LOG-006.

  "Bring it on you clod!"

  Time, I found, tended to pass much more quickly when one wasn't fearing for their life every second of every day. It also helped that time itself seemed to act a bit weird when travelling through Warp space, though that might have just been me not being used to the mode of faster than light travel.

  Oh, I was more than well aware that I was still in a frankly heinous amount of danger if I dared risk a real slip up, but compared to the tender mercies and utterly exacting standards of the Reef, well...the Retaliator really didn't feel so terrible in the end. The trip through the Warp network had been brief, but during that time I'd hopefully cemented my status as the vessel's resident entertainment piece, alongside the one ensuring damn near every hallway was free of even the most minute specs of filth.

  "Oof! Hey, no kicking!"

  Becoming acquainted with most of the Gems on board hadn't been my intention when I'd poured my all into singing and dancing for the warship's captain, but I couldn't say I truly regretted it in the slightest. The two Citrines had listened in during one of my performances, and from there, the fact that there was apparently also a Pearl now on board, and the account of her ever so flawless singing voice had spread throughout the Retaliator like wildfire.

  I'd expected a reprimand, my experience still raw from a certain Caretaker's general practices when it came to such things (and something deep inside of me shuddered in revulsion as I realised I'd grown accustomed to expecting punishment for something that was no fault of my own), or at least for the bodyguards to be told off in some way or form.

  "No weapons! That's the only rule!"

  Instead, I'd found myself being let loose by Emerald to mingle with the rest of the crew. Almost eagerly.

  I'd nearly lost control of my lightform from sheer terror then and there, utterly horrified that the commanding Gem had already gotten sick of me, and that she'd soon demand a replacement.

  My performances had, predictably, been greatly enhanced as a result. Survival was an excellent motivator, all things considered. I'd toured the very depths of the ship, dancing around Peridots (and eagerly watching and learning just how they kept some of the borderline magical looking technology that made up everything around us running), enthralling Ruby soldiers with simple stories that I made up practically on the spot each time, discussing the merits and nuances of exploring and settling organic worlds with Nephrite pilots, and singing various ballads for some of the Quartz elites on board.

  "Alright, that's enough for both of you. Clear the ring!"

  Like the Jaspers.

  I liked the Jaspers, surprisingly enough.

  Similar to the Ruby infantry below them, the shocktroopers were fairly blunt at times, and frighteningly honest about their feelings in the face of what I'd long since grown used to back during my training in the Reef. Compared to the technobabble of the Retaliator's technicians or the constant creeping feeling that Emerald was eyeing me up for Harvesting, the Jaspers were, in a word...human.

  So painfully, horribly, beautifully human. If one ignored the fact that they were mass produced warriors, that is.

  I dipped low, ending my brief demonstration of dance type seven, pattern two and finally finishing off the energetic hymn I'd been belting out as the brief bout between soldiers had progressed. The climax earned a few claps from the burly Gems around me, even as one of them let out a cheer from the prone position she'd taken up in her cubby, close up to the 'ceiling' of the barracks.

  "Woo! Do the one about the Zircon next!"

  Another soldier snuggled up next to her (my idle, vaguely teasing comment that they seemed to like being rather close to each other had resulted in something happening between the two, apparently) cuffed her over the head, before pointing at me.

  "Nah! Let's have a rematch instead! I still haven't managed to catch you yet!"

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  Ah, the 'duels.'

  At some point, one of the Jaspers (I was still learning each of their individual designators, but this one commonly went by the nickname Rush) had jokingly offered to 'fight' me.

  I'd been high on the unique (in this life, had to remember that. Being able to speak to people without worrying about being used and abused was meant to be the norm damn it!) experience of having a group of individuals to talk to that weren't actively looking for ways to exploit me. I'd been stupid.

  I'd jokingly accepted.

  The mock battle had escalated after I'd managed to dodge a few incredibly light and halfhearted slaps. Then it had become a rather strange form of stalemate rather quickly. I couldn't quite figure out a way to truly harm her, not that I really wanted to in the first place. But neither could she actually get a hold of me. Apparently perfect balance and the ability to contort oneself into a variety of shapes and forms were useful for more than just dancing and looking pretty.

  That first 'fight' had ended with the far larger Quartz finally growing impatient and lunging at me, only for a quick sidestep to end the entire thing with the shocktrooper unwittingly flinging herself out of the ring the lot of them had scratched onto the floor, and into a nearby cubby, to the raucous laughter of the rest of her unit.

  I'd been worried about accidentally offending them all somehow. Instead, the fact that I was such a 'quick and nimble little thing' had drawn praise and what vaguely seemed to be disproportionate levels of affection from the lot, for some reason. After that, I'd gone from simply Pearl to Pearlie. Or Twigs. Or Skinny. Or sometimes, when they were all being especially earnest, Viridian. The fact that I still hadn't managed to figure out where they'd heard that particular name from bothered me, sometimes.

  Still, it had almost felt like...friendship. And I'd even managed to go an entire cycle without needing to cry out my bubbled up emotions in an empty and unmonitored maintenance closet as a result of the positive mood I'd been left in afterwards. So...mental health win. Probably.

  Dashing the internal deluge of thoughts aside, I bowed my head with an apologetic smile.

  "I'm afraid my Emerald has ordered that I return to the bridge within the next cycle, so we'll just have to postpone your defeat for another time. I wouldn't want to be late to a direct summons from our admiral. after all."

  A few disappointed groans answered the matter of fact statement, alongside a few jeers at my cocky promise.

  The Jaspers liked cocky, though. So it was okay.

  ---

  My first ever visit to Homeworld had initially proven itself to be important, if utterly uneventful on my end. I'd been left to stand around aboard the command bridge, quietly acting as a piece of living decoration even as Emerald had opened up a holo-call with the rest of her fleet, loitering in orbit of the massive, heavily scarred world they'd all tethered themselves to.

  I'd silently marvelled at the sheer damage done to the planet, and wondered just what in the Stars the Diamonds could have done to result in a capital world being left in such a sorry state.

  "All are present? Good, we can begin."

  My attention shifted as my Emerald sat up straight in her throne, seeming utterly in her element now.

  Good for her.

  Most of the captains in charge of what I now knew to be the Fifty Fifth Lance Fleet's various ships were veteran Nephrites, though there had been a single Gem that I'd recognised as some sort of Agate in command of what I could only assume was a troop carrier of some kind.

  At the very least, my position at the admiral's side had allowed me to glean just what exactly our new situation was.

  "For a start, Incisor, Sentinel and Edge will be shuffled to the Blue regions effective immediately. Their own security vessels have been reporting more and more alien activity amidst the Saphiric route, and Yellow Diamond wants the potential hole closed up before some organic pirates or rogue Gems decide it can be exploited somehow."

  Namely, that we were being split up. Massive military fleets were needed for wars, and Homeworld hadn't faced a major conflict of any sort that wasn't larger than a very brief skirmish since the Rose Quartz rebellion. Now the name of the game was exploration and evaluation of potential new colony worlds and the protection of supply lanes from the various marauding FTL capable species that could be found on the very fringes of Imperial space.

  And so, I watched on as one of Homeworld's largest war fleets were effectively sliced apart, with Emerald assigning each separate ship their own sectors of space to explore, or patrol and protect, as needed.

  My personal contribution to the whole thing had been stepping forward and posing cutely when one of the Nephrites had let loose a short bark of a laugh.

  "Finally got that Pearl for yourself, huh admiral? She looks nice!"

  Hmph, I look exquisite, thank you very much!

  ---

  "We're going to be attending an audience with my Diamond."

  My metaphorical heart leapt into my throat at the last word, even as I slowly, ever so slowly, turned to look at my Emerald, the commanding officer still lounging around in her throne, even after the holographic meeting had long since ended.

  "Y-yellow Diamond, my Emerald?"

  Sharp eyes turned towards me, and I held back a cry of despair at the green Gem's firm nod.

  "Correct. I am to recieve my new standing orders now that I've dispatched the Fifty Fifth."

  She tilted her head slightly, humming a tune I recognised from one of the many songs I'd performed aboard the bridge.

  "Direct meetings like this only happen every few thousand cycles. I know this is your first time ever visiting Homeworld, but I expect you to be on your absolute best behaviour regardless, understood?"

  I wanted to fucking scream.

  Instead, I just bowed deeply, a wide smile stretching across my face.

  "Why as a matter of course, my Emerald! Should I help prepare you for the meeting? Would you prefer your hair done up in a different style? Oh! Or would you like me to retrieve some of the perfumes from storage?"

  The admiral let out a soft sigh, before shaking her head.

  "That won't be necessary, Viri-Pearl. Just keep on as you always do."

  In my absolute haste to bow even deeper to the admiral, I failed to notice the out of character slip up until much, much later.