SRL. LOG-221. (Patreon)

LOG-221.

Maybe it was impolite, but a certain…irreverence, had overtaken me following my ‘surrender’ and subsequent removal from the headship.

Oh it wasn’t anything truly malign, of course. It just…felt nice, being able to relax and kick my feet up on a table for once.

Particularly since I’d been sat in this stuffy room for the past few hours while the Arizona presumably made its way through an entire solar system that was tracking its every move.

“And...that about sums up the past few years for me, I think.”

A talon poked around between my teeth, searching and picking away until it finally found the stray crumb of food that had been nestled between two of my molars. Wrapping my lips around the digit to prevent any escape, I slowly drew it back out of my mouth, catching the offending remnant on my tongue before swallowing it down.

Disposal completed, I turned to glance at the silent figure seated across the table from me, quirking a brow.

“How about you, Truce? Wait, do you even still use that little codename?”

The Pearl in question flinched for whatever reason, before glancing down at the funky looking tablet in her hands (it looked different than the Imperial slates and datapads I was used to, all physical, with none of the holographic bits), expression shaken.

“...Yes, Truce is still my acting identifier. Though I use it more as a legal name these days. Uhm…I was promoted to a diplomat stationed at the Quadraxian embassy recently? It was part of why Captain Flaherty had me on standby, I was actually being relocated when you…showed up. Oh, and I also got a library card.”

Is trying to hide exactly how rattled she is by everything I just told her. Has improved in controlling herself somewhat, though she still definitely needs substantial practice.

Letting out an approving hum as my former subordinate shot another look at the piece of tech clutched in her hands, I luxuriated in the spinny chair I’d been given, identical to her own, taking a moment to look around while she dealt with whatever was causing an increasingly large number of quiet little pinging sounds to emit from her device.

The room was a fairly quaint spot, all things considered. Gunmetal grey on all sides, with an automatic door that had slid into a hidden recess during our approach, only to re-emerge and lock us in after we’d taken our respective seats. Though aside from the table between us and a visible pipe crawling across part of the ceiling, decorations were decidedly sparse.

What purpose the chamber served aboard the Arizona was something I didn’t know, but Flaherty had apparently decided it was better to inter me within it rather than having me run around his bridge, so here I was.

Truce, naturally, had tagged along. Asking countless questions (and doing a horrible job at not visibly boggling at my altered lightform) all the way out of the headship’s bridge and into our current spot, up until she’d taken a look at her sleek tablet and bluntly stated that she was under official orders to get my story.

Now though, she looked more concerned than anything. Hm.

Over a minute of silent staring failed to get her to notice me, so with a small sigh I sat up, legs falling back down into a more respectable position as I planted my hands atop the metal desk, tapping one finger against its surface.

Still nothing, my counterpart’s eyes were rapidly flicking back and forth, no doubt reading something. Judging by her stressed out demeanor, it was apparently of some amount of worry.

“Truce-”

“Ack!”

Pausing as the Pearl almost fell out of her seat in her latest full body flinch, I waited politely as she slowly drew her raised arms and legs back to their previous positions, a sheepish expression flitting across her face.

“Ah-sorry. It’s inappropriate for me to be so distracted, especially considering the circumstances.”

Meeting her forced politeness with a dry look, I blatantly flicked my eyes down at the tablet she was currently holding like some kind of shield, injecting a note of query into my voice as I spoke.

“That your superiors messaging you or something? Messy situation?”

The Gem hesitated for an instant, before finally slumping in defeat, a long, agonised moan filling the air as she let her head hang just above the edge of her side of the desk.

“More than just my own. The Coalition-stars you probably don’t know about that either-isn’t exactly one coherent whole at the best of times. Fawn leadership are currently demanding that Flaherty surrender you to their custody, but ah…Rose Diamond and the Crystal Gems are also staking their claim, so to speak. There are also several other factions requesting meetings, including the Quadraxians and the Listener for some reason and everyone is just arguing and telling me to ignore the others and-yeah. Messy is quite the apt descriptor, I suppose.”

Quietly noting that decidedly interesting information with a nod, I leaned back into my seat, lips pursing as I thought it over.

“I see. And…what does Flaherty think about all this? Given that we’re on his ship?”

Glancing up, Truce regarded me for a second or two before shrugging, the decidedly human motion actually stumping me long enough for her to speak up without interruption.

“The Arizona and its crew all fall under Terran Space Command jurisdiction, but the humans don’t really care who gets you first, just so long as the situation is resolved. At present, we’re set to rendezvous with several interested parties at the nearest orbital anchorage. Once you’re dropped off…I’m probably going to have to speak with a lot of Gems upstairs. Ugh.”

Shooting the Pearl a pitying look, I grimaced.

“Sorry about the datawork.”

The statement actually drew a snort from the former Fawn-Fight liaison, one hand rising up to wave me off as she shook her head in amusement.

“It’s nothing I’m not used to, don’t worry. Besides, you’re probably going to get the worst of it. Embedded in the White Court for that long? Fighting weird, experimental monsters? Stealing White Diamond’s ship?”

The smug, blunt look directed at me stung, partly because I knew Truce’s next words were entirely truthful.

“You’re probably gonna have to claw your way out of the pile of meetings they’re gonna be trying to stick you in.”

Lifting my own hands and pressing them against my face, I groaned.

“Noooooo. I thought I was done with those after I ditched the Reef!”

The (mostly genuine) complaint earned another snort, though anything further was cut off rather abruptly as a small, repeating warble that I registered as an alarm rang out one, twice, and then thrice.

“This is your Captain speaking, we will be docking with Earth-side orbital anchorage A-3 momentarily. All current passengers should pack their effects and prepare to disembark.”

Staring up and trying to figure out just where exactly the voice had actually been emitted from, I finally gave up as Truce stood up and patted herself down, the strange, minimalistic jumpsuit she had replaced her lightform’s projected dress with catching my eye for an instant, right before I followed suit, scowling briefly at my own dress catching beneath one of my chair’s wheels before I tugged it loose, smoothing it out while my counterpart moved over towards the door.

“I’ll show you the right path out-or, no you probably remember the way, don’t you? Stars, it’s weird having you back.”

Mhm, she definitely had that right. Still, it was time to face the music, it seemed.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long before I could actually set foot on proper planetary soil again. Bleh.