Stars and Diamonds

Chapter 53: I'm Going Home

A super important chapter, took too much revision, but here it is. 😄 Hope you enjoy.

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The hazy atmosphere of the fragmented planet filled the wide view screen, the artificial glow of technology that threaded through the natural rock and crystals like veins were just becoming visible to their naked eyes as they neared. Twin dusky halo rings reflected soft light, caressing the faces of the crew in a familiar welcome as they all revered the sight of their home.

Orange Diamond would only allow herself a moment to marvel at the way the rings hugged the crumbling planet, appearing to hold the chunks of floating planetoids together. The nearby sun seared the haze, illuminating a larger portion of the planet, and while she couldn't see it from space, she could envision the way it would be rippling through the sky, creating a beautiful gradient hue of pinks and yellows, having first lit up the southeastern part of the city as morning broke on the planet, to eventually spread over the center capital and wash into the western portion of the justice district. It was the view she had lived with every time she had come to see White, and now the one she would have for her time on Homeworld. And if she had been on schedule leaving Sol, it would have been the view she would be sharing with Pearl before she had to leave her to serve White Diamond.

Pulling her eyes away, the young gem turned her focus to her task, hands nimble as she moved over the glass screen, tapping buttons meant for smaller fingers than hers, adjusting their speed, and turning on a monitor with a live feed of the ships internal readings, leaving it up on the screen to her upper right.

"Approaching the planet with an ETA of 8 minutes." Orange called out to the two gems on either side of her, who, like the elite soldiers they were, easily slipped from their admiring into preforming their own tasks at the Diamond's commanding tone. "CX3, I want a link with Central up and clearance give before we hit the 5 minute mark. Lets get in the clear before someone gets some hasty ideas to blast us out of orbit, yes?"

CX3, a rather nervous Nephrite by nature, nodded her head in response so much Orange worried she would hit it on the console in front of her every time she asked something, "Yes Capt- er, i mean, my Diamond. Forgive me my Diamond. So sorry. So sorry."

Brushing past the slip, the diamond turned to glance to her left, "CL9,"

"My clarity?" said gem responded, looking up and meeting her superior's eyes in question.

"Systems powered up for breaking atmosphere. I want as little turbulence as possible. We're going to have very important eyes on us, so lets not give them a show."

"Yes, my diamond."

Behind the small crew, perched high in her chair at the center of the control room where she belonged, the captain of the ship, Emerald, watched disinterestedly as the youngest Diamond she had ever had the 'honor' of being in the presence of ordered her crew around. She had been watching for most of the trip, bored out of her mind, annoyed she had been pulled away from her fleet, only being somewhat mollified by the fact it had been Pink Diamond to ask her personally to escort the younger gem, and a little put off that she would not be showing her skills as the great leader she was to one of her superiors.

When Orange Diamond had been assigned to her, and her newly minted imperial warship no less, to say she was surprised would be an understatement. While she certainly detested feeling like a lowly Nephrite shepherding the young gem back to their homeworld, she could not resist the chance to at least be able to say she had been not only been handpicked by two diamond's for a task, one of said tasks was to escort one of their great leaders safely back home. Of course, by some cruel twist of fate laughing down on her, she had also been informed she would be under a gag order about talking about her mission, or anything to do with Orange Diamond, which was also extend to her crew.