Several Amethyst saluted the moment White Diamond stepped out of the ship.
She didn't acknowledge them, just continued straight ahead to the nearest local warp. Pearl followed at a distance and warped them away the moment she stepped onto the pad. As they floated through the stream Domina reached over and squeezed Pearls arm. Pearl patted her hand gently.
"It'll be fine my diamond" She said softly.
White Diamond pulled her hand away as soon as her feet landed on the receiving warp pad. Citrines guarded this wing of the Diamond Authorities citadel and they did not break their gaze as she walked past them towards the meeting room. Yellow and Blue Pearl were already standing outside and they bowed to White Diamond who ignored them while Pearl opened the door. White Diamond nodded to her before taking flight with a short leap into the air.
"Glad you could join us White." Yellow Diamond was standing towards the center of the room next to Blue Diamond. Blue Diamond inclined her head towards White who returned the gesture.
"I told you two hours." White said allowing herself to settle at roughly eye level with the other diamonds.
"Yes yes you did, how was the Earth?" Yellow asked. White Diamond frowned.
"Did you honestly call me here from 10 light years to passive aggressively scold me over a brief sightseeing trip?" She asked.
"No,no" Yellow said dismissively. "There are things you should know about that planet, important things." She said, before beginning to speak directly to the other diamond.
A black glob of horror built in Domina's stomach as she listened to Yellow tell about what resulted from the war for Earth, about the final attack, about the shattering of Pink diamond at the hands of Rose Quartz, and about the Cluster. It was taking every ounce of concentration to hold herself in the air, but all she kept seeing in her head was her mother's Pearl vehemently saying that they had not shattered Pearl's Diamond.
"You authorized a project to forcibly fuse thousands of gem shards and implant them inside a planet to get a geo-weapon?" White Diamond said, Not sure whether she should feel horrified, angered or sickened. "Did you have any guarantee you could control this thing in the first place!?"
Yellow Diamond frowned, Blue Diamond hadn't looked particularly happy throughout this whole conversation, though she hadn't said anything.
"There were protocols and plans in place. However it has become apparent that something has gone wrong, the Cluster will not be emerging."
"So the earth will not be destroyed." Blue diamond said.
"No, but it does mean we have to decide how to deal with the Earth,"
"Deal with it?" White Diamond asked "Why should we do anything with it? It poses no threat." Blue Diamond nodded and gestured to White in agreement.
"There is still a massive amount of gem technology left on that planet, a functional warp system among other things, and we do have some evidence that perhaps..." Yellow looked pointedly at Blue "There is a possibility that there is still gem activity left on that planet."
"You mean it's possible some of the rebels survived?" White diamond said, Domina worked hard to keep both her emotions and positioning steady.
"A small chance, though, even if they were still there they would not be a threat, Yellow." Blue said. "Certainly not worth destroying the entire planet over."
"That's surprising coming from you considering how adamant you've been about bringing Pink's killer to justice."
"Yes." Blue said with a meaningful glance. Yellow looked away. White frowned, more questions filtering to the back of her mind.
"No matter what it simply doesn't make sense-"
"You should not allow any feelings you have for this planet cloud your judgement Domina." Yellow interrupted her. White Diamond frowned and drew herself up a little bit more.
"I'm not. That planet is the single cause of the biggest change in how the empire deals with colonies in our history. And we simply don't have the resource available to frivolously waste on a planet that has already proved to be more trouble than it's worth," She said, she was circling slightly between the two diamond. "Really you two are living in the past, we need to move forward."
"Living in the Past!" Yellow Diamond snapped, White diamond moved back from her. "Please your one to talk, constantly going off to grieve a human!"
"He was my father!" Domina shouted back. Yellow Diamond shook her head.
"Honestly I don't know why I bothered to bring you in for this. You don't care, the countless things that planet has ruined, or about Pink. You never even knew her!"
"No I didn't. Maybe that for best because I seem to be the only one that can do my job right now!" White Diamond sneered, winds were whipping around her.
"Do your job!?" Yellow Roared. "You can't do a tenth of what your mother could! You're nothing but a pale organic imitation and you will never even begin to stand in the shadow of her!"
"Yellow!" Blue snapped. Domina fell in shock then caught herself about 10 feet off the ground.
"Fine." White Diamond said after a moment of collecting herself. She rose back up to eye level.
"Do what you want." She said. The doors to the meeting room flew open with a flick of her wrist and White diamond flew out of the room, Blue Diamond shouting after her.
"White wait!"
"Pearl we're leaving!" White Diamond shouted as she landed just outside the doors. The Pearls were looking with alarm at the door, but White Diamonds Pearl quickly snapped out of it moving quickly to follow her charge who was practically running down the corridor. They could hear the sounds of the other two diamond's arguing in the background.
"What happened?" Pearl asked softly, ignoring the stares they were garnering from the guards in the hallways.
"Nothing." White Diamond snapped. "Nothing for you to worry about" She walked faster then growled in frustration. She couldn't move fast enough.
"And that's why the door exploded open and the other two are arguing behind us?" Pearl snapped back. White Diamond saw a balcony leading out to look over Homeworld and decided enough was enough. She veered off course. "Domina what are you doing?" Pearl asked moments before White Diamond grabbed her around the waist and took off into the sky .Pearls shriek trailed behind them as she made a beeline for her mother's ship.
Below Homeworld was buzzing in an orderly fashion, lights and lines lighting up and darkening in synch. With a gesture, White Diamonds head ship opened in the 'Chest' and Domina landed gracefully on the platform that extended. Pearl was clinging to her arm hard enough to bruise but Domina couldn't care. Her emotions finally beginning to let loose. She let out a roar of irritation causing Pearl to jump away, only for her to wrap Domina in her arms as she dissolved into sobs and fell to the alabaster floor inside.
