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andrewmoocow · 2 years ago

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The Trial of Black Rutile (originally posted on August 8, 2022)

AN: After like, a few weeks of waiting, we finally return to Earth for the next installment of the Steven Universe: Alternate Future-verse, The Trial of Black Rutile! For those just joining us, Black Rutile was the main antagonist of Steven Universe: Alternate Future who wanted to topple the current regime and make herself the new ruler of all Gemkind out of a burning hatred for Pink Diamond that extended to our boy Steven. However, those plans quickly went up in smoke and now she's forced to stand trial for her crimes against both humanity and Gems. This shall serve as a midquel to The Future and as the pilot movie for the next installment, Little Homeworld Life. But now, here we can finally learn the method to Black Rutile's madness as we examine her origins, and where she might go next.

Cast:

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Volleyball, Yellow Pearl

Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Grace Rolek as Connie

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Susan Egan as Pink Diamond

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball, Navy, Doc, Army, Leggy, Ruby

Erica Luttrell as Sapphire

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Amy Sedaris as Yellow Zircon

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Aparna Nancherla as Lemon Jade

Lin-Manuel Miranda as President Eduardo Suarez

Wendie Malick as Vice President Theresa Maxwell

GZA as Major General Wade Grant

Kevin Michael Richardson as Bailiff

Featuring Matthew Rhys as Dr. James Brenner

And Steven Rattazzi as Judge Quincy Hibbert

"Come on Topaz; you wouldn't hurt your bestest friend ever, right?"

"How many times do I have to tell you this? You're a bad friend."

That would be the last exchange Black Rutile would have with her traitorous sidekick and bodyguard White Topaz before she poofed her former boss, ending the Rutile's reign of terror at long last. Just moments earlier, Black Rutile was engaged in a clash of ideals and fists with White Topaz and her new friend Jasper through fusing into Pietersite with her two most loyal remaining subjects, Aquamarine, and Eyeball. Though the battle was tremendous and much damage to Beach City was caused, Black Rutile ultimately lost.

Afterward, there were debates on what to do with Black Rutile now that her plans had been foiled for good. Some wanted her to be shattered to make her feel the pain she put them through, but others said she should be permanently bubbled. However, both would've ultimately vindicated Black Rutile's beliefs that the Crystal Gems were tyrants that only punished those for doing what they were made to do, so the most nonviolent idea of forcing her to attend Little Homeschool was agreed upon. But not before she would face the consequences of her actions.

Upon finally regaining consciousness as her body reformed itself, Black Rutile groaned loudly from how painfully she was punched before looking around at the dark cell she was trapped in, with only a glass wall at the front being her window to the world around her. "What's the meaning of this?! Where am I?!" Black Rutile yelled while pounding on the glass when she finally discovered her reflection. Much to her horror, she was stripped of any trace she proudly served White Diamond, including her signature white cape. "Oh no! Oh no, no, no!"

"Oh yes, you little weirdo." One of the correctional officers declared. "Welcome to Area 42, Black Rutile. You're officially in government custody until you're fit to stand trial."

"A trial? What is the meaning of this?" Black Rutile kept asking. "Where is Steven?! He should be a prisoner, not me!"

"Yeah, threatening to destroy the planet multiple times can do that to you." Another guard commented. "You are seriously mental, missy, and that's why Major General Grant sent out the call for a criminal psychologist to tell you just how messed up you are."

"Implying that I, a Gem who only wanted to do what was best for my people by any means necessary, is a criminal." Black Rutile talked back to her captors.

"Lady, how oblivious are you to the fact that you're completely off your rocker evil?!" the first guard exclaimed. "Before now, I'd be more likely to find guys like you in comic books or movies!"

Outside Area 42, a government-owned helicopter landed on the facility helipad. Out of it came a middle-aged man with graying ash-blonde hair, blue eyes, and a white lab coat over a tan dress shirt and cargo pants carrying a briefcase. "Mr. President, it's an honor to see you."

"Thank you for accepting this summons, Dr. James Brenner." United States president Eduardo Suarez said gratefully as he shook the psychologist's hand before he, his vice president Theresa Maxwell, and the U.S. army's major general Wade Grant began leading Dr. Brenner through the complex. "We wanted you here today because we currently have a prisoner who has threatened our world with the belief that she's doing what she thinks is right, kind of like a terrorist only on a galactic scale."

"Terrorist, you say?" James wondered. "What's this prisoner's name, if I may ask?"

"Oh, just a psycho alien warlord named Black Rutile." Theresa replied. "You might've seen her on the news earlier."

"Oh yes, I was watching things closely." Brenner declared. "This Black Rutile character fascinates me so. Does she truly believe she is doing whatever it takes for her people?"

"No, just a toxic superiority complex." Wade responded bluntly as the four reached Black Rutile's cell, where she sat there silent as a lamb. "Let's see how you handle this basketcase."

"I'll see what I can do." James nodded to the three government officials as he was pulled up a chair facing Black Rutile to sit in. "Hello there, my name is James Brenner, professional criminal psychologist, and I shall be examining you today before your trial."

"If you're trying to brainwash me into loving Earth, then forget it." Black Rutile scoffed with her arms folded. "I will not be assimilated into your culture so easily, old man!"

"Calm down, Black Rutile. I don't wish to harm you. I only want to test you." James proclaimed before opening his briefcase to pull out a pair of half-moon reading glasses and some case files on his subject. "And my my, they weren't kidding when they said you were a unique individual. Judging by all this intel privately given to me on the way here, you seem to tick off half of Cluster B on the DSM-5."

"Cluster B?" Black Rutile said curiously. "What are you talking about?"

Brenner clicked his tongue in awe and kept reading. "Let's see, you seem to possess traits of antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. Heck, you even possess a strong sadistic personality disorder, and that's not even used as a legit diagnosis anymore!"

"Oh please, you're too kind." Black Rutile took the psychologist's diagnosis as a compliment while batting her eyelashes. "Do tell me more."

"As a matter of fact, I'd like you to tell me more." James replied. "What could've caused all this? Were you powerless at one point in your life and gained power by tormenting others? Do you have any self-worth issues you are hiding? Or maybe a poor self-image?"

"No, you're wrong on all of those!" Black Rutile objected to the doctor's questioning. "I had plenty of power to begin with, and I'm very happy with myself! Are you insinuating that I tell my backstory or something?"

"I would like that very much." James smiled and nodded at the offer. "Besides, it could provide for your case."

As she seemed to have no other option, plus it could give her a leg to stand on in court, Black Rutile turned away from her psychologist and took a deep breath. "Okay, you win. I'll tell you everything."

Six thousand years ago, in a Zeta Kindergarten on the colony planet of Demorgon-419, the Gem that would become known across the entire universe as Black Rutile had just emerged. But unlike the shamelessly cunning, devious, opportunistic, sociopathic monster she would turn into in the modern day, she was just a normal, obedient Rutile who nonetheless had big dreams for her future. To achieve those dreams, she worked harder than any Gem ever would at their given job, hers being piloting, which began getting her superiors' attention.

"My Diamond, there is a pressing matter I'd like for you to address." An Emerald said to White Diamond one day. "There is this one Rutile who has been putting more effort into her work than most of her type ever had."

"Which one are you talking about, Emerald?" White Diamond asked her subordinate.

"I believe it's Facet-1E3F, Cut-7WQ." The Emerald replied. "Would you like me to bring her to you?"

"You shall." White replied. "This should be intriguing." As the Emerald promised, Black Rutile Facet-1E3F Cut-7WQ was brought before White Diamond, and she began trembling at her almighty superior's radiant yet ominous aura. "Hello there, little Rutile."

"Greetings, my Diamond." Black Rutile saluted her Diamond in reply. "What have you requested my presence for?"

"I want to speak with you about your performance so far." The head Diamond replied while examining some hologram documents of Black Rutile's deeds. "You have been doing exceedingly well for a mere Rutile since you emerged on Demorgon-419. Normally, I wouldn't give this the time of day, but you, in particular, have been of great interest to your fellow Gems. Why is that, if I may ask?"

"Why am I working so hard?" Black Rutile asked proudly. "It's because I have big dreams, you see! I don't want to be just any ordinary Rutile; I wish to be known and respected across the entire Gem race! I could even stand by your side someday, and all shall love me and despair!"

"My, someone's a big dreamer." White chuckled and patted Black Rutile on the head with a massive finger. "It's good to have dreams to follow, my little Rutile, and you are no different."

"Wow, you were more lenient than I thought." Black Rutile muttered in surprise. "I was concerned you'd go all crazy and smash me to pieces."

"Oh no, I'd never do that to someone so eager to please." White said sweetly but in a rather condescending fashion that Black Rutile didn't notice. "Now, you be on your way, my dear, but I will keep an eye on you for now."

"A mere Rutile wishes to move up in the ranks?!" Yellow Diamond bellowed at White not long after the Diamond met with Black Rutile. "She should know her place in the caste system! Imagine what this would do to other Rutiles!"

"Yellow, please, just hear White out!" Blue Diamond tried calming her fellow Diamond down. "I'm just as alarmed, but maybe we should give this Rutile the benefit of the doubt."

Yellow then took a deep breath while facepalming in annoyance. "Okay, proceed."

"According to one of my Emeralds, Black Rutile 1E3F-7WQ has been working exponentially harder than most other Rutiles because she wants to break the mold that we have forced them into, perhaps even standing by my side one day." White explained.

"You're kidding." Yellow flatly declared. "A Rutile standing alongside our leader? Someone might be getting a little too big for their britches. And it's only been, what, a couple of hundred years or so since she first emerged on Demorgon-419?"

"This is a very concerning matter indeed." Blue agreed with Yellow. "I demand to see this Black Rutile at once and see where her true motivations lie. If she plans on a rebellion, we will see that she must be shattered."

"Well, sorry for trying to be fair, but whatever works for you." White rolled her eyes at the younger Diamonds.

Soon, Black Rutile was once again brought before White Diamond, though this time, the other three Diamonds were right by her side and dozens of Gems assembled in the throne room as Black Rutile was to make her case.

"Good day to you all, everyone." Black Rutile greeted rather awkwardly, as this was the first time she was forced in front of a large crowd. "I am Black Rutile 1E3F-7WQ, and I stand before you all today because the Diamonds are led to believe I had big plans for Homeworld."

"So, is it true she's just getting a big head, or does she really think she wants to stand out from the other Rutiles?" Pink Diamond whispered to the other Diamonds.

"We don't know yet, so shush!" White silently commanded the littlest monarch.

"And you might laugh at me for thinking that way because I am merely a Rutile, just another low-ranking Gem on the pecking order who probably won't amount to much and can easily be replaced." Black Rutile continued. "Granted, White Diamond was alarmed to learn such a thing, while Yellow and Blue didn't have faith in my abilities, but I am here today to prove them all wrong!" She raised her voice with a confident expression on her face, shocking everyone in the throne room. Even the ordinarily unflappable White Diamond raised her eyebrows with intrigue as Black Rutile kept on speaking. "Even as a Rutile, I was born with the gift of intelligence on par with your average Peridot. That gift has granted me the foresight to know what could truly be best for all Homeworld and beyond!"

The other Gems began muttering with suspicion about what Black Rutile meant. Did she genuinely want what was best, or did she have far darker plans in mind? The Rutile's words continued proving them wrong. "Like, for example, we could strengthen our relationship with the Universal Lords and allow them to inhabit colony planets we do not need anymore or avert any possible resource crises by saving up on materials! The possibilities are endless!"

"You know, I'm starting to like her quite a bit now." Yellow smirked eagerly. "I have heard from the Vosania family that there are some planets they don't feel like conquering right now."

"And what's more, I shall lead you all into battle in the event of war because I have spent endless hours researching every Gem's abilities, weapons, and battle tactics!" Black Rutile had pretty much won over all the Gems in the room by now, having them hung on her every word. "I can be of great use to you all if you would just give me a chance! I can make Homeworld great!"

All the Gems started cheering in excitement as Black Rutile looked upon her audience with pride. All her dreaming had led up to this, but all that was left to do was for the Diamonds to give her the okay. "So, what did you all think?"

"It seems you proved us all wrong, little Rutile." Yellow remarked pridefully. "Your ideas could indeed be of great benefit to our society."

"And to think, all that from a low-ranking pilot." Blue added. "Maybe White was right to have faith in you."

"We shall watch your career with great interest, Black Rutile." White declared with a smile, which was what all Black Rutile needed to be vindicated. She was so happy that she didn't even hear White whisper something to the other Diamonds. "Though really, I just want to humor her."

For the next couple dozen years afterwards, Black Rutile's hard work and determination began to pay off as it seemed like almost everything was handed to her on a silver platter. She had earned respect and friendship from numerous high-ranking Gems like Hessonite and Emerald, her own dropship to take into battle. She was given a cape added to her form as a show of power, an eager Cinnabar to take in as her apprentice, and most famously, a White Topaz to serve as her bodyguard, confidant, and right-hand Gem.

"Black Rutile, we'd like to introduce you to White Topaz Facet-6G9H, Cut-4U2." Yellow Pearl introduced Black Rutile to her new Topaz. "She just came out of one of the Sigma Kindergartens on Gustafring, and you'll find her to be very eager to please."

"Oh my gosh, you must be the Black Rutile everyone has been talking about!" White Topaz exclaimed while rapidly shaking Black Rutile's hand. "I am so honored to meet you and be your muscle, just say the word and I'll do anything!"

"Oh my, you're a little eager." Black Rutile purred. "Reminds me of me when White Diamond first noticed my potential. Now, what can you do?"

"Well, aside from super strength, comes with the territory of being a Topaz," White Topaz stated while showing off her bicep. "I can also do this!" She then presented her weapon, a gauntlet with brass knuckles attached to it. "You like?"

"Oh yes, I do like! The Diamonds certainly picked a good one." Black Rutile clapped happily, further exciting the Topaz.

"Anything else you need, Black Rutile?" Yellow Pearl offered. "We can throw in your own Pearl if you'd like."

"No, I can already care for myself, thank you." Black Rutile turned down the suggestion. "Besides, I wouldn't get as overly attached to mine as a certain Diamond has."

"Ah yes, Pink Diamond, your eternal archnemesis." James interrupted Black Rutile's recounting of her origins. "The same source of your vendetta against the new Gem order and the Crystal Gems. But now, I'm left to wonder what the source of this grudge is. Did she do something to hurt you in particular? I have heard she can get a little violent at times."

"Well, she technically hurt me in a way." Black Rutile responded. "For years, as I rose through the ranks of Homeworld's upper crusts, I just couldn't help but absolutely despise how Pink seemed to have everything handed to her with no consequences to her obnoxious tantrums! Like, she was given the Earth as her first colony because she kept demanding her own planet, but then she didn't even use it properly because she got a little too attached to the natives!"

"I see." Brenner replied as he wrote down his findings on a notepad. "But what about any personal history you might've shared?"

"Another thing that made me despise Pink was how often I was forced to babysit her whenever the other Diamonds were busy." Black Rutile added. "She just kept getting on my nerves whenever we were forced to pair up, and she always accused me of being too power-hungry!"

One day, the Diamonds were busy with diplomatic affairs regarding the Universal Lords. Since Pink Diamond was too young to come along, White had entrusted Black Rutile with watching over her until the Diamonds returned. However, Black Rutile was hesitant to do so due to her grudge against Pink, but obliged out of a desire to increase her standing amongst Gems.

"Black Rutile, are we done yet?" Pink complained as Black Rutile oversaw the conquest of Utrokrang-847, a small planet in the Lairdman galaxy that was home to a race of brain-like creatures. "I'm bored!"

"We'll be done when I say we're done!" Black Rutile yelled at the young Diamond. "White Topaz, keep her distracted while I'm working here!"

"Okay, my Rutile." White Topaz nodded as she sat next to Pink Diamond and her Pearl. "So, want to talk about anything, like say, I don't know, how your day has been?"

"Eh, pretty normal." Pink shrugged. "Hey, if I'm on my best behavior today, you think Black Rutile will put a good word in and maybe get the Diamonds to give me a colony?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Black Rutile abruptly yelled as she stormed into the room. "Don't think you can just use me to get what you want; you have to earn it!"

"Earn my own colony how?" Pink asked.

"By, I don't know, actually acting like the Diamond you're supposed to be!" Black Rutile answered angrily. "There's a reason why you're basically a puppet compared to the other Diamonds; it's because you can't be trusted to do anything on your own! You'd rather just whine and cry as the day as long in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, you'll get whatever you want, but that's not how the universe works!"

"You just don't understand what I'm going through because you think you're so high and mighty." Pink argued with the Rutile while their respective servants watched awkwardly. "You think you're so great because you keep working hard, but in the end, you're just a Rutile!"

"That's the idea, I have been working like crazy for thousands of years to gain the respect and admiration of all for a low-class Gem type!" Black Rutile continued. "Meanwhile, you are one of the great leaders of our race, yet you're always acting like a mere rowdy quartz! And not even a good quartz, more like one of those overcooked runts I sometimes have to weed out!"

"Uh, Black Rutile, maybe you should leave Pink alone for the moment and get back to work." Pink Diamond's Pearl suggested. "She's going through a lot at the moment, so maybe don't make her feel worse."

"Fine, I got better things to do today regardless." Black Rutile scoffed in agreement before turning back to Pink. "But don't think we're done yet!"

"Fascinating." James declared once Black Rutile finished her story. "So, if I'm correct here, you believed that hard work will get you what you want instead of just constantly asking until people cave in to keep you quiet."

"And that's exactly what happened." Black Rutile declared in response. "The Diamonds decided to give Pink the Earth we stand on today as her only colony, but like the ungrateful little brat she is, Pink was unsatisfied because they were putting dozens of expendable organics at risk. So because she once again wasn't listened to, Pink decided to fake her own suicide and started the most selfish war you could ever imagine."

"While you are my most fascinating patient yet, and I'd love to hear more of your story, I'm afraid we'll have to cut our time short for now." Dr. Brenner stated as Black Rutile was finally let out of her cell by some armored guards. "Your trial is about to begin."

"So, this is it, eh?" Black Rutile dourly responded. "Go ahead, do what you want with me."

Black Rutile was led away from the depths of Area 42 and shunted into a helicopter that would take her away from Calivada, with Brenner accompanying the Gem revolutionary, and soon bring her straight to Washington D.C., where her trial was to be held. When the chopper landed, Black Rutile was quickly hounded by the press that secret service agents kept at bay as they led the accused into the building. High in the sky, Black Rutile could also see the Diamonds' ships parked nearby, indicating to her that they would also be participating in the proceedings. "I'm officially doomed."

"If I had a nickel for every time I had a client say that." James commented in reply before Black Rutile was led into the massive courtroom and seated at the defendant's table. The Crystal Gems were sitting next to her at the plaintiff's table. The jury was made up of their allies, both human and Gem alike, and even some of Black Rutile's subordinates past and present. And just as Black Rutile predicted, the Diamonds had shrunk themselves down to fit inside the courtroom.

"All rise for the honorable judge Quincy Hibbert." The bailiff announced, cuing a man in judge's garb with tanned skin, dark gray hair with white temples, and a matching beard to enter the room and take his seat at the bench.

"Order in the court, everyone; I say order!" Judge Hibbert loudly declared while theatrically pounding his gavel on his bench. "We stand here today to accuse the Gem known as Black Rutile for her many crimes against our planet and the universe beyond! Bailiff, read the charges!"

"Black Rutile, you have been brought here to be tried for crimes of terrorism, attempted genocide, attempted murder of a minor, numerous counts of abuse, and attempted murder of our president." The bailiff said to Black Rutile. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty!" Black Rutile replied. "You just don't have the full story yet! I had good intentions in doing all these so-called "crimes" while you keep letting the Crystal Gems off with a slap on the wrist for their numerous infractions!"

"Name one reason you think you had good intentions?" Steven scowled from across the courtroom.

"Because it's either these lawless troglodytes or me!" Black Rutile proclaimed. "For example, Lapis Lazuli has risked the safety of your entire species for selfish purposes, yet since she's just a poor misunderstood soul who just wanted to go home, she gets away with it scot-free!"

"Wow, really laying it on thick right off the bat." Lapis commented at the mere mention of her past actions.

"Yet once Steven showed her an ounce of kindness, Lapis decided to take advantage of that by abusing his friends at every turn and showing no empathy or regret for what she has done!" Black Rutile continued. "And then there's Pearl, who had previously, and repeatedly might I add, coerced Garnet into fusing with her just to feel powerful again!"

"Hm, yes, these are all rather questionable, but everyone makes mistakes at least a few times in their lives." The judge responded, raising his eyebrow. "But do you perhaps have a lawyer to back up your claims?"

"Did someone say lawyer?!" the obnoxious voice of Cat's Eye exclaimed as she burst into the courtroom and strutted her way over to Black Rutile and Dr. Brenner, much to the annoyance of the Crystal Gems. "Did you know you have rights, my friend? Well, the laws of this planet say you do, and so do I!" she declared to Black Rutile. "I believe until proven guilty, you are perfectly innocent, Black Rutile! And that's why I will fight for you!"

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Black Rutile asked, completely baffled at Cat's entrance. "And do you seriously believe you have the legal expertise to defend me in court?"

"Oh, pardon me, I don't think we met." Cat's Eye extended a hand that Black Rutile began to shake. "Name's Cat's Eye, aristocrat, lawyer, fellow victim of the Crystal Gems. By the way, Cinnabar says hi!"

"Wait, you collaborated with Cinnabar?!" Black Rutile gasped in amazement.

"No time to elaborate, allow me to defend you." Cat's Eye stated as she got up to make her case. "Honorable judge, my client here states that she simply wants what was best for our people, wants that didn't involve making everyone bend the knee and become defenseless, easily conquerable pacifists all because our grand leaders have become total bootlickers towards a half-human child."

"Ugh, her again." Pearl smacked her face angrily at the thought of seeing Cat's Eye again. "And like always, I bet she'll just lie and be incredibly obnoxious just to get her way."

"Uh, who's Cat's Eye?" Steven asked the Gems.

"Annoying lawyer we contended with on Homeworld while you were at the doctor's." Amethyst stated. "Thankfully, Pearl drove her mad and got her poofed."

"So, where have you been this whole time?" Garnet asked Cat's Eye.

"Oh, nothing much." Cat's Eye meowed tepidly. "Just forced to do time in prison and perform community service after you took everything from me!"

"Order!" Judge Hibbert yelled with a pound of his gavel. "I shall not allow this behavior in my courtroom! Now then, shall we move on to witnesses?"

"Yes, yes we shall." Yellow Zircon proclaimed as she stepped into the room just as dramatically as Cat's Eye earlier and sat down with the Crystal Gems. "Hello again, Black Rutile."

"Oh, you're that moronic Zircon I turned into my mouthpiece." Black Rutile said, immediately recognizing the Zircon. "What brings you back here?"

"I was held captive by Cinnabar back on Homeworld, but after I was freed upon your Black Pearls' defeat of her, I jumped at the chance to give you one last payback for what you did to me." Yellow Zircon proclaimed. "Now then, if we have nothing else to discuss, would one of Black Rutile's subordinates please speak up and come to the stand?"

"I shall!" Aquamarine declared as she fluttered from the jury box and onto the witness stand.

"Miss, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" Judge Hibbert asked the little blur Gem.

"Of course, I'm as honest as the day is long." Aquamarine grinned cheekily.

"I doubt it." Garnet coolly responded while Yellow Zircon stepped forward to interrogate Aquamarine.

"Now Aquamarine, before Era 3, you were a high-ranking Gem in Blue Diamond's court up until you abducted several humans based on a list written by Peridot-5XG, up until Steven offered himself up in exchange for the humans' freedom." Yellow Zircon recounted. "After the beginning of Era 3 and the revelation that you essentially threatened the life of Pink Diamond, you were cast out and stripped of your rank, which most likely led to you joining Black Rutile. Is this true?"

"Oh, very true, Zircon." Aquamarine nodded. "Steven took everything from me, but when this most gracious Dalmatian Jasper collected me to join Black Rutile's band of freedom fighters, I happily accepted the offer and rose to the rank of her second in command."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Jasper yelled from the jury box. "White Topaz has been around Black Rutile longer, why isn't she second in command?!"

"It's all a matter of hierarchy." Aquamarine declared. "As a mindless soldier, ergo, White Topaz was lower on the pecking order than her higher-ranking superiors."

"Yeah, kinda true." White Topaz muttered as she felt like her intelligence was insulted before Cat's Eye gave her two cents.

"That is indeed true. Aquamarines hold a much higher rank than your average Topaz or Ruby." Cat proclaimed. "Which reminds me, was your alliance with that Ruby of your own free will, or were you two convinced? I am well aware of how often you two bicker."

"Indeed, when Eyeball and I were brought to Black Rutile, she offered to train us as a way to make us stronger." Aquamarine continued. "Unfortunately, she chose fusion as that way."

"And what is this fusion, you say?" the judge asked.

"Your honor, allow me to demonstrate." Garnet announced as she got up from the defendant's table to un-fuse into Ruby and Sapphire, eliciting oohs and aahs from the crowd.

"Fusion is when two Gems join together to form an even stronger whole." Ruby explained.

"However, the fusion can only be stable if the components harmonize properly." Sapphire added. "We, for example, have been fused for thousands of years, and we even got married not too long ago too." As the two small Gems presented the wedding rings made for them by Bismuth, the crowd began aahing again at the duo's relationship as they combined back into Garnet.

"So, what was your fusion like, Aquamarine?" Cat's Eye said while rolling her eyes at Garnet and filing her nails.

"Ugh, we could barely function together!" Aquamarine scoffed. "Ruby is a complete moron who always accuses me of being a bossyboots!"

"That's because you are!" Eyeball yelled from the stands, only to be greeted by a whip from Cat's Eye's riding crop.

"Okay, that's quite enough, everyone." Judge Hibbert announced as he ceased the arguments with a gavel bang. "Next witness, please."

For the next couple of minutes, the rest of the Rutile Rebels, both current and former, began giving their testimonies on Black Rutile, how they joined her, and where they stand on her now.

"After Steven ruined my life by stripping me of my power over those insipid quartz Gems, I was desperate for any form of authority over anyone!" Holly Blue Agate declared. "When Zoisite offered me a spot on Black Rutile's side, I took it without hesitation! If only Zoisite didn't talk back to me."

"Much like Holly Blue, I was also furious over losing everything while my foes got away with it!" Emerald agreed later. "I readily accepted a position as Black Rutile's advisor, but once I was defeated at Little Homeworld and forced to go to that school, I was initially desperate to find my master again. When Demantoid and Pyrope convinced me that I was effectively abandoned, I decided to pursue other hobbies that didn't pertain to chasing Lars. Which reminds me, is he here? I'd like to see him again sometime."

"Unfortunately, I think Lars returned to Homeworld so he can return Pink Diamond's ship." Bismuth answered, much to the Emerald's dismay.

"I was there when Pink Diamond was shattered, I saw it with my own eye!" Eyeball recounted her presence at Pink Diamond's presumed death. "But now everyone keeps telling me that she never died to begin with, and now I nearly tried to kill her while I was trapped in deep space because SOMEONE neglected to save my team after they double-crossed us!"

"I'm sorry Eyeball; we were in a hurry to escape the Diamonds and head back to Earth!" Steven apologized for the Gems.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, just like how you won't get a sorry out of me for doing what was right!" Eyeball yelled.

"I was never really one for Pink Diamond, so I felt absolutely nothing when she was shattered." Morganite declared. "All that mattered to me was my work and how the public responded to it. But hearing about how she faked her death to start a war while showing little regard for the consequences of her actions just made me question if she never even cared for other Gems to begin with."

"OBJECTION!" Yellow Zircon yelled. "Pink Diamond did care! She gave her Pearl a choice to be her own Gem, but Pearl willingly stuck by her side because they were more than just master and servant! They were friends, and even more than that!"

"That doesn't make a lick of sense whatsoever." Morganite debated. "Pearl was given a choice to no longer be a slave, but she remained one anyways because she had a crush on her master? Does anyone else think that is incredibly messed up?!" The court began to mutter indecisively while Pearl sunk into her seat in embarrassment.

"When Black Rutile found me after I was freed from White's control, she and Holly Blue took advantage of how confused I was about the new world and used it to make me a spy." Volleyball stated. "Luckily, I was able to break out of their control after meeting Steven, who tried to have my eye fixed."

"Before being enlisted by Black Rutile just before she invaded Earth, Demantoid and I plotted to overthrow Era 3 for ourselves." Pyrope recounted her and Demantoid's battle with the Crystal Gems. "Unfortunately, once we were defeated, our clashing ideals got us poofed, and then bubbled by a certain traitorous Hessonite that was once our friend."

"However, once we were on Earth, we just got poofed all over again." Demantoid added. "We were then kept in Little Homeschool as a way of rehabilitating ourselves, but we acclimated better to our new surroundings once we had to get used to the fact that we were ditched."

"Okay, that should be almost everyone." Cat's Eye said as Demantoid and Pyrope said their peace on Black Rutile. "Now all that's left is for Lapis Lazuli 1J9G-5KL to take to the stand."

"I thought I told you the last time I participated in a trial; it's Laz!" Laz cried as she flew over to the witness's stand.

"You know, if I had a Mineral for every court case where jury members had the most abhorrent nicknames, I'd have two Minerals." Cat groaned angrily. "Which isn't a lot, but it's insane how it happened twice."

"Now, Miss Lazuli, could you please tell us how you joined Black Rutile the same way everyone else did?" Yellow Zircon asked Laz.

"Well, it all started on Aozul 2, when I was abandoned by Zuli when she decided to learn at Little Homeschool rather than keep terraforming with me." Laz stated. "I was so angry and alone, and I swore vengeance on Steven and Lapis for taking my friend away from me. And that was what Black Rutile used to manipulate me."

A few months ago, on the moon Aozul 2, the duo then known as Lapis Lazulis 1J9G-5KL and 2F8D-9ZE had just split up following a conflict with their old friend 3E8C-4XF and the so-called new Pink Diamond because the two didn't want them to terraform worlds anymore.

While 2F8D was more willing to go along with the pair because she was tired of 1J9 G's abusive control over her, 1J9G was much more hesitant to go along with the new status quo. While she was venting her frustrations by chopping down trees using her water powers, 1J9G received a rather unexpected visitor.

"Who's there?" 1J9G began panicking when she heard a rustling in the trees. "Did you realize you made a huge mistake and come crawling back to me?" However, 1J9G realized she wasn't talking to 2F8D. Instead, a large, grey hand with a white topaz on the back emerged from the foliage and reached out for her.

"Howdy, fancy seeing you here!" White Topaz cheerfully greeted the curly-haired terraformer. "Hey, Black Rutile, I found her!"

"Perfect, Topaz." Black Rutile replied as she emerged from the trees to greet 1J9G. "Hello there, little Lapis. Friendship trouble, I presume?"

"How did you know that?" 1J9G asked nervously, unaware of Black Rutile's true intentions.

"Well, let's just say I've been watching you and saw that you needed a comforting shoulder to cry on." Black Rutile responded pleasantly before her tone turned sour. "What the jank do you think I'm here for?!"

"The trees?" 1J9G replied, causing Black Rutile to sigh as she pinched her gem.

"No, I come here because I can plainly see you're just as much of a victim of this so-called messiah Steven Universe as all the rest." Black Rutile said frankly. "However, I can change that. I have a grand plan, magnanimous; I might say, to overthrow those oppressive rebels and claim the throne the Diamonds left empty for myself!"

"Yeah, she's been planning this for years, even way back when Pink Diamond was around!" White Topaz added, which caught the Lapis's interest.

"I'm listening." 1J9G said with intrigue.

"You're not the first foe of the Crystal Gems who was a mere working girl with a life they ruined." Black Rutile continued with her proposal. "I've got dozens, nay, hundreds of Gems who were left without their livelihoods, and you shall join them if you accept my offer."

"Okay, I like what you're saying, but why go through all this trouble?" 1J9G asked curiously. "Gems are smart; they'll see right through you."

"A Gem is smart." Black Rutile answered. "But a whole group of them are dumb, panicky mindless sheep that I can easily control. I shall continue working in the shadows while leaving some Gems to present me as a well-to-do public figure until the time is right." She then stuck out her hand. "Now that we have that answered, will you do me the honor of joining the Rutile Rebels?"

Looking at her hand, the Gem that would eventually become known as Laz began pondering Black Rutile's offer. Although she was only focused on taking back her friends whether they liked it or not, this Rutile and her Topaz presented some persuasive points. With an eager nod from White Topaz to suggest she do it, 1J9G then took Black Rutile's hand, sealing the deal.

"Okay, I'm with you." 1J9G agreed to Black Rutile as they shook. "But I don't really care about your whole insurrection against Era 3 or whatever, I only want to get my friends back, and that's it."

"Oh, trust me, there will be plenty of room for you and your comrades in my new empire." Black Rutile grinned sweetly. "Now come with me, I'll explain everything about my operations."

"And that was how I joined." Laz concluded her story. "After that, I joined Black Rutile in her invasion of Earth, but after Jasper saved my life during the invasion, I decided that maybe it was time that I join Little Homeschool so I could learn to become a better friend."

"And you're all the better for it." Zuli gave her friend a thumbs up from the jury box, which Laz smiled at, but Black Rutile again groaned angrily.

"Yes, yes, everyone loves Steven." Black Rutile snarled. "Breaking news, everyone, water is wet! More on this development at eight!"

"Oh, be quiet!" Lapis jeered Black Rutile.

"Well, now that we have details on each of these Rutile Rebels, it's only necessary that we get to the depths of their leader." Cat's Eye stated. "I call the human sitting with Black Rutile to the stand!"

"Call me Dr. James Brenner, thank you." James introduced himself to the Gems as he walked up to the witness stand with his notes on Black Rutile.

"Dr. Brenner, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Yellow Zircon asked the criminal psychologist.

"I swear." Brenner swore the oath. "Good day to our alien neighbors. I am Dr. James Brenner, P.H.D. I am 52 years old, born in Springfield on September 11th, 1964. Before anyone asks, yes, the date is a total coincidence. I graduated from the University of Jayhawk with a degree in psychology."

"Hey, I'm going to Jayhawk too!" Connie exclaimed, only to be greeted by a whip from Cat's Eye.

"No talking, little girl!" Cat ordered the human.

"Anyways, I was assigned to examine Black Rutile while she was a prisoner of Area 42, and I must say, she is quite the complex patient." Brenner said as he presented his notes to the court. "In my study of Black Rutile, I have diagnosed her with antisocial and narcissistic personality disorder, and even traces of sadistic personality disorder, which I find baffling because that's not even in the DSM-5 anymore!"

"Objection!" Cat's Eye yelled at Brenner. "My client here is a sensitive Gem who was merely a victim of Steven's psychotic obsession with enforcing his twisted and fascist views on love and affection."

"But I thought I was the one with the psychotic obsession." Black Rutile innocently added, eliciting laughter from the audience.

"Regardless, young Mr. Universe is an obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic, hero-complexed sociopath who needs to know that his distorted desires are harming others!" Cat's Eye claimed regarding Steven. "And yet he genuinely believes that he's a pure, innocent soul who can do no harm! THAT DOES NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"As much as I would love to psychoanalyze Sir Steven someday, I feel you might be describing the wrong person, miss defendant." Brenner declared while continuing to look through his notes. "She claims that when she first emerged on a planet called Demorgon-419, she had big dreams of breaking the mold other Rutiles were fitted into. But it seems she let the power of becoming a personal confidant to White Diamond go to her head as soon as the Diamonds granted her that power, in addition to her toxic grudge against Pink Diamond."

"If that's the case, then I call White Diamond to the stand!" Yellow Zircon exclaimed, pointing straight at the highest Diamond in the stands next to Yellow, Blue, Spinel, Volleyball, and Lemon Jade.

"Well, I guess it's time to admit it." White declared to herself as she stood up to tell the truth about Black Rutile.

"You'll do fine, Whitey!" Spinel exclaimed with her feet kicked up on Eyeball's head. "Just gotta tell the truth!"

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure the truth won't be very kind to Black Rutile." Lemon Jade said nervously as White Diamond sat down on the witness stand.

"Miss White Diamond, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Judge Brenner asked the Diamond.

"I swear." White Diamond answered as she turned to face her former Rutile. "Black Rutile, I know you are a sociopathic megalomaniac, but that shouldn't detract from all you've done for Homeworld up until all of this. But I believe there's something that I've been hiding for long enough, and you must know about it."

"Well, spit it out; we haven't got all day!" Black Rutile exclaimed impatiently. "What, are you insinuating that you never had any faith in me?!"

"Well, you're not entirely wrong." White confessed, much to Black Rutile's horror. "While I do admit you certainly had the skills and experience to work your way up to the upper echelons of my court, I must confess that I didn't feel like shattering you when you first revealed your dreams to me because, well, I found it kind of funny how much a Rutile wanted to stand by my side and change Gem society for the better! But I knew you were sincere in your claims, so I decided to keep you around because the initial thought of it just made me laugh!"

Black Rutile couldn't believe what her ex-Diamond had just revealed. After thousands of years of hard work and devotion to the Gems' cause and how much it earned her, it seemed to Black Rutile that all of it was for nothing. Ultimately, everything she had worked for was all based on White Diamond's sense of humor. She didn't know what to make of such a betrayal, that she initially didn't find the words to express it. All she could do was bow her head in disgrace and start to cry.

"Oh no, don't cry!" White tried cheering Black Rutile up. "I'm being serious; you do some of the hardest work out of any Rutile that has ever been created! Like when you conquered Torioda for us, which gave us some of our finest Kindergartens yet!"

"So that's it, I'm nothing more than a joke to you, you ungrateful pebble?!" Black Rutile roared angrily. "AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE DONE FOR YOU, EVERYTHING I SACRIFICED, YOU'RE GOING TO REPAY ME BY SAYING I WAS JUST BEING FUNNY?!"

The courtroom began erupting in chatter as White bowed her head in shame, and the judge banged his gavel once again. "Order, order in the court!" Quincy yelled for silence. "I think now would be a good time to call for a recess so our extraterrestrial guests may process all we've learned so far."

"That would be very nice, your honor." Cat's Eye agreed while licking the back of her hand and glaring at White Diamond from afar. "The nerve of that clod."

"I can't believe this; my Diamond was lying to me!" Black Rutile began despairing over this world-shattering revelation as the court went into recess. "This has got to be some horrible dream! If I pinch myself, I'll just wake up to a world where the Earth is a giant asteroid field, the Crystal Gems are dead, and I take my rightful place as supreme ruler of all Gems!"

"My Rutile, there you are." Holly Blue said as she appeared behind Black Rutile with Aquamarine, the Rubies, and Cat's Eye alongside her. "I am truly sorry you had to hear all of that heinous mockery of your good deeds." Contrary to how the Agate usually acted, she was much more solemn and comforting this time. "Here, I got something that might cheer you up." Reaching to the gem on the back of her neck, Holly Blue pulled out a red visor in the shape of a V that she handed over to Black Rutile. "Here, it was one of your few assets that weren't seized following your downfall."

"Thank you, Holly." Black Rutile thanked Holly Blue while putting on the visor and giving it a test run. "I must say, this is far more advanced than my old visor. Perhaps this could be of use to me." Just then, she looked down at Eyeball and Navy, who were now guarded by their former comrades Doc, Army, and Leggy. "And what's with you guys?"

"We have been assigned to watch over these Rubies for their relation to you." Doc proclaimed with her arms folded behind her back.

"If these two try anything funny, we won't hesitate to eliminate them." Army added just as dutifully.

"Oh, this is how the old gang gets back together?" Black Rutile grinned evilly. "I got an idea. Permission to speak with the prisoners privately?"

"Uh, permission granted." Leggy agreed, and Eyeball & Navy were let go so Black Rutile could drag them far away from their captors.

"You really can make Rubies do anything you want." Black Rutile muttered sneakily before turning to Eyeball and Navy. "Speaking of which, I have a special job for you two. If we are to regain power, we must take our captors by surprise, which is why I want you to pretend you've changed your ways, and when the time is right, seize control of that squad from within."

"A new mission?!" Navy excitedly yelled. "Don't worry my Rutile; we won't let you down!"

"Yeah, but what if we get too used to seeing the other Rubies again?" Eyeball wondered while looking longingly at Aquamarine, who was locked in a debate with Greg over his name in the distance. "If we're not careful, I could leave the only people who still want me around."

"Oh, don't get too dour!" Black Rutile gave Eyeball a hearty slap on the back. "If you do get too used to them, I'll have no choice but to shatter you!" Her threat made Eyeball's spine tingle before the three saw Dr. Brenner walk up to them. "What's up, doc?"

"I see you've been making some connections again." James stated. "Now come along; the trial is about to continue."

"Fine." Black Rutile groaned tiredly as she walked back to the courtroom. "Those Crystal Gems better not use any excuses."

When the court finally returned to session, the Crystal Gems were set to take to the witness's stand against Black Rutile, but not before Cat's Eye had the bright idea of trying to preface their arguments with the observations she made during the Homeworld trial. "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, before we proceed with these testimonies on Black Rutile, I'd like to make some testimonies of my own."

"The floor is yours, Ms. Eye." Judge Hibbert accepted.

"Thank you, your honor." Cat nodded. "Now then, judging by what we've heard so far, the Crystal Gems primarily made enemies out of Gems they thought they couldn't change. However, I have been told that they practice restorative justice, but in this case, it seems they only practice it on those they can make dozens of excuses for. And that DOES, NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"Wow, she's actually raising a few good points for once." Black Rutile smiled at Cat's declaration.

"Like for example, just like Black Rutile, Demantoid and Pyrope only wanted what was best for Homeworld, and what did the Crystal Gems do in response?" Cat's Eye continued. "They up and poofed them both while robbing them of their Prisms! Meanwhile, Lapis 1J9G-5KL reacted to Lapis's demands she and 2F8D-9ZE give up their way of life with righteous violence, yet Lapis was the one who instigated that fight, and 2F8D just immediately forgot all that like she was the guilty party! That also DOES, NOT, MAKE, SENSE!"

"OBJECTION!" Lapis interrupted the annoying attorney. "We tried to play nice with Laz and Zuli, no matter how much I wanted to convince them by force, but when all else failed, I decided to get dirty!"

"Ha ha! Dirty!" a member of the audience turned Lapis's declaration into a bawdy joke.

"Well, good to know that some things refuse to change." Pearl deadpanned before Garnet got up. "Seems like you're up first, Garnet."

"Wish me luck." Garnet stated before she walked up to the witness stand.

"Miss Garnet, could you give us your side of how you first met Black Rutile?" Yellow Zircon asked the fusion.

"With pleasure." Garnet said while adjusting the microphone on the stand. "We first met Black Rutile when she was on Earth interviewing for her Eye on Era 3 television series, which I'm convinced isn't even real, and she had us talk about our strengths and weaknesses before she left. However, I was also convinced she made us answer those questions to exploit them in the future."

"Yeah, I considered that pretty sus too." Amethyst agreed with Garnet when she took the stand next. "I mean, even Pearl brought up how oddly specific it was! And thankfully, I was proven right when Black Rutile invaded Little Homeworld!"

"I still couldn't believe Black Rutile used us like that." Pearl said regretfully. "She seemed like such a nice Gem on the surface, and then the next time we see her, she's plotting vengeance on us for all the good we've done!"

"For those wondering where Lapis, Bismuth, and I were when Black Rutile invaded, I was simply minding my own business in the greenhouse when I was suddenly ambushed by cyborg cactus monsters." Peridot recounted where she was during Black Rutile's attack on Little Homeworld. "Luckily, using my excellent control over metal, I was able to keep the cactuses at bay before racing to find help."

"I was relaxing at home and doing some painting before my artwork got a giant hole in it from a Light Warrior." Lapis added to Peridot's story. "I got agitated since I was working so hard on it for the past hour and took my rage out on the Warriors when Peridot found me, and we worked together to stop them and escape."

"When the invasion started, I was busy helping everybody evacuate while taking down Cluster Gems that started popping up for some reason." Bismuth began telling her story. "Just when it seemed like I was gonna get overwhelmed, Peridot and Lapis pulled me out of the wringer with this huge flying thing Peridot made out of leftover scrap metal from the houses we built. And we used to save the Crystal Gems from Black Rutile's posse and escape to Beach City."

"I originally sent the Gems to Los Diego not just because I thought they needed a break, but because I wanted to keep them from knowing about my outbursts and how I deal with them." Steven told his side of the story of the Gems' night in Calivada. "But then Black Rutile broke in when I was all alone and told me such horrible things about how everyone was going to leave me because I'm such a toxic person."

"Because you are!" Black Rutile heckled her archenemy from afar.

"Anyways, this quickly escalated into a fight where Black Rutile wanted me to go all out and use my out-of-control powers to shatter her." Steven continued his tale. "Although I didn't cave in, Black Rutile still left me with a warning that everyone will turn on me and that I should grow a spine."

"Well, you should!" Black Rutile kept insulting.

"Black Rutile, shush." James ordered his patient. "Though I must say, Cat's Eye is right on how I could definitely get a lot out of him."

"When Steven ran to me for help, I was convinced he was coming for a rematch!" Jasper declared. "He said he wanted to be less toxic and controlling of others, but I told him that his friends were the problem! Black Rutile used that to turn us against each other, which then led to me getting shattered during our fated battle. To this day, I still consider this all to be my fault because I just couldn't admit that I needed help."

"I'll admit, maybe a bit of this was my fault as well." Greg announced. "Before he started going out of control and turned into a monster, I took him to my parents' place because I thought maybe he needed to find himself like I had when I moved out. Unfortunately, that made Steven throw a tantrum because of his mom's troubled relationship with her family and how it reminded him of my folks and I."

"I was there when Steven transformed." Connie gave her accounts of everything during Steven's time as a monster. "It all started when I called him one morning and asked if he was alright, and he said everything was fine, but then I got this weird GIF later that day." She then pulled out her phone and presented the image of Steven bouncing up and down while chanting, "Steven's here to help!"

"Oh great, he's become a meme as well." Black Rutile groaned softly with a palm to her face.

"And that wasn't all." Connie kept talking before she pointed at Black Rutile. "Thanks to Black Rutile, he went over the edge just like she planned!"

"OBJECTION!" Cat's Eye yelled as she pointed back. "Young lady, didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to accuse people of things that weren't their fault?!"

"Well, didn't you realize that you're not a good lawyer?" Connie snarked back, angering Cat as she continued. "Then, as I'm sure you're all aware, Black Rutile brainwashed the entire world into turning on the Gems as part of her overly complex scheme to destroy them once and for all before taking over Earth. Luckily, Greg and I played an important role in saving the Crystal Gems and convincing everyone to come together to save him."

"And of course, Mailman-swindle, you throw yet another wrench in my plans." Black Rutile added harshly. "Makes me wonder why I keep singling you out. Oh wait, it's because you're nothing more than Steven's sidekick, his fusion partner!"

"Okay, that's quite enough." Yellow Zircon shut Black Rutile up and allowed Connie to leave. "For our last witness, I call White Topaz to the stand."

"Friend of yours?" James asked Black Rutile as her former Topaz became the last witness to testify against her.

"Subordinate, more like." Black Rutile replied. "Or at least, she was before the Diamonds brainwashed her."

"That's a lie." White Topaz proclaimed. "For my entire life, I was made with only one purpose, to serve Black Rutile and go along with everything she did. I was eager to do so because I thought she was my friend, and going against her would mean getting myself killed. But spending time with the Diamonds after helping her capture them made me realize how unbelievably heartless my ex-boss was."

"Oh, that's rich!" Black Rutile exclaimed. "Learning from the genocidal fascists that the well-intentioned revolutionary was in the wrong! Yeah, that totally isn't propaganda right there!"

"It was helping me learn that I should find people who would actually treat me with respect!" White Topaz yelled back. "That's what friends are supposed to be, right?!"

"You know what, how about we just cut to the chase and skip to deciding the verdict?" Yellow Zircon suggested, trying to ease the tension between Black Rutile and White Topaz.

"Fine, do with me what you will." Black Rutile turned away in disgust as the jury filed out of the courtroom to decide her fate.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?!" Judge Hibbert loudly declared with enough gravitas to take a bite out of the intense atmosphere around everyone. About fifteen minutes after White Topaz gave her speech, the jury returned to their seats to give their verdict. Out of all the Gems standing up, the Diamonds were the ones to decide her punishment.

"After some careful consideration…." Blue said.

"We have decided that Black Rutile…." Yellow added.

"Is guilty as charged." White proclaimed, eliciting cheers from the crowd as Black Rutile gawked in horror. "As punishment for her crimes, she and her present followers shall be exiled to Little Homeschool so they may learn the consequences of their actions. The same shall be said for Cat's Eye, since all she did was make up lies in the accused's favor."

"What?! Shenanigans, I call shenanigans!" Cat's Eye screamed in anger before she was hounded by guards taking her away.

"It's over, it's finally over." White Topaz muttered with relief before hugging Jasper, who then started to blush.

"I hope this makes you realize that you're not the good guy you think you are, Black Rutile." Steven said to his Rutile archnemesis as the trial was officially declared over. "You may think you're a freedom fighter at war with our ways, but in the end, you're just nothing more than a sociopathic bully that not even White Diamond could take seriously."

"Oh, here we go again. "La-dee-dah, I'm Steven Universe! I love emotionally abusing my so-called friends, guilt-tripping enemies into thinking that doing what they were made to do is wrong, and brainwashing the masses to think I'm a poor, misunderstood soul! But it's okay because everyone loves me, and I am totally not a sociopath!" No, I'm sick of this! I'm sick of all of this!" Black Rutile began screaming her defense plea. "The only connection between your mental issues and the sickness destroying your family is that everyone, especially you, uses kindness and love to justify that sickness! You can't just act like a complete psycho and then feel bad about it like that makes everything okay! You need to be better, Steven!"

Steven looked down in shame as Black Rutile continued. "But oh no, you kept pushing yourself to be the worst person you can be, and you're rewarded with the most perfect life imaginable where everything goes your way! You may think you're saving the world and helping others, but all you're doing is forcing everyone to adjust your corrupt ideals like a tyrant! It's just like Pink always did; you think you're entitled to everything because your black and white tunnel vision makes you think you're suffering! But suffering isn't enough!"

At this rate, all of Steven's family and friends had just about enough of Black Rutile. But as much as they wanted to start a fight, they had to obey the court rules. "If you're too entitled to listen all the way through, let me make one thing clear. You are all things that are wrong with you. It's not the Gems, the Diamonds, your no-good mother, or even me! It's you, and how much of a GODDAMN MIGRAINE YOU ARE!"

As the room fell silent after Black Rutile's speech, Steven remained resolute despite the horrible accusations against him. "I know you are, but what am I?"

"No, this isn't fair!" Black Rutile yelled before she, Aquamarine, Eyeball, Navy, and Cat's Eye were led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. "You haven't seen the last of me, Steven Universe! I will plot my revenge, you'll see! Your little cult can never be rid of me!"

"Stop right there, sirs." James said as he halted the guards taking the Rutile Rebels away. "Before Black Rutile can go any further, I'd like to give her this." He then fished through his labcoat and gave the Gem a book titled "Psychology: A Basic Guide" for her to read. "Here, since our time together has been rather interesting. I'll also make sure to check up on you every now and then to examine your progress."

"Thank you very much, sir. I will remember this." Black Rutile growled as the guards continued their way. With that, Black Rutile had finally answered for her crimes, whether she liked it or not, and now she was to live the rest of her days in Little Homeworld, learning to love Earth and become a better, kinder Gem. Although, she didn't intend on doing either of those.

"I must say, this psychology tome has been quite enlightening." Black Rutile said a few months later over a video chat with Brenner in her new house. "Like, for example, now that I've read through the section on autism, I'm starting to believe I might have it as well."

"Well, that is certainly a unique observation." James replied. "I have observed how you often isolate yourself from others when plotting to eradicate Steven, tend to hyperfocus on certain things, have serious trouble empathizing with others, and can go out of control when things don't go your way. But like you said, you MIGHT have it."

"Well, I think it may be time for me to go now." Black Rutile responded. "Plotting to destroy Steven again, like always."

"I'll see you again." James smiled as he ended the call, leaving his patient to put down her new book and leave to meet with Aquamarine, Holly Blue, Cat's Eye, and Eyeball.

"So, what have you planned this time, my Rutile?" Aquamarine said as the four Gems saluted their master.

"Oh, plenty of them." Black Rutile smirked while presenting holograms on her red visor, displaying any possible plans to get revenge on the Crystal Gems and prove herself superior once and for all.

THE END

To be continued in Little Homeworld Life

And that about does it for Trial of Black Rutile. This turned out a bit longer than I expected, but I hope this answers some of the questions you had about the ending of Alternate Future and raises some new ones about what could happen next. Is Eyeball truly thinking about turning on the Rutile Rebels for the Rubies? How will the Rutile Rebels fit into Little Homeworld after all they've done? Is Black Rutile really neurodivergent or did I just pull that out of my butt because I needed an ending, and I might get in trouble for depicting a possible autistic character as a total psychopath? Well, come back soon for the next stage of Steven Universe: Alternate Future, which I'm calling the Little Homeworld and Beyond Saga, starting with the first season of Little Homeworld Life. Stay tuned.

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larryland · 6 years ago

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Williamstown Theatre Festival and Barrington Stage Company Take Top Honors

At an SRO ceremony held at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield, the Board of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association presented the Berkshire Theatre Awards on the evening of Monday, November 12, 2018. This was the third year the awards have been presented to honor and celebrate the excellence and diversity of theatre in the greater Berkshire region.

The 2018 awards really display the commitment of regional theatres to presenting new and diverse work. Women and minorities were well represented among the nominees and the winners in all categories. Nominees represented theatres in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut.

Critics J. Peter Bergman and Macey Levin once again hosted the ceremony, which saw top honors for Outstanding Play Production go to the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s production of Theresa Rebeck’s Seared, and Barrington Stage Company’s production of West Side Story for take home the award for Outstanding Musical Production.

This year’s ceremony featured several performances from regional theatre groups, some of whom were nominated for awards. The Acting Class with Patrick White recreated scenes from their production of Men in Boats, nominated for Outstanding Ensemble Production. Director Christine Decker and actors Erika Floriani and Jana Lillie presented a scene from Chocolate by Frederick Stroppel, Brian Petti performed a monologue from the Bridge Street Theatre’s production of Mickie Maher’s There is a Happiness that Morning Is directed by John Sowle. And Joel Ripka and Paul Pontrelli, did a scene from the Chester Theatre Company’s production The Aliens by Annie Baker, directed by Daniel Elihu Kramer, which won the Outstanding Ensemble Production award for the cast, which also included James Barry.

Julianne Boyd was named Outstanding Director of a Musical for her work on West Side Story at Barrington Stage, and James Warwick was named Outstanding Director of a Play for Mothers and Sons at Shakespeare & Company.

Danielle Skraastad took home the award for Outstanding Solo Performance in Tony Kushner’s HOMEBODY, directed by Jeffrey Mousseau and presented at the Ancram Opera House.

The Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater went to Shakespeare & Company for their Shakespeare in the Courts and Fall Festival of Shakespeare programs.

2018 Berkshire Theatre Awards (winners appear in Boldface)

Outstanding Supporting Actress Musical

Skyler Volpe as Anita – West Side Story – Barrington Stage

Hayley Podschun as Gwen Cavendish – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Latoya Edwards as Dionne – Hair –Berkshire Theatre Group

Monica M. Wemett as Miss Hannigan – Annie –Mac-Haydn Theatre

Berkie award winners Skyler Volpe as Anita and Addie Morales as Maria in the Barrington Stage Company production of “West Side Story.” Photo: Daniel Rader.

Skyler Volpe

Outstanding Supporting Actor Musical

Chip Zien as Oscar Wolfe – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Sean Ewing as Bernardo – West Side Story – Barrington Stage

A.J. Shively as Perry – The Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Steven Rattazzi as Marinetti – Lempicka – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Sean Ewing

Sean Ewing (center) with Danny Bevins and Julio Catano-Yee. Photo by Daniel Rader.

Outstanding Supporting Actress Play

Ella Loudon as LaBelle/Phoebe Dennis – As You Like It – Shakespeare and Co.

Victoria Frings as Viv – Well Intentioned White People – Barrington Stage

Nemuna Ceesay as Macy – The Cake – Barrington Stage

Mary Stout as Anne Marie – A Doll’s House, Part II – Barrington Stage

Nemuna Ceesay with Debra Jo Rupp and Virginia Vale in The Cake. Photo Carolyn Brown.

Nemuna Ceesay

Outstanding Supporting Actor Play

Brooks Ashmanskas as Ronnie Wilde – The Closet – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Phillip James Brannon as Marcel – Dangerous House – Williamstown Theatre Festival

John Hadden as Arnold – HIR – Shakespeare and Co.

Daniel K. Isaac as Atung – The Chinese Lady – Barrington Stage

John Hadden

John Hadden as Arnold in “HIR.” Photo: Eloy Garcia.

Outstanding Lead Actor Musical

Will Branner as Tony – West Side Story – Barrington Stage

Will Swenson as Tony Cavendish – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

David Garrison as Irving Berlin – Coming Back Like a Song – Berkshire Theatre Group

George Dvorsky as “Daddy” Warbucks – Annie – Mac-Haydn Theatre

George Dvorsky

George Dvorsky as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks with Corinne Tork as Grace Farrell, and Annabel Feigen as Annie. Photo Credit: Sarah Kozma

Outstanding Lead Actress Musical

Addie Morales as Maria �� West Side Story – Barrington Stage

Harriet Harris as Fanny Cavendish – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Laura Michelle Kelly as Julie Cavendish –Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Andrea Prestinario as Alison Bechdel – Fun Home – Weston Playhouse

Addie Morales

Addie Morales and Will Branner. Photo by Daniel Rader.

Outstanding Lead Actress Play

Annette Miller as Katherine – Mothers and Sons – Shakespeare and Co.

Debra Jo Rupp as Della – The Cake – Barrington Stage

Alfie Fuller as Noxolo – Dangerous House – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Laila Robins as Nora – A Doll’s House, Part II – Barrington Stage

Annette Miller as Katherine in “Mothers and Sons.” Photo by Eloy Garcia.

Annette Miller

Outstanding Lead Actor Play

Jonathan Epstein as Gustav – Creditors – Shakespeare and Co

Christopher Innvarr as Torvald – A Doll’s House, Part II – Barrington Stage

David Adkins as Allen Squier – The Petrified Forest – Berkshire Theatre Group

Hoon Lee as Harry – Seared – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Hoon Lee

Hoon Lee as Harry in “Seared.” Photo Daniel Rader.

Outstanding Ensemble Production

HIR – Shakespeare and Co.

Three Sisters – Living Room Theatre

Men on Boats – Acting Class with Patrick White at Sand Lake Center for the Arts

The Aliens – Chester Theatre

Joel Ripka, James Barry, and Paul Pontrelli in “The Aliens” at Chester Theatre Company. Photo by Elizabeth Solaka

Outstanding Solo Play

Mona Golabek in The Children of Willisden Lane – Hartford Stage

Danielle Skraastad in HOMEBODY – Ancram Opera House

Sharon Washington in Feeding the Dragon – Hartford Stage

Danielle Skraastad as the Homebody. Photo: B. Docktor Photography

Danielle Skraastad

Outstanding Director Musical

Julianne Boyd – West Side Story – Barrington Stage

John Rando – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

John Saunders – Cabaret – Mac-Haydn Theatre

Rachel Chavkin – Lempicka – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Barrington Stage Company Artistic Director Julianne Boyd

“West Side Story” at Barrington Stage Company. Photo Daniel Rader.

Outstanding Director Play

Nicole Ricciardi – Creditors – Shakespeare and Co.

Saheem Ali – Dangerous House – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Jennifer Chambers –The Cake – Barrington Stage

James Warwick – Mothers and Sons – Shakespeare and Co.

James Warwick

Annette Miller, Bill Mootos, David Gow and Hayden Hoffman in “Mothers and Sons.” Photo by Eloy Garcia.

Outstanding Scenic Design

Alexander Dodge – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Wilson Chen – The Petrified Forest – Berkshire Theatre Group

Dane Laffrey – Dangerous House – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Kristen Robinson –West Side Story – Barrington Stage

Kristen Robinson

Set for “West Side Story” by Kristen Robinson – “Tony’s Death.”

Outstanding Costume Design

Alejo Vietti – The Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Hunter Kaszarowski – The Petrified Forest – Berkshire Theatre Group

Montana Levi Blanco – Lempicka – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Angela Carstensen – Cabaret – Mac-Haydn Theatre

Alejo Vietti

Arnie Burton, Laura Michelle Kelly, Hayley Podschun, Harriet Harris, Holly Ann Butler, Will Swenson & Kathryn Fitzgerald in costumes by Alejo Vietti for “The Royal Family of Broadway.”

Outstanding Lighting Design

Bradley King – Lempicka – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Andrew Gmoser – Damn Yankees – Mac-Haydn Theatre

Lap Chi Chu – Dangerous House – Williamstown Theatre Festival

David Lander – West Side Story – Barrington Stage

Lap Chi Chu

Samira Wiley as Pretty Mbane in “Dangerous House.” Lighting design by Lap Chi Chu. Photo Carolyn Brown.

Outstanding Sound Design – TIE

Daniel Kluger – The Sound Inside – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Fabian Obispo – The Chinese Lady – Barrington Stage

Rider Q. Stanton – Ring of Fire – Capital Repertory Theatre

Palmer Hefferan – Dangerous House – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Palmer Hefferan

Fabian Obispo

Outstanding Choreography

Robert La Fosse – West Side Story – Barrington Stage

Joshua Bergasse – Royal Family of Broadway – Barrington Stage

Sebastiani Romagnolo – Cabaret – Mac-Haydn Theatre

Lisa Shriver – Hair – Berkshire Theatre Group

Choreographer Robert La Fosse.

Sarah Crane, Magdalena Rodriguez, Skyler Volpe, Tamrin Goldberg, and Jerusha Cavazos in the Barrington Stage Company production of “West Side Story” choreographed by Robert La Fosse. Photo by Daniel Rader.

Outstanding NEW Play

The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp, directed by David Cromer – Williamstown Theatre Festival

The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh, directed by Ralph B. Pena – Barrington Stage

The Closet by Douglas Carter-Beane, directed by Mark Brokaw – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Dangerous House by Jen Silverman, directed by Saheem Ali – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Playwright Jen Silverman.

Alfie Fuller as Noxolo and Michael Braun as Gregory in Jen Silverman’s “Dangerous House.” Photo Sarah Sutton.

Outstanding NEW Musical

Lempicka – Book and Lyrics by Carson Kreitzer; Music by Matt Gould, directed by Rachel Chavkin – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Royal Family of Broadway – Book by Rachel Sheinkin; Music and Lyrics by William Finn, directed by Joshua Bergasse –��Barrington Stage

Coming Back Like a Song – by Lee Kalcheim. Songs by Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen and their collaborators. Directed by Gregg Edelman – Berkshire Theatre Group

Playwright Lee Kalcheim

Philip Hoffman as Harold Arlen, David Rasche as Jimmy Van Heusen, and David Garrison as Irving Berlin in Lee Kalcheim’s “Coming Back Like A Song!” Photo by Emma K. Rothenberg-Ware

Outstanding Musical Production

West Side Story – directed by Julianne Boyd – Barrington Stage

Hair – directed by Daisy Walker – Berkshire Theatre Group

Ring of Fire – directed by Maggie Mancinelli -Cahill – Capital Repertory Theatre

Anything Goes – directed by Alan M-L Wager – Sharon Playhouse

Barrington Stage Company Artistic Director Julianne Boyd

Sean Ewing, Tyler Hanes, and the cast of Barrington Stage Company’s production of “West Side Story.” Photo by Daniel Rader.

Outstanding Play Production

Creditors by August Strindberg, adapted by David Greig. Directed by Nicole Ricciardi –Shakespeare and Co.

Mothers and Sons by Terence McNally. Directed by James Warwick – Shakespeare and Co.

Dangerous House by Jen Silverman, directed by Saheem Ali – Williamstown Theatre Festival

Seared by Theresa Rebeck. Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Williamstown Theatre Festival

Playwright Theresa Rebeck.

Hoon Lee as Harry and W. Tré Davis as Rodney in Theresa Rebeck’s “Seared” at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Photo Daniel Rader.

The Larry Murray Award for Community Outreach and Support through Theater went to Shakespeare & Company for their Shakespeare in the Courts and Fall Festival of Shakespeare programs.

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Third Annual Berkshire Theatre Awards Winners Announced Williamstown Theatre Festival and Barrington Stage Company Take Top Honors At an SRO ceremony held at…

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