Meet your Maker (C: PD, Howl)

[Paddy]

Padparadscha stood straight-backed, arms crossed, with a venomous smirk curling across her lips. Her glinting eyes settled on the blue gem, encased securely inside of a pink bubble. Since the day she'd first run into this defective traitor, she'd relished the thought of being able to bring him to face the wrath of her Diamond. It almost felt too good to be true that she was here now, ready to finally turn the tables on this violent offender who had so often interfered with Homeworld's affairs. She and the Pink Zircon she'd worked with on this case had the evidence they needed to wash away all doubts about who this gem was, and what he'd done to deserve to be here today.


Surrounded by a platoon of burly amethyst guards, and her pearl, Padparadscha reached out and lifted the gem from its perch inside of the holding cell, and guided it along. Though she could have perhaps delegated this task, she decided that she wanted to personally bring the detainee to the court-- a somewhat showy metaphor for her triumph over the elusive, yet disturbingly ubiquitous defect. As she neared the chamber where the trial would be underwent, her smirk unraveled into a wicked smile. She savored the sound of marching footsteps that echoed from the walls. If the quartz guards around her were put off by her giddy display, she didn't care. However, she wrangled her expression into one more somber when she stepped in front of the open door to the judicial court. 

Already the Zircons had arranged themselves on opposite sides of Pink Diamond's throne. The amethysts dispersed, taking up positions near the door and along the walls, and her servant shuffled to stand beside the plaintiff's podium. The platform was ready for the containment of 9XR; the sapphire strode up, and released the bubble onto the defendant's podium. She turned, and made her way over to her own designated position, a pop in her step as she tried to keep her self-satisfaction from showing over the surface.

[Howlite]

Howlite formed in a courtroom. He straightened his tie and looked at Paddy. Then he looked at a Zircon who approached him. Howlite raised an eyebrow.

"Who the hell are you?"

The Zircon shivered.

"I'm Z-Zircon. I'm here to represent you in the case."

Howlite chuckled.

"Up yours. I'll represent myself."

The Zircon sighed in relief.

"Maybe I won't be shattered after all."

She promptly left as Howlite stretched. He looked at Pink Diamond.

"Well, well, well. Little Miss large and in charge. Pink Diamond herself. I had a feeling you'd be my judge in this whole thing. Though I'm a little disappointed. I had hoped my Diamond had the guts to come do this herself. But oh well. One can never expect Yellow Diamond to actually accomplish something."

[Order Of The Diamonds]

((For the sake of posterity and a vote from before, we will assume that Pink Diamond has a appearance like this 66.media.tumblr.com/1eb386a4620450bf694422643c1c46d4/tumblr_ocuv10E0Us1td2i7qo1_500.png this may change but for now it gives us all a idea of how she looks))


The Small Pink Pearl had appeared first in a small display of Warp Light, she spoke softly but still projecting across the Room

"All Rise For the Radiant Pink Diamond" She commanded before a second light appeared behind her, sitting in the chair now was a figure the tower figure of a Diamond, her legs crossed and her arms delicately placed on the side arms of her throne. The lids of her eye lay dormant across of pupils her head bowed down ever so slightly. It was a strange sight,so see her without the symphony of Screens that usually adorned around her throne. Her Eyes opened slowly,revealing her piercing Pink Gaze, the Diamond pupils driving forward like the endless abyss of a Black Hole. She looked around the room slowly,noting everyone of interest was present and accounted for, her lips parted as she opened her mouth to speak, Howlite struck at it first. She paused looking down at the gem with a tinge of amusement.

"I will assume by your un-placated grousing that you have elected to disregard due course and abstain from using the Zircon I presented to you?" She questioned slowly, completely unphased by his brashness and caustic attitude "And really please do refrain from the petty insults, if not for my sake, at least for your own presentability, show some pride and wit in your defiance at least" She added, seemingly thinking for a moment and speaking once more "Actually Pearl if you can Transcript this event onwards that would be convenient." She noted to her Pearl.

"of course my Diamond" Pearl replied.

[Paddy]

As Pink Pearl made the announcement, Padparadscha, her own pearl, as well as Pink Zircon, stood and threw up perfectly timed diamond salutes. Then, they moved into position. When Howlite fired his zircon on the spot, and began spouting disrespect for her Diamond, Padparadscha tilted her head in his direction, a slender brow arched. That he would treat this as if it were just another brawl in that seedy club of his rankled the sapphire's nerves. But, she almost cracked a smile when her Diamond regarded 9XR with a cool-headed insouciance. The defect had delusions of being on par with the leaders of Homeworld, but it was clear who commanded more power in the room.


The case was clear cut; her and Pink Zircon had determined that after going over the evidence and all witness accounts. Now that he'd shed his chance for a case lawyer, it wasn't certain whether Howlite had any witness or evidence of his own. From here out, Howlite's attitude could only serve to shrink any chance he had to make a break for himself. It was ever more difficult for Padparadscha to suppress her grin as Pink Zircon cast a sidelong glance to Howlite, then moved in to make an opening statement.

"My lustrous Diamond," The zircon began, with a deep bow. Then, she gestured back to the defendant, "Howlite Facet 57ZD Cut 9XR, a dangerous defect who stands accused of a list of heinous crimes against Homeworld. Firstly, dereliction and neglect of duty; 9XR has refused to carry out the function for which he was sent to Earth during his time there, in favor of pursuing his own selfish goals. Misconduct, wanton shattering; Our witnesses can confirm that he repeatedly committed vile acts of torture and off-the-record shatterings not connected with orders from his Diamond. Finally, evasion of law and treason; Our witnesses will be able to confirm that the gem himself has professed to shedding his loyalties with the Great Diamond Authority, and has colluded with fugitive figure heads. 9XR has, on several occasions, evaded Homeworld law enforcers, and disrespected their authority over him. Your luminous majesty, the prosecution believes that this defective gem can no longer be allowed to roam the universe, due to his
abominable crimes and volatile nature." Pink Zircon turned toward Howlite, hands clasped behind her back, awaiting his own opening statement now that his lawyer was off the case. 

[Howlite]

Howlite couldn't help but laugh at Pink Diamond.

"Wow.... Im starting to see why the invasion hasn't happened yet."

He laughed even harder at the Zircon's charges.

"Im sorry i shouldn't laugh. Its just that you honestly give a crap about your petty charges. Now then, My Diamond I ask you this, you and your sisters made us right? Each gem was made for a specific purpose. And a Howlite's purpose is assassination. So me assassinating countless gems is me fullfilling my purpose. And yes I left. Because I was sick of the Diamond's calling the shots. What made them in charge? They aren't perfect, if they were I wouldn't even exist now would I?"

He looked at the Zircon with a soulless expression.

"I hope you realize the mistake you made today. Because once I'm outta here... I'm coming for you."

[Order Of The Diamonds]

"Technically I am the judge and jury here, you should be arguing for my favour and less arguing against me. Regardless you points do nothing in your own defence and are flimsy at best" Pink Diamond rattled off, still bemused by the Howlite gem that stood before her "Let me counter your first point with another point, does a Quartz who punches everyone they meet considered as 'fulfilling their purpose', Does a Peridot whom can't resist taking apart everything they see considered to be 'fulfilling her purpose', does a Zircon who cant stop debating everything with everyone, considered to be fulfilling her purpose. In all three cases the answer is obvious, No, because a gem who prioritises their 'purpose' over their orders, is not infact fulfilling there intended role, there needs to be control because your job is the target the RIGHT gems, you job is not to decide WHO those gems are." She let out a small sigh, shaking her head slightly.

"A Fire eater must eat fire, even if she must be the one to kindle it herself" she mused.

"as with your second point,of course natural deviation exists within certain ranges, as with any society it is illogical to focus your margin of error down to less then 1%, because at that point you eliminating more then your creating, and if said deviations are rarely detrimental to the societies needs, then it is redundant to cull them. Granted though quelling and minimising defects are exactly what my division focuses on" She glanced around "You will forgive me for my societal lesson but its important for context, and proves my point that you think too small and don't think like a leader" Again she gestured back around the room.



"Everyone here is a defect in one form or another, because again natural deviations exists,deviations that don't effect how they function. Any gemstone that is not pure and Clear, is technically a defect, as shocking as it is,myself included, but yet we are all still here because Gems smarter then you,older then you, better then you understood what was needed to expand our empire and shattering gems for minor defects, was not the course of action that we needed to take. " She explained.

"To put it simply though, myself and my Sister are in charge for a reason, because like you,like our whole world, WE were made for a Caste," She stood up out of her throne, pointing at the Guards first "Like a Quartz will Guard and attack, Like a Bismuth will Build and Create, WE the Diamonds will lead and conquer. For the might of ALL of Gem society." Her voice echoed through the chamber, her voice shifted back to her normal volume as she spoke once more "So you exist Calcium Borosilicate Hydroxide, because, sometimes you have to have a little bit of grime to oil the gears of a perfect society so to speak, or do I have to remind you that you only existed because my Sister happen to find a use for your particular physiological and physical Defect" She whispered as she sat back down on her throne


"Back on Topic though, and for the sake of due course, can the prosecution officially present their evidence of his Crimes and any major eyewitnesses they have at the ready, while i have gotten several reports for myself, in the case of this court room i am acting as judge, as such my own opinions of the defendant will remain irrelevant and void as evidence in the court case. So Zircon if you will please continue presenting your case in the matter of Calcium Borosilicate Hydroxide aka Howlite,classification Facet 57ZD Cut 9XR VS Gem Society, Earth Colony Under Myself,Pink Diamond" She asked.

[Paddy]

The sapphire was very satisfied with the rebuttal, but as her Diamond continued, she found herself more drawn to the words themselves rather than the gem or context the words were aimed at. Her widened gaze was fixed on the ruler, whose voice demanded the attention of the room. 

For the short centuries that she'd served, Padparadscha had struggled to define herself properly within the bounds of her caste. She was nobility, given due respect, and did her job without hesitation. Despite it, she'd always felt as an impostor; somewhere between an experiment and a pure gem, but not quite either. However, she'd never gone so far as to think of herself as defective. There was a head-rush that went with the insights coming from the sonorous words of her beloved leader. She was floored, hearing Pink Diamond's thoughts on the subject, to make an admission that perhaps only a Diamond could make. Of course, the notions were correct-- after all, how could Padparadscha's own existence be excusable otherwise? This had already been a much more eye-opening endeavor than the sapphire had previously anticipated it would be. She crammed her amazement down, and tried to refocus on the task at hand.

Pink Zircon regarded 9XR's comments with a furrowed brow and stiff upper lip, then quickly turned away to bow for her Diamond. "Your luminosity." She stepped out, and again gestured toward the gem in question,"As you can see, the defendant is a danger to those around him. How brazenly he would not only insult his superiors, but make empty threats in front of an entire entourage of executives and enforcers," The zircon swiveled on her heels to face Howlite and took a step nearer to him. If she were intimidated by his threat, it didn't show overtly. "The worth of a gem is in their ability to serve the empire, as intended. As her honor has pointed out, the magnanimous Diamond Authority has need of gems who will fit their caste to the best of their ability. 9XR is, in of himself, the picture of instability and vanished potential in this regard. This gem seems to have no interest in being redeemed-- already he has easily admitted to the shedding of his loyalties, putting clearly into words the fickle chaos, not to mention the sheer impudence, that drives him." She cleared her throat, then sauntered around the podium, the corner of her lip tugging downward.

"This abhorrent nature has led him to turn on his own kind, in some of the most gruesome and horrific ways imaginable. This point can be illustrated most deftly with an oral account. I call to the stand our first witness, her clarity Pink Sapphire." The zircon turned to face the witness stand. Padparadscha lifted her chin, anticipating the appearance of Pink. 

[Pink Sapphire]

Pink had appeared on the stand, prepared to unveil her account on the very gem she was speaking against, the most cold-blooded gem she had ever seen, Howlite. Or in the cases of detachment, 9XR.

It was nerve-racking, looking at the gem, whom she had seen the result of the monster tearing apart an Iolite, and then barely letting them escape. Mind you though, he wasn't as threatening as before, though there was reasons for that.

Taking a deep breath, her expression went blank as she recalled what she had seen, her voice stumbling for a moment as she spoke out against a gem, that could of very well done to her as he had done to the Iolite.

"...I-I had crashed on this planet, only to discover that three hours earlier, 9XR and an Iolite had gotten into a fight, and 9XR, was the victor. When I followed them to 9XR's fort, after listening to him explain the atrocities he would commit to the Iolite, I was met with her chained up, t-torn to threads beyond any gem's capability to resist releasing its form. Then, as he threatened to do to me as the Iolite had suffered, we attempted an escape, in which, we barely s-survived..." Her words continuing to stumble as she finished, trying to keep her expression as neutral as possible.

However, a tear had formed in the corner of her eye, as she once again had to recount what had transpired. She hated this gem, and while it seemed that Paddy had everything 'in the bag.' She feared that this trial could go down hill, if he went mad.

If that was all that was required of her, she would return to her original position.

((Not sure how to proceed, i'll adjust if this conflicts with anything.))

[Howlite]

Howlite laughed psychotically. He then stood up.

"How funny! I was gonna use her as a witness as well!"

He approached Pink and chuckled.

"Well since you're familiar with my true self. Allow me to take off this charming mask."

His eyes went black and his teeth became sharp and pointed.

"Much better. Now tell me something Pink Sapphire, do you have any idea who you're talking to? What I did to Iolite was child's play compared to what I had planned for later. Same for you. But I ask you this: would a Diamond do anything better? They'd shatter you. Gem shards retain their sentience. I've seen it first hand. Imagine being trapped. Struggling to find the rest of yourself. An eternal hell. At least with me you'd be given time to regenerate between sessions."

[Order Of The Diamonds]

Pink Diamond rolled her eyes as Howlite,did whatever he did to change his face. She was neither impressed or amused by his little display as she cut in as soon as Howlite finished "Your little charade does not impress Howlite, and i will take this time to remind you that any continued intimidation attempts to members of this court will be met with a immediate Flashpoint of your form." She clicked her finger,causing the air around them to ignite in a small,albeit bright and intense combustion. "You have been warned"

she paused and then continued back on topic "Its all a very impressive argument Howlite" She replied with a tinge of sarcasm "except,its not, in fact its probably a fairly significant logical fallacy. You have neglected to mention the fact that we do not and generally will not shatter gems without a proper cause, and even then its usually overturned due to being a waste of resources, a gem can be used for other purposes, shards can not, and even in the situation that we DO fragment a gemstone we keep them stored in containment" With a swish of her hand a pink bubble appeared "Pure stasis,no sentience,no pain, just dormant, and if you and those insistent little Crystal Gems had not interrupted our research on the planet, even fragmenting would of became temporary" his fist closed bursting the bubble. Her gaze snapped back down at Howlite.

"I'm growing impatient Rebel" Her voice rose again "If it was any of my sister you would of been destroyed as soon as your were captured, I elected to give you a trial, a far chance to defend yourself and you have not presented even a shard of evidence to try and defend or disprove your crimes, your flawed arguments and feeble grasping at what little you understand of the greater intricacies of our society are getting old fast" Her voice boomed, a firm reminder that despite her generally calm disposition she too was on equal power and  as equally dangerous to cross as her sisters. "The evidence is overwhelming against you,so Is that your final argument for your case, or do you have a more proper defence that doesn't rely on Strawmaning or saying 'but the Diamonds do X'?" She questions sharply.

[Paddy]

The sapphire kept her eyes trained on the witness as she spoke. Though they had already discussed the testimony in private, her nerves stirred. She knew Pink Sapphire had a hard time recounting the visions and experiences that she had in connection to 9XR. But, she kept her expression neutral, because she also knew that there wasn't much that could go wrong at this point. When the other pink-court sapphire finished her account, Padparadscha's shoulder tension dropped.

Then, it rose again as Howlite made his way across the room to rough up her witness. Her eyes flickered to the guards standing around the room, then settled on Pink Diamond as her voice pierced the tense moment. The sapphire allowed herself to be more at ease as her Diamond went on, but she focused intently on the words. As a court affiliate, she knew the way things worked there quite well, and admired the elegant system which had been put into place, but her brows floated up as mention of the research on Earth was made. The prospect of creating a universe where shattering wouldn't be permanent was astounding, and to hear that the rebels had impeded something so significant, so revolutionary, was more fuel for the flame of her despise for them.

As Pink Diamond moved on, the zircon as well as the sapphire turned to face Howlite. It was certainly unclear if he had anything prepared, though with the ease that he had fired his own representative, Padpara had to assume that there was something up his sleeve. Whatever it was, she didn't know whether it would be enough to save him. Though she usually went out of her way to suggest rehabilitation in the cases that she took part in, for this instance, the sapphire was keenly aware of her own burning wish to see this gem punished.

[Howlite]

Howlite chuckled.

"Well you see Pink Diamond, I'd probably be a lot more focused if I actually gave a damn about this trial. Luckily I have a witness who hopefully can calm your nerves."

1XR entered the room. He was a common Howlite. White skin with grey hair in a crew cut. His gem was in a square shape on his left shoulder blade. His eyes were grey as granite and filled with megalomania. Other than that he looked exactly like his blue counterpart. He stood up at the stands and Howlite smiled.

"1XR, please tell Pink Diamond who you are."

He nodded. His voice was charming and seductive, another trait the two hunters shared.

"My name is Howlite Facet 57ZD Cut 1XR. I am 9XR's Alpha. I watched as a rouge Peridot tried to upgrade our species by creating 9XR."

Howlite smiled.

"And you've spent a long time with me yes?"

1XR nodded. But there was something Howlite didn't account for... 1XR's hunger for power. He wasn't going to let some weapon ruin his chances at claiming the throne.

"Yes. Long enough to know that you're too dangerous to be left alive!"

Howlite's jaw dropped.

[Paddy]

It was surprising enough that 9XR had the foresight to commission his own witness, but for it to be one of his old comrades was another matter. Padparadscha was, for the first time in this entire endeavor, legitimately worried. The appearance of 1XR was troublesome-- a gem she'd never met nor seen, but one that would surely have a preference for his compatriots? One who may even be able to make a pass at helping her opponent be redeemed? It was apparent that 1XR himself had never committed treason, at least to her own knowledge. If he were an upstanding gem, who would risk putting himself on the line in order to make a case for this defective traitor, then could they have something up their sleeves? 

As the accused questioned his witness, these expectations were quickly flipped onto their backs. The sapphire's concerns were washed away by her utter confusion at the turn of events. It was unprecedented, as far as she knew, for a witness to turn on their own in the court. Was there some kind of trick to it? Was it a joke? If so, she failed to see the punchline. She was so flabbergasted that she almost forgot about the other strange thing she'd heard come from the mouth of 1XR-- but she didn't. There were so many questions she had that couldn't be answered in this context. Could it be that there was something else running under the surface of all of this, something more sinister? A chill went down her spine as she looked up to the witness stand.

Pink Zircon swiveled her shoulders toward Padparadscha, her brows pulled together. She leaned in to whisper something to the sapphire, who nodded her head slowly as the lawyer spoke. Then, the sapphire gave her quiet response. With that, Pink Zircon leaned back up, and with her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes swept across the room. She regarded the pair of howlites, the soldiers lining the room, the two other pink-court gems at the prosecution stand, then finally her eyes settled on the enormous gem-ruler perched on her throne, Pink Diamond.

"I will begin a cross-examination, your honor," The zircon said as she bowed to her leader. Then, she sauntered up toward the witness stand,"It is certainly strange for the defendant's witness to make claims that would, apparently, be in the favor of the prosecution. Due process has been interrupted, but one has to wonder why. Many gems in this room might agree that 9XR is, in fact, too unpredictable, too out of control, too dangerous to be allowed freedom. But, Alpha 1XR, what events have transpired that have lead you, as his team leader, to come to this conclusion? You also claim to have witnessed the creation of 9XR at the hand of a rogue Peridot. How did a gem too dangerous to be left alive end up here in the first place?"

It was clear that Yellow Diamond had made some kind of clearance for the existence of 9XR, but how had his creation gone unsupervised before hand? It was very suspicious, and might lead down a rabbit hole that none of them had anticipated. But, whatever 1XR answered could be used against the defendant, that much was certain. 

[Howlite]

1XR nodded.

"Yes. You see, the Peridot who created him wasn't the same one who made the rest of my pack. She said that she was improving our design. Stronger, faster, and smarter. She said she wanted to give him the speed of a Howlite but the strength of a whole pack. Once 9XR was created, I took it as my responsibility to make sure he was useful to the Diamond Authority."

He began to cry crocodile tears.

"I did the best he could. But he was too unstable. Too violent. Yellow Diamond let him loose on her enemies and he slaughtered them without mercy. But there were times where it wasn't just enemies that were slain. No one could stop him. Luckily I was able to program him to require orders. To require someone to guide him in order to be stable. The program was designed so that as long as someone he cared about was around, he'd be completely stable. Then Yellow Diamond sent him to Earth alone. And here we are."

He chocked a sob.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I did the best I could Pink Diamond."

[Order Of The Diamonds]

Her hand resting on her chin,the glorious Diamond has elected at least for the moment to allow the trial to continue under its own momentum,despite the turn of events,and the somewhat of a mess it became she allowed the cross examination to occur along with allowing the new witness in, even elected to stay quiet and she heard the other Howlite story,although she had...doubts, agendas become somewhat apparent when you words can easily rid yourself of a target without your hands getting dirty, but at this point she kept it at a hunch and made a mental note to have surveillance placed on 1XR,or at least have someone keep an eye on her,more was occurring behind the scenes then she liked.  She remained silent,letting the room linger in silence before talking

"Thank you X1R, you may leave" she replied glancing once again around the room "At this point i think its rather apparent of the situation, all things considered I would assume that any further evidence or defence on 9XR's would end up digging themselves a deeper hole.As i mentioned before i am growing tired of this charade and considering that your 'defence' if you can even call it that, openly testified against you and your activities i am going to step in and end this here" She concluded "Even if your instability came from circumstances of your form, and these outbursts are uncontrolled it still neither explains nor justifies your continuously rebellious and malicious behaviour  on Earth,the fact you were aligned with a faction more then proves that you had the mental faculties to distinguish and friend from a foe for a long enough duration to report back to Homeworld as planned, it also shows that your decision to rebel was done when you had full capabilities to evaluate your situation and decide the correct and proper response. Despite this you still defected from Homeworld,lead a invasive force on my Planet and disrupted countless missions and activities on that planet." She explained


"Calcium Borosilicate Hydroxide, aka Howlite Facet 57ZD Cut 9XR, in the Matter of Howlite Versus Gem Society, Earth Colony, You have been Found Guilty of multiple counts of neglecting Duty,Misconduct, wanton shattering,High Treason and evading the law among many other charges." She Judged moving placing her arms back onto the side of her throne as she spoke "Normally Your Punishment Would Be Shattering, however you present a unique situation for us, Your Sentence of Shattering Will be Postponed,replaced with indefinite Imprisonment,You will be interviewed and asked to give as much information as you can about your faction,the others members and the situation on Earth,this doesn't have to be a interrogation provided that you cooperate. After this your Sentence May be re-evaluated and downgraded to High Security Imprisonment." She issues her ultimatum in her formal and standard tone, all things considered she was being rather merciful in this situation, she would get the information one way or another though,it was up to Howlite to decide how difficult or arduous that would be on his side.

"Case Concluded" She Stated "Padparadscha Sapphire can you please stay behind for a moment" She added as she waited to see if Howlite had any parting words.

She glanced at Howlite and with a Snap of her Fingers the air around him ignited in a contained Flashpoint,For a moment the brightness would light the entire room up before it would recede, it would be painless for Howlite,the air molecules igniting so quickly around him and disintegrating his form smoothly and near instantly,almost as if he had simply been transported next to the sun, the heat while destroying his form left his gemstone perfectly intact and undamaged. She nodded at the Quartz guards indicating for one to Bubble it and take it to a cell "unseal him once he is in his cell and let him stew for a while, we need to call in a Mica Eye Quartz Interrogator anyway".