I want to start out with saying, that the reason I was gone for so long, is because I am not okay. My dad's health is deteriorating and my own mental health isn't doing that great either. So even though chapter up until chapter 12 has been written, I just haven't had the mental energy to upload the chapter, because my mind kept saying "What is the point?"

I will try and do better, and keep to the weekly update as I promised, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm just trying to stay afloat, and it seems to be getting harder and harder.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this short chapter!

Third POV:

On a planet, just outside of the Solar System, Gems did their daily work. Nothing would have seemed out of place if you didn't know the Gems who worked there.

The Gems on this planet were a mixed bunch. There was an equal mix of old generation Gems and new generation Gems. The things that set them apart from each other were powers and an event.

Old generation Gems came from the era before the Gem War. They knew how the Golden Era had been. Some of these Gems had pledged themselves to Homeworld and the Diamonds. While others had pledged themselves to The Crystal Gems and Rose Quartz. But those times were over. Now they all served under the Diamonds, even if some wish they didn't.

New generation Gems came from the era after the war. They never got to experience the war first hand, and only knew about it from information that was passed down to them. To them, Rose Quartz was a blemish on the otherwise great history of their kind. But some of them wondered how she had been if you had met her in person, and if she was still out there.

These two generations would often clash together, and this caused tension to always be high. While the older Gems were superior over other Gems with the same gemstone, the Gems higher up in the hierarchy, like a Sapphire, Lapis and Blue Agate, could command them to do anything, no matter the age of the Gem. This rubbed most of the old generations wrong. They had not lived through what they had. Hadn't seen a Gem shatter with such a force they didn't even have the chance to scream, and then being unable to find all the gem shards afterwards. All they knew were the luxury of Homeworld and its colonies.

But this was a different kind of tension. Not a tension created from two different era Gems working together, with no medium. No Diamond or higher up Gem really came to this planet often. No, this tension came from disturbing news.

Rose Quartz had been captured.

But then she escaped.

Reactions were different for each Gem. All showed open disgust and horror at the concept of the killer of Pink Diamond still being intact and avoiding Diamond authority. But some Gems, had different reactions when they were alone. Hope.

Another message came soon after the first one. Gems had been ready to evacuate, as they were the closest active colony there was to Earth. But that wasn't the order they got.

Stay on the planet. Only leave if absolutely necessary, or the planet runs out of resources.

Some Gems felt they had been left behind. While it hadn't been declared yet, there still was the danger of the rebels. Who knew how many had survived on Earth if Rose had? Or if they had the resources to leave the Solar System and come to their planet.

Other Gems took it in stride. The planet was close to having been run dry of everything it could give. They would not be on the planet for much longer. The moment Gems who were too weak came out of the soil, they would leave the planet to waste away on its own. They had faith that the Diamonds knew what they were doing.

Another group of Gems saw this as an opportunity. If Rose really was back, they could start recruiting more members for her army. They had been the lucky survivors of the war and had been quick to hide behind enemy lines. They whispered into newly made Gems about Rose. They never went too far. Only far enough to plant ideas into their heads. Doubt for the regime they were made into. Hopefully, Rose would be there soon and all their work would not be in vain.

All the Gems would have to wait. Wait for an order to leave the planet. Wait for the resources to be too low. Wait for Rose to come.

But they didn't have to wait long.

The Gems were all working, each putting a different level of effort into it. Most Gems were working hard, so they could leave the planets faster. Both superiors and most of the labour Gems agreed to the notion of draining the planet as fast as they possibly could. Other Gems were doing what they could, without being too obvious, to slow down the process.

Suddenly, the announcement screen, normally only used for when a Diamond wanted to communicate with them, lit up to static. All Gems stopped working, as Peridots tried to figure out what was going on. A face suddenly appeared on the screen, making all Gems gasp for different reasons.

"Hello," Rose Quartz said, while Peridots worked hard to stop the broadcast and contact Homeworld. "I know many of you might not know who I am. And if you do, it is not good things you have been told about me. But let me introduce myself. I am Rose Quartz, leader of the Crystal Gems. And I am here to tell you, you don't have to live a life of labour anymore. Why do you have to work for Diamonds who will never appreciate all the work you do for them? While you work, they are sitting in their palace, living in luxury."

"You have been told your purpose is to do as the Diamonds command. That you have to make Homeworld stronger, so we can protect ourselves from an enemy far greater than us. But where is that enemy? For eons upon eons we have done as we have been told, but never has a shadow of an enemy been seen. That is because there is no enemy. You were not created for the Diamonds. You were created by them, but nothing says that you have to serve them. You are your own being, and deserve to be free!"

"You may have been told that I'm a criminal. That I killed a Diamond in cold blood and condemned the entirety of Gemkind into war. I won't tell you that some of these things aren't true. But I am not a cold-hearted Diamond, who only seeks power. I seek freedom for all of us, to live the life we choose and be with whom we choose. With me, all are welcome. Off-coloured and fusions of any kind. Everyone will be welcome in the world I seek to create."

"Rebels, new and old, summon your weapons and do what you do best. Rebel! Rebel against your superiors and show them that you are not only as strong and powerful as them but stronger! Beat them down, take their machines and ships and come to Earth. Come to me, so that we can finally win the war once and for all! Cause we are the Crystal Gems!"

By the end of her speech, a large amount of the Gems gathered cheered and summoned their weapons. The other Gems were doing the same, ready to fight the rebels, while others kept attempting shut the broadcast down. When they finally managed to shut it down, the rebels attacked.

"NO!" White Diamond yelled. "This should not have happened! Where did she get the technology to do this!" This was the first time on years that Yellow and Blue Diamond had seen her façade crack.

"The Earth has always been ripe with resources," Blue Diamond said softly. "We never got to drain it before the war. With a good enough mechanic and a Bismuth, they would have been able to build something that would have enough power to overtake a communication station."

"I knew we should have just blasted that planet to pieces," White Diamond said, frowning. "Look what good it did to leave it be. Not only does Rose have an army, albeit a bit small, but she has ships and technology that the rebels took with them!"

"There is nothing we can do about it now," Yellow Diamond stated. "And it's too late now. Blowing up the planet now will only cause more of a division among us all."

"How many Gems were hurt during the fight?" Blue Diamond asked.

"Ten were shattered, but over sixty were cracked. They are being transported to Homeworld as we speak," Yellow Diamond answered. "The Gems who weren't injured have been tasked with cleaning up the planet. Reinforcement has also been sent. The cleaning and evacuation should only take two days."

"This is a mess," White Diamond said. "This wasn't meant to happen. She was meant to be stuck on Earth. We were supposed to be able to send a small army and destroy her and her soldiers before she could gain more followers. We can't do that now. Not without it looking bad on us."

"War is never easy," Blue Diamond told her. "We thought the first one would be easy too, and we were wrong and lost someone dear to us. We have to learn from our mistakes or this war will be worse than the other."

"It is already worse," White Diamond told her, before turning to Yellow Diamond. "What is the public saying about all of this?"

"Gems are becoming more nervous and scared," Yellow Diamond told her. "Everyone is suspicious about everyone. We have even had some messages send from Gems, suspecting other Gems of being rebels."

"Hmm," White Diamond seemed to be thinking for a bit, before speaking up again. "Are there Gems we are certain are former Crystal Gems?"

"Yes," Yellow Diamond answered.

"Does some of these fit with the Gems being suspected?" White Diamond asked. Yellow Diamond nodded. "Then all suspected and confirmed Crystal Gems should be poofed and bubbled until such a time that their innocents can be proved."

"What? No!" Blue Diamond exclaimed in shock. "If we do that, we would terrify the public. Think what all the other Gems will think!"

"We might not have any Gems left if we don't stop active Crystal Gem members," White Diamond said. "Every minute we are doing nothing, they are out there, recruiting more Gems for their cause. The only way to stop them is to stop all who are suspected to be Crystal Gems."

"While I am certain both me and Blue agrees that something must be done, doing what you are suggesting might make everything worse," Yellow Diamond said. "Instead of stopping recruiting, we might push them into Rose's waiting hands. We will be seen at the tyrants she says we are."

"But isn't it better doing anything rather than nothing?" White Diamond asked. Silence was her answer.

On Earth, hundreds of Gems, just below a thousand, stood on the beach of Beach City. In front of them, on the balcony of the temple house, stood Rose, with Connie and Pearl at her side.

"My dear friends, old and new," Rose began. "I am happy to see you all here. I know the journey here wasn't great, and that some of you are injured after fighting your way out of Homeworld's clutches. But fear not, you will be led to be healed very soon."

"For those of you who do not know my story, I will tell you the truth about me. Not the lies Homeworld has told you. I was always different than any other Rose Quartz'. I was stronger than them, more powerful. I saw what no one else could see. I saw the beauty in the planets we colonized. I saw the tyranny we were all being put through. I saw the life we sucked out of our colonies. Gems live forever unless shattered. Why should we keep creating more? They told me it was to be prepared when the enemy finally attacked. I saw through those lies, but kept quiet in fear of punishment."

"That changed when I came to the Earth. Surrounded by its beauty, and felt more alive than ever. But seeing what Homeworld was doing to this planet, filled me with such anger and sadness. I wished for nothing more than to save this planet. And meeting humans is what finally gave me the courage to stand up. Humans are such free beings. They live a life of anger, sadness, pain, love, happiness and many more emotions. As a Homeworld Gem, you live life as just that. A Homeworld Gem who's only purpose is to serve."

"I rebelled against the Diamonds. Soon, more joined me and what I fought for. Yes, I killed a Diamond, but only in hopes, it would make the other Diamonds leave. It only made them fight more, and in the end, they won and most of our comrades were shattered or corrupted. But now you all stand in front of me. I can see old comrades who escaped, and I am proud of you, don't think anything else. I see new Gems, and can only tell you I am happy you are here and have joined the cause to freedom."

"The journey might be long and hard, and I can't guarantee that all of you will be here by the end of the war. But what I can guarantee is that by the end of the war, we will have created a nation where all are free to do what they want. I will give you all that you desire, and only asks for you to follow me until victory is ours."

"We will overcome every struggle, for we are the light of the nation! We are the Crystal Gems!"

A/N:

This is for the people wondering how I did in Nanowrimo. I didn't do that well in the end ))): Including this chapter, I wrote about 16k words, which isn't even halfway to the goal and I am still not done with all of the chapters for this story. But oh well, I will just have to try and finish it here in December.

Hope you are having a nice day!

~Little S