Arctic Meltdown (C:7XB)

[Ari]

Balancing atop the snow and permafrost with her old snow-shoes was a feather-light, lanky arsenic; she was bundled in a thick dark coat, mostly because she liked the way it looked, but the air was frozen dry despite the efforts of the austere sun bearing down on the wasteland. The wind and snow had been fearsome just hours ago, burying any hope Ari had of finding the keys which had fallen from her pocket the last time she'd went sliding over the snow in this particular far-flung area of the arctic circle. She sighed as she attempted to retrace her tracks, despite the fact that her old tracks had long been swept over. Perhaps if she spent the next two-thousand years walking back and forth on the sparkling white plain, she might trip over them.


Though, that goal was secondary to her first; a scouting mission she had given herself to keep tabs on an installation, just kilometers away from her underground bunker. Again she ran in with a scourge, Homeworld gems, a whole gaggle of them clogging up her isolationist paradise with their busy work. "Why couldn't they pick the antarctic, why does it always have to be my back yard...second era clods the lot of em," She grumbled to herself as she watched her feet drag over the snow through her goggles. The worst part was that there weren't many options-- what would she tell them when they got there? Smooth talking was her only asset in such a situation, which she was confident in, but that could only get her so far.


7XB

[7XB]

The Quartz gem was much more attuned to the brutal, frigidly unforgiving environment that made the Earth’s great northern regions so lethally hazardous, their lack of aversion to the cold allowing them to operate where more fragile gems, and certainly the vast majority of humans, could not. In truth, 7XB actually found traversing the snowy wastes to be quite soothing, reigniting the faded memories of the icy world that the Quartz had been grown upon. They had never spent very much time there, and that ancient kindergarten had no-doubt been used up long ago, yet it was still a fond memory for them.

But it wasn't the opportunity to dwell upon the past that has brought the quartz soldier to this unforgiving corner of the Earth, but rather their duty, a duty that had been interrupted already by their encounter with the ever-troublesome Pyrope fusion. Their mission to recover lost gems had devolved into a hunt for corruptions, a task which they had undertaken with no less vigor than any other.

Their eyes peer hawkishly through the gently fallen snow, their great weight sinking through it with each step.

[Ari]

While staring at her dragging feet, the arsenic thought about what her plan of action was going to be. How could she uproot an entire operation like that without some help? It was just impossible, but if she didn't try, she'd have even more loyalists infesting her territory. She huffed, and looked upward to make sure she was still heading in the right direction; the position of the sun and the distant mountain ranges told her that she was still generally heading north. Harsh sunlight glinted from her metaloid goggles as she glanced around, but she froze as she realized there was movement.

She gave a sniff, and swiveled to look in the direction of the movement. Her goggles transposed and zoomed, attempting to give her a better look at what was going on over there; it must've been a bear, because she couldn't think of what else that huge and quick would be doing marching around near the arctic coast. However, she was still quite far inland, and frowned when she realized it were a more humanoid shape. "Stars, more of em!" She grumbled when it clicked for her. Few humans were crazy enough to embark on a journey this far into the wilderness without some manner of vehicle, so it had to be a gem-- though there were crazier things she'd seen happen while on Earth, and decided to take her chances. Rather than trying to hide, Ari simply started heading toward the figure. 

"Hey! You lost?" She called, voice echoing over the frozen Earth. It wouldn't be the first time she had found a lost gem wandering around up here. 

[7XB]

If their presence had been surprising to the arsenic, than her voice ringing out across the icy tundra was no less off-putting to 7XB- after they and the Pyrope fusion had parted ways, the Quartz had found themselves rather certain that they wouldn't come across another gem here, especially one so- judging by her appearance- so fragile. The quartz hoisted a thick brow, quickly pumping the breaks as to halt the forward motion of their immense weight. “No, not exactly,” they declared imperiously, arms crossing over their homebroad chest; It was hard to be lost when you werent headed anywhere in the first place.

“Though I could ask you the same thing.”

The quartz slipped easily into that serious, business-like demeanor..though that was made even easier by the fact that they hardly ever went without it. “What's a lone arsenic doing all the way up here?” It was very clear that the Quartz gem was already suspicious.

“Identify yourself, Arsenic. What are you doing here?” Perhaps today would not be a waste after all..

[Ari]

Continuing her approach while the gem called back to her, Ari narrowed her eyes a bit. Determining loyalties could be a difficult task these days, but she quickly pinned this gem; who else would so bluntly demand identification, if not a loyalist? As she neared it also became apparent that the gem was sporting the insignia of her former Diamond. On top of that, something else piqued her interest; there weren't many gems who would recognize her model. However, as she got closer, she realized she too recognized this model of gem.

"Well, well," Ari muttered to herself, and a grin curled at the corners of her lips. She waited until she was a few yards from the soldier to answer. The opaque, mirror like goggles reflected the image of the gem she was looking at, obscuring the face underneath,"Did you just walk in from the first era? Haven't seen one of your type in ages, probably not since the last demolition I got to see," She chuckled, but didn't take her uncanny gaze off of the soldier gem. The arsenic took a few steps forward, then turned her head and lifted the back of her hair, showing the embossed image of Yellow Diamond's insignia. Then she turned to face the clear quartz again, her smile grew,"I'm up here pulling weight for our esteemed sunny yellow chief, of course. I imagine you're doing much the same, clear quartz?" She flexed her hands, it had been so long since the last time she gave this salute. Her hands went up to form a diamond,"Arsenic 1V2D 2MD. You can call me 2MD if you like, but no one calls me that anymore," Her attempts to make a conversational approach masked something; it was difficult for the gem to keep her wry grin down as she came up with a new plan. 

[7XB]

Their scowl only grew wider at the arsenic gem’s little jab- 7XB needed no reminder that they were- quite likely- one of the last remaining examples of their kind, a distinction that carried with it a certain amount..as well as more than it's fair share of aged loneliness; the sapphire they'd fallen in with lately knew better than most. They resented the reminder a great deal, as well as the notion that, in addition to being rare, though something in the arsenic's tone made it seem as though she meant 'outdated’, and the insinuation that they were only good for, as she put it, 'demolition’. And the audacity of the tone she took when speaking of her own Diamond? That's what all but sold it for 7XB.

But they would have to play their cards right.

“I could say the same to you, “ they retorted with a chill that put their surroundings to shame. She was not of a particularly common type of gem, either- especially these days. “And what exactly is such an.. equally experienced gem doing out here, specifically, 2MD?”

[Ari]

To Ari it was all in good sport; her age was only a reminder that she was a survivor among her peers, and she seemed to be unable to read the tone of the quartz's expression of bitter distaste-- her grin remained, perhaps eerily so in contrast with the other gem's reaction,"Good question, we arsenic aren't often seen out in the daylight, chafes our antique vision spheres ya see," She tapped the lens of her goggles with one spindly finger,"Of course I've got some precautions. Stars, I wouldn't have noticed you from this distance without these things," As she continued with her conversational ramble, she wracked her brain for an explanation about what she was doing,"But you know, I'm not so inclined to give out my business to every gem who asks. How do I know you're not some conniving rebel, eh?" A laugh burst from her,"I kid-- you seem like an upstanding quartz, but it would be standard of you to introduce yourself and your own business too," 

She slid around on her snow shoes for a moment, shifting her weight onto her hip as she put her hand into her pocket. Despite the tone she'd taken she knew this could become a serious situation very quickly, and prepared herself to take off the moment anything seemed too much for her to handle. For now, the gem seemed reasonable enough to her,"I'm doing something classified," She shrugged,"I'll spill the beans when you do," 

[7XB]

It seemed the discomforting gem knew how to play the game- something that the secretive quartz could even respect to some degree: They were not one to divulge their own secrets, either, especially from a gem that they didn't know, but that wasn't going to make tm7XB cut this antique any slack. A gem like this, whether sent to this location by Yellow Diamond’s orders or not, would surely not have been sent out to such an inhospitable without some kind of quartzite security detail; Their glorious maker was not one to waste resources so frivolously.. extremely aged and out of date as they may be.

7XB certainly wasn't any younger or less battered than the other gem, if anything they were likely older, but they considered themselves a timeless design: pure and without many of the frills that ran rampant these days.

“I'm on a long-term assignment. Recovering lost assets. That's all you're going to get from me.” The merciless wind had changed direction, now, beating upon the quartz gem's back and shrouding the snallee gem from it's force.

[Ari]

Ari raised a brow as the clear quartz gave the bare minimum of information, and she stabilized herself against the gusting of wind, digging her snow shoes into the frost. "Hmm, classified too eh?" Ari's grin sobered a little as she caught whiff of how little the quartz seemed to trust her-- with good reason no doubt. The gem hadn't given their designation, but it was no matter, she could work with this. The bigger picture could be surmised from what was said, and the arsenic had to wonder if she was on the radar herself. Though, they seemed not to recognize her by sight or name, so she was in the clear for now. "Well it sounds like you've got an epic quest on your hands; Earth is teeming with stranded gems, or runaways who need a good slap to the back to straighten them out," She tapped the side of her head as she thought,"Speaking of runaways, I think a gem like you might actually benefit from knowing what I'm up to. Maybe you're heading the same place I am?" She smirked a little; that would make sense given there wasn't much else going on up here in the arctic.


Ari didn't wait for the gem to express interest in the information before she continued to ramble,"I'm a field tech engineer these days-- I make use of what resources I can find here to build prototype artifacts for our court," She pointed up toward the sky as she continued,"A few kilometers out, there is a great spot for catching plasma that Earth's magnetic field funnels in, I'd been keeping an eye on it," It had been a truly exciting prospect to have such powerful energy on hand, but someone was putting a damper on her excitement,"Thing is, we're not the only ones who noticed that spot. Rogue pink gems set up shop and have been building something over there for weeks, there's a whole bunch of off colors there at all times. Worst part is that they're all the lackies of a gem who is known to be specifically targeting yellow court. I'm just a lone operative, so I have to wait for the higher ups to do something about it-- you must've been sent to deal with the issue, eh?" Her grin widened,"Honestly, I'd be worried if they'd sent anyone else. One proper clear quartz could take on twenty pink court brats any day of the week, but I'm sure you're here for recon first," It was a bit of hyperbole, but she didn't doubt this yellow court veteran would make some trouble for the rogues she spoke of if given the chance.  

[7XB]

The quartz gem felt no need to give an account of themselves to this gem wandering about it the middle of absolutely nowhere, even if she claimed to be created by the same Diamond as themselves. Perhaps they would be proven wrong in the end, a scenario that 7XB would be more than willing to accept with proper evidence. As to what exactly that evidence may be, only time would tell. Their eyes lift skywards, synced with her own motions at the mention of a plasma harvesting operation.

The cruel, cold glare of the sun gazed down at them even now, peering imperiously through the snow-laden clouds. 7XB knew better than many the power that a single bolt of plasma could hold.

“I wonder what Padparadscha might make of all of this..” they murmered somewhat, almost entirely to themselves, reaching to thread their shaggy mane back.

Still, they were sceptical.

“Oh? If that's the case, why have I heard nothing of this so-called conspiracy before?” Even as their tone lingered upon condescending, the Quartz couldn't prevent the seed the Arsenic had planted from taking root. Had something slipped under their nose? Surely if Padparadscha had heard such a thing among the base, would they not have been made somehow aware?..

[Ari]

At mention of a padparadscha, Ari's brows floated-- then something clicked for her. She smirked, and stretched her arms before going on. Was this clear quartz the same one that had been mentioned in that sapphire's data logs? Once she was limbered, she spoke,"You wouldn't happen to be talking about 8QE would you? Well, when you get to the site I'm talking about, you could ask her," She shrugged, and her smirk vanished as her lips pressed together. The extent of the gamble she was making here became more apparent, but she couldn't go back on what she said-- though most of it was true anyway.


"I can't imagine that 8QE would blow her cover to a yellow court soldier, so that may be why you haven't heard of it, until now of course," Ari rubbed the back of her neck,"Certain Yellow Court adjuncts have been keeping an eye on her activities, especially after I found her little rogue building project. Depending on your clearance level, you might be able to access the case files." Both of her hands went into her pockets, and she stared off toward the north east,"Make no mistake, that little off color is more dangerous than she looks. You might be the only type of gem who could handle taking her down anyway,"

[7XB]

When the realization, the recognition, hit, it did so like a ton of bricks into their gut, causing 7XB to freeze so suddenly that it almost seemed as if the dreadful, etheric chill of the arctic had finally penetrated their bones. “What..” they had heard what the wry arsenic had said, though they said as much out of habit, or perhaps a desire , a wish, that they had misheard, What are you talking about?” The quartz demanded this information rather harshly, clipping off the end of whatever it was she was trying to say. Surely there must be other Padparadschas out there in the galaxy, they tried to reason with themselves, and perhaps even a handful amongst Pink Diamond's court with enough malice and jealousy for Yellow Diamond to plot against her..

But none of them could have possibly shared the same designation as Her, could they? A deep, suspicious dread was building in their stomach; She wouldn't..no she would never just..

No, the quartz knew better, despite their struggle, than to accept the word of a gem they'd just met over Padparadscha- despite their shared Diamond. There..was only one way to know.

“I..I hope you have something better than heresay to back up this accusation, 2MD. I don't want my time wasted.” Underneath that stoic facade, they were increasingly unsure. “Show me.”

[Ari]

Her head canted forward,"Well, I don't exactly have the clearance to show you the case files-- I might be able to get you in contact with someone who does if you're willing to look into it," She shrugged, and stepped off, heading in the direction she was looking. Mountain peaks lined the horizon, the arsenic engineer contemplated quietly as she looked over them. Then, she thought about whether she should take her leave now, or wait to see what might happen as a result of this chance encounter. Her eyes, still shrouded by the opaque goggles, flicked to scan over the clear quartz once again. If this was the same gem she saw in those records, then it could be mighty interesting to see what happened-- all the same, she wasn't about to be caught in the crossfire. 


"The site is that way if you want to see for yourself, it's a long walk but easy to find. You really can't miss twenty quartz digging a huge hole in the ice, there are a couple others around too you'll want to look out for when you get there. I don't recognize their models at all, so I don't know what heat they're packing. Must be fresh cuts anyhow, I'm sure you could handle them. As for 8QE, if you stick around long enough you might spot her," The real her, or as close to that as this quartz would get. 

Wadded up in her pocket was her artificer's belt. She tapped it, drew her hand from her pocket, and in it materialized an artifact; a sky-blue disk, sparkling in the sunlight like frost. However, the entire flat plane had fractures coursing through it, and at its center, a cracked geode. She hovered for a moment, just in case this gem needed anything else from her before she spirited off. 

[7XB]

Hazy eyes cut immediately towards where the much smaller gem had indicated, hesitating upon the bleak, stormy horizon uncertainly.. before sliding immediately back to the gem as she prepared to hastily take her leave. Such a thing should have only reaffirmed the untrustworthiness of this mouthy arsenic gem- if they left now and it turned out that she was lying, even 7XB might never locate such a small, quick target again before it was too late. All logic was telling them that they should detain her until further notice, if only to ensure she was who she claimed to be.

But..

They turned towards the horizon again as if drawn by the force of a magnet, frowning subtly. They may come to regret it later, but they had to know for sure whether or not 2MD’s claims carried any weight. With ever-fierce determination, the Quartz made to trudge headlong into the shifting wind..towards the truth, they hoped.

Already their stomach was churning; What would they do if they did find the sapphire there? Was that, alone, enough to condemn her?..Had she been using them all this time? Already, snow seared off their flesh..

[Ari]

Her offer was turned down, but it was probably better for the clear quartz that way. They would find out from the source herself, though Ari had to doubt 8QE was the sort of gem who would tell all-- especially to a gem on the side of the enemy. Of course, the arsenic wasn't all the way sure what was going on in that gem's head either; it had been quite some time since she last spoke with an eight-series padparadscha after all. The arsenic watched as the soldier trudged through the snow for a moment, a bit impressed that they were willing to walk all that way without snow shoes. She gave a sigh of relief that the gem hadn't recognized her name or tried to capture her. Hopefully the risk she had taken in revealing so much to this gem would pay off, and if they could some how get the operation to stop altogether, it would be an ideal situation. 

The gem took a moment to try to remember where her keys might be. They could be anywhere on the planet, which wasn't entirely comforting. She then leaned down and gently set the cracked artifact onto the top of the snow, stepped onto it, and in a flash of azure light, she disappeared along with the portable warp pad.