Chương 156: LOG-148.

Meet and greet. LOG-148. There was a distinct benefit to having Nacre Three's… I hesitated to say friendship. Adoration, perhaps. Which didn't make me feel any better, but oh well. The advantage to it was that the crazy bitch was all too willing to share important information when I asked for it, and then a little extra. Things like little tips and tricks when it came to getting around the areas of the facility I was previously forbidden from visiting as a Pearl.

Things like her latest method of gathering intelligence she shouldn't have. Crack. Crackle. Snap. It… didn't exactly feel like she was trying to impress me or anything. And if her own words on the matter were to be believed…

"You have always been my greatest creation, my dear Overseer. I am only happy to assist where I can, so you may continue to excel in all regards." The genuine smile plastered across her gaunt face when she'd proudly said those words was something that would likely remain etched in my mind for the rest of eternity, eidetic memory notwithstanding. She fully believes what she's preaching. She loves me, in so much as an Imperial Gem can even understand a concept like that. I am her ultimate success. Her magnum opus.

Holding back a shudder, I continued making my rounds through the wide and narrow expanses of the Reef's many, many different environs, searching for irregularities. For flaws. Things that could be improved with just a little bit of direction. To the facility's credit, it was structurally sound. Well built for its age, and durable enough to stand the test of time for countless more ages, likely until the pale star its world orbited around finally exploded.

Eventually, I found myself stopping just outside a well concealed little seam in one of the walls, something clearly meant to go unnoticed by countless Gems, save for a very specific caste. Glancing left, then right, I slowly brought my hand forward, claws splayed outward as I bent over slightly to press my palm flat against the shiny material of the wall, talons clicking against its surface with gentle taps.

A light push, and I felt a brief feeling of connection as the piece of hidden technological architecture scanned my identity, before immediately falling back in compliance as it realised I was the Overseer of the very facility it was a part of.

Staring as the hatch slid open and exposed a maintenance corridor that looked far less refined and shiny than the outward shell the Reef openly displayed, I allowed myself a small smile, before ducking through the hatch, eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness even as the seam shut itself back up behind me. — It was difficult, traversing through a tunnel evidently not built with someone as tall as a Nacre in mind.

But I wasn't some prissy Imperial who didn't know how to adapt, so it was with a somewhat crouching stance that I found myself exploring the facility I governed in an all new light, one of dim green, rather than the bright whites and occasional blues that pervaded the surface of my new world. Eventually, I found myself tracing the countless paths to one singular nexus, and it took everything I had to remain still as the sound of nasal voices filled the air.

"No we can't just modify the central output to power the new office, that would ruin the redundancy!"

"Exactly! It's a redundant power scheme! The Overseer's utilities should be connected to the main grid to save energy in other sectors, otherwise it's just a pointless excess!"

"Would you two please stop arguing?"

"No!"

"No!" The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"... Ugh, I'm going for a walk. Let me know if you've sorted it out when I get back." Eyes widening slightly, I pressed myself flat against one of the walls, just outside the hexagonal doorway I'd been standing just outside of. Back curving against the seams and wires behind me, and head craned downward, I stared silently as a Peridot with braided hair trailing down to her lower back angrily stomped out of the room, even as the voices of her fellows picked back up again.

It didn't take long for me to begin following her. And it was simple enough to do so. While my own clicking steps were distinct, I found it trivial to synchronise the light noise with the significantly louder clomping of her limb enhancers, masking the sound as I stalked the technician throughout her own domain. It was when she finally stopped at a lonely intersection of corridors, arms hugging around her torso and a slight shaking beginning to overtake her lightform that I finally spoke.

"Peridot Reef technician Facet 1Z5Z, Cut 7XG." As predicted, the green Gem let out a strangled scream of fright at her supposedly private sanctuary proving itself less than secure, the technological expert nearly falling over her own limb enhancers as she twisted around and retreated several steps away from where she thought I was, arms flailing to keep her upright.

It was when she finally regained her balance and caught sight of my slightly hunched over form that her pupils shrunk to little pinpricks behind her luminescent visor, the newest member of the Reef's support staff stuttering even as her arms automatically shot up into the familiar shape of a Diamond salute.

"O-O-Overseer! I mean-my Overseer, my-ah-oh-" 7XG went silent, mouth practically clacking shut as I brought up a hand, one claw pressing against my lips in a shushing motion, before I lowered the limb to hang alongside its twin.

"You will speak the truth, and only the truth to me. Do you understand, technician?"

"Y-Yes Overseer."

"Good. You are not in trouble, do you understand?" This time her response was a little firmer, a little bit more life rushing back into her expression as whatever fears of perceived shattering she'd likely been imagining slowly faded at my words.

"Yes, my Overseer." She's fully subservient. Exceedingly young by Gem standards, less than a decade old by human standards, at least judging from what I could pull from her file. She shouldn't be here, she's not an Era One Peridot, which means she wasn't purpose built for the facility. She earned her way in, somehow. Bowing my head slightly, I allowed a soft smile to grace my lips.

"Excellent. Now as I've come to understand, Caretaker Nacre Three has been directing you to perform a few duties that are…let's say a little outside of your current jurisdiction, yes? Don't speak, just nod or shake your head." A shaky nod was my answer, and I found myself closing my eyes in triumph at having found the one I sought.

"Effective immediately, you are being placed under my direct command. You will assist me in technological inquiries and miscellaneous matters that I may not be fully educated in. Should Nacre Three approach you, you are to direct her to me, am I understood?" A moment passed, and I opened my eyes to find 7XG staring at me with wide eyes, shock blatantly coating her expression.

Tilting my head slightly, I gave her a moment, before the Peridot presumably realised she was supposed to respond and rapidly began bobbing her head up and down, the action widening my smile slightly.

"Good, report to my office at your earliest convenience. I have questions regarding the Reef's surveillance systems. Be prompt, yes?"

"Y-Yes my Overseer! Right away my Overseer!" She's utterly relieved that I didn't brandish my claws at her, though she's still glancing at them with some amount of wariness. Oh not this again… Regardless, she can't believe her luck. She's incredibly eager to work with me, to the point that she isn't even thinking about how strange it is that I spent time stalking her down a maintenance tunnel. She sees this as a definitive upgrade to whatever relationship she might have had with Nacre Three. … Hmph.