Chương 65: LOG-061.

"We've got a problem." The announcement was sudden, Garnet's serious tone interrupting whatever conversation Rose, Pearl and Amethyst had gotten caught up in. My own attention was torn away from Vermilion's recounting of heading to a smaller party hosted by Rebecca's cousin as the fusion stood up, striding towards me. Leaning back as she ducked down to stare at the controls, I slowly turned back towards the navigation console.

"Care to elaborate on what said problem is?" Her lips thinned, visor catching a glint from one of screens in front of me as she frowned.

"Wait for it." Before I could ask what 'it' was, a very specific ping that I failed to immediately recognize (something already of concern) ran off the controls, drawing me back to look at them, alongside whatever was being projected just above them.... Oh. Oh fuck. More silence passed as my fingers flew across the surface of the console, raising the Eye's speed and dipping us drastically lower to the ground than before.

If I still had a heart beat, it would have quickened significantly, but instead I just felt a terribly deep sense of unease as the rest of the Gems began to crowd around me, Rose's towering lightform peaking over my head, judging by the shadow.

"What is it? Why's it flashing?" Fuck fuck fuck ing how? Why? Why would anyone besides us even be here?

"Viridian?" Needed to reduce the sensor profile, somehow. If I could see them then they could absolutely see me.

"Viridian." Memories of some of the more casual moments I'd spent with the complement of Rutiles aboard the Retaliator flashed back to me, boastful descriptions of their many flights and fights, even as I tittered at their every action and comment, generously giving out compliments and impressed noises. The widening of their eyes as I asked about their work, the bright smiles mirroring my own deception as they eagerly talked about the numerous intricacies of being the pilot of a combat capable starfighter.

"Viridian!" A Roaming Eye was significantly more bulky than the sharp, angular killing machines those crimson Gems had used, but the principles remained the same. Open terrain meant an easy detection, which was usually the default in space. But one could use physical obstacles to try and throw off a potential hostile craft's reading. Asteroid fields. The wreckage of enemy or allied ships. The same likely applied in atmosphere. Mountains, forests, buildings if absolutely desperate-"VIRIDIAN!"

I snapped, twisting my head around to bark back at the annoyance persistently tapping my shoulder.

"What?!" Concerned dark eyes stared back at me, and I briefly felt a pang of guilt before turning back around, focusing on not doing something stupid like crashing into the side of a mountain.

"There's a ship." Another beat, as everyone took my sentence in, Rose's voice turning bewildered.

"A ship?" Repressing the urge to snarl, I nodded, bringing the Eye even lower. We were likely skimming the very tips of the mass of trees below us now, which was hopefully far more coverage than the clouds had given us.

"A ship. A functioning ship that our ship can detect, and likely vice versa. Do the math, Rose." The dull smack of a hand slapping over a mouth prompted me to turn once more, only to visibly wince at Vermilion's horrified expression. An expression that began to spread amongst the Crystal Gems as well, Pearl being the first to actually say something beyond making vague worried noises.

"Homeworld..." There was an entire catalogue's worth of emotion in that singular word, and it was more than enough to cause my own hands to clench violently, fingers trembling slightly as Rose immediately turned to stare at the screen, stepping forward to stand next to me, opposite of Garnet.

"Do we know where they are? How close they are to us?" Her serious, determined tone was a sudden but firm reminder that for all her faults, recognized or otherwise, the hidden Diamond was a leader first and foremost, whether by nature or by nurture. Something in me was inherently comforted by that fact, which in turn was something I didn't know whether I appreciated or hated.

Regardless, the question got me to focus just a little bit more, swiping a hand upwards and extending the readout just enough to try and narrow down where the sensor contact actually was. That being... close. And... getting significantly closer.

"We're actively heading towards them. Judging by how quickly the icon is expanding, and by the fact that the Eye's sensors have only just picked them up..." I gulped, pseudo-saliva rolling down my throat in a pleasantly human way that I would have enjoyed a lot more if it weren't for the borderline nausea threatening to take hold of my mind at this point.

"Our mystery ship is in Beach City. Or at least extremely close to it." As yet more silence greeted my report, I couldn't resist the urge to glance to the side, glaring up at Garnet.

"You only picked this up now? I've seen you predict problems way further in advance!" Maybe I was being a little pissy, but the fusion's arms crossing and frown increasing only served to increase my budding anxiety.

"Everything's still pretty grainy. Only started clearing up once we got back topside, and I started looking away from everything involving the Cluster." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.... Fuuu-"Aaaaaalright. Okay. That's... not optimal, but I'll work with it! So, Beach City! Chances are the temple is most definitely compromised, so that leaves out most of the potential weapons you lot have probably stored up in there..."

Glancing back down at the console, I repressed yet another internal tirade of cursing, instead focusing on trying to figure out just what the fuck the Eye was picking up. Unfortunately beyond it being large and 'friendly' it wasn't giving me any specific details. Likely because the Rubies meant to pilot this thing wouldn't have needed said details, much less understood them without more training than the Empire cared to give them.

And I didn't actually know if I could possibly change the information being displayed. Half of this damn stuff was guess work at this point, if I was being entirely honest with myself. Regardless of my lacking knowledge, the next few moments passed almost agonizingly slowly, as discussion began to pick back up behind me. Trees were beginning to be replaced by flatter land, and familiar roads were slowly taking up the various monitors around us.

Just as I was beginning to debate turning the ship right around and gunning it as hard as I reasonably could, another poke to my back drew my attention.

"What now?" Rose's voice was firm, even as out of the corner of my eye I spied her uncertainly glancing at the view screen directly ahead of both of us.

"Take us in, low and fast. Keep us on the outskirts of the city and try to avoid hitting any buildings. We... we need to know more about what we're up against and to do that we need to see them." Blinking dumbly, I turned to fully glare at the possibly insane rebel leader with all the visible disappointment I could muster.

"Towards the definite Imperial vessel. Which is likely armed far beyond anything we have on hand, undeniably is watching us approach right now and most certainly planning to do Stars knows what, but it most definitely can't be good if they've gotten close enough for this old hunk of junk to pick them up." The pink haired faux Quartz glanced to the side for a second, gaze softening before she looked back to me.

Annoyed, I forced the shaking hand she'd evidently taken note of to go still, recalling the previous outwards composure I'd held back within the Reef. The return of my usual stillness didn't stop her from talking, however.

"We're all this planet has, Viridian. I know you haven't been here very long, but you haven't hidden how... how much you adore this world, and the human beings that live in it. They're not ready for this fight. They have enough trouble dealing with Corrupted Gems when we aren't there to help, and I doubt whatever military forces they might be able to gather will stand much of a chance against anything Homeworld has brought to bear."

She took a deep breath, before a rather distinct tone of pleading entered her voice.

"If we don't protect Earth and humanity, who will?" Puppy dog eyes. The Diamond was flashing fucking puppy dog eyes at me.... And it was working, Stars damn it. Something in her expression visibly lightened as I finally let loose a deep, exhausted sigh, turning back towards the console.

"We're all going to die." A small, uncomfortable chuckle answered my morose statement.

"I'm sure it won't come to that."

The plan we'd eventually settled upon after getting through the outer city limits was to perform what was effectively a hot drop, deploying the Crystal Gems on foot while me and Vermilion remained within the Roaming Eye in order to provide whatever fire support we could reasonably give while pitted up against... literally anything bigger than another Roaming Eye. Worst case scenario, my Batchmate and I would die instantly, leaving the rebels below without their literal Eye in the sky.

Of course that plan and pessimistic thought both respectively went out the Stars damned window the very second the primary view screen adjusted, displaying a familiar shape that I couldn't forget even if I tried.

"Is that... is that the Retaliator?!" Vermilion's exclamation only prompted further startled glances from the other Gems. They all knew enough by now to recognize the name of the ship we'd served on, but they'd likely never truly appreciated or even understood the sheer size of a dedicated assault cruiser, no matter how much we'd described it to them. Rose looked just a bit less horrified, though considering she had her Legship for reference, that didn't honestly mean much to me.

Sure, a destroyer could be considered miniscule next to a battleship, but that didn't mean it was objectively small. And yet no matter how glaringly obvious the pronged warship was, it didn't grab the majority of my attention. No, that was reserved for the bloody warzone it had apparently gotten itself wrapped up in.

For one thing, Corrupted Gems were somehow pouring out of the temple in constant droves, clawing, screeching, biting, spitting and thrashing at each other as they did so, even as some of them swapped focus and charged at the semi-solid line of Quartz and Ruby soldiers desperately attempting to stem the flow before it overwhelmed the lot of them.

Speaking of flow, the constant stream of water entangling the Retaliator itself, almost like a blue string wrapping around a green blade, brought up only more questions, even as I watched the vessel almost desperately tilt left and right, as if attempting to shake the liquid off of itself.

"... What now?!" Amethyst was the first to break the newly formed silence, hands raised to gesture at the apparent mess sitting effectively right in front of us.

"Viridian? Do you have any idea what... that all is?" And then Rose was staring at me again, apparently waiting for my input since Vermilion was all too busy hugging her arms around herself and quietly mumbling about all the punishments we were going to face upon capture, Pearl's hand gently rubbing against her back in what was likely meant to be a soothing motion.... Right, okay.

Assess the situation, come up with solutions to the issues present in said situation, and present them to the hopefully more knowledgeable war veteran (and Diamond, can't forget that) right beside me. My eyes narrowed as I took in the scene once more, bringing the Roaming Eye to a steady hover rather than the rapid pace it had previously been operating under.

"... There's a Lapis Lazuli apparently attacking the ship. She's the only possible Gem type that could control that much water-" I was almost tempted to mention Brim. It fit the memo, and the possibility of her somehow having run into the Retaliator wasn't exactly zero, but it wasn't very high, either.

"-with that much cohesion." Blinking, I did my best to enhance the view, cringing backwards as I saw an unmistakable green figure leap forward, grabbing two vaguely canine looking corrupted Gems by their fur before slamming them together, the pair of mutants' distorted lightforms discorporating almost instantly in the face of their attacker's inherent strength.

"... And that would be Vermilion and I's former owner. Emerald facet 2M7G, cut 8XS. High ranking fleet admiral and someone who shouldn't... be... here." My hands clenched into fists, a mixture of anger and sheer... bewilderment suffusing my mind as I watched the figure continue to slowly push back the tide of Corrupted Gems, spurring on the soldiers behind her with each attack.

"... Did-did she cross an entire galaxy just to get us back!?" My question was answered by a sob, Pearl yelping as Vermilion abruptly wrapped her red arms around her Crystal Gem counterpart, throwing her head back and wailing.

"We're gonna be Rejuvenateeeed!" Pieces finally clicked into place, slowly but surely as I continued to stare at the battle (because that's what it really was, in the end) progressing in front of me. We'd left amidst the eruption of the Diamond essence freighter, and hadn't looked back. I'd thought that our temporary allies had either died or escaped, and tried my best to avoid thinking about it too much after the fact for the sake of my own sanity, but now that I really contemplated it...

capture was an entirely possible outcome. Captured and imprisoned by a vengeful Emerald, who in turn had apparently decided that, with her primary objective literally blown apart in front of her and her new fleet in pieces, she had little better to do but try and retrieve her missing property. Somehow tracking us, following our trail and subsequently bringing a hydrokinetic to a world with no shortage of water to use in an escape attempt.

"... Alright. I know what to do." My calm tone of voice must have been weird enough to shock just about everyone out of their panicking, because the entire ship went silent as I swivelled around to slowly glance at each of my fellow Gems.

"... Now, this is admittedly a gamble, but I really don't see all too many options, unless Garnet would like to chime in with some helpful advice or alternatives from the future?" A shake of the fusion's head caused me to repress yet another sigh, even as I slowly steepled my fingers.

"Fine. In that case, I'm willing to put... two to one odds that the Lapis Lazuli currently trying to drown the cruiser ahead of us is somewhat of a friend of mine." A flash of Brim's... dance, briefly flitted through my mind, before I forcibly shook it off. Then Vermilion's eyes widened in sudden comprehension, just as I turned back around, hands going to the controls. With all this rotating, an organic would have gotten sick by now. Yet another perk of light based physiology, I guessed.

"So here's what's going to happen. We're going to let my Emerald keep herself and the rest of the Retaliator's combat oriented Gems busy cleaning up the apparent mess they've made. In turn... I'm going to use Harlequin's drill for a new purpose, namely in helping us link up with this potential friend of mine, so we might, maybe, if I'm actually correct about her identity, link up and work together in dealing with all of... this."

There was no real feeling of acceleration, yet the view screens showed enough to cause a mix of reactions anyway as the Roaming Eye began to speed up significantly. Rose blinked. Vermilion gasped. Amethyst let out an excited, whooping laugh in spite of the situation. Pearl also gasped, but slightly differently. No one moved to stop me, though. And Garnet, funnily enough, just smiled. I was going to try and take that vague sign as positively as I could.

Flicking a rather specific switch, I let out a smile that looked far more confident than I actually felt as the repurposed injector drill attached to the front of the Roaming Eye sprang to life, a steady rumble beginning to shake the front half of the hull.

"... This may be redundant, but I would definitely advise bracing for impact nonetheless." Another click, and the Eye began to sharply accelerate, the distinct form of the Retaliator rapidly getting closer and closer by the second. My hands clenched atop the controls, even as I forced my smile to widen despite the storm of negative feelings carefully tucked away behind my brave new mask. Ugh, fuck.... Hopefully the drill did just as well against shield and armour as it did rock and stone.