Past and Present (Closed/Finished)

[Morion]

Somewhere in the jungle, Columbia...

Far from the eyes of the Humans, there is something that is not from this world
Something from the stars
Something from the past
A ship



An Ancient Gem Colony Spaceship, one of the many colony spaceships located on Earth. Long time ago several landed on Earth, now non-functioning, abandoned, and obsolete as of the advent of Warp Pads. These ships were used by Gems to reach new worlds in order to establish said Warp Pads.
The ship looks similar to a flying saucer and is made of a dull, gray, stone-like material with three legs (most likely deployed as landing struts to aid in landing the ship). The interior is mostly a dull, stony gray, with pink crystals and consoles that have become overgrown with mushrooms and other green vegetation over thousands of years.



The ship appears to be made primarily of stone or a material with a composition similar to stone.
The ship's materials, style, and function on the inside are more similar to that of a temple than a spacecraft...
...actually today it is more of a crypt, than anything else
Beyond repair, abandoned, relick of the past, non-fuctioning derelict, forgotten wreckage; its basically part of the Earth now, without hope to fly again, to reach the stars
It is its own tombstone
"Here lies the Past..."
Alone...
A little piece of Past, tainting the Present with its presence
The memorandum of a failiure
A memorial to all that could have been
A monument to the high hopes and plans of an Empire
Still.... it could attract the Gems
There are still some energy; the ancient machines were powered by Gems and they are still there... forever...



And now, with the communication hub is still offline and all the space warps are shattered, it could be a good base for everyone be Rebel or loyal to the Homeworld...
They are stranded here, the Diamonds know how long... and sooner or later there will be a war, or at least the race starts - eventually -  for the Gem-technologies and facilities... everything Gem-related, before the other side (or the Humans...) get them.

The Smoky Quartz, Morion knows this and now, like a predator he is, the Gem is sneaking in the shadows of the muggy jungle, waiting in the darkness....
...for the others

[Andradite]

     For great gain one must endure what is necessary. To be able to endure difficult trials is a mark of nobility. Riding coach however may border on the masochistic. Andradite had the unfortunate need to travel via human aircraft and could not afford more favorable accommodations. He found himself sitting between two excitable children who had no concept of etiquette. Apparently adult humans can't detect the frequency at which children scream since not even the parents attempted to quiet them. The flight to Columbia dragged on for an eternity.

     It was not often that Andradite had to travel far from his base to collect resources. Since arriving on Earth he had found all he needed in the small town he arrived near but Andradite was working on a special project. Humans had not yet reached a high enough level of technology to craft anything too useful. He had no choice but to resort to scavenging old Gem tech. The area surrounding his base had only one place worth surveying but it was crawling with unstable Gems. Having no allies Andradite couldn't risk going there just yet. Thankfully humans have a decent satellite network. Locating a suitable site took no time.

     Through the jungle Andradite delicately traversed, doing so as to avoid creating any sounds that might tip off his location. Not even his black backpack made a sound as he moved about. For him stealth came naturally. His green skin blended nicely with his surroundings and his dark uniform served to keep him kin with the shadows cast by the canopy. Hidding his vibrant blue hair was his ever trusty combat helmet. Moving as a breeze through the trees he left no trail. Nothing to give away his position. It was not terrestrial predators that warrented his caution however. Gem tech would no doubt attract attention of Gems or other intelligent beings. Andradite closed in on the site. Travelling amongst the branches he reached the edge of the clearing that hosted what he sought. An old Gem colony ship sat before him.

'Jackpot.'

     Before going any further Andradite moved along the outside of the clearing to ensure the site was secure. As he looked about he couldn't help his curiosity and kept glancing back at the ship admiring at the wonder it must hold. Satisfied with his recon, finding no trace of competition, he jumped to the jungle floor and approached the ship. Cautiously. 'Eyes on the prize.', he thought to himself. Entering through a hole in the hull he gently dragged his hand along the bulkhead. Excitement struggled against his calm demeanor. As much as he wanted to gleefully explore the ship he resisted the urge. The mission had priority over juvenile pursuits.

     Down a few corridors Andradite found a open room with monitors and a big interface console. Rushing up to the console he found it mostly intact. Clumps of moss and junk littered the keyboard but other than that it seemed to be in well enough shape. It even looked like it could be operational

'I'll start here' 

     Crouching down Andradite took off his pack and pulled out a set of tools. Turning to the console he carefully jimmied open a maintenance hatch and went to work. He wasted no time and began his repairs without delay.

[Morion]

The big, black (alien) feline (closer to a Thanator than an Earth panther, but close enough) was resting in the shadows
Waiting...
Watching the Derelict
He re-named it to that... Morion tought its a fitting name for the wreckage
Besides, he had no idea what was the ship's name originally
Form the darkness silver eyes watched the entrance (well, more like a hole in the ancient hull)
Waiting...
Morion was always a patient hunter, and his patience paid off, when he saw the movement
With soft and silent paws, he followed the young lad
Human...
No...
Gem!
A greenish Gem
The question was: Rebel or Loyalist?
Morion followed him, climbing, crawling silently on the corridors' ceiling with his strong, clawed paws, to the room, watching his prey
"What are you doing, little Gem?" asked himself the Assassin, while the other one started to take the console apart.
Then the Assassin realized: this Gem is a Peridot!
Thanks to the Diamonds! A Gem whos purpose is to fix things!
With a thud, the feline landed behind the Gem, but not too close and with a flash of light shapeshifted to a humanoid form; cloaked, hooded humanoid, with grey hair and silver eyes, in a mask; dressed in black, with his gem, a dark smoky quartz, a Morionon in the middle of his chest
Without any diamond insignia
His voice, cold like the night tried to be... friendly... ish.

"Dont be afraid little Peridot! I'm not going to hurt you..."

Still, the unspoken 'yet' lingered in the air like the little smoke, which creeping around Morion's legs

"I am Morion - Facet-7F2R Cut-8YQ, indetify yourself!

Then he added after a little pause:

"Please...."

[Andradite]

The sudden appearance of a stranger caught Andradite off guard. Too eager to move from his vulnerable position Andradite attempted to stand but with his head still buried in the maintenance hatch he only managed to smack his head. But he was quick to recover. Grabbing the edge of the console he flipped himself about and landed atop the console. From there he held himself steady, perched on the device. It was then he was able to assess his new company. The Gem carried an atmosphere of danger about him. Dark, like a shadow come to life, the Gem sent a wave of cold down Andradite's spine. Being no stranger to such beings Andradite kept his composure and stared down the Gem.

"Im no Peridot.", he said matter-of-factly. "Andradite.", he stated.

Stillness eying the smokey Gem, he felt uneasy sharring too much at once. He had no idea with whom this demons loyalies lied. Still it seemed his intent wasn't overly hostile.

"Just Andradite.". Andradite moved from his perch to stand on the floor. He kept one side slightly turned away from the Gem. A smaller target. "I have no quarel with you. Im only here for some... things from this ship. What do you want?"

[Morion]

"An Andradite, huh...?"

Well this isn't too good

"Could andradites fix things?"

He asks with an inquisitive look
A very cold, inquisitive look in his eyes, with a little ill-omened voice

"I have no quarel with you neither..."

But still, that unspoken "yet" was there again

"What do I want? Simple. To go home! Eventually... but first I... we have... things to do! To set thing right! Everything went wrong! Everything in chaos! And when Her Majesty's ships arrives, I don't want to be the one who needs to report... faliure. Do you, little andradite? Do you want to face the Diamond's wrath? Stand in the way of the Empire's Armada, when the retribution descends on this world for the Rebels' folly and hubris?"

[Andradite]

     Something was off about this Gem. The way he addressed Andradite made him feel uncomfortable. He was too accustomed to seeing himself as an individual, not just one of many. If that wasn't a clear enough indication that this was a Homeworld Gem, what he said next sealed it. This was not good. Anxiety started creeping from Andradite's heart but his face remained steady. From behind the visor on his helm his eyes scanned around the room, looking for anything to get him out of this situation. His instincts began itiching from inside his head.

'Move'.

An idea started taking form. The Gem seemed interested in fixing some aspect of this ship. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage.

"Of course not.", he began to lie, "It would be favorable for us to do something worthy to report. Least we anger our Diamonds.".

Andradite took a few steeps back and gestured towards where he had been working. "I was beginning some repairs at this station, hoping to get some of the basic systems back online.".

Of course this was only partially true. Andradite was interested in the colonization protocols, probably the only thing worth taking from this junk. It would never be space worthy but perhaps this Gem was not aware of the extent of the damages. If Andradite could convince him he could fix it then maybe he could pull a fast one.

"If you are truly with the Diamonds I would be obligated to assist you with this ship.". Andradite brought his attention to his pack laying on the ground. He nudged it with his foot. "I have most of through tools I need here already."

[Morion]

"Good..."

Morion noded

"Honestly I can't understand the Rebels. This is a backwater Planet in another Galaxy, thats true. Unimportant rock with insignificant inhabitants. They are not even worthy to become slaves. Or pets."

The Quartz groaned a little

"There are Pearls for that... this reminds me, where is your Pearl? You are somekind of mechanick or technician, am I right? You must have a Pearl to hold your stuff, or balme if something went wrong... "

As his bad Habit, Morion started circleing around the console and the Gem, like a shark
His silvers eyes watching the young lad

"I'm glad to meet you... as you guessed already, at least I think you guessed, this is a trap. Was a trap. Gems will come... the Gem-tech, be it ancient or not, is far advanced than anyithing on this misrable rock! And we don't want anything to fall in the wrong hands, do we? Like Rebels or Diamonds forbid, Humans...."

He stops

"The Warps to the stars are down, there are no ships oriting this Planet and the communication hub is destroyed... we are stranded here. But the Rebels are traped here with us..."

Morion starts circleing again

"You could have been lied to me Andradite... it's hard to tell these days who is truly Loyal to our home, our past, our Diamonds... and who is an insane Rebel, clinging to "future" that will never come! Who was ... infected, corrupted... contaminated by this awful Planet! Surley no sane Gem would bring the wrath and retribution of the Diamonds to this Planet! You are a smart Gem, working with tech and such... Do you know, what they, our Diamonds will do, don't you my little green friend? What will happen soon...?

[Andradite]

As the Gem moved around Andradite kept in step and circled in pace with Morion, being sure to keep the distance between them. The Gem moved like a predator, eerily graceful. Andradite had to stay on his guard. If not he feared Morion would pounce at any sign of weakness.

"I lost my assistant.", Andradite moved about carefully, hoping to keep him from getting behind his back. He stood near a section of the console, not leaving Morion out of his sight. "Pearls can be so fragile. As Im sure you could understand.". Andradite couldn't help but stare at the Gems eyes. Morion's gaze felt as if it were burning through his very existence.

'I must tread carefully'

He laid a hand on the keyboard. Andradite could feel the power running through it. The little work he was able to complete before Morion appeared seemed to have bore fruit. Andradite tossed a quick glance at the monitor. It was still off. Apparently the system hadn't rebooted yet. Good. Andradite hoped that the Gem wouldn't notice just yet. He wanted to extract the data without tipping off Morion.

"You must be very clever to come up with such a trap. Very well done.". As he spoke Andradite continued working out a scheme in his mind. He had to ensure this Gem couldn't get a hold of the ships data, if he hadn't already and also get himself out without getting cracked. If he had time perhaps he could also rig the ship to explode under the false pretence of maintenance. Andradite fought back a smile, amused by his own cleverness.

"The humans wouldn't know what to do with Gemtech even if we showed them. The Earth Gems however would be an issue if they weren't so insane.". That last bit wasn't even a lie. So far Andradite had not encountered so much as a single decent Gem.

"My loyalty is as plain as the gem on the back of my hand. It is no secret what the Diamonds will do. War. They'll bring war.".

Andradite took a single step forward. An imposing step. He stood there for a moment. "What about you? What are you wanting to accomplish here?"

[Morion]

"Assistant... what a cute word"

Morion noded

"Yeah... fragile little Pearls. I understand."

Most of the time ,they are the "human shiled" that other Gems throw in his way, while trying to escape

"A complimen? Thats nice. But unnecesary. Even a dimwit, expendable Rubie would think of this... eventually."

But Morion stops

"No, little Andradite... no. The Rebels brought the War to this world! It is not wise to balme the Diamonds! Without this so-called rebellion, the colonization would continnued, we could travel freely, and so on... but now? Stranded here... with them...

Then he started to laugh
Cold laugh but honest laugh from his heart

"Oh my Diamonds! I've just realized! What a plan! Whit one move, the problem of the Rebels were solved... Just think about it my friend! There are no mytical leader, no such thing as the Hero Rose Qartz! Or what was that Gem's name who sent the transmission... There were of curse potential rebels, with the seeds of disobedience in their heart... waiting... maybe the Earth's infulence, who knows?"

And it doesn't really matter

"And they have got what they have always wanted, dreamed of secretly... a cause! A leader! A Hero! An excuse to rebel! But the fun part? There are no such things! Just a planet with Gems loyal to the Homeworld and... "rebels". Trapped here. With us. Oh this is great! And what a move! What a move! But this is why the Diamonds, the only perfect beings are our leaders..."

Morion starts circleing again

"We would hunt them down. Capture them. Shatter them if it necessary... and no more "rebellion-problem". Don't you raelize, friend? The space-warps are destroyed, but not to keep the Homworld away from this planet! They are destroyed to keep te Rebels here! With us! This whole misrable planet was a big clever trap!"

Now it make sense. The Observer. The Gems. Everything!

"Of curse, the Diamonds will arrive. Eventually. This planet is a colony after all... with precious resurces! And Yellow Diamond is as gracefull as a rockslide. Legions of Rubie soldiers marching alongside the Quartz knigths, Gem-powered warmachines, canons and vehicles, Peridots behind them to fix everything if needed... disgusting, but strong and feral Fusions... with our fleet, our ships blackening the sky... it will be glorious!"

He stops

"But... we have still work to do my friend. If you are a Rebel or not, you must realized now, the "rebelion" is a joke. The killer joke of the Diamonds! It's not too late to... do the right ting. This planet will burn! Join me... lets find the other loyal Gems! This ship could be a fine base! From here we could hunt down the rebelious Gems... imprison them, and when the Diamonds arrives, we will recive our just rewards for our loyality"

[Andradite]

Andradite could do little more than nod gently in false agreement as the Gem ranted on about the Earth Gems. From Andradite's perspective this Gem was unhinged. Frighteningly so. Completely devoted to the Diamond Matriarchy, as eager to praise them as he was willing to kill for them. It was this hypnotic spell of the Diamonds that spoke against something deep inside Andradite. It stole the will of Gems and reduced them to something lesser. Tools. Because of them, Gems like Topazolite wouldn't exist.

Topazolite

An anger crept from the depths of Andradite's heart. Burning as it rose. Hearing this Gem talk about the Diamonds like they were something right stirred memories of the death of Topazolite. His sister. She, while still a servant of the Diamonds, rejected their view. She was no Rose Quartz, whoever she was, but Topazolite saw worth in individuals. She lost her life to Gems like Morion. Though he felt his blood boil he did not break the mask of composure. Only a tight fist gripped at his side betrayed his emotion. He moved the hand behind him out of Morion's line of sight.

Andradite smiled. "Yes a fine plan. Indeed, this could be a ideal location to operate from.". Eyes on Morion Andradite walked over to his pack and put it over his shoulder. "But in its current state it is no good.". He walked away from Morion backwards, keeping the Gem in his sights. "There is much I must do before this place is worthy of great beings such as the Diamonds.". The word 'great' was spat out more than spoken. Even as a lie it left a sour taste in his mouth. "If you'll excuse me...". With that he moved out of the room down a corridor. Deeper into the ship. Once out of sight he picked up the pace. I must find what I came for...

[Morion]

"Of curse... I could be wrong"

Even proud Gems must admit, they are not Diamonds
Not perfect, flawless beings

"Maybe there is a leader... and a rebelion is a real thing

Morion nods

"But if thats the case.. .well... my dear friend, Earth is in bigger truble than we realize! If all this... all this isn't the Diamonds plan, then the retribution well be... brutal. And I don't want to be among those who will need to answer to their Diamonds for their faliures. And crimes."

The Quartz watches the other Gem and slowly nods again

"You are right little Andradie... this ship is in horrible condition. And I'm unfamiliar with Gem-tech this ancient. I think it will never, ever fligh again. But who knows? Maybe there is a Peridot somewhere, or a Gem with tools and knowledge! It is just a matter of time, before another one arrives, like you did. I will not bother your work, this is a big ship. Take it apart, repair it, maybe there is some ancient data in these half-dead systems. The Gems that powered this ship are still here..."

Alive, in a sense. Serving the Diamonds as power source for an eternity

"I will be outside... or somewhere near. Waiting. Watching... "

Hunting^^
But now, the black Smoky Quartz retreats to the shadows and in to the darkness, leaving the other Gem alone as he asked.