Chapter Eleven: Acquainted


A few minutes later, the distant shape of the orbital monitoring station came into view. All four of them were happy to see it, but kept their excitement to a minimum. There was no guarantee this place was even functional, let alone able to send out a signal.

Speaking of: "Hey, Tanzanite?" asked Emerald. "Do you suppose anyone got our distress call? I feel like it might be wishful thinking, but…someone could've, right? It's a possibility?"

"There are many things that are possible, but unlikely," replied Tanzanite. "The probability of someone, even factoring in non-Gem life, receiving our transmission is quite small. From there, we must further factor in the probability of the recipient deciding to help in some way."

"Even if someone from Homeworld gets it?" asked Emerald, slightly disheartened.

Tanzanite nodded. "Unfortunately, although Emeralds are quite valuable, we must prepare for the possibility that we are declared not worth the effort. We may be on our own."

"Aaaaand on that cheerful note, let's dock and make landfall," Lefty said. "Who knows what sort of treasures this station might hide?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, we're castaways, not pirates," Yooperlite reminded them. "...That said, we shouldn't pass by anything we can use. Not like it'll be missed, besides."

"See? Is it really piracy if nobody has a claim to it?" said Lefty.

Tanzanite pulled the skiff closer to the station, but had a sudden feeling that something was off. She squinted as she looked closer at it. "Does it look like the lights are on to any of you?"

Sure enough, in the evening fog, it seemed like the station's interior lights were on. The unmistakable glow was eerie enough on its own, even without considering the circumstances. "So…what do we think?" asked Yooperlite. "Other survivors, maybe? We've established that's possible."

Nobody refuted Yooperlite's claim, but something about the seemingly-abandoned facility didn't say 'other survivors' to them. "I guess it could be," said Lefty. "Guess there's nothing wrong with meeting someone in the same boat as us. Not literally, though, this thing's barely big enough for the four of us."

The skiff pulled up beside the station's dock, and Yooperlite pulled it into place. The Gems stepped off, uneasy but determined to see this through. Wordlessly, they ascended the staircase, Lefty leading the way despite Emerald's non-verbal insistence. The place was entirely silent, making the possibility of other Gems feel less likely by the second.

Lefty peered into the station's interior over the top of the stairs, half expecting an ambush to be waiting for them. Instead, as was assumed, the place was entirely empty. She crept onward, the others following suit and spreading out as they approached the main room.

"The power is still active," Tanzanite observed. "This is impossible. Even if the main generator has withstood the wear and tear of time, the fuel should have run out decades ago."

"Well…what if someone only turned it on recently?" asked Yooperlite.

Emerald looked over at her. "And who would have done that?" she asked, although she suspected she already knew her answer.

Yooperlite glanced around nervously. "We just got attacked by some crazed Talu, didn't we? Who's to say he was workin' alone? He came all the way out here, for stars-know-what reason, it's just as likely there's more of 'em."

"Merely an assumption," said Tanzanite. "And regardless, we have no way to properly ascertain our assailant's full capabilities and alliances without having a better understanding of his motivations."

The voice of Lefty came in from the other room: "Uh, hey guys? I think I might have some sort of a lead." She didn't offer any other information than that, leading to the three following after her.

"'A lead?' What sort of lead do you mean?" asked Emerald. But when she walked into the room, she saw exactly what she meant. "Ah."

In addition to the lights being on, the central monitor in the control room was lit up, illuminating the whole room even without the lights. It took her a moment to register what the glaring screen displayed, but she soon realized it was a message. A message sent years ago, from the look of it, between two unknown Gems. A message about a war with the Talutar Imperium.

Everyone gawked at the transmission, with Tanzanite being the only one to approach the computer. "So, uh, that answers one of our questions," Yooperlite said. "And raises about five more…"

"So this entire time, we've been at war with the Imperium," Lefty said. "No wonder nobody realized we're gone."

"Actually," Tanzanite replied, "the war is with a group calling itself the Talutar Liberation Movement, a rebellion against the current Talu government. We are, as always, allied with the Imperium."

Emerald was only marginally familiar with Homeworld's politics, but was able to piece together the situation. "Surely that couldn't be why that one was after us, right?" she said. "We're just some lost Gems out in the middle of nowhere, why would we count as a threat?"

"Because, you see, your very survival represents a flaw in our approach."

At the sudden voice, all four Gems whipped around to face the mysterious interloper. Emerald drew her weapon, aiming it at him as she calmly strolled out of the darkness. He was a Talu, as they perhaps could have guessed: older and more slightly-built than Kiloq, he held his arms behind his back, though they could tell one was mechanical. "That solves the mystery of who turned the power on," said Yooperlite.

While the Gems treated this encounter like a standoff, he seemed much more relaxed. "Now, there's no need to be so tense." He held up his arms in a calming gesture, for all the good it did. "I haven't come here to fight. Not anymore. I'm sure you're all still upset about the events back at the communications hub, but I assure you, things can be different this time."

He signaled for someone else to enter: Kiloq walked in, greeting the Gems with a nod. "Hey. No hard feelings, I hope?" Emerald glared at him. He did have his weapons holstered, at least, but there was no telling how long that would last.

"So, what exactly changed?" asked Lefty. "You send your guy after us guns blazing, but now you're suddenly willing to talk it out? What's different?"

"Well, it didn't work, for starters," the other Talu, who was clearly the one in charge, replied. "Your little band of misfits proved much more resourceful than we were expecting. I realized taking you out the old-fashioned way would be more problematic than it was worth, so I decided for a more…diplomatic approach."

"What I want to know is why you came after us in the first place," Emerald said. "Even assuming you're at war with Homeworld, why bother with an out-of-nowhere planet like Moridius? I would think a colony that's been abandoned wouldn't be too high up on the priority list."

He shook his head. "And that is where you're wrong. This planet is abandoned precisely because it was such a high priority. We're only the latest in a large-scale campaign being waged against Homeworld, of which this planet is a casualty."

As she began to understand what this meant, Lefty stepped forward. "So, you're telling me that you did this? You, or your cronies, or those TLM shards who came before you, you're the reason Moridius is fracked?" Her hands clenched into fists, her voice shaking with anger.

"Something like that," he replied. "Why?"

With a cry, Lefty charged at the uncaring Talu. "Lefty, wait!" cried Yooperlite, reaching out to hold her back, but to no avail. The Talu simply stared at the approaching Peridot, who, moments before reaching him, had the hilt of one of Kiloq's guns collide with her forehead. She fell to the ground, looking up to see him aiming the weapon at her.

"You're responsible!" Lefty roared, trying to get up anyway. Kiloq simply planted his foot on her chest to keep her down. "You did this! She's dead because of you! They're all dead because of you!"

Unperturbed, the boss looked up from this sight at the other Gems. "Now, the diplomatic approach only works if both parties are willing to be civil to one another. Please, could you control your friend?"

Kiloq tossed Lefty, still screaming and clawing at him, over to the others, where Yooperlite held her back. "Hey, easy, easy, girl, let's just hear them out. We'll–we'll figure this out, okay?" Eventually, reluctantly, Lefty calmed down, still shooting burning glares through the Talu pair.

"There we go, much better." Moving slowly, the one in charge made his way over to a chair, seating himself next to the monitor. "By all means, have a seat. I'm not sure how long this will take, so we may as well get comfortable. It isn't like you have anywhere to be, besides."

Slowly, reluctantly, the Gems sat down as well. Lefty made a point of sitting as far from the two as possible, while Emerald kept her halberd in hand. "So you want to talk about our situation," said Tanzanite. "I am curious how you intend this to go, seeing how we have no reason to trust you."

He grinned. "Well then, why don't we get acquainted? My name is Tchi-khol Votaq, fifth of the seven commanders of the TLM. And I imagine you are associated with my lieutenant, Akona Kiloq?" He waved. "As you have heard, we are at war with the Imperium. You see, we have grown sick of our old masters' imperialistic and tyrannical ways, and have decided to depose them and create a collective run the right way."

"And what does that have to do with us?" asked Emerald.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Votaq. "If the Imperium was all we had to deal with, that would be it. But Imperator Moloq is an ally of the Diamonds. With Gemkind on their side, the Imperium has a huge advantage over us. The only way we could fight back was by thinning their resources."

"By attacking nascent colonies," Lefty hissed.

Votaq motioned to her. "Now you understand. By stopping Gem production at its source, we effectively cripple their empire, leaving us open to win our war. Please understand, we aren't trying to completely annihilate you–though we would if we had to. This is all for the sake of defeating the Imperium, nothing against you."

Emerald scoffed. "Now, why doesn't that make it better?"

"Hang on," said Yooperlite. "Things started goin' wrong four hundred years ago! I didn't think you guys could live that long…is there somethin' I'm missing?"

"This wasn't all us," explained Votaq, getting to his feet. "This campaign against you was started long before we were born, but we aim to finish it. That said, this doesn't have to end with your deaths. I know that you want, more than anything, to get off this planet and go home. And I can help you get there."

This wasn't what any of them were expecting. "Excuse me?" said Lefty. "After all that, you're just going to take us back to Homeworld? Just like that? We get in your ship, and you fly us straight into enemy territory?"

"Perhaps not straight to Homeworld," Votaq clarified. "It is enemy territory, as you said. The best we can do is drop you off on another colony or waystation, and you can find your way from there. Maybe not ideal, but then, nothing about your situation is ideal, is it?"

"How are we expected to trust you?" asked Lefty, getting up as well. "What proof do we have that you won't just take us back to your base and hold us hostage, or toss us into a sun or something? Given what little we know of you so far, it seems like something you'd do."

Votaq sighed. "I suppose you are right. Although I do plan on letting you return, my motives aren't nearly so simple. I require something from you in return."

"And what is that?" asked Tanzanite.

"Only three of you will be able to return," said Kiloq. He pointed at Emerald; "She will have to stay with us."

This, on the other hand, was something far more expected, though Emerald was still taken aback. "What? Y-you mean I won't be able to go to Homeworld? So, what, I'll just be your prisoner?"

Votaq nodded as he began pacing the room. "You see, Homeworld already has plenty of Tanzanites, and Peridots, and Yooperlites. As numerous as they are, letting you three go won't make much of a difference. But Emeralds? Now, those are hard to come by. If we let you return–or, show up, rather–your leadership could turn the tide of the war. And we can't take that risk." He turned around, his eyes meeting hers. "You'll have to stay with us until the war ends."

"Absolutely not," said Tanzanite. "We cannot sacrifice one of our own simply for the sake of freedom. I will not allow it."

"Maybe…" Emerald was staring off into space. "Maybe we should think about it."

"What!?" said Yooperlite. "Mera, you can't honestly be considering this!" She ran up to her. "You heard what Lefty said, they'll probably just shatter you the first chance they get! I mean, yeah, we wanna get home…but not that bad!"

"I know," Emerald said, still staring. "I know. But…when you think about it, you've all been here for years. Me? It's only been a few days. You all deserve to get off this planet. And I know I do too, but…" She looked over at them. "Could you give us a minute to decide?"

"Why, certainly," said Votaq. "Take all the time you need. We certainly don't have anywhere to be."