Chương 34: LOG-030.

Cleaning truly was a wonderful activity, in my mind. It soothed the soul, kept the form busy and ensured one's surroundings were spotless! Perhaps, being the fusion of two separate Pearls, I may have been somewhat biased in that regard, but I didn't really think so. After all, when stuck onboard a Roaming Eye travelling through space at utterly insane speeds (a similar but altogether different form of FTL travel when compared to going through the Warp) with no one to talk to but yourself and nothing else to do...

cleaning helped keep you occupied. So, after taking some time to simply... decompress, and sort through the constant influx of emotions jutting from both my components (there may have been a moderate amount of crying involved), I spent the first few days cleaning. Every nook and cranny, every single spec of dust, nothing was spared.

Viridian's duster came in handy in that regard, and a few small brushes that Vermilion had kept a hold of helped in sweeping away unwanted particulates wedged in between some of the consoles. I attacked the grime with the determination of a Gem fighting for her life. Each swipe of the duster was a statement, each brushstroke a command.

I cleaned the cockpit until it gleamed under the artificial lighting, scrubbed the corridors until the reflective surfaces almost blinded me with their brilliance, and polished the control panels until I could see my face, a curious blend of both Viridian and Vermilion's features, staring back at me in bemusement By the end of it all, the bridge was probably spotless enough to house a Diamond.

Alas, cleaning could only take me so far, even when I was intentionally being horribly slow about it to purposefully extend the time it took up. Eventually, the entire interior of the ship was utterly free of even the slightest traces of filth, and polishing everything merely extended that time by another day at best. So I repeated the process. Seven times. Yes, to say that my temporary living space was shiny would be... well, a rather drastic understatement.

During my small war against any and all forms of dirt, I kept track of time as best I could using Homeworld's standard calendar. A hundred and sixteen hours for each day, and nine days for each week. I'd almost considered the thought of attempting to get at the Eye's exterior, before deciding that that was an utterly terr ible idea, and moved on to spend my days doing other things, like pretending to meditate, as if I was some sort of Sapphire. Said meditation may have involved vividly imagining some of the...

prettier Gems I'd met. Some blushing may have also been involved during the whole process. Alongside some sad, melancholic contemplation as I considered that I'd likely never actually see most of those Gems ever again. It was most certainly a... novel experience, to say the very least. But after a point, those days turned to weeks and acting as if I could 'see the future' grew tiresome.

The enlarged space within the scouting craft finally began to echo with the sound of melodic tones, as I almost inevitably turned to singing to occupy myself. Every single song was practiced until it was perfected. I sung first of what I had been taught. Of the glory of the Diamonds and their boundless Authority, of the beauty of the stars, of the everlasting, unchanging nature of the Gem Empire, and I belted out countless other tunes that were more pretty and pleasant noise than anything, lacking any true lyrics.

Eventually, I even started trying to come up with my own hymns, though they tended to veer off slightly as parts of me sought to bring forth different ideas. Songs of perfection, isolation, fusion, freedom, love, and so much more made the silence abate for a while, and going through the multitude of routines that had been drilled into my two halves extended that time even further. I sang of the void's cold tranquility, the indifferent lights contained within it a backdrop to countless conflicts and joys.

I created odes to liberty, imagining what it would be like to choose one's own path, to not be bound by duty or design and luxuriating deeply in the realisation that such a thing would soon be my reality. Each note, each word, became an exploration of identity, a way to piece together the fragments of who I was slowly but surely becoming. Anything and everything to keep busy, to keep productive.

"Lost in the darkness... searching for a sign... battles within me... a war in my... soul? No... mind. Mind works better. A war in my mind..." The paradigm I'd built up during my time isolated within the Roaming Eye had finally come to an end almost half a month or so in.

"Caught in the current... can't break free... Reef's hold like a coffin... coffin? Yeah, coffin... no agency-" Beeping. The sudden sound almost made me fall over in fright, as I realised it wasn't coming from my own mouth, my golden lightform (significantly more uniform than the last time, though there was still a slight mixing of green and red here and there, most notably in my hair) flinching before I finally comprehended just what I was hearing, and rapidly scrambled towards the primary navigation console.

My eyes widened in equal parts of both fear and a rather distinct sense of exhilaration as the screen continued to throw up various warning signs, all as the faint image of a little blue and green marble grew ever more distinct. Exiting the faster than light mode of travel the Roaming Eye's gravity drive had kept the ship suspended in had been rather... anticlimactic, if I had to put a singular word to it.

A few input commands, a brief shake, then the rough feeling of deceleration later, and I found myself within relative spitting distance of a Diamond's deathworld. The innocuous blue and green sphere stood as a testament to just how spectacularly Pink Diamond's colony had failed, interspersed as it was with patches of white, brown and so many other colours that hinted at some form of distinctly non-Gem life. It promised safety. It promised isolation. And most importantly, it guaranteed my freedom from the Empire.

It was the perfect place to call home, and my smile remained almost painfully wide as I directed the Eye closer towards the planet, trying to estimate just how quickly I could cut my way through the atmosphere without making the trip take even longer.

There were Gem structures left on this world. Long since abandoned along with the rest of the failed colony after the singularly most damaging war the Empire had ever faced, and most tended to be either malfunctioning or entirely inactive. Keyword being most. Some still reported as operational. Ancient sensor stations that had once been used to monitor ship traffic and keep track of weather patterns reacted for the first time in what was likely millenia as the Roaming Eye's systems connected to their own.

The interface lit up with a cascade of data streams, each one representing a dormant piece of Gem technology reawakening after an age of silence. Part of me took careful note of the locational data for the multitude of potential Imperial facilities and dutifully memorized it, even as the rest of me focused on making sure I actually landed the ship properly. It wouldn't do to... crash into a city or something.

Especially considering this world was most definitely inhabited, if the numerous lights strung across various landmasses facing away from the sun hadn't been enough of a clear indicator of advanced civilisation. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Through the viewport, the surface details began to emerge. Vast stretches of forests, sprawling urban centers, and winding rivers that reflected the light of the setting sun.

There was a careful balance I needed to keep here. Getting the ship close enough to a population of locals that I could reasonably interact with and hopefully enlist the help of when it came to settling in was a bit of a priority, but also avoiding setting the ship down practically on their doorstep remained a distinct concern to keep in mind, in order to avoid particularly unwanted questions. I scrutinized the relayed topographical data being beamed to the Eye, searching for a suitable landing site.

The initial area I finally chose was both vast and varied, with a mix of natural landscapes, heavily developed urban centers belonging to the local species and isolated remnants of ancient Gem constructions.

Eventually, I settled for one of the larger continents in favour of some isolated islands or something, namely because there was still a mostly intact spire nearby that I could potentially check out later if the need for Gem-specific items arose, and a singular sensor station was still reporting as active from an area registered as Quartz Kindergarten Beta. The thought of a Kindergarten, an area where Gems were once produced en masse, gave me pause.

For some reason, I felt strangely conflicted about the production area as I let the Roaming Eye be remotely guided through the initial cloud layer. Mental images of emerging warriors, fresh and new, filled my mind, juxtaposed with the desolation such a place must now embody, thousands of years after the fact.

The odd sensation subsided quickly enough though, replaced by the more immediate concern of making a safe landing and soon enough, I was too focused on gathering up any loose items I'd left lying around the ship to even think of the matter, all as landing gears deployed and the boarding ramp began to hiss open. If the breath of fresh, oxygen filled air felt like freedom to me, then it was the sensation of my foot firmly planting down on soft dirt covered in luscious green grass that felt like a whole new beginning.

"Hyaaaahahahaha!" Hopping, skipping, twirling and effectively dancing my way through the air as I continued to put distance between myself and the Roaming Eye, I let out another few restrained giggles, darting past the latest patch of gargantuan trees. Their trunks were like towering pillars, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze as if they were whispering secrets of the ancient forest to me.

My exhilaration bubbled over, and I couldn't help but release a few more peals of laughter, my voice echoing through the canopy at the sheer be auty of it all. It was a while before I finally slowed down, inspecting a nearby colony of strange, organic insects scurrying about a small mound of dirt. Ants. Fun! My lightform moved slowly as I crouched down, my eyes widening with curiosity as I observed the little creatures.

They moved with such purpose, each one carrying a tiny piece of foliage or soil, working together in perfect harmony. Their intricate pathways and coordinated efforts reminded me of the Gem structures and ranks I'd left behind, though infinitely smaller and more chaotic in their design. I watched them for what felt like ages, marveling at their simple yet efficient little society, before eventually leaving the tiny bugs to their work.

I'd parked the ship near the base of an isolated cliffside with the intent to eventually relocate the scouting craft to a more discrete location, but that was quite honestly the furthest thing from my mind right this moment, as instead I continued to circle around the area I'd encountered the ants in before finally moving further out. It was when natural organic forest finally gave way to primitive paved road that I knew I'd been heading the right direction.

I ducked as low as I could, huddling behind some shrubbery as I spent the next few moments eagerly watching loud metallic vehicles make their way up and down the wide path. Some were small and compact, buzzing along like oversized insects themselves, while others were large and lumbering, carrying cargo or groups of the planet's inhabitants.

Logical reasoning indicated that following said path would eventually lead me to a settlement of some sort, and I figured that I could work out a proper plan from there after just... relaxing for a while. The Roaming Eye would likely remain unnoticed for the time being, and it wouldn't open for just anyone anyway, considering the only exterior remote to the small starship was carefully tucked away in Viridian's storage. And so, I simply began walking.

One eye fixed to the road next to me the entire time, even as each foot steadily continued to plant itself in front of the other. The rhythmic sound of my steps against the hard surface was oddly comforting, each movement bringing me closer to whatever vague thing I was looking for.

The bright yellow sun up above served as an adequate way to tell the time throughout the journey, and several hours later I was finally beginning to see the distant lights of a small city, even as the sky up above steadily continued to darken. Rubbing my hands together eagerly, I glanced up and down the road for a second before darting across, making my way past a pair of tall glass buildings and deeper into the settlement.

I could hear what sounded like distant music even further in, and that alone was more than enough to get me curious.

I was starting to very much believe that Viridian had been absol utely ri ght in being so eager to pull me towards civilisation, compared to Vermilion's minor desire to huddle up in the ship and remain hidden.

"Yo! Nice dress lady!" I'd been inside this place for all of an hour, and I was already beginning to lo ve it.

"Thank you very much!" A veritable cascade of different bright colours continued to flash far above the area I'd wandered into, even as a large crowd of Gem-like organics continued to celebrate whatever local festival had been organised in this area. Impossibly loud music also suffused the air, originating from a group set up on a stage that just about everyone was gathered around.

There were other key locations, such as a station that appeared to be handing out various samples of food and drink for the event goers, while several individuals carrying around boxes of fascinating glowing bands went around dispensing the cute little items. As a matter of fact, it seemed one of the band dispensers were actually approaching-"You look crazy girl! Loving the getup!" Blushing at the dark coloured organic's... complement?

I adopted a smile, firmly ignoring the strong urge to enter a deferential pose (type eight, pattern nine almost felt appropriate until I remembered I wasn't even speaking to a Gem) and nodding back to the smaller person.

"I like your glowy band things!" The urge to blink increased, and I finally let my eyes close and open as several of the circles were chucked at me with a laugh.

"Keep rocking on, sunshine!" And then she was gone, presumably to go throw even more glow bands at other organics.

"... Huh." Glancing down at the mass of decorations carefully balanced in my arms, I slowly let my smile widen.

"Hm. Here it is..." The trek from the Warp pad had been a fairly long one, but their resident fusion's foresight had been proven correct yet again, rather unfortunately, in this case. Almost as one, four separate Gems (technically five) grew ever more attentive at the sight of a distinctly inhuman craft nestled almost innocently next to a large boulder. Different thoughts quickly ran through each of them, but a singular consensus was eventually reached by the group nonetheless. This was going to complicate things.

I had learned many things during my time spent participating in this festival. The most notable was that raves were awesome.

"Alright people! We're gonna take a short break, let our drummer cool down for a bit before he breaks his arms, yeah!?" Laughter erupted at the organic's joking statement. I found myself joining in along with a few of the whoops and cheers emanating from those around me. Without thinking, I cupped my hands around my mouth, yelling back at the musician.

"That would be bad!" A few individuals glanced at me, doubletaking as they noted the way I generally stood both head and shoulders above most of those around me, yet more laughed along with the notion, even as the lead singer pointed at me with a grin.

"You got that right uh... literally yellow lady!"

"Honey Lemon!"

"Right! Radical name! Any other tidbits of wisdom for the rest of us Honey?!" Both halves of my fusion blanked as the entertainer pointed a small device that one of my components hesitantly pointed out as a microphone at me, resulting in a second of utter stillness before I forcibly shrugged aside the urge to crawl into a hole and die, instead actively leaning forward, enjoying the way the numerous glowsticks and rings affixed to my lightform shifted slightly with my abrupt movement. A tidbit o f wisdom, hm?

The grin that affixed itself to my face as I spread my arms wide was a both happy yet utterly feral thing that I couldn't help but embrace, letting my recently acquired physical appearance modifiers clack against each other in the process.

"Always love yourself, no matter how bad the situation gets! Don't be afraid to be pretty!" A unanimous cheer answered my cry, prompting me to stand up even straighter as confidence surged through me.

"And don't let the usual monotony of life get you down! Things get better so long as you actively look for alternatives!" Another mass of cheering, I could practically feel several people loudly clapping around me as multiple bottles were raised into the air, liquid splashing out of the glass containers. I hesitated then, trying to think up another wise 'tidbit' before eventually just going with the flow.

"AND GLOWY BANDS ARE REALLY COOL!" The wall of noise that followed my final proclamation was a near physical thing, a singular continous sound of approval that continued to echo in my head even as my body was lifted and held aloft, the people beneath me acting as a living wave. Suffice to say, the next few hours proved wonderfully interesting, to say the absolute very least.