A faint pink light cast on the otherwise plain walls as Rose's gem illuminated, willing a handful of panels to flash to life within the small room. It wasn't much, but it made a decent workspace and held plenty of tools for exploration. It was here that Rose busied herself with plans. She settled before a blue panel with maps and models showing on its surface. Sliding her finger over the plate, Rose navigated to the location of her next operation—a small backwater planet called Earth. Earth was an interesting planet indeed, as this one in particular had quite a few signs of life despite its young age. The thought of life thrilled her more than it should have, considering the nature of her operation. No such planet had ever been left with life after her kind established bases there. Still, she was dying to see what wonderful creatures lived so far out in the galaxy.

Rose raised a finger to her lips, eyes drifting upwards as she considered this. She had been so deep in her thoughts about the new planet that she scarcely recalled the visitor in the room. Indeed, standing only a few feet away was her very own recently acquired pearl. Rose knew very little about pearls, having never kept one of her own before, but even so, Rose was eager to learn about them.

This pearl was unique in that it was used. Rose had not acquired it from any sort of common dealer. No, this pearl came from a neighboring power to the east when Rose visited on business. She had intended to negotiate a trade of resources but ultimately negotiated a price on the small gem as well.

It wasn't a planned purchase by any means. Rose had heard of pearls before but she never felt a particular interest in owning one. This pearl was one of several hundred serving the court and only captured Rose's attention by chance. While each and every pearl displayed elegance and grace, this one seemed rather neurotic by comparison. Elegant, graceful, and lovely, sure, but it had a jittery disposition, making it a far less attractive status symbol than the rest. The gem was oblong, Rose noted, but it carried the same sheen as the round ones. Its limbs and facial features, too, seemed larger and clumsier than those of the other pearls. Even so, those things did little to take away from its appeal in Rose's humble opinion. During her negotiations, Rose mentioned the pearl in passing and was met with a nervous scoff and an apology. As it happened, the pearl's owner intended to have it shattered and repurposed very soon. It was for that reason that Rose made the snap decision to barter. Ultimately, she purchased the defective gem for far more than it was worth.

That number didn't matter, of course. Rose was not one to place a value on life of any kind, but even she had to admit, there were doubts beginning to form. What use did she have for a servant pearl in a court like this-especially one with so few skills and such little education? She didn't feel entirely comfortable having one in all honestly. Rose's court didn't keep company like that. It was not so…rigid as other courts. 'Rigid,' she would say in the most diplomatic of voices, a word she would often use in polite company to mean cruel. Despite this, Rose assumed she would find a place for the pearl eventually, but it seemed that eventually was not soon enough. The pearl stood at attention as it had been for some time now, seemingly waiting for an order. For the three days that Rose owned this pearl, it had attached itself to her, unable to do anything other than what was explicitly asked of it. It was well behaved and eager to please, but not much else in all honesty. Though Rose found it endearing, even taking the time to chatter idly at it and tousle its sandy hair, it was getting to be rather suffocating in the face of interstellar duties. That, she decided, would not do. There was entirely too much to take care of for this kind of distraction.

"You are dismissed," Rose told the little pearl. "You can wander wherever you like, but please remain within the complex for now. If you are needed, I will fetch you."

The pearl's eyes darted toward the door and then back again, seemingly perturbed. After a moment of alternating glances, it occurred to the pearl that some response was expected of it.

"I can…go to the library?" the words came out small, somewhat awkward, and sat precariously on the line between statement and question. The pearl fidgeted with its hands as it spoke.

"Yes," Rose replied, but to her surprise the pearl did not budge from its spot. Another uncomfortably long moment passed before the pearl realized it was expected to react again. Rose suspected that this might be a recurring issue with this particular pearl.

"I can go to the armory?"

"Yes," Rose said, and another pause followed.

"Which?"

"Whichever you like."

…

"I can go—"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, and yes," Rose said, a hint of annoyance barely detectable in her otherwise melodic tone. The pearl shrunk somewhat at the sudden interruption, not daring to speak again.

With that little disruption out of the way, Rose set to work on the plans for her squadron's upcoming landing. It was not like her to lose patience often, but Rose found the setup stressful. It was rare that her command extended to off-planet business, and she wanted to make sure everything went perfectly.

This planet is primarily water so we'd have to plan our landing carefully. Warp pads should be placed on each of the largest landmasses first and then—

As her fingers slid rapidly over the panel, a figure on the edge of her vision caused Rose to snap away from her thoughts for a moment. It was still standing there…staring.

"I am very busy right now," Rose explained, motioning to the plans laid out before her. The pearl's eyes focused on Rose, paying close attention. Despite an eager nod of understanding, the pearl still did not move. Rose sighed softly, resting her forehead in her palm.

"Pearl, please leave."

The pearl's eyes widened ever so slightly. How this outcome was surprising by any stretch of the imagination was beyond Rose.

"What should I-?"

"Whatever you like. Anything. Just go somewhere," Rose stood firm in this response, but the pearl merely stared, seemingly more stressed with each passing second.

"B-but where…do you want…?"

Though Rose made no interruption this time, the pearl didn't bother to finish the question. She shook as she spoke, eyes searching the room for anything that was not Rose's gaze.

The larger gem buried a groan in her palm, an uncommon display from a gem as patient as herself. Why was it being so difficult? It had shrunken even further at Rose's displeasure, ducking its head and backing itself against the nearest wall. Perhaps this anxiety was also part of the pearl's defect. It was simply not fit to function. It had no autonomy, no spirit. She could not even say with any degree of certainty that this pearl reached the standard of intelligence for a manufactured gem. Put in simplest terms, it was useless and should have been shattered ages ago.

But as she watched the pearl cower, Rose chastised herself for thinking that way. It was not safe to say that this pearl had always been like this. Even if it had been harvested with such a defect, the right guidance could always improve these sorts of things. When the thought had come to her for the first time, Rose was never able to shake the idea that maybe they were wrong to make labels and assignments so quickly. Maybe there were no defects. The duties of most gems were inherited, not voluntarily taken, so what could a gem achieve if given the opportunity to try something new? Rose had taken it upon herself to experiment in her command. Nothing large, of course, but it was subtle enough to offer a gem a task it seemed to prefer once in a while. Indeed, the method was far from scientific and this leadership style was not popular enough to draw any real data from, but despite what gem society taught her since her harvest, Rose felt confident that this was right. Choice would be beneficial—necessary, even. Close attention and a loving hand is all it would take. Still, Rose suspected as she gazed down to the little gem, that this pearl had never seen a loving hand in its life. Approaching carefully and kneeling down to the pearl's level, Rose rested her palms on its tiny shoulders.

"What do you want to do?" she asked gently. The pearl squirmed somewhat but could not easily look away from this distance.

"I-I don't…"

Watching the tears well up in the little pearl's eyes, Rose began to think that perhaps such questions had a wrong answer in its previous home. How else could it have derived such anxiety over this? She knew that pearls were made to be subservient, but she had never truly considered their treatment before. Was it really possible that this pearl had never for a single moment been allowed to want for something? Had it perhaps been scolded, even punished, for having an opinion? Rose would have deemed such a thing impossible were the evidence not standing right before her. The little gem's difficult behavior was more likely out of foresight than ignorance. Rose let out a sigh, soft but exasperated, wiping at the little pearl's tears.

"Hasn't anybody ever given you a choice in your entire life?"

The pearl's mouth fell open ever so slightly, unsure, as though it had never thought of anything like that before. It looked away, head shaking slightly in what Rose assumed was the negative as more tears flowed forth. There was really no way to stop her maternal side from taking over at this point, It would be cruel to send the poor thing away in this condition.

Rose drew the pearl close, hushing it gently and patting its back. It started at the sudden contact, flinching but making no effort to resist being moved. Rose noted the response with care. It had clearly been expecting something else, so this sort of treatment must have also been new. The poor thing seemed so prepared for punishment that Rose wondered idly how often it spoke out of turn. She had originally thought that this pearl's silence suggested a low intelligence, but perhaps giving that impression that was the point. If it had often said enough to get itself in trouble, perhaps it was secretly quite brilliant.

"What would you like, sweetheart?" Rose asked, running her fingers through the little gem's hair. The pearl wasn't exactly relaxed, but it had committed itself to resting fully against Rose's embrace either way.

"Would you like to stay here with me for a while?" A moment passed and Rose heard a sniffle in response. Much to her surprise, she felt the little pearl press itself against her. It let out a soft sound in the affirmative and Rose could feel a slight nod against her chest. Not exactly the full unbiased elective behavior Rose was hoping for, but it was a choice nonetheless.

"All right," Rose said, gathering the little pearl in her arms. She placed a gentle kiss on the pearl's gem, wiping a stray tear. "The only rule is no more crying."

Rose had no intention of enforcing this rule in all honesty, but she hoped her tone would lighten the mood a little. Before long they were seated in front of the blue panel again and Rose busily moved the planetary models around with one hand, the other resting on the pearl who sat quietly in her lap. Rose was still eager to perfect this operation, but she struggled to focus on the thought of Earth at this point. It was late and she had begun to tire of it, instead watching her little pearl relax ever so slowly against her touch. It really was quite endearing, she thought, noting how it had begun to doze just a bit. It was nothing like the pearl that had been standing at attention for the past two days.

"I think I'm done for today," Rose said, shifting in her seat. She swiped the panel off and sent it away. The pearl seemed to stir in response, likely uncertain of what to do now that this task was over. It gazed up at Rose, waiting for an instruction that she did not yet have prepared. The larger gem smiled and let out a quiet hum at this. Old habits would be hard to break, it seemed, but this opportunity would not go to waste. Her hand moved to rest on the little pearl's back, the gesture claiming its attention momentarily.

"Would you like me to hold you a little while longer?" she asked, leaning down to better see her pearl's face. It seemed taken aback by the question, almost as if waiting for the punchline. The pearl allowed enough of a pause to ensure that the option was a genuine one, a light blush staining its porcelain cheeks as it answered. The shy 'yes' was an excellent start, far more than Rose expected after their previous attempts at choice. This was a pearl who would learn quickly.

"I think I'd like that, too," Rose mused, leaning back and allowing the pearl to settle as before. Though Rose did not push for conversation this time, she suspected that it wouldn't be long before chatting was also a possibility. Despite the circumstances of the little gem's acquisition, Rose had faith. It didn't behave as pearls were supposed to behave, but as far as Rose was concerned that was hardly a problem. If anything such a defect would prove advantageous, allowing creativity and critical thinking skills where other manufactured gems could not measure up.

This pearl, she thought, was a pearl whose true colors had yet to be seen. Perhaps she could one day be loyal- adapt to her needs and perhaps even be trained to fight alongside her. There was so much untapped potential here waiting just under the surface. Rose couldn't help but smile at the thought, laughing at herself for being so uncertain before. There was no question left in her mind about this pearl. It would be so much more than a good servant to her on her journey to the new planet.

It…no, she…would doubtlessly make an excellent companion.