Chapter Twenty-Three: Bigger and Better Things

Homeworld, Capital District. Era 1, Year 5,002,161.

Despite not needing to, Emerald took a deep breath to calm herself down. Despite not having any nerve endings, she was nervous. Despite having served Homeworld for thousands of years, fighting hundreds of battles, this is where she was most anxious.

So anxious, evidently, that her former superior picked up on it. The aged Emerald placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. "What's all this about, Admiral?" she asked, seemingly not a care in the world. "Back in my day, this is the sort of thing that Emeralds would be shattering each other for! Sometimes literally!"

"That's…part of the reason why I'm upset." Emerald turned around to face the former Supreme Admiral. She had served Homeworld for far longer than Emerald had been alive, and looked the part. In these past ten thousand years, she had been through more battles than either of them could count, growing even more scarred in the process. But the damage to her physical form, even of the permanent kind, was nothing compared to that wound. "I don't want to have to replace you. Not like this."

The other Emerald placed a hand on her gem, running her thumb across the large crack, barely sealed, that split it down the middle. "There's a time and a place for this sort of thing, kiddo," she said, not so much with sorrow as wistfulness. "It's been a good few hundred-thousand years for me, but I won't do anyone much good in this state. It's time for someone new to take up my mantle."

Emerald couldn't stand to look at her like that. "No, it doesn't…you can be fixed!" she insisted. "Surely there's something someone can do for you! Heliodor's kept you together this time, maybe she can think of something–o-or the Diamonds, with their power, they have to be able to put you back together! And you've been a loyal follower for so long, it–"

A slap silenced her. With the other Emerald's frailty, it didn't have much power behind it, but it was enough to snap her out of it. "Hey, that's enough of that, soldier!" she said, gently but firmly. "Do you really think Homeworld needs a Supreme Admiral as sentimental as that? Besides, there's no sense in hoping for the impossible. I've already accepted that this is the way things are–you should too."

It was true that this Emerald, who served as something of a mentor to her, had never shown concern over the idea of being shattered. Perhaps so long of putting herself in the line of duty had let her come to terms with her mortality. But as things were, she was more accepting than resigned. "I don't…I don't want to see you be harvested," said Emerald.

"Well, that's an easy fix," the older Gem said. "Harvestings are rarely public, and even if they were, you'd be far too busy with your duties to–"

"You know what I meant," said Emerald, growing slightly annoyed at what was starting to feel like callousness. "You don't deserve to have that happen to you."

With a slight smile, her mentor shook her head. "Oh, dear B64. Where would you be without me? Harvesting has nothing to do with 'deserve.' Even if Gems can theoretically live forever, the fact of the matter is that we're still worn down over time. And even if dying in battle is more noble on the surface, I'd still rather my essence be used to fuel the creation of the Gems of tomorrow. Just like I did for you."

She placed a hand on Emerald's shoulder, who very nearly pulled away. But still, she placed her own hand on hers, nodding in spite of herself. "I-I know. Thank you, you've given me so much. It's just…after what happened with Lefty, I don't know if I can say goodbye to anybody else."

Although she gave a sympathetic smile, the Emerald's response was to be expected from a hardened commander. "Then I suggest you learn," she said. "Part of life, especially for Gems like us, is losing people we care about. It's hard–very hard, don't get me wrong, but it's even harder for the Gems under your command if you can't oversee them properly. It's a constant battle not to be overwhelmed by those we have lost, while not hardening ourselves to those we still have. That is why I chose you, B64: you strike the perfect balance, neither callous nor emotional. Just the right amount of both."

This wasn't goodbye, Emerald thought. It was just…see you later. "I understand. I'll do my best to make you proud."

"You already have, soldier," she replied. "You already have. Now get in there and show my old friends exactly why you're the right Emerald for the job!" She turned Emerald around, pushing her towards the door.

So, this was it: Emerald's first meeting as Supreme Admiral. She held her hand up to the door, but before she opened it, she turned around one more time to face her mentor. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome–now go, they hate it when you're late!" she said, waving her in impatiently, but with a good-natured smile. And so she did, opening the door and stepping inside.

Within the room, which was somehow both oversized and claustrophobic at the same time, there was a single round table surrounded by six seats. Five of them were filled: Supreme General Goshenite, Science Minister Heliodor, Invasion Overseer Bixbite, Grand Spymaster Maxixe, and Information Keeper Morganite. As well as an empty seat intended for her. They had all been silent when she walked in, all of them looking up at Emerald when she had walked in.

"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence!" said Goshenite, her voice dripping with barely-hidden malice. "The little off-color who could. Such an inspiration to her betters, isn't she?"

"Now, now, Goshenite, you remember the outcome of that conference as well as the rest of us," said Heliodor. She didn't even look up when she spoke, seeming to stare down at the table. "Emerald is no more off-colored than the rest of us."

Morganite stood up for her as well. "Indeed. Dahling, why don't you come and sit down? Your first meeting on the Council of Beryls is always the most important!" She pulled out the empty seat next to her, smiling at Emerald.

Feeling grateful to have someone on her side, Emerald sat down. "Thank you," she said. "I'm s-sorry about Emerald."

"Don't be," Goshenite said. "We all knew what was happening. She has prepared us for this tragedy. What matters now is that we move forward–with you!"

Bixbite cleared her throat. "Now that we are all here, we can begin. In the wake of the recent solar flare in the Upsilon Quadrant, several of our outposts have been left without power. I move that we–

Maxixe interrupted. "With respect, Bixbite, there are higher priorities than a few outposts on the edges of Gem territory. We should be focusing on more relevant problems, like the shortage of plasmatic energy cores."

"I object." Everyone slowly turned to the source of the objection, which turned out to be Emerald herself. She seemed the most surprised, almost unable to believe she had said that.

"Excuse me, you 'object?'" asked Goshenite. "Do you believe that a handful of outposts in the middle of nowhere being without power is more pressing than a shortage in resources?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I-I mean no, no! Of course not! It's just that…without power, wouldn't those Gems be stranded there?"

Morganite began to put together what she was saying. "I suppose they would be. You want to mount a relief effort, is that it? Bring them supplies or bring them home?" Emerald nodded.

"Supreme Admiral, while I understand your values were shaped by your experiences on Moridius," said Heliodor, "we cannot waste valuable time and supplies on these outposts when much more valuable colonies are lacking in resources. If it's any consolation, the Gems there are unlikely to be in any immediate danger."

"I'm aware," Emerald replied, "but I still feel like there's a way we can manage both. What is the main problem with the resources we're missing? Not enough Gempower or raw materials to manufacture them, right? If we retrieve the Gems from those outposts, they can be put to work building what we need."

"And as for the raw materials?" Goshenite asked skeptically.

"Those we can harvest from planets like Moridius: places that Homeworld has written off as uncolonizable," said Emerald. "In my time there, I saw a rich biosphere teeming with valuable resources ripe for the taking. Even with the TLM's machinations no longer in effect, these resources will be gone if we don't act soon."

To Goshenite's irritation, Maxixe actually sided with Emerald. "You may just be on to something," she said. "I had a feeling Emerald knew what she was doing when she chose you!"

Smiling, Morganite urged her on. "So, tell us what you have planned, dahling!"

To Emerald, it felt like, for the first time, that she was in her element. "Okay, so, here's what we can do…"

The Oculus, Central Core.

Within the oppressively harshly-lit chamber, four mechanical figures of varying sizes stood before an enormous crimson sphere, easily the size of a small country. It appeared as nothing more than a vast wall before them, and even the most bold among their number were cowed by being in its presence. One of them, not the smallest but close to it, stepped forward to offer an apology bow. "My Primax, it would seem our campaign has proven…unsuccessful. Attempts to hinder the Gems' propagation have seen minimal results."

"Even my own efforts have offered little in the way of progress," said another, this one broad-shouldered and imposing. "Homeworld has proven itself able to salvage what it can from ruined colonies, or move on to another planet if there is nothing to be gained. Their empire is running out of enemies to manipulate, and there are simply too many fledgeling planets to cull on our own."

A voice spoke from the gargantuan core. While not exactly booming, and in fact sounding rather calm, the entire chamber vibrated from its deep tones. "How disappointing. Is this truly how our once-great race is meant to meet its end? Drifting through space, stripped of not only our home, but our bodies as well? Doomed to watch our destroyers prosper while we fade away into nothing?"

"The Primax is disappointed in us, but Glithenes is ready to do battle!" said a third of their number, crouched near the floor. "The Gems will not be expecting us to attack them where it hurts! And then we bring them to their knees, yes!"

"No," responded the broad-shouldered one. "As much as I would like to take the fight directly to Homeworld, we can't yet risk revealing ourselves. Once the Diamonds realize we are still alive, they'll spare no expense to crush us once and for all. We have to carefully manufacture the right opportunity to strike."

"Or…we…wait." The other three looked over to stare at the fourth and final robot, who was bigger than all of them combined. "We…need to…wait. Can't…take…risk."

After a brief pause, the first one spoke up. "Is my calibration acting up, or did Omnulus just make a good point?"

The core spoke again. "Perhaps he did. There just may be some thought left in that mind of his after all. As intolerable as it seems, perhaps doing nothing is our best option. As powerful as they are, the Diamonds were made in our own image. They are bound by the same flaws we once were: hubris, pride, lack of foresight, the list goes on. Someday, they will make a mistake they cannot recover from, and we will make our move."

"With respect, My Primax–"

"Silence, Melvirius! You, of all people, should know the value of patience. As General Omnulus has pointed out, we cannot afford to take any risks. But we can afford to wait–now that we are no longer bound by organic bodies, we have all the time in the universe."

Melvirius silently glared at the wall of red for a moment while he thought of a response. "Alternatively, giving them time could just allow the Diamonds to grow more powerful," he said. "Their sphere of influence spreads wider every year we allow it to. There may come a day where they simply become too strong to defeat conventionally. Pythoriax, you agree with me, yes?"

Although it looked like Pythoriax, the first of them, wanted to agree, he couldn't bring himself to. "Even an all-out assault on Homeworld would be too much of a gamble," he replied. "I hate waiting as much as you do, but there simply aren't any better options."

"How can you all stand there saying things like that!?" Melvirius shouted. "The Gems took our home, our lives, our empire, and you're all too afraid to fight back!? If there does come a day when Homeworld stumbles, I will be there to take advantage, that I can guarantee–but if not, and they become too powerful, you will only have yourselves to blame!" He stormed out of the room.

Pythoriax was about to follow, but their Primax stopped him. "Let him go. He will play his part when that day comes…and mark my words, it will come. The day when we will step out of the shadows, and annihilate the wretched machines that stripped us of our former glory!"

Omnulus stood at attention at this announcement. "WAR!" he bellowed, his eyes flaring.

"It would seem, to nobody's surprise, that Omnulus is excited by this prospect," said Glithenes, a sardonic smirk obvious in his tone of voice, if not on his face.

After he had left, Melvirius had returned to his chambers to plan out hypothetical plans of attack against the Gems. He began looking over files on the many inhabited planets that the Koh'i'Noor had marked as potential Gem colonies, seeing if any would be viable places for a strike. Far enough along to support multicellular life, but not far enough to mount a sufficient offense…

Exouth-IX…Kapardis…Novori…none of them had anything out of the ordinary that marked them as ideal. However, after seeing the file on one world in particular, Melvirius became intrigued. The world was known as Earth–an unremarkable planet in orbit around a yellow dwarf, its inhabitants only just entering the stone age. But as he examined images of these beings, hairy mammals who had only recently become bipedal, something about them seemed so familiar. It was as though seeing them triggered memories of things he had never experienced for himself.

But, as Melvirius was never the type to concern himself with lesser beings, these feelings soon gave way to disinterest. He moved onto the next world, planet Earth soon gone from his mind. Perhaps Primax Teptromina had been right: the time would come soon enough to strike back against Homeworld. And when it came, he swore he would be right there on the front lines.

Soul Evaporator, Homeworld Space. Era 1, Year 5,002,164.

"So, where've they got you going next?" asked Emerald from her captain's chair. The other Gems on the bridge all worked at their stations while Emerald held a holoscreen bearing the image of an old friend.

Yooperlite rubbed the back of her head. "'S funny you should ask, actually. I'm transporting ores from Moridius–'cause of you, funnily enough! It's part of that recyclin' act, of whatever it's called."

"'Abandoned Pre-Colony Reclamation Campaign,'" Emerald said with a smile. "I'm just glad something good was finally able to come of that planet."

"Something good already did," said Yooperlite. "You. Remember?"

Emerald couldn't help but laugh, even if she knew this wasn't a joke. "Thanks, Yoop. I hope it isn't too hard going back there, after everything that's happened."

She shrugged. "No biggie. It's not so bad now that I'm only here for a while. It's a lot easier to appreciate a planet's beauty when you aren't stuck on it."

"How true," replied Emerald.

"So, enough about me–what's your latest mission?" Yoop asked. "Probably a lot more exciting than haulin' cargo!"

A small scoff from Emerald. "I wish. No, I'm on security duty for our diplomats to Talu. Now that the war is over, we're hoping to reestablish an alliance with the Talutar Imperium–or the New Talutar Collective, as they're calling themselves now."

"No kiddin'. It's like that old saying goes: an enemy today is a friend tomorrow. Or vice versa. Or was it that a friend to my enemy is an enemy to my friends?"

"I'm sure there's some saying for it," Emerald replied. "Fortunately, it seems this new government doesn't hold any animosity towards Homeworld. Even still, I think I'd better not bring up my role in fighting the TLM."

Tanzanite approached her, waiting for a lull in the conversation so as not to interrupt. "My Emerald, preliminary flight checks are complete. The Soul Evaporator is ready for warp-jump."

"That's my cue," Emerald said. "I'll have to call you back later."

"Good luck on your peace talks!" said Yooperlite with a wave. "Bye Tanz! Bye Onyx!"

"Catch you later!" said Onyx, waving along with Tanzanite. Yooperlite ended the call from her end, and the holoscreen disappeared. "You don't think she meant anything by 'good luck,' do you?"

"I believe she meant 'good luck' by good luck," Tanzanite said.

Onyx scoffed. "I know that! But doesn't anyone else think it's weird how we're being deployed for peace talks? When's the last time negotiations needed extra firepower?"

"We're coming along just in case diplomacy breaks down," Emerald explained. "It's unlikely, but it's better to have us and not need us than to need us but not have us. Are we ready?"

"Thrusters are primed, and fuel is in the green, My Emerald," said a Nephrite.

"Excellent–engage!" The Soul Evaporator sped off towards the stars, and to whatever new adventures waited beyond.