AUTHOR'S NOTE: Credit for this chapter goes to my friend and frequent collaborator on my fanfics.

The Black Vortex

Chapter One: The Quest Begins

"I just wanna say that this is a really bad idea," Rhodonite said.

The fusion wasn't wrong. Ever since he had become the leader of the Off Colors, Lars had his fair share of really terrible ideas that miraculously worked. However, this time even he was uncertain that his plan would really work. The plan in question was by far one of the boy's most daring as of yet. Not long after stealing the Sun Incinerator from Emerald, Lars and the Off Colors began to pick up a series of radio communications between the elites in the Gem Empire, and from what Lars gathered, it sounded top secret.

What was the most interesting about these transmissions was that it was only kept to a handful of top warriors and generals within the empire. The Off-Colors even learned from one transmission to keep all information away from Blue and White Diamond, meaning that whatever was going on, it was all a part of something Yellow Diamond wanted to be keep top secret, even from her fellow leaders.

The group discussed what to do with this information until they finally decided to look into it for further info. According to the back and forth transmissions, Yellow Diamond was set to meet with someone called 'the cyclops' whom had been mentions in past communications. Not much else was given about this cyclops other than that he was reporting directly to Yellow Diamond herself about a special project he was assisting her on. Whoever the cyclops was, two things were certain: he certainly wasn't a Gem and Yellow Diamond was trying to hide his existence away from the other Diamonds. The military leader of the Gem Empire was going to meet with him at a station within Earth's solar system called The Zoo.

Lars remembered Steven once telling him about the space station and how it housed humans that were taken during the Gem civil war on Earth ages ago. While the leader of the Off Colors would've liked to save them from their imprisonment, their vessel could hold only so many people and they were on a mission as it was. After jumping to the Zoo's coordinates, Lars and Rhodonite disembarked from the Sun Incinerator and onto the station incognito, where the pair had since been sneaking around in the shadows of the Zoo in order to avoid detection from the station's security. Currently, the duo was sneaking around in the station's lower levels as they searched for any clues as to what Yellow Diamond was working on.

"You might be right," Lars commented. "But we have to see what's going on with Yellow Diamond."

"And what if we do?" the fusion inquired. "What then?"

"I'll uh...let you know when I think of something," her leader sheepishly admitted.

In all honesty, Lars didn't have a clue as to what exactly he was to do with any information they would find. He did consider trying to send it Steven and the Crystal Gems, but he had no idea how to get it to them. He still didn't quite exactly know how his new powers worked, nor did know if they could even reach him again without a ship. So, in other words: he was making it up as he went along. As he tossed around any ideas he could think of, he and his companion discovered a massive door. A door that would only be used by a Diamond. Acting a quickly, the two opened it and went inside before immediately hiding, for the second they entered the room, they saw Yellow Diamond.

Thankfully, the military leader's attention was currently towards the station's commander, Holly Blue Agate, thus giving them enough time to find a place to hide. Rhodonite was all but shaking like a leaf caught in a thunderstorm, and while he didn't show it, Lars was equally terrified. The last time he saw Yellow Diamond, she nearly murdered both him and Steven as they escaped from both her and Blue Diamond. Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to meeting her again. All the Off Colors could do now was stay out of sight and listen in on their conversation.

"My magnificent Diamond, is it wise to allow that...thing in this room?" Agate asked.

"When last I checked, I was one in authority, not you," her leader sharply reminded.

"F-forgive my offense, oh illustrious one!" Agate quickly apologized with a salute. "I only meant to say that it would be dangerous to allow that creature so close to you, considering the war and all."

"I have nothing to fear from him," Yellow said. "Now let him in and leave us be."

"Of course, my Diamond," Agate compiled.

With that, the enforcer began to make her way out of the room before hearing her superior's voice again.

"And one last thing," Yellow added. "Make sure you erase both my and our guest's arrival here from the security feed and off of the docking logs."

"Yes, my magnificent Diamond," Agate answered with another salute.

Agate opened the door to reveal something truly alien to Lars. It was robot, and a massive one at that. The alien machine stood as tall as Yellow Diamond and had a dark purple coloring on its metallic body. Its right arm was a massive cannon that appeared to be ready to be fired at a moment's notice. But the one thing that caught Lars' eye was that instead of having a face, the robot only had a single optic that glowed a dark, hellish red. It was obvious that this was the cyclops that had been talked about throughout the communications they had picked up.

"I-it can't be!" Rhodonite said in a horrfifed whisper. "It's a Cybertronian!"

A Cyber-what?" her leader asked, clearly confused.

"The only race in the entire galaxy that defeated the Gem Empire," the fusion answered. "Long before the civil war on Earth, the empire attempted to invade a planet called Cybertron for its natural resource called energon with Yellow Diamond leading the attack. The war lasted nearly a thousand years until a Cybertronian named Megatron defeated Yellow Diamond in combat. Since then, there's been a ceasefire between Homeworld and Cybertron."

"So, why is one of them here now?" Lars asked.

Before he could get an answer, the Cybertronian walked toward Yellow Diamond, all the while holding a small device in his single hand.

"This had better be good news, Shockwave," Yellow coldly said. "I can't keep making up excuses to the other Diamonds for every disappearance I make to meet with you."

"I assure you, Yellow Diamond, this will be worth your time," the alien robot named Shockwave assured. "My deep space probes have recently picked up trace elements of the weapon's energy signature."

The word 'weapon' did not bode well with Lars and his team whenever it was associated with the Gem Empire. But what still confused the reborn teen was the fact that Yellow Diamond wanted to keep this weapon's discovery a secret from her fellow rulers. Was she planning a coup to overthrow them? Considering how she acted during Steven's trial, it could be a possibility, and considering she was working alongside someone whose race defeated her only strengthened that theory.

"Are you certain?" the Diamond inquired, a slight hint of interest in her tone as she did.

"There is at least an 87.8% chance that my probes have managed to locate the Black Vortex," the one-eyed robot answered.

The Decepticon scientist then held up the device in his hand and switched it on. The device activated and reveled a massive galactic map that now surrounded the two secret partners. Shockwave then pointed up toward a small planet on the edge of the map.

"This is where my probes located the weapon's energy signature," he explained. "It is a planet called Atmos. It is a habited world filled with a diverse array of sentient organic life."

"Organics..." Yellow sneered before asking. "How advanced is this planet?"

"It is hard to say considering that it has hardly been explored due to its distance," the robotic cyclops continued. "But what is certain is that it's inhabitants have not mastered space travel. So, they will pose no threat to us."

"Excellent. We will find the Black Vortex, and should these lifeforms stand against we will eradicate them!" Yellow Diamond proclaimed.

"But there is an error in your logic, Yellow Diamond," Shockwave stated. "We cannot mobilize your empire's fleet without drawing the attention of the other Diamonds."

"Then I will be taking a smaller fleet with me. I can tell Blue and White that I'm going on a deep space expedition for potential colonies," the Diamond replied. "And I trust that I can count on your forces to assist me as well?"

"You can," Shockwave answered. "As you are aware, I will not have to notify Megatron of this alliance. Considering that all Decepticon activity on Cybertron falls under my jurisdiction."

"And once we have the Black Vortex, I can finally be rid of Earth once and for all!" the military leader said with almost a sound of wicked joy in her voice. "And you, my friend, will be the ruler of the Decepticons!"

"I will return to Cybertron to assemble my forces," Shockwave said.

With that, Shockwave began to make his way toward the door, but just before he reached it, he turned around to face Yellow Diamond once more.

"There is something I wish to inquire from you," he began. "why do you wish to keep the existence of the Black Vortex a secret from your peers?"

"They thought that the Black Vortex was a myth and a fool's errand to try and find, but I knew it was real, and you've helped me prove it," the Diamond answered.

Shockwave said nothing in response. Instead, he merely nodded before making his exit. Yellow Diamond remained in the room, keeping her vision focused solely on the planet that held the weapon that she so desperately wanted. Hearing enough, Lars and Rhodonite decided that it was time to make their leave.

"Guys, we're heading back now," the captain told the rest of the crew via a comm. link in his ear.

"And not a moment too soon," one of the Rutile twins replied through the comm. "There's someone here that I think you should meet."

Both confused and intrigued by that statement, the reborn teen and the fusion made a stealthy getaway back to the Sun Incinerator.

When Lars returned to his ship to meet with whoever had arrived, there was a part of him that was hoping that it was Steven who had somehow managed to reach him without going through the portal in his head. However, what he found was something that was unlike anything he had seen. It was a pair of aliens that could only be described as a small, orange, furry hobo and a blue horse-lizard. Needless to say, the reborn teen was a tad dumbstruck to find these creatures that were now standing before him, even more so that they had had been allowed on his ship.

"So...I have several questions," the leader of the Off-Colors began. "First off: why are these guys on our ship?"

"We let them on," the left Rutile twin replied. "They knocked on our door and offered us these things called 'fruit baskets.'"

"And you just let them on the ship just like that?!" Lars nearly shouted.

"Well...they weren't Gems, so we thought it was cool," the right Rutile twin admitted.

"It's not cool to let some random aliens on our ship!" her leader scolded. "They could be pirates for all we know!"

"We're not pirates," the blue horse-lizard assured.

"Oh my! Someone should tell Lars about our arriving guests!" Padparadscha announced to everyone

"No one's talking to you!" Lars snapped. "And who are you guys anyway?"

Upon hearing that question, the orange furred creature stepped forward and took Lars's hand for a handshake.

"Well hello there! Folks call me Wander, and this is my best pal, Sylvia!" he greeted happily. "We've been touring this part of the galaxy for a little while now, and I gotta say, we love it! I mean, aside from all the evil alien empires and warlords, but we've dealt with a lot of that from our neck of the woods. We we're just passing through this system and saw your ship and I just had to introduce ourselves! Sylvia told me not to because your Gems, but, as I always say: an enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet. So, what's your name, friend?"

"Uh...Lars," the dumbstruck teen replied before regaining his composer. "But, look, you can't stay on my ship. We're in the middle of something important."

"Did you find anything?" Fluorite asked in her usual laid back tone of voice.

"Yeah, a lot," Lars answered in a serious voice. "And none of it good."

"What seems to be the trouble?" Wander inquired

"Nothing I think you think you guys can help us with," the captain told them.

"I beg to differ, helping people throughout the cosmos is what Syl an' me do best!" the orange-furred alien informed him. "So, what's ailing y'a, new best buddy?"

"Only the complete and total annihilation of Earth," Lars said dejectedly. "Yellow Diamond's been working with this robo-freak named Shockwave, and-"

"Shockwave?!" Sylvia exclaimed in shock. "You mean to tell me that one-eyed freak is working with Yellow Diamond?!"

"You know him?" the right Rutile asked.

"He's only one of the worst villains in the whole flarpping universe!" Sylvia informed them. "Next to his boss, Megatron, he's the most feared among the Decepticons! If he's involved with whatever Yellow Diamond's up to, then it's gotta be big!"

"He said something about trying to find some big superweapon," Lars furthered. "Something called 'the Black Vortex.'"

"The Black Vortex?!" the space horse cried out in horror. "That thing is supposed to be a myth!"

"Well, it's not a myth anymore since Shockwave said he's found it on a planet called Atmos," the Off Colors' leader told her before asking "What is that thing anyway?"

"No one really knows, but if Shockwave and Yellow Diamond want it, then we can't let them get it," Sylvia said.

"Hold on, what's all this 'we' stuff?" Lars demanded. "I've still got half a mind to kick you two off my ship!"

"But Lars, we can't fight Yellow Diamond and Shockwave's forces by ourselves," Rhodonite pointed out. "We can't even fight a single sentry!"

"They did give us fruit baskets..." Fluorite mentioned. "Whatever those are..."

"Oh no! Yellow Diamond is working with a Decepticon!" Padparadscha cried out in horror.

"We should let them help us out, captain," the left Rutile suggested. "They seem nice enough, and they really want to help."

"And if this Black Vortex is this big scary weapon, then we could use all the help we can get." the right one continued.

Lars remained silent as he thought over his options. His crew had a point. They weren't fighters. Hell, they weren't trained soldiers. Admittedly, Wander and Sylvia didn't look much like warriors either, but the twins were right. If they were to stop whatever Yellow Diamond and Shockwave had planned, then they would need all the help they can get.

"Alright, fine," he finally said. "But don't make me regret this."

"You won't, ol' buddy ol' pal!" Wander gleefully assured with another handshake.

"But there's still only seven of us against an entire armada," Rhodonite commented. "We might need some extra help."

"There might be someone who could help us..." Fluorite spoke up. "Voltron..."

"Voltron?" Lars repeated in confusion. "Who's that?"

"The defender of the universe..." the giant fusion continued. "It is said that whenever the galaxy is threatened, Voltron would rise to defeat the forces of evil."

"But Fluorite, Voltron's several light years away," Rhodonite dejectedly remained her. "Even with the ship's Nova Thrusters, it would still take us years to reach Voltron in time."

"There might be someone else we could help us," the right Rutile suggested. "The Space Knights."

Space Knights. Guardians of the galaxy. Lars had heard tales of them during his time on Homeworld and of their heroic deeds. From defending the universe from the shape-shifting aliens known as the Dire Wraiths, to even halting the Gem Empire from conquering worlds, the legacy of the Space Knights was known far and wide across the stars.

"They were wiped out ages ago by the Dire Wraiths," the fusion replied sadly.

"Well, not all of them," Wander commented. "There's still one out there."

"And how can you be so sure?" Lars questioned.

"Because he's one of my best buddies in the whole universe!" the orange caregiver explained. "His name's ROM. Him an' me go waaaaay back!"

"Hold up, you're friends with a Space Knight?" Sylvia asked, "And you never told me...why?"

"You never asked," her friend replied with an innocent shrug, making the Zarbornak facepalm in the process.

"Can you take us to him?" Lars asked.

"Absolutely!" Wander cheered. "In fact, he lives in a quadrant not too far from here!"

"Then it's settled!" the captain said with a smile. "Fluorite, get the engines ready. Twins, help Wander set coordinates to ROM's location. Everyone else, strap in, it's gonna be a wild ride."

After getting everything set, the Sun Incinerator rocketed off in search of the last Space Knight. Lars was still inwardly skeptical about their chances. Even with help from ROM, they were still hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. It was a suicide run, but if they could get to this Black Vortex first and destroy it, then perhaps they could save the inhabitants of Atmos from Yellow Diamond's wrath...assuming they don't get killed along the way that is. It still surprised the teen that he was really doing this when in his past life he would've ran screaming off into the distance. But now he had become a leader, and as he had come to understand: leaders don't run. While it was still dangerous for them all, Lars took some strange solace in the fact that it was only Yellow Diamond and Shockwave that they would have to face.

However, unbeknownst to the space pirate and his allies, someone had also been listening in on the conversation between Yellow Diamond and Shockwave. She had been spying on the two secret allies via tapping into the station's security feed, and once she heard the mention of the Black Vortex, she knew that she had struck something big after all this time spying on Shockwave. There was once a time where she had a chance to prove herself to her leaders, but a certain green moron stole that chance away from her. Now, destiny had given her a second chance, and she would not let this opportunity slip through her fingers. Wasting no time, she called her leaders.

"My Tallest," Tak began. "I have something that might be of interest to you..."

DISCLAIMER: Steven Universe is owned by Cartoon Network, Transformers and ROM are owned by Hasbro, Wander Over Yonder is owned by Disney, Invader Zim is owned by Nickelodeon, Storm Hawks is owned by Nerd Corps and Voltron: Legendary Defender is owned by Dreamworks.