LOG-062.

  "Four seconds!"

  It's astonishing, just how much time you have to think while in the final moment of hurtling towards a warship at very much dangerous speeds, my voice only somewhat heard over the shaking around us.

  "Three seconds!"

  My hands tensed above the controls, fingers trembling even as I ducked as low as I could, the Gems around me likely doing the same. My hands balled up into clawed fists even as I forced my jitters away and tightly grabbed hold of the console.

  "Two seconds! HOLD ON!"

  Planting my legs against the incline in front of me, I braced as much as such a position allowed, the rest of my lightform tensing.

  One second.

  For just a singular instant, everything ahead of me remained a shining green, the Retaliator's hull taking up the frontal view screen in its entirety.

  And then? Impact.

  Military grade shielding technology is technically rated to resist attacks of both a ballistic and energetic nature, though is notably geared towards the latter above all else. As a direct result of that technology, which in turn had been installed on the cruiser well over four centuries ago, for just a brief, metaphorically heart stopping moment, the entire craft lurched as the drill pressed into and clashed against the Retaliator's own primary shield.

  Then that shield popped from the ridiculous pressure of a spinning industrial drill shredding into its side, and from there things only got even more violent. Ahead, the drill bit snapped into the Retaliator's armor, sending a blinding shower of sparks and shredded metal past all available view screens.

  The sound was an earsplitting, grating scream, like the metal around us was being tortured. Vermilion's fearful shrieking certainly didn't help matters as the entire ship vibrated violently, the drill tearing through layer after layer of reinforced plating, each rotation bringing us deeper into the green vessel.

  Even with the slightly arrested momentum, we still apparently had more than enough to all but stab through the outer segments before digging into what was likely a hallway; hull, armour, and machinery resisting for only a second before being forcibly twisted and torn out of the way as the Eye dug ever deeper into the cruiser in front of it with an impact that likely would have broken or perhaps even shattered the bones of a typical organic crew.

  Instead of any of those things happening however, I simply did my best not to be thrown from my seat, desperately keeping myself locked into place as the Roaming Eye bucked and thrashed. Through the front view screen I could see the Retaliator's innards being torn apart the further we advanced. Bulkheads crumpled like paper, interior cables and pipes snapping and sparking in a chaotic mass of damage that'd leave any Peridot crying at the mess we'd just caused.

  Then, with a final, gut-wrenching (something I actually had now, funnily enough) lurch, our makeshift boarding craft came to a violent but ultimately gradual stop. The drill bit ceased its rotation without my input, embedded deep within yet another wall. The sudden cessation of motion was jarring, my body still reeling from the relentless assault we'd just subjected ourselves to.

  The silence that followed was almost oppressive, broken only by the distant sounds of the Retaliator's various alarms and the hiss of escaping air.

  "Hooookay." And me, though at that point one would simply be getting technical about things.

  I released the console, my fingers numb and tingling for just a second, before the sensation quickly faded as my lightform adjusted to the (relatively) minor damage done to it. The Gems around me loosened their grips as well, their own forms steadying as the immediate danger passed. Turning let me see through the rear view screen, the projection displaying the gaping tunnel and hole we had created, a jagged wound leading through several sections of the cruiser before exposing it to the the outside world.

  The interior was dimly lit from the areas that had survived around the tunnel sudden and violent creation, emergency lights casting harsh shadows over the twisted wreckage.

  "D-did we just do that?"

  Pearl's almost nauseous question was finally enough to get me moving, pushing up out of my seat to head towards the door Garnet was already waiting at. I noticed Rose and Amethyst following suit out of the corner of my eye, weapons already being conjured into waiting hands. Vermilion was still curled up in her seat, but it seemed her Crystal Gem counterpart was finally coherent enough to get up and help her as well.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Yep." For whatever reason, I felt the need to very distinctly pop the p in the word, even as I stepped aside to allow Rose to stand at the front of the already extending boarding ramp. "We did. Definitely not done yet though."

  As the ramp finally lowered, impacting with whatever was below it with a solid clunk, I emphasized the point by summoning my gauntlets as well, clapping them together with a smile on my face that looked far less nervous than I actually felt.

  "Alright! Welcome to Vermilion and I's former station! So, who's ready to fight through an entire Imperial warship?"

  The question got me a few stares, but at least Rose managed a chuckle, semi-nervous as it was.

  ---

  "What in the name of the great feathered hunter was that!?"

  Though she would have been a little less dramatic about it than the young soldier had rather vocally been, Brim followed just about the same sentiment as her organic counterpart, glancing around incomprehendingly as several of her brethren who had been less lucky with their footing slowly picked themselves back up to their feet, various noises of pain escaping their forms.

  Something had hit the ship, that much was clear, but she was thankfully afforded a slightly better view of the situation than her peers, thanks to having already 'flooded' some of the lower decks.

  Though flooding perhaps wasn't precisely the correct term. That could irreparably damage everything if not done carefully. It was more that she had successfully disabled any Imperials operating in those areas via...well, smacking them around until they stopped moving.

  Truly, having an effectively infinite reservoir of water to draw upon was an experience she had missed greatly. The last time she'd had more than a particularly large pool's worth to manipulate had been...well.

  A lot of things had been better back then. They'd still had a perfectly fine planet that hadn't had parts of it turned to glass, for one-

  The burly hand clapping on to her shoulder drew the Lapis Lazuli's attention to the limb's owner, and then upwards as she glanced up at Talon's frowning expression.

  "We need the ship intact, Brim."

  An indignant squawk escaped her before she could stifle it, even as she gestured to the large doors leading further into the ship with an outstretched arm.

  "That wasn't me! Some big thing just rammed through the upper side of it!"

  The explanation drew a widening of the eyes from the Citrine, who briefly turned towards a distant Quille. The other Gem's response was a mere tilt of the head, ever silent as she continued to wrap some kind of bandaging around one of the injured void soldiers.

  Turning back with a huff, Talon tilted her head over to the doors.

  "Do you see anything?"

  The question caused the liberated terraformer to pause, expression going slightly blank as she focused on the vague sensations she was picking up from the slowly expanding mass of seawater she was running through the cruiser's innards, alongside the brand new tunnel that a decent chunk of said liquid was now pouring into.

  So focused was she on trying to see through her power, the Lapis Lazuli only just barely noticed Talon crossing her arms in front of her in a decidedly Imperial manner, rocking back and forth on her feet impatiently as she waited for her blue sister to get a metaphorical eye on things before finally turning and walking back towards the mass of soldiers working on keeping the captured pilots they'd run into under control, the crimson Gems reforming once or twice only to be broken back apart with a hasty smack of a looted destabilizer.

  Focusing back on her extra sense, Brim sighed, trying to single out the sensations she was looking for. Things had largely calmed on the lower levels, with most of the crew that had been there likely just being part of the Empire's technician caste. They'd all subsequently had their lightforms broken and weird prosthetics scattered, with their gemstones eventually carried into what she assumed was a storage closet by a small wave, leaving them to be dealt with later.

  It was the middle deck that took up most of her attention now. There was still a small force of Gem warriors, some from the prison, others from elsewhere, trying to get past her streams in order to reach the hangar. She idly sent over another large wave to force back some of the braver ones that had been making some sort of ground, before focusing on getting more water into the tunnel to paint somewhat of a clearer picture.

  And...there. She could feel twisted metal, the occasional pitters of what were likely sparks of broken machinery impacting against her tendril as it probed deeper and deeper. On the plus side, the new entrance was giving her easier access to other parts of the vessel, so that was something at the very least.

  But finally, her extra sense filtered back something new. The hesitant footfalls of what seemed to be another group of Gems, steadily climbing their way upwards and moving towards one of the holes leading to what she recognized to be a path to what should be the bridge, if she wasn't mistaken.

  Brim was just in the middle of deliberating whether she should have the liquid streaming around their feet snap upwards and snatch them when another sensation made itself apparent.

  Sharp, probing pokes, as if someone were stabbing the water. The Lapis Lazuli tilted her head in confusion, focusing on the feeling.

  The poking increased as she sent a warning ripple through the liquid, right before whoever was behind it escalated by shoving something into the water.

  Just as she was preparing to snap at them, the actual shape of the thing stuck in the flow dawned upon her.

  A shiver ran through the hydrokinetic as the clawed gauntlet waved back and forth, making a beckoning gesture. It wasn't something she'd likely forget...ever. Especially considering how said claws had ever so delicately yet firmly ran across her gemstone some time ago.

  Mmph, and wasn't that a type she really hadn't thought she'd had. Right up until she did.

  But still...how? How was she here?

  Well, that answer was fairly obvious, probably. She'd taken some sort of vessel and rammed her way inside. The better question was why, she supposed.

  Her internal deliberation was interrupted as the hand (still just as elegantly shaped as ever, even surrounded by a weapon as it was) splashed around slightly, as if slapping at the puddle it had immersed itself in before making the beckoning gesture once more.

  Now that she was focusing on it, she could feel Vermilion's presence as well, alongside what seemed to be three other possible Gems and another Pearl.

  Heat rose to her cheeks, likely colouring them a significantly darker shade of blue as she pictured Honey Lemon perhaps making some form of comeback after all of this. Possibly even with a third component added into the mixture.

  Giggling slightly (and ignoring the concerned glances a few of her feathered brethren gave her at the admittedly abrupt sound) the blue Gem began to pull the hand along, swapping to directing the water back up towards the path to the hangar as the limb was quickly wrenched upwards in response to her initial tug.

  She was just as prickly as ever, it seemed.

  Still, it was nice to see that Viridian had apparently found some new companions during their time apart. Hopefully they were a friendly bunch.