LOG-183.It began with a sound distinct from the rest of the general chaos I had quickly grown accustomed to over the Reef turning into a battleground.Beneath the thumping of the kinetic guns, the distant crackles of what must have been exotic energies breaking themselves against material bulwarks, and the clashes of weapons, was a sound that almost felt reminiscent of thunder.By the time Nacre Three had noticed it, I was already standing up from my position beside one of the compression emitters, lightform tensed and ready as distant shouts and yells grew louder and louder.And then half of the room was being ripped open by white lightning, the electrical currents just passing shy of my head and leaving me ducking with a hiss as it progressed further, the lights above us flickering and the other door leading out into one of the halls sliding upwards of its own accord.The sight revealed beyond was pure, unfettered pandemonium.“Augh! Throw around those blasts all you want, it won’t change a thing!”The words were coming from a Hessonite, one that looked somewhat familiar as she parried a strike with her sword that would have surely shattered straight through the gemstone on her chest, the glittering cape covering her lightform shifting with the motion.Across from her stood a figure that countered the Yellow Court general’s warmth with a stark frigidity that seemed to seep out from her body and into the air around her, cold expression locked into a tight rictus of focus.“D-Damned White Court! This would already be over if I just had my Light Prism with me!”The White Grossular almost made me think of a significantly more martial looking White Diamond, her bladed staff singing through the air in endless, relentless strikes while her free hand continued to launch forth numerous arcs of that same lightning, the manifestations of power either being absorbed by her rival’s weapon or careening off to hit other targets.And there were indeed plenty of targets to choose from, the hallway had seemingly warped itself into a widened battleground that was visibly cracking apart at the seams, likely a consequence of the compression emitters failing to return it to its state quickly enough, resulting in such a disastrous shift.It nonetheless afforded plenty of room for a small army that was seemingly doing its best to devour the squadron its membership had all arrayed themselves around.One to one, the White Court Gems appear to be superior in all aspects. It is only in terms of sheer numbers that the Yellow Court Gems hold an advantage.As the Grossular and Hessonite continued to dance around each other in starkly contrasting styles, lightforms practically blurring and only remaining visible to my enhanced sight as they progressed their fight to another hallway, I watched as golden Quartzes threw themselves at their white counterparts, only to be out coordinated and outmanoeuvred at almost every turn, only ever succeeding when they managed to isolate one of the emotionless warriors from the greater whole.
All that power and capability...and yet in certain aspects, the Gem species' way of fighting remained terribly backwards. Almost as if at some point the aesthetic of it all took priority over everything else.Caught up as I was taking it all in, I only noticed a flailing Ruby being thrown by one of the troopers seconds before the crimson Gem rolled right through the doorway and into the room Three and I were in, the soldier pulling herself to her feet and whipping around to get her bearings.Right up until she noticed us with panicked eyes, a yelp escaping her as she conjured forth a dagger and promptly rushed towards me.Lost in the flow of battle. She doesn’t recognise anything besides perhaps colour at this point. And I’m closer to white than I am anything else.Narrowing my eyes as the knife was engulfed in flame, I afforded the foot soldier an appropriate response.“Ack!”Namely, I lifted a foot and promptly kicked her in the face, sending the red Gem shooting right back out of the doorway and into the fight, her lightform slamming into a surprised Jasper, which promptly gave the white Quartz she was dueling the opportunity to poof her with a well timed slash of her great sword.“O-Overseer! There’s more of them!”Not bothering to hold back a growl at the warning, I spared a glance towards the first emitter I’d been working on, the machine still being repaired or…modified, or whatever else the gloop I’d inserted into it was doing, before being forced to sidestep out of the way of a hammer strike from an Amethyst that had just stormed her way into the room, evidently looking for whoever had sent the Ruby flying.There likely isn’t room for any real conversation or negotiation at this point. The fight has begun, the soldiers are in their element and won’t be easily removed from it. Defending myself is the only real option now.Scowling, I weaved around the surprised shocktrooper’s extended arms and promptly sunk my claws into her face, talons grasping around her gemstone and ripping the core out of her already rapidly discorporating lightform.It served decently enough as a makeshift projectile, briefly halting the next two soldiers making their way into the chamber, these ones a Citrine and Jasper respectively who stood shocked as their inactive comrade sailed towards them.Taking a slightly lower stance, I bared my gauntlets towards the pair, even as the Citrine finally shook off the gemstone that had briefly gotten stuck in her hair and rushed forwards, a pauldron of all things apparently serving as her weapon.Forced to throw myself out of her way lest I be slammed into a wall by the shoulder charge, I could only watch in some small amount of horror as the Jasper ran for Nacre Three and, in the midst of missing her strike on the Caretaker, promptly dug a mace straight through the exposed emitter’s casing and into its innards.Mouth opening to yell something, anything, I found myself only able to roar out a furious, meaningless sound that might have been a warning as the flickering black orb that apparently served as the core of the device blinked out of existence.That’s when everything got messy, very, very quickly.Crystal shattered, metal wrenched itself apart, and the air itself seemed to snap. It felt as if the entire Reef was screaming as it was forced to expand back into a size befitting what the laws of physics demanded. The walls, floor and ceiling were all practically ballooning apart.I could hear some of the Gems outside shrieking, even as I watched the Jasper flail backwards only for a shifting piece of wall to practically engulf her, the disgusting sound of her gemstone being ground into dust beneath merciless alloys drowned out by the Citrine desperately trying to punch her way out of the same fate.There was a tiny opening in the corner, where the ceiling had reoriented and become something closer to a wall. But it was too far, and even with my enhanced sense of balance I could barely keep myself upright enough to look at it, much less move towards it.No means of avoiding the expanding matter-no good route to the safe area-no other way outside-the best option is to risk a jump from this position-less than a 4.7% chance of-And then sharp talons grasped tightly onto both of my shoulders, before I was violently shoved forward, my lightform twisting about as I flew towards the hole, leaving my back to it and my front facing Nacre Three’s strangely serene face.A face that was completely and utterly focused on me as I passed through the opening, legs just barely slipping free before it crunched to an even tighter fit, leaving me rolling across an unfamiliar floor in an ironic parody to the Ruby I had dispatched as the Caretaker called out.—Nacre Three, from the very moment she had been created, had always known the ultimate truth of the Diamond Authority, and as expected, that ultimate truth served to reassure her even in the midst of her current predicament.Yes. It was almost amusing, just how calm she was in that moment, trapped within the center of danger as she was. In comparison she had been far safer just a short bit of time ago, yet had been oh so fearful.Perhaps it was because she had accepted what was happening? After all, she had accepted everything else regarding her situation, just as she had accepted the core component of Imperial philosophy.
Those who were lesser served their superiors, in whatever capacity was required of them.
It was evident at every level of the sublime society that had been realized by the magnificent White Diamond. Just as a Diamond’s word was absolute to an Emerald, that same Emerald’s word could save or shatter an entire fleet’s worth of Gems.This, of course, was not a fault nor a flaw. Instead, it was perfection itself. Clarity of role, of purpose. There would never be confusion so long as you remembered your place, that was the fundamental principle.
Unfortunately, some Gems did not remember their place.
Peridot Facet 2NFG Cut 7XT had been one of those Gems. She had believed that she understood the Authority better than Nacre Three. That her superior could be wrong. This, of course, was unacceptable. If you were lesser, you obeyed those who were superior. That was simply the natural order of things.And so Three had made Peridot into a lesson. She had taken a concept and put it to action, and had thus demonstrated to Viridian the quintessential rule of the Great Diamond Authority in a way that would surely leave a lasting impact.
Viridian.
Even thinking her name brought such deep contentment and joy to the Caretaker that she couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Her most incredible, most flawless, most perfect creation. A Gem who was so unquestionably superior that even White Diamond had noticed and elevated her to her proper place. It was irrefutable evidence that Nacre Three had performed the ultimate service to the Authority, done something that even the Diamonds had not.Namely, she had created something greater than herself.
The Caretaker knew the lesson of Peridot 7XT very well indeed. She understood her place in the universe. And so when the Overseer commanded her, she did not question it. She did not doubt nor waver. She merely obeyed, as she was always meant to do. To do otherwise would have been treason, after all.
It…had been unthinkable then, that one of the Diamonds would not understand that this was the order of things, and yet it had happened regardless. Yellow Diamond herself had elected to rebel against White Diamond. And to attack the Reef, one of the most sacred sites in the Authority?
Such a horrible crime simply couldn’t go unpunished. Nacre Three knew that White Diamond would set things straight, as she always had when her wayward creations had strayed from perfection. She would rise from her throne and remind Yellow Diamond of her glorious vision. No other outcome could come to pass.
Unfortunately, events of late dictated that Three would likely never see it happen. Even as the seconds ticked by fractions at a time, the Caretaker knew that she would not survive what had already shattered the other Gems around her.But that was alright.Her extended arms had already shoved Viridian away from the danger, through the collapsing hole and into the hopeful safety of the warping chamber’s exterior. And it was in that rare moment of unguardedness, that she saw the raw shock present on Viridian’s face.
Three was no fool. Arrogant? Yes. Ambitious? Of course, she had been made that way. But a fool? No, never. She knew her creation despised her. She had hidden it well as a Pearl, of course, but no mask was ever truly perfect. Millennia of experience with training Gems who had sought similar means of survival had revealed the cracks, told her the story that Viridian had not wanted her to know.Thankfully for her prized creation, Three had never much cared for what Pearls thought of her, only their performance. Only their ability to embrace the perfection that she had ever so lovingly carved into them upon their creation.
It was to her satisfaction that, as a Nacre, Viridian’s composure had only become more impeccable as a result. Still, Three had already known what signs to look for. The slight set of her shoulders. The way her footing shifted when Three entered the room and shifted back when she left. It was simply a Caretaker’s job to know such things, and she knew those feelings had not changed. They most likely never would.And yet Three’s opinion remained the same, namely in that it did not matter.
The Overseer was her superior, and more than that, she was living proof of the rule. Proof that Three’s philosophy was the root of excellence, of perfection. If Viridian had called the Nacre into her office to shatter her, she would have obeyed. Not merely because it was her creation’s right, but because her own sacrifice, and to an equal extent any sacrifice, was of inherently lesser value than the cost of potentially losing the flawless Gem.
The instant Viridian had crossed the threshold of course, the portal had collapsed, almost as if destined by some higher power, however ridiculous such a claim might be. However, luck had nonetheless been on Three’s side! There was a gap, far too tiny to pass through, but more than enough to entrust Viridian with one last duty.
“Go! Save yourself!”
Though she only had mere moments, the Caretaker nonetheless did her best to get the words out. She needed to impart Viridian with her message before it was too late, before the failing systems of the Reef robbed her of the ability to leave a final impression on her ultimate successor.What she said next was not a gift, but a burden, something she would need to carry with her if the Authority were to ever truly meet the standards White Diamond had set, particularly in the strife that was surely set to engulf the Empire soon.
“You are destined for greatness, my creation! Perfection incarnate! A cut above the rest! So live!”
Despite her impending doom, in that instant, all Nacre Three could feel was sheer relief. She knew her creation would escape this, she had never failed at any task she’d put herself to. She would return to the White Court and everything would be made right.And with that, Nacre Three could die without regret, but for one thing.
She wouldn’t get to see what her flawless Viridian did next.
“Live! Viridian! My pride and joy! My shining star! My pinnacle achievement! Live and surpass me! Surpass everythi-”
And with a scream of shifting metal, Nacre Three knew no more.
—“Live! Viridian! My pride and joy! My shining star! My pinnacle achievement!”Breathing sharply, I scrabbled backwards as the floor I’d landed on began to shake and rattle, even as more and more screams were cut off by the horrific sound of gemstones being mangled into shards and dust, all while I was given a full view of what had once been a section of the Reef ripping itself to shreds.“Live and surpass me!”There was something bizarre happening to the spherical structure now, as if it had expanded too far, and was beginning to pull back violently, almost like a rubber band preparing to snap.“Surpass everythi-”Crunch.In the end, all I could do was stare. Stare even as faltering alarms blared and kinetic cannons fired. Stare even as the sky above, now exposed with no ceiling to hide it, made itself known to me, with distant shapes that must have been starships dueling with each other in high orbit.Stare, even as the platform that had been a compressed section of the Reef just seconds ago gave its final death rattle, before tilting to the side and beginning to slide out from where it had no doubt stood for countless millennia, taking my old creator’s dust with it.It was only after it had fallen into the sea and sunk below its roiling waves that I finally managed to get a hold of myself, shoving down the cataclysmic feelings in my head before climbing to my feet and glancing around.Gone was the Reef, the place of my birth in this new world. And in its place were several enormous islands of twisted wreckage, some more intact than others, and some beginning to slough off of their foundations and hurtling towards the waters beneath, like the one I was currently stood atop was slowly doing.…I need to move. The longer I take, the more likely the odds increase that I or Batch Eighteen are lost, assuming none of the Pearls have been shattered already.Inhaling and exhaling hard enough that the space in my chest simulating lungs actually began to expand and retract significantly enough to be visible, I took a step back from the edge, before turning and looking at the remnants of a hallway that, hopefully, still led towards the general direction of my original destination.Stars, it was all…everywhere. Everything that had been stuffed inside the Reef had been pulled outside, only still connected by twisting corridors and hallways exposed to the open air, several of which I could already see beginning to collapse.Processing and sightseeing can come later. Move.I moved.