The Journal Of Gem Strain 35-J-6

Entry One: Creation

So, it's finally over. The war - OUR war - is finally over, ten thousand years later. I almost can't believe it. How many of us are gone? Shattered? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? I don't know. All I know is that my squad, the Crystal Vanguard, is in shambles. But at least some of us survived. Of the nine of us that made up the Crystal Vanguard, only four of us remain. The other five are...... well, you can probably guess what happened to them. I'll probably write about them in depth soon. That's all we can really do, honestly. Rose Quartz ordered us to set up a Temple in the middle of some jungle and observe some of these so-called "humans". I honestly don't know what she sees in them. I don't really think anyone does. Not even her crew, the Crystal Gems. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong.
But I'm going insane. All this waiting......
We've been out here for...... Three years, I believe. And so far it's been...... Absolutely boring. I want to explore, but we still have to build a warp pad. And I'm no good at that, only Gypsum-32, our current leader, really knows how to do that. She also recommended I get a journal, and learn to write. Said I should keep a record of everything we've witnessed over the last seven thousand years. Everything I've witnessed. So, I said, sure. Why not.

So I should probably begin with where it all began. I am Gem Strain "Aquamarine" 35-J-6. I, along with the rest of the Crystal Vanguard, was created on some distant planet, and you'll have to forgive me for not knowing the name. Now, I'm not your average Gem. I'm a Strain. Strains are more like a mutated version of a Gem. And our bodies are illusions. Our forms are the physical manifestation of light. And because of this, most Gems look similar. But, we were intentionally made to be a different size, different personalities, different everything. For awhile, I thought this is what made me who - no, what - I am.
So, why were we created? Why was all of it necessary?
Simple. The ever-expanding size of the Crystal Empire, and Rose's rebellion. Oh, and Rose also gave me something, during the war, when my team changed sides. Free will. The ability to choose my fate......
Sorry, I got sidetracked. Where was I? Oh, why we were made. That's right.

Anyways, a growing empire needed more soldiers. More pilots. And Homeworld began to meet resistance on new colonies. A lot of resistance. And the Diamond Authority soon realized there was a huge problem. While Gems are powerful, it does take us awhile to emerge from the Kindergartens. And while these locations are guarded, the natives of the invaded worlds have one huge advantage: numbers. Guards would get overwhelmed, and they would set up traps in the Kindergartens. Something had to be done. There had to be a way to speed up a Gem's emergence. One Gem theorized that a Gem's emergence could be sped up if the Gem's personality was already created pre-injection. However, it was worth noting that this particular method could increase the chance of defective Gems, and off-colors. But, with few feasible options remaining, the Diamonds agreed that it was worth a try. They commisioned ten Injectors, and created the Theta Kindergarten. The first subjects were created, and, sure enough, defects were present. However, they could fight, and so they could serve their purpose. But they were denied something crucial. We were unable to call ourselves Gems. Gems created this way were called Strains. Strains are only a couple steps above the dregs of Gem Society; Gems who practiced Fusion and off-colors were the only things beneath us. But there was one thing that made us the equal to Regular Gems, or at the very least, the common rank-and-file Gems. Like the Pearls, Amethysts, Nephrites, Jaspers, Rubies, and many more Gems, we all had one common thing: we are expendable. But not every Gem is viewed this way.
"Noble" Gems were too important to lose, and the Diamonds are irreplaceable, radiant lights.

I guess I should explain what "Noble" Gems are. While there are just as many of them as there are regular Gems, their powers and abilities are on another level. The Sapphires, for example, have Future Vision, and they are valued by the Diamonds, and the generals of our vast armies. They were extremely well guarded. Naturally, this made them pretty high value (pun partially intended) targets during the War. After all, blind your opponent, and they'll be on the defensive. Not to mention we would get some breathing room until another one would arrive.
Agh, I'm getting off track again. Back to the Theta Kindergarten.