The Pearl tried to get up immediately, but just as she was standing—
BANG!
A sound echoed through the entire ship.
I just watched her, not quite sure what to do.
"Do you… need help?" I finally asked after a few seconds.
The Pearl didn't respond, but she tried to stand again.
I took that as a yes, so I quickly approached and helped her up.
Then I guided her to a nearby chair I had built out of boredom and carefully seated her.
The Pearl kept her gaze lowered. Apparently, for obvious reasons, she was traumatized.
I didn't know what to do at that moment, but I tried my best.
"Well, um… Pearl, yes, Pearl. If you have any problem, just come to me. You can stay in this little room; it's as private as possible and… well, that," I said awkwardly as I returned to the cockpit.
The Pearl, still looking at the floor, glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as I walked away.
She sighed and made herself small on the chair, hugging herself as she felt her own body.
"It's been a long time since I felt like this… how long has it been? 500 years?" she whispered, staring at her light form.
I didn't hear her; I was too busy checking the radars. A Ruby ship was approaching my position, and I had to change course immediately.
"How I hate these Rubies… they fly so recklessly I don't even know where to go," I muttered aloud to release some stress. Rubies are terrible at piloting recklessly.
"Damned Rubies!" I shouted as I tried to hide behind one of the planet's moons.
While hiding, I watched on the radar as the Ruby ship nearly crashed into the moon. Luckily, they went past.
…
…
I stayed silent, observing the radar as the dot representing their ship spun erratically around the solar system.
"What the hell is wrong with these things?" I murmured.
Although…
I thought as I continued to watch the ship's erratic trajectory.
"If for some reason they forget about that ship… I could improve it and get to Earth faster," I considered, one hand on my chin.
"Nah, I'll deal with that later," I said, leaning back, hoping the Ruby ship would crash or just leave already. "Decisions, decisions…"
I was in the dark side of the moon, although maybe I should move to the other side; the solar recharge would be faster there.
"Hey…"
"Shit!" I shouted, hearing a voice behind me.
I fell to the ground and aimed toward where the sound came from.
The Pearl, leaning against the door, raised her hands quickly.
"Damn…" I said, bringing my hand to my chest reflexively.
"Don't scare me. Don't you see I'm not used to having anyone else here?" I added as I recovered from the fright. I had really forgotten that I was no longer alone.
The Pearl lowered her gaze, embarrassed, and gave a small bow.
"I apologize for any mishap."
"Nah, it's fine," I replied, waving her off with a gesture of my floating fingers.
The Pearl looked at Peridot's gloves with curiosity.
"Do you like them?" I asked, forming small luminous shapes in the air.
"Really, yes," she replied after a few seconds.
"Nah, you don't worry. I'll get some for you later… of course, if you want to keep coming with me."
I said this while turning my gaze back to the console, checking whether the Ruby ship had finally left.
The Pearl tensed immediately.
"You don't want me here?" she asked, a little scared.
"Eh?" I said, confused.
"How did you understand that from what I said?" I asked, frowning.
The Pearl looked away.
"Agh…" I murmured, bringing my hand to my face.
"Well, first things first."
I said, moving toward a more open space in the cockpit.
"My name is Sílica, in case you didn't know," I added, straightening up in front of her.
The Pearl nodded.
"And yours?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Pearl stayed silent for several seconds. I remained waiting in an exaggeratedly dramatic pose, like something straight out of JoJo's.
"Pearl… Pearl Facet X324F, belonging to a… to an Agate," she finally said.
I raised an eyebrow at that information.
"Agates can have Pearls?" I asked, confused.
The Pearl nodded.
"Yes… they can. But let's just say my Agate didn't meet some requirements in the end."
I nodded, not wanting to dig too deeply into whatever had happened. I didn't know if Pearls could get angry, develop resentment, or anything like that. But if the show had taught me anything, five thousand years of trauma aren't easy to carry… and even worse if you were a Lapis Lazuli.
Luckily, she wasn't a Lapis Lazuli.
If she were… well, that would be a disaster.
Shaking my head quickly, I approached the Pearl, who flinched.
"Look," I said, taking her by the shoulders and guiding her to the cockpit. I seated her in the command chair.
The Pearl was stiffer than a squirrel on an electric pole.
"As you can see… I don't know if you were watching through that mirror. And also, allow me to apologize for keeping you in there. But I really needed to know if you wanted out or, in this case, wouldn't try to blow up the ship."
The Pearl's eyes went wide, and she shook her hands emphatically.
"No… no… not at all. Why would I do that?" she said, confused.
"Who knows," I replied, making a casual gesture with my hands. "You never know in this world."
The Pearl, after a few seconds, nodded.
"You're right. Weird… but you're right."
"You just relax, girl," I said, watching as the Ruby ship finally exited the solar system.
"Look, they're finally gone, those little…," I murmured while typing some code on the panel.
I looked at the planet around which the moon orbited and sighed.
"I don't have access…"
Something I had done some time ago was to disable the imperial radar. Thanks to that, I could no longer keep up with the Empire's movements. If I activated it, I could see whether that planet was under their control… but I really didn't want to reconnect.
That's why I avoided that type of planet unless it was 100% necessary.
"My Sílica…," said the Pearl, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Just call me Sílica, don't worry—we're not in the Empire," I said calmly.
She nodded.
"Yes?" I asked, confused.
"How… how did you get all the way here?" she asked, now with more firmness.
"What do you mean?" I frowned.
"I've seen some Sílicas, the few that existed in the Empire… and none look like you. So I have to assume… well… let's say…"
"That I'm defective?" I asked, sparing her the bad news.
"I mean… no, but… I mean, yes… but…"
I raised a hand to stop her from apologizing.
"Look," I said, leaning to one side of the cockpit.
"Even I don't fully know how I got this far. All I know is I woke up a little late… about 1,500 years, more or less, if my calculations are correct. Or maybe 3,500… I really don't remember, so don't hold me to it," I added, waving my hand carelessly.
"I've moved past that part of myself. I mean, I'm defective… so what?" I said, pointing toward the void of space. "I am what I am."
"And that's what makes me unique… and what's brought me this far."
I looked at the Pearl. She was staring at me with bright eyes, like I was a puppy needing affection.
A small bead of sweat ran down my face.
But I went back to my mini story.
"Well," I continued, looking at her, "it wasn't easy. I woke up confused, with only fragments of my programming, few forms available, and no help at all. So I made do with what I had."
I patted the side of the ship and gestured around.
"All of this you see, I made myself. That's how I avoided the Empire. Clever, right?"
The Pearl blinked.
"Why outside the Empire?" she asked, confused.
"To avoid being tracked?" I replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Why wouldn't we want to be tracked?" she insisted.
…
…
"Because they would break me," I said, doubt evident on my face, looking at her like, what the fuck.
"Ah… that's true," the Pearl murmured, realizing.
…
…
"This proves my theory that Empire gems live too deeply inside the imperial focus," I murmured, looking back at the void of space.
I crossed my arms and looked at the Pearl.
"Since you ask so many questions… I guess I should show you where you're standing."
The Pearl straightened immediately.
I walked to the main panel and activated the holographic projection. The ship unfolded in a bright green 3D model.
"This ship isn't imperial. Well… it was. But now? Screw that."
I pointed to the back.
"There's the energy core. I modified it so it doesn't emit the Empire's usual signature. It runs on solar collection near stars and with an internal storage system I designed myself."
The Pearl watched every detail with absolute attention.
"The radar…" I continued, enlarging the front section, "has custom filters.
It detects gem signatures, active technology, and organic matter. It can also hide our presence if I lower emissions."
I slid my fingers, and the section of my hands appeared.
"My tools are synced with the ship. The sight has predictive calculations, the personal radar connects to the main system, and the beams are regulated so as not to overload my gem."
I paused.
"The backpack you saw… is a secondary power source. It can feed my weapons or reinforce the ship's shields in an emergency. The backpack charges the same way we do, with sunlight."
The Pearl blinked slowly.
"If I may ask, did you do all this alone?"
I barely smiled.
"I had time. Like… four years stuck in space with a mirror."
Brief silence.
"And before that… many more years learning not to die, in this Empire of Hitler."
The Pearl lowered her gaze, but this time she didn't look scared.
She looked… impressed.
And so I continued talking so the Pearl wouldn't feel overwhelmed. It also helped me not seem like a schizophrenic talking to myself in the middle of space.
"Wow, Sílica," said the Pearl, surprised as she observed all the updates I'd made. "Before… well, before they sealed me in that mirror, I hadn't seen something so modern."
I waved her off.
"Don't mention it. By now, the Empire should have ships way faster than mine. But to avoid trouble, I prefer to keep a low profile."
The Pearl nodded, looking around.
"And what are we doing here on this moon?"
I blinked.
"That's right, I forgot," I murmured, placing myself in front of the console and starting to activate the panels.
The green lights turned on one by one.
"Look," I said, pointing to the board. "First is the camouflage system. It's not invisibility per se, it just reduces our energy signature. If I lower it enough, we're basically a floating rock."
I moved two fingers, and the projected orbit changed trajectory.
"To move the ship I use this manual interface. I don't rely on autopilot when Rubies are nearby; they're unpredictable. So I make small orbital adjustments, using moon or planet gravity to propel without wasting too much energy."
The Pearl watched with absolute attention.
"The rear core collects solar energy when we're on the lit side. That's why I said we might move to the other side of the moon. More light, more charge."
I slid my hand, and the radar appeared.
"And this is the important part. The radar detects active gem signatures. If any Imperial units enter the range, the system alerts me before they can track us. But since I deactivated the Imperial link… I can't tell if this planet officially belongs to the Empire without reconnecting."
I made a face.
"And I'm not doing that."
I adjusted the ship's tilt gently.
"Now we just wait for the system to be clear. When the radar shows zero threats and the core is at 80% charge… we jump."
The Pearl tilted her head slightly.
"Jump?"
I smiled.
"Yes. I don't have an Imperial transport network, so I do micro-space jumps. Slower… but safer."
I looked at the space projection in front of us.
"This is how I've survived all this time."
The Pearl looked at my back with admiration.
"This Sílica… even though she was trapped in the mirror, treated me better. Much better than my Agate," she thought, with some sadness.
"Because of my Agate's designs, I got into trouble, but…"
The Pearl looked up at Sílica.
"Not everything was so bad for me," she thought, with a small smile, slightly blushing.
End of Chapter 12