Homeworld

Time stood still on the planet for a moment as the distorted azure image above at last coalesced from a stretched blur into a great blue arm, the miniature singularity in front of it finally dissipating as it exited from FTL speeds and made its descent onto the surface.

Spectral flames gently lept from the engine placed at what would be the shoulder joint of the machine, lighting up the already eerie night sky while it slowly covered the final stretch of its journey onto the equally massive landing pads that lay at the centre of where the planet's separate administrative quadrants met.

The mental connection between the Diamond within and her own ship momentarily buffered as she imperceptibly shuddered at the sight of her creator's ship as it stood there, dominating the landscape on a massive podium ahead of the white section of the central hub. It had sat there dormant, with her sitting inside it for the past six millennia, not to be seen by another soul in living memory of everyone born in era two.

Though little knew of it, her practically petrified state did not mean she was totally idle. While the pace of the white court's activities had indeed slowed without her direct guidance, they did not stop to a complete halt. However, with their penchant for seclusion heightened after the distrust spawned by the rebellion, few outsiders could guess at what their tasks were related to, and fewer still had the will to pry.

Whether it was to respect the founding court's wishes for privacy or out of fear was anyone's guess, though as a consequence, not even the other Diamonds knew what happened behind those closed doors, despite the fact White's territory still claimed a large fraction of the Empire. She had effectively made herself and her subjects pariah, untouchable, and not out of any stigma from the wider society, but of her own orders.

That was the eminent topic that shoved its way to the forefront of Blue's conscience as the external sensors of her ship fed the view of the white quadrant into her mind. It lay only a few dozen kilometers below and beside her, give or take, yet it was an entire world apart. The place was utterly inaccessible, even for her, aside from a direct invitation by White herself. It vexed her immensely, to be counted among the most powerful beings in the known universe by countless people, only to be so powerless when faced with the only one above her.

While her ship arrived over her designated podium and lurched upwards to point to the sky, a single tear fell from the Diamond's right eye. 'Was this how Pink felt?'

She harkened back to those ancient memories, remembering how incensed Pink would always be when the other two, and her as well at times, treated her with disregard or outright ignorance whenever she gave out her own thoughts or requests, even when she showed the proper etiquette. Blue herself had always tried her best to treat her with respect and as an equal, for she was still a Diamonds after all, but it seemed as if what care she did show was never enough.

Vexation only grew further as she remembered how the other two stymied or undid her efforts whenever they tried to mould her into a 'proper Diamond' through force. Though as always, she buried these opinions beneath a mask of mourning, as it would be unbecoming of her to risk conflict with the rest of the triarchs to fulfil an old vendetta, especially one that by all means should never have arisen.

And as tremendous as her grief was whenever she was reminded of her fallen sister, on this occasion she at least stayed aware enough to understand that she was in the middle of the most densely packed urban centre in the galaxy, and that it would perhaps be best not to let her unstoppable aura of misery spill over into the general populace.

The ship's engine slowly powered down, and the distance it hovered over the podium decreased accordingly until it touched down. When the ship landed, its palm opened towards the even larger artificial steppe in the middle, made to resemble the symbol of the old authority of four, and a circular flash of blue light erupted from the palm before a gigantic sphere over fifty feet in diameter emerged from it.

As the glossy object came out in its entirety it floated there for a time, capturing the attention of the millions of people within the streets, boulevards and buildings of the local area as they went into a collective seizure of disbelief, many rapidly blinking to make sure that this was not some apparition. But it was to no avail, the spectacle that unravelled before them was real, and no matter the amount of times they tried to refresh their eyes it continued to exist.

For the first time since the dark days of the rebellion there was another Diamond on Homeworld - and they had come completely unannounced.

#####

Blue Diamond's Palace

There was a single massive palace near where the domains of the four met, and in days long gone it once held a place as the active administrative heart of the Empire. The Diamonds and high ranking courtiers would flow in and out of its vaunted halls as they gathered and discussed matters of state, lavish balls would be held whenever a new planet was colonised and increasingly ambitious projects would be put forward by the most learned in the sciences to advance their species.

But now- now it was a husk, a rather well kept husk, but it remained a husk nonetheless. The same could be said for the other palaces on the home planet as their owners strayed further from the Empire's core and were no longer given any reason to come back. There was no more reason for mostly symbolic physical meetings or balls and dances to be arranged, as time itself became a precious resource with their borders having expanded and only two being left to actively do a job meant for four.

Besides, it had often been Pink who organised many of those gatherings for the morale of the people.

However, being built early on in that golden age, Blue Diamond's first palace had illustrious architecture which reflected that lost glory with its athenian style of construction, and this glory continued to shine unabated despite its disuse in the eons since.

Intricate pillars with statues in her likeness carved into them flanked the halls, all the while walls were sown with magnificent murals equally titanic and detailed that depicted the events of the blue court's founding, including the planet Blue Diamond herself was born from being broken as she emerged, and beside it were the images of the earliest nobles and their legendary deeds - deeds that would have faded into myth had it not been for the thorough records kept throughout the ages.

An ocean hued polished marble-like material formed the floors, the cerulean shades expertly mixed with white undertones to create the illusion of waves crashing amongst eachother. Conversely, the arched roof was made to display the heavens as the twinkling iridescence above birthed the image of a dynamic aurora and star filled sky as a viewer moved. Then there were the gates that flaunted themselves, acting as sentinels to the different wings of the palace, with jutting triangular roofed arches ahead propped up by more pillars with the Diamond's image carved into the middle of them.

Once, such architecture may have been purposefully grand as to inspire a sense of reverence for those who tread here, but now with the melancholic mood of era two, the monolithic structures brewed a sense of weakness in the few gems who still walked there. The sense that they were nothing but another grain of dust in the eyes of those on high, that they were replaceable - that if they were to revolt, then sparing them would be no profit, and destroying them would be no loss.

After all, the icy Diamond was not always so cold before the death of the youngest of their number, and nor was the Empire always so starved for resources, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. There was once a time where she upheld a reputation as a shrewd negotiator and a beloved bureaucrat - if such a thing could exist - of unrivalled efficiency in the field of statecraft instead of the feared, silent tempered and steel handed shatterer she now was.

However, glorious as the past may have been, it was the bleaker modern reality that everyone now had to contend with. As such, discipline was at an all time high as the news of her ship arriving in orbit unannounced had spread like some organic plague.

Though that was where concrete news ended and rumours began, for the movements of one of the Empire's grand matriarchs and the reasons behind it was always coveted information. While it was mainly so the upper castes could know how to jostle for their favour, it was also useful to the lower castes as it told them when to be humble and hidden out of sight to avoid their superiors' inflamed tempers.

Many different reasons were uttered in hushed tones within the spires and halls where the elite lay, at least in the ones further away from the palace where the truth had yet to arrive. Some were innocent stream of consciousness ramblings, with people simply sharing their thoughts and hunches with others. Though it was far more common for there to be a veiled motive weaved around each velvety word - as it always was with the tangled politicking of the aristocracy - as they sought to mislead their rivals with loose ends and lies.

But if there was one single person on the planet who knew exactly why Blue Diamond had come, then it was Holly Blue Agate.

Among the thousands of others who came to the palace to refill the skeleton crew in order to give their creator an audience worthy of her rank, she was present there too, though for a far different reason. Wherever she walked, she could feel the mounting weight of her failures grow as she was consistently reminded of it with every gaze and gossip that fell on her back from passersby. All of a sudden, she had been dragged into the very thing she believed that she would always be able avoid - the court system.

Holly Blue tried to ignore their mutterings while her face toughened into stoicism and the clack of her boots increased in volume as she subconsciously tried to drown them out with the hardened footfalls she made with every step taken into damnation. Yet, the palace itself continued to taunt her with its beauty and size, as if it told her it would all be fine from one side while at the same time whispering words of her impending mortality on the other.

She caught herself about to growl in complaint, but she smothered the errant gesture before it could manifest and she only let out a sigh - agates may be a type of quartz, though she was far above the behaviour displayed by her cheaper, mass produced counterparts. If there was at least one partial solace she had in this entire affair, it was that the one who pressed the case against her was her Diamond, and not some greed filled rival.

However, the sheer magnitude of the situation forced any true calm to elude her as frustration took hold. She quietly seethed as she marched through the gate into the next wing of the building and past the crowd on the other side that too started to gossip of her blunder. Though that was part of the reason for her anger, it did not form the entirety of it - she had been fooled and defeated - and by a single juvenile organic and two abominations no less.

She briefly drifted back to a snapshot, wondering exactly how the human had survived the damage handed to him. The Jasper had flung him into the wall at force with little regard for the mission once their temper had been severely stoked. She could remember how the tolling bell of her mortality began to call out to her for the first time as she believed him dead and her objective nullified, but against all the odds, the human crawled out of the rubble alive and with a fury that could only have been so potent if they had the full vigour of life within them.

Even if by some divine miracle she was spared the first time and given a second chance to capture it, there was no point in thinking of what could have been, for the actuality was that she had failed again. As high and prestigious her rank may have been, she knew there was little more she could other than face the consequence. If anything, that only made her failure more grievous in the eyes of her Diamond, for she had been promoted then entrusted with keeping the legacy of Pink alive, and the loss of just one human was one was a grave defiling from the view of Blue.

'It is no secret that the two were close.' Holly reminded herself, and with that thought, frustration evaporated and despair dripped in. A trial under a Diamond was as fair as any could hope for, as they had no other motive than the upkeep of the Empire, yet it was also the least likely for the convicted to be acquitted from - or survive.

Not only that, but she was trusted to keep the zoo in order, and deep down she felt that her failure had betrayed that trust. So in a sense, she had betrayed her Diamond, and she knew that was an unforgivable act to be met with only the harshest reprimand.

She almost gave in and allowed her despair to show in tears, but the soldier in her told her to hold on. 'I suppose there isn't much left for me then.' In her mind all the sorrow today should be reserved for her creator, not a failure like her. 'It is her time to grieve, not mine.' She chastised herself for thinking of selfishly allowing a show of emotion.

But the time to dwell on the past was up, as she was given a palpable reminder that it was now time to answer for her incompetence in the present. When she neared the throneroom's gates a squad of amethysts apprehended her, with two taking hold of her arms and another two marching behind her with live destabilisers in hand.

'Insolent grunts.' The words generated themselves in her mind, but did not make it all the way to her mouth to be said aloud as she corrected her own thoughts. The disrespect shown by the soldiers may have chafed at her, but she kept silent and maintained her composure as she knew that struggling would only incriminate her further.

Besides, much like her, they were simply following their Diamond's orders.

The final stretch gave an air of consigned peace to Holly, with not a single glance nor gesture exchanged between any of the five. The only sound that filled the air was the clack of boots, the crackle of destabilisers and the graceful flow of other courtiers who were attending the session, and although attention from others turned to her for a third time, most soon looked away as they spotted the amethysts beside her. With their presence, the arriving congregation understood that it would be in their best interests not to inquire any more.

On entering the throneroom the gates behind began to shift, the automated mechanisms within signalled by some unseen observer to start closing now that everybody had arrived. Despite the previous peace, a rising sense of foreboding awakened in Holly from seemingly nowhere as she was placed centre stage, and the gate, which had otherwise been smooth in its movements, slammed shut with noticeable volume.

Though as she continued to look towards the front, she saw those on the tiered seats on either side of her subtly shuffle in discomfort as well. As much as she knew they would fight over her position like untamed humans would for carrion once she was gone, she did not blame them for their anxiousness. It was not everyday that one would be graced with the presence of a Diamond, but to be faced with the prospect of meeting one when their temper was frayed was a dangerous fate, even for bystanders, due to the unparalleled powers they wielded.

The normally alluring luminescence of many buildings in the Empire suddenly felt hostile to her, as if it was a harsh kind of brightness that would wear down the sanity of a criminal being interrogated. Though in this case, Holly did not battle against that idea. In fact, to her it all seemed rather appropriate considering everything.

And with that, the enormous blue diamond symbol before the great throne of the room blinked with a ghostly flash, then the pillar of light that erupted from it shrunk down just as soon as it had appeared. But, the polished sphere it had deposited certainly remained corporeal as it floated there, only moving to float closer to the throne.

The few seconds it remained intact imparted a weight on the already heavy atmosphere of the meeting. Then, the object at last dissipated, and there, at the focal point, now was the overwhelming presence of the Grand Matriarch herself with her servant standing meekly by her side.

Then, after standing abnormally stiff for a time, with deceptively quiet steps she practically glided over to her crystalline throne at the middle of the far side of the room and sat in it. As she sat there and looked on to her subjects her heavy robes, downed hood and the darkened bags beneath her eyes all united in some maligned pact to create the visage of death itself.

Today as with all days she was to be the sole authority, though unlike death, there was to be bias and fury in her judgement as opposed to the uncaring and sluggish way entropy wore all down to dust.

"To all attending, rise before the presence of the brilliant Blue Diamond." Blue Pearl whispered as she curtsied to the crowd and then followed on to stand by the foot of the throne with her owner. Quiet and timid as she was, the acoustics of the room did the rest and her voice was projected for all to hear. Then, in hypnotic synchrony, they all soon stood from their seats to do the two armed salute over their chest before sitting back down again.

Though she would not ever say it aloud, she suddenly found a certain amount of jealousy welling up from within her at the pearl. Low as they were in the rankings, they at least found themselves free from the burden of any duty of import that could see them punished if they failed.

Holly mentally chuffed at the idea as she finished saluting, afraid to show anything physically. 'Truly, it says plenty of my situation that I've found myself envying a pearl of all things.' It was a last spark of dry humour as she unsuccessfully tried to shake off the last weights of dread that were chained to her before she would meet her maker, so to speak.

The diamond symbol at the centre glowed again, this time the pillar of light left behind a pair of blue zircons who continued to scrutinise the information projected on their screens until the very last second they could. Holly recognised the zircon that had her gemstone placed on just below her neck, as if to imitate a large top button on her professional suit. A few days ago they were allowed to meet to do their best to shore up a defense, as little as that might be able to do to help her. But formalities were formalities, and both sides needed a lawyer to represent their interests.

A small pang of sympathy arose from Holly as she looked on at the unfortunate zircon who was assigned to her. A few days ago, some time after she had reformed, was when they first met to discuss how to build her case. Even if it all seemed so pointless, the lawyer still tried to do their job. Normally, like many others of the same standing, she did not accept anything but perfection and success, but these circumstances meant she allowed an exception, if only for the first and likely last time.

In the end the Zircons, both prosecution and defence, were only fulfilling their roles.

'What more can be asked of from any gem?' And even if she did not appreciate their efforts, who was she to judge, as one who had failed at her own duties.

The trepidation that hounded her rose tenfold as the titan on the throne raised their head, the twin comets that were her eyes now bearing down solely on her as they threatened destruction. "State your name for the record please." And yet, it was her pearl who spoke instead.

"Holly Blue Agate, Facet-8A3H, Cut-5DC." She recited with utmost haste and without a single quake in her voice, despite the circumstances.

When Pearl finished typing out her designation, Blue Diamond gave Holly barely more than a cold nod prior to addressing the prosecution. "You may begin."

After a short bow in respect, the Blue Zircon with her gemstone on over her left chest, which made it appear as if it were a badge, presented her side of the case. "Holly Blue Agate, the overseer of the Human Zoo, had committed the grave crime of gross incompetence in allowing a band of obscene off colours to make away with a piece of her Grand Clarity's legacy in the form a single juvenile male human." Though she gradually turned her gaze to make sure she spoke to everyone, she was also careful to pay proper homage to the fallen one while at the same time weaving around the possibility of awakening Blue Diamond's aura of sorrow.

"I understand what many of you may be thinking, how could a being so fragile as a human possibly escape a station located in deep space intact, even with help from nefarious outsiders?" A purposeful pause broke the statement apart, allowing the question to ferment amongst the crowd. "However, for proof of that, I would like to call on a witness - the one who alerted the accused of the missing specimen in the first place."

Damning and passionate as the delivery of her words may be, in truth she was just as reluctant doing this as her defendant counterpart. She knew Holly had been nothing but a loyal subject who would work thrice as hard if only she was ever given a second chance, but her own reservations mattered little, for like everybody else, she too had to play her part in the machine.

A small circle of light shone at the side of the throne before the signature solid cylindrical beam of teleportation fired out from it. Radiant as the display was, all that was left in its wake when it evaporated was a single era two Peridot who appeared to be doing her best to maintain herself now that she was in the focus of so many of the high and mighty, not to mention one of the Diamonds themselves.

"State your name for the record please." Blue Pearl intoned, as if speaking from a premade script.

"Peridot, Facet-2F5L, Cut-5XG!" She said as she did the cross armed salute, though perhaps a little louder than was necessary and with the nervousness she attempted to suppress leaking through.

After holding the salute for another few seconds, she eventually dropped it and changed the fingers of her limb enhancer to form a holoscreen that displayed the first image her robonoids captured of the human, internally wincing as she did. As much as she wished to crop away sight of the more detestable of the off coloured gems from the image, that would have counted as tampering with the evidence. While it was not necessarily punishable to show such sights to the aristocracy, it seemed inappropriate to her to show their more than flawed existence in such a place.

"Approximately four days ago, I was at my station monitoring a number of robonoid swarms when I had received an emergency signal that reported one of them receiving critical damage." Despite there being a pause in the middle of her statement as well, it was not for dramatic effect, but so she could be given some leave to arrange her fumbled words. "Therefore, I followed protocol to mark out which individuals presented an increased threat level by reviewing the information the robonoid had captured before its destruction."

Though it had barely begun, the already insurmountable evidence fed fuel to the simmering flame of fear that burned away in her gemstone, but the sargeant barreled through it regardless. 'Little point in crying over a broken gem that cannot be fixed, better their shards be recycled so it can be of use later.' While she believed that part of her rather militant mantra would never apply to her, she felt it would be better to maintain the integrity she had that many of the other nobles lacked by sticking to it until the end.

"It was then where I discovered strange readings which could belong only to an organic - high carbon and water content in their physical form, no discernable gemstone, total absence of hardlight-"

Looking around, she tried as much as she could to distract herself from the growing unease that drilled dully into the back of mind, only to cease as soon as she started. 'No, stop that. Do not distract yourself and face your Diamond with dignity.' But as she returned to focus, she realised the Peridot had already grown quiet despite the amount of evidence they were likely to have gathered. Taut as the rest of the witness' body was, Holly could see their pupils darting around in anticipation of a concealed threat somewhere.

At first, she thought her nerves were making her see and hear that which was not there, though it was not long before her supposed delusions were supplied with tangible proof that dragged them into the realm of reality. The stances of the Zircons ahead started to weaken, while Blue Diamond and the assembly started to grip the arms of their chairs a little tighter, as though a pallid shroud of tension had started to creep into the room and grew denser by the second.

Click- creaaak

As the throneroom's gate unexpectedly swung open again, the session that had barely begun was brought to a halt and the so far relatively numb stress within Holly's mind suddenly spiked to a dizzying crescendo before it slid back down to a slower, though still noticeable and steady beat. She could feel a tingling at the back of her neck, almost tempting her to turn around, but she resisted, for it would be a great disrespect to look away from her Diamond when they demanded her to heed.

Stamp, stamp, stamp

Though as the sound of uninvited footsteps began to echo through the room out of the blue, the rest of the congregation, and indeed Blue Diamond herself, seemed to crane their necks to look at the area right behind Holly. While she had no idea as to what they had spotted, she saw as clear as day that offence and disgust coloured their expressions instantly.

Yet, as time passed by a third emotion rapidly grew to be chief among the other two that tainted the air. Anathemic as it was to every fibre of her being as to point it out, Holly could see that even on the inscrutable countenance of her creator, fear of all things had managed to find a crack and seep its way through.

Each Diamond was a cosmic entity, a great being who was the pinnacle of sentience and one who was looked up to by an entire species - and one which spanned the galaxy at that. Their will was unquestionable by those below them, and none could hope to hold any amount of sway over them save their peers. A Diamond was an absolute, an unchanging constant for others to anchor themselves to in an ever shifting universe. To be all of these things meant that a Diamond did not understand fear, for what was there to be afraid of when they were so unassailable?

However, that thing which had so brazenly appeared from the throneroom's gates did not bring fear with it, but absolute terror.

If that pearl was the enigmatic head Diamond's hardened right hand, appearing wherever her puppeteer ordered her to proclaim new and unbreakable decrees that shackled whole worlds to the will of White, then the walking gap in reality in front of her was the hidden left hand, only ever moved to spirit away high ranking courtiers who had lost favour or the loudest dissidents who refused to toe the line.

Unlike their counterpart, her mind was unpossessed and as free as any other gem from the command of her creator, but that - the knowledge that everything she has carried out was willingly done of her own volition - only served to make the unflinching dogmatism she practiced all the more disturbing. Usually such dedication and being beside White Diamond would launch her to public prominence, yet none of the assembled court had even a shard of knowledge as to who she was.

This lack of information, her simple manner of dress and the limb enhancers that clung onto her form influenced the opinions that had started to form among the congregation. Despite this, an ill tranquility remained as none of the amethysts made a move to apprehend her, none cried out in denunciation and the one who had an idea of their position, the Diamond herself, was left with no options but to hear.

Though missing her spear to conform to etiquette, whether it be from the fact that the symbol of a white diamond was to be spotted on her uniform, or the choking miasma which followed her wherever she walked, everyone was forced to stay their mouth against their will.

Nevertheless, Blue Diamond held a subtle brooding and taciturn stance in order to present a bulwark against her, as the unenviable possibility of drawing White's scrutiny tied her down and meant that she could not rise from her throne to crush them or order them be taken away. Unlike most of the gems gathered, she was at least acquainted with the one who so boldly approached her. In spite of that, all she had ever learnt in her brief and less than amicable encounters with them was the name of her gem type - a noctilith.

After she saluted, an awkward match of staring reigned as the outsider awaited the Diamond's address before she would speak, as was courtesy. And, after twenty long seconds of intense intimidation from Blue Diamond, did the silence finally break as she knew they would not leave until the message was delivered. "What matter is it that is so important that you have interrupted this trial? Speak." Her voice was one level above a whisper, but it contained all the harshness within to force any lesser gem into compliance.

But Noctilith spoke next in solid non-tonality, as though her programming was not erupting in a thousand warnings at all. "Her most Eminent Clarity, White Diamond herself, demands that this trial be suspended until further notice."

Though they managed to keep silent out of respect for their own Diamond, the barest mention of the most prominent of the three had the assembly devolve into half paranoid glance sharing as they questioned the validity of the stranger's claims.

Blue Diamond meanwhile felt a persistent spike of spite jab at the back of her mind at the announcement as her interests fell into conflict with her creator's. 'Does White have no shame? This trial is being held in the name of Pink. Perhaps I should have expected this - she never did hold any respect for her in life, why would I foolishly think that would have changed after her death?'

Her own aura was on the verge of spilling out and drowning everyone with a flood of tears at this point, and yet it remained contained by some unseen opposing force. While that force soon slowly dissipated, she continued to hold onto her tears out of her own will in order to listen to what White had to say to her, grating as it would likely be.

"With all due respect your Grand Clarity-" She was half tempted to sneer at her, for it was a warm day in deep space that White or her heralds had ever paid anything but dressed up lip service to her, or anyone in general. "-it is not wise to slander her, the Almighty Brilliance that guides us."

The very notion that someone would speak over her while she grieved- no, that anyone would speak over her at all, only to deliver a statement so obvious and useless snapped her back to the individual in front of her. Though just as she was to retort, she realised that Noctilith's lips had not parted an inch the entire time, despite the very audible warning she had given her.

Careful to not look delusioned or weak in front of her own court, she acted as though she had ever heard that and went back to the last confirmed sentence Noctilith spoke. "Why?" Simple and neutral the delivery may have been, the single word was backed by untold ire and outrage hidden just beneath the mask of civility.

The messenger was wise to that, so at the last minute she steered clear away from quoting the words her own Diamond had said to deride the sentimentalities of the other. One option to avoid confrontation was already closed, for Blue Diamond's mind was now likely put on guard by the action, but that left only one other course to take.

'Oh Blue, how her flaws continue to cloud the clarity of her thoughts. Even now, when she is not away on Earth wasting time lamenting at Pink's grave, she carries on with finding ever more unproductive ways to unleash her emotions onto others- such frivolous things they are. If only she could forget about them.' White told her, though it was more of a monologue than anything. She then stood silent for a time before almost nonchalantly adding an ominous final phrase as Noctilith made for the warp pad, her eerily calm voice reverberating throughout the parked ship's insides with a deeply unsettling quality it did not possess previously. 'Perhaps she still can.'

White Diamond had always viewed every gem in existence as a part of her, and so it was that she expected each one of them to act in line with the same impossible standards as herself. Noctilith was no exception, and being her herald meant that she was under far closer observation than most. So, egregious as it was to speak to a Diamond in such a way, she saw the alternative, to lie, as an unforgivable affront to the very tenets she stood for and was created to uphold.

But… not telling the entire truth was not out of the question either, especially if it meant keeping the fragile peace.

So, after formulating the most diplomatic reply she could, she spoke again. "Your Clarity, My Diamond believes it to be an unproductive use of resources to recycle a specimen that emerged to be as loyal as her." She said flatly, with nary an inflection in her voice whatsoever. "However, she will not be forgiven as easily as she was spared, for failure begets punishment."

Paradoxical as her actions were, it was all part of her existence, to tear apart the same illusion of perfection and denial her own creator had crafted in order to face the problems of the Empire for what they are, not what they appeared to be. Useful as it was to have one who could do work no one wanted - and no one admitted existed - any more born with thoughts so free without the same unquestioning loyalty to act as chain and shackle, and it would be dangerously destabilising to the regime.

Blue Diamond's eyebrows rose indistinctly at the vague but sinister words directed at her guilty courtier as she weighed the choices she had, finding it difficult to feel whether one was heavier than the other. So to let her positively confirm or rebuke, she asked another question that seemed innocuous to many, but would allow her to make a judgement. "Tell me, how is it that you were able to unlock the gates and enter without invitation?"

"My Diamond anticipated that I may encounter a number of obstacles, as such she saw it fit to give me the tools to bypass them, and among them were override codes for the gates." She said.

Slightly offended as she was that White would encroach on her territory so blatantly, she kept those opinions caged and continued to press the advance for a more solid guarantee. "In that case, you should be able to provide confirmation of their validity." Though her tone stayed neutral, her voice audibly increased in volume in an attempt to buckle the herald's resolve.

But it was to no avail, as Noctilith proceed to let her left limb enhancer's fingers float away to form a holoscreen without any stark reaction. "Certainly, Your Clarity." She rang out again in monotone as she sent the identification of her codes' origins to multiple qualified parties in the room for them to check over, namely the Peridot and the two Zircons.

They spent a number of moments stalled in confusion, unsure of what to do given the suddenness of the decision, but all the same, recognition eventually struck and they began cross-checking. Alongside every second that ticked by as the three worked on their own holoscreens came the burden of rising tension, for everyone present understood this was the make or break point of the meeting. The final proof of whether this was the truth, or the work of a charlatan who had been thorough in their deception.

Eyes remained firmly stuckfast to them, pressuring them further to assess the information correctly and with haste. When the first raised their head to the crowd as they finished, relief did not come, but rising strain instead reared its head and threatened to engulf them as the hundreds in the room awaited their answer.

As she stopped herself from swallowing the rising lump in her throat to maintain dignity whilst in front of so many of the upper caste, Peridot responded first. "Your Grand Clarity, I- I believe that it is indeed a match." It almost felt sinful for her, a lowly scientist, to have come into contact with something that had been directly from White Diamond, but if that was what was demanded of her, then it had to be done.

Slowly, the prosecuting Zircon answered next, as she could barely comprehend what she saw. "My Diamond, I… can concur with the Peridot's conclusion."

"My findings also confirm that these codes were… issued by her Almighty Brilliance, my Diamond." The defending Zircon said, the honorific hastily tacked on at the end.

After finally exhausting every avenue she believed to be available to continue the trial, Blue Diamond at last acquiesced to White's relayed demands - displeased as she was about the outcome. "...Very well then, you are permitted to take her." Her gaze continued to be level and piercing till the very end, but its effect still blunted and broke on the stony face of the other gem. "This trial will be suspended until further notice." She said, raising her head, now to speak to the crowd.

On command, Noctilith immediately withdrew the screen and brought her fingers floating back to her limb enhancer and snapped to a quick salute. Whatever may be the case in Blue's mind, at least one of White's hands had genuine respect for her, even if the way they acted contradicted it at times - after all - she too was a Diamond, and so an integral part of what they worked to uphold. But in their line of work she was all too used to being an iron first, for a velvet glove would simply not do, and that inevitably led to conflict.

Upon breaking the salute, she tapped the dumbstruck Holly on the shoulder once before turning around back to the gates. She would have preferred to be able to talk to that Peridot who was the witness and the Jasper too at the same time, but with them being under the purview of Yellow Diamond, she had to wait for the next opportunity to show itself before she could arrange circumstances for her to meet with them. As it stands, she at least managed to leverage one of the people she needed to speak to from a punishment that would likely have ended in death row.

As comprehension of what had just taken place dawned on her, Holly found it in herself to will her legs to life again. One step was followed by another, and soon she was marching side by side with her saviour and new jailer. From their words she realised that she was to be spared death, and while that should have that should have relieved the crushing weight on her sanity, she also knew from the same source that she was not to be spared entirely - justice still had to be dispensed.

And with that, she suddenly found herself wanting to be within the throne room again, to be judged by one of her own instead of a member of the rightfully feared white court.

But it was too late to turn back now, and as they left, it was Noctilith who was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence and bringing terror surging back into Holly's gemstone. "I wish to know exactly what occurred that day. Spare no detail."