Original Idea by: Scraps
Collaboration work with: DeityDeviantWarrior
Characters Created by: Rebecca Sugar
Chapter 2: Call Me Copper
{*}
Unknown Jungle Planet, several million years later
{*}
It was quiet on the jungle planet. Save for the sound of the animals chirping and bleating in the trees, it was as quiet as a grave. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of a roar from the sky as a large ship began to descend onto the planet. It was colored light green and round in shape. The ship extended three legs from the bottom as it landed on the surface of the planet, knocking down trees and scaring away large sections of the animals that resided among them. As the ship came to a halt, the bottom of the titanic vessel opened, and a beam shot out onto the ground beneath it. Just then, five large beings emerged from the vessel. They were wearing large suits of armor of various color and shade and carried several weapons with them. These beings were known to many species at the Metalians, a race of technologically advance conquers who had a thing for using life for their own means. As they looked around at their surroundings, one of the beings, a figure in shiny reddish armor. Retracted his helmet, revealing a shiny metallic face with dark red hair. He then sighed as he placed his arm up to his face and began to speak into it.
"Að þetta er vað velja nýjan Flerovium þess úr Málmi Rangers 11th flokkur í sjóhernum megin við 4th skiptingu." Flerovium began to speak into his arm, which then responded with another voice.
"Og við höfum móttekið ykkur að velja nýjan." The voice on his arm responded. "Höfum á ykkur gerðar hafa samband við the reikistjarna enn?"
"Sértækar" Flerovium replied with a smile. "Þessari reikistjarna iðar af lífi. Skandering okkar gefa til kynna mikinn deposite um ferilskrá og engin merki um að Gem eða Gemian starfsemi svo langt. Um heimild til að að byrja halda nýtingu?"
"Aðgangi veittur." The voice responded. "Halda áfram með með vinnslu á plánetuniðurgírun ferilskrá og umbreytingu voru búnar fyrir húmor."
Flerovium pulled his arm away and sighed as he pulled his hand up and clenched it. As he did, the ship behind him shot out a large pod into the sky, which then fell into the planet. As the pod landed in the distance, it opened up and began to burrow into the planet.
"Búnaður er tilbúinn til notkunar að velja nýjan." Said one of the other beings to Flerovium. This being was a bit rounder than his captain and was wearing a dark brown colored armor. "Við ættum að hafa allan reikistjarna safnað í eftir nokkrar klukkustundir."
"Höfuðborg." Flevovium said as he watched the harvester begin to suck the life from the planet. He then turned to his forces with a grin on his face. "Sem við höfum í heild reikistjörnur þess virði að af orku, og the bestur hluti er að þessir skýjum sem vitum ekki að hvað högg þá."
As soon as the Metalian captain finished talking, there was an explosion from behind him. He turned and saw the harvester exploding into pieces as a green and silver flash of light emerged from the wreckage. Flerovium pulled out a pair of binoculars from his belt and looked down at the wreckage through them to see two figures standing before the destroyed harvester. One of them was a tall green figure with grey hair and two green Gems on his shoulders. The other was a short grey figure with Black and grey hair and a Gem on her left hand. The two of them were looking right at Flerovium, with the tall Gem waving at him and the shot one flipping him off with a smile. The Metalian pulled away his binoculars and gritted his teeth as he pulled out his weapon.
"Að það eru gimsteinar um þessarar plánetu!" The red Metalian shouted to his comrades. "Eyðileggja þær!"
The Metalians shouted as they charged at the Gems before them. As they did, the two Gems sighed as they summoned their weapons.
"So you take the two on the left, and I'll take the three on the right." Emerald said as he summoned his sword. "That seems fair, right?"
"Dream on Emmy." Howlite scoffed as she summoned her ax. "You couldn't even handle one Metalian let alone three."
As the group of Metalians charged at the Gems, they armed their weapons and began to fire at the duo. Shots of multicolored energy flew at the two Gems, engulfing them in a large cloud of dust.
"Að halda þínum eldi!" Flerovium shouted to his solders. As the group stopped firing, he slowly approached the cloud with his weapon aimed towards it. As the dust began to settle, he saw that the Gems were gone, with only two piles of green and grey goo on the ground. As Flerovium approached the piles and looked closely at them. He saw a Green Gem in the green pile and a grey Gem in the other one. The Metalian began to laugh as he looked to his solders, who began to laugh as well.
"Svo mikið fyrir að ægilegur andstæðingurinn." Flerovium said with a chuckle as he reached for the green Gem. "Þessari eru ástæða þess að þú koma með aldrei að hnífar til til að byssu barát-"
As he was about to touch the Gem, Flerovium felt a sharp blade enter his abdomen. He looked down to see a green blade sticking out from the pile of goo. Which quickly transformed into the Green Gem known as Emerald.
"Didn't your commander ever tell you never to touch things that would kill you?" Emerald said as he stood up and lifted the Metalian captain off the ground and flung him before his solders. As soon as he hit the ground, the Metalian broke apart, revealing a round gold and blue core from inside his chest.
"How about you at least *try* to kill us?" Howlite said with a grin.
Upon this sight, the rest of the Metalians shouted as they opened fire upon the two Gems, who quickly shot into the air and lunged at their attackers.
{*}
As Emerald and Howlite caught their breath, they scanned their surroundings. They looked to the bodies of the Metalian forces around them and then to each other.
"Well I think we both know who the real hero was today." Emerald said as he summoned a bag and began to pluck the cores of the Metalians and place them into said bag. "No need to thank me."
"Really?" Howlite said with a grin and raised eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "If it weren't for me, you would've just went in swords blazing and gotten yourself killed. It's because of my planning that this planet is not a rock pile."
"Well…yeah." Emerald said with a blush as he tied up the bag of cores. "But you would be slag if it wasn't for me. I managed to wipe out this entire group of Metal morons, and all you did was distract them. I'm not a Secundo for nothing."
"Well then "Mr. Secundo", if you are so powerful and sure of yourself, then why are their only four Metalian cores but five Metalians?"
Emerald paused and looked into the bag. He made a light gasp as he looked to Howlite. Just then, they saw the Metalian ship began to rise off the ground and lift off into the air.
"Dampnas!" Emerald shouted as he began to run towards the ship. As he and Howlite approached the vessel, watching at it began to enter the atmosphere, something strange happened. A section of the ship exploded and the ship began to drop down towards them. Emerald and Howlite absconded out of the path of the spaceship as it crashed into the ground below. As Emerald and Howlite approached the wreckage, the door of the ship opened and a brown armored Metalian was tossed before them. The Gem duo looked to see another Gem standing in the doorway of the ship. This Gem was orange in color, and was holding a double bladed sword in his hand. As he looked to Emerald and Howlite, he grinned as he placed his hand on his chin.
"Now what was it you told me back at the colony?" Sunstone said as he raised an eyebrow. "I think it was something regarding a "one Gem army"?
{*}
Planet Samer, Gemian Colony, present day
{*}
Diamond and Topaz stood before a map as they examined the various planets and systems sprawled across it. Several of the planets were marked with a red "X", obviously indicating planets that were either destroyed or conquered by the Metalians. As they discussed the current status, Diamond rubbed his face with his hand.
"…Cetiru was in no condition to fend off the Metalians. Their main race, the Kutu, were nothing more than tribes when the Metalians arrived, so they didn't stand a chance." Topaz explained to their brother. "The Buuko of Vyjah simply surrendered to the Metalians in hopes to be simply oppressed, but…"
"What of our forces?" Diamond asked as he clenched his fists. "What of our Gems?"
Topaz sighed as they looked down to the map.
"We lost twelve thousand from the attack on Kelssier and fifty thousand defending the Pera system. At this rate, we will have to conserve our forces to even stand out ground here."
Diamond was silent as he stared at the map before him. As he looked to the X's on the map. He could see the millions of lives, both Gem and organic, which were lost to the Metalian armada. Diamond then growled loudly and slammed his hand on the table.
"What of the Obsidious Genus?" Topaz asked as they approached Diamond. "They may be a cult opposed to us, but even they would-"
"They are gone." Diamond interjected with a sigh. "I had my elite hunt them down and purge the last of them months ago, and even if I didn't it would not make a difference. We know nothing about the Metalians besides their construction."
"So all we need to do is capture a live one and we can lean more." Topaz said as they brushed their hair back. "We could even convert it into a spy."
"It's not that simple." Diamond explained to Topaz. "In the attempts to capture one, the Metalians we managed to catch became catatonic and lifeless as soon as they were caught, it was almost as if they have a form of shut down sequence that prevented them from revealing sensitive information."
"We need to figure out a plan or something." Topaz said. "It's not as if we're going to be handed a Metalian on a silver platter."
Just then, a Gem rushed into the room and saluted his leaders.
"Master Diamond, Master Topaz, I have a message from Emerald and Sunstone." The Gem stated.
"Ah yes, my Secundos." Topaz replied with a nod. "What do they say?"
"They are arriving here with a Metalian in tow…" The Gem explained "…and it's not a dud."
Diamond and Topaz looked to each other with raised eyebrows
"Take us to them, now!" Topaz commanded as Diamond and they followed the Gem down the hallway of the colony. As they walked, Topaz noticed Diamond looking at him with a smug expression.
"What?" Topaz said to Diamond defensively. "I knew nothing about this."
"You do have Futurum Visionem though." Diamond rebutted.
"It can't see everything." Topaz explained. "Only things that have probabilities, I also have to be aware of the elements that compose the reality. Plus, with all the possibilities there are, I can't always steer towards the one I want, because it might result in another direction. However, I did consider a way to work around that."
"How so?" Diamond asked his sibling as he stroked his chin. Noticing that the Gemians and Gem were now standing in a descending elevator.
"A few months back, I saw a peculiar sight. There in the sky were several short humanoid creatures with pink and blue robes fighting with each other. One had long pointed hair in a strange direction while the others had numbers on their faces. After a few moments of fighting, they simply vanished in the sky. It was then I had an idea to build an instrument that could allow me to travel through time and study possible alternative futures, which I proceeded to do."
"What is the problem then?" Diamond asked Topaz. "Why not go back and stop Obsidian before Gemia was injured?"
"Because if I did that, then we would not be born, I would not create the instrument, and the paradox would erase all existence. I realized that as soon as I built it and I hid it safely where no one would find it."
"Let me guess: You had Lapis hid in underwater, didn't you?" Diamond asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "…and I suppose she hid it be on that new planet we recently colonized, perhaps?
"….no…." Topaz replied bluntly as they shifted their gaze away from Diamond and towards the entrance. "Ah! We're here. Let's continue this discussion never."
{*}
Planet Samer, Gemian Colony, Prison Sector, present day
{*}
The Metalian awoke to the sight of a dark chamber surrounding him. It was composed of a crystal stone and had several small green lights upon the walls. Before him was a large door composed of a dark green metallic door.
"Ugh ... Hvað er að gerast?" The Metalian grunted as he tried to stand up, only to feel his body strapped to a stone chair. "Það sem? Það sem að þetta?"
Suddenly, the door opened and two figures entered the chamber. The Metalian recognized them as Diamond and Topaz, enemies to the Metalians. As Diamond approached the captive, he summoned a stone chair opposed to the Metalian and sat in it, staring into the eyes of his captive while resting his chin between his hands.
"Do you know who we are?" Diamond asked sternly to the Metalian.
"Svarið er já ..." The Metalian replied as he tried to break out of his restraints. "Sem þú ert gemían, sem óvinir vinstra Commander Tiberium. Sem þú að vernda gems sem við erum að veiðar fyrir."
Diamond looked to Topaz and then back to the Metalian. He then leaned in towards the solder, looking him straight in the eye.
"Do you understand what I am saying to you?" Diamond asked the Metalian. "Audivimus loquentes eos nostris linguam potes?"
The bronze armored captive simply shook his head sideways. Diamond then sighed and stood up, grabbing the helmet of the Metalian and ripping it off. As he threw it to the side, he looked to Topaz, who walked towards the Metalian and looked to his bare face. As they stood before the Metalian, they studied his brown hair and light bronze skin. Topaz looked to Diamond before they placed their hand on the Metalian's head.
"Vos mos audierimus ultra vocem vestris tamquam GEMA et nos audieritis eam in linguam tuam vestra quasi loquamini."
As they removed their hand from the Metalian's head. He shook his head lightly before looking back up at his captors.
"What just happened?" The Metalian asked before he realiazed what he just said. "What the…I'm…what is going on? Why am I talking like one of you?"
"I had just preformed a bit of Gem magic called Vocem Translationem" Topaz explained to the Metalian. "Now we all can understand your kind's language. You are the first Metalian we have been able to capture alive."
"No kidding!" The Metalian scoffed as he looked at his bindings. "You really have a way with guests."
"Enough of this." Diamond growled as he stormed up to the Metalian and grabbed him by the neck. Ripping him off his chair and throwing him onto the floor. "Let's get one thing straight: You are the enemy. We are at war with your kind, and I will have no problem sucking the knowledge from your brain if you do not cooperate."
"First off, the name's Copper, got that?" The Metalian said as he stood up and glared at Diamond, looking him right in the eye. "And second, if you try that, it won't make a difference."
"What do you mean?" Topaz asked softly, trying their best to calm the situation. "Why are you fighting us? What do you want from our demise?"
Copper looked to the Gemians before he took a deep breath and sat down on the stone chair he was recently confined to.
"My kind, unlike your Gems, don't have an unlimited power supply. We need to convert energy, preferably you're so called "Vitae" into our power supply, known to us as "Humor". We harvest planetary life to create batteries to power our cores so we can function and use our powers. I am a member of the Metal Rangers, a group of Metalians designed to harvest energy for our survival. However, our Commander has revealed another alternative, or a sort of unlimited battery…"
Diamond's eyes widened as he looked to Topaz, who turned pale at the realization.
"…by that, I mean we take your Gems and convert them into batteries for our technology and army."
Diamond turned around and faced the wall. Placing his hand on his head and waist. Topaz approached him before the Old King turned around and grabbed Copper. Slamming him to the wall."
"What is this to you, huh? A war, or a simple scavenger hunt? Are you even aware that your own "Commander" is a Gemian himself?" Diamond shouted to the Metalian before Topaz pulled him off.
"What?" Topaz said to Diamond "What do you mean a Gemian?"
Diamond looked to Topaz and sighed
"I've known who Tiberium is and I now know why he is doing this." Diamond explained to his sibling. "You have to understand that it was the right thing to do."
"What are you talking about?" Topaz asked Diamond in confusion. "Are you saying that you started this war? That you are the reason we are so close to extinction?"
Diamond paused in hesitation before he looked to Topaz. Seeing the look of shock in his sibling's eyes. He approached Topaz. Only for them to shove him back.
"Topaz, listen to me. I-"
Suddenly, there was the sound of an alarm blaring as a Gem entered the room.
"Master Diamond, there is an emergency!" The Gem exclaimed to the Old King. "A fleet of Metalian ships are in orbit over the planet.
"What?" Diamond asked the Gem in shock before looking to Copper.
"Take him with you." Diamond said to Topaz. "I have more questions for him when we leave planet."
"Of course "brother"." Topaz said with a sour tone as they grabbed Copper and dragged him out of the room. Diamond paused as he watched Topaz enter the elevator, glaring at their brother as they acceded up the chamber. As soon as they were gone and the elevator returned, Diamond sighed as he stepped on and began to rise up.
{*}
Planet Samer, Gemian Colony, Command Sector, present day
{*}
Diamond arrived in a large room with Gems scurrying around moving supplies and issuing commands to other Gems. As he approached the central chamber. A short Gemian with pink curly hair approached him. As Diamond saw her, he embraced her in a hug.
"Rose!" Diamond said to the Lion with a sigh of relief. "Thank Gemia you are alright."
"What's going on Diamond?" Rose asked as she looked around. "Are we under attack?"
"Rose, you need to go to the special Gem colony I told you about." Diamond explained to his sister as he crouch down to her eye level. "Remember what it's called?"
Rose pondered for a moment before the name came to her.
"Insidiae!" she answered as she snapped her fingers.
"That's right." Diamond said with a smile as he ruffled her hair. "You need to take as many Gems as you can over there. I have been modifying the defenses to create a last defense against the Metalians. You need to take as many Gems over to Insidiae and stay there."
"What about you?" Rose asked Diamond as she gave a look of concern.
Diamond sighed as he handed her a scroll.
I'm going to stay behind and buy you some time to escape." Diamond explained as he stood up. "Now get going, there's no time for stalling. Get going!"
Rose's eyes widened as she watched Diamond turn around and begin to walk away. Rose quickly ran towards him and grabbed his robe.
"Rose!" Diamond said as he turned to Rose, trying to pull her off him. "Let go of me, this is not the behavior of a true Gemian."
"I don't care!" Rose objected as she tightened her grip. "A true Gemian would not leave their brethren to die!"
"Rose, listen to me!" Diamond shouted as he grabbed Rose by the shoulders and looked right in her eyes. "Our purpose is to protect the Universe, no matter the cost! You need to help the Gems while I buy you and Topaz some time! If you don't help Topaz and the others, then all of this was for nothing! GET GOING! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
Rose jolted back in shock at Diamond. Not once has he yelled at her like that. As tears formed in her eyes, she turned around and ran towards the door, looking back to Diamond before she disappeared in a group of Gems. As soon as she left, Diamond looked around and realized he was all alone in the room. He walked up to one of the windows and looked outside. He could see Topaz and Rose on a large platform as Rose opened the scroll and handed it to Topaz, who made several gestures with their hands. As soon as they did, the scroll lit up and a portal appeared before them. As Diamond watched his siblings guide Gems through the portal. He walked out of the room and onto the outside of the colony.
As he climbed to the roof of the colony. He stood over the entirety of the soon to be abandoned Gem base. Looking up to the several Metalian ships that hovered above him. Diamond closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling tears stream down his face, he wiped his eyes with his eye, noticing that his hands were shaking. He then looked to the portal and watched as Topaz entered the portal, followed by Rose, who looked back to him before she enter the portal, which closed behind her.
Diamond took a deep breath as he looked back up to the ships and uttered a single word.
"Mihi."
As he did, a large army of Gems suddenly appeared behind him. As they appeared, they summoned their arsenal of Gem weapons. As the ships above him began to disperse Metalians onto the colony, Diamond summoned his mace and pointed it towards the Metalian ships.
"Lorem meum!" Diamond shouted as he watched one of the ships begin to decent towards him. "Tenent enim signum meum accceperit!"
"Tene!" Diamond commanded as the ship was even closer, the bottom of the ship began to glow red as a large cannon at the bottom of the ship was aimed at them. Diamond could feel the heat of the cannon as it was ready to fire.
"DEINDE!" Diamond shouted as his large serpent Chalcos shot from the ground before Diamond and wrapped himself around the cannon, bending the barrel shut before he fell of the cannon. With the barrel bent shut the cannon energy could be contained by the ship and it exploded within the air. As the flaming mass of metal crashed into the ground before him. Diamond looked to his Gem solders and then back to the ships as they began to land.
"PROCURSUS!" Diamond shouted as he began to run towards the ships with the roar of thousands of Gems warrior behind him. The old king watched as the ships that were not destroyed by Chalcos landed on the colony surface and released their payload of Metalians. Diamond saw as a large Metalian, wearing dark grey armor and with two cannons on his arms, immediately charging towards Diamond.
"Gemian er veikur!" The giant Metalian shouted as he charged towards Diamond."Tungsten mun mylja veikburða gimsteinar eins og skordýr sem undir fótum!"
Diamond leaped forward and tried to smack Tungsten in the head, only to watch the Metalian punch Diamond in the face and sending him flying into a wall. Diamond quickly stood back up and wiped his bloody nose with his hand. He then charged at Tungsten, dodging his cannon fire and jumping behind the titan. He then climbed behind him and pulled the handle of his mace around the neck of the Metalian. Tungsten tried to grab Diamond off of him, but he could not reach the Gemian. As Diamond pulled harder, he then felt a blade slice his back. Diamond shouted as he loosened his grip enough for Tungsten to swing around and throw the Gemian off him like a mechanical bull. As Diamond tried to stand up. He saw a figure next to Tungsten. She was silver in color and had two arm blades. As Diamond staggered up. Tungsten charged head first into Diamond, pushing him head first into a stone wall. Diamond looked to see the huge Metalian pull his fist back and punch Diamond in the face, knocking him through the wall and into the command sector of the colony. Diamond tried to stand up, only to feel a large metal foot step on his back. Diamond let out a short strained gasp as he spat out blue blood.
"Þessari eru Gem leiðandi fyrirtæki? Ekki of Miðja slakur fyrir Tungsten!" The giant Metalian laughed as he removed his foot and lifted Diamond into the air and placed him onto his feet. Diamond tried to lift his mace, but before he could, he felt a large metal fist smash him into the ground.
"Þú heldur að þú erum eitthvað sem?" Tungsten shouted as he began to rapidly punch Diamond in the face.
*BAM*
"BYRJAÐ ER AÐ!"
*BAM*
"ÞAÐ ER EKKI!"
*BAM*
"EKKERT!"
*BAM*
Diamond coughed up blood as he looked at the Metalian above him. Tunsten retracted his helmet and looked down at his fallen opponent. Diamond saw the face of his assailant as he began to laugh at him. The Metalian was bare of hair and his skin was dark grey and rough, almost like raw metal.
"Tungsten í gegnum Gamla konungur gimsteinar myndi vera sterk. Held að Tungsten væri rangt." Tungsten chortled as he aimed his cannon at the defenseless Diamond, who watched as the cannon charged right in his face before he closed his eyes in defeat. "Núll heilbrigður, að þú deyrð ætla að engu að síður. Hægri Titanium?"
Diamond saw the female Metalian from earlier standing next to Tungsten, her arms were crossed and she was looked right at Diamond. She then looked to Tungsten before sighing again.
"Að sjálfsögðu er sem þú hálfviti." Titanium sighed in annoyance. "Nú stöðva skrúfa í kring og að drífa sig, verðum við ennþá her af gimsteinar til að útr-"
Suddenly there was the sound of a blade slicing through metal as Titanium stopped talking and dropped her arms to her sides. Tungsten noticed this and looked to his comrade with an expression of concern.
"Ekki satt ... Titanium?" Tunsten asked Titanium as he lowered his cannon and faced her. "Það sem er athugavert?"
Titanium did not respond to Tungsten's questions. Instead, the Metalian noticed a wide stream of silver liquid began to pour from her neck. He watched as Titanium fell onto her knees and her head fell onto the ground and rolled up to Tungsten's feet. The titanic Metalian shuttered in horror as he looked at the headless body of Titanium fall to its side. As it did, he saw someone behind it. It was a Gem, but she was holding a large pink sword coated with silver colored blood in one hand and a pink shield in the other. Tungsten growled as he put on his helmet, recognizing the being before him not as a Gem, but as a Gemian.
"R-Rose?" Diamond gasped as he saw the young Gemian approach Tungsten. He tried to move, but was too injured to do anything but watch.
"Now a couple year ago, I made a promise that I would protect my brother, the Gemian that you are trying to kill." Rose explained to Tungsten as she swung her blade, flicking grey blood onto the ground as well as Tungsten's boots. "Because you are jeopardizing the life of Dimy, I'm afraid I will have to keep to my word and stop you."
Tungsten roared as he fired his cannons at Rose, only for the Gemian to block the attack with her shield. She then charged at the giant Metalian and flung the shield into his helmet, lodging it in the visor of the helmet and blinding the giant. Tungsten roared as he tried to pull the shield out of his visor. As he did, he began to swing his arms wildly in an attempt to kill Rose. The Gemian simply ran around the Metalian, dodging his swings and slicing him with her blade. Eventually, the Metalian was able to pull the shield out of his visor along with the face of his helmet, seeing the Gemian standing before him. The Metalian gave an enraged grin as he aimed his gun towards Rose, only for her to make a sharp whistle to him. Just then, a portal open beside Tungsten and a large pink lion shot from the portal and clamped his jaws around Tungsten's arm. The Metalian howled in pain as he tried to pull the Lion off of his arm. But it was no avail as the Lion pulled back and ripped the Metalian's arm off. Dark grey blood sprayed from Tungsten torn arm as he roared in pain. Tungsten looked to Rose again with a grin of rage as he charged towards her, only to slip on a puddle of his and Titanium's blood. As he fell to the ground, he looked up to see Rose standing above him with her sword clutched in both hands, which she used to quickly stab the Metalian in the chest.
"Ego paenitet." Rose said as she dug the sword deeper into Tungsten's chest, grey blood began to pour from his chest as she looked into the eyes of the Metalian. Eventually, Tungsten fell silent and slumped onto the floor and Rose removed her blade from him. As she dissipated her sword, she rushed towards Diamond and crouched beside him.
"R-Rose…wha…" Diamond said as he tried to move, only for Rose to stop him.
"Diamond stop!" Rose commanded her brother. "Let me help you."
"I…you need to go back to Insidiae." Diamond explained as Rose summoned a pair of vials from her Gem. "I have to buy you all as much time as I can."
"Sorry Dimy, but a true Gemian doesn't leave his family behind." Rose replied as she uncorked the vials, which carried a clear liquid. "Now open wide."
Diamond hesitantly open his mouth as Rose held his head up to help him drink the liquid. As he swallowed the fluid, he felt the pain in his body fade and his body feel lighter. Diamond looked at his hands and saw that they were no longer broken as was the rest of his body. As he stood up, he looked to Rose with a surprised expression.
"By Gemia! What did you give me?" Diamond asked his sister as he examined his body.
"Well, Topaz and I discovered that…well…my tears have healing qualities." Rose explained as she put the vials back in her Gem. "I figured I could use that to help you."
"But how did you get back here?" Diamond asked. "There was no way Topaz would just let you return here."
"I know." Rose replied with a proud grin. "Which is why he helped me."
Diamond turned to see the pink lion from earlier approached them and make a short growl.
"You summoned your familiar." Diamond said in surprise as he examined the Lion. "Does he have a name? Is it Leonem?
"No." Rose replied.
"Lonis?"
"Nope."
"Leoni?"
"Not even close." Rose said with a grin.
"What is it then?" Diamond asked Rose.
"It's Lion." Rose replied as she petted Lion's mane.
"…Lion?" Diamond asked in confusion. "You named him after…his form?"
"Yes." Rose replied. "He is my familiar, and I can call him anything I wish."
Diamond raised his hands in defense before the two heard a large rumble from outside. As the Gemians looked out the hole in the wall, they saw the Gem army that Diamond was leading was being overrun with Metalian forces. Diamond and Rose saw as a Metalian stood over a Gem and ripped the Gem off her body and placed it in the side of his weapon before he began to open fire towards the attacking Gems. Rose gasped in horror as the Metalians were cutting through the Gems like a thresher to grass. The Gemians watched as a Gem rushed back towards them.
"Master Diamond…Master Rose?" the Gem asked in curiosity before he snapped back to attention. "We're being overrun by the Metalians. There too powerful, and none of us are able to even hit any of them before they do."
"Issue a full-scale retreat." Diamond order the Gem. "We're leaving the colony. Bring as many Gems as you can carry."
"Sorry Master." The Gem replied with a half-smile. "We may not be able to stop the forces, but we can at least slow them down to help you escape."
"That's not an option solder!" Diamond shouted to the Gem. "You are to issue a retreat now! I will not leave you behind."
"It's alright sir. We're made for this." The Gem smiled as he summoned a pair of tonfas. "Get going Masters, we'll show them the fur-"
Before he could finish, an energy bolt shot through the head of the Gem. As he fell to the ground and poofed into a small Gem, Diamond and Rose saw the Metalians had completely overrun the Gem army and was slaughtering them. Diamond quickly grabbed Rose and rushed over to Lion, placing her on his back and then sitting before her. Lion then roared and summoned a portal and bolted through it. The three then appeared on the top of one of the colony statues. Diamond and Rose could see the entire fleet of the Metalians from above. They could see the thousands of Metalians wash over the Gems like a flood and could hear the ear-piercing screams as the very warriors were massacred by their enemy. Rose clasped her hands over her mouth in horror as tears poured from her eyes. As she looked to Diamond, she could see tears flowing from his eyes as well.
"It's my fault…" Diamond whispered to himself. "I led those Gems to their deaths, and for what? So we can prolong our extinction?"
Rose tried to find an answer to what Diamond had said, but she could not find the words. All she could do was wrap her hands around her brother as he bent over and began to weep.
"They did nothing to deserve this." Diamond choked as he placed his clenched fists over his face. "They…they did nothing."
Without another word, Rose patted the side of Lion and he opened a portal and carried the Gemians through, leaving the Gem colony and all the Gems upon it to the Metalians.
{*}
Metalian fleet, Tvashtar Paterae Bridge, present day
{*}
There was silence on the bridge of the Tvashtar Paterae, the main flagship of the Metalian fleet. As a lone being with green skin and green armor stood on the very center of the corridor, looking out towards the stars before him. As he watched the stars float past the windows of the ship, he could see several ships floating on both sides to his own, among them were several smaller ships, each carrying thousands upon millions of Metalian solders. As he smiled warmly, he heard the sound of footsteps approach as he turned to see a Metalian standing before him. The grey armored solder saluted the Green figure before.
"Commander Tiberium, Sir!" The Metalian addressed his superior. "I have the status of the recent attack on the Gem Colony on Samer.
"At ease Iron." Tiberium said with a chuckle. "I didn't promote you to my Lieutenant so you could be less formal."
"Sorry sir." Iron apologized as he pulled out a small cylinder and pressed it, causing a small bulb at the end to light up and project a hologram of the planet. "As you can see, we have been able to take over the planet entirely. Our engineers indicate that the estimated time of harvesting and conversion will take as little as 211 days. We also have been able to harvest more than 543,432 Gems in the process."
"Excellent." Tiberium said as he looked to the window again. "What of the casualties?"
"We lost 3 war ships and 72 Metalians sir." Iron explained. "Two of those were of Tungsten and Titanium."
"I'm not surprised." Tiberium replied with a sigh. "What of that harvester that was destroyed in the Dujan system?"
"Yes…we sent a scouting party to investigate." Iron explained. "Flerovium's squad was destroyed. Estimated 5 casualties and 1 solder is missing: An engineer by the name of Copper."
"The Gems have him." Tiberium replied. "It explains why our casualties rate increased so recently. He has betrayed us."
"Are you certain sir?" Iron asked Tiberium. "Forgive me for doubting you, but I am certain you cannot read his mind or even track it."
"Apology noted, and you are right, I cannot." Tiberium replied with a sigh as he turned to Iron. "But I think that as a Metalian, you know that I have something that can."
Iron hesitated as he nodded his head lightly. "I understand sir."
Tiberium smiled as he patted Iron on the shoulder.
"You have nothing to worry about my friend." Tiberium said to Iron. "Even if the Gemians know about our weaknesses, it won't make a difference. They are outmatched 100,000 to 1 and cannot even build a space ship let alone a means to survive."
Tiberium walked over to the window and looked out to the star filled space as he placed his hand on the glass.
"With our number and technology, we will crush the Gemians once and for all…" Tiberium turned to Iron with an excited grin and extended his fist towards him "…and when I am there before Diamond, when I have destroyed everything he cares about and when I have broken him. I will personally rip the Gem out of his body and beat him into the ground with it until he is nothing more that pus beneath my foot."
"Yes sir…" Iron replied after a moment of hesitation. "Shall I inform the forces to begin harvesting the nearby planets?"
"No, inform them that I shall be leading them to the last stand of the Gemians." Tiberium replied with a smile as he looked to the stars once more. "Plot a course for the Gem colony Insidiae in the Vek system."
"Yes sir!" Iron saluted as he rushed out of the bridge. Tiberium turned around and walked to the center of the bridge, as he looked to the floor at a large circle on the ground, he bent down and placed his hand on the circle, causing it to glow a bright green.
"Það er kominn tími." Tiberium spoke to the ground. "Væri hægt að að koma þarna vinsamlegast hafið?"
As he stood beck up, the circle on the floor opened up and a small green orb the size of a small melon emerged from the floor. The orb was metallic green in color and had a light green triangular gem in the center. Four green cylinders orbited around the orb as well as five light green sticks which strangely looked like fingers. As the orb approached Tiberium, the Gem in the center emitted a light green fan shaped light that scanned the Gemian.
"[Hello Commander Tiberium.]" The orb greeted the Green Gemian before it. "[How can we assist you today?]"
"Yes, it appears that the Gemians have one of our solders in captivity, a Metalian engineer named Copper." Tiberium explained to the orb. "I need you to terminate his connection before he can reveal any sensitive data."
The green sticks repositioned before the orb, for of them formed into a square shape and a screen suddenly appeared. The orb then used the fifth stick as a cursor to begin pressing buttons on the screen and moving around data. After a few minutes, the Orb stopped.
"[It appears that the Metalian has disable our connection to him.]" The orb replied as it surveyed the data. "[We are unable to establish a connection to the Metalian known as Copper.]"
"Is that so?" Tiberium said as he stroked his chin. "Is that even possible?"
"[This is the first time that a Metalian has disabled their connection to out intelligence.]" The orb explained. "[Without our connection, the Metalian will be unable to establish their primary functions, such as weapons and abilities. Eventually, the Metalian will be as effective in battle as a weaponless organic.]"
"I see…" Tiberium replied. "Do you know his location at least?"
"[Yes, we can still detect and locate him.]" The orb replied as it pressed several buttons on the screen before it. "[Copper is residing on the Gem colony Insidiae.]"
Upon hearing this, a grin formed on Tiberium's face. He then looked to the window and gazed at the stars before him. Each light had thousands of world among them as well as billions of lifeforms, some unseen by any other.
"I hope you enjoyed your days as protector of this Universe, "brother". Tiberium said to himself. "Because the last sight you will see is my face declaring this Universe as mine, as it was meant to be."
{*}