Blue Zircon re-entered the calm blue hall. The soft blue lights had not been switched on; the brilliant white light continued to shine down, giving the impression that the room had not changed at all. This time, however, many guards loomed at the hall's end, near the door that led into the personal chambers. Blue Zircon swept her eyes over the assembled soldiers. Most of them were the standard Era Two bodyguards-Agates and the like. Here and there, dotted within the group lurked Era One Gems.
Blue Zircon approached the nearest Agate and said: "Excuse me. I'd like to know if Blue Diamond has recovered enough for me to have an audience. It's very important that I see her!"
The Agate thought for a moment, then spoke: "It's very important, huh?"
"Yes!" insisted Blue Zircon.
"Well, then, I definitely don't wanna know about it," the Agate shrugged. "I guess…we've been expecting you? We were told that someone fitting your description would show up. So go ahead and go on in. Pearl is ready to announce you."
Blue Zircon thanked the Agate, who nodded cheerily, then proceeded to open the door and enter the chamber. As she did so, Blue Pearl announced demurely, "My Diamond, Blue Zircon would like to ask you for a sigil."
Blue Zircon sputtered out "Gah!". Before this moment, she imagined several scenarios of their conversation. First, if she was allowed to speak, she would say sorry for springing her accusation on the Diamonds so suddenly, and assure Blue Diamond that she had reasons for thinking the way she did. If she was permitted to continue, Zircon would expand upon her reasoning, and request the sigil if Blue Diamond seemed likely to grant such a request. Hopefully, Zircon could coax out the necessary bits of information she wanted to know. Even if the true culprit was discovered, Zircon still would need to know the motive. In her experience, criminals very rarely volunteered this information.
If Zircon was less lucky, she would be lectured and reprimanded, maybe threatened, by Her Diamond. Zircon did not expect Blue Diamond to bar her from the case fully-the Pearl had said Blue Diamond had forgiven her, and at the Trial, Blue Diamond looked more shocked than angry.
Any way Zircon imagined their little talk, she had not anticipated that Blue Pearl would announce her arrival thus. It derailed her intended talking point order.
Zircon acted immediately to salvage the situation. "M-my Diamond! While that is true, there is a very good reason why I want that! I…" Blue Zircon began to explain carefully.
Blue Diamond did not seem to be listening. She slouched upon her throne, leaning against a column that her throne had been pushed up against. She interrupted, "You want a sigil? A symbol of my power? What for?" She lowered her head a little. "Don't you have enough evidence already to find the killer?"
"I…I don't have enough evidence for that yet, My Diamond…" Blue Zircon said.
"But still you made the allegation!" said Blue Diamond, showing her annoyance.
"T-that was a spur-of-the-moment statement made from logical analysis of facts that I didn't look over that well! I don't know which of the Diamonds shattered her, I just know that no other Gem could have done it!" Realizing her opportunity, she hastily added, "That's why I need the sigil!"
"Well…we can discuss that sigil!" said Blue Diamond, raising a hand to her temple. "I need to know exactly why. All the details." She paused, then, remembering her original words before being sidetracked by the sigil business, added: "But! You've already made a very serious allegation against the Diamonds. So act like a discoverer of the truth! Take yourself and your role seriously. Back proud, Gem out."
Thus reprimanded, Blue Zircon inhaled deeply, and enclosed the air into her physical form. Holding it there for some seconds, she let it go, and clapped her hands together.
"Good," said Blue Diamond approvingly. "Now…about that sigil?" As she spoke, she seemed to lose the vitality in her voice. "I cannot just go around giving out symbols of my power. Anyone who sees these will know that I was involved. And I do not want the rest of the Diamonds to know that I had my doubts about the investigation report Yellow sent to all of us."
Blue Zircon resisted the urge to seize a hologram and scribble frantically. Pocketing those words for further usage, Zircon eased her Diamond into continuing. "Were there any discrepancies in that report, or…"
Blue Diamond's eyes took a journey over her chamber, before settling on a point just beyond Blue Zircon's face. "…I just knew that something was not right. At that time, I believed that I indirectly caused Pink Diamond's death…" She closed her eyes.
Zircon opened her mouth to speak; blue fuzz appeared at the corner of her eyes, causing water to trickle out. The sensation of impending grief disoriented her enough to close the window of opportunity. Blue Diamond regained some of her composure. But Blue Zircon was not done with this alley yet. She resolved to coax more out…as soon as she could get her mitts on that sigil.
"Why, then, do you need my sigil? Your powers as a defender should cover all witnesses well enough." Blue Diamond relaxed her body weight into her wrist, squashing her cheek against the blue fabric. It looked rather ridiculous, to see the Diamond mush her cheek against her sleeve, but Blue Zircon did not dare even allude to it.
"My Diamond, I would like to study the background when the murder of Pink Diamond occurred, and I would like to access the battle plans used in that time period," began Blue Diamond.
"Military intelligence?" queried Blue Diamond.
"Err…yes, My Diamond, but that's military intelligence in the past! Not of today. I'll leave those alone," she stammered. Clearing her throat, she wrapped up her request, "There are also a few books in particular I'd like to check out-A History of the Rebellion, by Onyx NX765, and The Selected Writings of Pink Diamond."
"The Selected Writings of Pink Diamond...if you will being combing through her battle plans and journals, then why would you need to check out this book?" asked Blue Diamond.
"I'd like to cross-reference them, My Diamond…" said Blue Zircon.
"Do you really need all of Pink Diamond's journals?" asked Blue Diamond.
Blue Zircon insisted she did. Blue Diamond made a small, soft noise, and murmured something to herself. Blue Zircon ventured to say, "Do you not want me to read those journals, My Diamond…?"
Blue Diamond exhaled, but did not respond immediately. "I will not give you any sigil of mine. I do not believe you need it at the moment. Currently, you want to access classified, hidden documents in the Royal Archives. That can be arranged. And…if any of my fellow Diamonds should discover you have this, they will know instantly that I have been dealing behind their backs. After you accused us of shattering one of own like that in the Trial, it is more important than ever that the other Diamonds do not discover my involvement in your assignment."
Blue Diamond sighed. "When you finish researching Pink Diamond, come and tell me whatever you have deduced. I have read all of those papers she wrote already. I was the one who ordered them preserved-Yellow Diamond wanted to destroy all of them. White Diamond agreed to preserve them in her Library. My Gems do not have the expertise to preserve them in their original state…"
Blue Diamond laughed without humor. "Going through Pink Diamond's journals, I'm sure that you will see she disliked me so much. I wonder what she would think of me, having all her things. Her Earth, her humans, her Quartzes…all those old Era Ones who served under her…I'm sure she would have hated it."
"I'm certain that's not true, My Diamond…" Blue Zircon said, trying to soothe her.
"No." countered Blue Diamond, hands fluttering towards her mouth. "When the Rebellion happened, I set up my court, to defuse the rebellion before it started."
"That makes sense…" said Blue Zircon, uncertain of how to respond.
"No!" Blue Diamond shook her head. "Pink Diamond was a military leader! Our military leader! She knew how to negotiate, but this time…" Blue Diamond took in a deep breath, then began again: "She could be so sweet…and I never tried to explain my actions. I thought she would understand… Those Rose Quartzes that she made, as her special contribution to Homeworld's might, required a more delicate approach. Rose Quartz couldn't be bowed by threats. I…I thought she'd understand… Pink Diamond, she thought that we disapproved of her handling of her colony, and that I wanted to seize it from her…" Blue Diamond squeezed her temples with her fingers, grimacing.
"That wasn't true, of course!" Blue Zircon held out her palms toward her Diamond, hoping that once she started talking, she would be encouraged to continue.
Blue Diamond's face seemed to twist. The right eye twitched, as her mouth on that side darted upwards, like in a smile. Blue Diamond wrinkled her nose, as her eyes fluttered. Inside the eyes, behind the irises, fluid collected in the eyeballs, slowly leaking out onto her face, down her chin, onto the floor. A pulse of light blue fuzzed around Blue Zircon's eyes, wetting them.
"Not quite…" Blue Diamond admitted slowly. She burst out suddenly, "You see?! That's why I…I have to preserve her memory! All of her things, especially that Earth! I failed as a leader, like I am failing now…"
"I never wrestled with her when she was in a good mood and I never listened when she wanted to tell me her problems, her doubts-! I always ignored her, because she'd gotten wounded in that war, and went berserk when rattled-" She slammed down her fists on her throne. "Even then, I would never have wanted her to DIE!"
Blue Diamond stopped. She seemed to deflate then, uncurling her fingers, letting her hands fall onto her lap. Once she was calmer, she spoke: "Blue Zircon. When you have finished your investigation, please return these keys to me. These will allow you to pass undeterred in the library." On cue, Blue Pearl presented her with a massive set of intricately carved keys, all unique, carved with letters and numbers. "You are dismissed."
Blue Zircon thanked her Diamond, and left hurriedly.
Zircon only went a few feet away from the antechamber, stopping by the guards. No noises emanated from the chamber; the guards hurried her along.
White Diamond headed the bureaucracy of Homeworld. Here, numerous data was gathered from the surroundings, and processed in computers situated in the bureaucracy. Her area also included the most important library on Homeworld; every book or recording had a copy, stored in the Royal Archives. Anything could be found there; White Diamond was neurotic about having a record of everything important that occurred. White Diamond had a more personal connection to her Bureau; the main buildings were embedded in the torso of a massive building White Diamond had constructed in her likeness. The offices honeycombed her chest lower body, and other, less essential Bureau functions riddled her upper arms and legs. The head, shoulders and neck, lower arms and legs had not been tunneled into, for stability. Numerous Veins spread across her form, connecting her bureau to the other areas of Homeworld that were nearby.
White Diamond had built the structure personally, from a combination of stone and holograms produced from her own body. Loosening her own physical form, she could travel through the building's walls, like one would swim through water, and if necessary, could take residence in the building and move it like it was her own body. White Diamond's office resided in the head; the space was massive, to accommodate White Diamond's large form. Somehow, she had fallen into the habit of regenerating into larger and larger forms, and often the narrow halls of Homeworld could not lodge her.
The halls of White Diamond's Bureau bustled with activity, unlike the empty, quiet halls of the courts. The floors were divided into lanes, which writing indicating where each led to. All lanes brimmed with Gems holding papers, briefcases, or otherwise transporting cargo. There was no opportunity to breathe, to collect one's wits, and think about where to go. The busy dwellers of the Bureau shoved Blue Zircon, forcing her to keep up with their pace.
It was in this way Blue Zircon became lost several times, finally ending up in the Laboratories, near the ankles of the building, lurking meekly by a massive centrifugation machine. There, a stray Gem took pity on Zircon, and wrote down the routes to the Royal Archives on a corner of a hologram. Zircon, having been sidetracked numerous times, eventually reached the lobby of the library.
She crested the stairs, and turned right, through a very short hallway, at the end of which lay a large counter. Numerous Ambers sat behind the long wafer-like counter, checking out and receiving books. Blue Zircon hesitated as she entered, then retreated away from the counters, to sit at a wafer-textured bench some feet away, hidden from the Ambers' sight.
Busying herself with a hologram upon which nothing important was transcribed, Blue Zircon wondered where exactly the classified documents were kept. Blue Zircon had never been to this library before, only to the Law Libraries at the courtroom. Those were a joint venture between Blue and White Diamond…perhaps this library was constructed the same way? The lobbies were indeed similar.
Blue Zircon groaned as she got up from her seat. If she had the sigil, she could have just shown it to the Ambers at the front desk, and been able to go in unquestioned.
Blue Zircon took a moment to straighten herself out, then strode in as confidently as she could. Walking towards the far left side of the counter, she approached the swinging door leading behind the counter. As she did so, she drew out her keys, and fiddled with them. She had absolutely no idea which key went for what door (realizing too late she should have asked one of the guards before leaving).
The closest Amber stared at her as Zircon shoved open the door, still messing with the keys. The Amber watched as Blue Zircon strode past her, to the middle of the area, still messing with those keys. The Amber sighed. Someone was always getting lost. Always. No matter how many signs were put up, no matter how many maps were displayed at the front, the Ambers still found stray Zircons wandering around. The Amber glanced at her keys. "Err…" the Amber thought for a moment, then decided that she did not want to know. She turned her back, and whispered to the Amber next to her, "Another one of those big-shot Zircons is messin' around in the back again."
The lemon yellow Amber next to her twittered. "Just wait until she gets lost. Then she'll have to ask us for help." The two shared a little laugh. Still, both glanced behind themselves. In the interest of efficiency, lost Gems should be directed to their intended destinations at once; in addition, the Ambers truly did not mean anything by their jokes about lost Gems. A long day of checking out and in books often got boring. The Amber felt happy though, when the Zircon managed to find her door quickly enough. She stopped at the door to the classified materials, and went in.
Behind the door, Blue Zircon let out a long sigh. She was surprised that no Gem stopped her at all. The Ambers behind her had glanced at her often, but not a one said anything. Blue Zircon scanned the hall lined with doorways leading to all different sorts of classified collections, beginning with the Gem Race's Genesis, their culture at that time, and so on…Blue Zircon froze at "The First Great Gem War". Béhierite sat at one of the glossy reading desks, taking notes on a hologram from a massive book titled "The Culture of the Parasites". Blue Zircon vaguely remembered from history class the first race the Gems conquered were the Parasites, an alien race who had stomachs like leaky fuel cells; they had to eat materials four-five times a day, or drop dead within hours.
Béhierite glanced up from her hologram at Blue Zircon, making the latter squirm. "If you want the book, I'll be done in…" Béhierite glanced at a massive poster on the wall ("Books may be possessed for 15 minutes if there is a line") then said, "…15 minutes." With that, she returned to her dense read.
"Err…yes. Right." Blue Zircon continued to walk down the hallway, towards an Arch with the nameplate, "Lives of the Gem Matriarchs". A very light blue force field stretched in front of the arch; a scanning area sat just below Blue Zircon's line of sight. Normally, if a Gem was given permission to access classified documents, a passcode would also be given…but all Blue Zircon had was her keys. Blue Zircon brushed aside the keys to bare the Diamond's Symbol pressed into the metal. Hopefully, this would be good enough to gain entry.
It was. The force field glowed blue, and half-seen swirls formed on its surface as the force field fluid became viscous. Blue Zircon passed through, and immediately began to hunt for her first book: The Selected Writings of Pink Diamond.
The book was a long, green affair, with a pink clasp, styled like a diamond. Blue Zircon claimed a seat at one of the benches spread through this area, and unclasped the book. She scanned through the table of contents. The first five chapters were mostly concerned with the speeches Pink Diamond gave through the many wars of conquest the Gems fought. The next five were joint speeches given with her other Diamonds. Zircon skipped all of these, finally finding locating the writings at the time of the rebellion. Blue Zircon flipped to a description of Pink Diamond, given by a nearby Agate, as she fought the Rebels.
The passage was long and dense; for every word Blue Zircon could read, there were many she was uncertain of and very few she truly did not know. The gist of the passage was thus: Pink Diamond was awesome. Apparently, with every intake of breath, the Rebels screamed and with every step of foot and pound of fist, thousands of Rebellion soldiers fell.
…Blue Zircon lifted her head from the text and massaged her temples. Flipping the page, she read the next account…the author of which was similarly inclined as the first. Groaning, Blue Zircon moved to the next. And the next. Blue Zircon's skimming eventually paid off: she managed to find a more objective account by an Era One Aquamarine, lent to Pink Diamond's court in the days before the Rebellion officially began.
I have arrived here, at this colony, the only one possessed by she who is unparalleled in brute force, Pink Diamond. It has impressed upon me that this colony has not been chosen for its beauty. The land is sometimes flat, sometimes jagged, and mostly covered by liquid water. The colors of this land vary widely, and the dirt is often locked away by carboniferous lifeforms. These lifeforms cannot, it seems, flee when hurt. I have torn several apart with mine own hands, and no retribution was taken.
On the other hand, motile carboniferous lifeforms exist as well. Their colors vary widely, and they are bipedal like us. These creatures cannot run too fast, nor fight back with any real force. This brings me to my first real encounter with these newfangled Rose Quartzes. I had located a creature of the kind described above, and I seized it with one of my limbs. The creature consisted of many smaller organisms, all working together to maintain its existence. I needed to apply only a little pressure before the organisms were crushed and died. The creature, unlike the others dotting the landscape, emitted a loud noise, and attempted to flee my grasp.
I was not so weak; no creature can escape my grasp. Unless it is freed, which this one was. Attracted by the loud noise (a call for help perhaps?) a Rose Quartz arrived. She demanded I release the creature, which I did. I am not interested in offending my new liege by battling one of her own creations. On the subject of Rose Quartzes, I do not see anything to love in particular. They are bulky, and large, with a love for needless fashion and garish hair. I see no reason for either of these in a Gem under Pink Diamond. Apparently, this Rose Quartz did not realize she spoke to someone far better than herself.
I brought this incident up with Pink Diamond herself, as I glimpsed her passing by. I have heard of her famed openness and willingness to interact with her subjects (probably because all of them will die the next day during a war). I decided to test out this rumor. It was true, but not in the way I wished. My Liege listened to my complaint, and laughed. She playfully reprimanded me for picking a fight with one of her precious creations, and made jest of the fact that I could easily destroy any of those blasted Quartzes. I don't understand what makes my Liege unwilling to ravage this land to gain access to the minerals underneath. Apparently, it amuses her to see the Earth lifeforms scuttling about. I just don't know.
The next selection caught Blue Zircon's eye. She decided to read on to the next passage, a log entry written by a Pre-Era One, Genesis Peridot, about the first Kindergarten on the Earth.
Kindergarten Prime: the most beautiful piece of work ever seen. Neat rows. Wonderful location. Strong silhouettes, no exit angles. For each Gem type, all regulations have been followed. Should produce some of the best Gems ever seen.
On the new Gem type, Rose Quartzes: much to admire. Fashionable like Blue Court. Logical like Yellow. Practical like White. An all- round good fighter. In my opinion, better suited for support roles, not out-and-out combat roles.
At the end of the passage, a little note had been hastily scribbled in.
Pink Diamond touched me today. I showed her my analysis of her Kindergartens, even the flaws there weren't many I thought she'd go nuts like in the first gem war but she praised me and told me I did a good job. Me! Then she patted my head. It feels so good to be recognized. She said I could stay with her contingent instead of going back to my Homeworld contingent of newbie Era One Peridots
The scribble ended. Blue Zircon stared at it for a little while, then turned the page, and continued to read.
Through all the passages Blue Zircon read about Pink Diamond, a reference often made by the writers, especially Era One or older Gems, began to occur again and again. A reference to the first Gem war, always mentioned whenever Pink Diamond did something on the battlefield. Had something happened to Pink Diamond there…? It was worth investigating. Blue Zircon made a note.
Continuing through the book, Blue Zircon couldn't help but be disappointed. Most passages consisted of Pink Diamond's speeches, or other Gems writing about Pink Diamond. Many of the passages were glowing testaments to Pink Diamond's character, or otherwise implied she could do no wrong.
"That's a bad title," Blue Zircon groused as she replaced the book. Proceeding to Pink Diamond's actual written works, Blue Zircon was disappointed again. There was a through preservation of every word Pink Diamond had written down, mainly in the form of log reports.
Pink Diamond's log reports were short and to the point. There were no excess words bandied about; just statements. Even still, these short bursts of words and speech were no waste of time to read.
Stardate XXXX: Identified suitable colony. Attended social event. Blue wants better outfit for me. Never.
Stardate XXXXX: Troops moved. Engaging enemy.
Stardate XXXX: Enemy retreat. Yay.
Stardate XXXXX: Lost my temper. Did not destroy anything-improvement.
Stardate XXXX: Discussed traitorous Gem type. Not like they ever made a Gem with no flaws.
Stardate XXXX: Left colony today. Blue going. Blasted idiot.
…Blue Zircon often found herself wishing Pink Diamond had written down details. However, Blue Zircon found what she was looking for: Of the reports written during the Rebellion, none stood out more than this one, written only a few days before Pink Diamond's shattering:
Stardate XXXX: Meet with her. After Beta, at that base.
The stardate matched. So did the words "Beta" and "base". Obviously, Beta was the second Kindergarten made to supply Homeworld with badly needed soldiers. The base referred to that same place where Pink Diamond traveled to after checking up on the Beta Kindergarten, where she left her palanquin, and was killed. "her"…meant the visitor, the one for whom Pink Diamond left the safety of her palanquin. Unfortunately, Pink Diamond had written down no clues to whom "she" could be. Blue Zircon recorded down the log, laying her hologram onto the book, and sliding her hand across, recording a perfect copy.
Blue Zircon returned the log books to their respective places, and the book to its respective place. She had learned some good information about Pink Diamond, and now, needed to know more. Before that, however, Blue Zircon wanted to follow up on that strange reference made, the reference to the first Great War. Those writings had been collected before the time of the Rebellion, so those writers could have been referring to only one war: the Gem War with the Parasites.