Objective: land on a planet to restock materials.Obstacle: none.
Right now I was at the ship's controls. Pearl and Sapphire were in the back playing something I programmed; I guess that keeps them busy… or at least that's what I like to think.
It's been a year since Sapphire showed up. She mostly talks to Pearl, which I honestly don't care about. It gives me more time to think on my own—something I've enjoyed ever since I left where I was born… was I born? Reborn? Whatever.
I glanced at the map.
Gem time is insane. A year here would be like a single human day… maybe five at most. It's ridiculous. Time flies and I barely even feel it.
Every day is progress toward my plan.
The goal?
Improve my gem.
I thought about creating another one and fusing, but that's not viable. Imagine getting poofed. Yeah, no way. That would screw everything up. So the best option is to improve myself.
I haven't told the other two.
Why would I?
Honestly, I don't trust them that much… especially not Sapphire.
Why would someone with that kind of status just show up like it's nothing? Just walk away from the Empire? No. That doesn't make sense. At least not to me.
I shook my head as I looked at the planet I'd already locked onto.
This is where I'd upgrade the ship—mainly its defenses. After seeing what happened to the Rubies' ship…
No.
That memory still sucks.
Getting blown up like that out of nowhere… yeah, no thanks.
Better to put in the work now and make sure I survive.
I looked at the planet.
It was beautiful… and ugly at the same time.
I don't think I'll ever see planets the same way again after one almost ate me.
I tapped a few holographic controls and sank my hands into the interface.
The ship began its descent.
Slow.
Quiet.
No unnecessary noise.
No drawing attention—especially from wildlife. Imagine some ancient centipede popping out of nowhere… yeah, no thanks.
"This'll do…" I muttered, adjusting the trajectory toward a spot that looked calm and optimal according to my system.
The planet wasn't pretty, like I said before—but if I had no other choice… honestly, I'd stay here.
I zoomed in for a closer look.
Rocks.
Dry soil.
Some life… but barely any, just like the ship had already told me.
Most important:
No Imperial signals.
Perfect.
"Get ready," I said without looking back, using the ship's comms so it echoed throughout.
The ship touched down smoothly.
A slight tremor.
Then silence.
"Well."
I stood up.
"Time to work… or maybe just see how ugly this place really is."
I adjusted the robotic parts on my hands and feet, along with my backpack.
Pearl showed up with her usual elegant walk.
Sapphire took a bit longer.
Always weird.
We stepped outside.
The air was… meh. I've smelled better. Though that's probably because I've been trying to replicate things from my organic life—mostly flavors—but I still can't quite get it right.
Breathable.
Not trustworthy.
The ground crunched under our feet.
I looked around.
Nothing.
Just open space.
And silence.
"Alright… no one around. Perfect for exploring," I said, mostly to help them relax a bit.
Honestly, that was already a win. I usually have terrible luck with planets.
I crouched down and touched the ground.
Dry.
Low nutrients.
If this were for an injector… it wouldn't be worth it.
"Useless," I muttered, remembering my project.
Pearl kept scanning everything, like something might jump us at any second. And honestly, I don't blame her—with our luck…
Sapphire…
She was just standing there.
Staring at something.
"What?" I asked.
"I like this place," she said.
I looked at her.
"Why?"
"I don't know… I like the color."
Silence.
I ignored her.
"This is what it looks like before the Empire shows up. What do you think? Nice, right?"
She nodded with a small smile. It was obvious this was her first time seeing something like this. Makes sense—someone with her status probably doesn't get out much.
I kept walking.
"Come on, let's check the ship."
(A rato después…)
The ship was open.
Panels pulled out.
Wires exposed.
I was halfway inside, working on the systems. Mostly upgrades—I wanted to install something like a Yarbis-type AI.
"Yarbis, bring me an ice-cold Coke," I thought, practically drooling.
I shook my head.
"Focus."
"This is better than I expected…"
"I love how well-prepared this ship already was."
Pearl held a part I'd asked for.
Sapphire watched… occasionally making comments.
"If you make that move, we'll get launched into space."
…
…
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I said, completely deadpan.
She just smiled.
I listened anyway.
Just in case.
Pearl handed me the piece.
"Can you get some water? As clean as possible."
"On it," Sapphire said, grabbing a few containers.
"Take the purifier from sector D."
I dove deeper into the ship.
Pearl was already sweating, watching parts come out.
"Give me that," I said, pointing.
"Mm-hm," she replied, handing it over.
I kept working.
Sparks.
Adjustments.
Reconfiguration.
"This should hold… though I'll reinforce it here."
I hit a section.
It worked.
That's where I planned to install the AI core—something more efficient for both the ship and me.
"Perfect."
I stepped out of the ship.
Looked around again.
The planet was still just as dead.
But something…
I don't know.
Felt off.
Maybe paranoia.
Maybe not.
Like there was more than what I could see.
I shook my head.
"Paranoia."
Pearl walked over.
"Done?"
"For now. Still got more to do, but I need parts from the Ruby ship… and to check if there's a stronger mineral here."
Sapphire came back with the water.
"Thanks."
I wiped myself off without much care.
"Fascinating," they both said.
I looked at them.
"…what?"
"We could stay here for a while," Sapphire said.
I looked at her.
"I see… what do you think, Pearl?"
"Of course," she said with a smile.
Sapphire just stared at the horizon.
I sighed.
"I'm going to check for materials."
Pearl nodded.
Sapphire said nothing.
I walked off a bit.
Far enough.
Looked at the ground again.
Closer.
Deeper.
"Yeah… this works for an entry point. If there's anything good, it'll be underground."
I thought for a moment.
"I'd have to go down toward the core… but whatever. As Silica, I can handle low temperatures. Pearl can't… but she doesn't need to come."
I nodded to myself.
"I'll go alone. And I'll leave the ship secured, just in case."
I pulled a scanner out from my robotic hand.
It picked up energy.
Low.
But steady.
That's what mattered.
"The good stuff's down there… like always."
I smirked a little.
"This is enough to get started."
I glanced back at the ship.
They weren't looking.
Good.
"Just a test…"
I pulled out my gun.
Aimed at the ground.
Fired.
The blast tore open a massive hole.
Dirt, rock, and dust shot into the air.
I stared at the result.
…
"Nice."
"Easy entry."
I stepped up to the edge of the hole and looked down. It had been a while since I'd seen what my laser could really do.
I peered into the darkness.
Deep.
Really deep.
Perfect.
…
…
…
"Well… back to work."
I activated a small light from my hand. Nothing fancy, but it did the job. I didn't want to use my gem—this looked more professional.
I dropped down.
Not freefall—I'm not an idiot.
I used the thrusters in my pack to descend slowly, controlled. I also activated my "helicopter mode" with my fingers.
The walls were just dry rock at first.
Nothing interesting.
"If the whole planet's like this, I'm gonna be pissed…"
I kept going down, firing occasionally to widen the tunnel.
Deeper.
Tighter.
The temperature started fluctuating in a weird way.
Erratic.
I frowned.
"…okay, that's not normal."
For a moment, I thought about saying something.
Letting someone know I was heading down.
…
…
…
Nah.
"Sapphire's probably already seen it anyway."
I kept descending.
Didn't stop.
Nothing concerning.
For now.
Yet.
I touched one of the walls as I went down.
Dust.
Fragments.
Nothing useful.
"…meh, if I keep this up, I'm not finding shit."
I landed on a small ledge.
A break.
Just in case.
I looked around.
Dark, but the light was enough. I turned it up and started checking more carefully. I fired here and there, opening space, looking for anything worthwhile.
I found minerals.
Some copper-like.
Others weirder—kind of like Ruby… but with strange markings.
Scanned them.
Nothing crazy for the ship, but useful.
Anything worth keeping, I stored.
I had plenty of space anyway.
Good for me.
Silence.
Better that way.
Just the faint echo of my movements.
I fired a couple more shots.
"This is getting better."
I pulled out the scanner again.
It beeped.
Louder.
I smiled.
"Ah… there we go."
I punched the wall with my gauntlet.
It felt different.
Stronger.
I scanned it.
Not better than the ship's material… but good enough for upgrades.
As I kept going, my mind wandered.
The Diamond Project wasn't a one-day thing.
But I could start.
First, improve my own gem.
I'd already studied injectors.
I knew how they worked.
"If they can do it… so can I."
I wanted more.
More than a normal gem.
Something like Jasper.
No.
Better.
Jasper was quartz.
I was Silica.
Different type.
Different approach.
But if I optimized myself right…
I could surpass that.
Just thinking about it…
made my mouth water.
Stronger.
More durable.
Harder to break.
Safer.
I looked at the mineral in front of me.
Touched the wall.
Denser.
More solid.
Scanned again.
Good energy conductor.
"Perfect."
I smiled.
Not exactly a normal smile.
"Finally something decent."
I tore off a fragment.
Analyzed it more closely.
High resistance.
Good conduction.
"…I'm definitely using you."
I stored it.
And grabbed more.
Just in case.
I looked down.
The tunnel kept going.
Deeper.
Darker.
"Yeah… there's good stuff down here."
But also…
Something else.
I frowned.
"What…?"
The scanner picked up another signal. It had been warning me for a while, but I'd been too focused to notice.
I looked again.
It wasn't mineral.
It was… different.
Irregular.
Like—
I blinked.
"…did that just move?"
I froze.
Staring into the darkness.
"…you've gotta be kidding me."
Silence.
Then…
A sound.
Rock shifting.
Something dragging itself.
Slow.
Heavy.
I clenched my hand.
Weapon mode activated.
"Okay… if you come out, I'm shooting."
I boosted the light using the backpack's energy.
The beam stretched further.
I kept aiming everywhere.
The scanner kept beeping.
Insistent.
The signal…
Wasn't in front of me.
It was around me.
I frowned harder.
"…what do you mean around?"
I turned slowly.
The beeping didn't stop.
Didn't matter where I aimed.
Same reading.
…
…
I looked down.
…
"…no way."
Sweat.
If it wasn't multiple things…
Then it was just one.
And if one thing was surrounding me like this…
It was huge.
Really huge.
Way too big.
And I did not like that at all.
I looked around—and felt everything in me go cold.
Yellow "spikes" started pushing out from the walls.
Not spikes.
Teeth.
A lot of them.
Way too many.
"…no."
I didn't think.
I jumped and activated helicopter mode.
Just in time.
The thing snapped shut right where I'd been a second ago.
A wet sound.
Hollow.
Heavy.
I hovered there, eyes wide open.
"…shit."
The light revealed more.
A massive mass.
Soft.
Clinging to the walls.
And those eyes…
Black.
Watching me.
…
…
"Hi," I said out of pure reflex.
Mistake.
The thing moved.
Fast.
Way too fast for something that big.
"SHIT!"
I shot upward.
Thrusters roared as I launched myself up.
The wall warped.
The "slug"—because yeah, that's exactly what it was, a giant freaking slug—lunged after me, dragging itself along the walls like gravity didn't exist.
I fired.
The laser hit.
Spark.
That's it.
"…great, didn't even tickle it."
I kept going up.
Faster.
The temperature rose.
The air got heavier.
And that sound…
That disgusting wet sound chasing me.
I looked down.
Mistake.
It was coming straight up the tunnel, forcing its way through with that mouth full of teeth.
Getting closer.
"Okay, okay, think…"
I spun midair and fired upward, blasting open more space.
Rock exploded.
Dust rained down.
I pushed through.
The slug slammed into the debris.
Stopped for a second.
Just one second.
Enough.
I accelerated.
Shot upward.
The tunnel started getting brighter.
"Come on, come on, come on…"
A hit.
The wall shook.
I almost lost control.
"NO!"
I stabilized.
Kept going.
More light.
Closer to the surface.
That sound again.
Closer.
"Persistent bastard—"
I burst out of the hole.
Hit the ground rolling outside the crater.
Silence.
I stayed there.
Breathing… well, something like that.
I looked at the hole.
Waiting.
…
…
Nothing.
Just darkness.
I frowned.
"…yeah, no way in hell I'm going back down like that."
I stood up slowly.
Weapon still in hand.
"Okay… that was not a mineral."
I looked at the hole again.
"That was a problem."
I stared at it for a few seconds.
Silence.
"…hell no I'm going down there like that again."
I took a step back.
Then another.
Without looking away.
"Okay… that was not the kind of resource I was expecting."
I sighed.
"That was a damn giant slug."
I ran a hand over my face.
"Well, great. A freaking monster right where I found something useful…"
I glanced at my gem for a second.
…
"…awesome."
I looked back at the hole.
Dark.
Calm.
Like nothing had happened.
"Yeah, sure… totally."
I clicked my tongue.
"I'm gonna have to go back down… but not like this."
I shook my head.
"Getting careless like that is gonna get me killed one day."
I turned around.
Thought about telling them.
Nah.
"I'm not saying anything."
"No point stressing them out for nothing… yeah, no."
I started walking back to the ship.
"First I prepare… then I go down."
I glanced at the hole one last time.
"And next time, it's not catching me off guard."
I kept walking.
Calm.
But ready.
Because something told me…
That thing wasn't staying down there forever.
End of Chapter 17.