It was cold on Earth. Probably not everywhere on it. In fact, the very kindergarten Jasper had emerged from was considerably not cold, however, the forested soon-to-be battlefield the quartz was stationed in certainly was.

Snow crunched under Jasper’s light footsteps. The snow was heavy, and made traveling through the forest an absolute pain. Even though gems (particularly quartzes) were built to withstand any type of weather and couldn’t be killed by the cold, it definitely didn’t make it any easier. This fact made the entourage Jasper was traveling with very upset. Comprised mostly of other jaspers, carnelians, amethysts and other various quartzes, the usually rowdy and upbeat squadron of homeworld gems was whiny and disgruntled, complaining about everything from the snow to the wildlife to the way the wind had messed up their hair.

“Would you can it?” Jasper barked at the troops marching behind her. “We’re supposed to be tracking rebels here.”

The entourage murmured in collective fear and agreement, and began to continue trudging through the snow, now in complete silence, aside from the rhythmic crunching of snow beneath their feet.

Jasper halted the entourage with a raise of her hand. The forest fell into complete dead silence as the party stopped, unaware of what was going on. For a few seconds, it felt as if the whole world were still and silent, that not one thing on earth dared to move.

Then she heard it. A soft crunch in the snow, too light to be one of Jasper’s soldiers but too heavy to be a wild animal. The rebels.

Jasper summoned her crash helmet. “The rebels are here.” she ordered her soldiers, trying not to raise her voice too much. “Prepare for battle.” Behind her, the party summoned their various weapons, preparing for a fight.

“They know we’re here! Attack!” Shouted a voice from somewhere within the trees.

A squadron of rebels emerged from the shadows of the forest. Among them was a rainbow-haired bismuth, a couple of aquamarines, and a pearl.

The bismuth quickly charged towards the back of the party, the area farthest from Jasper. Before she could attack the former carpenter, a dash of teal blue caught the corner of Jasper’s eye. The pearl [a/n: it cuts off here lol, bless 2019 me for leaving this unfinished in the middle of a sentance]