Song of the Void

--------

Selendil tapped her fingers against the arm of her plush chair on the bridge. ‘This is a really good chair.’ She thought idly. She had not been too interested when the crew brought up the idea of comfy seats way back when they were still fixing the ship. She spent most of her time floating in air thanks to her powers, so seats had little impact on her, but she had to admit that this particular one was quite comfortable. The crew had done a great job in finding them. It was something she had reflected on before, but it was funny how you noticed the small things during the quiet moments.

She was currently alone on the bridge. Most of the others were taking a few days off on Haven before they set out again. They had all been informed that this trip would likely be the one that would end the threat from the Void beings, so that chapter of their journey would be complete. None of them was entirely sure what would happen afterwards, not even Selendil, so there was an air of uncertainty on the ship. Such transitionary periods were not uncommon and happened with most projects and groups that managed to stick together long enough. The Dhar called them the ‘moments between moments’. This time it was simply hitting the crew a bit harder than usual, for several reasons. One of those reasons was the ongoing situation with the Shaer. Despite the uneasy stand-off between this part of the galaxy and the Shaer controlled territories, they all knew something big would eventually happen to resolve the stalemate that had been created by Selendil and the Shinzen.

The tranquility of the moment was broken as two people entered the bridge. “What are you thinking?” Moonshadow asked as she and Lilly came through the doors and noticed Selendil’s brooding. Moonshadow had finally reached a point where she could walk again just a few days ago. She still wasn’t at full strength, she actually used one of the hover pillows that she despised for most of her movement, but at least she was mobile. Her current issues where more about getting used to the new appendages, which had never been used before, rather than any pain or lingering damage.

Selendil didn’t want to admit that her last thoughts had been about the comfy chair so she deflected a bit. “Just thinking about the future.” It wasn’t a complete lie as she had been considering that as well.

“Well, then I came at the right time. I just got word from back home. They want to recall all Mrrroww on the ship.” Moonshadow said with some obvious displeasure. She looked towards Lilly. All personnel meant her as well, and this clearly came as a shock and a surprise to the younger Mrrroww.

“Curious timing.” Selendil pointed out.

“Not really. I submitted my report about everything that has happened since my attack after I was healthy enough to move around. I didn’t have the opportunity to do so earlier, for obvious reasons. They became aware that your current mission is coming to a close, and that you have the opportunity to travel to other universes available to you. That was a minor part of my report, but it was the part that most caught the attention of the High Command. To them, the most important part is that you might not be around to protect us from the Shaer in the near future. Even though the Shinzen are the ones doing the fighting at the moment, it is largely your presence that is holding the Shaer back from attacking the rest of us. If you’ll be gone then that deterrent will be gone as well. And if we, the Mrrroww crew members that is, can’t return as regularly as before, then the benefits we could bring by staying will diminish in the eyes of those in charge as well.” Moonshadow explained. Her tone made it clear that she didn’t fully agree with the assessment, but that it wasn’t completely wrong either.

“I will not be returning!” Lilly declared. “I like it here. I’ve found a place that accepts me, and where I feel I can contribute. Where I belong.” She didn’t mention her recent visits with Crystal, but her little blush was quite telling, even through the fur.

“I suspected as much. I already convinced the High Command that it would be a great idea for some of us to stay behind anyway. In fact, most of the Mrrroww on board want to stay. They all have a sense of adventure, or they wouldn’t have come in the first place. They can’t all stick around but most can, including you.” Moonshadow nodded as if she had expected this. She was personally fairly adventurous as well as she was rather famous for her escapades, but she had also started to see the world a little differently after her injury. She had also noted the problems plaguing the High Command and thought she might have the power and influence thanks to her recent accomplishments to help steer them in a better direction.

“However…” Selendil encouraged Moonshadow to continue. She was quite clearly hinting at something, and Selendil already knew what it would be. It was something she had expected after all.

"As you have already guessed, I will be returning." Moonshadow stated with a nod. "There are a few reasons. The number one reason is that I believe my purpose here is complete, while my people have a need for my expertise. I never intended to stick around forever, and if I do not return now, I won't be able to in the future because I'd have defied the High Command. Secondly, I've noticed how much the atmosphere on the ship has improved while I was indisposed. Lilly has done a great job leading our people while I was away. The rivalries between the Mrrroww and the Illum have almost completely disappeared. I firmly believe it’s better for the Enduring Symphony as well if I go.”

She wasn’t entirely wrong. The whole crew had come together into a much more cohesive group while she had been injured. It wasn’t just her absence that had caused it of course, but it had helped. Without the rivalries of those at the top, those that worked under Moonshadow and Amaterasu were freer to mingle and bond. Now that she was back, she felt that her presence might accidentally jeopardize those new bonds. "Besides, we both know that I was not able to do my job as a diplomat here properly," Moonshadow added with a small smirk.

“Well. It is your choice and I will not keep you here against your will. I’m not happy to see you go, but I do wish you the very best.” Selendil got up from her chair and actually walked to the Panther. Moonshadow was suddenly lifted into the air as Selendil brought them face to face. Then she brought their foreheads together in a gesture of traditional goodbye ritual of the Dhar. It was the most respect she had shown another being since waking up and it left both of the Mrrroww shocked into a silence that lasted until Selendil had left the bridge.

“She really has changed from how she was in the beginning.” Moonshadow mumbled with shock.

“She has.” Lilly agreed. “Much of it happened when she finished the song or whatever. She lost much of the constant grief and sorrow that followed her back then, but she also became unmoored, directionless. She seemed almost erratic after losing the things that had bound her for so long. She recently changed again, and now she seems to have found balance and new direction. I’m intrigued to see where this change brings her. I suppose even someone as old and powerful as her can grow and change.” Lilly commented with surprisingly sharp observations.

--------

“So what is this thing?” Dee asked Nox who was escorting her around the ship.

“That one is a Shinzen Queen.” Nox commented. “More specifically, she’s a combat Queen.”

“Combat?” Dee lifted an eyebrow at the tiny plant puppy looking thing that was trying to catch one of her tails by teleporting around. The fluffy tails had attracted attention from almost everyone, but the Shinzen Queen was the only one bold enough to actually try and touch them.

“You shouldn’t underestimate it based on appearance. That one is probably the strongest of the Shinzen Queens on the ship. It doesn’t really fight with its body so the size is irrelevant. The Shinzen are actually one of the most potentially dangerous species in the universe, and their way of life is quite fascinating. Hive species tend to be a little different in that sense.” Nox also gave a brief explanation about the Shinzen physiology and tactics.

“So why weren’t they involved with the whole wormhole thing?” Dee asked. To her, the Shinzen sounded like they could’ve been helpful at defending the wormhole.

"I didn't fully understand all the details, but from what Selendil told me, the Shinzen on board had difficulties adjusting to the absence of the hive mind. Apparently, the number of Queens that came with us had trouble maintaining a proper hive mind after all, and they spent most of their time in the hydroponics slumbering and adjusting. They popped up for brief times, but it seems they were not capable of real battle in the state they were in. The non-Queens of the Shinzen aren't really all that individualistic, but they still contribute to the hive mind, and these Queens underestimated the impact their absence would have. Last time they traveled with us without any such underlings, there were a lot more Queens present. I suppose they finally hit a point where troubles start.” Nox explained.

“Well, I think they benefitted from the experience in some ways. I can't be certain since I didn't meet them before, but to me, it feels this Queen at least has developed in a direction more like us. They may have accidentally come up with a way for the Queens to live outside the hive mind." Dee explained the sense she was getting from the tiny Queen despite the fact that they had returned to a galaxy where the Shinzen were abundant.

“According to my calculations, that seems quite plausible.” A new voice joined the two as Crystal walked into the section of the hydroponics they were in. “It’s a rather natural direction of evolution for them considering the circumstances.” The pleasure AI had taken the form of a rather attractive Illum woman this time. The woman was working as one of the nurses in the medbay.

“Crystal.” Nox greeted the other AI with a polite nod. The two of them could communicate electronically, but they were adopting the habits of those on board the ship in many ways.

“Ah, I was hoping to run into you.” Dee grinned. “I have a couple of questions, for science.”

Crystal smiled back. “Well, if it’s for science. I’ll answer what I can.”

“I actually had a rather simple question to start off with. You’ve been here for over a week now. Enough time for some of those on board to gather their courage to enjoy your services. I was wondering what the most popular forms that your clients asked from you were?” Dee asked straight out.

“Well, that’s a rather bold question. I can’t go into too many specifics since that would violate the privacy of those that seek me out. Except Khaemwaset. Apparently he doesn’t mind if everyone finds out. In fact, he wanted me to answer if someone asked. Luckily your question was general enough. However, do keep in mind that the results are somewhat skewed by the fact that Khaem alone makes up for a third of all the visits. The others haven’t become quite as bold yet. Thanks to him the spread is quite wide, but there are three clear favorites. Unsurprisingly Selendil is very popular, though I think people are still a little afraid of asking for her. Besides, I can’t completely mimic her appearance with her almost ethereal nature. The second most popular was some Illum woman that I do not know. I was only brought some pictures of her in some beachwear. Yet for some reason, several people on the crew had the same pictures. The third most popular is actually Nox." Crystal replied thoughtfully.

“Wait, what?” Nox asked a bit caught off guard. She purposefully didn’t observe anything that happened with Crystal during those kinds of meetings. She still knew what was happening, but she wasn’t ‘paying attention’ so to speak. It was one of the requests from Crystal and those that frequented her services.

“Oh come now. Surely this didn’t come as a big surprise considering the way you designed your body?” Crystal giggled.

"Well…" Nox hedged a bit. She, in fact, had expected something like this, but it was still a bit of a surprise to come face to face with the information.

“That’s what I thought.” Crystal stated a bit smugly.

Dee continued her very scientific questions. “And in how many of these encounters did you…?”

“Boink?” Crystal voiced what had been left unsaid. “Surprisingly few actually. I mean that depends a bit on how you define things. If you mean just straight up sex then saying very few is more accurate. However, many of the others were sexual in nature but didn’t progress all the way. Still, more than half of the encounters were not sexual in nature at all. That includes all the encounters with Selendil. Incidentally, all the ones that included Nox were sexual in nature, so there’s that.”

"Well, isn't that interesting," Dee stated with a sly grin.

“To be fair, I interact with the entire crew on a daily basis, and I’m often used as a conversation partner so there’s less need to try to mimic that with Crystal.” Nox defended herself hastily.

“We’ll allow that defense for now. How about genders? So far the examples have been only female.” Dee pointed out.

“Ah, actually almost half of the encounters that became sexual happened with me acting the role of a male, but there was no single person everyone wanted me to be so none of them rose high in the statistics. It seems all those that wanted me to take on a male persona had their own image of a perfect partner, and it didn’t really involve the men on the ship. Huang and Ka’eo were used as a base model a few times, but even then they were heavily edited. It seems the males on board don’t rate very high on the scale of sexual fantasies.” Crystal theorized and suddenly took the form of a hunky Eriad male.

“That doesn’t shock me.” Nox added. “While some of the male members of the crew are very accomplished, they aren’t spectacular in that sense according to the metrics I’ve gathered. That said, I’ve been told that my estimations when it comes to such things can be a little off.”

“That reminds me. As the AI of this ship, you should be aware of who the Illum woman is. It’s been bugging me since I can’t get the behavior right. Mind telling me where those images all came from so I can do some research?” Crystal asked. It offended the AI’s professional ethics that the work was sub-par.

"Oh, that! Those are from a time when Selendil took the form of an Illum for a vacation she had with Amaterasu." Nox explained.

“Wait, so Selendil has the top two spots?” Dee asked. “And what do you mean she took the form for a vacation? You make it sound like she can almost casually change forms.”

“That’s because she can.” Nox retorted as if it was something obvious. “Shouldn’t you have the same ability? You’re an energy being as well. Even the other Dhar could easily change forms.”

“I can change, but it’s not quite as simple for me. Huh. I think I might need to compare notes with Selendil one of these days. We may have quite a lot to teach each other.” Dee stated thoughtfully.

-----

"Oh, this makes the whole process so much simpler!" Dee exclaimed. She had taken a form that she'd had in her youth where her whole body was covered in short fur and she looked more like a member of the Prime species from Yrala's home galaxy.

"It's all in the mental image," Selendil explained. "Most abilities are as you know. I have no idea why you were stuck with the idea of true forms, but I've never even heard about such limitations."

“Where I came from it’s common knowledge," Dee explained. "Well, this will save me quite a bit of effort." She quickly shifted between several forms.

“Well, that just goes to show that no one knows everything. Still, it might be that your universe really had such a rule and it just doesn’t apply here.” Selendil speculated.

The two were comparing notes on abilities. Dee had taught Selendil a method to travel to other universes earlier, using something she called the Astral Sea. Selendil had quickly managed to copy the ability, although her travel speed was significantly slower than Dee’s. She thought it would become much easier once she brought Enduring Symphony along though. Apparently, vessels like that could be used to speed one's journey. They would need to run some tests later on.

“So what will you do?” Dee asked suddenly. “You now have the opportunity to leave this universe, and from what I can see, there’s very little holding you back.”

Selendil had spent the last few days thinking about the subject. “I think I will try to find others like me once we’re done with the Void beings. However, if I leave, I want the ability to return when I want. For that, we need to make some preparations.”

“Well, you do have the ability to warp, so I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to utilize that potential.” Dee nodded in agreement.

"The problem is that warping only works within the reach of the warp network. For example, we would've been stranded on the other side of the wormhole because the network didn't reach that far. For this to work, I will need the ability to bring the warp network to where the ship is. And for that, I have a plan. We used vessels called Arkships to colonize and reach new galaxies. Those ships worked essentially as mobile warp network hubs.” Selendil explained what she had come up with.

"I sense that there are some issues with the plan," Dee noted.

“Yes, well, I can’t just wave my hand and turn this vessel into an Arkship. Those vessels were the pinnacle of our technology. What we need is to gain access to an actual Arkship and take what we need from it. And the only way to do that is to return to the home galaxy of the Dhar.” Selendil rubbed her hands in a nervous gesture.

“Ok. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued. Incidentally, you mentioned that you can expand the insides of the ship when necessary. How far does that go?” Dee suddenly asked.

“Theoretically there’s no real limit but the energy required to do so rises exponentially. Why? What did you have in mind?” Selendil asked, confused about the whole question.

“Well, you have a ship, and I have…well calling it something similar would be wrong. Let’s just say that I have a mountain. That mountain just told me that it wants to apparently stretch its legs and make some acquaintances.” Dee stated in a weird voice that Selendil didn’t know how to interpret.

“That…makes absolutely no sense.” She pointed out.

“Yeah, so, here’s a small bit of advice. When dealing with the Living Mountain, it’s better if you abandon such concepts as ‘things making sense’ and ‘logical thinking’. You’ll only hurt yourself if you’re constrained by such things.” Dee said while thinking that it might be extremely interesting to have such logical and scientific beings as Selendil and Nox come face to face with one of the most illogical things she had ever seen.