Test Run (w/ Paddy)

[Paddy]

A breeze pushed through the air, and the sapphire felt some of her nerves ease at their words; though they had anticipated rebel captures, they weren't going to lead her straight into an unnecessary confrontation. Not only would that be dangerous, but it would make her end of this operation much harder. Padparadscha kept walking after them, allowing herself to quietly center for a moment. But, before she did, something else struck her about those words. Perhaps it was unintentional, but part of her had to wonder.

Every time she and 7XB had spent time together, they had, in some capacity, been at odds. Whether a physical clash, or a verbal bout, the two had often staged a test of wills. She stewed over that, and what it meant about the connection between them; conflict seemed to be part of their relationship. The only way to prove or disprove that would be to see if they could go without it, and answering the why of such a hypothesis would be labyrinthine; more data was certainly needed. While she walked and thought, she stared down blankly at her evidence reel.    

"I agree Commander," She said after her moment's thought, and her eyes traveled up to focus on them. Their steps were at a measured but brisk pace, she couldn't quite look them in the eyes from here, but she let her gaze take in the sight of the clear quartz,"Perhaps we'll be able to talk ourselves out of a possible conflict, expose other sides of the issue," Would avoiding conflict with 7XB be any better than hashing out that conflict? "Inevitably, if we find rebels, they will have to be detained at one point or another, however," Just as any conflict between the team would have to be resolved, one way or another, Padparadscha decided in that moment. "For today, as long as I can get them into my database, they're as good as caught,"   

3JJ kept moving, trying her best not to eavesdrop on the quieter conversation ahead, but it was difficult to resist the temptation. Her head angled toward the other gems as she listened; if there wasn't a conflict, how was she going to show off the skills she'd polished over her years battling on Earth? Despite what 7XB said, at this point she was seeking a confrontation as much as she was trying to keep an eye out for the rest of the group. Her lip pulled to the side as the enemy was nowhere to be found. Didn't they have surveillance of some kind, or was this place wide open for the taking? Homeworld might as well stick a flag down and camp out if this was rebel defense at work. As she mused to herself, she realized she was getting too into her own head, and popped back into her own surveillance mode-- eyes sweeping over human constructs, the distant chortle of gulls carrying on the salty maritime wind. 

[7XB]

There was undoubtedly a certain spark of aggression that oftentimes manifested between the two gems, a fiery and dangerous passion that was born of this connection between the pair of stubborn and strong-willed gems.

It seemed to go hand in hand, this strange connection that existed between them and the explosive confrontations that often seemed to pop up in the course of their missions, or even when the two gems spent any real time together- It happened so often that 7XB had come to expect it, yet they couldn't help but feel just a bit exhausted each and every time it occurred.

Ironic, wasn't it, that a gem grown for war so often found themselves so weary of conflict.

“Perhaps we could,” they admittedly lightly, taking into account the fact that the humans here didnt seem all that put off by the presence of gems: clearly the rebels had quite the hold here. That was, hopefully, something they could use to their advantage. “But tagging them is likely the best we will be able to do tonight.” They were hoping to keep some distance if possible.

“3JJ,” began the Quartz, capturing the attention of the young Jasper, “anything of note?” They doubted it , but it was worth asking.

[Paddy]

Padparadscha gave a small smile, and a nod to the clear quartz's words. The last thing she wanted would be to see them hurt again, or stressed for that matter, but it was a lot to hope for when on Earth. If it wasn't the terrain that got them, it was corruption or other gems, and organic lifeforms could be troublesome; their last expedition together was indication of that. But, even if her comrade were able to maintain this placid and businesslike demeanor, was that what she wanted either? Of course she already knew that it wasn't; from the beginning, it had been the gem behind the mask that she wanted to know. 

She continued to take down every acute detail of what she observed, but found her mind wandering on her investigation with 7XB, which had been put on hiatus. After their dispatch in Empire City, the quartz had confirmed to an extent that they wanted to continue to get to the bottom of things just as she did, but it was so difficult to ask them how they felt now; not only because of 3JJ's presence, but for the fact that it was a hard thing in and of itself to ask. That investigation was a hard thing to contemplate altogether on its own. "If only things could be easier," She muttered to herself. 

Jasper thought for a moment before answering, tilting her head and crossing her arms as she stepped after the sapphire and the quartz-in-command. Then, a quiet moment after the smaller gem's mutterings which Jasper had not been listening to, she spoke,"Hmm, I noticed it's pretty quiet. Isn't it kind of odd that they haven't sent someone out to us yet?" She answered in a conserved tone, and let her arms unfold so she could gesture toward the fortified structure,"I mean, it's right there. If they have any kind of look out, they've seen us by now right?"A somewhat smug notion passed through her mind and she cracked a grin,"They're afraid or something, maybe?"

The sapphire looked up from her holopanel, and quirked a brow at 3JJ,"Perhaps they should be," Then, her gaze flicked back to 7XB,"But it could be that they haven't pinned our loyalties yet, or that they have yet to spot us at all," There were numerous things that could explain what 3JJ said, the challenge would be to not jump to conclusions.

[7XB]

“That's much the same as I was thinking, Your Clarity.” The Quartz gem admitted rather matter of factly, eyes rising to stare down the ancient statue that loomed overhead, rising further and further above the city the closer the trio came. Still, even they had to admit just how unusual the lack of gems was..unless they had gone so far as to disguise themselves as humans.

The very idea of it was revolting, though they and Padparadscha had done it during their last mission out of necessity.

“There is a good chance that we haven't been detected at all,” though it was by no means a guarantee, “ these primitive organics just as likely can't tell a rebel defect apart from a proper gem, so we aren't exactly raising an alarm.” Truthfully, it seemed as if they might as well have been invisible, the people of beach city seemed much more interested in staying out of the heat than the trio of gems. “But we still can't afford to let our guard down. Do you have any type of long-range observation device, Your Clarity, it is that something we need to obtain before we find ourselves right under the nose of those we hope to sneak up on?” Worst case scenario, 7XB knew that the humans would very likely have some primitive equivalent to what they needed.

[Paddy]

Her eyes scanned over the stone-chiseled fusion as the team neared, and her brows furrowed as she tried to contemplate it's origins. The weathered rock face seemed to have been in place for quite some time, but being relatively new to Earth fieldwork, as well as being no manner of expert on the ancient gem architecture, she made a mental note to look further into it. There were no rebels to see from here, much to her relief, but there was still something ominous about the silence; was the enemy not present, or laying in wait?

She gave a nod to acknowledge what 7XB said as she combed over her thoughts, then tilted her head toward them as she spoke,"My holotech apparatus can take video, and the footage could be edited for closer analysis, but I have a feeling that is not the functionality you have in mind. While it can zoom to an extent, it's not exactly meant to observe at a distance," She tapped her chin as she thought about what could be used to scan the rebel base from this distance and still make out enough detail to have application during this field endeavor. Would that be what they would have to make due with, or was there something else they could take advantage of?

The team was moving at an adequately quick pace, she doubted any rebels had spotted them yet, but the longer the team spent meandering around, the more opportunity there would be for them to be spotted. "Your point about the organic's lack of knowledge gives me an idea Commander," Her eyes floated around toward the few people present, congregating in small groups as they went about their business,"If they're use to the presence of gems, they'll likely not be as fazed at being approached," Her gaze moved until she spotted one who seemed to have a cumbersome black box hanging by a strap in front of them, a lens glinting in the sunlight  

3JJ just listened to her superiors, keeping her eyes forward as they discussed the issue she'd brought up. She had an eerie feeling, like she was being watched; maybe it was just the organics, or perhaps she was just feeling a little on edge knowing how deep into enemy territory this was, but what if there were rebels hiding around them? It would be an opportunity to show the force she packed if they showed themselves, but the rebels had the home field advantage. 

 

[7XB]

What was the origin of this statue, anyway? It was clearly gem in origin, yet they had been unable to find any records pertaining to it's origins, or why it had been constructed. Clearly it had been done some time ago, and by a gem, or gems, with knowledge of architecture of the time. This fortress certainly didn't seem like anything Pink Diamond would have ordered built- it wasn't even in her likeness, so far as the Quartz could tell.

They were more than aware of the transcription capabilities of her holotech, having seen her and various other nobles carrying them about, but for some reason or another their mind lingered upon the comparatively simple telescopes that humans were known to use. But those lack any recording capabilities, and rigging one up properly would draw attention to them, which the party did not need. Their eyes drifted almost magnetically to where the Sapphire's own fell, a brow quirking as they drew to a halt. “You have something in mind, Your Clarity?” After last time, 7XB was as loath to approach humans as anygem, so they know Padparadscha would not suggest such a thing, if that was indeed her idea, without good reason. Surely, they could trust her greater knowledge of human tech over their own, limited base.

3JJ, distracted with her own worries, nearly walked into the quartz before realizing the party had stopped, drawing to a sudden halt before moving them or her hopeful patron down.

[Paddy]

As 7XB came to a halt, she too slowed until standing, her eyes drifting after the human and the device they had. She could deduce a lot from the construction of the technology. However, things weren't always what they seemed, especially on Earth. Her slim finger continued to tap her chin,"I believe the device in that organic's possession is used for recording, and from it's design I could assume it's range capabilities would be fair enough for our uses, if we were to commandeer it," She spoke briskly, then her lips pressed together as she thought on how they might obtain it; They would have to be careful not to raise alarm or spend too long in the open without the fix for their dilemma,"The trouble is, I have no currency to trade at the moment, it would be some time for pearl to get here with some more replications,"

While keeping track of the small group of humans making their way down the sidewalk, she stood growing more nervous. She felt her plan to be half-baked at this point, but the time to make a decision was finite. Currency had been a rather convenient way for her to deal with humans in the past, but with nothing shiny to give them, she would have to resort to another tactic.

Without another word, the sapphire cut across the street, making a bee line for the human in possession of her item of interest, and internally hoped that this matter would be resolved quickly. If the human wouldn't give up their technology, perhaps they could at least provide some sort of clue as to where the gems might happen across something that would aid in their pursuit.

Just having recovered from the suddenness of the stop, and again catching herself in a diffuse mind-state, the jasper's brows floated up as the group, or at least the sapphire, was already in motion again. She glanced between the two other gems, before stepping after Padparadscha, assuming that her orders were maintained, and glanced toward the humans. With little interest or faith in the basal technology, 3JJ wondered how this could possibly turn out in the gems' favor.   

[7XB]

As the object in question was brought to their attention, a flicker of realization passed the Quartz gaze- they had seen similar devices in the possession of humans before, and with the explanation that Padparadscha had just given, they now had a better understanding as to why the natives carried these devices around with them. Humans most likely needed to record important things as often as gems, if not more- they no doubt had much smaller, less detailed memories than a gem. 7XB almost felt sorry for the pointless creatures. Almost. But without any human trinkets to exchange, it was very likely that the human would be reluctant to part with their trifle, and while there was no doubt that they could easily wrest control of the object from them by force, how to do so without drawing undue attention was a problem. They know, from previous experience, that this city was small, with few places to lose someone.

“Right, but without currency what is your plan to..” And she was gone before they could speak, followed just a heartbeat later by 3JJ. They sighed, hurrying behind- at least that was going according to plan.

[Paddy]

The sapphire glanced over her shoulder to make sure her entourage, particularly 3JJ, were in tow; she already knew that 7XB would be keeping close, and that they would have a good eye on the situation. Inside of her head she tried to put together a strategy, mentally positioning the resources she had at her disposal, as well as keeping in mind what she knew about humans, and rebels.  

Her hand rose up as she went to make a hand signal, one of many in her personal code repertoire, which she had spent time teaching to every member of her full time retinue. But as her hand went up, she remembered that neither of these gems were full timers. Perhaps soon 3JJ would be learning the system, and she would like to go over it with 7XB at some point in the future if they found it a good use of their time, but for the moment her silent strategical system would have no salience to the pair of quartz. She would have to risk her plan being picked up on by the humans or the enemy, but instead of an esoteric symbol, she waved it to catch 3JJ's attention, and pointed to the sidewalk behind the group of traveling organics to direct the jasper. 

She speed-walked to swing around in front of them, then came to a solid halt, throwing up her hand to get them to stop-- hopefully. Though she was a brightly colored gem, her skin sparkling in the sunlight, she knew she was short enough to be overlooked and even trampled over by those who were careless. To make absolutely sure they knew she was there, the sapphire cleared her throat,"Good day, Beach City citizens," She wanted to sound upbeat, but the words came off with some edge. Her holotech panel drew up in front of her, and she flipped through to find her profile, as humans often seemed to want some sort of ID when confronted by her,"This is very urgent business, and your cooperation is imperative. Are you familiar with the residents of that building?" She gestured toward the looming statue. 

[7XB]

7XB was not entirely unfamiliar with the use of silent hand signals- they had used them themselves several times, on combat missions where stealth was an absolute must. But the trouble with them in a situation like this was that there was no real standardization among them- what meant 'flank’ to one gem could have very easily signaled the attack for another. Without the adequate group training they were almost utterly useless, and that made them all but utterly useless on impromptu missions like this. Fortunately she was able to adapt, leaving the two quartz gems free to do the same.

3JJ nodded swiftly, more making a mental note to themselves than anything, adjusting her course as to position herself behind the group of humans: it seemed that the Jasper was quick on her feet. It wouldn't do for this pod of humans to find themselves faced so suddenly with a trio of gems. They quickly decided their own path, moving to stand alongside Padparadscha in order to add a little muscle to her request.

The human family drew to a sudden halt, the possessor of the device wrapping an arm around his Companion. “Uhm..I think you might be confusing us with somebody else? We only just arrived this morning. Ah.. spring break and all.." He seemed rather nervous, and the juvenile human couldn't help but gaze at the burly quart with wonder.

[Paddy]

With a possible route of escape mitigated, as well as positioning the team in a way that would keep them from being sneaked up on, the sapphire's plan had so far gone well. The humans even stopped, but what their spokesperson said threw a small wrench into the gears; her original approach had been cooked up with some assumptions in mind that had already been blown out of the water. She noted the way that the humans interacted with each other, but didn't particularly dwell on it for the moment; her notes were filed away for analysis after the acquisition of the device.  

Padparadscha's mind sprinted through her options, laying out alternative paths for the plan that she had put into motion. It was difficult to act on the fly, but she put something together. After a short moment of hesitation, the sapphire's eyes lit as she came to think of a new approach; the fact that these humans weren't from around here meant there was less danger in revealing things to them that she might not reveal to full time residents, who may have had close contact with rebels. 

"Ah, I do hope your spring is repaired soon. In any event, well, as you can see," She gestured to the make-shift ID that appeared on her floating holoscreen, then clasped her hands behind her back as she spoke,"We are agents conducting an important investigation in this area. As it happens, your record keeping technology has been determined to be useful for our investigation," The sapphire knew from her research that humans in this region of the world had a tightly kept notion of property, tied somehow to their use of currency; she found it unlikely that they would simply hand over the device out of a sense of good will or civic duty, and felt she had to entice them somehow,"Participating in the investigation by, for example, relinquishing your custody of the device, would come with a suitable reward, but I'm afraid due to the nature of this investigation I cannot divulge too much information until I have your confirmation," Though she didn't feel particularly obligated to reward these humans, she had something in mind.  

A human in the group, considerably smaller than the others, stared with wide-eyed wonder between the gems, before glancing over her shoulder to 3JJ, who stood trying not to feel too disconcerted by the gawking of the organic, or by the amount of information that the sapphire was giving to this group of humans.  

[7XB]

The quartz lifted their gaze, for a moment, over the gaggle of fragile humans to the aspiring Jasper, giving what was meant to be a quick and reassuring nod of their head as Padparadscha fed her fabricated story to the human in possession of the device. These humans weren't from this region apparently, and they could tell by her moment of silence that this certainly threw a wrench into the inner workings of Padparadscha's plan, but fortunately she seemed to have something else in mind. 7XB couldn't help but notice just how much the sapphire had grown during their missions together. She had learned to be quick on her feet, even if she situation in the field was a bit more hectic than an interrogation back at the moonbase- though to the Quartz soldier that was as dangerous as abt battlefield. They were proud of her, truly, and they hoped she would continue to grow.

“Our spr.. what?” The human looked rather confused, looking down at the device slung by a lanyard around their neck. “My..camera? Why do you want my camera? If you were some kinda secret agents, wouldn't you, ah..” he swallowed, eyeing the burly gems surrounding them, “bring your own camera?”

[Paddy]

3JJ's pokerface remained mostly in tact, but she gave a nod back to 7XB to show she was paying attention. From their reassurance, it seemed that things were going to plan for the time being, so she stayed on task. The jasper didn't exactly focus on the humans, though she kept an eye on them. What most concerned her were the nearby alleyways, hills, rooftops, and other crevasses that rebels could be hiding in. Having her back turned to the statue sent chills down her nape, the fortress where an unknown number of heinous rebels hid themselves away. But, she trusted that the other gems would be keeping an eye on things behind her. 

Padparadscha's brow quirked at the human spokesperson's words. She hadn't given permission to this creature to question her, but then again she didn't expect humans to show proper respect in any regard. Alongside that, she hadn't exactly been expecting the creature to question her either. She too eyed the quartz gems as she read fear in the human's manner, then let her gaze settle back onto the organics. Perhaps that fear could be used to her advantage, though she still had to prevent them from calling attention to the small team of Homeworld loyalists. 

"We have our own technology, yes," She gestured to her holopanel,"However, it is as I've said; the nature of the investigation prevents me from expounding too much on why we have need of your...camera. You are to relinquish your possession of the camera under terms," She gave a short huff of air from her nostrils, trying not to let her irritation get to her as she had so many times in the past. Then her eyes slightly narrowed as she came to a riskier offer,"Alternatively, perhaps since you are the operator of the camera, you would be to offer your expertise to this investigation,"

Tapping her chin, she thought of some token she could give to the human in exchange. After a moment of quiet thought, she spoke again "I can give you exactly one favor in return for your cooperation," Though, if they would not cooperate, she would have to move on to a plan that would be decidedly less favorable for everyone involved. 

[7XB]

The trio of humans has already looked more than a little pale; Not quite as pale as the clear quartz, of course, but one would think that even the most recent of arrivals would have been affected by the burning, merciless radiation of the star that held this entire solar system and all of it's planets in place as they spiraled through the void of space. Their camera was still slung around the main human’s neck, held somewhat in place by his trembling fingers. Whatever this 'agents’ were that demanded his camera, they meant business. The human swallowed.

“A..ah..a favor?” It seemed as if these oddly-colored people were going to take the camera by force if he didn't relinquish it, so he might as well get something out of it. “I've got some parking tickets I've been ignoring from my trip out of state, can you take care of those? I mean you are like..CIA or something, right?” If that was the case they would easily be able to get rid of them. 7XB lifted a brow, cocking their head a moment, speaking quickly as you speed things along, trying to make use of what little information they had gathered in their last trip. “Yes, citizen, we will easily be able to dispose of your citations for improper storage of a transport.” Personally, 7XB had always been a firm believer in taking your punishment, but humans were lazy and irresponsible. “But we require your camera. Now, or we shall take it.”

[Paddy]

Her impatience with these creatures was climbing, but it surprised her to hear 7XB attempting to speak to them-- and it was some small relief to think they were in the same mind as her on this matter. She glanced to them, a small smile forming on her lips, before she looked back to the human and stuck her hand out to receive the camera. The human jumped at the quartz's threatening stance and tone, and fumbled to get the lanyard over his head. He popped a small chip out of the camera before handing it over to the smaller gem, and backed away until the sapphire gestured for him to come back.

She motioned toward the holoscreen as she spoke,"This is very simple. All you have to do is put any necessary information into this apparatus, and the matter will be resolved shortly," Though she wasn't exactly sure how human governments worked, she assumed it would be easy enough to carry out such a request, if she were to in the first place. But it couldn't hurt to sell the story a bit. 

The human, having enough of his vacation being descended upon by these strangers, gave an incredulous look to the other members of his group, before reaching toward the floating holoscreen with some hesitation. As his fingers met the screen, a simple English typeface popped up. He quickly tapped in the information he assumed they'd need for the request.

"Very good, be on your way," She motioned for them to go and stepped aside as she looked over the camera. No longer paying mind to the humans, she allowed herself to think over the interaction. After all, her investigation on the connection between rebels and humans was still underway, as was her quest to understand their interesting emotional responses-- interesting for how gem-like they seemed to be at times. 

The period of rumination on that was short, she had yet to figure out how to use the camera. Padparadscha flipped through the menus and held it up to get a sense for its use. The lens apparatus was something of a telescope all on its own, but connected to the digitized images on the small screen it hosted, it was multi-use. As she spoke, she tilted her head toward the clear quartz,"It's quite unintuitive, especially in comparison to gem technology, but I get the gist of it," She pointed it toward the statue, and used its zoom feature to get a closer look,"Ah, as I suspected, this should be adequate. Here, take a look," She handed it to 7XB.