Song of the Void

"Some races found on Haven are more well-known than others. Races like the Mrrroww are at least superficially familiar to everyone, even if all their eccentricities are not understood by the others. Some others like the Coatl and the Azi are equally well known, while a race like the Dashane or the Guardians are all often seen even if often misunderstood. On the other end are races that we know fairly little about. There might be dozens of their people on the station, but they don’t talk about their race and culture beyond what they told during the first contact interview. Some races are so rare that they come around only once every few decades and are practically unknown. Yet, everyone is welcome on the station, until they are not.”

- High Ambassador of the Mrrroww

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”I would not have made the offer if I didn’t.” Selendil pointed out in reply to Moonshadow’s incredulous question. "Now I should probably mention that when I say you have certain talents I find interesting, I don't just mean those you are unaware of. I can help you develop the psionic talents you already have, and help you discover others. The one I'm interested in is a very particular talent I've only sensed in the…Illum was it?" Selendil turned towards Amaterasu, not entirely sure of the proper noun for a female of Illum descent.

"Illum is preferred, yes," Amaterasu replied wryly. She was kind of anticipating the moment Moonshadow realized that she was the Empress of the Illum. She was actually rather curious about how long it would take and decided not to say anything until that time.

“Right. She’s the other person with the same talent, which is why she will be joining us as well. You will benefit quite a bit from developing this talent, I assure you. As for non-psionic talents, I’m quite interested in your diplomatic abilities. Truth be told, I would rather leave such negotiations to others and you are at the very least respected in that field. I’ve heard good things, and not just from Lilly.” Selendil suspected that getting Moonshadow to agree might be a bit more challenging, which is why she made the token effort to sell the idea slightly more than with Amaterasu. Moonshadow was also currently more promising as far as abilities went, so there was also that little detail. That said, their current abilities might not reflect their future development.

She didn’t have to do much convincing though. The wheel had started turning in Moonshadow’s head as soon as the suggestion was made. The first obvious positive point was the opportunity to come into contact with advanced technology. She had her suspicions about Selendil’s identity, but a ‘Solarian’ having a ship that looked just like the one the Progenitor’s used was not too odd. She knew Selendil was an energy being from an advanced race. A race like the Solarians taking over old Progenitor ships made sense. Perhaps the reason the Mrrroww and most other races found no sign of the Progenitor’s vessels was because someone simply got there first? Or the ship’s appearance might just be the result of emulation due to honoring those that came before, and the kinship felt towards fellow energy beings. Nevertheless, even if the ship had nothing to do with the Progenitors aside from appearance, it would still be technologically advanced as a Solarian ship.

The second positive point was the idea of advancing her psionics. If Selendil could be trusted, and so far she had given very little reason to think she was someone who would lie about such things, then the opportunity to improve came at the perfect time. Moonshadow had reached something of a rut in her growth as a psion, and she needed a push. And seeing that most psions around her were actually lower ranked than her, it would require someone like Selendil to give that push. It also helped that she was something of an adventurer. That’s partially why she became an ambassador, to go to new and potentially dangerous places on her travels. But the role of a High Ambassador was much more restricting and she was feeling stifled. She liked the perks that came with the job, but she wasn’t exactly dependent on them.

Then there was the final problem that had just surfaced. The High Command might make trouble for her if she didn’t get any results from this negotiation. However, if she became part of Selendil’s crew she could avoid most trouble for two reasons. Firstly she actually did get some results, even if not quite what the High Command wanted. If she played this right, then she could present herself almost as a martyr taking the leap to aid her race, along with Lilly which took away a bit of the shine, when in fact she was almost happily jumping at the opportunity. Secondly, the power games of the Mrrroww came with an odd quirk. Her enemies wouldn’t mind making trouble for her if given the opportunity, but they would only do so when she was present. It didn’t satisfy the sense of superiority present in most Mrrroww if the other party in these power plays was not present to show her miserable expression and depriving them the ability to silently gloat about their superiority. Some Mrrroww were actually not polite enough to keep their gloating silent, but the gloating was an important part nevertheless. As long as she was away, she would not be judged in absentia.

She was actually quite eager to join now that all the pieces of her little plan clicked into place, though she couldn’t show that eagerness of course. “I do owe you my life and I’m not averse to the idea. However, as an ambassador of the Mrrroww, I have to make certain…offers before I accept. It’s my duty.”

"I think we can all see where this is going," Amaterasu muttered. She knew the Mrrroww would be eager to get their paws on the ship, perhaps even to the point of risking violence. “And I’m also pretty confident in saying that the likely answer will be no.”

"If the idea is to get my ship, then she is absolutely right. I would also advise your kind against falling to the temptation of thinking using force might work. I've been told that your so-called Deities can turn entire wars around. Well, what you consider Deities, my kind considers normal adults. You don't want to be on the receiving end of what my kind considers to be the peak of psionic ability. The result would not be pretty.” Selendil added for emphasis. Her tone was so full of confidence that it left no room for doubt.

“In that case, I accept your offer. I’ll need a few days to get matters handled on my end. Will you still be on Haven if I’ll meet you on the station in a week?” Moonshadow suddenly stated, making her decision.

“So be it.” Selendil agreed to the arrangement. It would be faster to have Moonshadow return to the ship as they could warp back to the beacon located within the nebula near the station, but it would also allow the Mrrroww to call for reinforcements to reach this system. The leader of the Mrrroww fleet had shown considerable restraint in not trying to take the ship by force, but it was likely that the situation would escalate when potential reinforcements and more impetuous leaders arrived.

Amaterasu turned to Selendil right after the communications were cut. “So. The peak of psionic ability, huh?”

Selendil’s tails once again showed her amusement, which once again wasn’t registered by Amaterasu just yet. Even with her intelligence and observational skills, it would take some time to learn to read the subtle nonverbal cues when Selendil’s behavior was so different compared to what she was used to. “I never did explain the purpose of my role, did I? I still think you aren’t ready for the full explanation, but I can give you a hint. The Dhar were a warrior people. Even among such people, the Keepers were respected for their psionic might. They were respected for many other reasons as well, but the others had a saying about Keepers. It doesn’t translate well, but the gist of the saying was that whenever Keepers were forced to take part in a war, the war suddenly became very short, thus ruining the fun the others were having.”

“That…sounds impressive. I suppose you didn’t take part in wars that often then?” Amaterasu had trouble keeping her expressions in control.

"No. No, we did not. Only twice in the entire history of the Eternal Empire." Selendil stated with melancholy.

Amaterasu gave a small shudder. The name Eternal Empire was an exaggeration of course, but it wasn’t completely unearned. As far as anyone was aware, their reign was unique in both length and reach. If during that entire time these ‘Keepers’ marched to war only twice, and that was enough to create a saying like the one before, then they had made an impression. And that impression had to be taken in the context of a warrior race like the Dhar. She was finally starting to realize that Selendil being the last surviving member of her race might not have been by accident. She had known the Dhar would be strong, but the role of the particular Dhar in front of her might be something that matched and exceeded her own prominence among the Illum.

“Well, you’ve already partially fulfilled your end of the bargain and seem poised to do the rest as soon as we return. I’m guessing you will no longer feel the need to hide the ship once we return to Haven, correct?” Amaterasu got a nod of agreement as a reply. “In that case, I will have to return home soon so I can fulfill my part.”

“You said that you have one of the support beacons under your control, right?” Selendil suddenly interjected. “Is it at these coordinates?” A map of the galaxy appeared above her hand, highlighting a certain par in the outer rim.

"…it is," Amaterasu replied carefully. Even now she was a little leery about revealing the location of their sacred home planet.

“How is it stored? Specifically, is it in orbit, or is in on a planet?” Selendil questioned further.

“It’s on a planet. Or at least it has been there for the last thirty years.” Amaterasu could sense where this was going.

"I can always send you straight back by warping you," Selendil suggested, confirming Amaterasu’s suspicions.

“That might actually be the best solution, assuming I can return the same way. Despite my ship being powerful, there’s always the risk of getting intercepted by the Tetrarchy or the Cybrans and the risk will increase now that they’ve received hints of my ship near Haven. It would also give me more time to get my affairs in order. I’ll need some of my Handmaiden to return with me as well though.” Amaterasu pointed out.

“A handful of people will make no difference. As for the return, I can show you how to use that focus to connect with the beacon on your end. I’ll get the message and bring you back. Do keep in mind though, that now that I’ve done my part, I expect you to do yours. Don’t make me come get you.” Selendil stated confidently. The Dhar didn’t generally like giving the other races access to the warp network for obvious strategic reasons, but they did develop ways to allow for others to request transfer in certain situations.

“Well, then. We should return so I can get to it.” Amaterasu was already planning on how she could have one of the Handmaidens handle things in her stead. She had a handful of extremely competent ones that could assume control of the situation while pretending she was engaged in an important project for a short time. She would eventually need a longer-term solution, but the Handmaiden could handle things for now by pretending to ferry messages to her and making it appear that she sent orders back.

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"So explain to me again why we are here," Selendil asked curtly. Even with her environmental suit blocking most everything, her nature as an energy being guaranteed that some of the smells still reached her. That was the problem with using your powers instead of a nose to smell things. Some of that power would leak outside the suit.

The area they were in was the seedier part of Haven. It might actually be the seediest part, as it was home to slums and low-quality entertainment. Describing the establishments around them as shady was not really doing them justice, as it was clear this area was barely even maintained with grime everywhere and the air being stale and filled with the smell of sweat and various bodily secretions. Most stores here either peddled in gambling, substances that were meant to be abused, or flesh, be it for pleasure or entertainment.

"We're here to find two people, a fixer and a doctor," Lilly stated confidently. She was familiar with the area thanks to her work in keeping order on the station. She rarely visited the place personally, but even she had to spend some time here as part of her duties. “I’m not sure if we can find the fixer, but I’m pretty sure we can find our doctor. As your standards are so high, we have to go a bit outside the normal to find what we need. Khaemwaset is extremely brilliant and due to his…shall we say predilections, has knowledge of the biology of countless races.”

“And I’m guessing these…predilections have something to do with why we are here of all places?” Selendil asked for clarification. The presence of slums and filth didn’t surprise her. There were always those that came looking for something better only to fail, and there would always be those that were willing to prey on such people.

“You could say that. Khaem has a problem with gambling. And drinking. And whoring. I’m pretty sure he also abuses stimulants. And he tries to flirt with anything female regardless of race. The actually surprising part is that he has quite a bit of success with his flirting. Anyway, thanks to all his…issues, he tends to fall into trouble and debt quite easily and usually his only repayment is to use his skill as a doctor. The fact that he’s so good is why all the gangs and ne'er-do-wells keep selling him whatever he wants. The fact that he likes to sleep around and often treats criminals actually helps him get familiar with the biology of the various races.” Lilly explained.

“Huh. Not exactly an optimal choice, but worth investigating at least. Good job Lilly. I expect you have some idea into his personality beyond his habit of getting into female trouble?” Selendil checked to make sure.

“Yeah, we’ve arrested him a few times, and I’ve questioned him before. He’s not a bad guy really, just a bit of a lecher. He doesn’t push things too far and considers his faults to be mostly something done in good fun. He knows not to cross lines, even if those lines are not quite where we would like them to be.” Lilly explained and stopped in front of a particularly seedy establishment, and stood there calmly.

Selendil looked at the Mrrroww in question and received a wave of her paw to signal some patience. As if on cue, a person got thrown out of the doors of the building, landing quite roughly on the cracked metal floor of the station. The slight moan of pain was a sign that the landing had not been gentle. "He's also rather punctual despite his other faults," Lilly stated rather smugly.

The grey-skinned humanoid rolled around on the floor to face Lilly once her voice drew his attention. “Ensign Lilly! To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? And you brought a friend!” He asked with a pleasant and soft voice that seemed genuinely pleased to see the Mrrroww officer.

The humanoid looking man actually bore some resemblance to what a Dhar looked like without the tails and of course without being an energy being. The man had similar bony ridges on his head which sat atop a long-ish neck. He was quite well muscled, something that was clear even through his disheveled clothing, and he had four long and powerful arms. Unlike a Dhar, he also had a mouth and a nose, though no visible ears.

“Khaem, good to see you so lively. You’re not too heavily under influence, are you?” Lilly greeted the man with a small smile.

“Not too badly. I had a few drinks in the bar before I got thrown out, but I’m still able to work if you need help.” The man replied. He had actually done a few under the table favors for the guards when they needed someone patched up without questions being asked.

"I'm actually here to offer you a job. I'm no longer in the military. Instead, I'm working for Selendil here, and her ship is in need of a doctor that can handle multiple races. Naturally, you came to mind. Eventually. The job will take a while, but it should give you the opportunity to see new places. Meet new races. Would keep you out of trouble for a while as well.” Lilly pointed out.

“Yes, well, I think I might have sampled most of what the station has to offer for the time being, so your offer came at a good time.” The man finally got up from the ground and made a small bow towards Selendil. “Lady Selendil, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” His tone made it pretty clear that he was already trying to flirt with her.

One of his hands reached towards Selendil, the two women not being entirely sure for what reason. He suddenly found, however, that he was held in place by a force he could not struggle against. "I would keep my hands to myself if I were you," Selendil stated calmly. For emphasis, a nearby trash container was suddenly scrunched into the size of a pin. The now much denser mass dropped on the floor, actually making a small dent. “Welcome aboard.”

“Fascinating.” The man muttered, clearly more interested than intimidated. As he had lived most of his life among the scum of any place he visited, he wasn’t easily intimidated. Instead, he took Selendil’s actions more as a challenge than anything else.

Lilly cleared her throat. “Khaem, you might want to get your things. I’ll send you further instructions once you get to the docks.”

"Master, there's something you should know," Haven stated as soon as the man left. “I think I know who the Ensign has in mind for a fixer, and I approve of both of her choices. However, as the fixer handles a lot of goods, they aren’t always fully aware of everything they have. One of the items has faint traces of void energy about it.”

“Void energy?” Selendil repeated her voice getting an angry tinge. “And why am I learning about this only now?”

“Because the item arrived on the station only a week ago and I had no reason to pay particular attention to it before now. The traces are so faint that I had to actually actively scan his entire inventory to notice. I don’t think the item actually originates from the void phase, it’s just been near something that does.” Haven explained.

“Excuse me, but what’s void energy and void phase?” Lilly asked, curious about Haven’s words. Especially the word phase drew her attention as it had a quite important connotation for any spacefaring race.

“Something dangerous. I’m only mentioning this so you’ll have a slight understanding of what to look out for and you already figured out a part of it. Void phase does have something to do with the phase space you know about. You didn’t think the phase you use for travel and new materials was the only one out there, did you? That’s all you need know, and even that is too much:” Selendil stated angrily. “Take me to this fixer. Even if the item is only tangentially related, we will need to find out where he got it. And then we need to put an end to whoever or whatever is playing around with something they don’t understand.”