LOG-129.

  There was a method to the madness that was running rebel operations almost quite literally beneath a Diamond's nose.

  The key to it was angles, specifically enough. Angles and subtly training Yellow into accepting that I simply tended to use a lot of datapads for the various minutiae of being her assistant.

  By pulling forth this or that datapad every now and then, visible within the Diamond's range of view, I accustomed her to their presence. Viridian having a datapad in her hands was nothing new, she did it all the time, after all.

  The actual datapad that I used to feed Fawn massive swathes of vital Imperial information was slightly different though. It had several after market upgrades personally set up by yours truly, with supervision from whoever the rebel organisation had chosen to give me technical support.

  Obscene yet narrow broadcasting range to allow communication, access to channels a datapad shouldn't really have, and most importantly, the angle system software modification I'd put together a while ago while following the directions of at least two separate programmers.

  Simply put, it added a layer of text that would only prove perceivable by looking at the datapad from, you guessed it, a very specific angle. Namely between exactly this and that tenth of a degree.

  It meant that when the confirmation of a very specific file transfer from the small device to my larger workstation came, only I could see it. Anyone else would just see a report on general Yellow Court colony tithe statistics.

  Absolutely necessary? Perhaps not, considering Yellow rarely ever even looked at what I was holding, but Fawn wasn't in the habit of leaving things up to mere chance, and that was something I could find myself vehemently agreeing with.

  Nonetheless, all of the above was merely a level of set dressing, facilitating the arrival of a new report that manifested as a small alert on one of my many holographic screens, one which I opened, read through, and promptly theatrically narrowed my eyes at before turning towards the tired looking giant next to me.

  "My Diamond?"

  The everpresent urge to flinch as those blazing golden orbs turned to face me had mostly died down with time and constant proximity, but it wasn't gone completely. Thankfully, I'd long since gotten used to repressing unwanted urges.

  "Yes, Pearl?"

  A dutiful but somewhat displeased tone was layered over my voice as I gestured to the screen, frowning ever so slightly. The negative expression would be picked up on, and whether she realised it or not, Yellow would partly associate said negativity with what came next.

  "I'm afraid a somewhat pressing matter has come up in regards to operations in Yellow Three. Shall I relay them or reschedule the report for another time?"

  The Diamond didn't hesitate, turning in her seat to fully face me, one titanic leg crossing over the other as she did so.

  "I already have enough to deal with later, get it over with."

  Nodding demurely, I gestured towards a specific holoscreen jutting out from my workstation, hand gently guiding it up to face Yellow and twisting the hologram around.

  "To summarise, an inter-Court Lapis Lazuli has been accused of major schedule fraud and is currently awaiting trial within the borders of your space. Naturally, the various Gems involved are requesting your presence as a supreme judge, seeing as such a thing falls under Yellow jurisdiction due to the borders involved."

  Her lip visibly curled at the prospect of yet more work, and in particular, work that would take her away from her desk, thus resulting in even more work piling up in her absence.

  "Are they truly so incompetent that they can't deal with it themselves?"

  They absolutely could, and likely were actively in the process of figuring out how to do so without a higher authority to guide them, but for obvious reasons I wasn't about to tell her that.

  "I'm afraid so, my Diamond. As it stands considering the variety of other tasks you are currently dealing with, our only feasible options are likely either delaying this trial until it may be dealt with at another time, or sending an envoy in your stead."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  I blinked, as if an epiphany had hit me, even as the golden matriarch continued to glower at nothing in particular.

  "I…don't suppose a Diamond's Pearl could act as a representative in her absence? I'm afraid I'm still not quite aware of all the procedures my predecessor no doubt understood intrinsically."

  It was a bit of a long shot in truth, but thankfully the words seemed to bring Yellow up short, her eyes narrowing in thought for a moment before she slowly nodded.

  "...An acceptable solution. Blue would occasionally send her Pearl to go and oversee various trials, whenever she was too busy grieving, so there should be no reason as to why I couldn't do so as well…"

  I allowed the giant Gem a moment of clear annoyance at the memory of her counterparts apparently frequent delegation, before bobbing my head up and down in a nod.

  "Of course. Shall I take measures to resolve the matter myself then, your radiance? I may be absent for a short time."

  Yellow snorted at that, leaning back into her throne and waving a hand the size of a car at me.

  "Yes, just get it out of the way and return quickly. I'll arrange appropriate transport and security for the trip. You have my glyph."

  I didn't smile widely (since my feelings were supposed to reflect her feelings, and thus this was supposed to be an annoyance for the both of us), though I did dip my head in acknowledgement of the order.

  "As you say, my Diamond."

  —

  A big advantage the Gem Empire had when it came to logistics and transportation was the existence of the Warp. Through the Warp, armies could travel across light years in seconds. Ships could sail the stars. And cargo could be brought exactly where it was needed almost instantly.

  But in order to harness the Warp, infrastructure was necessary. The Empire relied on ships for a reason, and that was because Galaxy-class Warp pads were hideously expensive to produce and power, and thus were reserved for only fully formed colonies, rather than any and every station or outpost.

  What that meant in practice was that rather than making my way to the Warp junction nearby and appearing within the judiciary complex, I instead had to link up with a small security detail (a pair of stern Citrines who glared at anyone who so much as looked at me) and use said junction to bring me to Yellow Three, which was the world the orbital station…well, orbited.

  It was admittedly a little unsettling, feeling the two significantly larger Gems all but chasing me through the Warp as I soared through a tunnel of light, before we all finally landed on the Galaxy Warp, the two Quartzes hitting the crystal with heavy, brutal thumps, even as I made a significantly lighter and quieter descend before finally glancing around.

  "Ah! They're here!"

  Compared to Homeworld, the sky was a peculiar shade of green, the thinner atmosphere present on the planet presumably different compared to the perfected starlit sky being maintained atop the Imperial capital.

  I didn't get long to admire the view though, the sight of a yellow Agate and a pink Pearl with light, almost white hair and a gemstone replacing one eye rushing towards me taking up my attention, at least until both of my bodyguards stepped forward with twin grunts, the gemstones on their upper and lower back respectively flashing in sync before they levelled blades at the approaching pair.

  Naturally, the Agate was quick to skid to a halt, the smaller pink Pearl cowering behind her slightly beneath the weight of my security detail's glares, right up until I stepped forward and past the duo, waving a hand at them.

  "Everyone relax. We're all loyal Gems here, aren't we?"

  The Agate nodded rapidly at that, and as my guards slowly dismissed their weapons with a distinct level of paranoia, I locked eyes with my fellow Pearl.

  The stare she gave me was far too piercing considering the question. Not exactly evidence of rebellion in and of itself, but the report that had been sent to me had mentioned an inside agent with her description.

  Turning away from the Gem who'd likely be briefing me further in quiet, I instead focused on the seemingly impatient Agate, nodding at her.

  "I have arrived to represent my Diamond in her absence, you will lead me to where I need to go, and tell me what requires my immediate attention, is this understood?"

  The slight perk of having the indirect authority of a dictator was that I didn't need to play as nice as usual, instead focusing on staring imperiously at the officer before me as she stumbled out an affirmative.

  "Y-Yes! Of course your…Pearliness! Right this way, we have a directly connected Warp pad waiting just to the side here!"

  Turning to glance back at my shadows, I nodded my head forwards and began to advance, the two falling into lockstep behind me even as the pink Pearl skittered to catch up with what I could only assume was either her Agate, or an Agate who served beneath her owner.

  The walk itself was short, but it was hard not to feel the stares of surrounding Gems seemingly coming and going, many of them stopping to watch and whisper as I made my way to a smaller Warp pad that my guides were already waiting on, stepping onboard and waiting just long enough for the Citrines to do the same before the air around me was engulfed with light once more.

  —

  The judiciary complex was exactly what it sounded like. A hall of Imperial justice, hanging in orbit of one of Yellow's most developed worlds. It was here that Gems came to settle major disputes with one another beneath the watchful eyes of their betters, or where those who broke the law came to be judged prior to their punishment.

  Compared to the usual bright, crystalline tones and colours of most Gem architecture, one could be forgiven for almost thinking that the structure was made out of stone, or perhaps concrete.

  Grey and subtle gold trim seemed to be the dominating style here, and that pattern continued until we finally reached a sealed doorway, the Agate turning to the pink Pearl with a pressing look before gesturing to me.

  The lither Gem nodded at that, before turning as well and waving a hand in front of the doorway, the barrier keeping it shut flickering off as she bowed her head.

  "My Pyrope will be with us shortly to discuss the nature of your presence here. If you would find it amenable, you may enjoy fine seating and custom artwork until she arrives."

  Her eyes lidded ever so slightly, voice almost melodic as she bowed a fraction of an inch.

  "And if it would please you, envoy, it would be my honour to keep you company in the meantime."

  I considered the offer for a moment, before lifting a hand and flicking at the jewellery hanging from the side of my head, the light tinkle it made drawing everyone's attention as I stepped forward.

  "Your offer is accepted. Citrines, guard the door."

  The last I heard of the outside world as I stepped forward and through the doorway was the two dutiful Quartzes marching forward and all but spinning around, backs presumably to the wall as they took up guard positions, the sound of the Agate striding away cutting off the second the glowing opaque barrier flickered back to life.

  "Hey Pearl!"

  Turning away from the fancy hightech door, I found myself confronted by a grinning face, borderline white hair darkening into a disturbingly familiar shade of fuchsia, seconds before eager pink arms enveloped me in a hug.