Chapter 29: Diplomacy

The winds howl around us. This moment feels too long, simply too much is happening and moving and threatening to happen for it to be as short a time as it's been. It's a showdown between two highly powerful gems, neither willing to stand down first. They need to, though, or as Elbaite heavily implied, we'll be found.

"On the count of three..?" I suggest, holding out the hand and the number. I see Phantom nod out of the corner of my eye, but my focus is on Elbaite. Slowly, uncertain, she nods.

I hold out my fist, then, and slowly raise each finger, until three, then lower my hand. In time with my hand motion, the winds die down, and the amazing, horrifying pressure emanating from Phantom and Elbaite relaxes and dissipates.. All three of us give a small sigh as we relax and stand up. I don't think any of us realized how hunched over, how intense we all were.

"So.. what now?" Phantom is the first to speak.

"Well, I said I only wanted some questions answered." Elbaite says, and swats a couple braids over her shoulder. "Now I really want them answered."

"Questions such as what?" Phantom puts a hand on their hip, scowling. I cling to their other arm, partially out of habit and partially out of fear. I want to be able to help them if the situation intensifies again..

"Who you are? What are you doing here?"

"Who we are hardly matters. And, fortunately for us, it's safer for all involved if you don't know who we are exactly." Phantom scoffs.

"How so?"

"Well, we're out here next to nowhere when we could be in that city, so what does that tell you?" I ask.

"You're rebels.. One of you is obviously defective." Elbaite shoots the barb with a pointed look at Phantom, who bristles.

"Don't be rude!" I snap, and Elbaite winces. I suppose she didn't expect me to say anything, or maybe it was the bite that I gave it? "Anyway, what are you doing out here? Why so secret?" Elbaite presses her lips together, apparently nervous, or embarrassed, perhaps?

"You said you'd answer." My companion reminds her, and she seems frustrated in response, but she gives an exaggerated sigh.

"My partner is very.. overbearing. Since the planet is too hot in the middle of the day for our machines to work, the day is the only time when we're not expected to be together managing everyone else.. I tell her I need a rest, and I take a short walk in the forest." She shrugs. "My turn again: why can't I know who you are? Why would it possibly be harmful to me that I know your identity? Your Sardonyx called you 'Phantom', didn't she? I could probably find out on my own anyway.." She insists. It's true, in a moment of desperation, I did say their name, but Phantom only squeezes my hand, reassuring me.

"It's little more than a code. And if you don't already know who we are, you'll find out soon enough. Homeworld is very eager to have us back."

"Homeworld? It takes two months for news from Homeworld to reach us out here, even bouncing signals off planets and ships. Why is Homeworld so 'eager'?"

"No, no, our turn." Phantom says, glaring until Elbaite sighs and motions for us to speak. Phantom leans over slightly and asks, "Do you have a question for her?"

"You said.. your partner is overbearing. How do you mean? If she's your partner, shouldn't you.. be able to talk about that?" Again, Elbaite seems caught off guard.

"She's.. unique. And she takes a lot of pride in that.. to the point that it's all she ever wants to talk about.. Our group effort is never that- it's all her using me.." She sighs. "And she's not very good at being pleasant.. She's bossy and demanding and demeaning.."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I blurt, and Phantom seems mildly shocked. Only for a moment, though, and then they smile a tight, controlled smile. "It's your turn again."

"Are you part of the rebellion? Is that why Homeworld wants you?" I notice, strangely, that her voice isn't quite as aggressive, nor is her posture.

"Not.. quite. We're rebels, obviously, and we're certainly not the passive kind, but.." Phantom shrugs.

"We haven't officially joined anyone yet." I elaborate. "We're trying to.. to get somewhere."

"Earth." Elbaite says, merely thinking aloud, and the memory of it explodes in my mind. I nod, trying to not act surprised. "Your turn."

"You said this planet is too hot during the day for your machines to function and you only take short walks outside- is it dangerous to be out here during daylight hours?" Phantom asks. Elbaite shakes her head.

"I only take short walks to avoid being discovered 'missing'. Imagine the uproar if a colony lost one of its senior members! No.. it would be very bad for everyone.. but the day is safe for gemkind, else I wouldn't venture out at all. What are you doing here, if you're supposedly on your way to Earth?"

"We needed.. wanted rest. From running. Sardonyx had never been on a planet with organic life before.." Phantom shrugs casually.

"And I suppose you wanted a recharge too.." It's not a question, more of a musing, but it's an obvious enough thought.

"H-how do you mean?" Phantom asks, but I know the answer to this one.

"Psychic gems have a unique but nearly universal ability: they strengthen the gems around them, and are strengthened by them in turn. However, many 'boost' more than they're boosted by, so you partner them up with other psychic gems.. That's why she has another Elbaite or Tourmaline with her. So they don't run out of magic every so often or operate on minimal capacity. You're a psychic gem, so.. I suppose it's safe for her to assume you know about that property. I.. I don't think I realized you didn't know that.."

"Well, I was once the only psychic gem, so.." They whisper, mouth barely even moving. Elbaite doesn't seem to notice, or pretends not to.

"You're correct, Sardonyx. Which leads me to my next question: how long do you plan to stay?"

"Before we answer that, I'd like to ask a question.." Phantom gives me a look. Elbaite nods, motions for them to ask. "Are you planning on turning us in? You know we're wanted, and not loyal to Homeworld in the slightest.."

"No. No, I don't think I will. You're the most interesting thing that's happened on this planet since we landed.. I was only asking so I know how long to guide them away from this sector." I'm very surprised by that.

"You- you'll keep us being here a secret?" I ask. Elbaite smirks.

"I get two questions next time. But, yes. So long as I am.. allowed to visit? That can be one of my questions, if that persuades you of anything."

"I- we need to talk about that.." Phantom says, stepping back.

"Certainly." She retreats a few paces, sitting daintily on a fallen part of a tree. Phantom and I step a few feet back ourselves, half-turning our backs to the tiny gem.

"What do you think?" Phantom asks, hushed, looking back quickly at Elbaite.

"I- I think she's trustworthy… If she turns us in, they're bound to figure out she was out here when she shouldn't be, and.. she's a pretty high noble, but to leave your guard escort behind is a very serious offence and she'd be.. she'd be in so much trouble. It's in her own best interest to keep quiet or to somehow otherwise get us caught, but.. I don't know. I.. I feel like, for now at least, it wouldn't hurt? It'll be interesting, to be sure. I don't know what she wants out of these 'visits', and I.. I can't begin to guess." I bite my lip, thinking hard, but no logical or obvious reason comes to mind.

"I.. feel the same. If you're right, then her being around will also strengthen me all the more, and all the more quickly.. and if she tries anything, we're evenly matched, it seems. You could very easily be the tie-breaker, and I trust you.." I smile at them, and they grin back. "So.. we're in favor?" I nod, clasping their hand again. We trot back towards Elbaite, who stands and hurries over as well. Is it me, or are we standing a little bit closer than before?

"Your answer?" She asks, hopeful but trying to hide it.

"We accept your condition. And to answer your previous question.. we'd like to stay as long as possible.. We were previously estimating a couple months.."

"That's doable. Luckily for you, construction is focused to the north side of the city at the moment, and the east is looking to be a favorable next step. So long as you stay to the west and south, you should be fine. You may want to move your ship, though. It's easily visible from the sky." Elbaite suggests cooly, not so much bragging about her insight as she could do, though definitely relishing in the knowledge that only she could give us.

"Thank you." I say. "We'll do that. I.. take it you'll come back tomorrow?"

"If I can. You owe me another question, though." She teases, though I'm certain she has every intention of holding us to that bargain. "Stay safe- I look forward to our next visit!" She cheers, walking demurely into the forest, towards the city.

"What have we gotten ourselves into..?" Phantom sighs, giving me a worried look.

"Don't worry too much. We can do anything." I pull their hand up between us, grabbing the other as it rises. "For now, let's hide that ship."

[|]

Behind me are two gems, one identifiable, the other, not. Both in hiding, for reasons unknown to me. The Sardonyx should have no reason to hide- she seems fully functional, whereas her companion.. her 'friend'.. is some sort of mutant freak. Still, she's quite taken with it. 'Them', she called it. Them.

And they seemed quite enamored with her as well. It was undetectable at first, but their magic swelled and soared when they used it to save her from mine, and continued to on her behalf.. This gem, mutant or not, is obviously pathic. I wonder if they know that?

I wonder what they're doing here. I know what they've said, and I've felt the truth, more or less, in their minds about it, but I feel that there's much unanswered. I'm certain they could have landed on any other planet to 'rest from running', and an uncolonized one would have been the much safer option, attempting to boost the pathic one be damned. That seems like too little a reason to risk capture.

I must admit, ours is a good planet to attempt such a thing on. We have a record low byway of construction for how long we've been here, due to the heat. Our Lapis Lazulis work day and night to bring the temperature down, but even with half a dozen working on the atmosphere in agonizing twenty-hour shifts, we've only managed to cool the planet a despairing twelve percent over the course of a year and a half. But the atmosphere is too thick, trapping all the sun's heat as well as the young core's inside like a bubble. Similarly, our machinery is nearly too heavy on this planet to operate, which means progress is slow even when the machines are operable.

It makes this planet, perhaps, optimal for those trying to hide in plain sight and recuperate. They could not have accounted for an outlier like me, however.

I make my way back to the city, the sun blazing in the sky, consuming nearly all of it. It's a young system, but that makes it ideal for long-term gem habitation here. It means this sun won't implode or explode in just a few million years, requiring expensive relocation and redistribution of material resources. Though, perhaps by then we'll have some technology to save or halt the stars' life cycle from ending so violently.

All these thoughts about stars and relocation and planet terraforming are just distractions, really. I'd rather think and do just about anything than come home to MQ. Still. I can't stay away forever. Or much longer at all, really.

I slip inside and onto the warp pad that'll take me upstairs, to the tip-top of the tower, where only some gem like myself and my partner might possibly live. I have a secret, tiny fragment of stable warp pad that I keep secret for each planetary move we make, then sync with the system in private. It takes me to my room- it has for a long, long time. No matter where we go, as long as I keep it secret, and take my chances only when they're available, it's treated me kindly. I've done well to keep it secret this long.

How old am I? A couple hundred years. I've been alive long enough to know how the system works, and how to play it, and how to play it well. I've stayed alive this long, after all, and so has MQ. Thanks, mostly, to me. Of course, her natural, if aided, affinity has helped significantly. Were it not for that gift, aided or otherwise, I doubt either of us would be here today. I'd just be on another planet, with another gem, living a life I still hated. She'd be dead.

I set myself up on some lounging chair, and wait for MQ to eventually arrive. She always does, about this time of day. The sun is about central in the sky, and she gets lonesome after my requested three hours of solitude. Half an hour to walk out, one and a half hours to wander, and an hour to come home and recline, unsure when she'll come barging in. Some days I'm not lucky, and she comes in before the hour I allot myself is up, but I can explain it away as a wanderlust, and I roamed the halls, where she eventually finds me anyway.

Today, at least, I am lucky. I wait almost a full forty minutes before she arrives. But.. arrive she does.

With a bang, the doors slam open.

"Hellooooo!" She declares as she enters my room, the momentary quiet destroyed. She looks out of place in my incredibly pink room- her greens and purples are so much deeper and darker than mine, making her pop against it. "How was your resting period?" She asks, flopping down beside me. I say nothing, even as she strokes my cheek and pouts. "Come now, don't want to share?" I pause, gauging whether or not she'll let me speak. She plays with her short wavy hair as she appears to wait patiently.

"Well-" I start.

"Just kidding! I don't really care! You probably sat here and listened to your boring music and moaned and groaned about being soooooo tired. Am I right?" She jabs my side with a finger.

"..yes." I say, but if she could read my mind she'd know the truth. My mind, at least, is the only one she can't invade. It's the only good side effect of our arrangement. I can have my secrets, I can have my walks, if I only give her everything else.

"I want to play a game! Lets see how many Vanadanites we can get to stack on each other's shoulders- no! They should balance on their hips! They'll make a neat hexagonal shape that way, don't you think?" She giggles.

"We shouldn't. That's not what they're for." I sit up. She turns around, laying her head in my lap, tugging at my braids.

"They're just Vanadanites. We lose ten a day as it stands- who cares if while we can't work we have a little fun with their miserable little lives?" She's eager. Damn. I sigh.

"If we're careful, maybe. We wouldn't want to get in too much trouble. Then we wouldn't have any fun." I relent. This is a small request, comparatively. If I don't give her something she'll just have a temper tantrum, and that would be very bad indeed. At least she doesn't want me to toss them through the air for her again.. That was horrible.

"Yes!" She cheers, pulling me to my feet. "I bet we can make a hundred stack before they get too heavy!"

"Yes, just as you say." I murmur. Only a little while of this, only a little while, and then I'll be free again. Just a little while..