Song of the Void

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”So what exactly should I expect from this whole charade? Are these investigations actually serious, or are they being done mostly to placate the public and those like you who asked for action to be taken?” Selendil questioned Pharaa as the CAS dreadnought prepared to make the final jump towards the CAS capital world of Zakynthos.

“Well, apparently it started out as more of a formality, but some of the representatives decided to really take up the issue and have been driving the investigation to take a much more serious and formal role. Then the investigation actually started producing results and suddenly it’s politically expedient to support the investigation, so many more worlds jumped on board." Pharaa explained while staring at Nox's biological body with a judgmental eye. She didn't mind that Nox had chosen to look like an Eriad. On the contrary, she was displeased that Nox had wanted to make changes.

“Who were the ones that were the first to support the investigation? And do we have any reason to believe they did it for reasons that might cause us to question their motives?” Selendil probed further.

“The ones that first jumped on that were the representatives from certain minor races that have been adversely affected by the rebels. It’s entirely possible that someone else was orchestrating their interest behind the scenes, but I don’t think so in this case. These races are relatively new to the CAS, they’re idealistic, and they are threatened by the rebels. They have all the reasons in the universe to want to find out if some races within the CAS are dealing with the rebels, especially if those races happen to include one or more of the Primes. It’s also good PR for them.” Pharaa shook her head in denial of Selendil’s suggestion. “Once the investigation actually produced results, all that was amplified and it became impossible to even imagine stopping.”

“You said one of the Prime races was implicated by the investigation and we’re here mostly to question them?” The more details she had, the better Selendil could deal with the situation.

“Yes. This is going to be a little confusing for someone who isn’t a resident of our galaxy, just remember that this mess is something that developed over millennia and I do recognize the absurdity. The race in question is actually named the Primes.” Pharaa grimaced, knowing how stupid that sounded.

“Wait, so there’s a Prime race, called the Primes?” Selendil pointed out the obvious problem.

"Yes. They were the first of the so-called Prime races to take a prominent role in the galaxy, hence why the name stuck. There’s actually a reason for this. The Primes, the race I mean, are considered a single race, but they’re made up of what we assume to be several separate species that can cross-breed for some reason. I mentioned before that we have a race similar to the Mrrroww except more extreme. Well, this is that race. That's why when the second so-called 'Prime' race appeared they were just lumped in with the Primes and the name stuck. Now all of the original races that were helped by the Ancients are called Primes, even if we have nothing to do with the original Primes.” Pharaa looked apologetic at the mess of names.

“We’ve heard worse.” Nox just commented.

“That is accurate. It doesn’t make it any less stupid, but we have indeed heard worse.” Selendil confirmed. Sometimes history just created these weird quirks and sometimes naming conventions stuck despite the inconveniences they caused.

“Anyway. The Primes are something of a convenient target. As the oldest Prime race in the CAS, they used to be the most dominant force in the galaxy back in the day. Their position has severely declined over the years and some among them are not happy about that. Now they are a pale imitation of what they used to be. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if some of them had dealings with the rebels as a method of regaining some of that old glory. Even the official that created trouble for Yrala is a member of their race, which ties them to the incident with a clear motive. It’s all very neat and tidy, and oh so very convenient.” Pharaa was laying the foundation for her suspicions.

“Too convenient? Sometimes things are convenient for a reason. Selendil has a saying about coincidences and how she doesn’t trust them, but that they do happen every day.” Nox pointed out.

“Too convenient is exactly the wording I’d use. The Primes have not done badly due to the war, but they haven’t exactly been among the biggest beneficiaries either. They have benefitted economically, but so have all the Prime races, us included. Politically they’ve actually not done so great, mostly because of the rampant nepotism. The Primes aren’t the only ones guilty of such things, but they are the most blatant and visible example. Many argue that the CAS should’ve won this war a long time ago, and one of the main reasons we haven’t is because we don’t really want to. Supposedly the war provides too many opportunities for corruption, profit, and the kind of behavior the Primes are known for. At least we can’t properly focus on cleansing such behavior while at war, which gives another reason to keep the whole thing going if you’re the one benefitting.” Pharaa made no effort to hide the fact that the Eriads were also guilty of some of the issues.

“So you think someone might be setting them up?” Selendil asked.

“I can’t be sure. It could be that there are elements among their government that are guilty, but I can’t say. I have a feeling someone is using them as a distraction, though. If they are found to be mixed up in things, the Constellation, that would be the legislative body of the CAS, would have to react and that would create a huge mess. Probably even allow the real culprits to make their move. It would also be a large enough scandal that it might tear apart a large portion of the already frayed unity of the CAS, which might push some of the outlying systems to join the rebels. Or at the very least it would provide the rebels an opportunity to make gains.” Pharaa wasn’t personally entirely sure how to feel about the prospect. The CAS had been a pillar of unity in the galaxy, but there was no denying some of the problems that run through the whole thing. A proper shakeup might improve things.

“That’s partially why it’s hard to find someone neutral, isn’t it?” Selendil asked, realizing some of what Pharaa was thinking.

“Part of it, yes. Psions are also susceptible to bribes and threats just like everyone. And many have grudges against the Primes and would love to act on those grudges. And then there are the more mundane political motives like alliances and power politics.” Pharaa admitted.

“So how is this going to work?” Selendil asked, just as they hyper-jumped. They arrived in a system filled with activity. As the capital world of the CAS was in this system, it was not a surprise to see the heavy defenses. However, the fact that she could sense seven inhabited worlds equidistant from the star and each other, orbiting the star on the exact same orbit, meant that the system was rather blatantly artificial. It was something the Dhar liked to call a ‘designer system’.

“I’m not entirely sure of the exact details yet. We’ll find out when we land. I know they want you to perform a truth scan during a questioning. The representative of the Primes has agreed to a questioning under the condition that we’d find an acceptably neutral psion, and you were named and agreed upon by enough parties to get accepted.” Pharaa stated as she pursed her lips in displeasure. She didn’t like the fact that she wasn’t fully informed either.

"Questioning just one person isn't exactly sufficient to clear or condemn an entire race. Assuming their memories have not been tampered on by a skilled telepath, they can only speak for things they're aware of." Selendil pointed out. The truth scanning abilities of psions were always limited because the truth was a rather nebulous concept. For instance, most psions would not be able to the difference between what was true and what the target simply believed to be true.

“I’m aware. I’m sure the others are as well. The person you’re about to scan is someone very knowledgeable in the affairs of the Primes though. He’s not someone that’s just a puppet politician. If the leaders of the Primes have knowledge of dealings with the rebels, then there’s a pretty good chance he would be aware as well. I think the idea is to question him and then proceed based on what’s found out. Even if he doesn’t know anything, he’ll likely know the people who do.” Pharaa speculated.

Their ship was not stopped at any point as it flew towards one of the seven planets. That said, they did fly past several layers of security, including a pair of large space stations that would likely function as the cornerstones of the system’s defense if necessary. Their arrival was obviously being expected, as all the other ships entering the system had to go through a series of checks and even inspections. It seemed that some of the seven worlds were a little looser with their security, but that was true only when compared to the world they were traveling towards.

"Zakynthos," Pharaa said simply and brought up a view of the planet. Worlds like Zakynthos had many classifications. Ecumenopolis, Hive world, City-world, Urban world, and many others. The world was entirely covered in several layers of buildings. Not a single centimeter of the ground was visible, and nature and water could only be seen in artificial parks. In fact, the surface of the planet was covered in multiple layers of construction. At its shallowest, the ground level was covered by a hundred floors of construction, while at the thickest, the layers of buildings atop buildings, atop supports, atop buildings reached thousands of floors deep.

Selendil could sense trillions of minds living on the planet. She grunted in dissatisfaction. “I never understood the fascination with such worlds. There are six other planets in the system and none of them are as heavily populated and built as this one.”

“It’s not exactly by conscious design most of the time.” Pharaa’s expression was rather clear in that she didn’t quite approve either. “However, the world is the political, cultural, and economic heart of the entire galaxy. That attracts people. A lot of people. And those people need services, housing, management, jobs, and a thousand other things. Which brings in more people. And then those people have children who need more services and have families of their own. A thousand generations of explosive population growth combined with a constant influx of people immigrating here in the hopes of a better future can have that effect. And then add in several new races that are late to the party.”

"That doesn't change the fact that the world is a shithole," Selendil stated bluntly. She could sense the thick emotional miasma of corruption, stagnation, and despair, and they weren't even in orbit yet.

“You’ll get no arguments from me there. People come here in the hopes of a better future, but few really find one. Yet the ones that do find futures bright enough that people keep coming. People see only the fabulously rich galaxy-wide superstars and opulent politicians, not the countless people who failed. Such is the way of things, unfortunately." Pharaa gave a tired shrug of her shoulders.

As their ship drew closer to the planet, eventually they were forced to stop and proceed on with a shuttle. The shuttle flew them directly towards the area were the habitation was the heaviest. Countless hover vehicles and shuttles scurried around the surface and even rather deep down between the buildings. The gaps between buildings never went more than a few hundred floors down for structural reasons, so one couldn’t just pick a random gap and go all the way down to the surface of the planet. For that, one needed to go through one of the enormous openings that looked like boreholes. Still, due to the layered construction, the lowest levels had not seen the sun for thousands of years.

“The area we’re going to is reserved for the Eriad. It mostly houses our diplomatic staff as well as many of those that work in the government, though there are a good number of entertainers and cultural elite present as well.” Pharaa gave a running tour as they flew above various monuments and grand looking buildings. They had already passed operas, libraries, arenas, academies, and many others.

“Are all the races so segregated?” Selendil asked, realizing the potential benefits and problems that would come with that.

“No, mostly just the five Prime races. There are some exceptions among the other races as well based on culture, but for us, it's a matter of security. Also, the Eriads generally agree with your assessment of the planet. We all think it’s a bit of a shithole. We rarely come here seeking our fortunes so to speak. We have enough of our own worlds for that. Those that do come here come for a reason. The five Prime races are also rather enticing targets for various criminal organizations, for obvious reasons. Anyway, we’ll be staying here as the word of our arrival reaches the right ears. We’ll likely be invited tomorrow or in a few days at the latest. I already let them know that you don’t appreciate being made to wait. Neither do I.” Pharaa knew how to handle such things.

“I suppose I should expect various people trying to reach out to me concerning the questioning?” Selendil guessed. There would be plenty of vested interests trying to sway her words one way or another.

“Once we actually get close to where the questioning will take place, yes. In here though, I would expect you will be generally left alone…is what I would like to say, but Eriads are not immune to bribes. I wouldn’t be too shocked if even our own representative tried to influence you.” Pharaa grimaced. She would like to think better of her own people, but she was a realist.

“As usual, truth is often the first thing sacrificed at the altar of power and expediency.” Selendil recited an old saying the Dhar had used of the lesser races. One of the reasons they considered those races lesser. As lying while having your mind joined with countless other Dhar was quite difficult, it was easy to place much more value on truth. Other races didn’t have that luxury, but that didn’t stop the Dhar from using it as one of the justifications to look down on them.

It turned out that Pharaa was correct. The Eriad representative did come to meet Selendil with the idea of swaying her, but Selendil shot that down so quickly that she didn’t even find out which way the representative wanted her to go, which was good because Selendil was the type of person that would’ve been tempted to do the exact opposite out of spite. Two Eriad civilians living in the area also approached her with offers but got chased off by Pharaa before they even managed to get to the point.

The next morning found them escorted towards the offices of the Suzerain, the head of state of the CAS. The Suzerain's main purpose was to enact the decisions of the Constellation and to react quickly to crisis situations. The Suzerain was also in charge of high profile investigations including members of the Constellation. This was made somewhat easier by the fact that the position rotated between the five Prime races, though there had been some occasions where a particularly qualified and esteemed member of the other races had been picked for the position.

“Keeper Selendil, may I present to you Suzerain Niki’cho of the Phrin.” Pharaa made the introductions in the Suzerain’s office. The number of security personnel was quite large, as the word of Selendil’s power had already reached them. Not that the security would do much good if Selendil became hostile.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The Suzerain greeted her with a pleasant voice that didn’t quite match its appearance. The Phrin were a race very small in size. They had brightly colored butterfly wings and most of their faces were covered in tattoos that glowed in luminescent colors. The Suzerain and other Phrin were covered in long robes that hid many of their features, but Selendil could tell that they were an odd mix of very lithe and very squat beings. Their faces had small beady eyes and they had flat noses above large fanged mouths.

Truth be told, Selendil found the Phrin a little creepy. “Suzerain Niki’cho.” Selendil gave a curt nod. “Pharaa here told me that you were the one to request my presence during the questioning.”

“Straight to business, I see.” The Suzerain smiled politely at Selendil’s direct words. Whether or not the being was offended by the lack of courtesy and the obvious disdain Selendil had for the office of the Suzerain, it certainly didn’t show. “I can appreciate that. In short, yes. I did request your presence. Before we proceed with the questioning, I need to know something. We are aware that you are powerful, but we have little idea when it comes to your telepathic abilities. Now, I know from experience that the level of confidence in determining whether someone is lying depends heavily on the psion doing the scan. How well will you be able to perform in this role?”

"I'm a Keeper," Selendil stated simply as if that alone explained enough. Luckily for the others, she decided to expand on her answer. "Minds are our specialty and original purpose. I have full confidence. The only question is whether I can do it without the mind of the target collapsing. Truth scans are not as hard on the mind as actual mind-reading, but I've noticed that most races that have come after us are so very fragile. I will try to be gentle, but the risk is always there."

“The target is a Prime and should be able to withstand quite a bit. Something you should know. The questioning will be performed by an official investigator that knows what questions to ask, and the whole thing will be broadcasted to the Constellation and many other officials. The interest in the questioning runs deep. The recording might eventually be broadcasted to the public, so keep that in mind. We only require that you verify the veracity of the representative’s words. This is a questioning and not an interrogation, so if the representative chooses not to answer a question, then they are allowed to do so. It won’t reflect well on them, but that is their right. When that happens, you should not reveal any information you might be able to glean. That said, if you do manage to gain extra information when the representative does answer a question, you are encouraged to bring that information forth. Any questions?” The Suzerain explained rather succinctly.

“Only one. Are we questioning just one person?” Selendil left the obvious implications unsaid.

“Most likely not. However, depending on how the first questioning goes, your services might not be required for the other people. That said, we might need to ask for your services again.” The Suzerain admitted.

“I’m ready then. Just keep in mind that I do not have the patience for months of questioning.” Selendil made sure to emphasize that she did not work for them and had other priorities, just in case things got complicated.