Other than the one small attack on where we are setting up everything went up smoothly. Right now, were setting up the inside of the base.
The ship is nice, but the base can defend better against ground attacks, and the ship needs fuel which we need to get back to Homeworld.
"Ship locked up?" I asked Specs as she looked at a check list.
"Yes," Specs said putting the checklist back into her pearl.
"Ok," I say before turning to Construct, "How goes the broadcast?" I ask him.
"Good," Construct nods, "Signal out, no response." Construct then reported.
"That's, odd" I say, "How many Homeworld gems landed," I wondered out loud.
"Twenty-nine," Specs responded.
"That counting us?" Smash asked while shuffling the wooden cards, "By the way nice job on these!" Smash said making a thumbs up at Construct with Construct smiling back.
"Thirty counting us," Specs answered Smash, "But that still doesn't answer what happened to the others," Specs ponders.
Hearing ringing suddenly start from somewhere I go looking for the sound. Seeing it was the bi-pyramid holo-phone I look onto its side to see a pink diamond on the side.
"PINK DIAMONDS CALLING!" I yell out as the others look at me, "Everyone positions!" I call out, "And remember the hand thing!" I say twisting and throwing the holo-phone into the air activating it.
As it activated me and the others got into a pyramid shape, me being in the front while Blast and Specs are behind me and Construct and Smash behind them. We may not have enough for a full pyramid but we still have to do it to the best of our abilities.
"How goes the landing project?" Pink Diamond says immediately when the holo-phone activates. All of us clamp our feet together at put our hands in the diamond salute.
"Going well," I say before getting kicked in the foot by Specs, "My diamond, going well my diamond," I correct hoping she doesn't notice the slip up.
"Good," Pink Diamond responds looking rather bored, she wasn't even looking at us through the screen, "It's unexpected though," Pink diamond says under her breath.
"And why would that be my diamond?" Specs asked. When she said it, we all began to worry
A pearl speaking without being spoken to could be met with immediate replacement.
"It's because the other landings have failed," Pink Diamond responded in a monotone voice.
We all had a quick sigh of relief once Pink diamond didn't even notice that it was a pearl who asked. Then it hit us what she said.
"I understand my diamond," I said, "Well if that's all you need," I start to say reaching for the holo-phone to turn it off.
"One last thing," Pink Diamond says, hearing this I reach my hand back and go back into the diamond salute.
"Blue Diamond has invited the Lapis you to a royal court meeting," Pink Diamonds pearl said coming into the camera frame, "A sapphire will be helping us look defeat the rebels."
For a second I didn't say anything, I was so used to being called Boss that I didn't recognize the name Lapis.
"Oh, yes it's an honor my diamond," I say worried that the slightest mess up might get my team and me shattered.
"That is all," Pink Diamond declared before ending the call turning the holo-phone off.
As soon as I hear the holo-phone clunk on the ground I flopped to the ground, along with everyone else.
Due to our unique personalities and quirks we're on thin ice with the diamonds. We didn't even get the position we're in for free, it took a sacrifice.
Why did you have to go sacrifice yourself?
"Boss?" Blast said snapping me out a of my thoughts.
"Yes?" I responded to her.
"Why were you invited instead of me?" Blast asked confused why they was a meeting for a sapphire when she was also one.
"That's an easy question," I said getting up, "Because needed the best blue gem we had, but you were to cool for that place, so I have to go," I said with a smile patting Blast on the head.
"Of course," Blast said with a smile.
"Now," I said clapping my hands together, "I know just what we should do to relive the tension," I tell the rest of my group still on the floor.
"Cards?" Spec asks with a smile.
"You know it," I respond, "We can just play on the floor, you still have them Smash?" I ask.
"Yep!" Smash said grabbing the cards, "Which game you want to play?" Smash asked.
"Slap Jack sound good?" I ask the team.
"How does that one go again?" Smash asked passing me the cards."
"Well we all get a cut of the deck," I say passing the cards out so everyone, " Don't look!" I say to Smash as she tries to look at her cards.
"Then we take turns playing one card going around," I say putting down a three of diamonds face up, "And if two of the same type of card get played down you slap the deck, like a king and a king or a two or a two," I explain.
"So why do we slap it?" Smash asked.
"When you slap the pile at the right time you get the pile that was made!" I explain, "The you win by getting the whole deck,"
"I see," Smash said, "My turn right?" She asked.
"Yep!" I responded, she then played a six of diamonds.
"Even if you know the rules," Specs said while putting down a three of spades, "This game is about reaction time,"
Wordlessly Construct placed down his card, a joker.
"Whoops!" I said grabbing the joker, "That's not supposed to be there!" I say putting away the card, "Just go again," I say.
With a nod Construct then played down the queen of clubs.
"You can't beat future vision though," Blast said putting down the ten of clubs.
"Good thing you can only see the deck exploding," Smash said with a smile.
"Can't say you're wrong," Blast mumbled.
And that's how we were for a while. Just playing and having fun. It was almost like we were back home with all the others.
—————————————————————————
Unknown to the group, they were being watched. Not by a malicious force, but someone with eyes full of curiosity for what they were doing.
"Look at this pearl," Pink Diamond said bouncing around looking at each of the five's cards.
Of course she wasn't actually there, she was using a projector that can project a 3D environment.
"Yes my diamond?" Pearl said walking over to Pink.
"We could bring this game to the rebellion!" Pink said excitedly, "Give us something else to do then train and plan,"
"One problem my diamond," Pearl said stopping Pink in her tracks, "What will you tell the rebels when they asked where you learned of this game?"
"Well," Pink said hesitantly, "I can another gem taught it to me," She said proudly.
"And who taught this to you my diamond?" Pearl asked.
"I'll work on it," Pink said waving her hand, "On last question," Pink said turning to Pearl, "Why are they fighting for homeworld?" She asked.
"They fight for the same reason the other gems fight my diamond," Pearl answered, "They fight because they were told to do so by a diamond,"
"But they look so different," Pink said still watching the five play, "They remind me more of crystal gems than the homeworld gems," she said.
"And there is a Lapis and a Topaz, someone from Blue Diamonds court and Yellow Diamonds," Pink said, "It doesn't make sense,"
"One moment my diamond," Pearl said looking into a database that hold information for gems.
"The Lapis has little information, all that around is that he's a very old gem" Pearl said.
"I have heard of that Lapis, but what about the others?" Pink Diamond then asked.
"The Topaz refuses to hurt other gems and prefers to craft, so he was slated to be shattered but was bailed out by the Lapis, the Sapphire exploded a gem base, so she was slated to be shattered but taken by the Lapis and Topaz." Pearl said
"The Bismuth didn't like create structures and preferred to fight so she was slated to be shattered but was taken in through connections with the Topaz, and the Pearl," Pearl said before looking farther into the data base.
"Well?" Pink said impatiently.
"The first three owners of the Pearl went missing before the Pearl was taken by Yellow Diamond," Pearl said confused.
"I thought she looked familiar," Pink said.
"She was slated to be shattered because of the small dip in her Pearl," Pearl said.
"Shattered just for a deformity?" Pink said sadly.
"And," Pearl said gaining Pinks attention, "Running an illegal gem gambling ring where the prize for winning was a Pearl, behind the back of Yellow Diamond," Pearl finished.
Pink was then left speechless at the absolute insanity of running an illegal operation under the nose of one of the strictest Diamonds. At least Pink was far away from Yellow, a Pearl is always by the side of their owner.
"So which Diamond do they belong to?" Pink asked Pearl.
"Officially you my diamond," Pearl replied.
"Then why do they fight?" Pink then asked Pearl.
"Forgive me my diamond," Pearl says, "I do not know."