Chinese Whispers
More speculative world-building instead of actual plot from yours truly, I'm afraid. Just while I'm waiting for the hiatus to finish.
I'm running a little thing on my Tumblr at the mo for people who like this fic series. Basically, send me a word, a quote or something you'd like me to write about and I'll write three lines for it in a longform drabble. I want to stick to about thirty but you're welcome to send more than one if you like, and please send it to me via Tumblr as it just makes things easier. Address is blog/breakingdownsu
Anyways, on with the show. Below quotes are from gems gossiping amongst themselves about recent happenings, each font change is a new gem. They're not speaking to each other, these are presented as being overheard.
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"I don't know what to tell you, I really don't. It's not my decision. Take it up with the higher-ups if you want, it's nothing to do with me. All I was told is that there's a substrate shortage at the moment so production's slowing down. We have about two hundred pearls in stasis at the moment and we can't finish them. Call around the other nurseries, they'll tell you the same. Yes, I'm aware it'll affect your..."
"...profits are down by 14% compared to this time on the last release, it's not in any of the holo-casts but you know these high-caste gems, they all talk. Sure, they all paid out for insurance but what good is insurance if you can't provide the goods? I'll bet those lowlifes down at the black..."
"...market is being raided from second to seventh quadrant, I will repeat, the black market is being raided from second to seventh quadrant. The primary force will be Amethyst but we will need three platoons of Jasper on the rear flanks. Search everyone going in and out of those buildings, we need to salvage as many..."
"...pearls as you can into the alum tubing, then strap them to the drain. No, they won't check there, they're not smart enough. Look, just press on the spine with this and bingo! No, it's not hurting them, stupid, they don't feel pain. Hurry up! Do you know how much money we'll lose if they..."
"...raid should bring in about 38 units of substrate and enough surplus nacre and calcium to finish off the stasis for maybe a quarter of the unfinished pearls. It's not much but it'll keep us going for a while. With all this fuss it almost feels like when the..."
"...zoatoxes as far as the eye could see, I mean they were everywhere! I think they were mostly juveniles but we didn't stick around to examine them, we were just there for the substrate, so we got out of there as fast as we could. They sent in six platoons and not a single one came back. Finally Yellow..."
"...Diamond, in whom we trust from this cycle to our last cycle, for the good of all Gemkind did lay down her life so that we could live on in her stead, we do honour with our words and our deeds, as she did honour us, we dedicate this song to her..."
"...memory must be pretty bad if those cracks are anything to go by. I wouldn't be surprised, I heard she got that crack from a full-fledged adult zoatox, have you seen those things? Well, no, I've only seen the simulations. They're all dead now. Why am I telling you this anyway, you know the stories! All I'm saying is if you look at how many cracks she has in her gem you can see why her edicts make no..."
"...sense to stay indoors, they sent out at least two platoons, didn't you hear? Yeah, it's annoying but I'd rather be in here than out there. Plus you know I can't bring my pearl out anymore, I might as well just hang a sign on me that says 'mug me!' Why don't you just come here? Get a luger or something, I don't know. Make up your mind soon, it looks like it'll get pretty..."
"...rough justice, ha! Flourite said we didn't have to hold back at all, just go crazy! It's been so long since I saw some action, dunno about you but I am pumped! I don't even care how much..."
"...substrate pockets on Gamellus, in the fourth and fifth moons. There's no signs of life being picked up there, and it would in theory be a better use of our resources than the salvage operations, but I can't say for certain how safe it would really be. The best solution I can offer is to consult the..."
"...Sapphires,but it's still unclear and I just don't think it's a good idea right now. Where would we be if we waste all that substrate on getting the Rubies there only to find out there's a nest there? I know it's unlikely but we don't know for certain that they're all gone and...Pink, are you even listening to me?"