In Ungue Adamantino Potestatem
Chapter 1: The Preceptor
A breathtaking building of green glass and crystal, high enough to carve a hole through the stratosphere and into low orbit. Over the city sized entrance, the words, DIAMAUTH PARLIAMENT, and, in three rhombuses rendered in brass, platinum and martensite, each one as large as a frigate, DiamAuth's slogan: ONE CONGLOMERATE, ONE MIND, ONE SOCIETY.
And in one of the three great spires that surround the Parliament, an architectural fever dream of silicate and gold, someone looks out from the top of the world, her gaze reaching down to watch the traffic and the patrols scurry like robonoids. She smiles before she returns to her penthouse, a pearl offering her a brooch and a ring, gems cut into rhombuses and framed with gold, which she slips on and polishes with her sleeve. She makes sure not to touch the bit that juts out from the jewellery.
The pearl returns to its cell with a bow as the gem exits their penthouse, walking past two hulking carnotites, brilliant yellow light shining out from vision slits in their lead chromate suits, gamma-staves humming as they are powered by the gradual decay of the gems. The two bow towards her as she makes her way to a warp pad, remaining at their positions by the penthouse as the doors close. The warp pad glows with vast amounts of energy, and a quick gesture sees her teleported nearly 100 miles away, into the top of the DiamAuth Parliament .
Seconds later she steps off at her destination and walks into a security screening zone of the Parliamentary Chamber, handing over her jewels to the suspicious peridots who scan her belongings with all the unerring scrutiny of the bribed. They bow as they hand her jewellery back, and she walks through an omniscanner without it being set off (she's made sure of that), joining the throng of fellow politicians and lobbyists who talk amongst each other animatedly as they resume their seats, the richest being tailed by members of the pearls. They give her a wide berth, or approach her begging for favours or patronage. She ignores them all.
She takes her seat as the Preceptor of Society, Prosperity and Peace, resting on a throne rendered in gold and inert yellow diamond. The other Preceptors take their own seats, each created out of different materials and designs; a flowing sculpture of silver and white diamond for the Preceptor of Might, Wealth, and Happiness; a jagged stool of blue diamond and cobalt for the Preceptor of Creation, Information and Education. Their seats haven't changed hands since the Quartz Schisms; they still rule the Row of the Preceptors. Obsidians stand behind the Row of the Preceptors, magma reserves bubbling in vats attached to their backs, black pits staring hungrily at the Parliament, waiting to hear their kill-phrase. Anthophyllites stand behind them as well, restraining the obsidians with chains and the choking miasma that follows them. You can never be too careful around the under-clades.
As she idly watches the Parliament slowly separate into the three unofficial, unrecognised, hideously powerful factions that define government, the Speaker of the Parliament raises a hand which morphs into a bell, and rings it with a finger-made-hammer.
"Order in the Parliament!" the beautiful orthoclase yells, voice amplified by the microphone situated at the table in front of her. "In the name of our beloved Silica, and DiamAuth, and the Crystal System, we call the five-hundred-thousand, six-hundred and seventh Parliament into session, One Conglomerate, One Mind, One Society."
The chamber echoes their cry, her included.
"In this week's Parliament, we shall discuss the demands of the colony on Heinrichite to allowed increased security measures for protection from inter-system pirate raids, the adequate level of retaliation against the rioting rhodocrosites in the asteroid mines of Hygaea Ten, and, I know that this one will be of interest to many of our eldest members, the poll surveys for increased dedicated leisure time amongst all clades-"
"Speaker of the House," interrupts the Preceptor of Society, Prosperity and Peace, "I have a topic matter that is far more important than any of these, ah, petty discussions."
"Oh?" The orthoclase leans in, a smirk forming on their face. "Please, Preceptor, do tell us."
"Very well, Speaker," Yellow Diamond retorts as she stands up, her vox-robonoid rising to her lips. "I have, at great expense, obtained definite proof that the radical extremist cult known as the Crystal Gems is still in existence."
The Parliament descends into madness, the youngest jeering and laughing at the absurdity of such a claim while the oldest sit in silence, remembering the conflict. The obsidians lurch forwards, base instincts demanding they respond to the noisy display with violence, and the anthophyllites smother them with choking clouds of asbestos in an attempt to calm them. Blue Diamond's eyes widen like supernovae. The bell rings again.
"Order, ORDER! Yes, Jasper-Oh-Nine, that includes you, sit down before I have you suspended! Carry on, Preceptor."
"Yes, well," she begins as she taps a short sequence of orders into a relay link wired to her underlings waiting outside, "as I was saying, I have an eyewitness testimonial that the Crystal Gems have somehow managed to survive the Quartz Schisms, even if their military capability has been greatly reduced. They are still residing on that org-infested ball of mud they call Earth. While they pose little threat on their own, there is the possibility that Rose Quartz may still live."
A rising murmur, laced with worry and panic, rushes through the Parliament. Could it be true? Could the First Anticitizen still live? Were they planning another war? Could Rose be building more gems from the Kindergarten on Earth? A jasper with a veritable mane of white hair stands up; the one currently identified as Oh-Nine.
"If you have proof, my Preceptor, please, show it to us."
"Very well, Jasper-Oh-Nine." She presses her finger to her ear, activating a covert vox-robonoid linked with the guards waiting outside. "Bring in the lazurite."
Two carnotites who shine like dying stars burst through the main door, dragging a shackled lazurite who is unceremoniously dumped in front of the Row of the Preceptors The lazurite is terrified, the eyes of the most powerful organisation in the galaxy bearing down on them, but she notices the Preceptors and seem to calm down. She isn't surprised; after all, the lazurite is wearing an ancient pattern of her sibling's insignia on their chest.
"Lazurite," the Speaker states, " AtmosCom picked you up entering Silica atmospheric space without authorisation. When questioned, you said you could provide information regarding the continued existence of Rose Quartz and their cult, the Crystal Gems. Is this true?"
The lazurite seems lost for words, overwhelmed by the overbearing nature of the Parliament, but after a gentle nod of encouragement from White Diamond, she stand up.
"My name is Lapis. Lapis Lazuli, formerly bonded to the Blue Lattice," the lazurite meekly replies, eliciting a chorus of disgusted hisses from the Parliament. Personal names are exactly that; only the most depraved or archaic of gems would openly refer to themselves by name in public. Others cannot believe that a gem so lowly a clade would declare her independence, and right in front of her benefactor! Only Blue Diamond seems amused by this display of independence, and she smiles like a hungry centipeedle as she nods for her former lazurite to continue.
"What the Speaker states is correct. I have seen them with my own eyes. The Crystal Gems still exist."
"How many? Can you describe them to us?"
"There's only three of them, and a couple of humans. The humans are insignificant, you really don't need to worry about them. Trust me."
"The Parliament could care less about the humans," replies the Speaker, much to the lazurite's relief, "we care about the gems. Who are they?"
"One is a pearl. She's fiercely protective of the humans, and fights as well as any of the warrior-clades."
The pearls recognise that description, and they whisper amongst each other in tones of admiration; the Flower Knight exists, the songs are true! They're not the only one who react; there are many veterans in the Parliament, and they mutter to themselves; Gemtaker, the Butcher of the Sky Arenas. One elderly onyx nearly breaks down into tears.
"Another is an amethyst. She's Earth-born, and loyal to the Crystal Gems. She fights every bit as well as the other two."
"And the final one?"
"A fusion. A permanent fusion."
The Preceptors do their best to ignore the audible retching and coughing that resounds around the Parliament. A few of the youngest members sit there in shocked silence, trying to figure out just why two gems would choose to subject themselves to that. Fusion is for emergencies, or for a bit of meaningless fun. To fuse out of...devotion is sheer weakness and selfishness. To share oneself with only one other gem is to go against every school of DiamAuth indoctrination. Jasper-Oh-Nine stands up, ignoring the Speaker's verbal warning.
"I remember that...thing. I fought it at the Field of Sorrow. That creature was surrounded by humans. We say that weakness attracts weakness, but that thing is strong. It killed nearly six other gems before I could defeat it."
"It calls itself Garnet," the lazurite nervously replies. "You recognise the name?"
Jasper-Oh-Nine remains silent, clenching her fist over and over again. When she speaks again, it is to the Row of the Preceptors.
"Preceptors, I am willing to go to Earth and investigate the reliability of the lazurite's claims. Give me a way to get there, and I swear by the Silica that I will return with their gems on a plate!"
"Now hold on a moment," White Diamond replies, silencing the cheers before they can ring out. "Surely it would be better to pursue an avenue of caution first? We have no direct confirmation aside from Lapis' word."
"Believe me, Noble Preceptor," the lazurite retorts, "the Crystal Gems exist."
"Oh, dear, of course I believe you. What I'm saying is, so what? Why should we respond with immediate violence? The Crystal Gems have not claimed responsibility for any attacks for over five millennia. Why should we provoke them and risk starting another war? Members of the Parliament, we are living in a golden age. The many work so that we may enjoy our existence, and we protect them from threat in return. To provoke this nest of traitors would only lead to the disruption of this system, and risk unnecessary death!"
"Sister," she replies, standing up to address the Parliament, "the Crystal Gems are the most wanted criminals in DiamAuth. They fractured a society that had stood strong for thousands of millennia. Millions of gems died in that conflict, and now that we know the location of the final members of that terrible group you want us to leave them alone, in order to preserve peace? Sister, I fought their ships in the orbit of the Choking Planet, I led my bonded against them at the Ocean of Calm, I bombed their fortresses on the Red Sister, and they still kept coming! Once committed, they will not stop until Silica lies in ruins! We absolutely must crush them now! In order to ensure peace, we must destroy the Crystal Gems!"
The Parliament goes wild. Gems of every clade call for their death. They chant the her name, the veterans screaming affirmations of loyalty. The obsidians strain at their leashes again, while the lone lazurite stares at the screaming Parliament with fear at what she's created, and she shares a nervous glance with White Diamond.
"It seems to me," the Speaker continues, nearly voiceless from her putdowns of the more vocal members of Parliament, "that the government has already made their mind up. Nevertheless, it must be put to a formal confirmation. All those in favour of eradicating the Crystal Gems, say 'aye'."
All those bonded to her and Blue Diamond raise their hands, a chorus of ayes and yeses echoing around the auditorium. She is pleased to see members of White Diamond's court agreeing with the rest of the Parliament.
"All those against eradicating the Crystal Gems, say 'aye.'"
Less than half of White Diamond's court respond, alongside a few independents and rebels in Blue Diamond's camp. She is pleased to see no rebels in her faction. She hates having to purge her ranks.
"Very well," continues the Speaker, trying to suppress a grin and failing miserably, "let it be known that on the one-hundred and eighty-ninth cycle of the one-million, eight-hundred thousand, one hundred and first year, that the DiamAuth Parliament, in the name of Silica, DiamAuth, and the Crystal System, did declare intentions to eradicate the Crystal Gems from the face of the galaxy once and for all."
She smiles as the Parliament rejoices.
In the Spire of Mirrors, the Preceptors hold a private court.
The three Diamonds sit around a silver table that shows their domain carved out of the stars, the planets and sectors marked with the gems of honoured servants. White Diamond is tense yet exudes an aura of power, in the same manner of a web-wraith with an insect in their lair. Blue Diamond nonchalantly examines her fingernails while she looks around the room, analysing it for any hidden monitors or deathtraps; White Diamond is notorious for perfecting the hidden kill, and the last time Blue Diamond tried to conquer the Spire of Mirrors her forces died before they even made it up halfway. And she is drumming her fingers on the table, waiting patiently for her agents to come join them from the Spire of Gold. She makes sure not to break anything; White Diamond is notoriously stressful when it comes to her belongings, and the last time she trashed her place a civil war nearly broke out.
Two of her carnotite guard stand behind her, trying to scare the hematites that flank the doors and the walls of White Diamond's meeting room. They look beautiful in their mirror-armour, emotionless death masks staring back at them as they carry grav-halberds and destabilisers, rendered from the same material as their armour. Blue Diamond has her own guards, two azurites who wear burkas of embroidered navy cloth stitched with blue spinels, cerulean lamellar plate worn over the cloth. They're nowhere near as big as her own hulking carnotites or the spindly hematites, but they're no less dangerous; heat-falchions are sheathed by their hips, las-serpentas strapped around their backs, both of which the azurites are famously proficient with. They stand to attention behind Blue Diamond, eyeballing her carnotites. Assuming they even had eyes; not even she knew what was hidden behind those full body veils they wore.
There's a knock on the door, and a pearl comes through. Behind her march two hematites, grav-halberds held across their chest as they escort a peridot she recognises as belonging to her own court as well as Jasper-Oh-Nine (who's just Jasper now, no other Jaspers in the room). She's taken to wearing a brass chain necklace proclaiming her loyalty to her; a bronze rhombus hanging down from its centre. The lazurite from earlier is there as well, and her eyes widen in panic when she sees the Preceptors looking at her.
"Ah, our esteemed guests have arrived," drawls White Diamond. "Please, sit."
Jasper moves to sit next to her, while the peridot sits equidistant between her and Blue Diamond. The lazurite sits as far away from Blue Diamond as possible. The pearl bows, closing the door and standing to one side, tuning out the conversation. Good gems don't hear what isn't meant for their ears.
"You are welcome in my house," her sister purrs, "for now at least. Come, you want some refreshments? How about some water?"
"Yes please," the lazurite chimes in moments before Blue Diamond shakes her head at her sister.
"Have you forgotten what lazurites can do? Give her water and we'll all be dead in minutes."
"My name is Lapis Lazuli-"
"And you are an insolent little under-clade, who doesn't know when to shut her mouth," Jasper nearly yells at her. "We're in the presence of the Noble Preceptors; start behaving like it, you weakling."
"Are all the members of your Lattice so...brash," her sister titters rhetorically, and she scowls when Jasper notices her presence in the room. Jasper is invaluable to her Lattice, but she is quick to anger, something that makes her an embarrassment for formal occasions such as these. Jasper notices her ire and averts her eyes.
"Forgive me, my Preceptor. It was a moment of emotional weakness, nothing more."
"I'm not your Preceptor," White Diamond interrupts, much to her frustration, "but you are forgiven nonetheless. Lapis Lazuli has forsaken the Blue Lattice, she is an independent and without protection; I'm sure she can say what she wants, within reason. Don't worry dear," she hastily adds when the lazurite begins to panic, "you will always remain a guest with the White Lattice. Meet me in my private quarters after this little shindig has run its course."
She rolls her eyes at this obvious show of force, but she doesn't say anything. It wouldn't do to upset a Diamond in their home, especially when their walls are lined with guards pretending to be statues.
"Enough of this," she snaps. "Let's get to the point, shall we?"
"Yes, lets," Blue Diamond echoes with a humourless growl. "We summoned the three of you because we believe that, since my former lazurite keeps telling us there's barely any of the Crystal Gems left, your insertion will keep them unaware until you strike, and your unique skills will help us prevail, what with your martial prowess, her guide skills and her technological prowess," she states as she indicates to Jasper, the lazurite and the peridot respectively.
"Why can't we just send a fleet?" The lazurite doesn't look her former master in the eyes at all. "Surely that would do way more damage than us three could manage?"
"A large fleet would send both the rebels and the natives into full alert, and apparently they've got the technology to shoot us out of the sky now. The Red Eye that the peridot here sent out went suspiciously missing, and I don't believe that it was stolen by pirates when it was so near to that awful planet."
"The Red Eye was an obsolete bit of exploration tech. A few fission missiles won't do much against shielded world-crackers," White Diamond points out. "We can shoot down most of them."
"Yes, but those ships that get hit will suffer tremendous casualties," she replies. "I have no interest in kickstarting another useless war over a garden world with some tenacious natives, or telling some minor member of my lattice that their heir was killed by some organic with a missile!"
"I agree," Blue Diamond confirms. "That's why we're sending the peridot first."
The small gem had been silent up to that point, but she stirs out of her reverie when she hears Blue Diamond's plan.
"Are you cra- I mean, forgive me, Noble Preceptor, but I'm just a peridot. If they show up, I'm as good as shattered!"
"Oh relax, little gem," White Diamond replies, "we won't send you initially. We'll be placing a hive of robonoids in your care, both Flask and Plug patterns. Nothing too powerful - we don't want those Crystal Gems figuring out what you're doing by scanning for comm waves!"
"I still don't think I'm gonna do good when they come face to face with me and all I have is some repair robonoids! I can't do much with these," she complains as she looks at her spindly, delicate limbs. Peridots are built for technological knowhow; they don't need to be big or powerful to do their job. She looks at her peridot with sympathy, and decides to help her out.
"Peridot, when this meeting is over, go to the machine-shops and hand this to the feldspars," she orders as she hands the peridot a data wafer. "They'll perform a significant upgrade to your manifestation protocols, free of charge."
"Thanks, Noble Preceptor," replies the awe-struck peridot. "I am in your debt, my Preceptor."
"Of course you are. You're bonded to me. Anyway, your mission is to travel to the Galaxy Warp on Earth and repair the link with Silica. We'll send a tritanium-class corvette to deploy the drones; you can handle the rest. Once it's rebuilt, go through and set up a forward base, and give the all clear. Jasper and the lazurite will go through the warp, rendezvous with you, and she'll guide you from there."
"My Preceptor," Jasper asks, "where is the warp to Earth? All the main warp stations don't have any warps pointing to an 'Earth'."
"We haven't used it in five thousand years," says White Diamond, "plenty of time for us to bury and forget it. We kept records of its location, though. Be careful, there's rumours of undesirables running some sort of operation down there, so you may need to do some 'house cleaning' first. Shouldn't be anything you can't handle, but your patron will send backup, just in case."
"Don't worry, Noble Preceptors," Jasper boasts as she cracks her knuckles, "I almost beat Rose Quartz and her pathetic excuse of a bodyguard during the battle for the Dark Heart. A few criminals don't worry me."
"Good. Once you're through, find the Gems, and kill them. You should have no trouble with that, Jasper, but just in case," she pauses as she summons an item from her personal vault, "here."
Jasper's eyes widen in awe as she hands her personal gem destabilizer to her. It's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, created out of gold and powered by a pearl who dared to disobey her. She picks it up and presses a button, and it neatly folds in on itself. Jasper places it on the table and bows to her patron.
"Thank you, my Preceptor. I fight with your blessing, using this."
"You have always fought with my blessing, Jasper. Now, to the lazurite-"
"Lapis," the lazurite and White Diamond correct at the same time.
"...Lapis Lazuli. Once the peridot's cleared the way on the Earth side, and Jasper on the Silica side, you're the guide. Show them where the Crystal Gems are hiding and help destroy them, and you'll get your reward."
"Really?"
"Dear," White Diamond chimes in, "we wouldn't still be here if we were gems of our word. Now," she states as she silently pleads with Blue Diamond not to laugh, "I think that's all there was to say. You're all dismissed," she utters with a snark as they stand up and bow to each other. "Remember, we're doing this not out of vengeance, or bloodlust."
"I-"
"Jasper, you might be doing it for that, but we're all doing it for the sake of DiamAuth, and the people. By eradicating the Crystal Gems, we're saving billions of lives, and ensuring that we, all of us, are secure from outside threat."
"...Yes, Preceptor."
"Now go. Except you, of course, dear," she adds as the lazurite tries to rush out of the room. "I would like a nice chat with you. A nice, long, chat."
They part ways with Blue Diamond at the docking bay and return to the Spire of Gold, the peridot bowing deeply before she heads to the machine-shops on the lower levels. Jasper and her continue until they reach a docking bay, where a shuttle hovers above a platform of crystal infused brass. Three carnotites stand guard by the shuttle, bowing as the two of them approach. She can see two more of the warrior-cldes sitting in the shuttle, one with a yellow topknot of hair coming out of her lead chromate suit.
"This is where we part ways for now, Jasper."
"I will serve you with utmost care, my lord Preceptor," she replies as she bows, kissing her on a signet ring. "I'll take that warp pad in the name of our Lattice."
"I expect nothing less from you. Carnotite-Oh-One has all the details and the maps surrounding this operation. And please, try not to get any of them shattered. The carnotite cutting process is really expensive."
"I led your forces during the Quartz Schisms, my lord Preceptor. I can lead a five-gem squad."
"I have no doubt that you can. The honour of our Lattice and the safety of our people is resting on your shoulders. Claim this warp pad, and we move one step closer to ensuring that the Yellow Lattice will remain dominant forever. Good luck, my old friend."
"I won't let you down, Yellow," she assures her as they move into an embrace. "You have my word."
Hello everyone! I got a new fic up and running!
I always loved the villains in shows like these, and I always loved cyberpunk sci-fi. I sought to combine the two into a fic explaining the reasons behind Homeworld's renewed investigations into the Crystal Gems, as well as show everyone my own interpretation of life on the Homeworld. Spoilers: it isn't that nice.
I have a couple music recommendations in order to enhance the reading of this fic.
The Parliament: watch?v=AeLNG8n-VfQ&index=8&list=PLF8723BAE6F2F1
The Spire of Mirrors: watch?v=CXldUfjMG6Q
I hope you all enjoy my fic as I enjoyed writing it! Leave a comment, a kudos, a bookmark, whatever you want!
Glossary:
Clade: The term for a group of gems falling under a certain role. These gems excel at that role above all else. For example, pearls are part of the servant-clade because they're designed to be servants. The more militaristic you are the higher up in society you are. Under-clade is a derogatory term.
Preceptor: The title of the ruling three gems. Currently, the three Diamond sisters hold these titles.
DiamAuth: The government of the Homeworld, short for Diamond Authority.
Silica: The name of the Homeworld.
Vox-robonoid: A device designed to boost the volume of one's voice.
Oh-Nine: If there are more than one of the same gem in a room they give themselves numerical designations. Military wise, the squad commander gets the first number. Personal names are seen as disgusting in high gem society.
AtmosCom: Atmospheric Command. They monitor all the spaceships and space stations and satellites and get some very nice toys to play with.
Lattice: The equivalent of a noble house, or a family. The big three Lattices are those belonging to the Diamond sisters, though there are minor Lattices. You won't get anywhere unless you "bond" (pledge) yourself to one.
Gamma-staves: Radioactive quarterstaffs, signature weapons of the carnotites of the Yellow Lattice.
Grav-halberds: Halberds capable of reversing gravity on impact, signature weapons of the hematites of the White Lattice.
Heat-falchions: Falchions heated to temperatures hot enough to carve through a ship's bulkhead. One of the signature weapons of the Blue Lattice's azurites.
Las-serpentas: Short ranged energy pistols. One of the signature weapons of the Blue Lattice's azurites.
World-cracker: Supermassive spaceships. One blast from their main weapon can turn a planet the size of Jupiter into ash. The biggest ones can kill suns.
Tritanium-class Corvette: Small ships, useful for harassing civilian ships/deploying drones. Not much use in a straight up fight, though.
Machine-shops: Place where the cool stuff gets made.
Shuttle: Intra-planetary method of transportation. Way slower than a warp but gets you where a warp doesn't.