"Well - take Earth," she says. "When they first started seeding Gems there, the process started to drain the planet of its organic life. If the process had been completed, there would have been nothing left. No plants, no animals, no humans. Just a...drained husk of a planet. Who knows how may other life forms they'd driven to extinction on other worlds - and the Diamonds didn't even care."
Ah. They made more of themselves by using organic life like...well, like fertilizer. But it's not the first time Ford's met someone whose hunger destroys planets.
"I have to admit, that is pretty bad," he confirms. "Now, the Diamonds. How are they different from other Gems?"
"They were the first," Rose says, quietly. "And the most powerful. Some
Gems are able to terraform planets, but...only the Diamonds have the power
to give life to other Gems."
"Like queens in a hive," Ford says, putting it back into biological terms because he can't seem to help himself.
"All right, I think I have an idea of what your society is like. I presume there was a rebellion against the genocidal diamond regime? Is that how you died?" She said she was a soldier; it adds up.
"No," she says, shaking her head. "I mean - there was a rebellion. I led the fight against the Diamonds to save the Earth. They left us alone, I lived there for around six thousand years, but...the cost was terribly high. After the retreat, then bombarded the planet with a light that corrupted the Gems that were left behind. I was only able to protect a couple of my friends."
That is terrible, but not so terrible that Ford doesn't get the impulse to take notes. He holds himself back, not because it would be insensitive, but because she might get the wrong idea about his wardening plans.
"And, when a Gem is corrupted," he prompts. "Is it like death?"
"No. We can only 'die' if our Gems are shattered. The corruption turned them into monsters. No consciousness, no voice, just...anger and pain. I've tried to heal them, but nothing works. All we can do is keep their Gems suspended so their bodies can't reform."
"I just woke up here. If the Admiral had invited me I wouldn't have wanted to come. I'd made up my mind about passing on my Gem and ending my existence."
"I was going to have a child," she says. "With a human man. It's the
first time a Gem's tried it, I think, but I know from Jasper that it
worked. His name is Steven. He took my Gem, he has my powers."
"And you didn't survive the process," he says. It is a bit like reprogramming, but with human DNA.
Ford can't imagine wanting a child so badly that he would end his own life. Even now that he's had one in a breach, one he loved very much, one who he would have died for after the fact....well, it was her choice.
"Well, I can explain why you were brought here," Ford says. "The Admiral works for a shadowy organization I've only seen once. They're called the Authority. At least, he used to work for them -- before he stole the ship we're currently on and ran away from their headquarters rather than be decommissioned for running the Barge incompetently."
"The Authority brought you here," he says, "because they thought it would be interesting to see what you would do on the Barge. I believe they're watching us, from their dimension. To us, graduation is life or death, but to them, it's a game. We're their entertainment."
"I was hoping to, earlier this year," he admits. "But I got the dimension wrong. It's a long story, but rest assured, I won't be trying it again."
Not that way. Not without the agreement of the rest of the Barge, if they have to be involved with it.
"I don't have hard evidence," Ford says. "But there are too many coincidences for me to seriously believe this ship is what the Admiral says it is. Think about it: a system that was truly made to give people who did bad things in life a second chance wouldn't have so many who fell through the cracks. Last I checked, only one inmate in six made it out without disappearing and dying for good.
"So if redemption and resurrection aren't the purpose, what is? We have to look at what actually happens on the ship. I know you made it through the breach, but were you here on the 13th?"
"Yes, and the Barge was redecorated with narrower halls and spiderwebs, and you couldn't get anything clean if you tried!"
"Now, I'm sure you remember from the breach that the human month of October ends in a holiday called Halloween, and the number 13 is generally regarded as unlucky. The idea, as far as I can tell, was to turn the Barge into a haunted house, and have us be the ghosts."
He pauses, gathering himself.
"I had to relive every time I've ever died. I've died eight different ways, Rose. I'm sure the sound of me drowning, or dissolving, or being crushed to death all night was very festive. But what part of that is supposed to make us better people?"
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"I have to admit, that is pretty bad," he confirms. "Now, the Diamonds. How are they different from other Gems?"
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"They were the first," Rose says, quietly. "And the most powerful. Some Gems are able to terraform planets, but...only the Diamonds have the power to give life to other Gems."
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"All right, I think I have an idea of what your society is like. I presume there was a rebellion against the genocidal diamond regime? Is that how you died?" She said she was a soldier; it adds up.
(He missed her network post.)
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That is terrible, but not so terrible that Ford doesn't get the impulse to take notes. He holds himself back, not because it would be insensitive, but because she might get the wrong idea about his wardening plans.
"And, when a Gem is corrupted," he prompts. "Is it like death?"
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That's pretty horrifying. This sparkle-diamond-gem world is consistently surprisingly dark.
"That's terrible."
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"...Yes. Yes, it is. I wish there was more I could have done. More Gems I could have saved."
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"Well," Ford says, "if it helps, I can assure you that the chances of that being why you're here are next to nothing."
And dramatic irony means theatrically ironlike, right, Stanford?
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"O-okay."
She looks at him hopefully.
"You said you might be able to work out why I'm here?"
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Ford takes a deep breath, arranging his thoughts.
"Did the Admiral approach you, or did you just wake up here?"
cw from this point; suicide
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"You can do that, too? How exactly does one 'pass on' a gem?"
Sounds like reprogramming to him, but she's not a robot.
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Rose smiles at that, soft and warm.
"I was going to have a child," she says. "With a human man. It's the first time a Gem's tried it, I think, but I know from Jasper that it worked. His name is Steven. He took my Gem, he has my powers."
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Ford can't imagine wanting a child so badly that he would end his own life. Even now that he's had one in a breach, one he loved very much, one who he would have died for after the fact....well, it was her choice.
"Well, I can explain why you were brought here," Ford says. "The Admiral works for a shadowy organization I've only seen once. They're called the Authority. At least, he used to work for them -- before he stole the ship we're currently on and ran away from their headquarters rather than be decommissioned for running the Barge incompetently."
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"But that's - that's how I was brought here," she says softly. "It doesn't really explain why."
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"The Authority brought you here," he says, "because they thought it would be interesting to see what you would do on the Barge. I believe they're watching us, from their dimension. To us, graduation is life or death, but to them, it's a game. We're their entertainment."
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Rose's brow furrows.
"That's - awful. Is it true? Can you prove it?"
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Not that way. Not without the agreement of the rest of the Barge, if they have to be involved with it.
"I don't have hard evidence," Ford says. "But there are too many coincidences for me to seriously believe this ship is what the Admiral says it is. Think about it: a system that was truly made to give people who did bad things in life a second chance wouldn't have so many who fell through the cracks. Last I checked, only one inmate in six made it out without disappearing and dying for good.
"So if redemption and resurrection aren't the purpose, what is? We have to look at what actually happens on the ship. I know you made it through the breach, but were you here on the 13th?"
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"I - yes," she says, nodding. "When there were ghosts? I remember."
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"Now, I'm sure you remember from the breach that the human month of October ends in a holiday called Halloween, and the number 13 is generally regarded as unlucky. The idea, as far as I can tell, was to turn the Barge into a haunted house, and have us be the ghosts."
He pauses, gathering himself.
"I had to relive every time I've ever died. I've died eight different ways, Rose. I'm sure the sound of me drowning, or dissolving, or being crushed to death all night was very festive. But what part of that is supposed to make us better people?"
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Rose sits with this for a moment.
"But you graduated, right?"
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"So...so you can't say the Barge didn't work for you at all."
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cw: suicide ment
blanket cw from here
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