”War comes in many forms and it is waged for many reasons. The most basic form of war could be better described as a lack of a peace treaty without an official declaration of war. It is common for races that have not formed official diplomatic ties to be engaged in an almost constant border struggle. Rather than calling it a real war, it is an opportunistic and ongoing skirmish that sometimes flares into something akin to real battles and sometimes cools to an almost peaceful state. Nearly all races of the galaxy are mixed in at least one border war with their neighbors.

The next step up from a border conflict is an official war that usually comes with an official declaration, at least unless one of the parties doesn’t take part in diplomacy. These wars usually happen when one party is significantly weaker than the other, and are fought either for concessions, resources, or to repay an earlier slight. These wars rarely grow to a size where one party is wiped out entirely, but it has happened in cases where a war spirals out of control. Usually, a total submission or extinction is reserved for so-called holy wars or wars of extinction. These are much rarer and are usually waged only if at least one of the parties has been pushed beyond all tolerance and views the destruction of their enemy as the single unifying goal of their entire race. All this assumes of course that you’re dealing with a race that isn’t locked in a constant state of war with all the other races. Shinzen are an example of a race that is in a perpetual war with anyone they can reach, and they are not the only ones.”

-High Ambassador of the Mrrroww

---------

As the slightly smaller golden colored Zlorth entered the room, Selendil handed a small case of syringes to the nearest guard. “You are free to pick any one of the four syringes to use. Administer the contents at your leisure and give it an hour to work properly. Use a single dose. A small word of warning though. The subject will likely exhibit odd behavior. This is not a cause for concern as it is part of the process. Just explain things to the patient slowly if they exhibit the sort of behavior I mentioned and they should be willing to oblige.”

Her words drew odd looks from the Zlorth, assuming gelatinous blobs without eyes could give looks, but they did as they were told. The golden colored Zlorth started showing rather stereotypical drunken behavior which included making lewd comments and singing rather off-tune songs, but all-in-all the process went fine. As the royal Zlorth patiently explained to the golden blob that it was supposed to divide, the resulting small Zlorth child manifested healthy behavior with no signs of the defects that had plagued their species for decades now.

“What is it that you want in return?” The royal purple Zlorth finally asked after hours of testing the newborn.

“According to the station’s information, you are in possession of a rather large piece of a material called Detrium. It is my understanding that you don’t actually use it for anything, but you consider it to be something like a holy object.” Selendil explained and described the material.

“Ah. That. We discovered it in an old ruin. We are not averse to making this trade since the item’s greatest value is historical, but I do need to ask what you need it for. We have found no use for it ourselves as the material is too soft to build anything from, and for what we believe to be a phase space material its chemical reactions are rather bland.” The royals Zlorth wanted to sate its curiosity.

“The material can be used in a very particular way to form what we call a dark phase core. With the help of Detrium, the core can create a stable corridor through phase space to draw on what many races call dark energy.” Selendil explained simply.

“D-dark energy? Are you not concerned that we would try to hold on to the material now that you’ve explained that?” The Zlorth asked.

“Not in the slightest. I could hand you the exact technical blueprints of the core and you would still not be able to build one successfully. Besides, I’ve already said that I could just take the Detrium by force if I have to. If you try to tell other races what I’ve told you, then they will run some tests, fail, and then think you are fools.” Selendil’s explanation was rather brutal and to the point. She felt no need to hide her plans either. Even if the Zlorth told others what they had learned, she didn’t care.

The purple blob seemed to agree though as it sent one of the guards to retrieve the piece. “Now, you told me that you would tell me the solution to our problem.”

“To make matters short, the problem with your reproduction is not entirely physiological. The current problem you’re facing is largely mental, or to be more specific neurological.” Selendil proceeded with a rather long and detailed explanation and mentioned to the listening Zlorth that if they wanted to get access to her more detailed tests and studies then they could just ask the station’s VI. The gelatinous beings were rather shocked and slightly miffed to discover that Selendil had basically just gotten the patient drunk and that alone had been enough for a successful division.

“I should add a few things. First of all, there are more radical ways of affecting the neurological activities that are hindering your reproduction, such as drugs that work as neural inhibitors, but such methods tend to have side-effects. I chose alcohol simply because of easy access and lack of harm to the patient. It is also easily available to you. Secondly, I’m concerned that the problem you’re facing is something that will get worse over time. It may turn out that in twenty or so generations the solution needs to be something more drastic like a drug to trigger reproduction while you're asleep. In the end though, this is something you need to discover on your own. I could come up with a longer-term solution but you'll need more than a chunk of Detrium for me to do that much work.” She stated rather coldly.

The Zlorth understood her cold and pragmatic viewpoint though. In fact, they found it refreshingly honest. "In that case, we thank you for your assistance so far. We will try to find our way from here. You have given us a path to follow at least. We will be able to handle it from here." They also had their own pride. If they could eventually solve the problem on their own, then that would be better for them as a race. Even if they gained from outside, resolving the problem on their own would make things easier in the long term.

As Selendil teleported out of the section controlled by the Zlorth, Lux couldn’t help asking a rather somber question. “Do you think they will make it as a species?”

"Hard to say," Selendil replied, looking outside the nearby view deck towards the emptiness of space. “If the only problem they were facing was their issue with reproduction, then I’d say yes. That might have been the origin of their death-spiral, but it is no longer the only problem they must face. They have lost all their worlds and their numbers have decreased to a point where they fit inside a single section of the station. Now granted, the section is large enough to be a small city and the place was rather packed, but that still doesn’t leave too many of their race alive. They don’t have numbers and they don’t have resources.”

“My calculations agree. Their odds are not great. Yet, I know these are the types of matters where my calculations often fail. Hence why I ask.” Lux went back to the original question.

"It all depends on a few things. Their race has gained new hope which will invigorate them for a while, but they have to be realistic about the position they are in. They don’t have the strength to retake their old worlds alone. So they have to attach themselves to a stronger race that might have a vested interest in helping them regain at least one world to use as their own. However, such decisions are not easy as it will basically place them into a position of a subordinate species for generations to come. Second thing is that they have to figure out something that they have to offer this more powerful species. Careful politics might be able to finagle something, but more than likely they will need something further. What that something is, remains to be seen.” She could think of some things but whether the Zlorth could figure it out was another thing. It was also questionable if they were willing to make the necessary sacrifices.

“Alternatively they could try to travel to the rim of the galaxy and colonize a completely new world. That comes with its own dangers, though. They would gain resources that way, but being pioneers unsupported by a homeworld is difficult.” Haven pointed out. It had also given this some thought over the years.

“Be that as it may, we have the Detrium. Will we return to the ship immediately?” Lux asked.

“Not just yet. I’d rather gather a decent supply of Gravinium as well. I’d also like to get a better view of the situation in this galaxy. The reports I’ve gotten from Haven are useful, but I need to get out there and get a real feel for things. Reports rarely give a realistic picture of things.” She also knew she would have to finally deal with her grief once she returned, and that wasn’t a prospect that appealed to her. “Besides. I haven’t eaten anything for millions of years. We still need some things to turn the ship livable as well.”

-----

Admiral Mittenz and Ensign Lilly were both waiting by the access hatch as a ship was going through the docking procedures. The ship was a rather sizeable cruiser with a length of over 400 meters. While it was not a dedicated battlecruiser, they were both aware of the rumors that surrounded the High Ambassador’s ship was likely heavily armed regardless of its classification. In fact, the two large and triple-barreled plasma cannon batteries on both the dorsal and ventral side of the ship were a rather clear indication. A combined twelve heavy plasma cannons made a rather large statement even if those had been the only weapons the ships possessed, and they were almost certainly not the only weapons.

The ship was roughly wedge-shaped and relatively flat, though it had a slightly wider head and it grew thicker towards the aft to allow for better fields of fire and the ability to focus fire anywhere in a 270-degree arc in front of the ship. The ship also had two large pods attached to the aft that ran for roughly quarter of the ship's length. These pods contained many things that were not widely shown to the public, as well as two of the three engines, the last and final one being at the center aft of the ship. The two waiting Mrrroww knew that the two pods were a very customizable section of the ship and largely defined the ship’s role. Such pods were often used on Mrrroww cruisers, and the cruisers were one of the most common ship types their race used. Battle-focused vessels had more weapons inside the pods, scouts and explorers had larger engines, while merchants often had additional cargo holds. Some carrier type ships even used the pods as extra hangar and launch bays for more fighters.

While the ship was a rather standard example of a Mrrroww vessel, the owner of the ship most certainly wasn’t. The two watched in fascination as the large and sleek form of the High Ambassador walked down the ramp leading to the access hatch. That was the first difference. Most Mrrroww were extremely fond of their comforts and used their hover pillows to move around. As they had all gone through a certain amount of genetic engineering and had nanites in their bodies, there was no worry of becoming fat or losing muscle mass due to lacking exercise. Yet the High Ambassador walked everywhere. Although it might be more accurate to call her movement stalking instead of walking.

All her moves were very smooth and seemed natural, while still seeming slightly ominous. Her appearance and movements almost screamed ‘hunter’ or ‘predator’. The Mrrroww were a race that came in more than one clan. Due to differences in their appearance, an observer would assume they were different races instead of clans, and truthfully even the Mrrroww were not sure. Nevertheless, the members of the different clans were perfectly capable of mixed procreation and had many similar qualities, so in the end they did not care.

While the most commonly seen clan that both the admiral and the ensign represented was called ‘large cats’ in the common language, the High Ambassador represented a clan better known as ‘panthers’. There were several others such as the almost completely warrior focused ‘tigers’ and the more administrative and leadership oriented ‘lions’ that preferred more strategic roles instead of direct combat. The clan structure of the Mrrroww was complicated at best of times, but it worked for them.

As the hatch door opened, the two officers were reminded of another detail that made the High Ambassador special. They both knew she was one of the most powerful Deities of the Mrrroww race, but she was also the only one who did not show her halos. It was useful for an ambassador to be able to hide their strength, but it was a little disconcerting that she was the only one able to do so. They had seen videos of her with three halos, but those videos were over a decade old. They had no way to tell what her current strength was. “High Ambassador Moonshadow, welcome to the station. We already have your quarters prepared, and we are in the process of arranging quarters for your crew as soon as we get word on their numbers.”

The panther clan had very complicated naming conventions. In actual fact, the High Ambassador’s name was actually something closer to ‘Moonlight caressing the shadow on the surface of a calm lake during a silent night’ but that was a bit too complex even for other Mrrroww. Hence the panthers usually shortened their names for the sake of the other clans and brevity, which was why the High Ambassador used the name Moonshadow. Few knew how the panthers decided their names, and the question was rarely asked.

"Thank you, Admiral, the trip was somewhat tiring and I'd like to store my things and switch to something more comfortable. I'd like to get to work as soon as possible though." The High Ambassador stated, indicating they should explain what they had been able to discover while walking towards her quarters. Her current vacuum capable suit was not the most comfortable outfit, even though she had already removed the headpiece.

“I’d love to say we have made great progress, but unfortunately I can’t. We have made very little progress. The target disappeared almost immediately after the interview with Ambassador Fluffington, and we have not found them since. We have our security forces keeping their eyes open, but so far no luck. To tell you the truth though, if the Solarian removed her environmental suit, we might not even be able to recognize them as we don’t know what their race looks like.” The admiral explained.

"As to that, I might have some idea. Despite the fact that she apparently has the ability to hide herself, I was able to sense something while my ship was docking. Apparently, she can't completely avoid my senses while she is actively using her powers for something significant. Here's the thing though, I first sensed the disturbance at one of the sections dedicated for embassies of the various races, but the disturbance instantly moved to the central section. I’m fairly confident our target has the ability to teleport around the station using her powers.” Moonshadow explained. She could not be certain of what she had sensed, but she had a pretty good idea.

“That…explains her disappearance and our inability to track her. It is also quite worrisome. The previous times we’ve dealt with psions capable of teleportation, we always had difficulties. They also didn’t have the ability to move large distances, but if what you sensed is correct then this being is capable of teleporting hundreds of kilometers in one jump.” The admiral muttered.

“More than that admiral. I’m almost certain that the section she teleported out from was one of the more distant embassies. And you’re also missing something. She must have a fairly good idea of the station’s architecture to jump around like that. For that, she’d need to either have spent a lot of time on the station, or have the cooperation of the VI controlling the station. Or, and this might be even worse, she has the ability to teleport around freely enough that she doesn’t need such information.” Moonshadow pointed out.

“Ensign, run a thorough diagnostic on the station VI. If it is compromised, we need to know right away. I don’t care what it takes or how long it takes, we need to be sure.” The admiral commanded immediately.

“There might actually be an easier way. Haven station, can you hear me?” Moonshadow asked the empty air.

“Affirmative," Haven replied.

“Priority access Alpha-1. Does the individual known as the ‘Solarian’ have your cooperation?” As the highest authority Mrrroww on board the station, Moonshadow could take nominal control to the extent that the station allowed. She also knew the station was unlikely to give out false information unless specifically ordered to do so, and even then the VI would only give out the wrong information that was specified, so good questions might reveal errors.

“Priority access recognized. The information is not available.” Haven replied, and for some reason there seemed to be something like amusement in its voice.

“Not available? Does that mean this Solarian has higher level access?” Moonshadow wondered. She hadn’t expected such a direct reply. “Has the station’s information security been breached?”

“The individual in question has a clearance higher than Alpha-1. The station's security has not been breached." Haven replied quite directly.

“What does that mean?” The Ensign asked. There seemed to be a contradiction in what the VI had said.

“It means that the being did not gain the authority by hacking the station’s VI. Instead, the VI has recognized that the Solarian has a higher authority than we do. I would imagine part of that is explained by the fact that I sensed the disturbance close to the core of the station that we have no access to.” Moonshadow explained.

"Well, that's obviously something we need to reverse!" The admiral huffed.

"Negative. The authority cannot be reversed. Even if the individual in question should leave, the authority will remain. The control cannot be handed back even if the individual chooses to do so because you are not recognized as legitimate operators." Haven explained. Selendil had not actually told the AI to keep anything secret beyond her nature as a Dhar, and the Ai was actually rather proud to be under Dhar control again.

“Have we ever been recognized?” Moonshadow asked suddenly.

“You have not. You do not meet the requirements.” Haven stated simply with a tone that made it clear it was not going to explain the requirements.

"Well, this is interesting. There's more to this Solarian than I thought, and I already had rather significant expectations. I would like to arrange a meeting." Moonshadow stated with a laugh.

“I will forward the request.” Haven stated.

Moonshadow stopped walking. She had not expected the VI to take her off-hand words as a request. “I’d appreciate it.” She stated carefully.

“Your request has been approved. The individual you seek is planning on spending some time in the general section of the station to procure supplies and will not reject company that can smooth things out with the local merchants.” Haven stated.

“Well then. I better make myself presentable if that’s the case.” Moonshadow said before continuing her way towards the quarters that had been prepared for her.