3Gem Wars: the Kyber Wars
Potential "Kyber Gem" Basics
History
Shortly after the Gem Dominion successfully planted pre-invasion transport hubs in the Galaxy's Unknown Regions (approx. 1000 BBY), work began on the excavation of Kindergartens as per standard Homeworld protocol. At least one of these mined planets, a grassy world referred to as "Kindergarten Hub Facet 5J8Z" by it's conquerors, contained a rich deposit of kyber crystals, one of an unknown number of sites undocumented by the Jedi Order and the Old Republic. The discovery prompted an immediate burst of interest by the invasion/expedition team posted on-site, leading to a series of revolutionary experiments grouped beneath the label of "Project Square Cut."
The Gems, being silicate/light-based organisms from outside the Galaxy, had, like most of the outside universe, never evolved any viable connection with the all-pervasive Living Force, rendering them completely oblivious of it's existence. This quickly changed after Project Square Cut initiated research on kyber samples, all of which resonated with a life-essence that extended well beyond their physical forms.
The Gem research caste (aka "Peridots") recognized a shocking number of parallels between the living crystals and the hyper-complex energy lattices/emitters which comprised their species; so many, in fact, that some secretly posited that an evolutionary connection existed between the two, a ponderance which went unrecorded for fear of heresy charges by the Diamond Authority. In any case, questions of origins and kinship were put aside in favor of what the Gem high-command truly valued: utility.
As with all newly-discovered mineral crystallites, the Gems saw the kyber crystals as a potential template to be added to their expansive caste-system. Work began on gestating Gem new-forms via standard "kindergarten-integration" procedure, i.e. the duplication and subsequent alteration of a new crystallite type into a viable gemstone projector core. The end results were invariable failures, producing numerous distorted non-sentients ranking well below a corrupted Gem or a mere shard in terms of development.
The Peridot examiners, their perceptiveness worn to a razor-sharpness by so many defeats, finally concluded that kindergarten-integration was impossible in the case of kyber crystals due to an "unknown non-physical element" present within each of them, one which, they went on to record, "almost certainly plays a key role in their natural formation." It was with this hard-won revelation that Project Square Cut first became aware – albeit vaguely - of the Force, prompting a secondary effort to harness and/or artificially generate it for the purposes of kyber creation. Alas for them, their efforts would be met without results yet again, a new string of misfires that served only to erode the Diamond Authority's patience further.
Desperate to prevent their resources from being redirected, the leads of Square Cut (Peridots Facet 7U7Y Cut 9XG, Facet 8I2B Cut 4XG, and Facet 5J8Z Cut 19XL) opted to abandon the known in favor of the unknown. Rather than trying to create doppelganger kyber crystals from scratch, the research caste instead attempted to reverse engineer genuine crystal samples into gemstone cores. Such a thing had never been attempted before, as the complexities of said cores – the epicenters of each Gem's very existence - had always been above and beyond the capacities of their natural templates. The kyber samples, however, were another matter altogether. Already burgeoning with a curious sort of vitality and even demonstrating trace elements of consciousness, they seemed fortuitously, even eerily, primed for such an endeavor. Wanting to strike while the iron was hot, the Square Cut team promptly formulated and then implemented a conversion process tailored for the crystals.
The end results were astonishing. A complete turnaround from the spirit-crushing failures which defined Square Cut's past, the conversion process saw impeccable success by producing a starting batch of three fully functional kyber-derived Gems. Dubbed Kybers Facet 5J8Z Cut 01D, Facet 5J8Z Cut 02D, and Facet 5J8Z Cut 03D, the new-forms were beyond anything the Peridots had even dared to hope for: fully cognizant, flawlessly developed, extremely intuitive, and remarkably adaptive. They were as strong as Quartz – bases, as intelligent as Peridot – bases, and as aesthetically pleasing as Pearl – bases. They also, on occasion, displayed traces of precognition a'la Sapphire – bases, though not with the same consistency. Needless to say, the excitement which resulted from their births was considerable.
One Square Cut lead, however, silently nursed some deep-seated concerns. Shortly after the three new-forms were presented with approval to the Diamond Authority via holo-comm, Facet 7U7Y Cut 9XG noted in her private records that, in her vision spheres (eyes), things had gone a little too well with the Kyber's creation. The existence of the "unknown non-physical element" she and her team had investigated perturbed her greatly, and it was impossible for her to dismiss the possibility that it correlated with the uncanny ease by which the new birthing process had produced success. "It is almost," she would write, "as if the samples, for lack of a more scientific description, 'wanted' to become what we wanted them to be, that we simply did to them what they wished to be done." She went on to muse "nobody asks to be formed. Nobody requests to come into existence. That is a universal rule which no sentient being, be they Gem superior or organic inferior, can deny. And yet, despite attempts at self-reassurance, I cannot help but wonder, day and night, over and over. I cannot help but question," she concluded, "if I have played party to something unprecedented, or, far more troubling, have been made to do so."
Facet 7U7Y Cut 9XG's concerns would be vindicated less than a month after the Kybers' most unusual creation. The trio began demonstrating powers and abilities well beyond those of the standard Gem "magics," such as telekinesis, psychometry, and empathic reading. Most remarkable, and most troubling, was their capacity for mental manipulation; a wave of the hand, a few soft words, and virtually any other non-Kyber Gem would obey their commands without question. It was through this particular trick that they started exerting influence over the Hub Facet 5J8Z personnel, defying standards of protocol without recompense and with mounting regularity.
While all three sported the same pool of basic talents, they did not enjoy them in equal measure. Facet 5J8Z Cut 01D was quite skilled at empathic reading and mind control, but fell short with her other powers when compared to her "sisters." Similarly, Cut 02D stood out with her impressive psychometry abilities, but lagged behind in other areas. Cut 03D displayed extreme talent with her telekinetic powers, but was otherwise unremarkable in the face of her fellow Kybers.
In addition to this, all three Kybers were beginning to diverge from one another in regards to their personalities. Like most Gem castes, they had formerly been more-or-less of the same basic persona: in their case, distant, reflective, and tranquil. That was before, though: one month into their lives saw them each sporting starkly different character traits. The bright-green Facet 5J8Z Cut 01D was becoming increasingly outgoing and empathetic, her attitude akin to a leaf floating untroubled upon a stream. Facet 5J8Z Cut 02D, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly unsure, ambivalent, and often easily frustrated, her azure face rapidly shifting from calm stoniness to an almost childish tantrum. As for the light-blue Facet 5J8Z Cut 03D, her change was the most disturbing. Changing in both mind and form, her body began to shift from the color of the open sea to the hue of freshly-spilled blood; in lockstep with this process was her change of attitude, which grew increasingly bold, reckless, self-interested, and sadistic.
Conflict erupted between the three Kybers and their Gem compatriots. The crux of their dispute was between Cut 01D, aka "Green Kyber," and Cut 03D, "Red Kyber". Opposed like magnets, the hostility between the two grew at an exponential rate, finally culminating in a bout of violence which saw seven other Gems brutally shattered in the crossfire. Cut 02D, "Blue Kyber," was similarly drawn into her sisters' bloody quarrel, with both demanding that she choose a side. Angry and heartbroken, Blue Kyber reluctantly abandoned them to their feud, departing from her birth-world in a stolen hand-ship. The remaining Gems stationed on Kindergarten Hub 5J8Z did battle with the two opposing Kybers, only to find that their creations had grown far beyond both their power to destroy and their woefully limited understanding. Viewing them as feeble annoyances, Red Kyber showed no hesitation in shattering any Gem who challenged her. Green, meanwhile, saw to the safety of her creators by secreting a handful of them away via teleport hub. Among these lucky survivors was Facet 7U7Y Cut 9XG, who could only watch as her creation – her "daughter" – declined to teleport away with her, choosing instead to remain behind, drawing a line in the sand. Their departure marked the end of Homeworld's official dominion on the fringe hub-world, leaving it to the mercy of Green and Red Kybers and their growing affinities for the Light and Dark sides of the Force.
The greater Gem invasion force scattered throughout the Unknown Regions would not return to Kindergarten Hub 5J8Z for many years, viewing its loss as an inconsequential minus when compared to their efforts as a whole. The remaining Kindergartens would continue producing Gem warriors at a regular clip, building towards a planned conflict with the rest the Known Galaxy's organic "infestation."
As for star-flung Blue Kyber, her story would intersect with many individuals from the greater Known Galaxy. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not.
Powers and Abilities
-Shared-
• Force Connection: All three Kyber Gems shared a deep connection with the Living Force, giving them a common assortment of supernatural powers characteristic of standard Force Users:
o Force Push
o Force Influence: This power only worked on other crystalline organisms due to differences in thought composition between Gem cores and organic brains. Similarly, the Kybers could not be Force Influenced by organic Force users, not only because they were strong willed, but also because of the aforementioned differences in mentality.
o Psychometry
o Limited telepathy: Similar to the limitations described in "Force Influence," this power was functional only with other crystalline life forms. By that same token, the Kybers could not be mind-read by organic Force users. Of special note is the Kybers' unique connection with normal Kyber crystals, which they could mentally "hear" when they were within a certain proximity to one another. Whenever a lightsaber was ignited within this proximity, the "song" of the crystal within would seem exponentially louder to the Kyber Gem.
o Limited precognition
o Force Sensitivity
All three Kybers were very powerful when it came to these abilities, but were also very unrefined in their use, lacking the subtler types of finesse seen in more experienced Force users such as Jedi knights or Sith warriors.
• Standard Gem Abilities: As Gems, the Kybers had all the standard abilities of their species:
o Shapeshifting
o Extreme strength
o Near-limitless stamina
o High resistance to physical harm (not counting their gem cores)
o Regeneration/Reconstitution
o Immortality
o Symbiotic bodily fusion with other Gems
—Unique—
• Green Kyber
o Force Image: Green Kyber could generate multiple images of herself over a wide ambit of distances.
o Astral Projection: Similar to Force Image, Green Kyber could send her spirit across great distances via mediation, producing a conscious, sensitive construct of light in her likeness.
o Animal Friendship: Green Kyber could coax animals to obey her commands without question using the Force. She could also read their minds and experience whatever they experienced for herself.
o Plant Influence: While not a power she actively exerted, Green Kyber's presence had an invigorating effect on any flora in her immediate presence, prompting them to grow and bloom with supernatural speed.
o Gem Propagation: By far her most remarkable power, Green Kyber could use the Force to do something no other Gem was capable of: self-initiated reproduction. By momentarily incorporating another unmodified kyber crystal into her projected form, she could center the Force upon the crystal and transform it into a full-fledged Gem core, thus resulting in a Gem new-form. Similar to the lightsaber rites performed by Jedi initiates, this act could only be performed with kyber crystals that "acquiesced" to it, signaling their willingness with specific reverberations through the Living Force.
• Blue Kyber
o Psychometric Mimicry: Blue Kyber's psychometric powers were incredibly advanced, allowing her to "see" into the past of any non-organic object she touched with startling clarity. If given enough time with the object, she could even learn to mimic the skills of the person who possessed it regarding it's use. This facet of the power had a cumulative nature, with each meditative session producing a sudden spike of adeptness that quickly petered off afterward. With repeated use, more of the mimicked skill would remain intact afterwards, finally culminating in genuine capability with the object in question.
o Lightsaber Blade Projection: Achieved later in her life, Blue Kyber discovered a method of using her own soligram to produce a fully functional lightsaber blade from her hand. She mastered this skill after spending a long period of time wielding an actual lightsaber which, in conjunction with her Psychometric Mimicry, bestowed her with great knowledge of it's nature, enabling her to recreate it via her own kyber gem-core. When used, the icy-blue blade would appear from between the thumb and forefinger of her clenched fist, with sparks of energy seeping out of the gaps between her fingers. Her arm, from her hand to her elbow, would become latticed with the circuit patterns commonly seen when a Gem is struck by a destabilizing baton, only glowing an extremely bright white. Blue Kyber could wield this weapon two-handed, as with a standard lightsaber; if she did, the circuit pattern noted above would appear on both of her arms.
• Red Kyber
o Force Crush: Effectively the Gem equivalent of the Sith staple "Force Choke," this power allowed Red Kyber to exert enormous pressure on a small object – usually a Gem core – with the Dark Side of the Force. Depending on how much pressure was exerted and for how long, this power could crack or even shatter a Gem. It made Red Kyber an incredibly lethal adversary to non-Kyber Gems. It was ineffective against other Kybers or any moderate- to high-skilled Force users, who could deflect it with minimal effort.
o Force Corruption: As Red Kyber delved deeper into the powers of the Dark Side, she gained the ability to forcibly Corrupt other Gems by touching them. This form of corruption was – unlike normal Gem corruption – not permanent, but it could weaken or incapacitate other Gems nonetheless.
o Dark Side Alchemy: Using the data accumulated by her creators and combining it with her affinity for the Dark Side, Red Kyber developed a method of creating simple Gem-esq. lifeforms from kyber crystals. Comparable to the methods of Force-based life-creation concocted by Darth Plagueis, or the Dark Jedi experiments of the Hundred-year Darkness, the creatures that resulted from this process were violent, simple-minded, and ravenous, all perfect embodiments of the Dark Side's fundamental nature. Dubbed "Crimson Beasts" by their creator, they served Red Kyber as her personal army.
o Force Fusion: Perhaps the most horrible ability in Red Kyber's arsenal, Force Fusion allowed her to forcibly fuse with another Gem with the Dark Side of the Force. A violating and traumatic act, this power was vastly different from the standard mutualistic fusion normally displayed by Gems, requiring no consent between partners and needing no special dance to be performed. Red Kyber initiated Force Fusion by placing her hand on the Gem-core of another Gem and then passing copious amounts of Dark Side energy through it, dissipating the projected soligram body of the victim. The core would then be engulfed by Red Kyber's body – usually through her hand – and incorporated into it, transforming her own projected form into a larger amalgam of herself and the consumed individual. Unlike with natural fusion, the resulting fused being would not have any trace of memory or personality that did not belong to Red Kyber; the mind of the absorbed would be completely repressed, leaving her the dominant personality.
