Chương 23: LOG-020.

"I don't think you quite understand the situation here. I have concrete proof that an armed organic force is present within Imperial space! An entire destroyer was lost, for Stars' sake!" Type seven, pattern eight. Back straight, arms carefully held in the ever fashionable Diamond salute, and expression very clearly attentive! Her Hessonite scoffed, one hand rising up to idly pat at the carefully posing Pearl's head. A long time ago, she had been Sixteen J.

But that designation only existed within the records of the Reef now, in all likelyhood. Well, and in her head. And in the minds of the other Pearls around her. And maybe also in the mouths of some Gems she'd spoken to here and there. But outside of there? No, the designator was gone. Made completely and utterly irrelevant! Mostly since the only Gem such a thing truly mattered to didn't really call her by it. Instead, she merely went by Pearl, now.

On occasion, her owner would even deign to try out various nicknames! Granted, none had truly stuck yet, but the Pearl was confident that 'Glitter' had some level of potential! It wasn't quite on the level of something like Viridian but... she was more than willing to settle for something small. A name was a name, after all. Speaking of the long since absent Pearl in question, it appeared she wasn't aboard the admiral's bridge. Hmph.

A true shame, that the green paragon wasn't around for the first meeting between the two high ranking Gems that Sixteen J actually got to be present for. She'd have loved to catch up... and maybe ask for some more advisement in regards to maintaining solid composure while singing for longer periods of time. Her Hessonite adored her singing.

"Yes, yes. I can assume as much considering the utter state you and your crew showed up in. But I'm merely a station administrator, what exactly do you expect me to do?" The Emerald on the other side of the view screen ground her teeth for a moment, visibly holding herself back from shouting. Then the military Gem sighed, head hanging slightly as her wild strands of hair almost visibly wilted in turn.

"Look, I know it's been a kilo-cyle or two since we last properly spoke in person, but this can't wait. If you could just put me in contact with a few of the nearby patrol groups, I could assemble them into a decent strike force and settle this before things get worse. Those... those glitching pirates have stolen refined Diamond essence, Hessonite!" The Pearl's eyes widened drastically (involuntarily, unfortunately. She was still trying to figure out how to keep such expressions veiled like Sixteen B and F had managed back at the Reef) at the mention of such a crucial resource going missing, and judging by her Hessonite's sharp intake of air, the administrator was fairly shocked as well.

"That... well! I can see why you're more than a little flustered about things in that case. But calling in so many separate units with so little notice will annoy more than a few minor captains. Surely you could wait long enough for me to put out a more official call to arms? The system exists for a reason, Emerald!"

The orange Gem's hand waved through the air slightly, adjusting a few of the holographic screens floating around her, just close enough to begin typing in a few new sets of orders for the small army of support personnel helping keep the entire starbase running.

"It's not like we'll be on any true time limit after all. A primitive organic species wouldn't know the first thing about manipulating Diamond essence, and they wouldn't be able to make it very far in the time I'd need to dispatch a properly requisitioned pursuit fleet!" A long moment of silence passed, and Sixteen J resisted the temptation to tilt her head in confusion as the haggard looking admiral let out a deep, tired sounding sigh.

In the deepest depths of her mind, Sixteen J quietly wondered whether the naval officer was annoyed at a civilian making assumptions regarding military matters. Then she shunted the almost traitorous thought away, and-"They... they took my Pearls."

A pin dropping could have shattered the far tenser silence that filled the air in that moment, until her Hessonite leaned forward, a hand carefully swiping the collection of holo-screens out of the way so she could divert her full attention to what she'd explained to her yellow servant (in private, as a matter of course) was an old acquaintance since their Kindergarten days. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"... They took your Pearls?" The world stilled for just a second, at least from Sixteen J's perspective. Viridian and another Pearl, stolen? The Gem across the screen slumped, and Sixteen J couldn't help but ponder just how unnatural the action seemed on an Emerald of all things.

"I've already told you about that damned Sodalite, right?" Her Hessonite's lips curled down into a slight sneer at the mention.

"Yes, we had the chat while my own Pearl was out running an errand for me. The desperate thing tried to get you to trade your dear Viridian, didn't she? And then you swindled her into giving you her Pearl for nothing!" Her head swam with all the information she'd apparently missed out on, even as the Emerald nodded quickly. A trade. For Viridian. Well, at the very least the perfect Pearl's owner hadn't even deigned to consider such a blatant robbery, clearly.

And she'd somehow managed to finagle a second Pearl out of the whole ordeal... and then promptly lost them both to organic pirates, of all things.

"Correct, mostly. But regardless of all that, the damned fleshlings had rogue Gems working with them. Likely some remnants from the reprogrammed Kindergarten incident back near the start of Era Two. It's how they managed to give my crew an actual fight, and I'm certain it's also how they managed to abduct my Pearls, Hessonite." The statement was punctuated by an almost desperate looking glare, even as her owner carefully considered the new information she'd been given.

A momentary flash of hesitation passed across the station administrator's face, before her hand gently batted at Sixteen J's shoulder, pushing her back.

"Pearl, go contact the communications center. I..." An eye flicked towards the wide eyed Emerald on the other side of the call, before the orange Gem nodded firmly.

"I want you to tell them that I need every available patrol ship redirected to the station, effective immediately. Tell them I'll handle any complications from scheduling errors personally, understand?" Snapping to attention (slightly redundant, considering she'd been at attention the whole time, but oh well) the Pearl bobbed her head rapidly in acknowledgement of the command.

"Yes, my Hessonite!" As she began to make her way out from her owner's private quarters, she barely caught the Gem in question flashing a small smile towards the now far more thankful looking Emerald.

"Apologies! Out of the way, out of the way! I have official orders from my Hessonite, make way at once! Sorry!" Gems of every size and colour shifted in surprise and confusion as Sixteen J practically danced her way through one of the primary locomotion tunnels, clutching her dress tightly in order to prevent the lightform garb from shifting inappropriately as she continued to rush her way forward.

Just as she hurriedly sidestepped a startled Amethyst guard, a second moving presence made itself apparent at her side. A quick glance revealed another Pearl striding after her with a curious expression plastered across her face. The pink Gem wasn't from her Batch, but Sixteen J recognized her nonetheless. Though to be fair, practically all of the Pearls that lived aboard the starbase alongside their owners knew each other.

Mostly as a matter of simple necessity considering their various, often intersecting tasks, but also due to the occasional get together they managed to organise whenever their respective masters were busy in this or that group meeting and didn't desire potentially distracting entertainment. This particular Pearl had apparently gone by Twelve N, though her owner, a rather kind Sapphire that Sixteen J had experienced the pleasure of interacting with a few times, had long since named her Fuchsia. A pretty name.

And the pretty Pearl it was associated with barely managed to duck under the bewildered Amethyst as she chased after her golden counterpart.

"What's with the rush?!" A quiet yell was pretty much required, considering the constant thrum of noise associated with a tunnel filled with Gems, but Sixteen J felt a slight blush of embarassment reach her face at the impropriety of it all, even as she slightly raised her voice in turn.

"I have to tell the Gems in Communications to call in all available patrols so we can scramble a fleet together! Don't you have your own job to do!?" Fuchsia's eyes widened, even as both Pearls ducked beneath a trio of Peridots who collectively yelped at the sudden slim forms darting beneath their legs.

"No, my Sapphire let me go for a walk while she meditates! Why!?" Another turn, another Gem bypassed with a hasty apology.

"Do you remember the green Pearl!? The best of our entire Batch!?" The barest hint of an exhale of air as the pink Gem barely avoided colliding with a bored looking Pyrite.

"Viridian?! How couldn't I?! You and Sixteen D practically never shut up about her!" Finally, they stopped at the doors that would admit entry into the starbase's primary communications chamber. Sixteen J knew she likely shouldn't have said anything. Rumours aboard the Crystal Confluence tended to spread faster than a Ruby soldier's fire, especially when it came to the deep space waystation's not at all insignificant population of Pearls, and she didn't want to potentially cause an inconvenience for her Hessonite.

But a deep, borderline treasonous part of her felt that Gems should know that such a lovely servant was missing and needed help, even if she was just a Pearl. Oh, and whoever the other one was should probably be rescued too. But mostly what had once been the ever flawless Sixteen B. Quality was something that was supposed to be treasured within the Great Diamond Authority, after all!

And if there was anything Fuchsia was better at than carrying around her Sapphire's pillows, it was letting just about everyone know the latest bit of gossip she had managed to sink her teeth into.

"She's been abducted by a bunch of rogue Gems working with organics!" The doors snapped open as the scanner finally registered her presence, and the last thing Sixteen J saw while darting forward before they closed back up was Fuchsia's utterly flabbergasted expression. There, she'd helped and done her extra part, in her own way. Knowing Fuchsia, half the station would be in an uproar soon enough, even if they didn't quite know what they were in an uproar about.

With luck, it would help speed things along a little in regards to getting volunteers for a rescue mission of some kind. With that out of the way, she could finally follow through with her Hessonite's orders and get an official response to this whole mess.