Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing Jasper Facet-9 Cut-3DH thought was warm. Everything was so warm. It felt like whatever was surrounding her was melting. She could feel it slide past her flexing arms and push on her gem.

The next thing she noticed was how dark it was. The only thing she could see was tiny flickers of something bright. Probably the same thing surrounding me, she thought. She could also tell that she was moving. She didn't know where, but what she would later find out to be molten sandstone was clearly flowing out of her way. She was content in her dark and warm space, it was the only place she knew in her few short minutes of sentience.

Until suddenly it wasn't.

Now others who witnessed it might describe it as something incredible, seeing a massive quartz burst out of the side of a cliff already flexing her massive muscles while molten rock flies around her. Jasper would describe it much differently. She would describe it as suddenly being thrown out of the only place she knew, into somewhere much brighter and much colder and much louder. Once her vision got used to the much higher level of light, all she saw was war. Others who looked like her fighting others who didn't. Shouting from every side mixed with screeching of weapons clashing and the thuds of gems of all sizes being thrown into the dirt. She was only snapped out of her confused staring by a voice calling from her left.

"Hey there new girl, glad you could join the party," as Jasper looked towards the sound, she saw a much smaller person who looked like a deflated version of herself. "I'd give you a full intro, but as you can see we're in the middle of something so I'll make this quick. Attack anyone who isn't wearing our uniform, protect the ones who are. Got that newbie?"

"O-Ok," Jasper shakily replied. As she turned back towards the chaos she noticed a smaller purple gem running at her. No uniform she noticed, and prepared to fight. Once the newcomer got close to Jasper, she drew a hammer out of the gem on her forearm and swung it towards Jasper's face. For the first time ever Jasper summoned her helmet to protect herself from the blow. After the hit bounced off she recalled it and froze for a second. Once the shock wore off she started punching and kicking whenever it felt right. To any outside observers it would have been obvious that she had no clue what she was doing, but it worked. Before long her foe disappeared in a puff of smoke.

As Jasper looked around to find her attacker, she noticed a tiny red gem struggling against a much larger gray one with rainbow hair. She remembered the second part of her orders, to protect the others. As she hurried over to her struggling comrade, all she could think about is why? Why was she here? Where was here? Why was she fighting these people? She knew she would get answers eventually, but that didn't mean she was any less curious.

The moment she got close enough to she slammed into her new enemy, forcing them off of the much smaller gem. "Thanks dude," her new ally said as she got up, "names Carnelian by the way."

"Jasper Facet-9 Cut-3DH," Jasper replied, too busy watching her opponent get up to be able to properly introduce herself. "You're a big one, ain't ya?" she said, finally back up. "I'll smash ya all the same!" And off they went, two of the biggest non-fusion gems brawling it out in the red dust. While the smaller of the two definitely had much more skill and experience, she couldn't hope to be able to keep up with Jasper's sheer strength in close combat. Within a matter of minutes the gray gem gave one last hammer bash to the side of her face and fled.

As Jasper stood and caught her breath, all she could think about was the rush of adrenaline the fight gave her. "That, was awesome," she breathed out. After catching her breath she looked back into the seas of clashing gems with new vigor.

As excited as she was, none of her next fights ever gave her the same rush. It came close when she fought against a massive pink and green gem with four arms, but even that didn't quite meet her expectations. It was overall disappointing to her, but it wasn't all bad. She met new comrades that came in a variety of shapes and sizes. One that had arms that stretched to her ankles and another missing her left leg, but they all fought just as hard as Jasper did.

As the fighting reached its natural conclusion, all Jasper could think about was how she was finally going to get her answers. That was, until a new, much less friendly voice suddenly screeched from seemingly everywhere. "To those of you miserable defects who didn't die, collect as many gems and shards as you can carry and convene at the main base. NOW, that's an order!"

To Jasper, it looked like every other gem around her was just as confused. None of them knew who this person was or why they were being told to do this or where the "main base" even was. As she looked around towards the gems she was supposed to protect, she finally noticed that in the waning light of the sunset gems and gem shards alike sparkled like stars in the endless sea of red sand. They all decided to just do as they were told and started to pick up whatever sparkling pieces were nearby with varying levels of success. Eventually, when they couldn't pick up any more pieces without risk of dropping their loads, they decided to just pick a direction and walk.

Luckily, it seemed as though they chose the right direction when they saw a break in the endless red walls. Nestled at the end of the canyon was a gray building made with stones the size of topazes and sheets of metal as thick as rubies. The only way in was through a set of massive steel doors, flanked on both sides by topazes the size of Jasper herself. After being cleared to go in, her and the other quartzes around her made their way into the ominous building.

Once inside, they saw a stark difference to the outside. While the outside was a dark dull gray, smeared with sandstone dust and rust, the inside was a light pink with not a speck of dust in sight. Jasper and her group made their way through equally clean hallways, occasionally seeing lanky green gems with ridiculous hairstyles and visors pass by them.

Eventually, after spending a few minutes arguing in a fork and consulting a map, they made their way into the main portion of the bunker. It was a massive room with catwalks to higher floors visible. It was the same light pink as the hallways. The middle of the floor had a massive insignia depicting four diamonds, one white, one yellow, one blue, and one pink, all arranged in a diamond formation. On one wall there were three massive screens, with multiple of those green gems at each screen. Standing by them, a much larger gem with green and white skin and a matching pink uniform was watching the screens.

"It took you far too long to do this simple task, but as it is your first day I will show you some leniency. My name is Moss Agate Facet-1T9S Cut-9FB, but you are to refer to me as "My Agate" from this point forward. I will be your commander for the foreseeable future." As she finished her sentence she turned around and faced towards the growing company of quartzes. "I'm sure many of you have questions, and I will answer the most important first. You are all quartzes, soldiers made to fight. You serve Homeworld, and more specifically your diamond, the ever gracious Pink Diamond. Your purpose is to serve your diamond and help bring an end to this growing rebellion. There is a group of extremists called the Crystal Gems led by a rogue Rose Quartz who wish to tear down the carefully built structure of Homeworld. It is your duty to stop that, defending Homeworld with your life. Any of you caught siding with the rebels will be immediately shattered, got it?"

"Yes, My Agate." every quartz said somewhat simultaneously. "Good, now you are all to take the shards and gems you have collected down the hallway on your right," she gestured towards the hallway in question, "and put them onto the conveyor belt at the end of the hallway before reporting back here. I expect you to all form three ranks of five when you return." And with a final gesture, she returned her attention back to the screens, now showing what appeared to be various charts and graphs.

After waiting for a second to see if they would be given any more orders, all of them turned and went down the hallway. At the end they found their promised conveyor belt, and they all unceremoniously dumped their loads before turning around and making space for the next load. Once it was Jasper's turn, she followed suit before moving off to the side to get out of the way. "Psst, hey, big girl, remember me?" A voice said to her left. As she turned to look, she saw the same deflated looking gem that had given her her first order. "Well, even if you don't, my name's Jasper Facet-9 Cut-3DI, nice to meet you."

"Jasper Facet-9 Cut-3DH," she said shortly, "nice to meet you too I guess." As the two jaspers introduced themselves to each other, suddenly Jasper felt something collide with her leg. Looking down, she saw again the very same tiny red gem she had saved earlier. "Hey, get out of my-" the shorter gem started, before looking up, "hey wait, it's you! The one who stole my win!" she said indignantly. "What do you mean "stole your win?" If it wasn't for me you likely would have been shattered." Jasper pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Who's this shortstack?" 3DI said as she looked down with a smirk. "I'll have you know I am Carnelian Facet-9 Cut-3SW!"

"Cool, cool, and what do you have against my new pal exactly?" 3DI said as she leaned against the wall. "I was fighting a gem and this clod came and made her run off." Carnelian said as she pointed towards Jasper. "You were pinned to the ground and almost got your face smashed in, I saved you. You're welcome by the way." And with that Jasper started to make her way back towards the main room. "I would have totally won if you had given me a chance!" The tiny gem squawked as she tried keeping up with Jasper's much longer strides. "Keep telling yourself that shorty." 3DI said helpfully as she trailed behind.

After making their way back to the large room, they followed suit to the gems already lined up. As they waited for other quartzes to get done, they introduced themselves to some of the older gems. The only ones of note were two nearly identical jaspers, both having exactly mirrored stripes. 2AB and 2AC their names were. Apparently they were some of the first gems created in the "Beta Kindergarten" and both had the fortune of developing correctly.

Only once all the quartzes returned and fell into position did Moss Agate turn around again, this time brandishing an electrified whip. "When I call your name, I want you to come forward. 8GF!" As 8GF hopped forward, Jasper noted how she was the gem missing her left leg. After 8GF made her way towards Moss Agate, suddenly a resounding crack echoed throughout the room, and 8GF was no longer standing there. All that was left was a gemstone. Moss Agate then picked it up, making sure that all of them could see it, before crushing it in her bare hands. Every other gem could only watch in horror as one of their own was brutally murdered by their own commander. "This is what happens to the most worthless of you defects! Now, 4JY!" A gem with exceptionally thin legs and a limp stepped up. Crack, another empty space.

"1SQ!" Missing hand.

"6WE!" Twisted ankle.

"7VZ" She didn't step up immediately. For a second we thought it was in defiance. Turns out she just couldn't hear her.

"3DH." Uh oh.

"What did you even do?" 3DI whispered as quietly as she could. "No idea." Jasper replied before stepping up to Moss Agate. The agate looked up at her with scrutinizing eyes for a moment, and with each passing second Jasper felt more and more nervous. After a few moments, the agate let up on her scrutinization and instead looked into Jasper's eyes.

"When I first saw you, I was convinced you were sent here as backup by Homeworld, or as a field test for another of Yellow Diamond's experiments. But apparently not, according to the footage. You were one of the latest to exit, yet somehow in one battle you managed to incapacitate more Crystal Gems than many of your peers combined. You are truly an extraordinary soldier. That being said, you're still only the best of the worst, so I don't know how much it's truly worth. Get back in line."

Jasper didn't waste a single second to obey that order, returning to her position in between a very serious looking amethyst with a gem instead of an eye and 3DI.

"Now, you all will go to your quarters tonight, but be warned! Tomorrow you will start your official training into proper gem soldiers. Now follow me!" And with that, they were off. Through hallways they went, until eventually arriving in front of an unassuming door. "This will be your place of living until you are eventually sent to other facets. Don't injure each other and don't make a mess of the place. I will collect you at exactly 0600 hours tomorrow."

After saying this, Moss Agate walked further down the hallway as quartzes crammed their way through the door into their new home. Inside was pretty underwhelming, just a semi-large floor area with tall walls filled with hexagonal holes. As all the other quartzes scrambled up the walls to claim what they believed to be the "best" hole, Jasper simply sat down in one of the lowest ones, having to duck in order to fit her head in it.

"Soooooo, that was, interesting." 3DI said awkwardly, trying to break the silence between the three. "Thought you were going to die there for a second." Carnelian said before getting a whack to the back of the head by 3DI, "you can't just say that ya clod!" Jasper sighed, "No, it's fine 3DI. I did in fact almost die."

"I say we get some rest," 3DI said after a minute, "sounds like tomorrow'll be a busy day." To which both Jasper and Carnelian muttered their agreements.

After they all settled into their spots (Carnelian and Jasper on the bottom row with 3DI on top of both) Jasper finally let her mind wander.

In the wise words of my new friend, that was interesting Jasper thought. Not only did I survive, but I got complimented. But also insulted? Can you even do both? I guess so. Overall, I guess today wasn't the worst. Made some allies, found out my purpose, got my questions answered, and I got into an awesome fight with that other gem. I wonder what she was? Certainly not any of the gems we have. I hope I see her again, that was fun. And with that final thought, Jasper drifted into a state of unconsciousness, unaware of where her yearning for battle will eventually take her.

Chapter Text

What greeted Jasper when she awoke was the sound of a blaring siren and the yells of her fellow soldiers. Immediately panic flooded her brain, wondering what had caused the siren in the first place. She was in such a hurry to do something that she forgot her own size and slammed herself headfirst into the ceiling of her hexagon. Pain instantly flared from her head as she finally looked around to see what was happening. The sight in front of her wasn't much better than her own thoughts. Jaspers and Carnelians and Amethysts of all shapes and sizes were running around in a panic, all equally confused. Only a few of the older gems seemed to be calm, standing by the door watching the chaos unfold before them.

Soon, the siren stopped blaring and not long after, the door opened to reveal Moss Agate standing with her arms crossed and a displeased look on her face. "Will all of you worthless pieces of dirt calm down!" she yelled, "It's just a wake-up alarm for stars sake! All of you, three ranks of five, NOW!" Now that they had an explanation for the startling noise, they calmed down considerably and did as they were told. After a few moments every soldier was in their place and silence fell over them.

"That took you all far too long, again. I expect you to already be in formation by the time those doors open tomorrow. Now then, all of you follow me, it's time for you lot to finally get some training." After she finished, Moss Agate turned and started down the hallway again with the ranks falling in line behind her. As they made their way to wherever they were going to be trained, whispers started to flow around the group as they wondered where they were going and what they were going to do. Jasper simply stayed silent, following her commander and making sure not to run into the person in front of her. Unluckily for her, 3DI didn't have the same idea. "So, where ya think she's taking us?" 3DI asked. "I mean, it's gotta be outside right? That's where we're fighting."

Does she ever shut up? Jasper thought. "It doesn't matter," Jasper muttered, not even looking towards her companion, "either way that's where we're going."

"Geez, what's with the attitude? Almost the size of you." 3DI replied with a small smirk. "Well, if you don't want to tell me where you think we're going, how about what you think we're doing? You have to have some kind of opinion on that."

"How would I know? I know just as much as you do. Keep walking and we'll find out." Jasper said, slightly louder. All she wanted to do was get to where they were going so she could stop being bothered.

"Fine, fine, be that way. I guess we'll just find out when we get there, huh?"

Jasper decided to not dignify that with a response and simply kept walking. Wherever they were going seemed to be pretty deep in the base. A heavy silence descended on the group as they approached a set of massive doors. Once they reached it, Moss Agate stopped and turned around to address the new recruits. "Behind this door is the training ground, inside you will be taught by a few elite soldiers proper combat techniques. You will train for 18 hours every day unless you are required for combat. Failure to keep up will result in shattering, do I make myself clear?"

After a chorus of "Yes, My Agates" Moss Agate simply smirked and pressed a panel next to the door, opening it and allowing them to enter the place they will spend most of their time in. After they all shuffled in, they saw what looked to be a pretty basic room, if not a quite large one. On one wall stood a massive rockwall, and another had a variety of equipment and training dummies. All along the floor, carefully mapped to avoid any of the other areas, was what appeared to be a racing track. Finally, in the center of the room stood a massive elevated platform. As the new gems looked around in awe, two gems, a massive topaz and an almost equally large amethyst, walked towards them.

"Well, isn't this an interesting batch?" the Topaz said with a slight smile. "Couldn't agree more," the Amethyst replied, "We'll take it from here 9FB."

"I have told you two time and time again to refer to me by my title." Moss Agate, or 9FB as the quartzes called her, replied indignantly. "You ain't our commander, you ain't our agate," the Topaz said, "Now get outta here before we get the boss."

That seemed to do the trick, because after freezing for a moment, seemingly trying to weigh the pros and cons of pushing, Moss Agate decided to simply leave them to it and left the training room. "Good, now that she's gone I guess it's time for some introductions. My name is Amethyst Facet-7 Cut 3EO and this is Topaz Facet-4T7G Cut-6PA, but you can just call us 3EO and 6PA. We'll be in charge of teaching you how to be proper Homeworld soldiers. First things first, I want all of you to form a single row and then summon your weapons."

The much friendlier tone of the fellow soldier set most of them at ease, no longer fearful of having to spend even longer with someone like the Agate. They all easily fell into line, with only slight difficulty summoning their weapons. As Jasper summoned her crash helmet, she looked to her sides to see what other weapons there were. What she saw was a variety of different ones ranging from gauntlets to knives to even a mace the size of Jasper's arm. She also noticed the weapons of her two companions, 3DI had a small hatchet while Carnelian had a pair of metal knuckles. 3DI was lightly tossing her hatchet from one hand to the other.

"Before we begin I want the big one," everyone looked towards her as Jasper pointed one finger towards herself, "yes you, I want you to step forward." With slight hesitation, Jasper did just that. "Ain't you a big one," 6PA said as she looked Jasper up and down, "I guess we have time to tell you about a quartz thing before we continue. When you're on the battlefield, you need to trust the soldiers around you. There are quite a few ways you can do this, but the easiest is to simply give each other nicknames as both a bonding experience and to help identify each other. For this jasper here you might call her something like Tiger due to her large stature and very obvious stripes. Of course, it's up to you all what you call each other. Once y'all go back to your barracks, you can come up with all the nicknames you want. Now then, It's time for us to get to the fun part! Back in line Tiger!"

With a clap of 3EO's hands she gestured towards the rest of the room. "This is where we'll be teaching you how to make the most of your abilities. We'll teach you everything from how to control your spin dashes to basic survival skills to even a little about the gem hierarchy, but we'll get to that later. For now, I just want you all to get used to your weapons. You'll need to be able to summon them at a moment's notice in a battle and you need to be comfortable with them," For emphasis, 6PA summoned a massive battle hammer out of her gem, "Now, I want all of you to simply practice summoning and returning your weapons. Once you're comfortable with your weapons, practice using them." After a few seconds of tense silence, 6PA seemed to get what the problem was, "Are you waiting for an order or something? Get to it!"

After getting confirmation that they were supposed to do it at that moment, they all split off into various groups to go find their own corners to practice in. Jasper decided to head towards a back corner with a few weights. She wasn't surprised when she heard 3DI and Carnelian behind her. "Nice helmet there Tiger." 3DI said as they approached the equipment.

"Thanks, I made it myself." Jasper quipped before sitting on one of the benches.

"I can't believe it, Tiger over here can be funny! Next thing you'll tell me is you can respond in more than one sentence."

"Bold words coming from someone skinnier than my helmet." Jasper said as she got to work summoning and returning her weapon. For her, summoning it wasn't the issue, it was dealing with the sudden weight on her head. What made it worse was that most of said weight was focused on a point extending from her head, and with no counterbalance made it difficult to keep her head straight when first calling it.

"That can be your nickname 3DI!" Carnelian said suddenly, "Skinny! Since, well, you are pretty skinny."

The newly named "Skinny" pouted a bit, before sweetly smiling at Carnelian. "Don't worry shortstack, I'll make sure to have the perfect name picked out for you!"

"As interesting as all this is," Jasper commented dryly, "would you keep it down? I'm trying to concentrate so I can get this over with, and you should be too."

Luckily for Jasper, that seemed to put an end to the two's bickering. While Jasper was continuing to work on the balance of her weapon, her company was working on their swings and punches respectively. A comfortable silence fell over the trio as they all worked individually on their skills. After a few moments, Jasper let her mind wander as she continued with her mostly mindless task.

This is certainly an improvement over our last assignment. I wonder what happened to the shards we collected? I mean, the gems are probably being reformed and interrogated if they're a Crystal Gem, but what would they want with the shards? I'll probably find out eventually. Also, I wonder who our trainers' boss is? If it isn't Moss Agate then who could it be? Maybe another agate? But then why would Moss be so fearful of them? All this wondering is making my head hurt. These are definitely questions for later, but not now.

By the time Jasper left her thoughts, she had finally got the hang of balancing her helmet's weight. She was able to summon it without even the tiniest movement and could still move her head as if it wasn't even there.

Deciding that her time would be better spent training with her weapon, Jasper stood up from her seat on the bench and thought of what would be the best way to train. After a few moments of thought, she noticed her friends practicing with their weapons and got an idea.

What if I had them try to hit me? It would help me with my blocking and they would get better at hitting an actual target. It's a win-win scenario.

With her mind made up, Jasper got her new training partners' attention and explained her idea. Carnelian was ecstatic at the idea of getting hands-on experience while Skinny was more cautious.

"Jasper, these are actual weapons." Skinny pointed out, "If we manage to hit you, or you accidentally hit us, things could go really bad really fast."

"It'll be fine~." Carnelian said quickly, "Besides, even if we do get hurt, we'll just reform later. At worst we get scolded and miss out on some training."

That seemed to be enough to convince Skinny, and all three of them got into position. None of them had their weapons drawn, but all of them were ready to summon them at a moment's notice. Getting impatient, Carnelian rushed forward while summoning her knuckles. Right when she got into range, Jasper quickly summoned her helmet and dipped her head to block one strike and blocked the other with her forearm. Quickly shrugging off both attacks, she quickly turned to block Skinny's hatchet swing. The force of the hit made her head dip a bit, but she was able to swiftly bring it back up and throw her opponent off balance.

Too focused on keeping an eye on the person in front of her, she didn't even notice when her smaller opponent slipped behind her until she felt the crushing pain of two back-to-back punches in her back. The force alone was able to push her forward, and when combined with the pain getting in the way of her balance she quickly found herself careening towards the ground. Unable to right herself in time, she quickly returned her weapon to her gem to avoid the sudden change of velocity on her neck and extended her arms with bent elbows to soften the landing.

After spending a second to reorient herself, she found anger flooding her system as she pushed herself up. Not anger at Carnelian for striking her, that was exactly what she told her to try and do, but anger at herself for not anticipating the attack. Of course when she turned her back she would get hit, so why wasn't she prepared for it? Shaking her self doubt away, she turned back towards her opponents and resummoned her weapon. The pain from the blow still dully radiated from her back, but it was rapidly fading and wouldn't cause any lasting damage.

Once Skinny and Carnelian saw that Jasper was indeed okay, they continued their assault and Jasper continued her defense. This was giving her a similar rush to her first day, but again it didn't compare to the rush of her fight against that gray gem. Occasionally she would strike out to either stop an attack from coming or to make space, but she largely stayed on the defensive. None of the trio noticed that spectators were watching them. Not until they had exhausted themselves did they notice a crowd had formed around them. Once the crowd noticed they had finished their spar, they all rushed towards the three. Cheers and pats on the back came from every direction as they were congratulated.

"Not bad newbies." 6PA praised, "You keep that up and you'll all be great soldiers."

"Thank you, ma'am." Jasper replied respectfully. The other two gave a much simpler and more casual, "Thanks."

"Whelp," 3EO said, "It's about time for you guys to head on back anyways, so why don't you go get some rest? I'll see you all tomorrow."

With those words, all the soldiers tired from the non-stop training made their way through the halls. After making their way back to their barracks, the soldiers all milled around their shared quarters to discuss progress or to assign nicknames to each other. Jasper headed straight for her cubbyhole to avoid the crowd, with Skinny and Carnelian following behind her.

Once they all sat down and got comfortable, Skinny and Carnelian instantly got into conversation about what had happened at training. While Carnelian was talking about it excitedly, making sure Skinny didn't forget that it was her who had managed to knock Jasper down, Skinny was much more inclined to simply listen to her ramblings while voicing her opinions every now and again. Jasper decided to just listen to their conversation while observing the other members of their platoon.

She was inwardly amazed by the sheer variety of quartzes in front of her. While she only knew what a few of them were, there were even more she didn't. She saw a few green gems that were nearly the size of her, a few yellow gems that were like topazes but more proportional, and red gems that would barely reach her hips. Those were what really caught her eye, as they were right around the same size as her nickname less companion. An idea suddenly popped into her head, and with a small grin she stood up and made her way towards a group of these smaller gems.

Once they noticed her coming their way, most looked up in awe at the sheer size of the quartz. When Jasper reached them, she started to put her plan into motion.

"Greetings, fellow soldiers." Jasper said, much more politely than normal. "I wanted to see what you all were up to. Name's Jasper Facet-9 Cut-3DH, but apparently I'm called Tiger now."

"Cool!" One of them replied, "I'm Ruby Facet-9 Cut-9LL, and I don't have a nickname!"

So they're rubies, huh? Jasper thought to herself. Step one is complete.

Quickly making an excuse for herself to leave, Jasper made her way back to her clique. Unluckily for her, both seemed to have noticed her departure and subsequent arrival.

"Well well well," Skinny started, "look who decided to come back."

"What were you doing over there?" Carnelian asked, curious as to why her normally reserved friend decided to randomly go and talk to others. "I was simply going over to find something out." Jasper vaguely replied. "By the way, do you know what those small red gems are called?"

"No, what?" Carnelian said. Skinny, who seemed to have caught on to Jasper's scheme, gave a large smirk. "Well, they're called 'rubies,' and they couldn't help but remind me of a certain something." Jasper said. Carnelian, also starting to catch on, opened her mouth to say something before being beaten to the punch by Skinny.

"Looks like we found your new nickname, Ruby." Skinny said through a giggle. Having her plan be put in the open was even able to draw a chuckle out of Jasper. "No~," Carnelian moaned in despair, "Don't call me that."

"Too late, short stuff." Skinny replied.

Once they all settled down they returned to their previous arrangement, with Skinny and 'Ruby' conversing about random things while Jasper listens and thinks.

Another successful day. Jasper thought. Did some nice training, mastered my weapon, bonded with my teammates, and got some new names. What even is a 'tiger?' Maybe I'll ask them tomorrow. Speaking, or well, thinking, of nicknames, 'Ruby' wasn't exactly the best choice, but I like it. It'll probably have to be our thing though. But, I guess that could make it sort of like a special thing for us. Yeah, I like that.

With that thought, Jasper decided it was time for her to rest. After wishing her friends a good night, she laid down and drifted off to a land she wouldn't remember in the morning.

Chapter Text

The next time the siren blared, Jasper was much better prepared for it. It still shook her for a moment, but she was able to quickly shake it off and sit up without hitting her head. After taking another moment to gather her bearings, she got up and made her way to the center of the room. Soon, other soldiers made their way into ranks as well.

By the time the siren stopped screeching, almost every one of them had joined ranks. By the time the door opened, every gem was in line. Jasper, who had made it to the front of the group, was able to see the brief pleased look on Moss Agate's face at their improvement before being replaced by her usual emotionless face. The gem looked out over the sea of soldiers to look for any imperfections, and when she saw none she decided to move on.

"Well done, you've improved greatly. You know where we're going, so get moving."

Things went by much smoother this time around. Now that they all knew where they were going there were a lot less rumors and more walking. That didn't stop Ruby and Skinny from talking like it was the last day of their lives. Jasper, of course, didn't contribute.

They arrived fairly quickly, and Moss Agate didn't even say anything before opening the door and letting them in. 3EO and 6PA were there already just like yesterday. After every gem got inside the doors closed and the training began.

"Hello again, my quartz comrades!" 3EO exclaimed excitedly. "Today's the day you prove your superiority over your teammates!"

"What she means," 6PA said with a shake of her head, "is that today we'll be testing your current combat prowess in a structured tournament. When we call your names, step up to the raised platform in opposite corners. 4GE and 6MR."

They both did. Neither were particularly remarkable, both were just standard amethysts. That made them a little rare in their group, most of them were either jaspers or carnelians, with just a few other gem types sprinkled in.

"Ok, here's how this'll go," 6PA said. "You two will spar with each other, with the winner remaining in the tournament and the loser getting kicked. There are only a few rules. Rule 1, no shattering. We don't want any deaths on our record. Rule 2, stay on the platform. If you even leave it, you're disqualified, making it a possible win scenario. Rule 3, try your hardest. The point of this is to prove yourself, and you can only do that if you try.

"That means that there are three ways to win. You need to either destabilize your opponent or force them out of the arena. You are also allowed to use your weapons. With that in mind, start!"

And just like that, they were off. Both obviously had little skill when it came to straight combat, but they made up for that with sheer strength and skill with their weapon. One, she had lost track of who was who in the skirmish, was using her twin axes to catch the blade of her opponents longsword. It was a fierce battle, and both of them traded many powerful blows, but eventually the one with the axes became victorious.

"And the first winner of our tournament is 6MR!" 3EO said excitedly. "Next up are 4FT and 9WY."

It continued like that for a bit, until it was finally Jasper's turn. "3DH and 1JW!"

As Jasper made her way towards her corner, she got a look at who her opponent was. It was one of those larger green gems, she didn't know what they were called. The most noticeable differences between her and Jasper were the green skin and much shorter hair, comparable to Skinny's. She quickly came up with a simple but flexible battle plan, block and dodge until she found a weakness. She didn't know what that weakness would be, but she felt confident in her instincts.

"Start."

As soon as that word was said, her opponent wasted no time in rushing for Jasper. Summoning a shield in front of her, it seemed her strategy was to try and bum rush Jasper over the edge. Not a bad plan. Jasper thought. A shield is a defensive weapon, so her chances of destabilizing me are minimal.

Jasper didn't feel like testing if she could block the force, so she simply jumped to the side. Her opponent almost fell off, but right at the last second she turned on her heel with her shield aimed for Jasper's face. Turning a defensive weapon into an offensive one is a great way to take someone off guard. Maybe I'll try that.

With that thought, Jasper summoned her helmet and met the blow with one of her own. Surprisingly, her opponent was able to not only match the force, but overcome it. With a heavy thrust forward, she was able to shove Jasper away.

Regaining her balance, all Jasper could think about was the rush she was getting from this, the feeling of struggling before overcoming the challenge. Fueled by her adrenaline, Jasper decided to start playing offense and seeing just how much of a challenge her opponent would be. Lunging at her opponent, she grabbed the shield and started to grapple with her opponent, never letting go of it.

After a few moments of this, her opponent managed to shake her off and attempted to bash the side of her shield into Jasper's head again, but just like last time Jasper simply blocked it with her helmet. This time though, there was an opening that Jasper couldn't ignore. Pushing her opponents shield away, she slammed her helmet into the now-vulnerable chest of her adversary. In an instant, the gem disappeared into a cloud of smoke that slightly enveloped Jasper, leaving only a seafoam green gem in its wake.

"Nice going Tiger!" 3EO praised. Jasper simply nodded her head and got back in line, waiting for her next match.

All her next matches ended in similar ways. She'd find something to exploit and end it with a dissipation. She didn't get to go against either of her friends, Carnelian didn't make it past her first round, much to her chagrin, and Skinny only one round more. Despite a little teasing on Skinny's part, they united in cheering for Jasper anytime she was up.

After many hours, it was just Jasper and a yellow gem. A citrine if she remembered correctly. She had had plenty of time to study this gem, but her opponent also had plenty of time to study her. This was going to be difficult.

Like always, when the match started her opponent wasted no time in attacking. Jasper already knew her weapon was a heavy gauntlet, so she preemptively summoned her helmet, dug her feet into the now slightly worn floor, and prepared herself to take a heavy blow. She wasn't disappointed, and she felt a sharp pain in her neck as it tried to stay still despite the punch. It didn't entirely work, but it wasn't too bad. Despite the sheer force of the punch, her helmet was able to absorb most of the impact, although it wasn't able to stop the sharp pain also forming in her temple. Seizing the opportunity, Jasper quickly brought her arm up in an uppercut. Her fist met its mark, and the citrine was dealt an equally damaging blow onto her unprotected head. Disappointingly, she was able to recover just as quickly as Jasper and leapt back towards her.

Not wanting to take another hard hit, Jasper rushed forward as well to hopefully take her opponent by surprise. Her efforts were rewarded, and she landed a heavy blow straight into the other quartz's chest. The force of it sent her tumbling to the ground, leaving her open to even more attacks.

Right before she was able to land the finishing blow, the citrine kicked out with both legs directly into Jasper's chest. It sent her stumbling back a few steps, giving the other gem time to get back up. Now fully feeling the effects of her adrenaline, the pain from the strike barely registered. It still wasn't quite the level that she had felt against the gray one, but it was getting close.

Jasper wasted no more time and rushed towards her opponent for an attack. Her foe managed to block it with her gauntlet, but she still had to take a step back in order to not fall over. Jasper kept pushing through, grabbing onto her opponent's weapon and attempting to push it away. It didn't work in removing the weapon, but it did force the gem even closer to the edge.

Her concentration on trying to push her opponent off the edge caused her to fail to notice where the other hand had gone until it was too late. A very strong punch to the gut made her lose all focus on attacking, instead doubling over and clutching her stomach.

Taking advantage of her weakened state, a hard blow directly to the head caused her helmet to break and her to fly back. Landing just before the edge, Jasper couldn't think of anything except her splitting headache. Just as she was about to tap out, a feeling of rage started to overtake her. How dare she make her look weak? Jasper wasn't about to let someone who barely reached her shoulders embarrass her. With a newly strengthened resolve, Jasper got up to show the puny gem what she could do when she was angry.

Apparently she had stayed on the ground too long, as her opponent was now showing off to the crowd, but that only made Jasper angrier. Her supposed defeater had forgotten that knocking out wasn't a win scenario, only destabilizing and removing from the arena. Resummoning her helmet, Jasper rushed for the cause of her fury with a shout. She reached the gem before she could even turn around, and it only took one rage filled swing to end the match in a cloud of smoke.

Silence fell over the room, before a loud applause erupted from the audience. Every gem came stampeding onto the platform to congratulate Jasper, being careful to not accidentally step on the loser's gem. Jasper didn't notice any of this, still panting heavily while living in her adrenaline high.

She was only snapped out of it after he felt a hand smack the back of her bicep, bringing her back to the real world. Looking to her side, she saw Skinny with her signature lopsided smirk and a much more excited Carnelian beside her.

"Nice fight there Tiger." Skinny said, her smirk turning into a grin. "Almost thought you had lost there at the end."

"Please," Jasper said with a scoff. "I'd shatter before I was defeated by a gem smaller than me."

"Oh, my, stars! Jasper that was awesome! The way you blocked her punch with your helmet, and then uppercut her, it was incredible! Then when you managed to…"

Jasper let Carnelian's ramblings fade into the background, instead focusing on the sea of gems before her. From the deep reds of the Carnelians and Rubies to the vibrant colors of the Aventurines and Citrines. All of them were so different, but at that moment they all held the same excitement. she was only brought out of her thoughts when a strong hand grabbed onto her shoulder.

Turning around, she was 3EO looking at her with the biggest grin she'd seen in her admittedly short lifespan. She could feel the pride emanating from the much more experienced soldier.

"That was a fantastic fight Tiger!" She began. "With a bit more training, I think you'll be ready for the field in no time!"

"What she means," 6PA said, coming up behind 3EO. "Is that you've already reached an impressive skill level. With a little more training in technique, you will be a full-fledged warrior."

"Thank you," Jasper said slightly stiffly. "I look forward to anything else you have to teach me."

"That's the spirit! Too many gems these days think they'll be able to scrape by doing the bare minimum, it's rare to see someone actually motivated to learn more."

That was a little harsh, but Jasper enjoyed the praise. Giving a non-committal grunt, she simply awaited further instruction.

"Well, since we still have about an hour, we'll let you all just do whatever. Don't kill each other and try to do something productive."

As soon as that was said, Jasper made a beeline towards the corner she went to the previous day. The crowd followed her, and as soon as she sat down she was swarmed with questions. Jasper answered all that she could, while making sure to do something productive and lifting weights. That was what she did for the next hour, working out and answering questions, usually multiple times.

When it was time to leave, Jasper chose to start ignoring the group in favor of simply going to her barrack. They got the message, and by the time they got to the barrack they left her alone. She had one last thing to take care of though.

Searching the assembly of soldiers, she managed to locate her final adversary. She made her way over to the Citrine, wanting to make sure she got the congratulations she deserved.

"Hello," Jasper began, slightly awkwardly. She didn't talk much, so this was harder than she originally thought. "Just wanted to give you full congratulations for how you did, you fought valiantly."

"Thanks, I guess?" Citrine replied. "You did pretty good too. Name's 4VA, by the way."

"3DH, but people call me Tiger."

Nice to meet you then, Tiger."

The conversation seemed to be over, so Jasper made her way back to her cubbyhole. She immediately laid down, letting her friends know she wasn't interested in chatting. The day of fighting left her exhausted, and she quickly fell into another dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Over the course of the next several weeks, things didn't change much. Every day they woke up to the siren, got in line, and were taken to the training room for the day. There were no break days, and no time to slack off, but the challenge of each day did fluctuate. Some days were simply practicing with their weapons, at least once a week they'd hold a tournament. It almost always ended in Jasper winning, but the few times she lost definitely taught her valuable lessons.

Some days were devoted entirely to learning. They learned how to spin dash, something that Jasper found herself adept at. Skinny, not so much. Her long and thin limbs left points in her attempt at a ball that usually stopped any movement. She didn't even have the benefit of having a large head of hair to help mitigate friction. She eventually got it. She wasn't particularly good at it, but she learned to adapt. Skinny used the fact she was able to unroll much faster to make an attack where she rushes her opponent on a ball before unfurling into a hatchet swing. Nasty thing if you didn't expect it. Jasper's helmet made for a great combo with a spin dash, it was devastating when it hit something. She was able to instantly poof a tough looking Topaz with that move.

They also learned other skills, such as how to find shelter, how to navigate the wilderness, how to send distress signals, and the basics of a warp pad. Simple things they needed to know in case there was an emergency or they got stranded on a foreign planet.

They occasionally dedicated days to learning culture as well. They learned about laws, other gem types (why were there so many? An entire type of gem for ice sculptures?), and the caste system. Jasper wasn't happy to learn that quartzes weren't very high on the pole, but compared to pearls and pebbles, they seemed almost aristocratic. She did feel a little bad for the rubies, they seemed especially bummed over the fact they weren't much higher than pearls and were expected to do the same jobs as quartzes, but with less backup and raw strength. They did get excited when they learned they were one of a few types of gems—not including jaspers, sadly—who were allowed to fuse at all.

So that's how Jasper spent her time. She woke up, trained hard if it was a training day and learned dutifully if it was a learning day. She made passable friendships with her fellow soldiers, and even a few more real friends. She regularly sparred against Carnelian and Skinny, and a few times she even went a few rounds with 4VA, who ended up getting the name Pyrite due to her similar color and the sparks her weapon's strikes created. Not the worst name, Pyrites were aristocratic architects and the masterminds behind things like the Lunar Sea Spire, so it certainly wasn't an insult. Most of Jasper's interactions with her though were when they would get into lifting competitions.

On rare but exciting occasions they were allowed outside. It was usually just to test their skills, but to them every second in the sun was paradise. Jasper especially liked it when they were able to get some free time to relax on the surface. The constant desert sun searing down on the hot sandstone created a wonderfully warm place for her to doze in. It reminded her of the few short moments she spent while emerging, a simpler time. While the lack of a breeze could make the air stuffy, anything was better than that pink air conditioned prison.

Another favorite pastime for them was to just roughhouse in the endless plains of sand. Everything from elaborate games of tag to impromptu wrestling matches were regular occurrences. When they tired themselves out they'd all pile up and sleep the rest of the day away.

Their lives were simple, but happy. They all felt the need for combat—it was programmed into them after all—but they were content with just sparring regularly. All in all, their lives were peaceful.

Until they weren't.

It was a normal day at first. They were practicing their spin-dashing with some races when they heard the alarm. It wasn't like the wake up one, while that was a short series of high pitched screeches, this one was made of long and deep wails. They were confused at first, none of them had heard it before, but their trainers had.

"Alright everyone, looks like we're getting some field training today. That's the raid alarm, means we're being attacked. Don't panic and remember what we taught you, and you'll probably survive."

Jasper didn't think those were particularly comforting words, but it seemed to soothe some of the more spooked ones. Everyone held the same look of determination in their eyes, hoping to be able to prove themselves in combat.

If only they knew how few of them would actually do it.

Moss Agate gathered them up at the door, and with a count to three the doors opened and they rushed forward. It seemed as though they had been able to catch the rebels early, they were just getting close to the doors.

Within just a few seconds chaos erupted in the ravine. Weapons were summoned and clashed as both sides attempted to get the upper hand. Jasper put her all into every blow, but she couldn't help but search the crowd for her fated enemy. She was so enraptured with her search she didn't even notice her surroundings. Dozens of her foes swiftly fell to her now trained strength, not that she noticed.

The moment she saw her was almost picturesque. The sunlight glittering off her hole-shaped gem as she swung her shape-shifted hands. With one short spin-dash Jasper claimed her right to a rematch. Getting in-between the gray gem and a terrified ruby, Jasper summoned her helmet and prepared to feel that rush again.

"Wait, didn't I fight you last time?" It seemed that Jasper wasn't the only one who remembered their last encounter.

"Correction, you lost to me last time." Jasper snarked back, hoping to goad her opponent into a fight quicker.

"I'm gonna make you eat those words!" was her only warning before a hammer shaped hand swung at her. Quickly ducking, Jasper lunged at her opponent. They got into a grappling match until Jasper remembered her helmet, so she brought it down directly on her enemy's face. The recoil caused her grip to loosen, so the opposing gem was able to slip her hands out to grab her struck nose.

Shouting out expletives Jasper wouldn't even think aloud, the gem gave a blind swing that barely clipped her arm. Jasper was starting to get angry now. This wasn't even near the rush she had last time. Why wasn't it working?! With a frustrated yell, Jasper swung her hardest punch in the hopes it would elicit something. Instead, all it accomplished was push her foe back.

"Why won't you fight!?" Jasper yelled, her anger swiftly turned to fury. The gem didn't respond, and instead moved to get up. Jasper let her, hoping that this time there'd be a tougher fight. She wasn't entirely wrong. Her opponent certainly hit hard, but this time around her defense seemed rather… lacking.

Almost every one of her attacks landed, frequently pushing her opponent back and to the ground. The rush was there, definitely, but the constant need to wait for her opponent to get up stopped it from reaching the high she was hoping for. Her fury turned to frustration, which then turned into a blind rage.

The next time she knocked her opponent down, she didn't let her get back up. A stomp and a slam were all it took to destabilize her form. Jasper decided to leave the gem, either she escaped with the rebels to fight another day or she got what was coming to her, it didn't matter.

For the first time in several minutes, Jasper took a look at her surroundings. That's when she noticed the struggles of her fellow soldiers. Many were in groups of two or three trying to fend off groups of up to ten, and failing. She tried to help where she could, but she couldn't save everyone. By the time the battle was over, she knew there were heavy losses.

After the voice on the speaker gave the order to collect, and she brought her armful, did she see the extent of their damages. Even at their peak, barely a sixth of the gems planted grew into proper gems. The rest either came out so deformed they never survived the first assault or they never emerged at all. But what was once a little more than a thousand had quickly turned into just a few hundred.

Lucky for her, none of her close friends had been lost. Besides Pyrite being thoroughly covered in sand dust there wasn't any harm done. The rest of the night was somber for the group. Despite not being particularly close to most of the deceased, it still hurt to know so many of her allies likely won't ever see the light of day again. Even if they didn't get shattered or cracked beyond repair, they'd be interrogated and likely shattered anyways.

That was a lesson they didn't need to be taught explicitly, they figured it out by themselves. Moss Agate never ceased to belittle them, and despite what they might think Jasper heard the snide remarks the puny Peridot's made about her friends. Always talking about how "inferior" and "half-baked" they were, despite the fact that every single one of them could snap their little bodies like twigs. She felt her anger bubble every time, but she kept her cool for fear of punishment.

Training was postponed the next day. Even though they went to the training room, very few actually did anything. Even Jasper slacked, lifting weights she had no trouble lifting. The entire room was eerily quiet, without the usual chatter and training, every sound seemed amplified in the large room. Not even Skinny and Carnelian were making conversation, both were sat against the wall next to her, staring into nothingness. It hurt Jasper, but with no idea on how to make the situation better there wasn't much she could do.

That night was the night they had learned of a terrible thing.

"You're all being shipped off in one week's time. This location is no longer deemed holdable and your training is complete. Prepare yourselves, this is where the hard part starts."

This news came as a shock to all of them, and chaos erupted as they tried to get answers. Where were they going? Why couldn't reinforcements just come to them? What does she mean "the hard part?" None of these questions got answered. The group quickly burst into debate on what might be going on.

Jasper, for her part, was in disbelief. How could they do this to them? Barely a day since their forces were more than cut in half, they were expecting them to abandon this place. Then what did they lose their lives for, a useless hunk of metal and stone?

Jasper usually tried to keep brave, she had learned there were very few gems who could match her sheer strength, but she had to admit she was scared. This was the only place she had ever known, she didn't know anything about outside places. Plus, she had grown attached to its landscape, perfect fields of sand and sandstone to bask in and dozens of sheer cliffs for her to climb. She didn't want to leave, especially not right now. She wanted revenge. Revenge for her fallen comrades, who lost their lives over a meaningless base. All she wanted to do was stay here and slaughter every last one of those wretched Crystal Gems for what they did.

But she knew no good would come from that. She had to bide her time, until she was sure she could end them. Until then, she'd do as she's told and try to help her friends through it. All that she could hope for now was that someone else didn't get to them first.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately for Jasper, Moss Agate was not mistaken, and as she promised there were three massive ships and a slightly smaller one outside the compound by the end of the week. They were loaded into the larger ships swiftly, while any valuable equipment was loaded into the smaller one by a combination of amethysts and thin red gems with spiked hair. After a few hours, everything and everyone was packed up and they left on their journey. It was a relatively fast journey—barely even half a training day—but the cramped cargo hold they were kept in wasn't pleasant.

Jasper was luckily able to get a spot next to a wall, so she decided to try and get a little more sleep before she had to deal with anything else. She was able to slowly drift off to the white noise of conversations and shuffling feet.

She was jostled awake when the ship landed, doors creaking open. What she saw outside it wasn't exactly welcoming.

The floors and visible walls were made of dark metal, and besides a few spare crates it was completely empty. A voice came from the speaker above them, telling them to move, so they did.

So there they were, a couple hundred soldiers in a hanger with no idea what to do. They all stayed together, no one wanting to stray far lest they be punished for a rule they didn't know. Jasper pushed her way towards the front of the group, if something went wrong and it came to blows she wanted to be right in the action.

Being at the front proved to be useful, as she almost instantly noticed subtle movements in the shadowed corner. Snapping her head towards it, she was able to see the slight gleam of a purple gem. They weren't alone.

Jasper wasn't able to think further on it, as right then a set of nearly invisible doors opened, revealing a gem she had never seen before. She had green skin and weird hair, but she definitely wasn't a peridot. She also definitely wasn't a soldier, she was pretty thin and those massive heels wouldn't be good for running. Maybe an agate? Whoever, or whatever, she was, she was definitely in charge and Jasper showed the proper respect. Straight back, lifted chin, perfectly angled wrists, just as she was taught.

"At least one of you seems to know respect. What's your name, soldier?"

"Jasper Facet-9 Cut-3DH." A carefully crafted response; polite, non-hostile, and non-casual.

"Quite the build on you, you one of Yellow Diamond's freak fusion experiments?"

"No ma'am. As far as I am aware I was created and formed as a standard jasper."

"Thank the stars, at least one of you turned out good. When I heard they were trying to make a Kindergarten in fifty cycles I thought them mad."

Jasper remained silent. She wasn't going to say anything unless addressed until she figured out exactly what was going on. She also kept her eyes on the amethyst lurking in the corner. The only reason people try to hide is if they're injured or plotting, and this gem seemed to be in perfect condition.

"I suppose introductions are in order, my name is Emerald Facet-7A1Q Cut-1A1. All of you are now under my command. Welcome to the Pink Court Army. From now on, you'll be on the front lines defending your empire from these rebels. You will be divided into squadrons of 20, with one squad leader for each. You will obey any orders given to you by your squad leader, who will obey any orders given to them by either me or my underlings. Failure to obey an order will result in death. For now, you will all be registered into the systems and by the end of the day I'll assign squad leaders. 7H2!" The gem that was previously lurking in the corner stepped forward into the light. Upon closer inspection, it was not in fact an amethyst, but an ametrine. "Show these gems to the registry."

"Yes, My Commander." 7H2 replied with a salute and small bow before moving towards the doors. A small panel opened as she approached, and when she got close it scanned her with a glowing red light. After a few moments, the doors opened. Standing to the side the gem looked towards the group, awaiting their approach.

Jasper took the liberty of going in front. If they met any hostile allies they'd be much more likely to back down to her. No objections were raised, and they made their way in a line down the corridors. Unlike the ones at their old base, these hallways were a mix between dark and nearly white metal panels. While she did think their old base was a bit of an eyesore, this felt unwelcoming, like it wasn't made for any color to be in it, and it clashed horribly with the vibrant colors of the Beta gems. Not to mention it was somehow even colder than their home base.

She paid careful attention to every door and branching hallway she saw. Should she need to flee, it was best to know how to get back to a guaranteed exit.

After a few minutes of walking, Jasper started to really question the design choices of this base. Why was the registry so far from the main entrance? From what she could tell, they were heading deep into the base and their identities hadn't even been checked. What if they were rebels who knew about the move and decided to try and sneak in? Whatever Pyrite that designed this clearly didn't get enough sulfur.

Finally after an eternity—8 minutes—they made it to their destination. It was a relatively small room, barely a quarter of them could fit in it at a time. The actual machine itself was similar to the hangar lock, but instead of opening something it displayed a holographic image of her. Next to it were several boxes containing information about her; her full name, emergence date, her weapon, and a brief summary of her accomplishments. It did give a sense of satisfaction seeing all of them listed out like that.

When she inevitably shuffled her way out of the room, she decided to investigate the surrounding area a bit more.

It wasn't much, they were located in a dead-end hallway so other than a single door nothing was that way. The opposite way expanded into more areas, but she didn't want to press her luck just yet. From what she could tell they weren't exactly well respected, and if she accidentally stumbled into a restricted area she'd very likely be shattered.

"Hey."

Instantly Jasper snapped her head towards the familiar voice. Standing next to her was Skinny, and despite her casual appearance she could see the anxiety in her eyes.

"Your stealth has improved. Before I could have heard you from the other side of the base."

"Oh ha ha, ya big idiot. But seriously, you good? You completely ignored me until I got right up to you."

"I did?" That was a surprise, she didn't think she spaced out. "I apologize."

"It's fine. Who do you think will be squad leaders? My bet's on you and Pyrite definitely."

Jasper knew her predictions were probably correct. She and Pyrite were among the best of their bunch, physically speaking.

"We will see. Until then, it's best we stick together and keep our heads down. I doubt we're very high ranking."

"Geez, lighten up a bit. You're speaking like we'll be executed or something."

We might, she thought. back home, they didn't have much choice but to let us live. Now, they already have fully functional warriors, they don't need us. She obviously didn't respond with that, and instead responded with a much nicer version.

"Ok, but be careful. We knew the rules back home, but here we know nothing."

"Fine, fine. Let's just hurry it up so we can go to sleep."

Jasper just gave a nod. She didn't like unnecessary talk, just risked people overhearing things they weren't meant to.

After an hour and a half, every gem had registered and their guide left for the halls again. This time, they were led to their new quarters.

It was very similar to their old quarters, just smaller. It held the same hexagonal patterned wall cutouts, and it still had the open space. The most noticeable difference was the large Great Diamond Authority insignia on the floor.

Jasper went straight for a hole directly across from the doorway. No one could enter or leave without crossing her sightlines.

It was squishier than her previous sleeping spot, but not by much. Jasper began scanning the crowd to account for who's going where. Pyrite settled to the left of the door, Geode—a massive amethyst, even taller than her—took the hole on the right, and she saw Carnelian pushing her way through the sea of legs.

"Where've ya been! I thought you two had gotten lost when I couldn't find you."

"Not our fault you can't see above anyone's head." A voice above her said. So that's where Skinny had gone.

"Ha ha, very funny. One of these days, I'm gonna knock your gem right out of your stomach."

"First you gotta reach me~."

So, for the next few hours, they all just hung around. Most either talked or slept, but a few such as Jasper and Pyrite weren't going to slack on training just because they weren't required to. They wrestled, worked out, did climbing races, they even worked on their balance by stacking on top of each other.

Then, the warning alarm sounded.

Instinctually, they all got into line. Their stay with Moss Agate had taught them well.

The door opened, revealing their Commander in all her impractically-heeled glory. Beside her stood an amethyst holding multiple devices, Jasper wasn't exactly sure what they were. They looked like the scanner panels, but technology wasn't her strongest area.

"Greetings, soldiers. I see you've all settled in. As you should remember, I was going to give you my choices for squad commanders at the end of the day, and that time has arrived. When I call your name, step forward and I will give you your communications device, the Radio-transmitted Organized Communication System. 1HP."

An average looking jasper with a shining shoulder. She unfortunately was stuck with the name Wheel after she lost control of her spin dash and couldn't stop.

"7BK." A slightly taller than normal carnelian with a missing right eye. Sandy, due to her similar shade to the sand that made up the walls.

"4JD." Geode stepped up, unsurprisingly.

"4VA." Pyrite, another obvious choice.

"2MD." Sunshine, a stocky citrine known for lounging in the sun, hence her name. Not a bad choice, she was plenty strong. A bit lazy though.

"4BC." A jasper named Grid, after her criss-crossing stripes.

"4BD." Another amethyst, this one nicknamed Bush after her puffed up hair. Jasper didn't know her well, she mostly stayed with the rubies.

"8FS." Grass, the only Aventurine of the group, named after her green coloring.

"3QA." Jasper didn't know her name, she stuck mostly to the background and didn't talk much.

"3DH." Ah, there she is. Just like all the others, she walked forward to receive her device. Once she had it, she quickly went back to her spot and awaited further instruction.

"Each of your gems will be scanned by the device, marking it as your own. Each of you will then claim twenty gems each for your squad, with any extra being divided among you. Good luck, and choose wisely."

Simple enough. Jasper looked at her device and wondered how it turned on. Tapping the screen, she was greeted with the Great Diamond Authority insignia and the acronym—which she now realized spelled out "rocks," how funny (was it intentional? How did it even pass by the higher ups?)—for a few seconds, before the device properly loaded.

[Please press the signaled button to begin integrating. Ensure no other Gemstones are within the scanning area to ensure that there are no errors.]

After the short prompt, a glowing red button appeared on the screen. Obeying its advice, Jasper sat down in her hole to make sure no other gems were in its way before pressing the button. It scanned her much the same as the door panel and registry, and once it was done it displayed much the same. An image of her next to a few boxes containing basic information, only this time it held a new box labeled "Rank." She was proud to see the "Squad Commander" role filling that box. She pressed another button to confirm it was her, and it took her to a new screen.

It held many basic things. It had many options to go to various other pages with more information, including about the planet she was on. What interested her more however was one page in particular: "Soldiers." Clicking it, she was met with an empty screen except for a small button labeled "New."

Clicking it, she was taken to a screen showing her camera feed. It was simply a display of what the camera on the back of it showed, but it held a white outlined box in the center. On the bottom of it there was another white button, simply labeled "Claim."

It was simple enough, and Jasper thought she knew what it meant. Getting back up, she scanned the crowd for those she wished to work with. She instantly spotted Skinny hanging to the side, clearly trying to avoid being seen.

Jasper made her way over to the smaller gem, already guessing the outcome. Skinny didn't seem to notice her approach. Slacking on her observation skills.

"Hello, squad candidate."

Skinny jumped when she said that, it seems she was even more nervous than she thought.

"Oh, it's just you Tiger. We both thinking the same thing?"

"Depends, do you wish to join my squad?"

"Stars, yes, where do I sign up?"

"Just hold still."

It was as easy as it seemed. She just lined up the gem in the box, pressed the button, and boom. With a click of the confirm button, she had her first squad member.

"Let's go find us some more squadmates!"

They obviously chose Carnelian as part of the mix. They collected their required numbers, but were unfortunately unable to gain any additional members.

Jasper sat in her cubby, holding her currently deactivated ROCS device in her hands. There was so much she could learn from it, but she thought it better for a different day. It had been a busy day, and she didn't know if she could remember every detail afterwards.

Storing the device in her gem, she laid down to go to sleep. If the coming days were going to be anything like this, she needed all the rest she could get.

Slowly drifting off to wherever she went, the last thing she thought was of how she was entering a new era of her life: one where there was more to life than winning the tournaments and climbing the walls. Now, she had to win battles and climb the ranks, to show everyone that Beta gems were superior.