@tobeherknight
This was just insulting.
Pearl had been prepared to die on the battlefield, or defending someone she loved, but…this, no. There was no honor in denying an opponent a chance to fight back. Sometimes it was necessary, true, to take a base, but that was war. There were rules of engagement. This, those quartzes had just wanted to brag about taking down the “renegade pearl.” At least that was what she was still known for. One had grabbed her, then they’d both attacked until her gem was cracked. Then it seemed to be no fun anymore and they’d taken off.
She’d always thought rutilated quartzes were jerks. A generalization, yes, and perhaps she was wrong for it, but they were specifically bred for aggression…
Granted, she was out of her territory. This raid had just been supposed to be for supplies - in and out. That wasn’t going to last long, unless the quartzes assumed she was alone. She’d been caught, and not only was she dying, the mission was now compromised. Rutilated quartzes weren’t known for their forward-thinking skills, so it was a possibility, they wouldn’t think to look for more Crystal Gems, but she wouldn’t have bet on it.
She tensed as she heard footsteps; surely whoever was on scene next would finish her off. Even if they didn’t recognize her, no one bothered to care about a broken pearl. They were replaceable in the eyes of most Homeworld Gems. But she wouldn’t go without a fight, even if her form was glitching intermittently. She balled up a fist; at least the gem didn’t sound too large. Maybe intimidation would work…
“Don’t…come any c-closer…” Well. That could have been a lot more intimidating. But as her vision cleared briefly - it was always the first to go when her gem was badly damaged - she could make out a familiar form. “Peridot…?”
When Pearl had been absent for longer than expected, the Crystal Gems had started to worry. Though they trusted Pearl to be more than capable in combat, Homeworld’s overwhelming might and ruthless tactics weren’t something to be treated lightly. If Pearl had been caught by their forces, there was no telling what they could have done to her.
Yet, most of the Crystal Gems had not been wiling to act quite just yet. It hadn’t been too long, and Pearl taking a little while didn’t necessarily mean something had gone wrong. They still trusted her, and they’d hold on to that trust for at least a little bit longer. If Pearl was still carrying on the raid as normal, they didn’t want to interrupt that by checking in on her, especially not if enemy territory had to be entered to do so.
Peridot, on the other hand, had insisted they she go to check on Pearl, with or without the blessing of the others. She wasn’t content with just sitting around, and if something could have possibly happened to Pearl, she wanted to be able to do something about it. She was confident, too, in her abilities to stealthily infiltrate the base.
As it turned out, she’d been perfectly able to get where she needed to be. She was pretty good at being quiet when it was actually called for, and her smaller stature was easier to miss. It didn’t take long before she heard Pearl’s voice, and when she turned to look at her, she had to gasp in shock. Evidently, the mission had gone wrong, and now Pearl looked injured. She found herself wondering incredulously if the Homeworld gems had really just beat her and left her like that.
“Yes, Pearl. It’s me, Peridot,” she reassured the other gem, speaking in a hushed tone so as not to draw attention just in case there were still Homeworld gems nearby. ”We’ve got to get you out of here. Can you stand?”
Pearl wasn’t quite facing her, so she hadn’t noticed the state of Pearl’s gem yet.
