"Indeed, Pearl, this right here is something you should never press," I said, pointing at a rather suspicious red button.
"Why?" Pearl asked, confused.
"Because it self-destructs the ship," I replied with complete seriousness.
"Why would you even have something like that?" she said, stepping slightly away from the button.
"You always need a self-destruct button," I stated with the same seriousness, covering it with a glass lid that could only be opened with a specific password.
…
Pearl said nothing. About two years had passed aboard the ship, and the Silica standing before her was, at the very least, a bit eccentric.
And that was putting it mildly.
"And here," I said, striking an exaggerated pose, "we have a special project I've been working on for you."
"Huh?" Pearl responded, looking at what I was presenting.
"Is this…?" she asked, confused.
"This is…" I made a small dramatic pause.
"This is something I designed based on your behavior over these exact 2.45 years," I declared proudly.
Pearl blinked, confused by the absurd level of precision, but decided to keep listening.
"It's similar to Peridot's limb enhancers. It has upgrades—greater adaptation and synchronization with you," I explained as I picked up the object and handed it to her.
It was a refined technological hand, sleeker than mine, with soft blue lines that harmonized with her body.
Pearl stared at it for several seconds.
"It's a gift," I said with a calm smile.
Pearl looked at me, her eyes slightly glossy.
…
"Don't cry, Pearl," I murmured, a drop of sweat sliding down my neck.
"Just put it on," I added excitedly. This would be another step in my enhancement and adaptation research.
Pearl nodded softly and began placing the new hand on.
Out of nowhere, the glove—which had no visible fingers—activated. Four fingers emerged from hidden slits, unfolding with smooth mechanical precision. Then the material adjusted to her hand without hurting her, adapting almost to the level of her own "skin."
Pearl watched in awe as the fingers moved and responded as if they had always been part of her.
"Incredible…" she said, fascinated.
"Right?" I replied with a grin as I started explaining the details.
"Basically," I added so she'd pay close attention, "it does the same as mine. The difference is yours isn't connected to an overload backpack like mine."
I pointed at my back with my thumb.
"Instead, I added an internal booster. It's like a compact version of my energy system. That way, you don't have to carry a backpack that might get in the way during battle."
"Battle?" Pearl asked, confused.
"Of course," I answered with a what-did-you-expect expression. "We're basically rebels. I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in getting shattered."
Pearl trembled slightly at that and quickly shook her head.
"Well, babe," I said as I sat in front of the control board to continue working on the remaining pieces. The full upgrades were almost done.
"We'll need to train. But first, I have to finish this. If you can, head to the cockpit and alert me if anything happens."
Pearl nodded, still staring at her new hand, cautiously moving the fingers.
"Do I get to keep it?" she asked.
"Yep, it's yours," I replied without looking at her, dismissing her with a gesture as my mind sank back into schematics and calculations.
…
As Pearl walked down the corridors of Silica's ship, she thought about her life… or at least her current one.
"This is different…" she murmured, clenching her new hand.
It's not like my Agate.
Her eyes, already slightly red, grew more intense as silent tears fell onto the metallic floor.
"Why did you make me just like her, my Agate?" she thought in frustration.
There was something she hadn't told Silica yet—her past. And she didn't want to. Not yet. Only two years had passed; in gem terms, that was practically nothing. She was grateful that this Silica didn't suffocate her with uncomfortable questions.
No.
Silica was simply herself. She treated her well. Talked to her. Shared her projects, her ideas… and the destination she wanted to reach.
"Earth…" Pearl murmured with slight fear.
Earth was marked by Homeworld as a symbol of terrorism. Literally. And if some of the explanations Silica had given her were correct, then Homeworld was like… what had she called that historical human?
"Hitler?" she recalled, confused.
She shook her head.
Homeworld was wrong… even though her mind, programmed for millennia, told her she should return.
But she knew she couldn't.
Not now.
Not after the disaster her Agate caused, which ended with her being trapped for approximately five hundred years inside that mirror.
It might not be eternity for a gem… but centuries alone, without orders, without purpose, without anyone speaking to you… changes you.
And now, after all that, she had someone who simply talked to her.
That… changed things.
…
In the cockpit, Pearl sat in the main seat and began commanding the ship as Silica had taught her over the years.
According to Silica's calculations, if nothing went wrong, they would reach Earth in roughly 100 to 200 years.
They could go faster, yes. But increasing speed would emit an energy signature impossible to hide.
And that would call Homeworld directly.
Lately, there had been more imperial activity in the area… especially Rubies.
And as their name might suggest, they were… peculiar pilots.
At that moment, Pearl had to hide the ship within an asteroid belt, as three Ruby ships were practically colliding while arguing over comms.
She simply shook her head.
But suddenly—
A new ship appeared on the radar.
And with its arrival, the Ruby ships immediately froze in perfect alignment… as if they had received a direct order.
"What's happening…?" she murmured.
Without thinking, she pressed the alert button for Silica.
Silica's Perspective
"This is actually amazing," I said while finishing the final adjustments on the boots.
An alarm blared throughout the ship.
"Huh?"
Priority alert. Cockpit.
I rushed there immediately.
When I entered—
Everything was, in simple terms, fucked.
"What's going on?" I asked, sitting down and activating maximum stealth protocol.
"I don't know," Pearl replied, already manipulating the controls.
Five ships on the radar.
Two unknown.
One signal suddenly spiked.
A dull sound tore through the void.
On the radar, the point fragmented into multiple small echoes.
…
One ship had been destroyed.
The other two unknown ships turned and left.
The remaining Rubies followed obediently.
…
We stared in shock as they vanished into hyperspeed.
"Why did they destroy it?" Pearl asked shakily.
"Did they refuse an imperial order? I doubt it. Did they mess up and get shattered as punishment? Also unlikely. Why would two new ships arrive just to destroy one and leave?"
I slowly turned to Pearl.
"What were those three ships doing before I got here?"
"They were erratic… circling the system. Like they were searching for something… or waiting for instructions."
Selective execution.
A message.
A show of power.
Or something worse.
That hadn't been accidental.
"That was deliberate."
"Do you think they were rebels?" I asked.
"Maybe," Pearl murmured thoughtfully.
"Possibly two were following the third. And because they took too long or deviated from protocol, two higher-ranking ships—likely Jades—were sent to handle it."
Her eyes sharpened analytically.
"The way they aligned instantly suggests a high-ranking order. A Jade, a high-level gem… maybe even a Garnet, though they're rare in the Empire. It could also be Jasper from Earth. Rubies respect her."
I nodded slowly.
"So…" I murmured, staring at the explosion point.
"Are we going?"
Pearl hesitated.
Then nodded.
"I don't want a gem drifting out there… if she's still intact."
I adjusted my aim, just in case.
Pearl did the same with her new glove.
"Let's wait a little longer," I said, frowning. "If we go now, they might come back."
Pearl nodded.
We both stared into the void.
Waiting.
End of Chapter 13