LOG-130.

  I stared at the Pearl's smiling face, even as the pink Gem finally released me from her impromptu embrace, stepping back and idly shifting her weight from one slippered foot to the other.

  "...Fuchsia?"

  The gemstone taking the place of her eye almost seemed to gleam at my questioning tone, the former coordinator proudly gesturing to her chest with an extended thumb as I slowly looked her up and down.

  "The one and only! Oh, and don't worry about being overheard. This room has certain…shall we call them protections, against concerns like that."

  Yep, her lightform had definitely been altered, with a different outfit than before. But that was a simple enough thing to do, a quick poof was all it really took. Her hair on the other hand…

  "You shifted your hue. How?"

  My fellow Fawn agent grinned at that, one hand rising to flick at said aforementioned hair as she did so, the strands turning back into that light, borderline white pink it had been while we were outside.

  "Remarkable, isn't it? Let's just say we've been doing some trading with certain Flight elements on the side. Turns out those patrol routes you keep feeding us make for excellent bargaining chips when it comes to rebel fleets that need to constantly keep on the move and avoid pursuit."

  Eyes narrowing, I focused on the once more darkening hair, trying to spot just how-

  "And hey, congratulations on your promotion, hm? Never thought the young troubled Pearl I took in would have gone on to serve directly beneath Yellow Diamond of all Gems!"

  There, a faint, borderline translucent glimmer. Small enough that had I not actively been looking for it, I likely never would have spotted it.

  "But regardless, I'm sure you have plenty of-hey!"

  I ducked beneath my pink counterpart's panicked swipe, keeping hold of the shimmery, see through thing now clutched between my thieving fingers.

  "Viri! Gimme that!"

  It almost looked like a sheet of gelatin or something. But with the consistency and feel of silk. Somehow.

  "Sure."

  Handing back the weird headdress that apparently let one mess with the colour of their lightform at will, I ignored Fuchsia's pouting face in favour of picking one of the fancy looking couches littering the room, moving towards it and flopping down onto the piece of furniture with all the elegance of…well, something that wasn't a Pearl.

  "Hmph, still just as grabby as ever I see."

  Furniture was…weird, when it came to Gems. Something as simple as a chair could be considered a luxury, depending on how it was implemented, serving as a status symbol for the owner. After all, it meant they could afford to sit around, or have their guests sit around.

  Military ships didn't generally count. It was just quicker to spin around in chairs to access consoles than it was to physically step over to them.

  Of course the fact that this place had them probably said a lot about the Gems running the show, honestly.

  Turning to look back at Fuchsia, I watched as the infiltrator carefully smoothed out the jelly sheet atop her head, enough that it became outright impossible to spot it once it seemingly molded around her hair.

  "So…you're here. Why?"

  The pink Pearl gave a slight huff at that, all but flouncing forward before dropping down on the cushion beside me.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "Well, first of all. Apology massage!"

  Before I could so much as utter a single protest, the Gem that had directly planned and facilitated the abduction of her master all but threw her head into my lap, nose digging in between my legs and damn near pulling a startled squawk from my throat as it did so.

  "No, up. And start talking."

  The muffled response (a stubborn denial, to be specific) I got drew a frown from my lips, but…damn it, I had been kind of rude to…something of a friend, hadn't I?

  And so I raised my hands and, against my better judgement, began to run my fingers along the other Pearl's head, randomly pressing at various points before she twisted in place, singular eye staring up at me as she gestured to the core sitting opposite of it.

  "Oh, get my gemstone, would you?"

  Gracing the little shit with a deadpan stare, I summoned a gauntlet on one hand, before bringing the weapon down, the tips of my taloned fingers just shy of scraping at her lightform, instead trailing along it in a faint grazing motion.

  "O-Oooh, that's meannnn…"

  Keeping up my unamused expression, I continued to trail around the edges of the Pearl's physical body with my claws, even as I tilted my head.

  "And yet you seem to be enjoying it nonetheless, weirdo. Now start talking, I'm here for some Lapis Lazuli. And evidently, you're the one who's going to help me spring her. Why? Aren't you supposed to be…doing whatever you're doing with your Star Sapphire?"

  Fuchsia shivered with a strange expression on her face as I gently tapped a singular finger atop the surface of her gemstone, hands coming up to clasp with one another and rest just above her stomach as she did so, her legs dangling across the edge of the couch.

  "W-Well let's just say my dear owner has…seen something. Just what it is, she refuses to share, unfortunately. B-But! Apparently it's enough to have convinced her that aiding us is better for everyone involved, rather than serving the Empire. Convenient, h-huh!?"

  Glaring down at my counterpart while I used my free (and ungauntleted) hand to resume gently feeling out the weird Flight tech adorning her head, I frowned.

  "Very convenient. So I suppose she's the one who told you to be here, then? Right place, right time?"

  The following noise that slipped out of Fuchsia's mouth was enough to finally get me to draw my weaponised limb back, quirking an eyebrow at the squirming Pearl as I did so.

  "Mhh~hey! I was enjoying that!"

  Rolling my eyes, I placed a hand on the pink Gem's shoulder, and unceremoniously shoved her out of my lap and onto the floor, prompting the former coordinator to let out a squawk of her own as she flipped back to her feet.

  "And I don't think I'm looking to engage in any further debauchery for the moment. Lapis Lazuli. Details. Chop chop Pearl."

  Theatrically dusting off her lightform, my counterpart muttered something about teasing, before halfheartedly waving at me.

  "Alright, don't get up. This is gonna take a bit to explain…"

  —

  "...and that pretty much sums it up!"

  Staring at Fuchsia, I blinked.

  "...That's…ridiculous."

  The pink menace grinned.

  "I know, right!?"

  Lifting up a hand to scratch at the side of my head, I couldn't help but mutter the words aloud, still somewhat disbelieving of them.

  "She finished her work at six times the average speed of an average Lapis, and didn't report it, so she could…preserve organic life?"

  My fellow Pearl spread her arms wide.

  "Yep! She's an absolute freak! Like us! Which means she's a perfect agent, just waiting to be inducted into Fawn's gentle and loving embrace!"

  She paused after that, awkwardly rubbing at the back of her neck as she shifted her weight yet again.

  "Well, after we get her out of here, of course. Which is where you come in, gold and shiny!"

  Glancing down at the sash, jewellery, and other various bits and bobs wrapped around my lightform, I released a huff of my own, before waving at my old recruiter.

  "Yeah yeah. Should be simple enough then, I can declare her innocent and-"

  "Oh no, you need to order her execution actually."

  Freezing in place, I took in Fuchsia's disturbingly serious expression, right before the rebel burst out into laughter.

  "Oh! Oh you actually-no, well…yeah. But not like that. See, we have a team inserted into the local enforcement center, so with some manipulation from some of the other Gems we have stationed here, we can decide which specific guards get stationed where. Which means-"

  I nodded along as it all finally clicked into place.

  "We can fake this Lazuli's death, and steal her right out from under the Empire. Not only do they no longer realise she exists, but once they do, she's dependent on us for support, since her former masters only remember her as a criminal that's supposed to be dead."

  Fuchsia's singular eye blinked at that, before the other Pearl hesitantly nodded.

  "Well…you put it significantly more ruthlessly than Crown does, but yeah, sure. Bad Gems lose a terraformer, good Gems get a brand new potential courier or even combat specialist, one with a chip on her shoulder and interesting ideas about meat and plant based lifeforms."

  A light tone sounded out from somewhere in the room, drawing both of our gazes, before Fuchsia snapped to attention.

  "Oh, this is us. Act all cool and authoritarian again!"

  It was a monumental effort to follow the order in favour of rolling my eyes yet again, but I pulled it off, just in time for the doors to open and admit a garish mess of a Gem that probably would have made my eyes sizzle…if they weren't made of light, anyway.

  "Ohohoho! At last, an agent from Yellow Diamond herself! And her very own Pearl no less!"

  Staring up as the towering Pyrope apparently in charge of this station advanced, I resisted the urge to flinch back the second she snatched up my hand, gently patting the top of it as the gemstone embedded in her forehead shined directly at me.

  "I'm just so incredibly glad to finally bear witness to your presence, dear Viridian! Your reputation precedes you, you know?"

  A smooth smile stretched across my face as Fuchsia (the traitorous clod) quietly snuck past us, taking a spot in the corner of the room and silently watching as I was forced to fend for myself.

  "The pleasure is all mine. Now, I'm told there's a certain Lapis engaging in schedule fraud that I need to deal with. Would you care to show me around?"

  The significantly larger Gem's response made me want to cringe, but I held on valiantly, if only for the sake of the operation, smiling through the grating laughter.

  "Ohohohohoho! Of course, right this way honoured judge! It'll be good to finally be rid of this pesky little problem of mine!"