Chapter 3: Preparations
Yellow Diamond's gemstone on her chest made a golden glitter against the darker shade of yellow of her coat. She sat on her white marble throne in front of her commanders and other high-ranking Gems. The Executioner, a Citrine, stood below her right in gilded bronze-colored armor, wielding his halberd which was a few feet higher than him. Yellow Diamond's Pearl stood on her left, wearing a yellow blouse with a look of grace and elegance. …That was before she opened her mouth.
"Bring out the prisoners." She announced with a shrill voice that betrayed the qualities one would expect from a Pearl.
"Wow, to think Yellow Diamond had that Pearl specially made for her." Morganite commented.
Sol chuckled as he leaned beside a pillar. "I think she may need to have her inspected once this is over."
The Council Hall was a large room enough to fit five hundred Gems but only half of that number was present. Behind Yellow Diamond's throne were four stained glass panes depicting the four ruling Diamonds of the Homeworld, emitting lights of white, blue, yellow and pink.
A shame those glass panes were built just before Pink Diamond was executed, Sol thought as he stared at the stained glass pane with the image of Pink Diamond.
Then, the large doors of the hall creaked open. Captives entered the massive halls with a row of Amethysts escorting them on each side. They were like a group of colorful mummers in chains. Sol heard the guests snigger and silently jeer at them. They were asked to kneel once they were in the center of the hall, some were forced. Hundreds of eyes looked at them with disgust, shock and fear.
"All of you are charged with treason against the Homeworld and the Great Diamond Authority for aiding the traitorous Quartz Gem known as Rose Quartz in her attempts to destabilize the expansion of our great empire." The Yellow Pearl declared. "However," There was a brief moment of pause in her voice before she continued. "Our benevolent Diamonds will give all of you a second chance of redemption."
There was a slight commotion among the guests before an echoing tap from the Executioner's halberd silenced it.
"The Great Diamond Authority will offer an Octahedral Pardon for those who swear loyalty to the Diamonds and the Homeworld. All your past crimes will be erased and forgiven, including your previous acts of rebellion. Those who wish to be pardoned, rise."
Yet none rose until one Gem did; a Variscite, limping on one leg. As an Amethyst tried to bring her forward, she shoved the guard away and grabbed his weapon, charging at Yellow Diamond while shouting, "Death to the Diamonds!"
So the limp leg was a ruse. Sol observed as the guards tailed her from behind. Clever green bastard.
But the Variscite's attempt ended in futile when the Executioner dashed forward, knocking her to the polished tiled ground. As she tried to get up, a great cleaving blade descended down on her, slicing her in half. The Executioner raised his halberd and stomped the gemstone with his steel plated boot, crushing it into fine green dust.
But not clever enough,
"What a pitiful attempt," Yellow Diamond looked down at the small spot of green dust before glancing at the other captives. "I give you rebels a second chance and this Gem here spat at it. If you truly wish to accept my pardon, then step forward. Otherwise, I'll just have my Executioner crush your gemstones here and now."
Only a few Gems stood up like a sore thumb from the group. They were considered the lucky ones to accept the Diamonds' offer. The rebels called them, Cowards and Diamond-begging clods, when they stepped forward, only to be retaliated with a back hand or a kick from the guards.
"Rose Quartz will come. And she will bring this place down along with you all!" One of them shouted as the guards dragged them to the Chamber of Maws, which was the fancier name for the Grinding Block.
After the former rebels had sworn their loyalty and were given their pardons. The guests were told to leave. The Council Hall soon went quiet except for the chatter of Yellow Diamond's commanders discussing about the rebellion.
Sol took his seat beside Thunderfist, who was unsurprised of his attendance. Morgan had to wait outside the hall after he was told that he was 'not of importance'. Sol felt like he fitted in with Yellow Diamond's council in terms of color. He wore a flowing orange robe with white diamond patterns. The high-ranking members of the council consisted of him, a Jasper, a Rubelite and a Citrine forming a 'ring of fire' inside a larger ring where the other members sat. Yellow Diamond had permitted them the use of names to avoid confusion among her court.
"Their attacks are getting bolder every week." One of the high-ranking members began. He was a Rubellite colonel called Rubicon. "For every Injector the workers place, I lose six Gems."
"Gems can regenerate." General Janae plainly stated. The Jasper was wearing her pale orange battledress with a thick black cloak around her broad shoulders.
"But by the time they're fully regenerated, we will already lose a facet or two. My scouts say that they're using underground cave systems to move undetected."
"Hiding like the cowards they are." Thunderfist grunted. "Might as well just bury them in their precious planet."
The other members snickered. "That's not a bad idea at all, Thunderfist," said Rubicon.
I'm surrounded by Pyrites making empty talks, Sol thought as he lowered his head and shook. He had been staying in Firebase Sard for three weeks now, having only Morganite as company and strolls around the base's perimeter to pass his time. The blazing fire that burned inside him had been left in embers once he boarded that Pyroxene gunship. He was now a glorified emissary kept behind layers of walls, fences and turrets, unable to leave due to his status.
"Forgive me to interrupt your talks, generals." Sol finally intervened, "But may I ask what happened to the pilots that were supposed to disperse the Diamonds' offer to the rebel-occupied areas?"
Sudden silence and gloom emerged from the faces of the council members. Sol seemed to have asked the question at a very bad moment.
"We've received this transmission just a few hours ago," Rubicon mournfully said as he tapped on a button on the screen of his tablet.
"Mayday! Mayday! This is Zenith 2-4. We've been hit! I repeat, we've been hit. Rebels… shot us down! Gargh!" There was a loud static noise before it cut back to the sound of crackling fire and faint footsteps followed by heavy breathing. "Request… help… at Facet… 5…" The coarse whisper sounded like the pilot was badly wounded and in peril. "Rebels… they're armed… and… numerous. Oh stars! They've found me. I repeat, request help. REQUEST HELP!" Rubicon then ended the transmission just as shouting could be heard.
"We need to save them," Sol declared after recovering from the shock of hearing the transmission.
"Negative," General Janae asserted. "They're only two Gems and Facet 5 has a strong concentration of rebels in the area. And besides, they're already dead."
"They have served their purpose and died honorably in the line of duty." Yellow Diamond announced herself after watching her council squabble like over-cooked Gems. She cared less for the loss of two Gem pilots but she was known to commemorate her Gems' achievements. "Inform their commanding officer and have her fill in the empty slots with the reserves. As for their ship…" Yellow Diamond brought her screen forward and expanded it, showing the location of all Homeworld-controlled Facets and military units. "Citrine F-8G5K, how long will it take for your soldiers to enter Facet 5 and destroy that ship?"
"One week minimal without any interference, my Diamond." Thunderfist – who the question was directed to – replied. "But with all due respect, if I move out my Gems, we'll leave an opening in our defences for the rebels to attack."
"True," Yellow Diamond sighed at how occupied her commanders were.
"Could I give a suggestion, Your Grace?" Sol raised his hand.
"I don't see why not. You were after all sent here to give suggestions on behalf of my Diamond sister."
"We could send Morganite to do the task."
Yellow Diamond raised an eyebrow. "Which Morganite?"
"The mercenary one,"
It didn't take long for her to know who the Sunstone was talking about. "Very well, I approve."
Her approval was met by gasps and shock from her council.
"My Diamond, you can't be serious." General Janae argued. "That Morganite is a mercenary and a former commander of Pink Diamond like Rose Quartz."
"I'm with Rubicon on this one, my Diamond." Rubicon followed. "What if the mercenary turns himself to the rebels and reveals our whereabouts?"
Yellow Diamond raised a hand for silence. "I will not have my decisions be argued on. We have our hands full with our current tasks. Any more will put a strain in our progress. Rose Quartz is too poor to buy the Morganite to her side and I highly doubt her honeyed words would help. However, I will not let him go alone."
Now's my chance to finally get back into the action. "Perhaps I could accompany him on the mission."
Sol saw everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. If he had one more surprise up in his sleeves, the Gems would've already fainted.
"This is outrageous," General Janae fumed. "You're an emissary."
"And a Feldspar," Sol added. "I'm supposed to be on the field, just like you."
"The Sunstone has a point." Yellow Diamond admitted. "Keeping a Feldspar here is like keeping a valuable asset from being used against the enemy." She pressed a button on her screen and transferred the information into Sol's tablet. "You will go to Facet 5 with the Morganite and destroy the ship. Should you find the pilots or their gemstones, bring them back if you must. But if the mission takes a downside, abort the mission and request extraction. I will not have an important Gem like you be captured or destroyed. Is that understood?"
"Understood, Your Grace." He made a diamond gesture with both his arms before bowing.
"And make sure you pay a visit to the Research & Development Department. I don't want one of White Diamond's favorites to be ill-equipped."
Morganite was waiting for him outside by the fountain. "So you finally grown tired to listening to the hard hat council members bickering?" He said.
Instead of a witty reply, Sol gave him his tablet. He saw him grinning his white teeth of his as he scrolled down the pages.
"This much for a simple Search-and-Destroy mission? Yellow Diamond must be very generous today."
Indeed she is. "I need to pay a visit to the R&D Department before we head out."
"Yeah, su—wait, did you just say we?"
"I'll explain on the way."
The Research & Development Department was a domed building that was a few kilometres away from Firebase Sard. The only way in or out of the building was through the base's warp pad as the whole building was built on top of a steep cliff.
When they teleported outside the building, a gale of red dust blew across them, staining Sol's robes with speckles of dust. The walls of the domed building were green with a shimmer of yellow that glinted of the surface when sunlight touched it. The dome itself was steel grey with webs of thin steel beams supporting the roof. Jaspers patrolled the perimeter along with small floating orbs that acted as sentries.
Two Jaspers guarding the door straightened themselves upon seeing Sol's white diamond emblem and let him and his companion go through.
The soldiers around Firebase Sard liked to call the R&D Department, the 'Toy Shop' and he could see why. A small Peridot riding a hoverboard flew pass them, towing a red metal ball. On their right, behind glass panes, soldiers were testing out prototype weapons and armors on holograms.
"I think I should retire here once I'm done with all this mercenary work." Morgan commented as they walked through the wide structure.
"Sitting around inside a dome and shoot weapons at holograms?" Sol quipped. "Now where's the fun in that?"
Diopside was writing down her notes on her tablet as two Jaspers tried to gemhandle a Corrupted Gem into a cage. Standing around two-thirds of the height of the Jaspers, her white lab coat covered her green shirt and darker toned trousers. She eyed on the two visitors through her glasses before realizing who they were.
"You must be the Sunstone." She announced herself. "Yellow Diamond had informed me of your arrival."
"Well no need for introductions then I guess. Shall we get straight to business then?"
"Of course, let me just—" Before she could finish, the Corrupted Gem shrieked as it clawed the floor, frantically trying to escape the Jaspers' hold on it. "Could somebody take care of that Gem?" Diopside raised her voice, irritated at the interruption. One of the Jaspers threw a punch at its ribs to knock the beast out. "Thank you,"
"Where did you find that beastie?" Morgan asked as the Jaspers hauled it into the cage and locked it behind a field of electricity.
"The soldiers found it wandering outside the base. Its physical form seemed to suggest that the Gem has taken in the behaviors and characteristics of the planet's wildlife. It's quite… interesting to see a Corrupted Gem adapt to the environment very quickly."
"Best you stop admiring it so much before it kills you." Morgan advised. "Be glad that two Jaspers and an electric barrier are the only things that are stopping that beastie from pouncing on you and tearing apart that lovely physical form of yours."
Diopside was startled and flattered at the same. "Well… uh, let's not waste any time then."
She led the two to the armory where most of their prototype weapons and armors were stored. Locked behind 12 inch thick walls and a 15 inch stainless steel circular door, she typed a code on the holographic screen and the door started revolving before retreating back and forming a small stairway.
Every wall was dotted with all kinds of strange weaponry, some more absurd-looking than others. Diopside pulled out a rifle of sorts from a display case and gave it to Sol. The rifle felt light in his hands. It had a sleek and minimalistic design with the barrel splitting into two rails.
"It's a blaster." Sol plainly put it.
"Not just any blaster. It's a handheld railgun."
"Rail… gun?" Sol and Morganite exchanged confused looks before tilting their heads.
Diopside groaned before explaining the railgun's function. "A railgun is an electromagnetic projectile launcher. It fires a projectile through a pair of parallel conductors connected to an electrical power supply. When a conductive projectile is inserted between the rails, mostly at the end connected to the power supply, it completes the circuit. Electrons flow from the negative terminal of the power supply up the negative rail, across the projectile, and down the positive rail. The result would be a high velocity projectile with enough kinetic energy to pierce through a Gem's physical form or gemstone."
"So basically, it's a gun that fires a very fast bullet then?" Sol concluded.
"In a sense, yes,"
"Has it been tested on actual Gems?"
"We do not approve the use of live Gem test subjects here. But the test results show that the fired projectile had managed to penetrate through three 8 inch slabs of concrete which is equivalent to the hard light density of an average Quartz soldier."
"Have it sent to my loadout."
"Very well,"
"Hey, what does this thing do?" Morgan asked as he played with a small black-and-yellow canister, tossing it left and right like a small ball.
"Don't touch that!" Diopside blurted out before snatching the object from the Beryl's hand. "This is a singularity grenade. If you so much as pull the pin, this thing will create a miniature black hole and suck anything around it before exploding."
"Sounds awesome,"
"Including us,"
Upon hearing that, Morganite's cheery expression was gone. "Right, so don't pull the pin and we won't get sucked into a black hole and be blown to bits."
The Sun was sinking into the horizon as Sol leaned against the railing of balcony of the R&D Department. He had an amazing view of the arid desert valley. Patches of dead grass dotted the land while the dust from the patrolling vehicles trailed across the outskirts of the rocky region.
"Beautiful ain't it?" Morganite announced himself from behind. The sunset had turned his skin tone and clothes into a maroon colour.
"Yeah," Sol then grinned. "Too bad there's no Sand Worms."
"Oh don't get me started with those Sand Worms back on Eremus." Morgan pointed his finger at the Feldspar, knowing where this was going.
"You were on foot, being chased by five Sand Worms…"
"I was covered in pheromones for Diamond sakes!"
Sol only laughed. "And you smelled awful too. Four days it took us to get that scent off you. Four days. I don't even know how those worms are even attracted to that foul stench."
"Alright, knock it off." Morgan threw a light punch at his friend's shoulder. "I swear if you keep this up, you might as well defeat the enemy with tales of my embarrassing moments."
"Maybe I would." Sol retorted with a devious smile.
The day was already dark when they returned to Firebase Sard. The halls were still alive with Gems walking around, doing their mundane tasks. Footsteps, light and heavy drummed the floors with Amethysts standing tall and strong in their posts, wearing their black cuirass and diamond-crested visor halfhelms.
The Gems made way for Sol when they saw him. The orange robed Gem and his pink companion were a spectacular sight to see. They showered him praises and flattery, hoping that their voices will be heard for White Diamond.
"I feel like one of those puffed up aristocrats in Blue Diamond's court." Sol whispered to Morganite.
"No wonder you wanted to get out of here."
Morganite parted ways with him once they reached the door of his quarters. It was small yet lavishly furnished. An orange-cushioned ball chair was placed just near the three white tinted windows which overlooks the base's red-dusted field. Most importantly, there was a bed, specially made for him.
Sol quickly jumped on his bed and let out a breath of relaxation and he sank deeper into the mattress. He didn't bother changing his clothes after all that rambling in the Council Hall and walking. He closed his eyes, whistling his mind away to some other dimension.
Today, I rest. For tomorrow, I go to battle.
Sorry if it took so long. Was busy with personal life so you know.
I took a risk of using names on Gems during the council part because my story will feature a lot of similar Gems. Hopefully you guys are okay with it.