LOG-135.

  "Hmmm~"

  The sound of a starship's bridge filled with the idle chatter of Gems was nostalgic, in a way. Even if the throne room of Yellow's personnel vessel was significantly more ostentatious (and populated, for that matter) than the Retaliator had ever been.

  "HmmHmm~"

  Of course a Diamond-class armship didn't necessarily need a full crew complement, as had been explained to me by a particularly chatty Emerald captain prior to our departure from Homeworld.

  Namely due to the fact that the physical extension of the Authority's might was fully automated, as was standard for such an immensely valuable vessel.

  "Hmmmm~"

  But my mistress, while utterly incensed and currently stewing in anger atop her command throne, had apparently seen fit to be logical about the upcoming confrontation with her counterpart. That logic necessitated full war-time preparations for the armship, including a pair of Imperious-class battleships, which I could just barely catch glimpses of in the Warp stream ahead of us if I looked hard enough.

  "Hm-"

  "Enough."

  Ceasing my melodic humming in time with Yellow's raised arm, I turned to stare at the Diamond, her eyes narrowing at something beyond the bridge's frontal viewports.

  "Exiting Warp stream in ten seconds, your Radiance!"

  The Emerald's call drew my gaze, and I briefly stared at the gemstone shining from the officer's right palm before focusing back on the sight in front of us, taking a brief moment to appreciate our re-emergence back into reality.

  The sight of a familiarly small (relative to what I was used to, anyway, the Confluence was a big place) and pink space station currently being orbited by a gargantuan blue arm kept my attention for a long moment, even as chatter between our vessel and its escorts took a moment to quiet down, confirming successful exits before forming up back into the forked formation we'd initially set off with.

  Glancing downwards as the terminal in front of me lit up, I called out as well, voice as crisp as I could make it.

  "Target location is attempting to hail us, my Diamond. Presumably the Gem in charge of the station. Shall I answer and instruct her to prepare her local Warp network for syncing?"

  Silence reigned for a moment as Yellow leaned forward, lips pursed as she glared down at the distant structure, briefly glancing at the ship parked next to it before sighing.

  "...Should Blue decide to resist this transition, we'll need to cut off her escape routes."

  The statement was punctuated by one of her fingers settling down atop her throne's armrest, lighting up a glowing gold square.

  "Incandescence, Radiance, prepare your internal Quartz complements for boarding actions. The first target will be Blue Diamond's personal vessel. The second will be the Zoo, with destruction of its Warp pad being a priority objective…"

  The Gem slowly turned to glance at me, along with the hand I'd raised.

  "If I may, my Diamond?"

  A pause, then a slight nod ensured I had permission to voice my thoughts.

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  "At present, we are currently arriving late to Blue Diamond's summons. We are guests here, not marauders. In turn, I've done some…private investigation pertaining to this station's administrator."

  The whole bridge was looking at me now, but Yellow hadn't said anything yet, so I steeled myself and continued.

  "A Holly Blue Agate. While she's a Blue Court Gem, her reports and general communications indicate a level of…endearment…directed towards your august personnage. While it might be a gamble, I, as your Pearl, could potentially proceed ahead to announce your arrival, and perhaps even persuade Holly Blue to…join the winning Court, so to speak."

  That and I'd feel kind of bad if the batch of Amethysts and Jaspers on board were slaughtered to a Gem solely for not being in the know ahead of time. That was obviously something Yellow didn't need to hear, however, as the visible contemplation on her face slowly turned to acceptance.

  "Turning her would also give us immediate access to the zoo's systems…we could simply block transit rather than having to destroy a perfectly good Warp pad."

  "Quite right, my Diamond."

  "Very well, answer this Agate's hail and make it so, Viridian."

  "By your command, my Diamond."

  —

  The usual lightshow that coincided with pad to pad Warp travel ended with my feet gently setting down upon the anchor's crystalline surface, only to be immediately greeted by the sight of a soldier getting a chop to the back of the head.

  "Back's straight you idiotic-oh! You're here! Oh you're actually here!"

  Plastering a calm expression on my face to hide the tempest raging in my gemstone, I endured a moment of gushing from the administrator in front of me while briefly locking eyes with the greeting party she'd apparently assembled for me.

  "It's such an honour to have you here, truly an honour! I've heard many good things from some of my counterparts in the Confluence-oh, and to be elevated to serving Yellow Diamond, simply marvellous!"

  Namely a bunch of anxious looking Amethysts, all of them nearly identical save for minor differences like gemstone location and hue. The more drastically different Gems were probably either guarding other parts of the station, performing basic tasks, or hidden away to avoid embarrassing Holly.

  "I-I saw the arrival of the battleships! Oh, and the armship itself! A visit from not one but two Diamonds! Amazing! Stupendous-"

  "Quiet."

  The Agate's teeth audibly clacked shut at the command, even as I stepped forward and down off of the Warp pad, sauntering up to her.

  Despite the fact that she was actually taller than me, Holly seemingly couldn't help but shrink back slightly at my unceasing stare, before I raised a hand and gently tapped at the golden emblem pinning the similarly coloured sash to my lightform.

  "You will listen to me. And you will make a very important decision in the next few minutes. Am I understood, Agate?"

  Some of the Quartzes were glancing around at each other now, a few letting out quiet snickers before promptly shutting up as I shot them a glance, even as Holly somehow managed to stiffen up even further, nodding at me rapidly.

  "O-Of course! Anything you need, anything at all!"

  Laying one hand over the other and resting them in front of my gemstone, I inclined my head with a small smile.

  "Very good. As you are aware, this station is currently surrounded. This is due to the fact that my Diamond has grown exceedingly weary of your Diamond's failures, and intends to assume command of her assets."

  There were wide eyes all around now, even as I leaned forward, tilting my head slightly and idly noting the way Holly tracked the motion.

  "Allow me to be very clear, Agate…from one loyal Imperial Gem to another. I anticipate a disagreement between our respective rulers. It is thus with Yellow Diamond's voice that I am offering you the chance to choose the correct side in this disagreement."

  For whatever reason, my smile prompted an almost violent flinch from the administrator. Or maybe that was the flash of the Warp pad as two Citrines appeared behind me, their large lightforms stepping off of the anchor before pulling forth their respective weapons from their gemstones.

  "I-I-I-but, but the Diamonds-they-hah?"

  Pursing my lips at the stuttering Gem, I gestured towards her with a small wave of my hand.

  "Salute me and pledge loyalty to the Yellow Court, or I will order these Citrines to shatter you, and then ask the next Gem in your command to make the decision instead."

  It was actually kind of interesting, watching a person visibly fight themself in their own head for a long moment. There was an aborted twitch to summon a weapon which prompted my bodyguards to raise their own blades, then half a dozen glances at the Quartzes behind her, who seemed equally locked behind indecision.

  Then slowly, but ever so surely, Holly Blue's arms rose, interlocking and forming a Diamond shape, the administrator quite literally trembling as she did so.

  …Certainly no small feat, considering the level of indoctrination that went into attaching a Gem to their given Court. She must have really liked the thought of a transfer to Yellow.

  "I…I would like to request a transfer from my current Court to Yellow Diamond's, your elegance."

  Huh, read my damn mind.

  Shooting the Agate a slightly more genuine smile (well, as much as any of what I was doing could be considered genuine, at least), I nodded, before raising a hand, prompting the Citrines to dismiss their own weapons.

  "And your subordinates?"

  The question prompted a blink, before my counterpart whipped around, yelling out an order in a distinctly shrill tone as she did so.

  "Are you deaf!? Salute the Pearl!"

  Tilting my head back slightly as various arms snapped upwards, I brought up my hand again and idly adjusted the accessory hanging from my hair.

  "Excellent choice. Your first order comes directly from your Diamond."

  My eyes narrowed as the salutes slowly dropped, smile widening ever so slightly.

  "Shut off your Warp network. No Gem leaves this station without Yellow Diamond's express permission."

  "B-By your command, your elegance!"