The descent vessel hummed quietly as it cut through Earth's atmosphere, the cold metal of the ship creaking softly under the strain of reentry. Inside, seven forms stood rigid in formation, their silhouettes outlined by the dim glow of control panels. The air was taut, charged with a familiar tension—one born from countless missions, repeated cycles of conquest and command. The gems had done this many times before: land, assess, harvest, and report. Another world claimed for the Diamond Authority.
Seraphine stood at the front, her posture perfect, arms folded behind her back. Her magenta gemstone pulsed faintly at her collarbone, a soft beacon in the dim light. Her eyes were locked on the holographic map hovering above the console, glowing softly with topographical readings and atmospheric data. The cold metallic blue of the ship's interior reflected in her sharp gaze, as she considered the mission ahead with calculated resolve.
"Estimated time to impact: three minutes," Citrine's voice cut through the silence with surgical precision. Her golden gem caught the light on her right hip as she held a datapad, fingers gliding over the screen, cataloging every environmental reading with an efficiency born of habit. She was the analyst, the one who turned raw data into decisions.
Onyx cracked her knuckles with a grunt, her eyes fixed on the viewport where the clouds blurred into streaks of white and gray. "Looks soft," she muttered, her voice low and rough. "Let's hope something here can put up a decent fight."
Amara's pale green eyes flicked toward Onyx, her hand brushing the cold wall of the cabin as if trying to draw strength from the metal. "You always hope for war," she said quietly. "You forget our mission is reconnaissance. Not destruction—unless the Diamonds say so."
"Same thing," Jinx said with a lazy grin, flipping upside down in midair. She floated, supported by unstable gravity bursts from her angular green shard at her shoulder. Her eyes gleamed with mischief. "They'll say so soon enough. Bet they're just waiting to hear we found something useful."
Lapis remained silent, leaning against the far corner of the cabin. Her ocean-blue gem was cool against her bare feet, toes curling lightly on the metal floor. She stared out the window, watching the sun crest the curvature of Earth like a quiet promise. For all the gems on board, she was the only one who seemed to carry a different weight—something heavier than duty.
The ship groaned as it touched down on a rocky cliffside, overlooking a broad cove bordered by trees and the untouched ocean beyond. The morning sun warmed the world gently. A chorus of birds welcomed them, their songs threading through the air like an invitation. The waves brushed against the stones below as if welcoming the arrival of old friends.
Seraphine was the first to step out onto the unfamiliar soil. The air hit her like a soft whisper, carrying a scent of life, of something wild and undefiled. She inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing. Earth smelled alive.
Citrine followed closely behind, her tablet already scanning the terrain. "Flora readings high. Oxygen density suitable. Primitive mammals detected, some large. Low threat levels."
"Doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful," Onyx said, one hand resting on the hilt of her battle-ax, her stance guarded.
Jinx landed lightly beside them, her bare feet sinking into the sand. She dug her toes in and blinked down at the ground. "It's warm," she murmured. "This ground… it feels soft. Like a blanket."
Amara knelt, her palm pressing gently to the soil. A faint pulse of green light radiated outward before fading. Her eyes softened, her breath catching in a way no one else noticed.
"There's something here," she said. "Not just resources. It's energy. A kind I've never felt before."
Seraphine turned back to the group, her voice firm but tinged with an unfamiliar hesitation. "We complete the survey. We report. That is all."
Lapis finally broke her silence, her voice low and steady. "There is no gem history here. But there is life."
Onyx snorted in disbelief. "You say that like it means something."
They began their work. Days stretched into weeks. The landscape remained untouched by any of their usual efforts—no structures erected, no bases built. Seraphine ordered extensive studies. Amara connected herself to Earth's rhythms, trying to understand the pulse beneath the surface. Citrine documented every anomaly with quiet obsession. Onyx trained relentlessly, sharpening her instincts. Lapis vanished into the shadows at times, returning only with long silences. Jinx's laughter grew louder, her flights longer, but she slept less and less.
One morning, Seraphine stood at the water's edge, watching the sunrise paint the sky with soft golds and pinks. Onyx approached, arms crossed, her expression hard.
"We've been here too long," she said. "We're off schedule."
Seraphine didn't meet her eyes. "Why does this world make me feel like… if we took it, we'd lose something?"
Onyx stiffened, her jaw tightening. "That's not our place to decide. You're letting the air get to your head."
Citrine's voice joined them, calm and measured. "She's not wrong. I've run every analysis. The biological systems here are interconnected in ways I've never encountered. If we harvest like usual, the planet might not survive."
Onyx spun on her heel. "So we let it live? And what, disobey orders? That's not us."
Amara stepped forward, holding a small flower that pulsed faintly with an inner light. "Maybe it should be."
Silence stretched out between them, heavier than the ocean breeze.
Jinx's voice was a whisper from the edge of a boulder. "Our diamond knows best... but... I dunno. This place is better than anything I've blown up before."
Seraphine looked over the group, the weight of leadership settling heavily on her shoulders. For the first time, she found herself without the words to command.
They didn't betray the Diamonds that day. Not yet.
But something had shifted, unseen and undeniable.
That night, Lapis returned with news that fractured the fragile order they'd maintained. A lifeform—a human—had been found injured, wandering the wilds. He was hungry, desperate.
His name was Oni.
He didn't trust them. He ran, fought, even bit Jinx.
But Amara healed him.
Citrine found him a place to rest.
Seraphine made no move to send him away.
Slowly, Oni stayed.
He built a shack near the beach, an island of humanity amid alien stones.
They let him.
They didn't report him.
The first rule they broke…
Was silence.
And beneath the waves and stars, the embers of doubt began to glow.