#c. annuum

Today someone was going to be appointed Superviscerator of the day shift. The last one had fallen in one of the slurry processing vats. Nasty business.

Well... fallen in wasn't quite the right term. Publicly exocuted by drowning was more apt. They'd been discovered having an affair with one of the Sterilashers. The Assessor really was so creative when it came to exocutions. Very good at selecting both appropriate and gruesome punishments. After all... jades weren't supposed to pail. You were all above such basal things. Above the quadrant system.

You were pure.

It was one thing to experiment before one left the planet to undertake their ordeals, but you were all adults now for Empress' sake. Adults with responsibilities.

And maintaing the cloister was the most important a jade could do for the empire.

You almost wished you'd been the one to rat them out. Would probably have put you in good with The Assessor. Especially since she was the one who would be picking out the next Superviscerator. By the Empress herself, you had never wanted anything more in your entire life. Even if working the day shift kind of sucked. Most people were in their recouperacoons.

You could feel your hair clinging to the back of your neck from the sweat. It wasn't anywhere near as hot as Alternia had been, but after two sweeps here you had kind of gotten acclimated to the odd, temperate climate. Sometimes it even snowed. That was bizarre to experience for the first time. Most of the other Cloistered Jades refused to even go out when it got that cold, but you didn't mind it too much if you bundled up.

You could feel the vague brush of the Assessor's mind against your own. She barely needed anyone to whistleblow for her. Her telepathic abilities were peerless. Vast Glub, ceruleans were cool.

She deigned to give you a small smirk, her fangs glistening in the light.

Part of you wished you had bonified fangs that stuck out to intimidate those around you. But you didn't quite have that luck.... Unfortunate.

"Now, after the untimely end of The Heretics, we must choose a successor. Someone to carry on the important task of stewarding the continuation of our species!" Her dry voice rung through the assembly area, echoing against the metal walls. "I have thought long and hard about this, looked into the minds of each and every one of you to see who is worthy of this task. And honestly, I should punish you all for your flagrant, dissenting thoughts. So many of you are pathetic and weak willed. But there were a select few of you who showed promise, and I need someone who has been uncorrupted by her time on either Alternia or out in these Empress-Forsaken boonies."

You licked your lips, staring up at her like she was the Condesce herself. Out here, she might as well have been. None of you would ever meet Her Imperious Condescension. You'd probably never even have the honor of processing her slurry. No, some other Jade Cloister probably held that prestige.

But that didn't make your work unimportant. And maybe if you worked hard, you'd be able to rise to the top.... Well... not the Top Top. That was the Assessor. But one day maybe, if you proved yourself, you'd claw your way to the position of her right frond Matron.

All of your self-discipline was going to pay off one day.

All of it.

The Empire rewarded those who obeyed. Who followed each and every rule that the Empress laid down.

"Someone who's unwavering dedication to the Empire shines through this mire. Who is the living embodiment of devotion to Her Imperious Condescension and her laws."

Please be you. Please be you. Please be you.

You bounced on your claws, tongue clinging to the roof of your mouth, fronds clenched tightly into fists. You didn't earn your title for nothing after all.

"Someone who refuses to even humor heretical thoughts for even a moment. Someone who knows her place on the hemospectrum and takes pride in it."

It would be such a way to celebrate your wriggling day. You'd be such a good Superviscerator. People had joked about you becoming the first Jade Legislacerator when you were a wriggler. You'd memorized each and every edict of The Empire. You could recite them all by heart if you needed to.

But you were a Jade. Why would you even entertain the thought of taking the place set aside for someone higher than you? You were Head Jade anyway which was basically as cool as you could get for a Jade on Alternia.

You were really trying not to get your hopes up. After all, there were probably older Jades that deserved it to... even though The Assessor was essentially describing everything you were.

"So let me be the first to present you all with your new daytime Superviscerator." She gave you all a very sharp, pointed smile. "Loyalist. Rise."

You blinked at her words.

Because surely you were just hearing what you wanted to hear.

Surely you were just being presumptuous; But when she looked at you expectantly, you let out a little internal whoop. Maybe even a skeet skeet brrap.

You swallowed, lips curling over your teeth in the biggest grin to ever grace your face, a flush creeping up on your cheeks as you realized everyone was turning to look at you.

"I have seen your mind and I have judged you worthy. Do NOT disappoint me."

You let out a little laugh, halfway between ecstatic and nervous. "I promise you won't be disappointed with your decision, Highblood."

Today was your thirteenth wriggling day, and perhaps the best day of your entire life.