Soft footsteps echoed gently across the beach sand. It was Steven, walking with his gaze locked onto the horizon. The last few days had been anything but peaceful; the girls were more tense than ever, and he needed to clear his head and breathe in some fresh air. He walked through Beach City, greeting people with his usual smile, though deep down his spirit wasn't the same. After several minutes of walking, he finally reached his destination.
"Hey, Dad," he said, raising his hand in a quiet greeting.
"Stevo!" Greg replied with his usual warm smile while giving change to a customer.
"How's business?" Steven asked in a relaxed tone.
"Good, good," Greg replied cheerfully. "Tons of tourists have been coming by these past few days—lots of cars—and it seems beach sand turns them into an absolute wreck. Though hey, that's not a bad thing; dirty cars bring in good money." Greg laughed, but then shook his head. "Ah, I'm getting off-topic. What brings you by, Stevo? I thought you brought me those ukelele chords yesterday; it's been a while since you composed anything new."
Steven smiled faintly and scratched his head. "I came to bring you some pizza," he said, pulling out a box as if it had appeared out of thin air.
"Incredible!" Greg replied, grabbing a slice and taking a bite. "Come on, kiddo, I know you've got something on your mind. Just spit it out. Your old man is right here. I might not be as young as I used to be, but I can still give you some good advice—or at least try to."
Silence stretched between them for a few seconds. Steven lowered his eyes, and after taking a deep breath, spoke in a much graver voice. "You know, Dad... things have been a bit difficult lately. I don't really know how to say this, but there's a gem from another planet who has her sights set on Earth." He looked up, his expression hardened with resolve. "If at any point you notice something weird in the sky—something that shouldn't be there—I want you to run. I don't want you anywhere near here when that happens."
"Steven?" Greg murmured, his voice laced with sudden worry.
"I want you to leave, and I want you to take as many people with you as possible. I don't want a single soul left in this town."
"Steven?" Greg repeated, his face tightening with anguish.
"Look at me, Dad. Look at me and promise me you'll do it."
Greg fell completely silent. His voice trembled slightly when he finally managed to speak. "Son, I don't want you getting hurt... you're all I have left."
Steven looked back at him with a smile heavy with guilt. "I know, Dad. But if we don't protect the planet, I won't have anyone left to come back to after the battle."
Greg wrapped his arms around him tightly, unable to hold back his tears. Steven returned the embrace with the exact same raw emotion. "Promise me you'll come back," Greg sobbed.
"I promise," Steven replied after a few seconds of silence.
"Alright, my boy. Train, do whatever it is you have to do. I don't entirely understand all this gem stuff, but I'll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes."
Steven nodded, a quiet determination burning in his eyes. "I will, Dad."
And as the wind blew softly across the coast, they stood together, sharing a silence that spoke far louder than words.
"Goodbye, Dad," Steven whispered as he walked along the shoreline.
"Goodbye, Stevo," Greg called back, his voice thick with worry, watching his son walk away until his silhouette bled into the reflection of the sunset.
Steven's footsteps echoed softly against the wet sand, the rhythm of the waves blending into his exhausted thoughts.
*I think I overdid it with the training,* he thought, staring at his hand, which was swollen from the intense exertion. With a weary gesture, he rubbed some healing spit over it to ease the muscle soreness. He looked up at the house, which was already close by, and walked without any rush as the sky slowly turned an amber orange.
*I have to stay alert,* he told himself quietly. *If I remember correctly, Lapis should have warned us by now, though the girls never showed me the mirror communicator that appeared in the original show. Maybe they never got ahold of it, but... what if Lapis somehow sided with the Diamonds?* Steven swallowed hard, a nervous drop of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Stepping inside, he noticed the house was completely empty. Everything was dead silent, save for the faint creaking of the floorboards beneath his feet. He slumped onto the couch, letting out a deep sigh. He looked over at the corner where Lion usually napped, thinking that maybe he should keep his mother's sword within arm's reach. Or maybe go look for Rose's Light Cannons. But then he shook his head. *No, that wouldn't be practical. I remember those things barely tickled the stronger enemies.*
Either way, he knew the Gems would eventually go looking for those relics, so he figured it was better to beat them to the punch. He stood up, walked over to Lion, and stroked his mane. The massive pink feline slowly opened his eyes and blinked sleepily at him, though his gaze carried the clear intent of biting his hand off if he annoyed him any further. Steven chuckled softly, continuing to scratch behind his ears.
"I need a favor, buddy," he said in a low voice. Lion stared back with sudden intensity, picking up on the shift in his companion's tone, and slowly sat up. "You know where Mom kept all her weapons, right?" Lion gave a firm, unhesitating nod. "Take me there. I need to bring back a lot of gear."
Steven climbed onto his mane, and with a roar that rattled the entire house, they vanished into a blinding tear of light.
They materialized on the ancient Gem Battlefield, surrounded by massive pink structures and shattered fragments that still hummed faintly with residual energy. Steven moved with frantic speed, grabbing everything he deemed absolutely indispensable: cannons, armor, tactical gear, and various artifacts the girls had mentioned at some point. Lion helped out, effortlessly packing every piece of heavy artillery inside his mane pocket.
When they finally warped back, they dropped right into the middle of the living room. The Gems were in the temple and turned around, completely startled.
"Steven!" the three exclaimed in unison.
"What were you doing on top of Lion?" Pearl asked, completely bewildered.
"Just scouting for things that could be useful to us," Steven replied with a calm smile.
"Things that could be useful?" Amethyst repeated, furrowing her brow.
"Yep," Steven said, keeping his cool. He knelt down, and to the absolute astonishment of the three Gems, he began pulling an absurd amount of inventory out of Lion's mane: Light Cannons, weapons, suits of armor, and tools of every kind.
Pearl stared at him, utterly speechless, watching how the contingency plan they had been carefully orchestrating had just been completely taken care of by Steven without him even consulting them.
"Well, that's about it," he commented, popping a bubble around his head to avoid suffocating while he kept pulling out gear. "Oh, and I almost forgot—the sword." He desheathed it proudly. "Anything else you girls need?"
The three just stared at him, completely at a loss for words. "I think... nothing," Pearl replied, her voice trailing off. Garnet, in silence, stepped forward, hoisted one of Rose's cannons, and gripped it firmly.
"Gems, let's move. We don't have much time," Garnet ordered with absolute resolve.
Everyone began organizing the equipment, checking every single detail. The entire day slipped away as they prepared and calibrated what they could. Finally, as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Steven offered a reassuring smile.
"Go get some rest. I'll take the first watch," he said confidently.
"Are you sure?" Pearl asked, still lingering with doubt. "I don't want you staying up all night."
"Of course," Steven replied with a reassuring grin.
Garnet nodded and headed toward her room, followed closely by Amethyst and Pearl. The house fell back into silence, with only the rhythmic crashing of the ocean keeping the night company.
Steven stood by the window, watching the moon begin to cast its reflection over the water. He pulled out his phone and let out a heavy sigh before opening his contacts. With a determined look, he dialed Connie's number.
The line rang out and went straight to voicemail. Steven sighed and left a message on the machine. "Hey, Connie," he said in a calm, steady voice. "How's it going? Hope you're doing well. Just wanted to check in and let you know I'm gonna be on an important mission over the next few days." He glanced out the window, swearing he saw a faint green tint blinking in the far distance, but he forced himself back to the message. "I don't want you coming anywhere near the beach, okay? Some mutant gems might pop up, and they're way too dangerous for you. I just don't want you getting hurt. Love, your best friend," he finished cheerfully and hung up.
A heavy sigh filled the empty room. Steven looked down at Lion, who was watching him intently. "You know," he said, "if for some reason something happens to me and they take me to Homeworld... take care of my dad and Connie. No matter what happens, protect them, okay?" After a few seconds, Lion shifted his weight and nodded with the profound calm of a creature that understood far more than it let on. "I'll take that as a yes," Steven murmured with a faint chuckle.
He looked back outside; the moonlight washed over Beach City, and the brand-new fence gleamed like a grim reminder that things weren't like they used to be. *What should I do?* he wondered in a whisper, when suddenly, a violent, crushing yank slammed him to the floor, knocking him completely unconscious.
He woke up in a state of pure panic, feeling his consciousness being violently dragged to another location. *Not again,* he groaned before his vision finally stabilized. A familiar voice whispered, *"My Diamond ordered it,"* and Steven opened his eyes inside the green hue of a Gem Warship. *Dammit,* he muttered, looking around. He spotted two figures standing nearby: a massive, orange gem barking out orders with iron authority, and another, sharper presence.
"Your Diamond?" the taller figure growled. "My Diamond died there, and the culprit is still rotting on that planet. If the rebels are still on that miserable world, I will drag them before the Diamonds myself!" Peridot, clearly agitated, protested that the mission priority was the Cluster. Jasper, stepping forward with an imposing stride, snapped back, "If we find a rebel that isn't Rose, we log the Cluster data. But if it *is* Rose, we take her back to the Diamonds, end of discussion!" The words were spoken with a harsh, unyielding finality.
Steven was in complete shock. *How the hell did I end up here?!* he thought as he listened to Peridot grumbling about how entirely useless she found her brute of a companion, Jasper. "We need to pick up the pace," Peridot muttered. "We're approaching Earth. Those rebels won't last a second." She slammed her hands onto the console. "Ten hours until arrival," she added, her eyes beginning to crackle with static energy.
Another violent tug ripped him into a completely different vision: a row of prison containment cells, and inside them, familiar gems. Lapis Lazuli was there, trembling violently, rocking back and forth as she muttered, *"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."* Steven felt a wave of pure pity mixed with an icy, burning rage. "You've suffered so much," he whispered softly toward the cell, and with one final, crushing snap, he was hurled straight back into his own body on the beach house floor.
Lapis, still disoriented inside her cell, thought for a split second that she had heard Steven's voice calling out to her, entirely unaware that he had just perceived her through a psychic flash. Steven bolted upright, his mouth bone-dry and his head spinning wildly.
"I need to warn the girls," he told himself, determination and sheer terror twisting together inside his chest. He bolted toward the temple door as the pitch-black night seemed to close in right behind him.
End of Chapter 30.