Safety First (C: Imperial Topaz)

[Paddy]

Despite the constant threat of her project being descended upon by rebels, so far everything was going according to plan. However, Padparadscha and her team had come to determine that extra defenses couldn't hurt in the process. She'd requested a commission for the finest crafters to engineer a device that would help her and the field team stay secure in these troubled times. It had been some time since then before she received a blip on her newly designed holotech system, notifying her of the device's completion, and it's warp coordinates. Already, she felt more secure; there would be less to worry about with the good work of her fellow loyalists put to use.  

The sapphire, followed closely by her pearl and jasper bodyguard, stepped off of the warp. Immediately there was an incredible pressure around them, tall pillars hoisting the ceiling of the boiling forge, the clash of metal and stone ringing through the austere halls. Her pearl and jasper attendants were sweating in discomfort as Padparadscha stepped off, the oppressive heat and atmospheric pressure seemed to go unnoticed by the small peachy gem.

"Y-your clarity," Pink Pearl mustered, her throat crackling. The aristocratic detective peered over her shoulder, lips pursed at the strange tone in her pearl's voice, and her brows shot up as she saw her beloved servant's delicate features distorted with pain; 3JJ tried to put on a brave face, but it was clear she was suffering from the heat as well.

"No matter, both of you go back to the site and make sure the amethysts stay on task," Padparadscha gave a wave to dismiss them, and the two gave sighs of relief before they whisked off into a beam of light. The sapphire put her eyes forward, and feeling only a smidgen more lost without the support of her servants, she scanned the room for those who would receive her; she had arrived exactly on time, and expected that any moment she would be guided to her new defensive measure. 

Imperial Topaz

[Imperial Topaz]

For the most part, today was a good day. Everything had been going to schedule, no dissident attacks, the forge didn't freeze up during the initial heating stages, and for once Topaz's schedule wasn't slated with orders. Even the arrival of a Sapphire, scheduled to happen... now, probably, didn't dampen her spirits as she stretched her limbs before climbing out of the pool of magma she'd been resting in. The rhythmic clanking of the auto-hammers matched her footsteps as Topaz marched down the hall with some pride, watching as her Bismuths worked hard to get their work done, despite sharing a similar sentiment about the whole thing as Topaz did. Walking up to one of them, she tapped her on the shoulder and was greeted with a smile by one of her oldest workers - they had been together for Diamond knows how long. "Hey 5J. Do you mind going to pick up our visitor at warp gate B? I got her order waiting in back and I'm going to prep it for her."

"Sure thing, boss." The other gem replied, morphing her limbs back into arms and hands as she put the piece she was working on in a bucket. "Whadda we expecting out of her?"

"Sapphire, I'm pretty sure. She wanted something strange - but I'm not one to complain about forging not the same thing day in day out. I believe the report says she usually has an entourage, but I doubt most of em' could handle the intense heat. Aight, I'm going to go in back and find the right tag while you fetch our guest." Normally, Topaz would just contact the visitor with a holopad - and check the order as well, but the fragile pieces of technology tended to malfunction quite easily in the intense conditions they worked in. Topaz nodded once more as the Bismuth turned and strutted down one of the hallways.

[Paddy]

Padparadshca let her eyes wander over the bare walls and pillars as she stood waiting, her curiosity piqued as she assessed their construction. Such a large production facility was deftly hidden beneath the Earth's surface, it was certainly one way to gain an edge over the rebels-- as if Homeworld didn't already have the keenest edge in this debacle-- but the sapphire was pleasantly intrigued nonetheless. With her hands clasped behind her back, she paced around the gate's lobby. It had been nearly a minute since her arrival, and she began to wonder, pressing her lips together. She leaned, attempting to peer around the exit; her curiosity pushed her to take a few steps forward and have a look at what was going on. But, she straightened up when she spotted a burly Bismuth gem making her way over. 

As the gem approached, she allowed a sunny, cordial smile to bloom over her lips, and threw up a perfect Diamond salute,"Ah, there you are. Padparadcha 10C8A 8QE, Pink Court judicial affiliate," The sapphire allowed her arms to fall and clasp behind her back again,"I'm here for a project commission, as I'm sure you're aware, designated LP-00192673-X99," She rocked on her heels and made a delicate gesture toward the door,"Do lead the way, I'm eager to see the completed device," Padpara had opted to leave the details of the device up to those who would design it; after all, they were the experts, and she trusted their abilities. As long as it would give her team added protection while they worked, she would be satisfied.

However, there was a lingering curiosity dwelling in the back of her mind about this place, it's workers and the administrator of the facility; as a gem used to being involved in classified endeavors, she felt almost surprised that this place had gone unknown to her until recently. The investigator planned to answer many of the off-task questions she'd had time to stew on as well. 

[Imperial Topaz]

Topaz had certainly never designed anything... quite like this. Two large cylindrical gray pieces sat meshed together, held up by three archways connecting to seperate side pillars. The large square base had a circular opening in the center, seemingly far too large for the pieces suspended above it. A nondescript panel was situated on one of the pillars, hosting a complex set of keys and slots for scanners that would be put in once the device was out of the Forge. The concept for such a device had come to here from a Peridot, of all Gems. She had mentioned that creating a frequency of the exact right pitch and length could potentially cause disruptions in the physical projection of a Gems' form - they just needed to find something that could cause such an event without taking up a planet's worth of space. Topaz, receiving the request for a 'defensive measure' creation, had been eager to use it as a test run for this. She nodded and stepped back, pushing open the two heavyset doors into the storage area and spotted 5J escorting a smaller Gem. Strange - most Gems of that size tended to be upper echelon, and they tended to be not very tolerant of high temperatures and pressure. Debating whether or not to take off her forge armor for 'formality', Topaz settled on no and instead went back to the device and pushed it towards the center of the room slowly, as to give the other Gem a better view of it.

[Paddy]

There was a bit of a pop in her step, a more sober smile lingering on her expression as she followed the stoic Bismuth. Usually a chatty gem, she felt a bit awkward about the bismuth's silence, but luckily found her fiery curiosity stoked by the pulse of systematic creation happening around her. Her head swiveled, little bouncing curls of hair flying free as she pulled her large, glittering eyes over the unfaltering whirl of activity, trying to see all she could before her attention would have to focus again. Padparadscha had never been in a place quite like this one, and the new experiences surrounding her were tantalizing. Considering all of this work was for the diamond whom she was enamored with, she was pleased with the streamlined efficiency of the forge.   

As her eyes passed over the constructs and gems bustling to get their work done, her eyes eventually slid back to what was happening in front of the guide and herself. Her eyes snagged onto the device that was pushed into the center of the room, and her expression lit up. The sapphire wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she was surprised nonetheless, despite the fact that she really didn't have any idea what she was looking at, with little technical knowledge to work off of. 

Her smile broadened as she and the builder approached the machine that towered over her. Staying poised, she gave a nod to the bismuth who had lead her here, then put all of her attention on the commissioned device. The sapphire paced around, her feet pit and pat against the floor as she whirled around it, scanning up and down with her perceptive vision,"Well!" She breathed,"It certainly looks impressive!" Her eyes flicked to the tall, armored gem who had brought the device out,"It would be stellar if I could have a demonstration of it's use," She imagined this forge must have some testing arena of sorts, or if not, perhaps some other means of showing off dangerous technology, but she didn't know for sure what to expect. 

[Imperial Topaz]

Topaz paused for a moment. Something about this Gem was familiar... but then again, all of her Bismuths looked similar as well. Perhaps she was imagining it? Giving a little shake, she stepped up. "I'm going to have to activate it manually. The control panel and softer bits are to be added on once the machine is out of the Forge." Topaz effortlessly clambered up the machine, which stood at about 15 feet high, and with a deep breath of concentration summoned two of her weapons - short swords made of magma which glowed with a strong red and yellow light. Dipping the weapons into a canister shaped slot at the top, Topaz concentrated as the weapons leaked the liquid into the machine, magma flowing and filling parts of the pillars. She released her grip once it was full, letting the swords disappear, as she turned her head to the Bismuth that was still there. "5J, why don't you giver her a demonstration?" The Bismuth sighed and smiled slightly, stepping up to come at a rest about thirty feet away. She turned her attention to the Sapphire still by the machine and made an awkward gesture with her arms. "My... Clarity. You may want to take... more than a few steps back. For safety." Topaz waited at the ready, hand on a carved out notch, watching Padparadscha and waiting for her to move back.

[Paddy]

Her eyes followed the armored gem as she scaled the device, and the sapphire's giddiness escalated as she realized the gem was going to test it right here and now. She paid careful attention to what the gem was doing, in an attempt to put together the pieces of the puzzle before it would be made apparent to her through explanation. It was always fun to do, and aside, it would help her comprehension later on. 

From the gem's words Padparadscha gathered that the parts yet added would prevent her from having to manually start and operate the device, but she knew the hardest parts of the project were yet to come; it would be good to know the ins and outs of this piece of defense if it were going to be on one of Pink Diamond's largest installations in hundreds of years.
She made a mental note to remind herself to have a conference with this forge's overseer; she wanted all of the information she could get regarding this newly designed tech. 

As exciting as it was to see this new technology work first hand, the sapphire's giddiness was tinged with nervousness. Of course she trusted these gems to know what they were doing, but accidents could happen to anyone, even the most prepared of gems; that she knew from personal experience. She prepared herself for whatever would happen, and hoped they were as well,"Oh! Well, let's see," She said with a breezy tone to mask her worry, and a curt nod between the gems involved. Then she swiveled on her heels, and took as many paces back as she could and still keep what was happening in clear view. When she spun back around, she kept her eyes bouncing between 5J and the armored gem who'd arrived with the device, and bit the inside of her cheek. 

[Imperial Topaz]

"Here we go..." Topaz flipped the manual switch, the machine whirring to life as the magma contained within began to glow even brighter. The central pillar began rotating on its' axis, support arms raising it up in the air about five feet. 5J, with a nervous expression plain on her face, braced herself as a loud whining noise began to perpetuate the room. A split second later, the arm came crashing down into the rivet, pulsing out a soundwave with caused even Topaz's physical form to waver as she clutched her gem. 5J was not so lucky, and after a second poofed, the oddly shaped gemstone falling to the ground as the sound died out. "G-good thing I was wearing my armor..." Topaz noted shakily, stepping down and testing her limbs as full autonomy returned to her. Scooping up 5J's gem, Topaz turned to Padparadscha and bowed slightly. "I hope this demonstration has not shattered your faith in this project."

[Paddy]

The sapphire was laser-focused as the machine activated, and her eyes carefully followed the moving parts of the device. Just as she wondered what exactly 5J's part to play in this demonstration would be, the sound struck like an alarm meant to be heard across the world. Despite the blistering hot atmosphere of the forge, ice-cold shivers raced down her spine, her whole body shook with the vibration of sound. Wide-eyed and grimacing, Padparadscha's attention glanced to 5J just as the unfortunate gem's form went up into smoke. Her small hands shot over her mouth to hide her gasp, though it wasn't as if anyone would hear it over the titanic shriek of the device. Her eyes then shifted to the armored gem, who had managed to retain her form. 

Was this what it was suppose to do? As the sound died away, her whole body continued to tremble against her will. She peeled her hands away from her face, and shook out her arms, trying to regain her composure. With a huff, she poised herself and stepped forward as the armored gem spoke. Her brows rose at the words, something had gone wrong, but the sapphire gave a quick shake of her head,"No no, quite the contrary," She uttered, attempting to sound stately despite the shaking in her voice, then cleared her throat to give more strength to her tone,"It--...well, I see the intention of the device. If allied forces were briefed on the protocols for this object, I can see it would be...devastating for the rebel force," After all, the solid bismuth, designed to work in extreme conditions, had poofed in seconds exposed to what was presumably the full power of the device,"Of course, having control is important. I can see this prototype might need some adjustment," She pressed her lips together and thought for a moment. The prospect of having to wait longer for something so important gave her a tinge, which showed through her brisk tone,"As regrettable as it would be to wait any longer for more advanced protection for my field team, something like this can't be rushed," She gave a small smile,"At any rate, I shall need to discuss things with your overseer. I wish 5J a speedy recovery," The sapphire waited expectantly.

[Imperial Topaz]

"Overseer?" Topaz mumbled, not truly directed at Padparadscha - "You're speaking to her. Imperial Topaz: 3R9T 8XF." She ended her identification with a stiff diamond salute. ...Once again, Topaz had a hazy memory spring to the forefront of her mind - something about a similar Gem to this on the moonbase... she was a Padparadscha too, wasn't she? Unlikely, this Gem seemed to have some semblance of patience and... pleasantry. Dissimilar to the one she met before. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that a short time latter the same type of Gem would be meeting her again - the odds of such an event were far from impossible. Nevertheless, Topaz found it would be far more prudent to ask rather than assume: "Pardon my asking, but have we met before?"

[Paddy]

As soon as Imperial Topaz finished her introduction, Padparadscha's brows shot up and her lips pursed. She remained poised, but stood with a controlled stillness as her breezy mood was smacked over with the realization that this was the very same gem who had treated her as if she were some vapid fresh-cut gem back at the relay station. Her memory wasn't perfect, but it was keen, and it hadn't been long ago that she had run into this gem,"Oh," The utterance dropped like a stone from her lips, her brows lowered and her eyes flicked to the side as her mind buzzed with activity, trying to find a way to deal with the situation,"Ah...well," Her tone became modulated, cordial but without the sunniness her former good mood had imbued it with,"Yes. We both had our business ground to a halt by that ineffectual relay station some time ago. Though, my systems have been updated, hopefully I wont be having need of it's services ever again," She gave a light, but artificial chuckle.  

Now she wished she had her servants to distract her, or some excuse to leave as soon as possible, if this was the gem she would have to be trapped in conference with over this matter of technology and the defense of her team, who were crucial to the completion of the classified project. However, there were no excuses, and she had already professed a need to get right into the discussion with the forge's overseer, as unfortunate as it was that this down-talking gem was the one she would have to discuss with. She rocked on her heels and tapped her fingers together nervously; it was still her job as a socialite to treat the matter with delicacy. Her words were pulled up with haste, trying to swat away memory of that unpleasant exchange, in favor of focusing on the task at hand,"Is there a more convenient place we could discuss the development process involved with this prototype?" The clanging of machinery and gems at work was exciting, but not ideal for exchange of words. 

[Imperial Topaz]

Oblivious to the aristocrat's discomfort, Topaz gave a small bow and placed her helmet next to the machine, dusting her hands and straightening up. "As you say, privacy is important. If you were to follow me, I could take you to my quarters where we can have a secluded conversation away from prying eyes and ears." Topaz waited patiently as the Sapphire overcame some obvious discomfort, hesitantly stepping forward. Taking that as her cue, Topaz began striding down the halls of the Forge, passing many projects and Bismuths at work - pausing at one in particular to hand them 5J's gemstone before continuing on. Coming before a nondescript metal door, Topaz halted - chest extended as another gemstone embedded in the door reacted to it, glowing and swinging the door open to allow them in. "After you." Topaz said cordially, gesturing for Padparadscha to go in.

[Paddy]

Relieved that Imperial Topaz seemed equally willing to leave what had transpired in the past where it was found, she gave a nod, and followed after the Forgemaster, her small feet tapping against the floor at a brisk pace. Again she felt the urge to chat, but it seemed the overseer was focused on getting from point A to B, so the sapphire allowed curiosity occupy her. The Bismuths were hard at work creating armaments and fortifications, she imagined all for the various defensive projects Pink Diamond had been working on. At the hand-off of 5J's gem-core, Padparadscha's eyes flicked away. Though she knew the gem would reform, seeing gems poofed was always a reminder of the troubled times they were all embroiled in. 

They arrived at the door, and the Topaz continued to upkeep this air of politeness, though the sapphire wondered at the reasoning. Of course, it was expected for her to be cordial, but Padpara wasn't quite sure what to expect out of this gem just yet. At the gesture, she gave a warm smile, and swept into the room with her silken skirts trailing after her. Eyes scanned around, in search of not only a seating arrangement, but clues as to the character of this gem; one's office could often speak volumes about themselves. "First of all, Forgemaster, I'd like to thank you and your team for working on this crucial endeavor, commission LP-00192673-X99 is of a level of importance I'm sure you're aware of. We simply cannot afford to underestimate the enemy," Before even sitting down, the sapphire had let the words that she'd been stewing over out in a direct, businesslike tone. 

[Imperial Topaz]

"indubitably." Topaz responded gravely, flipping a switch to allow a section of the floor to split and raise a gray table and two chairs in its' place. "Why not take a seat while we discuss this further?" Topaz did so right away, pushing back the unpleasant memory of the moon base encounter out of her mind. "Now I know it is not protocol, but it would be perhaps a bit better if we were to have a name to attach to this device other than 'LP-00192673-X99'. Based on recommendations from the technicians who inspired me and the function of the machine, I have come up with "Wave Disruptor". Simple, short, and not clearly obvious to any rebel who caught wind of the project name, as unlikely as that scenario may be."

[Paddy]

Her brows bounced as the furnishings she was looking for emerged from the ground; she imagined such a mechanic gave the Forgemaster more room to work when things like chairs and tables weren't needed. She strode over to one of the seats, settled into it and let her clasped hands settle onto the table. While Imperial Topaz spoke, the sapphire allowed her eyes to follow the gem, and to read her expression. Though she didn't expect this gem to be lying about anything, it was a relief that she had left behind her headgear; this allowed Padparadscha's senses the most room to assess the subtleties of the way the Forgemaster expressed herself.

At the suggestion that the commission should have something other than a long designation, the sapphire gave a light smile. She hadn't even considered that, and her hands unfurled so that she could tap her chin with one finger,"I like it. It would be much clearer for the soldiers and other on-site operatives to respond to the Wave Disruptor than it would to LP-00192673-X99. Practical and rolls off the tongue more easily," She gave a short nod, and her hands laced back together as her smile evaporated,"Espionage is a concern with the rebels, though so far the site is well hidden. It will become harder to conceal, however, when the next phase begins. The Wave Disruptor seems like it will be a great asset to us in times to come-- but I have to wonder what happened during the demonstration, as opposed to what had been planned to occur. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect from it..." she trailed off, her eyes wandered around the table before flicking back up to meet Imperial Topaz's.