Iacon, Cybertron, Several Thousand Years Ago.
The notification screen blinked red, caught in the the Cybertronian's sight as he entered the room. The slim archivist sighed as he made his way back into the office of the Council Advisor of the Militia, closing the door. It was getting more and more frequent as of late. More situations as the 'civil unrest' caused by a certain gladiatorial champion became less 'civil' and flirted with open treason, more emergency communiques that he had to screen and present. The frequency, however made Orion Pax pause with no small dismay. This was the personal frequency of the Pink Diamond of the Diamond authority- one of the four leaders of the Gem homeworld. A leader long dead, cycles ago. Nevertheless, a familiar face filled his screen, glowing and changing to a smaller, if much more alarming visage.
"Orion Pax. My friend. I hope to reach you in good health- and I regret that I reach out to you like this. I'm certain by now word has reached you of my own 'death', and of the rebellious Quartz who shattered what you thought was myself. I trust you with this truth for a much more pressing disaster.."
It was of all things- a Rose Quartz. The Rose Quartz. The gem who murdered Pink Diamond. Pax's optics flickered, flabbergasted.
"There's much to explain, and I wish I could tell you in person how much I've learned, how far we've come, how beautiful this place is…"
Her eyes shone as she spoke, in a way Pax had never quite seen on the face of Pink Diamond- who while cordial and ever a spirited negotiator, had always seemed a bit full of herself and immature.
"...but time cannot be spared. What I can explain is this. This planet- this insignificant ball of soil, sod and minerals, and the life it contains- have opened my eyes to the injustice we do towards not only the life that inhabits those other planets, but to so many who we lead. I share this with you because I know you would understand my standing against the plight Homeworld inflicts on people for being different- on lives that society doesn't want to acknowledge."
The words struck awfully close to home- reminding Pax of how the council had long treated those whose alternate function was less than productive.
"I beg your support, Orion. The war is eating us alive, piece by piece. I have seen friend after friend shattered. The Crystal Gems need aid- supplies, support, anything you can spare. Without aid, it's possible none of us will live- that this planet will be left another lifeless husk, pockmarked with stolen lives. Speak of our plight to your council, Orion. Help us ensure freedom-not for Pink Diamond, that isn't who I am, not now or ever again- but for all sentient beings."
The words were an echo of arguments he himself had put to the council in recent years- as the Energon crisis loomed, and eyes turned to the stars for the precious fuel that bred Cybertronian life. His spark was heavy in his chest, as Orion Pax began to digest the contents of the urgent message. What it meant for one of their closest stellar neighbors- and what aid would mean for their own little insurrection. He had never approved of the intensity of the caste system the gems had employed- but the narrative of this Rose Quartz rang too close an echo of Megatronus for the council to ever seriously consider aid. It would serve only to make hypocrites of them all- sending aid to an insurrectionist group, all the while managing the damage one continued to cause to their own society? Even as a bot who had never seen battle- Orion Pax could see the war to come- and that if the Autobots were split, they would be over- finished before it began.
Millenia later…
Beach City. The planet Earth.
Still spinning gracefully through its orbit around its star. Life was amazing when you took the time to think of it that way.
Rose never seemed to need to stop to think about it that way, Pearl mused, as she hung the laundry up on the line. So much loss along the way, but here we still are. Seeing the potential she saw unfold- seeing real life find its way into an advanced civilization, with aspirations to the stars.
She sighed, looking down to the beach- where Steven sat, looking out to the horizon with a hand on his phone. She frowned. Steven had managed to really disappoint Connie, but it was all because of his own care for her. She hoped Connie would realize this sooner rather than later- when Steven thought he'd failed someone before, he'd tended to overcompensate, but with the silent treatment, lately he'd just directed it all inward. It was hard seeing him that way. I should talk to the others, and Greg. Figure some way to get his mind off it, she decided, as she hung the last shirt on the line, taking a moment to nod at her finished work and appreciate the smell of fresh laundry.
The weight of what Connie had said still hung in the mind of Steven Quartz-Universe, as he watched the waves come in.
"...but I'm hurt!"
The words had cut him to the quick. Connie had never questioned him, or doubted him- she was always there. She had believed in Steven, and- and now he'd managed to hurt her. He looked to his phone- before turning it facedown.
No. I came out here to think. To breathe.
Take a moment to think of just—
He couldn't. It didn't work alone- not now. Not when she was at the root of it. He checked again- nothing. Just a 'delivered' under his last text.
Maybe she turned read notifications off.
He sat it down, and it buzzed but-
"Your breakfast friends are crying- help them solve their emotional problems."
He sighed, disabling notifications for 'Crying Breakfast Match-3'.
He looked to the sea- to the sky- and noticed what looked a star shooting across it. Except- it was pretty big to be a star… and it seemed to get bigger before disappearing behind the skyline of the city.
"...Well, Steven, at least it'll keep you distracted from the wait," he muttered, putting it in his pocket as he rushed back toward the temple to tell the other gems what he'd seen.
Onboard the Ark, Optimus Prime sat in the command chair. They were a small crew- and with good reason. It was the most that the Autobots could spare for a last ditch effort like this. He turned to the helm console as their curved craft made its way down toward the area of the planetary surface where the ship's console detected the unique signature of Rose Quartz.
"Annnd that's another three point landing!" piped the cheerful yellow bot sitting in the helm controls.
"Good job, Bumblebee," Optimus nodded with a small smile hidden below his faceplate.
"A scan of the area suggests a plentiful number of vehicles that would make good alternate modes, Prime," Jazz reported from the comms post.
"Good. Rose Quartz indicated there was life here- and it seems it's become advanced. Let's hope that means she won her endeavor- because if she can't help us, we may have just doomed it."