Error(c: Rexstriker, Font's Paddy, Sir Howlite, Tiger's Eye)

[Thulite]

Good job deescalating the situation, Thulite, the pink gem thought bitterly. Clearly, you have the logical mind of a technician and millennia’s worth of experience to back it up. Go and pat yourself on the back, provided you still have a body to pat after this is over.
Being threatened by a gem who claimed to be Yellow Diamond's personal assassin certainly wasn’t what she had expected this day to culminate in.

She searched frantically for a way to extract herself from this situation. Maybe, if she just struck her diapason hard enough, the resulting effect would cause enough commotion to let her slip away into the underbrush. Thulite took another glance at the rifle in Howlite’s hands and scrapped the idea immediately. The only thing she had to gain with this strategy was a bullet in the back.

So there were only two options left: Either she risked a confrontation with Howlite, and saw for herself whether his claims of being the perfect assassin were true, or she would have to swallow her words along with what was left of her pride and apologize to this off-colour piece of coal.

Iolite’s second transformation took Thulite by surprise. Of course, she should have known that, as a gem built for infiltration, Iolite would be especially proficient at shapeshifting. But she couldn’t recall a gem ever changing their original colour scheme. It was an intimidating sight, the unusually burly soldier adorned with a silver hue, almost as if she was made completely of metal. A quick scan with her gem exposed the latter as a bluff, of course a gem couldn’t influence the material they consisted of. Thulite clung to the hope that Howlite would be fooled by the strategy, and steadied herself as to not look too apprehensive or scared.

Her eye still scurried across the clearing, searching for an exit if things went even further south.

[Paddy]

The rosy hue had drained from Padparadscha's complexion as she stood, with the sights of Howlite's weapon trained on them. Though Iolite's transformation was impressive, the sapphire had seen 9XR's combat senses for herself, and it was likely that he had met this model of soldier in his day.

Part of her had regretted coming to check this crash-- after all, it appeared that Thulite had unfinished business of some kind here on Earth. This deeply conflicted the sapphire, but she knew from all of her days dedicated to casework, life could be complicated. Her curiosity would have to be sated after this present threat was dealt with.

It was possible that this Howlite would, again, force the sapphire to smear her dignity. Perhaps for the sake of the group, it would be necessary for one of them to grovel before the three of them were assassinated right here and now. It would be unsightly for a gem of her type to do so. But, she didn't want the seasoned decorum of Thulite, as an ancient and no-doubt respected researcher, to be tarnished-- nor did she wish for Iolite to be further humiliated by 9XR.

She tried her best to shove down her pride and the anger welling up in her. "W-wait," She managed to utter, before clearing her throat and again assuming her modulated tone,"9XR-- I...I take responsibility, for interrupting your peace. Please..." Padpara choked up, unable to get the rest of the words out of her mouth. 

[Howlite]

Howlite smiled.

"Now was that so hard?"

The rifle vanished. He then turned to Iolite.

"I'll let this go just once. You're an Iolite. It's only natural that you'll make jabs at me. But keep in mind that when you threaten my loved ones, you cross the point of no return. You will not receive mercy. Now then!"

He approached the fallen ship.

"Well here's your problem. It crashed."

He chuckled a little bit.

"No seriously though, I may be able to fix this. After all I did build the Dreadnaught."

He looked at Thulite.

"Don't you worry technician. Everything will be fine. Then you can return to your oh so perfect Diamonds and be done with it. Oh and when you do, if you tell them I am alive, there is no place in the universe I wouldn't find you."

[Iolite]

Iolite sighed as Howlite put away his weapon, it was good that the worst of it was over. She relaxed her form, letting it return to normal. She didn't tell him of the bluff however, Iolite planned to keep that a secret, like her shockwave ability. The less he knew of her abilities the better.

You Howlites are so emotional, what would I get out of making a direct threat to your little girlfriend? Think with your head.
Iolite was feeling a little flustered, she just wanted to finish this, she didn't know why they were all still there.
Fix it? She snorted. Good luck, that thing's fried from the inside out, at very best it could be melted down for scrap. Even a Peridot couldn't salvage the parts, let alone repair the whole thing.

She crossed her arms and looked away. While she was a soldier, she learned a thing or two about engineering in her day, but him? The diamonds wouldn't bother having him learn anything like that. She scoffed at the idea that Howlite knew more about this than she did, she had centuries of experience helping out Peridots on the battlefield, how could he top that?

[Thulite]

Thulite had many things to say to Howlite, but after all the damage she caused, and the catastrophe that had almost taken place, she knew it was best to keep her mouth shut. 
A Padparadscha, sticking out her neck to help an anomaly of an Iolite and an outdated Thulite. Maybe she had been holed up in her research station for too long, after all. Thulite was moved far more than she wanted to show, at least not in front of Howlite. She felt a small glimmer of hope spark up inside her. Of course, she could never return to Homeworld, her defect would be found out and she would be sceduled for harvesting in seconds, if her cloudy gem was even worth the trouble that came with harvesting. But for a moment, she allowed herself to indulge in the thought of serving under a gem like Padparadscha, doing important work, making a difference in the empire again, helping injured soldiers back to their feet...it had been far too long since she felt like she fully lived up to what she was designed for.

She couldn't help but scoff at Howlite's threat. Not because she wasn't intimidated, no, she had absolutely no desire to come face to face with the assassin's rifle again, but rather, because the thought alone of reporting to the Diamonds themselves was so ridiculous. As if she would even survive the landing on Homeworld, let alone gain access to their personal courts and be granted an audience.

"I wouldn't dream of it", she said, not quite managing to keep the bitter tone out of her voice.
"Besides, this ship isn't even mine. I was just scavenging the area for parts to build a means of communication to the moon base when I stumbled upon the wreckage. It's as Iolite said, there isn't much to salvage here." 

[Paddy]

The ease with which 9XR was able to transition between different aspects astounded her-- one moment, predatory, ready to strike-- the next, whimsical and...dare she say, helpful? There had to be something more to Howlite's motivations, but it seemed as though he was going out of his way to have a look at this wreckage in the same way that she had. Though, perhaps she shouldn't have continued to let herself be caught off guard by this gem. He was hard to read, capricious, and with a philosophy that she still couldn't wrap her head around. 

It occurred to the sapphire that she had no idea what any of the gems around her were truly about. She felt a great deal smaller, and more alone than she did moments ago. Though it seemed that the brief confrontation had showed her the sides each gem was wiling to take, it did nothing to show where their true loyalties laid. Why was Iolite living among humans on Earth? Why had Thulite refused to be returned home? Why did Howlite remain amidst gems who he had no particular attachment to?

Ask Thulite spoke, Padparadscha was again reminded of her suspicions. "this ship isn't even mine." The words struck her, and she began to go over the gem's claims quietly in her head. The catastrophe at the lab, her cave dwelling, the remains of a battered Homeworld vessel in front of them. "Thulite, we can use the communicators in my ship to reach Headquarters if you need to make a report," The sapphire said, her voice still controlled,"There are many gems who would be very interested in hearing your story," In particular, Padparadscha had the courtroom board members in mind. 

[Howlite]

Howlite cackled maniacally.

"Well then I'll just see what I can salvage."

He walked up to the ship and held his hand against it.

"What did that evil lady do to you? It's ok. I'm here. I'll fix ya up."

He entered the ship and looked at the console.

"Bingo!"
He tore open a panel and started tearing out wires and parts.

"Need this. Don't need this. I can sell this. Strip this. Cut this. Don't need this. Take this. Hmm.... Yeah I can keep this."

After 15 minutes of tearing apart the console, had a nice pile of wires and ship parts.

"That'll go very nicely in my cargo hold. As far the rest of this place.... I say we blow it up. Leave no trace any of us were here."

[Iolite]

Iolite's suspicions were raised as Thulite stated that she didn't own the ship. This threw a spanner in the works, there might be more to this Gem's story than in first thought. No wonder Thulite wanted to decline Padparadscha's offer, the ownership of the craft would not go down well on the report. The old design of her Gem may also be a problem.

Iolite had heard of Olde Gems being harvested due to their outdatedness, even back in her day. Iolite was excepted from such danger due to her rank but did fear for her fellow Iolites. She didn't know if they were still being made when she was in service, let alone now. One thing that always came to mind when thinking about such things was the fact that she should have been harvested when she was stripped of her rank, but she wasn't, for some odd reason.


Iolite scoffed as Howlite went in to salvage, but was quite surprised when he came out with anything at all. Pah, it's junk, the lot of it. She clearly doubted that much of it was of any use, but was embarrassed, to say the least. Blow it up? Geez, that's a little excessive.
She thought about it for a second, then realized another problem with Howlite's proposal. And what do you plan to blow it up with?


(Sorry for the late post  )

[Thulite]

[don't worry about it, life has the pesky habit of getting into the way of your plans]



There was no way she was getting out of this situation. Thulite couldn't think of a single excuse to refuse Padparadscha's offer.

"O-of course, your Clarity. Thank you very much. I shall file the report right away", she managed to choke out, painfully aware of the nervous sweat that had started to gather on her forehead. There was no way this was going to end well. Even if she'd somehow miraculously avoid having to state her facet and cut, according to the official reports of her arrival she should have stopped existing immediately after setting foot on the planet. After her initial registration, there were no traces of her in any document on earth.

This is it, she realized. This is the end. It was clear that the aristocrat didn't trust her, and Iolite had all but stated that she knew of Thulite's affliction. The words echoed in her head: I've heard some of us old models are in a bad way. And then the only solution hit her with the power of a transrapid train. And she didn't like it one bit. Being dependant on another gem, especially a gem she had only known for such a short time, was something she usually avoided. But it wasn't like she had much of a choice left.

She moved closer to Iolite, as inconspicuously as she could."I can't let them know of my existence, or I'll be replaced", she hissed through clenched teeth. "Help me out of this mess and I swear I'll make it up to you."

She closed her eyes as soon as the words left her lips, and she silently prayed that this hadn't been a huge mistake, that Iolite wouldn't immediately call her out on attempted bribery.

[Paddy]

"Blow it up?!" Padparadscha's attention was brought away from Thulite for a moment. She couldn't imagine having to draw that much more attention to the area. Who knew how many other renegades had been lurking nearby, and who knew how many of them were just as crazy as the Broken Gem they'd already had to deal with. She looked between Howlite and Iolite. She wasn't sure of Howlite knew of the capabilities of newer models of Padparadscha sapphire, and it may not be wise to reveal them to 9XR. Iolite had already seen her abilities, and she didn't yet see Thulite as threatening enough to hide from. Still, perhaps I should just let them work this out between themselves...and get out of here!

The sapphire turned to Thulite once again, and realized there was an aura of agitation tinting every twitch of the gem's muscles. She hardly needed her analytical talents to see that the gem was apprehensive. Though she had agreed, something in Thulite's tone said that her intentions were somewhere on the opposite end of the spectrum from her words. "Good," The sapphire said, despite her rising wariness,"My vessel is over here," With that, Padparadscha turned her back and stepped toward the clearing she was parked in.

[Howlite]

Howlite sighed.

"Just like all the other Iolites. You lack ingenuity. These may look like a pile of junk but give me some time and I could put some good use to these. In fact, The Dreadnaught is made of scrap parts and she's the fastest vessel ever built. Even faster than red eyes."

He then had a crazy grin at yet next question.

"We're surrounded by highly explosive materials! All I gotta do is use my rifle to make a spark! Though we should leave so we don't all die in an inferno."

He looked at Thulite. He could sense her fear.

"What's he matter Missy? Afraid to go home? I don't blame you. I don't wanna go home either. I could keep you here if you'd like. Give you a job in Empire City. Diamonds would never have to know a thing."

[Iolite]

Iolite's face lit up with a grin. This seemed perfect, if she could get away with it. Deal. She whispered under her breath. She then continued the conversation with the other Gems, business as usual.
Ingenuity? The diamonds must be pretty ingenuitive to turn a lowly scout into a "Perfect Assassin" Saying perfect assassin with an extremely sarcastic voice.

I've heard of your raving lunacy, but we are not going to compromise our position by blowing this thing up, heck, it practically already is blown up, I doubt there's anything explosive left in that thing. While Iolite sure wouldn't mind baiting some crystal gems, she did not want it now, more important opportunities laid here. As much as she wanted to avoid more confrontation with Howlite, he stepped over the line.

Woah Woah Woah. Iolite stepped forward, putting her arm out in front of Thulite. You are not giving her a job here. Do you offer it to everybody? Heck, she probably doesn't know what a drink is!
She looked around, she needed to act fast to get what she wants. 

That's it, Thulite, we're leaving. She turned to Padparadscha, putting on a half-apologetic tone. Sorry about the report, but its best that we get what we can from her cave first, moving in will be a bother, so best we do it in one go, and plus, I hope she has some makeshift furniture in there, so I don't have to worry about it for a while. What can I say, I'm a tight-arse.


Iolite hoped that would go through, nothing about what she said was a direct lie, Iolite did want to make the move in one go and she was a bit of a tight-arse. 

[Paddy]

She halted her step, still facing the direction of the ship as she mulled over what she had just heard. "The report shouldn't take long, besides, we're already here," The sapphire said, her incredulous tone matched her narrowed eyes as she turned to face the other gems, her hands clasped cordially in front of her. There was always a moment when she would have to start putting on the pressure to get real answers, and now, that moment had come upon her fast. She'd hoped Thulite would comply, but all the same, it would be two gems against one if things were pushed too far-- She had to step lightly. "It will be useful for my report to document this cave. In the mean time, Thulite, you can help me build my report, which will tangentially tell your story. The board will surely want to investigate this incident, perhaps it will bring you some closure,"

She turned and walked up to the other gems, looking up at them with a wry smile. "So, where is this cave?" She brought out her analytical tools, and began punching more numbers and letters into her report. At the top of her report, the true name of the Thulite remained blank, though Padpara decided not to push that until she was given an opening. Investigation in the field was a cautious, slow paced endeavor, if it wanted to yield results. 

[Thulite]

Thulite shot Iolite a panicked glance. It wasn't working!
Padparadscha was still perfectly civil, of course, but she could tell that there was no way the aristocrat was letting this go. What should she do? There was no way she could just make a run for it, even if neither Iolite nor Howlite would follow her, Padparadscha had a vessel in perfect working condition at her disposal. The mere thought of attacking her made her feel sick, but it was of no use anyway, because Thulites weren't built for combat.
So she did what she always did in these situations: She clenched her teeth, followed orders and waited for everything to hopefully sort itself out along the way.
She could still count herself lucky. Padparadscha's request wasn't impossible to fulfill. Taking the gems to her cave would, apart from the humiliation of the others witnessing her living conditions, not be an issue. She had had the presence of mind to store all the incriminating details of her meddling only on her personal slate.
"I'm afraid there isn't much to document, but if you insist, I can take you there. It's a bit of a hike on foot, but I have the coordinates right here."
She gestured towards her screen.
"And I'm sorry to dissapoint, Iolite, but having comfortable furniture was the least of my worries. I wasn't planning on spending the rest of my existence in a hole."

[Howlite]

However laughed.

"Behold the might loyal! No money. Terrible living space. This is what your faction provides you. How pitiful. I shall come with you. At least then I can give you furniture. Then Thulite here won't have to sleep on the floor. Shall we be off?"

Suddenly Chibi Sulfur and Chibi Flurry appeared once again. Howlite pinched the bridge of his nose.

"why must you two be here?"

Sulfur gestured to Iolite.

"she must die. "

Howlite shook his head.

"no. "

Good thing only he could see and hear them. These were merely hallucinations. Flurry ran up next to Sulfur.

"no! Why are you so mean?!"

Sulfur scoffed.

"I represent Howlite's dark side. What did you expect? We are nothing more than his shattered brain trying to choose a path. "

Howlite chuckled.

"pretty much. "