Plans
The remaining Homeworld defenders posed little difficulty to Pearl. The adept warrior finished off the remaining defenders before turning to the technicians. Small, unarmed gems quickly scattered about the unfinished structure, fleeing desperately for their lives, but Pearl made short work of them before disabling the warp pads.
Unnatural silence blanketed the galaxy warp. Clouds passed languidly overhead, concealing the full moon behind a thin grey veil. Haunting moonlight crept across the deserted platform, causing the scattered gemstones to shine like stars. A gem strode gracefully across the battle-scarred ground, nervously eyeing the fallen warriors. A gust of wind blew by, and she tightened her grip on her spear.
Pearl struggled to hide her trepidation as she examined the aftermath of the attack on the galaxy warp. An ominous presence seemed to hang over her, as if she was being watched.
She turned her attention to Rose Quartz, who was preoccupied atop one of the warp pads. The fearless rebel was quietly examining a broken gemstone. Rose looked up at Pearl, and the nervous warrior forced a reassuring look. She could feel the pink-haired rebel's discerning gaze see through her feeble attempt to look brave. Pearl could never hide her emotions from Rose; the leader always seemed perfectly in tune with other gems' emotions.
Not that she had anything to hide from Rose.
Pearl felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Rose looking down at her with a gentle smile. The pale warrior shifted nervously, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.
"You did well today," Rose said calmly. Pearl's blush intensified, and she averted her gaze. Rose's smile widened into an amused grin, and she chuckled.
"You've come a long way since we left Homeworld,"
"Thank you," Pearl replied. The pale warrior surveyed the wreckage once more. She couldn't help but feel less than satisfied at their progress. No matter how much damage they caused, progress on the colonies seemed to proceed unimpeded.
"Do you really think that these attacks will drive them off world?" she asked Rose. The pink-haired leader's expression grew serious, and her grip on Pearl's shoulder tightened.
"Yes," Rose answered. "More and more gems are joining us. If we keep this up, they won't be able to establish a foothold here on Earth. We can't let up now."
"But they keep building despite our efforts," Pearl asserted, doubt rising in her tone. She wondered what her leader knew that she didn't. "I don't understand how we can stop the diamonds with these small attacks."
Rose didn't respond. Pearl looked up to find the tall gem staring down at her. The pale lieutenant suddenly realized what she had said, and her apprehension came surging back.
"R-Rose…I'm sorry…I-I…"
"It's okay, Pearl," the rebel leader said calmly. "I know this must seem like an impossible task to you. Their forces are nearly endless, and we only have a small group of rebels. But we can't lose hope. No one else can protect the life on this planet but us. . We can't stop them with what we're doing now, but I have a plan. You still trust me, don't you?"
"I will always trust you, Rose," Pearl stated loyally. "I will never leave your side."
"I know," Rose stated with a caring smile.
Suddenly, a loud clang resounded through the abandoned galaxy warp. Pearl spun around and came face-to-face with an imposing Homeworld soldier. The massive gem lowered its stance, and Pearl noticed the gleaming blade in its hands. Before she could react Rose was in front of her, her sword and shield bared menacingly. The towering pair glared at each other before the rebel leader broke the silence.
"Surrender," she said, her voice unwavering and fierce. "Don't make me hurt you." The gem continued to eye her silently. The initial surprise that had gripped Pearl finally wore off, and the slender sword-master quickly jumped in front of Rose, placing herself between her leader and the dangerous assailant.
"I won't let you harm her!" she yelled as she took a fighting stance. Suddenly, the mysterious gem's demeanor changed, and it dispelled its weapon.
"I don't want to fight you," it said. "I want to help."
Rose and Pearl exchanged a quick glance.
"Okay, then," Rose answered. "Let's go."
Homeworld…
"Let's go," the ill-tempered pearl ordered, as she tromped down the hall, her focus on the many assignments she had been tasked with.
"Wait up!" Ulexite yelled as she weaved between the other gems in a frantic attempt to keep up with her unpleasant companion. The small messenger had been running about all morning, and was beginning to run out of both stamina and patience.
"We have a schedule to keep," the pearl responded tersely. "And I have no intention of being late. Especially because of you!" Ulexite cringed at the servant's tone. She could never understand why pearls mistreated and belittled her. Her position in the Homeworld hierarchy was nearly identical to the pearls' (at least in her opinion). And she often saw pearls endure the same mistreatment that she did. She would have thought that if any gems understood her plight, it would have been those in the lower echelons. Her mind drifted briefly to Iceland Spar.
Funny that my closest friend is a member of the highest order of gems…
The mistreated gem's attention returned to reality, and she found herself lagging far behind the pearl. With a burst of speed Ulexite quickly managed to catch up to the disrespectful pearl. The antagonistic gem shot her a look of disgust before turning and entering a small room. Inside, several peridots scurried about frantically, installing new terminals and operating incomprehensible software. Ulexite stumbled back as one of the technicians rushed past her, entirely oblivious to everything but its handheld terminal. Finally, one of the peridots took notice of the two visitors, and broke away from a disassembled panel to greet them.
"So you've arrived," the green gem stated.
"Hello," Ulexite began. "It's nice to…"
"I came to receive your report on the new updates and hardware installation," the pearl interjected. The peridot gave her a dirty look and gestured to a row of newly installed terminals.
"The installation will be completed on schedule," the offput technician explained. "Please tell Yellow Diamond that we intend to complete updates on this level in five rotations."
"Thank you Peridot," the pearl answered.
"No problem," the green gem replied before turning to Ulexite. "Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?" Ulexite asked.
"Yellow Diamond ordered me to provide you with this," the technician explained. She tossed the oppressed messenger a small handheld device. Ulexite barely had time to examine the item before she was roughly ushered out of the communications room.
"Well, that was fairly easy. Is there anything else I can help you…" the small courier began before realizing that the pearl had deserted her. She sighed comically.
Well, I better head back to Yellow Diamond.
Later…
A short walk and a shorter explanation later, an exhausted Ulexite found herself reclining against the side of Yellow Diamond's chair in her massive chambers. The imposing matriarch towered above her, tapping her fingers impatiently on the edge of her chair.
"So, how long will the network be inoperative?" Ulexite queried. The gem ruler peered down at her meager subject and frowned.
"Too long," she answered disappointedly. "I swear, the peridots seem to grow increasingly incompetent and disrespectful. I feel I would be best served to replace all of our engineers."
"That might be good," Ulexite added absent-mindedly as she fiddled with her new toy. "And why did you get me this…thing."
"I felt that I would be better served if I could contact you more readily," Yellow Diamond explained. "This will eliminate the need for you to return to my quarters repeatedly, thereby increasing your efficiency."
"So you don't enjoy my company?" Ulexite asked, a mischievous grin crossing her features.
"No, I don't," the alien ruler answered flatly before standing.
"Where are you going?" Ulexite questioned.
"A summit with the other diamonds," the tyrant replied tersely.
"May I…" Ulexite began
"No," Yellow Diamond answered. "Only the Diamond Authority and a few select gems are allowed. You are to stay here until I return."
Ulexite nodded and watched her master leave. She momentarily considered following the ruler's orders before getting up and sneaking out of the regal chambers. Ulexite slinked along the walls and hid among crowds of gems as she silently trailed Yellow Diamond. As she pursued her target, she began to wonder about the purpose of the gathering. Ulexite hadn't heard about the meeting, which was unusual. The three members of the Diamond Authority were notoriously busy; it was uncommon for any of them to be available without advance notice. Whenever anyone requested an audience with Yellow Diamond, Ulexite often caught wind of it one way or another. The urgency of the conference disturbed the courier.
Must be something important…
Yellow Diamond stopped in front of a doorway, causing Ulexite to duck behind a wall. The hall was deserted, save a small entourage of guards. The sneaky courier watched as a group of gems exited the room and greeted the imposing matriarch.
Her advisors.
After brief formalities, the group turned and headed towards a door at the end of the hall. Using her abilities, Ulexite disguised herself as one of Yellow Diamond's advisors and nonchalantly blended in with the group. She passed the guards and entered the massive chamber, maintaining her composure.
Ulexite resisted the urge to gasp as she entered the massive hall. Ornate crystalline murals decorated the glass ceiling, each depicting a member of the Diamond Authority. In the middle of the chamber sat a colossal table with three chairs that glimmered in the starlight. The other two diamonds stood at the other end of the room, each flanked by members of their court. Ulexite quickly surveyed the crowd before locating Iceland Spar. The gentle grandee was standing at Blue Diamond's hip, looking profoundly disinterested with the gathering. Ulexite considered trying to get her attention, but resisted the urge, not wanting to risk drawing unnecessary attention.
The three gem rulers took their places at the table. At once, the commotion in the room died down, and all eyes fell on the trio.
"Now then," White Diamond began calmly, "we must discuss these attacks by the rebels."
"Yes," Blue Diamond spoke, her voice a fierce yet gentle. "Yellow Diamond, has your advisor compiled the data on the recent attacks?"
"I believe she has," Yellow Diamond replied. At once, the three tyrants turned to Ulexite.