Quasar and Will were in his room in the temple. More specifically the large training grounds that were built into the lower level.
"Alright time for the test of agility." Said the Spartan as he watched an excited Quasar.
He and Quasar have been testing the marble robots that come from Homeworld for the last few days. It didn't take them very long with pearls help to understand it. Quasar was able to quickly hack into and control all of the systems of multiple robots at the time.
But due to Quasar's want for a body to walk in they quickly took some of them apart and went to work on making him a body using on of them.
So far they had been testing the third iteration of said body. It still retained the marbles size and shape. But the metal/stone the robot was made of was replaced with Titanium A. The panels of metal combined into an angular sphere. It had a large 'eye' an the front that functioned as a camera and laser emitter. At a full charge it could have a third the power of a Spartan Laser.
On the top was a small indent where a halo projector was mounted for him to display his avatar. The four stubby legs of the old one were made of Titanium and strengthened. They were thicker and stronger then the old ones. While retaining their ability to remain separate from the main body.
And like the original there was a small door under the eye that could open to spray the pearlescent white goop.
But right now the AI was dodging a machine gun turret on the ceiling. The AI dodged the bullets that flew at it with ease. The pistol rounds harmlessly hit the Titanium walls of the room. Quasar then jumped and landed on a platform where he charged his laser emitter. He then jumped off the platform and fired at the turret. There was a large hole melted into the steel of it's body, rendering it useless.
"Agility test over. Now onto the last one." Said will.
Quasar's Avatar appeared out of the top of the robot. "Man this is awesome. It feels so good to move around on my own. While also retaining the ability to jump into computers." He said with a wide smile on his face.
He smiled at the happy AI. It felt good to give his best friend the freedom he wanted. The shell of the robot was actually holding up rather well. The metal was barely even scrapped.
"Alright, time to test the tools repairing abilities." He brought out his helmet and chestplate. The helmet had a small crack in the visor while the chestplate had a few large dents from the battles recently.
Quasar then walked over and spread a bit of goop on the visor. The goop hardened and then a few moments later flaked off. The gold visor was restored to practically brand new. The AI then repeated this on the chestplate. Spreading the goop on the various dents. The goop again hardened and flaked off. Leaving the familiar grey of the Titanium that made up the Mjolnir. It would need to be repainted but it repaired it to working order.
"Amazing, these Homeworld Nanobots are able to repair and replicate any material or thing and restore it to working order. We'll have to build something to make more of that goop. But that can wait till later." Said Will as he summoned the rest of his armor.
Quasar followed him out of the training grounds and into his main room. He walked up to his armor stand and stopped on the platform. The various robotic arms reached out and grabbed this chestplate. They undid the bolts that kept it together and separated it. Will held out his arms as the machine out the chestplate back on him and aligned it. The arms then screwed the bolts back in and his armor powered back up when it was finally reconnected to it's micro fusion reactor. He then stepped off the platform and grabbed his helmet out of Quasar's new robotic limbs. He slid it back into his head and let the robot situate itself into it new place on the back of his chestplate. He added a part on the middle of his back late that his new body could slot itself into and transfer his programming through the armor and back into his chip.
Will felt the familiar cold feeling in the back of his head as Quasar switched back into his chip. He then walked out of his room and back into the beach house to show everyone.
He looked around the house through his visor. But there was no one there. Well almost.
"Hey lapis, do you know where Steven went." He asked the ocean gem laying on the couch. She opened her eyes from her nap. "Last I heard he and shorty went out on some adventure. Something about the no home boys."
"No home boys?" He said inside his helmet. He looked at the coffee table to where he saw a book with exactly that title. He picked it up in his gloves hand. Quasar did a quick search and explanation of it.
"Should we go looking for them?" He asked his partner.
"I could tell you the likely hood of them getting into trouble." Said Quasar.
"I don't need to be a genius to know that it's probably high."
"You'd be correct." Said the AI.
Will walked down the stairs and down to the beach. When he got to the sand he summoned his dirt bike from his gem. The largened two wheeler was sized up and made of Titanium with a micro Fusion reactor to power it. It was painted in his signature black and green color scheme with a UNSC eagle painted on one side and a golden star on the other. The half ton Spartan got on it's seat and the suspension took his weight with ease. He ignited the reactor. It sounded like the gasoline engines of centuries past. He then took off down the beach to follow the nearly faded tracks.
______
He eventually was driving on the road out of beach city. He had driven for a good dozen miles with some music on inside his helmet.
"The tracks diverge here." Said Quasar from inside his helmet. He braked and took a look at where they led. They just seemed to take off into the field. He then turned off the main road and drove down the small hill and into the field. He drive the dirt bike over the shallow hills of the plains he was driving through. "I wish I could of appreciated the beauty of the planets I fought on like I do this one." He said.
"The covenant usually destroyed most of the scenery by the time you had breathing room." Said Quasar.
He reached a forest that signalled the end of the plains biome. "I swear if I find another gem abomination in here I'm going straight for the SPNKr." Said the Spartan.
"Ah, nothing like a double barrel rocket launcher to kill aliens." Said Quasar with an odd sense of recollection.
He had to get off his bike a few times riding through the forest. There was a lot that had fallen that he had to cross. He decided it wasn't worth to test it's strength so he used a quick jet of flames to get across. When he got to the other side he summoned it back and took off.
He followed the tracks out of the forest and to some train tracks. "The trains that run on this track usually travel left to the way were facing." Said Quasar. Will nodded and took to the left. This was by far their longest leg of the journey yet as he had traveled for a good half hour before the tracks abruptly appeared again and he took off in their direction.
_____
"Quasar, what is the place were heading." He asked the AI. Since the terrain in the direction of the tracks started to abbruptly turn grey.
"From what little data I got from the marbles it seems this place is known only as the alpha kindergarten." Said the AI.
"Kindergarten?"
"Yes, Kindergarten." Said the AI.
He continued to drive in the garden wasteland. The ground itself almost shifted to something akin to ash. It was dry and flakey but not nearly as fine. Almost like sand.
"It almost seems like the very ground around us is dead. It's like this whole biome is dead." Said the Spartan.
"I've scanned the environment. The results show that every bit of the nutrients have been almost sucked out of the ground. There's no other way to put it then..." Quasar was cut off.
"As if the very earth itself had the life sucked out of it." Said Will. He could feel his gem pulsate slightly. It was like he got a weird sense of Deja Vu coming from this place. And not just one either. It was like both his human and gem sides were getting a familiar feeling.
"I'm getting a signal coming from that trench up there. It's the reason why we havent known about this place earlier. It masked the site from orbital scans." Said Quasar.
"And it just so happens to be the place the tracks lead." Said Will. He sped up the bike and drive toward the canyon. He got off his bike and dematerialized it back into his gem when he reached the mouth of the canyon. He then rematerialized his MA5B. He held he rifle tightly at ready position as he walked through the canyon. Quasar transferred his programming into his new body and detached himself from his Spartans back.
Quasar landed on the ground and popped out his circular legs. He charged up his emitter to readyfire mode and scanned the sorrounding area.
The canyon gave him the creeps. The strange feeling in his gem became a constant. The best he could describe it was a sense of familiarity. But the other sense of deja Vu remained quiet for now.
He actually heard something up ahead. He quickly ran around the corner and saw the two he was looking for. But Pearl was also there and she and Amythest were fighting. He amplified his armors speakers to hear their conversation as he walked toward them.
"You can't defeat me." Said Pearl.
"I don't care!" Yelled Amythest.
She then summoned two whips and wrapped them around Pearl's spear. Amythest then whipped them up and down. Sending a shockwave of purple energy that travelled through the whip and hit Pearl making her fly back into a decrepit looking drill.
"I'm not going to let you sit there and remind me of everything I hate about myself! I never asked to be made." She finished, tears started to flow down her face.
"Amythest stop, I know your upset but please, no more. I can't bear to watch you fight anymore." Sobbed Steven.
It was at that moment that the drill behind them started to fall. Will dematerialized his rifle and sprinted over to them. There formed a large cloud of dust as it fell.
When the dust cleared he and the gems looked to see the Spartan with flames covering his body holding the drill up. He then grunted with effort as he picked it up slowly and threw it to the side. The flames died down and turned to the three.
"Can you tell me next time you go on an adventure. I had to drive for over an hour to find you." Said the Spartan.
Steven then scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Amythest then took off and hid in one of the holes.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Well he and Amythest dissapeared. I tried asking you but you were gone. Lapis refused to talk to me! So I asked Garnet and she said they were here. I hoped she was wrong, but here they were." Said Pearl.
Steven looked down. "Me and Amythest just wanted to go on an adventure. But then she asked me if I wanted to see where she was born. Then we ended up here and everything just became a huge mess.
_____
While Steven explained his day to Pearl and Will. Quasar walked over to the hole Amythest was in. She had her head on her knees and looked like she was crying.
"Want to talk about it?" Asked Quasar.
Amythest looked up from her legs and looked at the orb in front of her. Her eyes flashed from confusion to rage and she tried to summon her whip. Quasar took a step back and activated his book projector. His Avatar held his hands up. "Whoa it's me, no need to attack. Just used the marbles to make myself a body." He said.
Amythest put back her while and turned around. "Just leave me alone." She said.
"You know, I do kind of get how you feel. I didn't have a choice in how I was made. I come online and the first thing I knew I was told to operate a cruiser and keep it's crew alive. A bit much of a newborn." He said to the gem.
"You and me are nothing alike." She said in a low, harsh tone.
His camera eye and avatar furrowed their eyes in a sad expression. "Look, I just want you to know were here for you. You don't have to be ashamed of how you were made. That's not what matters. What matters...is what you do. Your a kind soul. And from what I know about this Kindergarten. You are undoubtedly the best thing to come out of it." Said Quasar.
Amythest turned and looked at him. "Really." She asked.
His Avatar shifted into a more upbeat expression. "Without a doubt. Your not a parasite, you never were and never will be. What you are...is a crystal gem. And your our family. I wouldn't have it any other way." Said the AI in a rare momemt for him.
She went up to his body and hugged it. The small orb cradled gentle but firm in her arms. She cried a bit as she spoke. "Thank you, I needed that." She said.
His Avatar blushed a bit. "Your welcome." He said.
Quasar and Amythest exited her hole to see the other three waiting quietly a few feet away.
"Listen, I'm sorry Pearl. I was just really mad and took it out on you. And Steven I shouldn't have out you in harms way." She apologized.
Pearl sighed. "It's fine Amythest, you just had us really worried. And please don't ever think you shouldn't have been made your..." She was cut off.
"I already heard it from Quasar. I...just didn't want to be a parasite." Said Amythest.
Will looked at the AI. He deactivated his projector and looked away.
"I'm glad everyone's getting along. Can we go home now, I want to sleep in a bed." Said Steven.
"Yes we can Steven." Said Pearl as she and everyone else started walking toward the warp pad.
Will then felt that second feeling of Deja Vu again. It was strong as ever. He could almost hear a voice in his head, guiding him toward something in the canyon. He was about to turn a corner when Quasar called out to him on his radio.
"You coming?" He asked.
Will hesitated for a moment before turning back to walk toward the warp pad. "Yeah, I just got a weird feeling. I swear I could almost hear something being said in my head." Said Will.
"What was it?" Asked Quasar.
"Erda. Does it mean anything to you?" He asked him.
Quasar was still for a few moments before he spoke. "No, I don't have a single entry on that word. Are you sure your hearing correctly?" He asked.
Will stood still so Quasar could crawl to his space on his back.
"I don't think so, I know that's what I heard." Said Will.
"Alright then. I guess we'll have to add it to our list of things to find out." Said the AI from inside his helmet.
"You didn't make an actual list did you?" Will asked.
"Of course I did." Said Quasar without a hint of hesitation.
"Your so weird sometimes." He said as the warp pad activated and brought them home.