The automatic door opened with a mechanical whoosh, and in through the door strode Blue Diamond's Obsidian, her pearl in tow. She stopped several feet in front of the entrance and surveyed the room.
The bridge was an oval room that Blue's Obsidian thought had pleasing symmetry. Every seat was situated around a large screen that could display exterior views of the hand ship and incoming video transmissions. The best seat in the house was the captain's chair. It sat in the center of the room and faced the screen. It was from here that the captain could give orders and conduct video conferences. All about the circumference of the room were computer terminals that could display any kind of telemetry and control nearly any function of the ship.
Despite occupying most of the bridge all of these controls and displays were only secondary ways to monitor and control the ship, and for the most part could go unmanned. The true driver's seat was the helm. In the back of the bridge furthest from the display screen and closest to the door, was the helm. The helmsman, a pale green nephrite clad in a white flight suit, stood. If she sat, the helm would undoubtedly be the best seat anywhere on the ship. At least if you weren't trying to relax.
A nephrite's gem was also her eye, and they were all cycloptic. When a nephrite stood at the helm her gem would glow it's beautiful lime green light and she became blind to the world immediately around her. Anything the ship could see was beamed directly into the nephrite's mind, and there were many cameras inside and outside the ship. With her left hand she could control most functions of the ship, and with her right she could control the fingers and palm of the hand ship.
To any gem on the bridge that didn't know better the helmsman appeared to be blindly gesticulating as she stood in place on a small raised platform. The helmsman on the other hand, saw with sight beyond sight at a world that only computers could measure. In her hands she controlled a behemoth as though it were a marionette.
All this and more passed through Blue's mind. To her pearl it appeared that the Obsidian had been standing there zoning out for a minute. Momentarily Blue's Obsidian snapped out of her daydreaming and looked past the helmsman at the rest of the room. Seated in a chair left of the captain's chair was her sister, Yellow Diamond's Obsidian. Their mutual progenitor White Diamond's Obsidian was nowhere to be found.
In no particular hurry Blue's Obsidian approached Yellow's.
"Yellow." She acknowledged.
"Blue." Yellow's Obsidian met Blue's eyes and gave her smile that could make a baby cry.
It was not because she was ugly that her smile was so off-putting. Blue Diamond's Obsidian looked her sister up and down once. They were truly both Obsidians. They both shared the cement grey skin of an obsidian. Their hair and lips were lustrous and black like their gems. Both had gems placed on their chests, deliberate homages to their respective diamonds. They both shared the same build and body type, and they both wore the same leg enhancements. However, Yellow's Obsidian was also was wearing a gauntlet on her left hand that Blue had not seen before and a yellow visor similar to the one peridots utilized. As always, Yellow's Obsidian wore a dusky orange Yellow Diamond insignia uniform.
When Blue Diamond's Obsidian was still quite new, her sister Yellow had told her a tall tale of a gem called Sucrose. The Sucrose was said to have short black curly hair and have mastery over music but been notorious for making gems wait. For as long as Blue Diamond's Obsidian had known her sister she had always imitated that same black curly hair.
Blue's Obsidian thought of her sister's appearance and mentally compared herself. Compared to her sister, Blue's hair was long and voluptuous and hung in far looser curls. She did not adorn herself with extra enhancements and had always worn different shades of the same blue ballerina top. Today it was midnight blue.
" I warmed your seat up for you, sis"
Once more Blue came back to the present moment and realized she had been spacing out again.
"Oh, thanks Yellow."
Yellow got up from her seat and flopped over in the captain's chair. Affecting a mock accent and finger guns she said
"Fire torpedoes, pew-pew, pew-pew."
Blue was actually enjoying Yellow's antics for once but was busy pondering what her sister had said about warming her seat up.
It doesn't seem any warmer to me, it's the same ambient temperature as the rest of the ship...how would she even warm it up for me, and why?
Blue glanced at her Pearl who took immediate notice and clasped her hands in anticipation.
Instead of saying anything Blue's Obsidian shrugged and focused her attention on the display monitor.
Hmm, no Earth yet...just all those stars and the inky blackness...I must really remember to compliment Pearl's kimono when we're alone again it's such a nice inky blackness…
Blue Diamond's Obsidian briefly lamented that her leg enhancements made such intricate outfits as kimonos look rather silly.
I wonder if she knows how to warm up a chair.
Blue Diamond's Obsidian had been wondering why White's Obsidian wasn't on the bridge ever since she had walked in but only now did this return to her mind. She turned to ask Yellow who was slouching in the captain's chair with a leg up over the armrest.
"Say, Yellow...?"
"Yes, Brue nii-chan?" Yellow replied.
"Wait, what did you call me?" Blue was caught off guard by the apparent gibberish.
"Whatever do you mean, Blue dear?"
I feel like I'm going crazy.
Blue looked down at her Gem to check it for cracks.
"I was just wondering…" She asked, "What happened to your pearl? She always had such an energy for her work, and the dresses she wore, oh my stars."
Blue was remembering a revealing black mini dress that had made her jaw drop and words catch in her throat.
"Maybe a tad licentious but you can't say she wasn't trying to impress."
Yellow didn't respond for a second and Blue wondered if her sister had heard anything she just said, but the very next moment she answered.
"Oh that defective thing?"
Blue's Pearl gulped a tiny gulp of terror that only another pearl would have noticed.
"I got rid of it a star's age ago. It boggles my mind that we have gems devoted to jobs a machine can do."
"Oh, thats a shame." Blue Diamond's Obsidian was saddened but she was not entirely sure why.
"That's what I got this gauntlet and visor for. I never have to stop working, I can run and punish and be on the go all the time. Ya oughta try it Blue, it's so much more efficient. You might even forget you ever had a pearl."
This time Blue's Pearl almost audibly gulped.
"Oh, that's fine" Blue Diamond's Obsidian was feeling rather uncomfortable. "I've had this pearl since late era 1."
Blue summoned a comforting thought, "Yup I've had her ever since she was given to me, just like White"
Recollection suddenly came flooding into Blue's mind and she suddenly stood up.
"Yellow!" she nearly screamed.
Yellow was taken quite off guard by Blue's sudden outburst.
"For crying out loud Blue, what?"
"I've been meaning to ask you, where is Whi—"
The door to the bridge opened with a mechanical whoosh and White Diamond's Obsidian waltzed in, pearl in tow.
Excitedly she boomed "Alrighty then, gemlings! Show me the Earth!"
Blue and Yellow had turned to look at White's outburst, but momentarily they all focused their attention to the display monitor. It appeared black but further inspection revealed the tiniest pixel of blue. The helmsman gesticulated with her left hand several times and the display monitor zoomed in on the blue dot to reveal The Earth.
It was then that a computerized voice rang through the halls of every corner of the hand ship.
ATTENTION: ARRIVAL AT DESTINATION: EARTH, IS NOW IMMINENT.