The Gem
From Dyos Wiki
The Gem is an arcane artifact that was the focus of the final phase of DYOS X.
Contents |
Beginnings
The Gem was introduced by Judge_Deadd (known at the time as the Luxury Diamond) as a catalyst for the Avatar Wars storyline. It was a highly-advanced piece of technology capable of indefinitely supercharging any Civ1 avatar. Although said to be in the possession of Stylesrj's avatars, the device fell by the wayside and Judge_Deadd did not revive it.
lord_joakim
Toward the end of the Avatar Wars, kulade tasked lord_joakim with the recovery of the "Gem". Joakim and mythmonster2 travelled unopposed to Arrakis and managed to find the artifact in a secret cave. However, the Gem changed Joakim, bestowing upon him incredible power that he could not fully control. Shortly afterward, he broke through to the surface and rocketed back to Earth. Mythmonster, finding himself once again sidelined, swore revenge against CFC.
Race for the Gem
Joakim's mission did not remain secret. Unencrypted radio transmissions back to kulade were picked up by casual observers. After CivGeneral rescued Mr. Toyoda from the Combine, Toyoda hired him to pick up where Joakim had left off and bring the Gem back to Earth. Within fairly short order, most of the major parties became involved in its recovery: the Combine sought to beat the Coruscantis; taillesskangaru was hired by the Narrator to stop a malfunctioning Giant Death Robot designed to retrieve it; the Free Western Army stumbled upon FDR's secret hideout on Dune; and mythmonster2 rebuilt General Grievous and dispatched him to recover the Gem.
The first expedition
The Coruscantis had organized one expedition prior to CivGeneral's departure. Like everyone else who sought the Gem, however, they were unaware of its power. One soldier handled it directly, triggering the same transformation as lord_joakim, and went on an uncontrolled rampage. The mutant soldier was ultimately killed, but only Corporal Reitan survived.
The Padishah Emperor
Emperor Frederick Corrino IV knew both the extent of the Gem's power and of Joakim's 'incident', and became increasingly concerned over his liability for resultant damage. With CivGeneral and the Combine complicating domestic affairs, the Emperor suspended interplanetary transit and summoned the Sardaukar to deal with the intruders. Task forces were dispatched to protect the entrances to the abandoned tunnel networks known as the "Dead Sietches", one of which contained the Gem.
The Gem chamber
CivCube arrived in the chamber before CivGeneral, but was captured by an unidentified party (possibly Fremen) before he was able to take the Gem.
CivGeneral and Co. managed to bypass the guards and penetrate the Gem chamber; but not long afterward the Combine arrived, headed by Dr. Breen himself. Breen's constant utterance of the phrase "What next in this parade of constant interruptions?" led to the spontaneous appearance of a number of characters, including some who had not previously appeared in the story.
During the confusion, CivGeneral encountered Samus Aran, who had escaped from a Combine detention centre and hijacked a teleportation device to arrive on Dune. Samus and CivGeneral engaged former avatar Mara Jade in combat further into the cave. Mara was killed, but upon return to the Gem chamber the protagonists were overpowered and bound as the Combine attempted to claim the Gem. Despite Reitan's panicking (and apparently Breen's better judgement), an officer laid hands on the Gem, triggering a power surge that vaporised nearly all the Combine personnel. CivGeneral seized the opportunity to force a defeated Breen to agree to a cease-fire agreement between the Combine and Coruscant.
Aftermath
The Gem was successfully recovered by the Coruscanti expedition without further incident, and the Emperor, glad to be rid of the artifact, did not impede their departure. In the opening of DYOS X Part II, the Gem is revealed to be housed in Coruscant, "the plaything of the scientists".
