Board Thread:Off-topic/@comment-26618197-20171001192028/@comment-3225961-20171012173738

Beta On Fire, Part 1

In the midst of Rebellion, two Jaspers, Ocean and Biggs, and a human native to the outskirts of Beta headed to an encampment associated with said kindergarten. Rose Quartz requested that her allies try to encourage and assist those in the location, including a small enclave of humans, to no avail; the humans mysteriously disappeared, and the gems stationed there (various Quartzes, Prime and Beta notably) were obstinate. Upon the return trip to the Earthly Allies (EA), the Jaspers and human were confronted by a group of rather intimidating quartzes, one of which did most of the talking. They eyed the rebels with scrutiny and contempt.

             “You think you can just mosey around this territory without a pass?”

             “No ma’am, we have the appropriate passes to travel here.”

             “Lemme see ‘em.”   This Quartz was a Jasper, perhaps the ultimate, most powerful Jasper to come from Beta. But she appeared to have little sympathy for her sister Jaspers, and even less for the human companion. Before she could respond, the Biggs Jasper said they meant no harm, and were only interested in negotiations, but the lead Jasper smelled a lie, despite her gem nose.

             “Listen here, you organic-loving Off Color,” she yanked Biggs by the collar, who tried not to flinch, “I know what you were here for, and I know you won’t cause trouble anymore because you won’t be able to, when I get finished with y’all!”   The much smaller human gulped, and tried backing away, when two Prime Amethysts grabbed him by both arms. “C’mon y’all, let’s teach these traitors a lesson they’ll never forget.” Jasper smirked, dragging a weakly resistant Biggs along; Ocean complied at the sight of the many destabilizers the other Quartzes wielded, and the human had no choice either. They were never heard from or seen alive again.

             Concerned for the fate of the expedition, Rose sent a Prime Amethyst and a recently defected Zircon (due to a legal mishap punishable by harvesting*) to investigate the missing soldiers. The Zircon was deployed under Pearl’s advisement, reasoning that a highly rational gem was necessary to make sense of any clues, and Rose thought a Prime Quartz could better assimilate to the other Quartzes on enemy sides. Unfortunately, the two were still not welcomed in the settlement, though they were not immediately confronted by the local gems stationed there. Many were skeptical of their allegiance, though under the current regime, all gems outside of battlefields were to be spared, and judged only by their Diamond Authority. Still, a minor faction of gems, dubbed the Great Gem Guardians, took it upon themselves to “discipline” any humans or gems that posed a threat to the regime.

             Interrogation produced few leads, as most of the Quartzes were convinced that the two Jaspers and human were either never there, or left unharmed. Amethyst insisted that the Zircon was approaching the investigation the wrong way.

             “These gems don’t want to hear about Rebellion, or the rehabilitation and ‘ethical treatment’ of humans!”   She threw her hands up, and scoffed at her irritated companion. “In their minds, all of gemkind’s problems are the result of human existence and interference! They’re just weak and ignorant savages. If you’re not better than an organic, who are you better than?”

             “If humans are so weak, then why has Pink Diamond tried to recruit them? Offer them a place in gem society?”   Her expression was pensive; even she pondered the reasoning. “It appears we’ve underestimated them and the insurgents. We don’t give them enough credit.”

             After gleaning various sources independently, it was clear who belonged to the Great Gem Guardians, and that this group was responsible for the anti-organic sentiment and terror. Whenever one of the “loyal” humans was questioned and a Guardian found out, a few of them would stalk said human into the night to make them regret what they had done, and discourage future conversations. Zircon caught on, and she and the Amethyst in turn tracked the Guardians’ movements before someone ended up dead—or shattered. Just above the Ultimate Jasper was an Agate that acted indifferently to her subordinates’ affairs, providing indirect permission for their dangerous activities.

             Over the course of the investigation, the Guardians burned several existing human shelters, leaving the former inhabitants to fend for themselves. They tried to congregate outside of the watchful eye of the Guardians, but were forced to disband when gems of any creed showed up. Noticing the elevated crime and hostility, the Agate finally confronted the Amethyst and Zircon, threatening to consult higher Authority if they didn’t stop instigating humans and gems alike.

Outnumbered by loyal gems, the EA’s requested reinforcements, which aided significantly in searching for any possible leads, and at this late date, remains. A tip from a Bismuth stationed near a quarry led the EA’s to their targets, and confirmed their worst fears: rusty and bluish shards, along with a badly decomposing corpse were found buried beneath deposits of waste rock from gem creation. This not only meant the Guardians were lying, but they had more than likely been responsible. Rose Quartz was devastated when she heard of the fate of her comrades. The only one left of her kind, she was reluctant to shatter; instead, she would settle for taking those guilty as prisoner.

              *''Despite not being directly responsible for the infraction, Zircon was held liable for her previous client’s actions. The client was shattered shortly after conviction, and Zircon, not wanting the same fate, has been evading Supreme Authority, and any other gems involved in the case.''