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Video; Late at night on June 20th
[It’s late at night, a few hours after the announcement of the Cauducian’s intent to attack has been broadcast, when a video message from a tiny green face is sent out for the whole crew to consider.
Like much of the rest of the crew, Peridot is scared... But that also means she’s agitated. And she’s definitely not the type to sit around fretting uselessly when something is this wrong, in her eyes. No. Peridot is a gem of action. Action and vicious, unapologetic criticism.
As soon as the video feed picks up, she just launches right into it.]
Alright, you know what!? I can’t take this anymore. Does NO ONE else on this ship see the numerous, massive logical fallacies in the Captain’s proposed approach to preparing for this imminent conflict!? I mean, I’ve heard some cloddy ideas before, but this!? I have no words!
[That’s a lie. She absolutely has words, and none of them are nice.]
We all heard the message, right? About how this ship, our one, SINGLE hope of getting back to our own universes, is being tailed by enemies that have just openly expressed their intent to shatter every single one of us? In just a little over one Earth week, these Cauducians, who are APPARENTLY so confident in their ability to exterminate us that they’re willing to allow us time to try and PREPARE for their assault, are going to rain fury down upon this vessel! And what do our supposed leaders do with this information? Do they stand up and take charge, and start, you know, LEADING the crew in preparing for this imminent crisis, like Captains SHOULD?
NO. They don’t! They decide that NOW, in the days leading up to what could be an altercation of great chaos and destruction, is the perfect time. FOR COOPERATION EXPERIMENTS! Like this is team building week, AT CAMP CLODDING HEARTS OR SOMETHING!
[There's A BRIEF PAUSE, FOR ANGRY PANTING, after she gets extra carried away up there]
Where is the sense in this!? We should all be working together on making ONE plan, and coordinating with one another to prepare the ship for potential battle! What good is wasting THAT MUCH TIME assigning the ENTIRE CREW to THEORIZING about THREE DIFFERENT PLANS, of which we’re only going to use ONE? What good does forcing participation from those who may not be willing or able to contribute to the strategizing process do!?
[Eyes flashing, she glares at the camera, as if really addressing the crew directly for the first time.]
You know what I say? Screw the Captains, and screw this pathetic excuse for a plan!
[She doesn’t even know what ‘screw’ means as a slang term; she’s just picked up that other crewmembers use it to refer to someone or something that’s pissed them off to the point of retaliation, and it feels SO GOOD to use it in this instance]
If they want to see teamwork so badly, I say we ignore their clodding groups, and join forces in the name of sensible efficiency to actually use the time given us to make real preparations! Look, planning is important, and if there are crew members who want to contribute to that process, MORE POWER TO THEM! Strategize away, work as a united front to come up with ONE BATTLE PLAN and lead the rest of us forward, just like these mud-for-brains captains SHOULD be doing! But it’s a poor allocation of resources divide the ENTIRE CREW’S focus in such an asinine and ultimately inefficient way, WHEN ALL OF OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE!
So on that note, if anyone needs me? I’ll be in my workshop. Actually doing my job, which is crafting weapons and equipment for the rest of you all to use! Because that's what I do best.
Peridot, out!
[End feed.]
Like much of the rest of the crew, Peridot is scared... But that also means she’s agitated. And she’s definitely not the type to sit around fretting uselessly when something is this wrong, in her eyes. No. Peridot is a gem of action. Action and vicious, unapologetic criticism.
As soon as the video feed picks up, she just launches right into it.]
Alright, you know what!? I can’t take this anymore. Does NO ONE else on this ship see the numerous, massive logical fallacies in the Captain’s proposed approach to preparing for this imminent conflict!? I mean, I’ve heard some cloddy ideas before, but this!? I have no words!
[That’s a lie. She absolutely has words, and none of them are nice.]
We all heard the message, right? About how this ship, our one, SINGLE hope of getting back to our own universes, is being tailed by enemies that have just openly expressed their intent to shatter every single one of us? In just a little over one Earth week, these Cauducians, who are APPARENTLY so confident in their ability to exterminate us that they’re willing to allow us time to try and PREPARE for their assault, are going to rain fury down upon this vessel! And what do our supposed leaders do with this information? Do they stand up and take charge, and start, you know, LEADING the crew in preparing for this imminent crisis, like Captains SHOULD?
NO. They don’t! They decide that NOW, in the days leading up to what could be an altercation of great chaos and destruction, is the perfect time. FOR COOPERATION EXPERIMENTS! Like this is team building week, AT CAMP CLODDING HEARTS OR SOMETHING!
[There's A BRIEF PAUSE, FOR ANGRY PANTING, after she gets extra carried away up there]
Where is the sense in this!? We should all be working together on making ONE plan, and coordinating with one another to prepare the ship for potential battle! What good is wasting THAT MUCH TIME assigning the ENTIRE CREW to THEORIZING about THREE DIFFERENT PLANS, of which we’re only going to use ONE? What good does forcing participation from those who may not be willing or able to contribute to the strategizing process do!?
[Eyes flashing, she glares at the camera, as if really addressing the crew directly for the first time.]
You know what I say? Screw the Captains, and screw this pathetic excuse for a plan!
[She doesn’t even know what ‘screw’ means as a slang term; she’s just picked up that other crewmembers use it to refer to someone or something that’s pissed them off to the point of retaliation, and it feels SO GOOD to use it in this instance]
If they want to see teamwork so badly, I say we ignore their clodding groups, and join forces in the name of sensible efficiency to actually use the time given us to make real preparations! Look, planning is important, and if there are crew members who want to contribute to that process, MORE POWER TO THEM! Strategize away, work as a united front to come up with ONE BATTLE PLAN and lead the rest of us forward, just like these mud-for-brains captains SHOULD be doing! But it’s a poor allocation of resources divide the ENTIRE CREW’S focus in such an asinine and ultimately inefficient way, WHEN ALL OF OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE!
So on that note, if anyone needs me? I’ll be in my workshop. Actually doing my job, which is crafting weapons and equipment for the rest of you all to use! Because that's what I do best.
Peridot, out!
[End feed.]
video
Apparently not. On camera, she raises one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows and allows herself to smile for just a second. When she speaks, though, she's as curt and businesslike as ever.]
Hah. You'd think we'd only just crawled out of a cliff, with this nonsense. You're right, we need one solid plan of action so we can start making preparations now -- if our Captains aren't going to do that then I don't know what the point is in having them.
If anyone wants to make herself useful and put in some training hours instead of waffling over some ridiculous one-faceted plan, I'll be running worthwhile training exercises in the gym.
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Y-Yes, exactly! And, when you're not doing that... I could also use some help with the heavy lifting involved with installing the new defense systems I'm designing. Y-Y'know. If you have the time and are amenable to the idea?
[HOPEFUL GRINNING.]
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Too heavy for a big human?
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Nnnnot... necessarily, no. [She's faltering.] I mean, I just thought it might be nice, if some of us gems were to, you know... work together, to maximize efficiency and lead by example!
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Yes, Jasper! Us. Gems! Do you seriously thing now is the best time to be acting against each other like this? With everything else that's going on already?
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I'm not acting against you, Peridot. If you really think it'd be quicker for me to move this stuff for you I'll do it. But it's not going to be very good for teamwork and morale if you're just trying to get me into your workshop so you can try to act like everything's fine and you're not an unrepentant traitor to Homeworld.
video; switched to private
Sadness wins out in the end. Mostly.]
Fine. If you're really that averse to it? Do what you want! I just... [She makes a frustrated growling noise, a Peridot trademark of having an emotion but not knowing how to articulate it.] I... Respect you a lot, okay? I'm not the one trying to do the pushing away here. But if you really don't want anything else to do with me, then, whatever I guess! It's not like I can force you to... To care, or whatever!
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... Why are you acting like this? I'm your enemy, you idiot.
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So what, do you think it was an easy decision for me to make?!? That I'm not... upset that I can't go back? That I'm completely free of any and all regret, and that has Earth has completely replaced Homeworld and in every and all sentiment? Do you seriously, HONESTLY think that, Jasper!?
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Peridot's scared. And she wants so badly to be able to rely on Jasper for support, like she did back at the beginning of their journey. Like whenever the ship would land on a new planet, and Peridot was still too leery of the unknown to stray very far without backup. Or when that monster was loose in the halls of the ship, or for that brief amount of time on Emiri, when her gem was cracked, before she was put into Cryo and saw all of these damned visions that changed everything.
It's at that moment that Peridot realizes what the flaw in her reasoning is. She keeps expecting, or hoping for some kind of emotional support from the other gem that she just isn't able to give. At least, not at this stage. She keeps foolishly assuming that all of this time they've spent in each other's company on this ship, away from Homeworld's influence, will have changed something between them, when it clearly hasn't.
Jasper's commitment was never anything beyond professional. The turmoil the Quartz is clearly exhibiting indicates that maybe, there's something beyond that... but Peridot's not inclined to hope right now. She was an idiot. An idiot who let her emotions get the better of her.]
Yes. You should be. [...She says quietly, expression becoming alarmingly blank.] But you're not.
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[Her eyes narrow.]
... I trusted you. I thought we were on the same side.
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I... I'm sorry...
[She doesn't know what to say, other than that.]
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What? No! I mean, avoiding conflict was a factor, considering the disparity between our strength and combat levels, but - I was never trying to trick you into doing anything! I didn't even know about my own traitorous actions for the first three months we were on board!
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[Pause of confusion.]
Wait. Are you mad at me for lying, or for being a traitorous clod?
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