroyed. Jasper pulls herself out of the ocean, her fingers cleaving small valleys in the sand as she heaves herself up, water pouring in streams from her hair. She is alive, triumphant. Some of her squadron dies, but enough of them manage to make it back to shore to raise the eyebrows and ire of the higher ups. They give her a new squadron, and another suicide mission. She lives. Most of the squadron lives, and Jasper begins to be taken seriously.
The war drags on for longer than anyone thought it would. Despite being outmatched and outnumbered, the resistance hangs on. It's Rose Quartz's powers that tip the balance. Across the planet-turned-battlefield she set up hidden springs, capable of healing injured fighters. Rose's side has few casualties. Jasper sees new, inexperienced faces in her squadron every day. Desertion becomes common. They are losing, and everyone knows it. Still, Jasper fights on. She survives each battle, clawing out a place for herself among the higher-ranking gems. She is feared, respected.
The war draws to a close. Too many lives lost, for too little gain. That's what the official verdict is. It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth for centuries to come, but she's achieved so much in that time. Her days of being nothing more than a mere pawn are long over. For the first time in her life, she's seen as more than just an unthinking weapon. Her commanders truly expect great things from her, and she doesn't intend to disappoint. The universe is waiting for her.
*****
The universe isn't what it used to be. Inspecting her reflection in the shiny hull of the ship in front of her, Jasper sometimes finds it just a little strange to be staring at a face practically unchanged in six thousand years. Technology has changed. War has changed. Homeworld, Gems, politics, everything has become so different. Shouldn't all that progress reflect on her somehow? She's had to change, after all. Her prowess during the civil war could only carry her so far. As time passed, Jasper had to learn to adapt. There was no other choice. Looking into the hull of the dingy ship, Jasper reflects on how she wound up on such a strange detour in her lifelong journey.
She had overheard bits and pieces about it from various gems in the station. Some technician gem was looking for an escort on a dangerous mission. She hadn't been provided one by her commanding officer, so she had apparently taken it upon herself to find someone. From what Jasper heard, she was still looking around. A strange affair, but Jasper didn't pay much attention until she overheard the real story.
Two mid-ranking gems were talking about it in hushed giggles. A technician whose mouth is smarter than her mind, who's complained a little too often a little too loudly. In conspiratorial chuckles and whispers, they mention her mission. A planet on the border of Gem territory used for thousands of years as a Kindergarten and general outpost, now too degraded for habitation. Evacuation hasn't been as smooth as it should be; there's been inter-gem conflicts for years that have finally reached a boiling point. They want this Peridot to find and fix warp pads broken in the heart of the conflict.
The sharp giggles stab into Jasper. They're sending her out to die. This Peridot, does she even know? Does she honestly think she's been entrusted with an important mission or is she aware of the trouble she's in? Could she even save herself if she knew? It's none of Jasper's business really. Besides, she's got more important things to do, she can't bother with some foolish gem who's gotten herself into trouble. There's nothing Jasper can do.
That doesn't stop her from stewing over it. A dim-witted gem sent off to die for irritating her commanders. Jasper's never been one for sentimentality. The fact that society has abandoned rituals and spirituality in favor of sheer utilitarianism has been one change she always appreciated. Still, the fate of this unknown gem irritates her. They couldn't just reprimand her or execute her; no, they have to pretend like they actually believe she'll succeed. Compared to what Jasper did, this Peridot's practically blameless. A suicide mission for being mouthy? Everything about it is so completely asinine that it makes Jasper boil.
To the stars with it. She can afford to waste a month or two. She can always pull some excuse out of her gem about being concerned for a potential civil war. Jasper turns and approaches the pair, still snickering to themselves. They immediately stop and straighten up as soon as Jasper's shadow falls over them.
"What's this I hear about an unstable planet?" Jasper barks. The two turn to exchange glances, cowering in place. A few calls to the right Gems, a few strings pulled, and Jasper finds herself assigned as an escort. She now stands impatiently next to the ship, examining herself and tapping her foot in irritation. The sooner this mission is over and this Peridot can fend for herself again, the better.
Jasper hears the gentle hum of the bay doors opening and the soft metallic click of feet walking along the docking station. Peridot's arrived. Jasper doesn't make a move. She stays in place, waits to see how Peridot reacts. She hears the click of Peridot's feet stop. Peridot's noticed her. Click click...click. Her pace has slowed, she's uncertain. Clickclickclickclick. But not afraid. Looking into the reflective hull of the ship, Jasper watches as Peridot approaches her.
"Who are you and what are you doing here? This area is for authorized gems only."
A little spitfire. Jasper isn't sure whether to be pleased or irritated. Jasper turns around, crosses her arms, and inspects the gem who's gotten her wrapped up in such a mess. Peridot takes one step back, looks Jasper over, then straightens up and crosses her arms in turn. She's bold, Jasper will give her that much. No wonder she's in so much trouble.
"I'm your escort." Jasper barks, and watches Peridot's reaction closely. Jasper isn't what she wanted. Peridot makes no effort to hide her disappointment upon meeting her for the first time. Peridot's eyes go over Jasper a few times, taking her in.
"I had assumed you would be..." Peridot doesn't say it. She doesn't need to. Jasper's heard it all before. "I had assumed a gem with a similar archetype as mine would be accompany me." A polite way to put it. Part of Jasper begins to regret wasting her time on this gem. Does this brash fool even know what kind of danger she's put herself in? Doesn't matter. Jasper's already made the commitment, and she's always been one to see things through to the end. It will only be a few months anyway. Either Jasper can put some sense into this young gem's head or she's beyond help.
"And what exactly would be the point of another gem like you coming along for the ride?" Jasper snapped. "You wanted back up, didn't you? Did you really think having another technician was your solution? The whole point of having back up is to have someone who can protect you, isn't it?"
"Well I..." Peridot started, taken aback. "Well, fine. Let's just board this glorified garbage heap and get going." Peridot quickly walked past Jasper and onto the ship. Jasper grunted and followed behind. Peridot had one thing right. The ship they have is cramped and outdated; a low-end model even when it was new, which by Jasper's guess was around seven or eight hundred years ago. It's the kind of ship no one would mind being lost or destroyed. Jasper walked through the halls, examining the inside of the ship as Peridot trailed ahead of her. Every minute or so Peridot let out some noise of disgust, a gag or disgusted gasp or a loud groan, her high-pitched voice echoed down the narrow corridors. It's going to be a very, very, long trip.
"Do you know what kind of ship this is, Peridot?" Jasper asks, stopping so Peridot has to turn around to face her. Oh great. Peridot thinks to herself. Of course she would get saddled with some oversized, ancient brawler who was stuck thousands of years in the past, along with a hulk of barely space-worthy junk. Just her luck.
"It's a Class D-57 Destroyer Escort ship." Peridot snapped. Figures she'd get a gem who didn't even know the basic kinds of ships. Jasper nods once and asks more basic questions about the ship. Peridot answers and Jasper begins to ask her about the weapons, defense system, computational capabilities. So the brute has some basic understanding of warships, Peridot thinks. Still, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Jasper's questions continue and Peridot answers each one in rapid fire, answers about the hull integrity, AI integration, system flaws. Jasper's barrage continues, and Peridot's answers come more slowly, less surely. Questions are fired about maneuverability while in hyperdrive, probability of communication errors while relaying messages through deep-space channels, theoretical capabilities of the ship's weapons systems while simultaneously running the shielding system and Peridot realizes that Jasper has been testing her all along. She keeps up as best she can, but eventually Jasper asks her something Peridot can't answer. Peridot is forced to stop, fumbling over her words as she tries come up with something satisfactory and failing.
"I... I don't know." Peridot says quickly, crossing her arms and looking away. Jasper nods once, apparently satisfied with Peridot's overall knowledge of the ship. Her line of inquiry then changes to a different topic.
"How much do you know about combat, Peridot?"
Peridot snorted. "I'm a technician, not a warrior. What am I supposed to know about combat?"
"Can you summon a weapon?"
"I'm quite certain I don't have one."
"Can you transform?" Jasper's tone has once again become curt.
"No, why would I need to?" Peridot answered, making no effort to hide her rising annoyance.
"Do you at least know how to use a destabilizer?" Jasper snapped.
"No! What part of 'I'm a technician' aren't you hearing? That's never been part of my job."
"Then you're learning," Jasper barked. "Before this mission is over, I expect you to be able to at least defend yourself."
"That is utterly ridiculous! I'm not putting myself in danger! And furthermore, I'm not marching around telling you how to do my job!"
"That's the stupidest thing I've heard come out of your fool mouth yet."
Peridot jerks back in shock. "How... How DARE you!" She shrieks. "You can't-"
"Can't what?" Jasper shoots back. "Do you remember who I am? Do you remember who you are?" Peridot steps back, her face flushed in anger and embarrassment, fingers clenched and body shaking. Jasper takes a step towards her, invading her space. She needs to know how far she can push this Peridot, needs to know the full extent of what she's up against.
"I am Jasper. I've lead troops into battle during the war for Earth. I helped build the first Dreadnought fleet and piloted them for centuries. I've held a seat on the Symposiums since they started. If I wanted, I could speak directly to Yellow Diamond herself." Peridot keeps trying to back up, but Jasper won't let her, keeps moving forward, bridging the distance between them.
"So tell me, Peridot, what have you done that I should respect? What have you done to earn anyone's respect?" Jasper jabs at Peridot and she falls back, tears beginning to form in her eyes as her body trembles in rage. Peridot doesn't answer her, just stands her ground and glares daggers at Jasper, her fists clenching and unclenching in incompetent fury. Jasper watches her calmly before asking,
"Do you want to hurt me, Peridot?" A flash in Peridot's eyes tell Jasper the real answer.
"No." Liar.
"I'm going to give you a destabilizer, Peridot." Jasper states. "And I want you to try to hit me as hard as you can with it."
"No! Whatever this is, I'm not falling for it! I'm not going to get in trouble for this!"
Jasper walks over to the wall of the ship, places her hand over a seamless panel, and draws a destabilizer from inside. Walking back to Peridot, she tries to hand the device over to the reluctant gem. When Peridot refuses, Jasper sets it on the ground in front of her, then walks until she's a good twenty feet away.
"Here's how it's going to work, Peridot. I'm going to start attacking you. Either you let me hurt you, you learn to fight with your own body, or you use that destabilizer to protect yourself."
Even from across the room, Jasper can see the way Peridot's body tenses, twitches, starts pulling in different directions as the gravity of the situation dawns on her. Jasper lets her get her bearings for a moment, then dashes forward. Peridot scrambles to pick up the destabilizer, drops it once, and manages to grab it and activate it as Jasper dashes in and makes a swipe for Peridot. Jasper keeps her movements slow, clunky, easy to read. All of it is lost on Peridot, who jumps back, stumbles, and swings the golden tool in front of her wildly. As far as Peridot's concerned, every second of it is real. She doesn't realize that if Jasper had really wanted to harm her, she'd be smashed before she could blink. Jasper approaches again, makes another motion as if to punch her and Peridot swings widely and thrusts the destabilizer towards her arm. Jasper pulls back and swings from the other side, shoving Peridot and sending her sprawling.
"Stop it!" Peridot shrieks.
"HIT ME!" Jasper yells. There's a flash in Peridot's eyes and she darts forward, jabbing the prongs at Jasper's face. Jasper jumps back and Peridot jabs forward again, missing Jasper's chest. Jasper makes another swing at her and Peridot jabs at Jasper's incoming fist, prongs barely missing her body. A quick twist of her wrist and Jasper has Peridot's hand firmly clenched in hers, the destabilizer rendered useless. Peridot jerks, turns her head just in time to see Jasper's fist coming in from the other side. She tenses up and Jasper stops her blow right against Peridot's cheek, her knuckles ghosting on Peridot's face.
"You lose." Jasper murmurs. Peridot opens her clenched eyes, looking up at Jasper in a mix of confusion and fear. Jasper lets go of Peridot and pulls back her hand. Peridot quickly ducks under Jasper's arms and dashes off to the side, out of her grasp.
"For your first time, that wasn't completely horrendous. We're going to do this once a day until you're good enough to stand your own against me." Jasper turns and walks off, leaving a bug-eyed Peridot to herself. "Go familiarize yourself with the ship for the rest of the day. Be back here at the same time tomorrow."
*****
The next few days pass in a similar fashion. Peridot keeps to herself as much as possible; when Jasper accidentally crosses her path, she either turns the other way or walks quickly past Jasper, muttering curses under her breath. Peridot has gotten no better at using a destabilizer, either. Each match is the same; Peridot fumbles, makes a few wild swings, gets shoved around until Jasper disarms her.
A week has passed, and Jasper is standing alone in the room where they spar, anger bubbling. Peridot's stood her up. Like hell she's going to get out of this. Jasper storms out the room and begins stalking down the halls, looking for Peridot. She shouldn't have bothered with this stupid mission or this stupid gem. Peridot is nothing like her. She's got no ambition, no planning, and she's not that bright either. Jasper should have just left her to her fate.
Jasper finds her tucked away near the heart of the ship, scrolling through some pointless stream of data at her fingertips. She turns around at the rumble of Jasper's feet, her holo-screen quickly dissolving and her fingers snapping back into place at her side. Peridot backs up, nervous but defiant as Jasper approaches her.
"Why weren't you at upper deck?" Jasper snapped.
"I had more pressing matters than being shoved around by you."
"You think this is a joke?" Jasper yelled. She'd finally reached her boiling point with Peridot. She was done being soft. Peridot was an irresponsible, overly brash, smart-mouthed, dirt-brained jackass who needed someone to smack some sense into her.
"The whole thing is pointless! I don't need to learn any of this! I'm not going to put myself in danger!"
"You already have, you utter imbecile!" Jasper exploded. "What do think this entire mission even was?"
"I've been sent to repair-"
"All by yourself? Without training?" Jasper countered. "Without help?"
Peridot pauses as the pieces begin to sink into place.
"But you-"
"Nobody assigned me to you, Peridot. If I didn't overhear you sorry plight, you'd be halfway to your death by now."
Peridot is silent for a while as she takes it all in. That can't be right. They wouldn't. It's not like... She's not...She never really...Peridot looks to Jasper again, studying her face for any sign that this is some sort of sick training, some way of assessing her performance. A trick. A joke. Something. Anything. Anything at all. Peridot stands still, silently pleading with Jasper for this to be some sort of test, for her to drop this act and tell her not to be so gullible for believing in this. It shouldn't come as a surprise to her, honestly. Peridot knows she's never been anyone's favorite, has let a few too many gems overhear what she really thinks about them. Still, the whole thing doesn't feel right. She feels divorced from the reality of the situation. The knowledge that she's been sent to her death is severed from the emotions that should accompany such knowledge. At the moment, all she feels is vague sense of unease and irritation.
"It was Beryl, wasn't it? She was the one who did this." Peridot finally asks. Jasper offers a halfhearted shrug lets the gravity of the situation fall on Peridot. Her temper's fizzled away. She hadn't really intended to tell Peridot the truth, but it wasn't doing either of them any good to keep it under wraps any more. Peridot deserved the truth, one way or another. Maybe now she'll finally understand what's at stake.
"I shouldn't have called her a clod." Peridot muttered, looking away. "Not where she could hear me, at least." Another pause and a glace at Jasper. "I'm not stupid, you know. I know I shouldn't have done it at all. I know I've been in trouble. I just didn't think..."Peridot paused again before exploding, "Well, why didn't someone just say something to me? I would have stopped! They didn't need to do this."
A silence settled over the ship, falling lightly on Jasper and Peridot's shoulders.
"I don't deserve this." Peridot whispered.
"No, you don't. But it's what you got anyways."
"So why are you here?" Peridot snapped, looking back up at Jasper. "To rub it in my face?"
"You haven't listened to a damn word I said. I'm here to pull your sorry gem out of trouble."
"Why?"
"It's like you said; you didn't deserve this."
Peridot wasn't sure what to think. She slowly brought her arms up to her sides, trying to make sense of everything. She tries to piece together all the separate elements, of Jasper, this mission, of her standing back home into something coherent but all that results is a jumbled mess in her mind. It's always been like this. She hates being told what to do, but she can never think of anything better to do on her own. She's always been like this too, bitter and sarcastic, lashing out at those around her for her own subpar ability to think of any better ideas. She supposed it was only a matter of time before she took it too far, but still, but still!
Peridot turned to Jasper again, eyeing her up. She didn't know why Jasper taken pity on her. At the moment, Peridot only had one real concern.
"So what happens to me now?"
"I can take you as far as this mission, then you're on your own again. Whatever happens up to that point is your choice."
Peridot nods once as Jasper left, leaving Peridot to her thoughts. When Jasper walked into their training area the next day she found Peridot already there, destabilizer in hand. Jasper grinned slightly as she stepped forward. Peridot looked up from the destabilizer she was twirling in her hands and simply said,
"Like I'm going to let a clod like Beryl get the best of me."
Jasper smiled widely and crackled her knuckles.
*****
Jasper cursed and ducked her head, the destabilizer barely missing her temple. She has to hand it to Peridot. Once she gets serious, she can hold her own. It's been a little over a month and Peridot is making progress. Another jab to the back of her head and Jasper jerked back, her body slamming into the wall behind her. Peridot rushed her and Jasper threw herself on the ground and rolled away. Peridot's augmented body is full of surprises. In the cramped confines of the ship, her ability to run around on the walls and ceilings has forced Jasper to take their practice seriously. Peridot propelled herself off the ceiling and onto the floor, dashing towards Jasper. Jasper got up, waiting for Peridot to get close enough, then leapt over her and swept Peridot's legs out from under her with a massive foot. As Peridot fell she twisted herself, trying to stab at Jasper's foot, which Jasper quickly snapped back to her body as she sprung forward, grabbing Peridot's fist and slamming downward, the destabilizer skidding out of the way.
"You lose again." Jasper states with a grin as Peridot lies on the ground, panting for breath. "But you're getting better. If someone wasn't paying attention, you might actually be a threat." Peridot lets out a cackle as Jasper releases her grip.
"Oh, please. You're losing your advantage and you know it. It's just a matter of time before I best you."
"Maybe. But that's not going to be today."
Peridot smiled as she brushed herself off. She had to admit, there was something satisfying about these sessions. She had spent her entire life being shoved around, told what to do. To be in a position where she could shove back, make a gem as big and powerful as Jasper retreat from her blows, was deeply gratifying. It didn't matter that she had never actually won a match yet. She was getting closer, and in the meantime it felt good to practice like this.
They went their separate ways after training. Peridot was never quite certain what Jasper did with her free time. Peridot always went to the same place; the crystal heart of the ship, either to study up on the planet or take a peek at the archaic code of the ship's computer for a good laugh. Sometimes she would walk the halls just to break up the monotony, or check on the small inventory of supplies for their mission. Every once in a while she would meet Jasper in the halls. They would talk about various things, but inevitably their conversations would die down and one of them would walk off before the silence became too much. Still, Peridot found herself walking the halls more often than not as the days passed.
They'll be at the planet soon. Glad might be too strong of a word for it, but all things considered, Jasper is satisfied with her decision to go on this mission. She might not be the most eager gem, but between the sarcasm and verbal jabs, Peridot's fairly quick to catch on. Of course, the real challenge won't be up here, in the safety of the ship. Once they get to the surface, all bets are off. Jasper will do what she can, but after that... after that, Jasper can only hope.
*****
The planet hovers into view, grayish blue and surrounded by now-defunct satellites. They'll land tomorrow and begin work on their repairs. Peridot stares out the viewport, wrapped in her thoughts. They were allotted a single RedEye drone to sweep the planet and report its findings. It won't be too much, considering RedEyes are about as high-tech as their current ship. Still, it should at least tell them roughly how many gems are left and where their populations are clustered.
It's practically nothing at all. The weight of the situation finally comes crashing down on Peridot. She knows practically nothing of this planet, of these gems, of how to fix warp pads or avoid a skirmish. She's going to die out there. There's no way around it. She's going to die and there's nothing she can do about it. Her body suddenly feels insubstantial, composed of mere threads of light, quaking and shivering and ready to scatter about at a moment's notice. A large hand comes to rest on her shoulder, bringing her back together. Body still trembling, Peridot turns back and upwards to look at Jasper.
"It's going to be fine." Jasper tells her. Peridot nods once, trying to convince herself. Yes, yes, it will be fine. Jasper is her to protect her. She's been training too. They can get through this mission and come back triumphant. Peridot can't wait to tell a few choice gems where to stick it. As if seeing the flash in her eyes, Jasper continues.
"I'm going to give you one last piece of advice, Peridot. Whatever happens, don't try to fight anyone. If something seems fishy, don't stick around, just run."
"WHAT?" Peridot exploded. "Then why have why have I spent the past month learning how to use a destabilizer?"
"That's only if you can't run." Jasper explained. "Don't be stupid about it. If something happens, you run. Don't try to fight, don't stay behind, just save your own gem and try to get back up. Don't fight if you don't have to. Understand?"
"And if you get hurt?"
"I've survived this long, Peridot. Whatever happens, I'll be fine." Jasper grinned widely, her teeth flashing under the lights of the ship as she turned towards the planet. "Now let's go finish this mission."
*****
They land on the porous surface of the planet, a cloud of dust billowing upwards, obscuring their view before settling back down into the ground. They have a total of six warp pads to fix, all scattered throughout the planet. The first two warp pads are fixed without incident. They meet a few gems at the third pad, but one look at Jasper and they are left to their own devices. Peridot is beginning to relax when they finally make it to the fourth pad. Of course she should have known better. Jasper works with Peridot to operate the sealer. The oblong device is overly large and awkward for a gem Peridot's size. The force from the nozzle as the sealant shoots out doesn't help either, and Peridot has trouble keeping it steady. There has to be a better way to repair warp pads than this. She's certain there's better tools out there, but of course she'd get stuck with some reject prototype garbage. Peridot curses heavily under her breath and Jasper stands close to her, keeping an eye on the area.
Peridot is suddenly shoved by Jasper, the sealer knocked out of her arms as she's sent sprawling into the dirt. Before she has time to get up, a small group of dark green gems charge forward, weapons readied. Jasper's advice rings through Peridot's head and she scrambles up, begins to dash off, then hesitates and turns around. The first one, armed with a short sword, charges for Jasper, followed by a second with a mace and third with an axe. Jasper's helmet appears in a flash of light and she dashes forward, knocking two of them off their feet. A heavy stomp of her left foot and one of them pops, physical form collapsing under the weight of the blow. The other one quickly rolls to the side and rights herself while the other one, the one with the axe, makes a swing for Jasper.
Jasper grabs the axe in one hand and yanks forward, propelling the stumbling gem closer to her. Jasper grabs her and tears her body apart in one quick jerk, a puff of smoke and a dark green gem left behind. The third gem, the one with the mace, spots Peridot and tries to make a dash towards her. As Peridot tensed, ready to dash off again, Jasper grabs the third gem, whipping her around and smashing her helmet into the other gem's face. Another poof of smoke and the third gem's body is gone. Jasper picks up the inert gems of her fallen adversaries and chucks them into the distance. Peridot watches them sail through the air, becoming smaller and smaller until she can't see them anymore. Jasper turns back to glare daggers at Peridot.
"You should have run."
For once Peridot doesn't have a snippy comeback. Her body is tingling with fear, mixed with something else. This is the first time she's actually seen Jasper fight. It's nothing like their duels. Some part of her logically knew Jasper was holding back, but to see those gems reduced to their essential state in barely a minute... Peridot wonders what it must be like, to be able to smash anyone who would try to oppose her, to know that at any moment she could simply turn around crush anyone who tried to talk down to her, to hurt her. Jasper trudges away and Peridot quickly scurries after her.
There's only one warp pad left to fix now; a transport warp, designed to accommodate small-to-medium ships, large machinery and anything else too valuable to leave behind. The ship parked a short distance off, Jasper and Peridot both begin work repairing huge warp. After the incident at the fourth pad, they're both on edge, casting nervous glances around the grayish, dirt-tinged terrain. The planet is dull and lifeless, nothing more than an oversized ball of dirt ready to collapse into itself. Peridot can make out the outlines of an abandoned city in the distance, tall spires poking into the night sky.
The work is slow, made even slower by the constant need to reload the sealers. Peridot considers starting a conversation, but the warning look on Jasper's face makes her reconsider. They still don't know what's out there, or who's listening. After a while of constantly looking over her shoulder, Peridot allows herself relax and to get lost in her thoughts. Off in her own thoughts, Peridot barely notices that Jasper has turned off her sealer and is looking intently at something in the distance. She's finally jolted back to her body when Jasper lightly touches Peridot's shoulder and summons her helmet. Peridot follows Jasper's gaze, squints and then recoils at the sight. A monster of a gem, but a different type than the others, brown and green with four hulking arms swaying at her side.
There's a subtle shift in the atmosphere, a tinge of electricity dancing through the space around them. Peridot steals a glance up at Jasper. She's smiling. Large teeth bared and eyes wide under her visor, Jasper has become something Peridot doesn't recognize. Jasper's grip on Peridot's shoulder involuntarily tightens and Peridot slips out from under her grasp. Jasper either doesn't notice or doesn't care. Her focus is on the tank of a gem now trotting towards her.
Jasper shifts her stance and it seems to Peridot as if the planet shifted slightly too. Jasper springs forward, her body a round blur cleaving through the ground as she zooms towards her target. The big gem, what Peridot suspects is a Cassiterite or an Enstatite, braces herself for the impact. She's two heads taller than Jasper, and a few heads wider to boot. Peridot's eyes keep darting back to the extra set of arms. A fusion. She's never seen one in person. The air cracks as Jasper makes impact, forcing the brownish gem back a few feet. Jasper darts back as her opponent's gems glow, two hands reaching into their gems for a weapon. She gets a brief glance of a club and axe before they merge together, combining into a massive double-sided hammer. From Peridot's vantage point, she can see a brief glow coming from Jasper's face. Jasper has pulled something out too? The ground trembles as the larger gem smashes her hammer down where Jasper was standing. Peridot catches a yellow-orange blur darting forward. There's a flash of light, a crack of thunder, and the gem is gone. Peridot blinked. She didn't even see what Jasper did. Peridot trotted forward as Jasper walked up to meet her, the answer in her hand. A destabilizer.
In truth, it's a bit of a let-down. Part of Peridot wanted to see what Jasper could really do in battle. Jasper had seemed so eager to actually fight, and to cut it short by a destabilizer...it didn't make much sense to her.
Jasper raised an eyebrow.
"Disappointed?"
"No, it's just... I expected you were actually going to fight her. Like you did with the others."
Jasper scoffed.
"Don't kid yourself, Peridot. The point of a fight is to win. I didn't live this long by risking my life without a good reason."
As Jasper walked back towards the ship, Peridot realized she didn't really know Jasper at all. She'd participated in the civil war, was currently respected enough to be on speaking terms with Yellow Diamond and able to get assigned wherever she requested. What had she done in between the many thousand years between then and now? What had caused Jasper to come with her on this mission? Peridot no clue. They lead their ship into the transport warp, and stare ahead as the bridge is engulfed in a bright, blue light. The light clears and suddenly they are back in the loading dock on Homeworld. From the viewport Peridot spies a couple of Gems pointing and gesturing at her ship. She's made it. Her mission is complete, and she's okay.
It dawns on her that the mission is over. She'll go back to her old position and Jasper will go back to hers. Peridot suddenly wishes they hadn't taken the warp back. It seems too soon for all this to be over. She wishes she could have just a bit more time.
So it's finally over. Jasper stares at the back of Peridot's head as she looks out onto the gems slowly making their way towards the ship. Peridot's alive, for now. Jasper wonders if it will be enough, if she hasn't merely delayed the inevitable. She's a strange one, this Peridot. Jasper knows she's not likely to meet another gem quite like her again. Still, she has to give Peridot some credit. The little gem has enough fire in her for someone twice her size. Peridot turns to face her and Jasper considers saying something, offering some last piece of advice, but falls short. It doesn't seem appropriate now. Peridot appears to be thinking the same thing.
"Commander Jasper? I want to thank you." Peridot hesitates, looking off to the side for a second before turning back to Jasper. "I might have made a miscalculation when I first met you."
"Oh? The impeccable Peridot might have made an error?" Jasper asked, widening her eyes in mock surprise. Peridot groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm not perfect, but you certainly aren't either!"
Jasper chuckles, her smile slowly fading. This is the last time they'll get to do this.
"Keep yourself out of trouble, Peridot."
Peridot nods.
"I will. Thank you again for your assistance. I...apologize for my earlier misjudgment of your character."
Peridot offers her hand to Jasper. She takes it, her own palm completely engulfing Peridot's fingers. Jasper is mildly surprised at how soft and fluid Peridot's fingers feel encased in her palm. She half expected them to be cold and unyielding. Jasper wonders to herself what would happen if she didn't let go. Could she keep Peridot contained in the palm of her hand, or would she slip through her grasp like water? Jasper lets her go, and Peridot slowly draws back her hand to rest at her side. Peridot opens her mouth once as if to say something more, but says nothing and only offers one last curt nod in goodbye. Jasper nods back, and Peridot turns around and walks away. Jasper imagines it's the last she'll see of this interesting little gem. She hopes it's been enough.