The Academy was bustling with hundreds of different gems, all different shapes, cuts, sizes, and so forth. The whispering of rebellion on a distant planet had managed to jostle the interests of so many, and none were any more interested than Triphane and Aventurine. Triphane had grown to a fine size, her deep yellow eyes, a trait that she respected about herself, which reflected so brilliantly in the sun. She was currently caring her Gem Weapon, a large, angled sword, shaped almost in an L formation. It was something that she had made herself, and she knew how to handle the tougher elements of such a weapon. Everyone who had ever fought her commended her talents, especially since she knew how to wield it so perfectly. Her armor made her look bigger and bulkier than she was, but her size looked even smaller when compared to Aventurine.
Known for having odd psychic abilities, mostly focused around disorientation and confusion, Aventurine was an outcast, through and through. Not many gems were too keen on having a weapon like that around, a person whom could change anything about anyone without trying. Despite this, she thrived in a physical combat setting, her skills with a war axe speaking for themself. The two spared perfectly with each other, a kinetic dance that exploded with elements of perfect showmanship. The two, of course, respected each other, despite Aventurine's green eyes piercing right back at Triphane. Triphane knew beating Aventurine was impossible, something she had learned from the 23 loss to her, noting that it always felt like she was a step ahead of her plans, a trait that Triphane had personified in Aventurine's nickname, Advent.
The two sparred for another few minutes, before taking a break. Triphane laid back and closed her eyes, enjoying the perfect day they were having.
"Ya know, I can't wait until we get some real action. I want to go toe to toe with some rebels, see some place I've never been before, care for someone in my squad. That would be like a dream. You know what I mean? Sure, we have all of those exercises, and whatever, but that's not the same thrill we would have in a true combat setting, ya know?"
Advent smiled, though her smile was hidden through her obvious worry.
"I hope that it's something exciting, I mean. Hopefully this rebellion doesn't end before we're able to go out, despite the fact that it's starting to look that way. Besides..," Advent's voice grew to be slightly snarky, "Someone I know has a penchant for being a little brash, and highly rude, and that wouldn't make a good squad mate.."
Triphane laughed, despite being mildly bothered by the comment. "It's not my fault that I trust my own judgement more than what some empty-headed idiot has to say. You know I've always kept my independance first, Advent. And I wouldn't be talking about flaws to me, Ms. Kissass." Advent playfully slapped Triphane, the two exploding into laughter. Both were still on high alert, a skill that they both had mastered during their training.
Triphane, however, was the first to notice two figures approaching them.
Upon further inspection, it was obvious that the figures were the Blind Minds. Advent had told Triphane about their story once, a story that was easily found considering that Homeworld was trying to send a message with it, and despite the fear that it sparked in her (any kind of story about punishment though those extreme means always shook her), it also filled her with anger, a quiet, passion-filled anger. She was one of the few people that thought their society could improve, change from the highly structured caste system that they loved to boast about, and a few gems spreading some somewhat rebellious messages over the airwaves did not warrant what had happened to the Blind Minds.
As Triphane was still deep in thought, the two figures finally approached, and made their statements. "Obviously, from the blank look on your face...," Painite had spoken with a bit of vinegar in her throat, knowing how most people reacted around the pair, "you know who we are. Regardless of whether or not you know our reputations, we are attempting to find a test subject for a new project, one handed down directly from the Diamonds."
Both Advent and Triphane's jaws dropped, amazed that such an important task could possibly involve them. Corundum picked up the explanation.
"As you may have heard, there's something brewing on a planet called Earth. Something really bad. Obviously, it could be nothing, for we have no clear data on the extent of the Rebellion forces, but it might grow into something, something bigger than we've ever seen. The Diamonds have thought of a brilliant strategy, however. They have asked us to create the perfect soldier, someone who fights like a gem, but is as durable and hardworking as a machine. The only problem being that such a project would take too much time, time that we, sadly, cannot afford to have at the moment. Therefore, we need to use a live gem as a test subject, and modify them to be more robotic. ModiGems, as we're calling it by this point, just a catchy little name. So, what do you say?"
Advent immediately spoke. "Count me in."
All 3 of the gems turned towards Advent, Triphane most of all looking highly surprised.
"What the fuck are you doing, Advent!? This could be really dangerous! You don't know what could happen to you! You might die, or could explode, or..."
Advent shook her head, and rested her arm on Triphane.
"Relax. The Diamonds have given the mission, and I'll be damned if I don't accept this opportunity. You know best of all, Triphane, that I could make something of myself. I don't need to be another god damned outcast"
Painite interrupted, as Corundum looked in sheer shock. "Actually, we could use two people for this experiment. We were throwing around the idea of having a "control" unit to see if we could actually pull this off. So that's two experiments. One to test whether or not this is possible, and the other to make the actual project. It's not like we don't have enough funding for it, and it would be good to have data to put everything into perspective."
Corundum looked baffled by this admittance.
"Well, we could do that, but I mean...well..god...oh fine. I was reconsidering the whole "two" thing, but you're gone and spilled the beans already. . You better not fuck this up, Painite, and I mean it. You know our asses are on the line here."
Painite looked annoyed. "Why are you speaking like you didn't have a part in this? You wanted to go to these two in particular, so why are you being such an asshole?!"
The two gems continued to bicker, endlessly with each other, as Advent and Triphane, two nobodies from an academy of hundreds, followed along, having accepted an interesting proposition. If the two had known the events that this decision would lead to, they wouldn't believe how much work they had ahead of them...