Chapter 18: Story of Rose
Steven slouches on a wall, burying his face within his knees. He tries to stay awake. Somebody might walk in anytime and see him. But he can't keep eyes open. His eyelids feel like several ton pound weights. Steven falls into Lion, unable to stay awake any longer.
"Steven…It's time you knew the truth…" Rose says, entering his dreams.
(Several Thousand Years Ago:)
The Kindergarten was fully operational. The drills that were lined up outside, having already started drilling into the ground. The machines were programmed to locate and acquire naturally forming clusters of gemstones inside the ground, inject matching Gem DNA inside it and leave it for the new life form to grow. Several Gems can be created from one growing cluster of crystals. However, life-giving takes energy.
In the early stages of the first Kindergarten, after many failed attempts of creating artificial Gems to revive the decreasing population, Gem scientists figured out that to create life, one must take life. Of course, the Diamonds approved of this with mutual agreement, but the first prototype breeding station was located on Homeworld. The drills sucked the life out of the land through the heart and redirected it to a growing Gem. Before the Gem was fully created the prototype was shut down and the Gem forming in it died before it even took a glance at life. However, the Diamonds didn't halt the development of what was coined as Kindergarten: they simply decided that because it was too dangerous to activate on their home planet, they decided to retest it on another. Soon, the Kindergartens were being manufactured on the Homeworld and sent to other planets with a wireless hub station to control them underground.
Lady Rose Quartz, a noble of the Diamond Authority, had been tasked to oversee the construction of a Kindergarten on Earth. Miles from the sea, they landed near a large hill with a cliff side that overlooked a verdant plain. The air smelled of life.
She and several other Gems climbed the hill and set up the control station on top of it. It buried itself deep into the ground. The creator of the Kindergartens, Aquamarine, went underground with Rose Quartz to confer the Kindergarten will be a success."Aquamarine," Rose said softly, "are you sure this will work, this new type of Kindergarten?"
"I've told you several times Lady Rose that it will work," Aquamarine replied. The palm shaped control pad with a green hand in the center rose from the base. The blue gem placed her hand on it and the Kindergarten took its first breath. The mechanical sounds pounded Rose's ears, though she was used to it. Aquamarine smiled, satisfied to see that her invention was working at full capacity. Both Gems left the Kindergarten to do their thing. She and the others boarded the right hand spaceship and left to locate another spot to plant another Kindergarten.
In a snowy land, somewhere far north of where the first Kindergarten was planted, the Gems and Rose unloaded the ship. The was a small storm brewing, but the wind picked up heavy amounts of snow where one could not see too far in the distance. While preparing the activation of the Kindergarten, it was then where they saw something black move across the white field.
"Stop," Rose commanded. The other Gems halted their work looked at the noble.
"What's wrong, Rose?" Aquamarine said, a little peeved they're not working on schedule.
"Do not take that tone with me. Look." She pointed to the silhouettes moving in the snow. After a couple seconds, they came into view. Though not like them, they were also like them at the same time. They rode on creatures, brown ones with four legs. They had hair all over their bodies, though not as much as their heads and for some, their chins. Their skin was pale and wore heavy clothing. They wielded primitive weapons, which led a couple of the Gems to summon their own.
Their magic startled the beings before them, but it only piqued their curiosity. They neared the Gems, slowly on their animals.
"Rose," Aquamarine called, looking at their leader watch with wonder at the creatures before them, "what are we to do?"
"Abort the mission. Leave the first Kindergarten but we're going back to Homeworld."
"What?!" Her subordinate cried, astonished.
"Abort—the mission," Rose reiterated slowly, with more authority. "We're leaving." Aquamarine hesitated as Rose looked down on her with an brow raised. "Is there a problem?"
"N-No…" Aquamarine said, turning around. "You heard her! We're aborting the mission!"
"Yellow Diamond needs to hear about this…" Rose said to herself, leaving for the ship.