Little Homeworld Life chapter 22: Seeing Black (originally posted on May 22, 2023)
AN: After almost a year of waiting, the Black Pearl Brigade have finally returned from their final battle with Cinnabar! It's been a while since I last wrote them, so bear with me as I try to get back into the swing of writing five or six characters who are almost the exact same. And in addition, we got another batch of new characters joining Black Rutile, one of whom we've already seen in De-Clustering during Tanzanite's flashback. The plot begins to thicken as we reach the epic climax of Little Homeworld Life.
Synopsis: The Black Pearl Brigade, now retired after defeating Cinnabar, decide to move to Earth. Meanwhile, Cinnabar is broken out of prison by another of Black Rutile's minions.
Cast:
Deedee Magno-Hall as The Black Pearl Brigade, Nacre, Pearl, Pearl Guards
Avi Roque as Cinnabar
Gina Torres as Andesine
Awkwafina as Kyanite
Allison Janney as Pyrite
Kimberly Brooks as Dalmatian Jasper
Zehra Fazal as Zoisite
Lena Hall as Bloodstone
Jodie Whittaker as Xenotime
Matthew Moy as Lars, Dante
Enuka Okuma as Rhodonite
Ashly Burch as Rutile Twins
Kathleen Fisher as Fluorite
Erica Luttrell as Padparadscha Sapphire
Estelle as Garnet
Michaela Dietz as Amethyst
Nancy Linari as Martha
Kate Miccuci as Sadie
Christine Baranski as Hessonite
Olivia Olson as Citrine
Kathleen Barr as Púrén
Noël Wells as Black Rutile
Della Saba as Aquamarine
Charlyne Yi as Eyeball
Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite
Shanelle Grey as Sally Grove
Zach Steele as Ronaldo
Uzo Aduba as Demantoid's Bismuths
Miriam Hyman as Demantoid's Bismuths
Shelby Rabara as Demantoid's Peridots
Featuring Barbara Dunkelman as Amber
And Kristen Schaal as Howlite
--
"Don't get too cocky, Andesine!" the red-clad captain of the Black Pearl Brigade yelled from her captain's chair at the other ship they were dogfighting with. "All systems, fire!"
"Will do, Cap!" Pony, the blue-dressed second in command of the Brigade, saluted before pointing the Servant's weapons at the ship. In the months since the fall of Black Rutile and Cinnabar, though the Black Pearls had planned on going wherever the winds took them, there were still members of the Rutile Rebels hiding across the universe that needed to be brought to justice. Andesine happened to be one of them. A former sergeant of Yellow Diamond feared far and wide for her sadism and patience, best demonstrated as Andesine heartlessly used her fleet as shields, the orange Gem dressed in samurai-like armor led an entire army of fellow Rutile Rebels in trying to conquer what territory had been lost by her master and comrades.
Along with Andesine were a long-haired orange Amber dressed in a tan jacket, brown zip-up overalls, and an orange scarf around her neck, and a Howlite with black veins spreading across her face wearing a turtle-necked sweater and a visor over her eyes.
"Lady Andesine, we seem to be evenly matched with these Pearls." Howlite cautioned her superior as Andesine's ship was at war with the Servant and the Sun Incinerator. "What do you suggest we do now?"
"I say we should keep firing, nerd!" Amber yelled at Howlite's face. "There's gotta be a weak point we can exploit or something!"
"Not everything can be solved with violence, you hotheaded clod!" Howlite argued with Amber. "Sometimes, we have to make a plan and wait for an opportunity!"
"Sometimes, plans don't always work out, and opportunities will fail too." Amber retorted. "Game, set, and match! Nailed it!"
"Can it, you fools!" Andesine commanded her two minions to cease their bickering. "While I agree with Amber that sometimes brute force can get good results, my current plan might be more Howlite's speed." This caused Howlite to stick her tongue out at Amber while Amber pulled down an eyelid. "What the Pearls don't realize is that I'm planning to break Cinnabar out of prison and bring her to Black Rutile, wherever she may be. My idea is to feign surrender so we can be taken to Revanche 666 and stage a breakout."
"That's a brilliant idea." Howlite agreed while side-eyeing Amber, who just rolled her eyes while folding her arms. "But how can we convince the Pearls that we surrender? Surely they'll get suspicious about what you have planned."
"Just follow my lead," Andesine answered before ordering her ships to stop firing and opening communications with the Black Pearl Brigade and the Off-Colors. "I'd like to arrange a formal meeting with the enemy fleet to reach a truce."
"What kind of truce?" Cap asked suspiciously.
"This better not be a trap, Andesine!" Lars shouted.
"No, there is no trap," Andesine promised while crossing her fingers behind her back, letting Amber and Howlite know she was telling a big, fat lie. "As of today, my associates and I peacefully surrender."
"Wait, already?!" Lars exclaimed. "We kinda thought that you'd resist just a little longer! What's with the sudden change in attitude?"
Andesine glanced at Amber, causing her to start speaking too. "Oh, well, uh," Amber stumbled over her words. "we just felt so tired by all the chasing and fighting and thought that it was time we tried changing ourselves for the better."
"That's right!" Howlite added just as shakily. "All this time, we were so lost and directionless; all this warfare just seemed so senseless!"
"I still do not trust them!" Braids, the Brigade's yellow-wearing strongman, said bluntly. "Bring them aboard our ship to see if they truly mean what they say!"
"Hey, you want a fight, Pearl?!" Amber yelled at Braids. "That's right, you and me! Right now! We're having it out! Come on, come on!"
"Everybody, calm down." Fluorite soothed the tensions between all three parties. "Now then, Andesine, are you really certain you surrender?"
"I am as certain as the universe is vast." Andesine replied before quickly flashing her two cohorts a smile. "Please bring us to Revanche 666 so we may consider what we've done."
"IQ, what can you make of this?" Braids asked IQ, the green-garbed intelligence officer of the team.
"Hm, I can indeed conclude they are suspicious." IQ nodded in response. "But if they want to surrender, that makes our jobs easier."
"Andesine is going to surrender, but she has something sinister planned!" Padparadscha Sapphire exclaimed.
"Ignore her," Andesine stated. "Please, take us away, for we are now the last of the Rutile Rebels yet to be arrested!"
"She's right, it's only this fleet left to go, and then we've caught them all!" Pony added. "In any case, you're all under arrest! Lay down your arms, and we'll take you in quietly!"
"At long last, we have them all." Tails, the pink-wearing sharpshooter, smiled in relief. "What a relief."
"Okay, you three, just stay right there while we take you to prison," Lars ordered the three Rutile Rebels as he ended communications with Andesine, who began grinning evilly as soon as their eyes were off her.
"Flawless victory." Andesine declared to Amber and Howlite. "Once we receive our sentence, we shall form a plan from there."
"I like the way you're thinking, boss!" Amber said, rubbing her nose with her thumb and smirking.
"You always were a very patient Gem who loved taking advantage of whatever situation you got in," Howlite added as Andesine's ship was seized by the Black Pearls and the Off-Colors, causing the three Gems to raise their hands in surrender. "I hope you know what you're doing here, Andesine."
"Trust me; I know exactly what I'm doing," Andesine assured with a smirk.