It had started small.

  Whispers between Sapphires in dark corners. Single eyes glancing around in worry, concealed behind lightform hair. Ephemeral meetings that were unscheduled and unreported.

  But it grew larger and larger, like a weed from Pink's garden. Furtive gestures, calm demeanors shattered by uncertainty.

  It was little enough that they believed themselves unnoticed.

  Blue Diamond noticed everything in her domain.

  There were a total of one hundred and two Sapphires in the azure matriarch's palace. It was a ruinously expensive number. A significant portion were gestated during Era One, when a planet might have produced two or three. Now even one Sapphire drained an entire world of life.

  So it said something that Blue Diamond summoned all one hundred and two before her throne, demanding an explanation. And though she'd never admit it, the Diamond was uncertain. The Sapphires had been sequestering themselves in obscure corridors, acting more like an organic infestation than the resplendent paragons of the Authority they were meant to be.

  "Speak." She commanded. And naturally, there was no room for disobedience.

  The collection of blue gems and their various attendants hesitated, before one stepped forward. A chosen representative? Simply a Sapphire bolder than the others? It made no difference. Her next words would change everything in Blue Diamond's world for centuries to come.

  "Your Radiance, we…we have been receiving visions."

  Hesitance was unusual and, simply put, unnatural for Sapphires. They were designed to be unerring guides and advisors. But as they spoke, Blue began to feel the same worry that ate at them creep into her core.

  The chosen Sapphire spoke of a rift. Beginning as a small crack, it widened until it split the Authority into pieces. A war between Diamonds. Unthinkable. Treasonous.

  Blue was about to chastise this foolishness before another spoke. Then another. And another. Soon the crowd of Gems were all shouting, hollering over one another, each trying to relay their own prophecy.

  Some claimed that there would be no war, that the Diamonds would simply drift apart until each Court was practically their own Authority. Others spoke of fire and dust, of a Homeworld sundered into shards.

  A few spoke in more esoteric terms. A pink flower growing from the ruins of a battlefield. A poisonous green star that turned Gems mad in its wake. An Emerald, a Sapphire, and a Moissanite grappling with one another.

  Finally, a quiet Gem in the back spoke up. She claimed, in a near-inaudible voice, that White Diamond would say-

  "Silence."

  Blue did not need to shout. Her voice cleaved the air, washing over the oracles arranged before her and quieting their arguments instantly. As if remembering themselves, they all arranged into their perfect places, offering a flawlessly synchronized salute.

  It was obvious that something was about to go terribly wrong, and there was one unifying element amongst all the visions.

  Somehow, the Diamonds would turn on one another.

  Blue considered her options. The information was too unreliable for her to use. She needed clearer sight. She needed the one seer important enough not to disturb unless the need was truly dire.

  "Bring me Star Sapphire."

  —

  "You called for me, your Radiance?"

  Star Sapphire glided into the throne room without worry, utterly certain of herself. Good. Blue Diamond would need that certainty. She was also alone, as requested. No one other than the pair of them could hear this conversation.

  "I have heard troubling things recently from my Sapphires."

  The perfect Gem's head tilted one point two degrees to the side in response to the words. Curiosity.

  "I have, unfortunately, not heard from my fellow Sapphires in many cycles, my Diamond. I have been attempting to locate a prime star ever since…"

  Wisely, Star Sapphire did not finish her statement. The everpresent raw grief that refused to leave Blue rose once more, but with effort she fought through it and maintained her focus. She would have time to mourn again later, after this audience.

  Pink was gone, and the Authority had suffered deeply for it. A new Diamond would be a much-needed boon. Opportunities such as the one Star Sapphire had been divining for were worthwhile efforts, ones that should be seized at all costs.

  "I would not delay your search any longer than necessary. Look to the future now. Tell me about us. The Diamonds."

  The flawless oracle hid her surprise well, if she felt it. "As you command, my Diamond."

  It was not a simple task to examine the future of the Diamonds, even for one as gifted as a Star Sapphire. Still, no matter what, it would be a much better vision than any of the disjointed ideas she had received previously.

  And so the Gem settled into a trance, still but for minor twitches. Blue watched patiently, waiting.

  …

  And then, Star Sapphire screamed.

  Blue stood up in her seat, shocked. The seer's head swiveled rapidly, looking in every direction. Left. Right. Up. Behind. She scanned the walls, the ceiling, even the floor, her arms reaching towards phantoms only she could see.

  "...O-Overseer…the Pearl that…a Diamond?"

  Blue stepped forwards, eyes narrowing

  "Star Sapphire! What do you see?"

  Muttering to herself, the other Gem barely seemed to hear the words.

  "Yellow, what have you…? A horror…a voice, millions…no, one!"

  She seemed to acquire a touch of lucidity in that moment, her gaze locking onto her significantly larger counterpart's.

  "My Diamond-! I am sorry! I must go! I must find the path!"

  Something in her voice gave Blue Diamond pause. She had never heard such a tone from a Sapphire, not even from the cacophony that had occupied her chamber not long ago. The urgent Gem's hand reached out towards her ruler, seeming to grasp desperately.

  "Know this, your Radiance! It will begin with Yellow Diamond! Very soon you will lose her!"

  Fear seized Blue Diamond once more. Lose Yellow? How? Why? Like Pink? So great was her sudden panic that she didn't even notice Star Sapphire fleeing the room as she settled back into her throne heavily, eyes wide. But soon, she realized what it was she had heard in her voice.

  A terrible wonder.

  —

  In the end, the Diamond hadn't had a choice. She had ordered that Star Sapphire was to be supplied with anything she required in order to complete her prophecy. In fact, she had gone so far as to order all her Sapphires to continue parsing the future in this regard.

  Blue pulled resources from every corner of her Court, colonies sending her everything and anything in her quest to divine an escape from fate itself. Gems. Machinery. Diamond essence. It was all appropriated in an effort to even slightly improve the odds.

  Anything to keep from losing Yellow.

  Blue Diamond would never lose anyone ever again. Not if she had anything to say about it.

  —

  An excellent opportunity had come up, and Blue Diamond had worked immediately to secure it.

  A fleet Admiral, facet 2M7G, cut 8XS. An Emerald in the good graces of Yellow, but who had bungled her latest mission. Yellow was away, which left Blue the perfect chance to rekindle their fading bond.

  All she had to do was give the Emerald a slap on the wrist, barely a punishment. After all, it seemed like a very reasonable failure on her part, nothing too extreme.

  "Inform me of this one's crimes, and begin the trial."

  She had already read the relevant details, of course, but she didn't plan to reveal that fact. It would work better if it seemed like a decision made in the moment rather than some calculated ploy.

  Soon enough the defense had finished, and she gathered the dignity of a Diamond to pronounce her sentence. Her ruling would be quite lenient, but she still needed to punish this Emerald, in order to ensure others would not believe they could fail similarly in the future, at least not without consequence.

  "Emerald, what vessel do you command?"

  "T-the Retaliator, my Diamond. A twin-linked assault cruiser manufactured in-"

  Excellent.

  "Your crew, we'll schedule all of them for Harvesting. They will take on the burden of acting as an example to the rest of the Gems that participated in this mess. It shouldn't be too large of a loss if we recycle them. Most ships like yours are manned by cheaply produced batches anyway. Maybe we'll even manage to find you some Era One veterans."

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  In fact…she could turn this into a reward in all but name. Yellow would certainly be pleased with that!

  "Yes, perhaps we can pull an actual opportunity from all of this…those old twin-links are getting far too outdated anyway. You'll be assigned a new ship entirely, and from there I'm sure Yellow will ensure a freshly organized fleet is granted to you, one that will allow you to properly track and eventually purge these…organics. It will serve as a fitting way to redeem yourself in the face of your failure."

  Blue leaned back in her throne, pleased with her solution. She nearly smiled before another question cut through the air.

  "And...what of my Pearls, my Diamond?"

  Well now. What an impertinent little gem. Irritation crept up at the request, since she had already given a very generous ruling. Hm, if she replaced the lost Pearls at her own expense… perhaps this Emerald would speak even more highly of Blue when she finally reported back?

  "...It's an unfortunate loss. I grant you leave to requisition another pair from the Reef, if you so desire."

  There. Certainly there would be no more complaints-

  "M-my Diamond, if I may-"

  She laid eyes on the admiral once more.

  "-As a fleet admiral with some experience, I firmly believe my crew would be better served being transferred aboard whatever new vessel I am given. They're an efficient lot, and to just throw away such valuable knowledge and loyalty would be-"

  It was obscene. The sheer gall of the Emerald caused Blue to lose control for a moment, the ocean of grief contained within her welling up and spilling out. Gems of every caste across the courtroom began to stream tears from their eyes, some managing to maintain their composure even as they did so. Others simply fell to their knees, bawling.

  No! She needed to stop this.

  And so she took a moment to collect herself, then dictated. As a Diamond should.

  "I will not be argued with in matters such as this. As the crew of the flagship of your temporary armada, they will have appeared untouchable to everyone else involved. Their fate will remind those around them of the price of failure without having to penalize the entire fleet. Have I made myself clear, Emerald?"

  There. She was being as lenient as she reasonably could be. If there was any further disrespect, she would revoke her ruling and put this Emerald on trial for insubordination.

  "Y-yes my D-diamond."

  Good. Hopefully the admiral had learned her place, and Yellow would hear of Blue's restraint. Yes, all things considered, this had all gone quite well in her eyes.

  —

  Blue Diamond had made a terrible mistake.

  It wasn't the trial. Her ruling had been exceptionally merciful, and the fact that the admiral was defective enough to refuse it meant that she had driven out hidden rot from a piece of the Authority. No, she had made the perfect decision, as any Diamond would.

  After, when Yellow had approached her, that was surely when she had misstepped. She had tried to calmly explain that she was right, as the Diamonds always were. And that was when Yellow had angrily interrupted. Claimed Blue had been wrong, that 8XS had been correct in her claim that the Diamond was wasting an experienced crew. That her decision was… imperfect.

  Yes, the insult was a grievous one. But Blue Diamond should have swallowed her response before it had escaped her lips. She should have kept her voice low. She should have apologized for a mistake she hadn't made, kept the roiling fury contained within her lightform and used this as an excuse to speak to Yellow more, claim she sought her personal guidance for re-emergence into the Authority proper.

  "Don't presume to lecture me on my duties, Yellow!"

  "If I don't, who will? White?"

  The words had pushed her over the edge. She had unleashed her full power as a Diamond. She hadn't cared to notice Yellow's Pearl had come with her, as she always had. Blue had left hers in her chamber to coordinate the effort to chase down the traitor.

  Even that had been stolen from Blue, now. Yellow, seething, had claimed that the Emerald was from her Court, and that it should be Yellow Court Gems hunting her down. Her precious Emeralds, finally given an opportunity to act in defense of the Authority as they were always meant to, had been denied that chance only moments after they had begun to prepare. Robbed of their purpose yet again.

  This time, however, she could not weep. She could not afford to spend more centuries grieving when she was losing Yellow now. It wasn't too late, not yet. She was a Diamond, she could do anything she wished. Fate was not her master, she shaped it to her will.

  "Let it be known. No expense will be spared."

  "My Diamond?" Her Pearl, that wonderful, loyal gem who continued to stand by her side even when she was overwhelmed by her sorrow.

  "Tell the Court, every corner of it. All requests from the Sapphires previously deemed too inefficient are now approved."

  If a Sapphire required half a planet to be a tenth of a percent more certain…it would now be so.

  Losing…Yellow.

  No. Blue Diamond refused.

  —

  "What is it, Blue?"

  Her counterpart dripped with contempt that was clear even through the holo-display. It was what Blue Diamond sought to change. In comparison to Yellow's harsh tone, Blue's voice was soft.

  "Yellow. It's been too long since we've spoken."

  "I perfectly recall the last time we spoke."

  She nearly winced at the venom in her other half's voice.

  "I…am aware that we've had some differences lately. It is unbecoming of Diamonds. We should speak to one another as we used to. Mend things."

  "You wish to mend things? Very well. Begin with my Pearl, if you would."

  Invisibly below the screen, Blue's fists squeezed and trembled.

  "I would certainly be willing to try." She began. "But this distance does us no good. We should speak in a place that belongs to both of us. I was thinking, it's been millenia since we've visited Pink's garden-"

  "So that's what this is about. More useless mourning. Ugh, I should have known-"

  "Yellow, please! I just want to talk to you. I'm so tired of-"

  The Diamond was cut off by the entirely undignified chuckle that escaped her golden counterpart. Something dangerous had entered her expression now.

  "Ha- you, tired?"

  The warlord continued to laugh for a moment, a strange noise when coming from her.

  Then her fist slammed down somewhere Blue couldn't see, and her expression morphed into rage.

  "You, speak to me, of being TIRED!? When it is I who has handled all new colonies for the last six millennia? When you have left a quarter of yours to drown beneath requests for…extravagant frivolities?"

  "Yellow-"

  "You! Tired! When you deny me any and all resources from your Court! Despite the ample aid I have granted!"

  Blue's eyes widened minutely. She hadn't ordered such a thing! She searched, trying to understand-

  …The Sapphires. She had cut back on everything for clearer visions. Including Yellow. Something dreadful formed in her core, a knot she couldn't untangle.

  "Ye-Yellow, please-"

  "No! I will not grant you any more leniency. It is time that you did your part for the Authority, Blue. Transfer to my Court ten Sapphires, and then we can speak. Do you know what even just those oracles could do for the thousand battlefronts I have to coordinate on a standard basis?"

  She couldn't! If she gave Yellow those Sapphires, she'd hear everything! The war, the terrible calamity…she'd assume it was Blue's fault. Or even worse, send these prophecies to White.

  "I-I can't-"

  "Then we are done here, Blue. Don't call again."

  Yellow terminated the connection without letting her speak a single word.

  And so Blue leaned back in her seat. Her throne.

  She was…an invincible Diamond.

  Her will was law.

  She was capable of anything.

  She was perfect. She was supposed to be perfect.

  And yet, all of these words that she told herself felt hollow as she curled into herself and released her sorrow into the palace once more.