I walked calmly across the planet, having hidden my ship beforehand because, let's be honest, who the hell would just leave something like that lying around? Sure, it had its own security systems, but I'd rather not come back and find twenty monsters trying to eat it. No, thank you.
As I moved forward, I checked the radar. The dots corresponding to living organisms were scattered around. There were a few nearby, but they all seemed weak, nothing out of the ordinary. Even so, for fairly obvious reasons, I carried a weapon in my hand. I didn't have a machete because I had forgotten to build one, which clearly demonstrated how smart I was. Though I would make one soon—assuming I found a good mineral on this planet. Brilliant, Silica.
I looked around with a raised eyebrow until my attention settled on a tree. Hanging from one of its branches was a rather appetizing-looking fruit. Without thinking too much about it, I jumped much higher than anyone would expect and grabbed it.
The fruit looked similar to a pomegranate, but it was purple and thinner, shaped in a strange, stylized way. It didn't look dangerous, just… odd.
I took a bite.
I froze for a few seconds, not reacting, as if my body didn't quite know what to do with that information. Then, without warning, tears began to fall. Masculine, feminine—who cared. They were tears.
I looked up at the sky as the piece of fruit I had bitten slipped from my hand and fell to the ground.
I couldn't.
I couldn't eat.
"You shitty god who brought me here," I said angrily as I threw the fruit away.
Somewhere, an omnipresent entity watching multiversal television sneezed, shaking its head in annoyance.
"They don't appreciate what they have and then complain about this crap," the god muttered while switching channels to one where another reincarnated soul could be seen—this time in Steven's world.
Damn, I really went too far with that one. I left him stranded in the void for quite a while.
Returning to Silica's perspective.
After crying—clearly for something completely logical and normal—I lifted my gaze and looked around. That's when I noticed a mutated bird staring at me.
"What are you looking at, wey?" I said dryly.
The bird, the bastard, shook its head and flew off, doing a backflip in midair like it was nothing.
...
...
...
I think being alone on the ship is driving me a little crazy, I thought as I started walking again, letting fate decide where I would end up.
As I walked, I noticed how the landscape was both so similar and so different from Planet Namek. It really did resemble it—except here there were fruits, animals, and organic things that clearly ate meat.
I watched as what looked like a shark fused with a tiger devoured what seemed to be a mutated gar with fur.
I simply kept going; as long as they didn't look at me or bother me, they could eat each other all they wanted.
I considered having a pet.
Obviously, I dropped that idea. I mean, would I really take a creature that was naturally social out of its habitat? Nah, better stick to my own business.
I glanced at my radar again and noticed the area was actually very calm.
I looked up at the sky and saw a sun somewhere between red and yellow.
"I don't know if that's good or bad," I thought, sweat droplets forming.
But I kept moving forward.
As I walked, I noticed that what seemed to be the gem my ship had detected was still in the same position. Like, literally the exact same spot. It hadn't moved at all. Something worth investigating. Why? Because I'm bored and I need something to keep my mind—or in this case, the gem—active.
Suddenly, I stepped on something soft. I looked down and noticed a bunch of vines, or what looked like mutated vines, covering a hole.
I checked my radar to see if there was any life, but thank Jesus, there was nothing. I looked at the vines and said:
"Why not?"
Aquí tienes la traducción cuidando el tono sarcástico de Sílica, el ritmo narrativo y los detalles del universo de Steven Universe:
Quickly, I made my robotic hand switch off radar mode and changed it to laser weapon mode.
I aimed at a blind spot and fired at low power.
The vines gave in to my shot and slowly burned away.
I watched with anticipation.
After a few seconds, I looked at what they had been hiding.
"Holy shit," I said as I stared down into a deep void.
"Does this crap go all the way to the center of the Earth or what the hell?" I muttered while glancing from side to side to confirm I was alone.
I looked down again and activated the radar in my robotic hand, performing a deep scan of the area.
After a few seconds of scanning, I noticed there were indeed very few life signals, so well...
"Should I go investigate?" I thought.
"Whatever. I can fly," I said as I jumped and activated flight mode in my robotic hand. The floating fingers of my hands spun gently as I descended calmly.
The advantage of being made of light is that I don't strain my hands doing these maneuvers, I thought with a sigh.
I noticed the place growing darker and darker, so I decided to turn on the light of my gem. A blue glow quickly lit up—the one I was already used to.
That allowed me to see the layers of earth, though something made me hesitate.
"Why is this cave perfect? I mean, the circle is perfectly round," I said, my voice slightly doubtful as I kept descending.
After a few minutes, the ground finally came into view.
When I landed, I noticed something.
"Is this perfect too?" I said uncertainly as I began walking again, my gem illuminating everything around me.
The place felt… strange, honestly. It looked more like one of those movies where people experimented and, well, it never ended well.
I glanced toward a corner and saw a mutated rat fused with a bird.
"What are you doing here?" I asked it.
The rat just looked at me, let out a squeak, and ran off somewhere else.
"Meh, I'll follow it," I said as I ran after it.
It wasn't running fast, so as we moved, I observed the place.
"Let's see, rocks, dirt, faces, rocks… wait, what the hell?" I said as I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at the wall.
There were three faces carved into it. I mean, they weren't exactly faces, but they were what I feared.
"The three Diamonds?" I said, confused, as I examined the wall. And yes—there they were, the three Diamonds in imposing poses, alongside their characteristic symbols.
Three Diamonds partially united, while, for obvious reasons, Pink's was no longer there.
...
...
...
"So… this belongs to the Gems?" I said, now more alert, since there could be deadly weapons around.
I walked instead of running this time. If I ran, I could fall into a trap. And no, darling, I'm the only one allowed to survive here… although I'd better pull out my radar.
I quickly looked at my robotic hand as the hologram displayed the lifeforms.
"How strange," I muttered while examining it more closely. "The gem my ship detected is in this area, apparently," I added, my voice now more concerned.
"Could there be a living gem in here?"
I moved forward more cautiously while telling myself:
"Silica, this is nothing. It's just your second suicidal mission. What could possibly happen? Nothing. So let's go."
And so I walked toward my destination.
As I advanced, I noticed more figures on the walls. Apparently, they ran out of budget for more decorations, because there were only the basics: the Diamonds and one or two of the Moon Goddess. I looked ahead and noticed what seemed to be a door. Behind it was the gem signal, still unmoving.
I swallowed as I approached the door and touched the wall.
"Resistant," I murmured, observing the structure. Apparently, this required a key.
I looked to the side of the door where there were vines and moss.
I stepped closer and removed them easily with my hands, finding what I was looking for.
"Bingo, damn it," I said as I examined it more closely.
I quickly understood what it was and almost placed my hand on it.
But I pulled back immediately.
I switched my robotic hand to weapon mode while confirming one last time if someone was inside—and just as I feared, there was.
With the weapon charged as much as possible—without risking the whole place collapsing on me—I placed my hand, slightly trembling, over the mark on the door.
When I pressed it, a glow activated, and the door—apparently unopened for years—slid open in an almost epic fashion while I aimed forward, my gem illuminating the interior.
Inside there was…
Nothing.
I looked at the place, confused, still aiming.
"Who's here?" I said while keeping the weapon charged and pressing a button that, as I, Silica, understood, activated the lights. The entire room lit up, and indeed, there was no one.
...
...
...
I observed the site, which looked more technologically advanced than the place where I had been created, and looked deeper inside.
...
I glanced around again while switching my weapon back to radar mode and scanning carefully.
It told me the gem was here. Exactly here.
I looked around, confused, because obviously there was nothing visible. Unless it was hidden… but I couldn't detect anything.
"Strange," I murmured while checking everything cautiously.
So, to avoid complications, I decided to clean the place out.
With a weapon in hand, obviously, and my gloves and boots summoned, I looked around as I began moving everything.
And thus, several hours of my life were wasted shifting every single object. I even moved the screens, checked behind the walls… and nothing.
...
...
I remained silent as I leaned back against the square stone couch, staring at the entire room.
"Is my radar malfunctioning?" I said, confused, as I walked toward the control panel and pressed underneath the console—where only Silicas and Peridots knew to press.
When I touched the correct spot, different tools quickly appeared, along with a few new ones.
"I have this one… this one too… this one's useful," I muttered as I checked them until I reached one that made my eyes widen.
"Gem destabilizer," I said in awe as I picked up the weapon almost as if it were sacred.
"This will be useful," I said, my eyes slightly watery.
"I could do so much with this… destabilizer launcher… nah, this is incredible," I murmured.
Though I failed to notice one important detail.
"Why the hell would there be a destabilizer here?"
But I didn't dwell on it.
I sat down again, storing the destabilizer inside my gem to avoid any trouble, and smiled at the screen. The smile faded when I stepped closer and turned it on.
The screen activated, projecting a pair of robotic hands.
"Those are huge," I said in surprise as I examined them. Seeing them gave me an idea. Before doing anything else, I quickly tapped the floor five times and then twice on the specific spot where I wanted to go—it was different from the others.
A door opened in the floor.
I quickly stepped inside, the lights remaining on for obvious reasons.
Once inside, I found what I had been looking for.
"Manuals," I said happily as I looked at the screen.
This was the place where Peridots left their work for their Silicas or superiors to review. And honestly, I was fascinated by this site, so I'll try to replicate it.
I discovered it recently, in case you're wondering.
I quickly inserted my hands into the console, and my eyes turned static.
I kept smiling—but the expression froze instantly. It slowly faded until only pure disgust remained.
When the information finished downloading into my mind, I pulled my hands out. If I had a stomach, I would've thrown up everything in it. I staggered to the side and almost collapsed.
"Damn it," I said, grabbing my head.
I immediately looked up and activated my radar. There was only a single faint gem signal… and mine, obviously, though that one was separated.
"What the hell?" I muttered, confused.
You might be wondering…
What did I see?
Simple. I saw piles of gem fragments stacked in this abandoned place. And why did that scare me? Simple. There were around ten thousand fragments in these facilities, and that terrified me—because there's no way in hell I'd have the power to face whatever that thing might be.
"Unless…" I said, looking down.
"The fragments are…"
"Shit," I cursed as I ran back upstairs to the tablet.
When I got there, I didn't hesitate—I shoved my hands into it again.
A massive flood of information poured into my mind. I clenched my teeth as data about gems and fragments overwhelmed me. I stayed like that for almost two minutes before I was finally able to pull away.
I took a breath and let it out, pretending to be tired.
I sighed—until I remembered something.
"Shit," I said, as the entire place began to tremble.
"Damn it," I spat while running somewhere, hoping for a miracle.
You're probably wondering where I'm going. Simple.
Do you remember what they did to Lapis Lazuli in the series? Well, in this place, what they did was store gems inside objects so they couldn't escape—and so they could witness what they were going to become.
They were gems useless to the Empire or gems their owners didn't want. There were Pebbles—lots of them—Pearls, Rubies, Peridots, and many more… even gems that had never been fully completed.
It made me nauseous.
I quickly reached a wall and tapped a specific pattern.
A hand-shaped slot appeared thanks to the code, and without hesitation, I placed my hand inside.
A secret door opened in front of me, and I stepped through.
When I did, the room lit up—and what I saw froze me in place.
When I looked up, I saw shelves filled with objects. Thankfully, everything was labeled, so I headed toward the section where I'd know if there were still gems left.
When I entered that section, I was met with a surprise because, well…
I looked at the only technological mirror and slowly approached it.
I picked it up and looked at my reflection—something I didn't do very often.
But that wasn't what I wanted to see.
I turned the mirror around and noticed a blue gem. I recognized it immediately.
"A Pearl?" I said, confused, looking at the mirror again.
"Hey… are you in there?" I asked, trying to see if someone was truly inside.
Nothing.
No reaction.
"Hey, are you okay?" I insisted, searching for any sign.
Nothing…
I looked around and pulled out my radar.
"So it was you," I said calmly while watching the signal on the hologram.
"Hey, I'm not with the Empire. I won't hurt you. Are you okay?" I tried again.
The gem didn't respond.
"Well… I'll take you with me. When you're ready to talk, just do whatever it is you do in that mirror, okay?" I said gently.
The mirror remained still.
I just shook my head and picked it up carefully. I didn't want to add more trauma to this Pearl.
As I walked, I glanced at the screen and went back to it.
I quickly began investigating more deeply, leaving the mirror nearby so it could see what I was doing.
"Let's see… this is a Beta 0.1XD Cluster," I said while analyzing the data.
"It's programmed to detonate in weeks… though it could be days if the process accelerates."
I looked up at the ceiling while cursing everyone who brought me here.
But I sighed. This wasn't the time for regrets.
I watched the simulation of the planet when all those fragments would erupt.
Then I looked at the mirror beside me.
No reaction.
"Did it break?" I said out loud, hoping for something.
Nothing.
I sighed again.
I looked at the data once more and shook my head.
"These materials could be useful," I said, making a signal with my robotic hand.
Minutes later, my ship appeared outside. Thank the stars this place was huge—well, except for the cockpit—but it was only a few meters away from me, exactly what I needed.
"I'll just investigate everything and leave," I said as I began typing with both my robotic hand and my normal one. Then I summoned my weapon-gloves and worked at a faster pace.
It was obvious I was getting used to my new approach to machinery. I wasn't anywhere near an expert Silica… but I was getting closer.
After about ten minutes, I let out a breath.
"Done. Key information confirmed. Fragments… the ones I already knew about," I said out loud. "Poor gems…"
I looked at the mirror. For a second, I could swear it glowed—but I blinked and saw nothing.
"Am I hallucinating already?" I muttered as I leaned back slightly, just as another tremor shook the place.
"Pfff," I exhaled, standing up again.
I looked at the mirror.
No reaction.
"I'll just dismantle all this and take it to the ship. I'll assemble my stuff there," I said as I transformed my hand into a welding tool and began my little operation.
I quickly slipped into my Silica mode and got to work.
"This is useful… this isn't… I like these tools… I'll take these gloves and upgrade them… another Peridot glove, now I've got both hands, hell yeah," I muttered while analyzing every piece with a critical eye.
I activated both robotic hands in precision mode and split them into several floating fingers. Each one began dismantling different sections of the lab.
One high-quality unit and one new acquisition, running only the Empire's basic functions.
So now…
I started with the side consoles.I carefully unscrewed the panels, avoiding damage to the data cores. The internal plates were surprisingly well preserved.
"What a waste keeping this buried. You can tell the Empire has money to burn," I said while extracting an active processing module.
I stored it in a compartment I opened within my gem.
Then I moved on to the secondary energy towers.I cut the main supply with a small pulse and removed the solid-light conductors powering the machines.
The energy bars glowed faintly.
"I'm definitely taking this," I said with a smile that slowly grew more unhinged as I sank deeper into Silica mode.
I detached three. The fourth exploded in blue sparks, but I stepped back in time.
"Shit!" I shouted, brushing sparks off myself.
"Tch… unstable. Trash."
I let it fall to the floor.
I walked over to a metal table filled with old Peridot tools. Some were rusted; others were simply obsolete.
I grabbed a pair of reinforced technical gloves.
"Mmm… good structure, mediocre design," I said, fully immersed in my Silica programming.
I analyzed them for a second and smiled.
"I'll improve them."
I stored them.
Then I approached a wall where mechanical arms were embedded—probably used to manipulate fragments.
I activated one.
It moved stiffly.
"Old… but useful," I said.
I ripped out the control core with a clean pull. The arm crashed to the ground with a loud clang.
The tremors intensified slightly.
I looked up.
"Easy, easy… don't explode yet," I muttered, sweat forming.
But I kept working.
I dismantled two auxiliary generators, extracted sealed memory chips, and removed small containers labeled "containment protocol."
That made me frown.
"I don't want to know what they contained…"
I took them anyway.
Meanwhile, the mirror remained propped against the main console, silently observing everything.
I worked with cold precision.
Cleanly cut cables.Panels removed without cracking.Energy redirected into portable cells.
In less than fifteen minutes, the lab looked like a hollow skeleton.
I looked around.
Where advanced technology once stood, only bare structures and occasional sparks remained.
I smiled, satisfied.
"I wasn't at a Silica's level…"
I dusted off my hands.
"But now I'm closer."
The place trembled again—harder this time.
I looked at the mirror.
"We're almost out of here."
And for a second… I could swear the blue gem faintly glowed, as if it were carefully watching every movement.
"And all of this is going into my ship," I said while looking at the structure, which already had plenty of material ready for upgrades.
"At least this trip wasn't that bad," I muttered while looking up at the sky.
When I did, my expression went completely blank.
It was Earth.
I shook my head and walked the short remaining distance to the ship—but I headed to something else first.
"Hey there, gorgeous," I said as I carefully picked up the mirror.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
The mirror didn't respond.
"Well… don't worry. I'll get you out of this place. You won't have to die here," I said, trying to reassure her, in case she was panicking.
The mirror didn't move.
My expression grew a little sad, but it shifted when I felt another tremor.
I quickly boarded my ship, placing the mirror somewhere stable so the Pearl could observe.
I lifted off from the pit while scanning the planet one last time.
Though before leaving, I remembered something I needed to do.
"Shit, for washing the fabrics," I said as I steered the ship toward a nearby river.
First, I scanned the surroundings to make sure there were no dangerous signals. Then I descended at a different point.
After that, I generated a 30x30 containment cube to store water.
I quickly got to work.
I scanned the water, analyzing its components. When I confirmed it was as close as possible to 0% harmful contaminants, I transferred it into the cube and sealed it.
Then, calmly, I boarded the ship again and left that godforsaken planet behind.
As I ascended with the scanner still active, I detected several Homeworld ships. So I took the opposite trajectory from theirs.
All of this was observed by the mirror, which at certain moments gave off small, almost imperceptible flickers.
"Ufff," I exhaled as I leaned back in my seat, staring into the emptiness of space while the ship entered hyperspeed mode.
I kept watching for several more minutes, as the radar showed the Homeworld ships growing farther away… though in reality, the one moving away was me.
I shook my head and looked at the mirror.
"So, what did you think, Pearl?" I said with a smile.
The mirror remained silent.
"Thought so," I murmured as I stood up.
"Do you want to look at space or at me?"
Silence.
"Well, I'll assume you said space," I said while walking toward the back of the cockpit to start building the water machine I wanted to make.
Not noticing how the mirror softly flickered.
End of Chapter 10.