Author's Note:I went a little overboard with this chapter. I got really obsessive with the details and was laughing my ass off with people on Discord while writing it. With nothing more to say…
Let's continue.
Blue Diamond maintained an upright posture in her seat, her hands resting elegantly on the armrests as the screen finished stabilizing.
Yellow light flooded the command room and, little by little, the imposing figure of Yellow Diamond took shape.
Her silhouette was rigid and angular, as if even through a transmission she continued marking territory.
For several seconds she said nothing, carefully observing, analyzing every subtle gesture of her sister.
Blue Diamond tilted her head slightly, with a calmness that almost seemed rehearsed.
Blue Pearl stood at the side in absolute silence, her gaze lowered, attention fixed on the transmission.
Finally, Yellow Diamond spoke.
"Blue…" she said, her voice firm, though less sharp than usual.
"It has been several cycles since we received direct reports from you. Your appearances in the councils have been… scarce."
Blue blinked slowly, as if the observation carried no weight.
"The Empire has not stopped because of my absence. Everything continues functioning with precision, as always."
It was clear this wasn't the first time this topic had come up.
Yellow frowned slightly.
"That doesn't answer my question."
A brief silence settled between them.
The kind of silence that wasn't uncomfortable, but tense.
Blue sighed softly and leaned forward just a little.
"I have been busy," she replied calmly.
"Pending matters. Old ones. Things that require… personal attention. You know, matters I've handled since the Second Era."
Yellow crossed her arms.
"Personal matters? The Second Era?" she repeated, disbelief slipping into her voice.
"It isn't like you to set aside imperial responsibilities for… feelings. Or am I mistaken?"
Blue gave a nearly imperceptible smile.
"Interesting that you mention that. I thought you, more than anyone, would understand that some things do not disappear simply because we choose to ignore them."
Yellow's gaze hardened for a moment, but then softened.
"I'm not here to discuss human philosophy, Blue. I'm… concerned."
The word hung in the air.
Blue raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised, though she didn't show it fully.
"Concerned?" she repeated with mild curiosity.
"You've been distant," Yellow continued.
"Inactive. Delegating more than usual. Even White has noticed your absence."
Blue lowered her gaze for a second—just enough to appear reflective rather than evasive.
"White notices everything," Blue said neutrally.
"That doesn't mean she always has to intervene."
"It means your condition is relevant," Yellow replied.
"You are a pillar of the Empire. When one of us destabilizes, the entire system feels it. Just as it did with Rose."
Blue slowly shook her head.
"I am not destabilized."
Then her tone sharpened slightly.
"And do not mention Rose."
Yellow's tone softened in response.
"Then explain it to me."
"Explain why you've spent so long without issuing direct orders, why your courts are on pause, why you've spent more time outside the core than within it."
Blue interlaced her fingers, watching the reflection of space in the screen as though the stars were a convenient distraction.
"Because I needed distance."
"From what?" Yellow asked bluntly.
Blue took longer to answer.
"From decisions I did not make. From mistakes we are still paying for. From… memories that do not fade, no matter how many decades pass."
Silence returned, heavier this time.
Yellow studied her closely, searching for cracks—something that would justify direct intervention.
"Does this have something to do with Earth?" she finally asked.
Blue did not answer immediately.
Her eyes focused on a distant point beyond the screen.
"Earth is… a remnant," she said slowly.
"One of the last."
"Of Rose," Yellow finished.
Blue nodded faintly.
Yellow exhaled sharply.
"Blue, we've already discussed this. The planet is inefficient. It consumes resources, shelters unnecessary life, and symbolizes a deviation White has made very clear must never be repeated."
"And yet it still exists," Blue replied gently.
"Intact. Alive. Just as Rose wanted."
"Out of indulgence," Yellow said.
"Out of patience. Not usefulness."
Blue looked at her directly.
"And you believe everything should exist only because it is useful?"
Yellow clenched her jaw.
"I believe an empire cannot be built on nostalgia."
"Perhaps not," Blue admitted.
"But neither can it stand on orders we cannot question."
Yellow shook her head.
"You're speaking like Rose."
The sentence landed like a subtle blow.
Blue did not flinch, though something hardened in her expression for an instant.
"Rose was a Diamond as well," she said with restrained firmness.
"Even if it benefits many to forget that."
Yellow remained silent for a few seconds.
"I didn't call to reproach you," she finally said.
"I called to know if you are still… yourself."
Blue let out a short laugh—almost sad.
"I never stopped being."
"Then prove you are still committed," Yellow said.
"The matter of the Human Zoo has returned to discussion. There are… debates."
Blue Pearl briefly lifted her gaze before lowering it again.
"I imagined as much," Blue replied.
"That's why I'm on my way."
Yellow raised an eyebrow.
"On your way?"
"To the sector," Blue clarified.
"I want to observe the zoo's condition personally. Evaluate it. Decide…"
She paused.
"…whether it deserves to remain active in the coming centuries."
"That could be interpreted as interference," Yellow warned.
"Or responsibility," Blue replied.
"It was a creation tied to Rose. It is logical that I handle it."
Yellow studied her carefully.
"You will not oppose a correction if one is deemed necessary."
Blue held her gaze.
"I will not oppose a conversation."
"Blue," Yellow said, more sternly.
"White will not have infinite patience."
"No one does," Blue replied calmly.
"That is why we must do things properly."
Another silence formed—less tense, more reflective.
"It's been a long time since we spoke like this," Yellow admitted.
"Without orders. Without White."
Blue nodded.
"Perhaps it was needed."
Yellow hesitated briefly.
"If this affects you more than you admit…"
"I will handle it," Blue interrupted softly.
"I always do."
Yellow sighed.
"Very well. If you intend to involve yourself, let us do this directly."
"That was my thought as well," Blue said.
"Then tell me," Yellow continued.
"When?"
Blue glanced at a side panel as if she already had the answer prepared.
"In three cycles or less. At the Human Zoo."
Yellow frowned.
"That is a sensitive matter."
"Precisely."
Yellow remained silent for a few more seconds before nodding slowly.
"Very well."
Blue Pearl lifted her head slightly, surprised to witness two Diamonds converging once again in a single matter.
"I will be there," Yellow continued.
"But do not expect indulgence."
"I never asked for it," Blue replied.
Yellow observed her one last time.
"Take care, Blue."
The transmission began to fade.
"I always do," Blue answered as Yellow Diamond's image disappeared completely.
The room fell silent, accompanied only by the soft hum of the ship.
Blue Diamond closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, before opening them again and fixing them on the emptiness of space—where Earth waited.
Small.
Fragile.
Filled with memories the Empire had never truly known how to erase.
Blue Diamond observed her Pearl for several seconds, silently evaluating her as if organizing thoughts that refused to fully take shape.
"Pearl, we will go to Earth first, just as you planned," she finally said calmly.
"That will be more than enough before heading to the zoo."
"As you command, my Diamond," Blue Pearl replied immediately, her fingers moving with precision across the control panels.
Blue rested her elbow on the armrest, her hand against her chin.
"Ah… right," she added casually.
"From Homeworld, leave three Emeralds if possible."
Pearl nodded quickly, taking note.
"And two Morganites as well," Blue continued.
"I want something new in my base. I feel we should… update ourselves."
"Understood, my Diamond."
Blue paused briefly.
"And an Aquamarine."
"…Just because."
Pearl did not question it.
She simply nodded again.
Both continued working in silence.
Yet Blue Diamond's mind was far from the controls and orders.
Her thoughts returned, again and again, to Rose.
To what had been.
To what she had failed to do.
To what perhaps could have been corrected if time had been kinder.
If Rose were still alive…
She would have tried to mend every mistake.
Every harsh word.
Every decision made from authority instead of guidance.
But Rose was not alive.
Only fragments remained.
Memories.
And a planet that refused to disappear.
The same thoughts Blue Diamond had repeated for millennia, returning like a tide that never fully recedes.
Was Rose her sister?
Her daughter?
Something more?
Even Blue no longer knew.
She only knew Rose had been something irreplaceable in her existence—something that shattered the Empire's rigidity and left behind a void that neither time, obedience, nor silence had ever filled.
Blue tightened her fingers slightly against the armrest of the throne.
Perhaps… just perhaps, she thought with a bitter hope she would never allow herself to show, some higher force—some god whispered about by lesser species—might someday give her an answer.
Not to erase the past.
Not to correct it.
But simply to understand it.
The ship continued forward through the endless void.
And Blue Diamond remained trapped in the same memory that had accompanied her for millennia, silently hoping that this time… fate might have something different prepared for her.
End of Chapter 73