Tanzanite's backstory

Tanzanite, Facet-3T5Z Cut-6XV, stood in the crowd of soldiers. She was surrounded mostly by Quartz soldiers, but occasionally she could see some other Tanzanites or Heliotropes and even a few Nephrites. She knew this was a critical situation, but she felt calm. She overheard a conversation between two Agates the other day, so she was prepared for this.
Tanzanite was just about to finish the weapon she was working on, when she heard voices behind the closed door. It was two Agates, she recognized their voices.
“Where are you going?” asked one of them.
“I was just going to collect the weapons the Tanzanites are making. We need more every day, the soldiers need quick restocking.” the other one replied. There were a few hushed whispers that Tanzanite could not understand, so she stopped every movement to try and listen more carefully.
“What?!” she heard one of the Agates’ shocked voice. The other one hushed her fast, there was no need to attract attention.
“The army is losing soldiers quickly. Blue Diamond specifically requested the Tanzanites, she says they have good aim and are swift.” said the Agate quickly. “I won’t take all of them, but I will need some.”
A few moments passed and Tanzanite wondered if the Agates had left. But then the door opened and she could see a white Crazy Lace and a blue Geode Agate. The white one collected Tanzanite’s weapons, while the blue one scanned the room. She nodded and whispered to the other Agate. “This one will do. I will tell you when I need her.”
Now Tanzanite stood in the crowd and waited for orders. They found a Crystal Gem hiding spot and captured some rebellious gems. Bull’s Eyes were interrogating them and still bringing more. They already brought in a lot of rebellious Quartzes, like Citrines, Amethysts, Jaspers and Carnelians. The Quartz soldiers surrounding Tanzanite looked really uncomfortable, as they seemed to have recognized most of the captured gems. They’ve probably worked together before. At that moment, Tanzanite was glad she has worked alone most of her time. There was no one that she would have been surprised to see.
A moment passed and two Bull’s Eyes brought in another Crystal gem. She was fierce, the two strong gems had trouble holding her. Tanzanite immediately recognized her pure white gem. She was a Howlite.
The Bull’s Eyes struggled to keep her in place. She screamed. “You can shatter me, but you will never win! The Crystal Gems will avenge me!”
The Quartz soldiers laughed. The Bull’s Eyes laughed. The Heliotropes laughed. Everyone laughed but Tanzanite. Could it be true? Could the Crystal Gems really care about each other that much? No, that wasn’t possible, gems only cared about finishing their work, making more gems, conquering colonies. That was how they achieve perfection. That was the point of their creation.
“Your diamonds,” the Howlite frowned. “they only care for themselves. They don’t care about their army and how many gems get shattered during the war. They just restock with new gems. Because you’re all replaceable to them. How can you believe in a system like that?”
Tanzanite looked around herself. The Quartz soldiers were mostly smirking, but some of them had unease in their eyes, the same unease that Tanzanite felt herself. The Howlite was right, wasn’t she? Tanzanite is most probably going to be shattered on this planet and there will be no one to mourn her.
“We serve the hierarchy.” A Bull’s Eye said, her strong arms holding the Howlite. “The Diamonds gave us life and we thank them for it. Unlike you, ungrateful pebbles.”
This time the Howlite laughed, her beautiful eyes shining. “You can torture me, you can laugh at me, you can shatter me. But at least I was happy with my life, fighting for what I believe in. The way you live, it’s not right!”
The strong Bull’s Eye looked her coldly into the eyes. Tanzanite felt like she could hear faint music, as the Bull’s Eye started to sing.
“It’s not about what’s right or wrong,
it’s not about singing a song.
It’s not about you or me,
it’s so much bigger, you will see.
A simple Howlite just like you
should never have been used
by a rebel like that Quartz,
you should not have fought in wars.”
The small Howlite stood face to face with the Bull’s Eye. A single tear escaped her eye as she answered.
“It’s not about what’s right or wrong,
it’s not about singing a song.
It’s not about you or me,
it’s so much bigger, you will see.
A strong Bull’s Eye like you
should never have been used
by a Diamond dictator,
she is not a creator.”
The Quartz soldiers stood amazed by what was happening in front of them. It looked like the Howlite and the Bull’s Eye knew each other, from times before the war. The duet was a mix of hate and sadness, a strong bond and hatred for each other.
“What is it you’re fighting for?
Why’d you have to start a war?
Is it justice, ‘til the end?
Was it worth losing a friend?
Do you really believe in freedom,
when you think you don’t need them?
Do you really believe in victory
now that you’re on the edge of history?”
The Howlite was now being dragged away by her betrayed friend, her resigned voice echoing through the crowd.
“What is it you’re fighting for?
Why’d you have to start a war?
Is it justice, ‘til the end?
Was it worth losing a friend?
Do you really believe in them,
the Diamonds who value no gem?
Do you really believe in victory
now that I’m on the edge of history?”
The two gems disappeared into the interrogation chambers and the crowd stood silent. What has just happened? Now Tanzanite was even more glad she has always worked alone, but it left a sour taste in her mouth, because she knew she believed what the Howlite was saying. She never should have been a Homeworld soldier, she only created weapons. That’s what she was good at. She knew she had to leave, even if it meant betraying everything she stood for until now. The system was flawed, she could see that now. She meant nothing to the Diamonds, she was replaceable and no one cared about her. What was a life like that worth? There was a Heliotrope next to her, looking at her. She had the same expression as Tanzanite. They nodded at each other. The first chance they got, they were escaping this flawed hierarchy forever.