LOG-019.

  For whatever reason, I'd expected...something, the second I managed to get the starfighter to breach the atmosphere. The sudden arrival of a ship, Imperial or otherwise. Some kind of complication with our ride's reactor. A stray piece of debris hitting the Lapis Lazuli we were effectively using as a guide.

  Something.

  Instead, nothing happened. Beyond having to idly shift the craft below its top speed in order to avoid outpacing Brim. From there, it was mostly just...moving forward in a straight line, all while keeping a careful eye on the blue Gem ahead of us in order to ensure we didn't lose her amidst the endless black void around us.

  The first few moments passed in silence, but I supposed Vermilion didn't find it quite as comfortable as I did, considering the hand that gently tapped at my shoulder mere seconds after I'd finally gotten comfortable.

  Stifling a sigh, I instead leaned back into the touch, ensuring the nervous Gem knew that she'd gotten my attention.

  "Yes?"

  Another few seconds of what I assumed was hesitation, before the Pearl finally decided to speak up.

  "Are...are you sure we should go with her? How do we know this isn't all...all just some big trap?"

  Pursing my lips, I considered the idea, before biting back a response.

  "...We...don't. But it's either we extend some trust or we resign ourselves to staying stranded on a barren rock of a planet, hiding from killer machines and Stars know what else. Besides, I figure if she could have attacked us at any point, it most likely would have been when she got some actual water to use against us."

  My fingers idly tapped against the interiors of the navigational controls surrounding my hands as my Batchmate seemed to consider that particular line of reasoning.

  I'd just been getting ready to relax back into my previous position when her voice piped back up again.

  "You...you would have figured something out."

  Quirking an eyebrow, not that she could see it, I tilted my head slightly.

  "How do you mean?"

  I wasn't quite prepared for the soft sniffle that escaped her, followed by a pair of arms wrapping around my upper body.

  "Wha-"

  My lightform stilled as her hands settled at my shoulders.

  "You would have figured something out. If anyone could have, it would have been you."

  Going limp as the thin, delicate arms tightened around me, I did my best to ignore the stinging in my own eyes as Vermilion continued to hug me from behind.

  "T-thanks."

  Naturally, I failed.

  At the absolute very least, we both felt a little better afterwards, thanks to our latest shared crying session

  ---

  Eventually, after several hours worth of travel (not actually that long of a trip, considering we were going through space. The wonders of modern Gem technology truly never failed to impressive), Brim had led us to the dark side of the second furthest moon orbiting her bombarded homeworld.

  It was in the shadow of that planetoid that the sensors in front of me started screaming, likely in part due to the large mass of confusing readings sitting right in front of us.

  To the starfighter's systems, it likely read as a twisted jumble of variables that would no doubt be labelled as a rogue asteroid by the average Gem when inspected. It was the visual screens that revealed the truth, however.

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  The ship was a long, almost spear-like thing. Like a massive tube with a tapering point on one end, and a large mass of engines strapped to the back of it. The only objects breaking up its largely uniform surface were either additional thrusters or what were rather clearly deployable weapon systems.

  The entire vessel was covered stem to stern in a shiny layer of silver armour, similar in aesthetic to that of the boarders we'd encountered back on the Retaliator.

  Those thoughts all ran through my head for the briefest of seconds, right before everything ground to a halt as what seemed to be several mounted turrets twisted abruptly, their forms beginning to swivel to face us and resulting in a small section of my primary console lighting up like a Stars damned Christmas tree as multiple lock on signatures began to make their horrific existence immediately apparent.

  We were far too close to turn back now though, so even as Vermilion whimpered in abject fear behind me as the noises increased, I simply did the only thing I really could, considering the situation.

  "Try to relax. I doubt they'd want to shoot us down considering I still have one of their own with us."

  After the brief bit of weak encouragement, I shut down our own craft's weapon systems (utterly useless against a destroyer sized target anyway), pulled to a halt, and did my best to hold our position as Brim darted her way towards the front of the unknown ship, right before curving around it and disappearing from sight.

  The next few moments passed in tense silence, and I'd swear my lightform was just about ready to discorporate itself when I finally caught a glimpse of that familiar blue figure again, the Lapis Lazuli drawing closer before quickly gesturing towards the vessel behind her with both of her wings.

  This time, I didn't hold back from letting out a shuddering sigh, even as my hands gripped the controls, bringing us into a slow, gentle acceleration.

  As we drew closer, guided in by the terraformer floating ahead of us, I idly noted that compared to the traditional side hangars of most Imperial warships, this one seemed to only possess a small docking bay, its opening located near the middle of its lower half.

  As Vermilion's hands tensed around my shoulders once more, I hesitated for just a second, before doing what I did best.

  I locked the urge to panic away, plastered a calm, polite smile onto my face, and moved the starfighter in to begin a slow, careful docking procedure.

  ---

  Thank the Stars I'd hung around and observed one of the younger Rutiles constantly practicing her landing procedures a while back, taking note of every action taken in the simulator, even as I gently conversed with the Gem, keeping the novice pilot company.

  It meant that, despite the somewhat bumpy nature of the whole process, I managed to successfully fly our small fighter through the opened doors and atmospheric shield before making our way further into the docking bay, setting the craft down in an open space between some ramshackle mass of metal that was maybe supposed to be a shuttle, and what looked like an older model of roaming eye.

  As the landing gears deployed and clamped us to the dull surface of the makeshift hangar, I finally let my hands untense from the controls, fingers unthinkingly tapping at the section of console that would order the cockpit to open up.

  My eyes widened in turn as I caught several figures rushing past a waving Brim, then my hands were going up as both Vermilion and I were surrounded by at least a dozen armoured warriors, their beaked warmasks glaring down at us drawing a chill through my entire lightform, only seconded by the clear and obvious weapons in their hands.

  Keeping my hands raised high into the air and silently twitching my fingers to encourage the Pearl behind me to do the same, I did my best to appear meek and helpless.

  Type two, pattern five helped with that. Always useful for ensuring your master remembered that you were a fragile little thing, and that hitting you might just result in permanent damage to their property.

  Thankfully for both our sakes, the alien warriors pretty much collectively stepped back as a collection of shrill squawks echoed from further away from the ship, most of them backing down entirely before a blue hand reached from beyond the end of the cockpit's frame, settling against the edge as Brim walked into view, a harried look marring her features.

  "Sorry about that! I just needed to tell them that I brought you here."

  Then the Lapis was extending her other arm, an open hand held towards me.

  "Come on, let's get you out of that stuffy thing!"

  Exchanging a visibly nervous (to another Pearl, at least) glance with Vermilion, I slowly accepted the grip, even as I grabbed hold of my Batchmate in turn, both of us slowly stepping outside of the starfighter.

  A small sea of figures greeted us afterwards, and I had to violently suppress the desire to flinch backwards as the mass of bird-like organics within the docking bay (some in the same, bulky looking armour that I was rapidly coming to associate with whatever their warrior-arm was, and others looking much smaller, a vast variety of feathers decorating their uniformed bodies) collectively gathered to inspect us, a solid chorus of sounds escaping their beaks as they spoke in whatever natural language they had.

  Brim just wore a huge fucking smile throughout the entire thing, and I'd been just about ready to carefully ask what was next, only for the question to die in its cradle as yet another new figure made an appearance.

  I almost mistook them for one of the avians at first, but...there were rather clear differences. No feathers to speak of, for one. And unlike the organics around them, who all had their taloned feet rather clearly on display, they instead wore a simplistic looking pair of boots.

  A Gem of some kind, in all likelihood.

  Their uniform was a dull, flowy looking thing, but it was the mask and their way of walking that drew my attention the most.

  Their stride was an inherently graceful one, and the odd familiarity of it likely would have led to some conclusion, if it weren't for the fact the rest of my mind was focused on the fact that their bird-like facial covering, firmly fixed to their head, made them look like a bloody plague doctor.

  Honestly, what were the odds of a style like that cropping up in an entirely alien species? Or rather, a Gem raised by an entirely alien species!

  Hesitating slightly as the figure continued to march forward, several avians getting out of their way with quiet chirps or the occasional tweet, I could do little but watch as Brin stepped forward and approached the newcomer with a grin.

  "Quille!"

  That much I understood, at least. 'Quille' did as well, apparently, considering they upped their pace significantly at the name, one obscured arm shifting slightly behind them.

  Then both Vermilion and I, alongside the entire crowd within the makeshift hangar were all forced to stare dumbly as the unknown Gem, in one smooth motion, pulled out some kind of metal pipe and gave Brim an almost audible thwack to the head.

  "Eee!"

  Unfortunately for Brim, the Lazuli's somewhat pained, mostly shocked squeal didn't seem to garner much sympathy from the stranger, who raised the pipe back up and promptly delivered a second blow to the terraformer's simulated head.

  Naturally, I did the only thing I could as the impromptu head thwacking continued.

  I quickly adopted a pose designed to divert attention from my form, and took the chance to plan out what I was going to say, all as the spectacle continued right in front of me.

  Thwack!

  "Eeee!"