"Despite the relative stability of the Mrrroww society on the surface, there are many powerful undercurrents below the surface. The different clans are not limited to a certain role, but our respective natures have created something like a caste system of sorts. Not all Lions become administrators or admirals, but most high-ranking administrators tend to be Lions. Not all Tigers become warriors or pilots, but most generals are Tigers. While these are the roles that most suit our talents, it also leads to rather heavy competition between different branches of our power structure. These rivalries would exist even without the clan divide, but the clan angle does make these rivalries even more aggressive. Often this is a good thing since it causes everyone to strive to be better, just so they can beat their rivals. Sometimes the rivalry can take a more negative turn."

- High Ambassador of the Mrrroww

--------

“Are you absolutely certain about this?” The Primaris asked in confirmation. They had managed to make contact with the people on the planet and he was now conferencing with the Deity called Kurnau.

He had to ask the question due to the news being so unbelievable. While the Deity was not his subordinate, strictly speaking, he had gathered the respect of most clans in his role as the Primaris. A rather rare feat all things considered. The Panthers were also not the type to lie about such things, but he still wouldn’t put it past the Deity in question considering she had been stranded on the planet for such a long time. Such conditions could create bitterness and resentment towards those in charge. She had likely also lost family and friends during the attack.

“Certain? No. I can never be certain of anything when it comes to the Shinzen. You asked for my opinion and I gave it. I have been in combat with these bastards for long enough that I can read them to some extent at least. Anything strange about their behavior usually meant danger for us so I had to learn quickly. They were preparing to leave and burn the jungle down around as their final act before something happened. I was already preparing to make my last stand just to buy some time. Suddenly they all seemed to either sense something or receive some sort of message, and then they suddenly dropped everything they were doing and left in a hurry. You can still see some of their equipment lying around the place. I’m fairly certain that they were afraid.” Kurnau explained. She was a psion and could sense emotions. The Shinzen usually displayed none aside from those that are always present in combat like alertness. Never any strong feelings like fear, anger or sadness though. And especially not fear. Until now that is.

“I…don’t want to imply that you’re lying, but this goes against everything we know about the Shinzen.” The Primaris pointed out. The worst thing was that he had a pretty good idea what had happened, as he had seen something similar happen with the Shinzen fleet.

As soon as the Shinzen pulled back, something else they had never even heard about happening before, the Mrrroww fleet had sent their forces towards the planet in the hopes of finding survivors. As Kurnau had felt the psionic force that had previously blocked her efforts to communicate telepathically suddenly disappear, she had immediately tried making contact with the Mrrroww fleet and had been successful. She had directed the rescue efforts towards the places where the refugees were hidden, many of them ill and malnourished. Without her aid, it might have taken days for the fleet to locate the refugees, as they had been well hidden to stay safe from the Shinzen.

One of the relief ships had brought a communicator for Kurnau, and the two of them were in the middle of a debriefing. The whole debacle had taken two hours already, and she was getting impatient. The only reason she had been so patient was because the Primaris was handling the debriefing personally. It was hard to complain about the loss of time when he was also losing the same amount of time. Still, Kurnau was feeling like her patience was wearing thin. “I know. To be frank, whether you believe me or not is entirely your problem. Now, you said High Ambassador Moonshadow is also in orbit. Could I speak with her?”

“That might be…a little difficult. Her ship suffered heavy damage and according to what I was able to find out there were losses among the crew. There’s also a…complication.” The Primaris frowned and looked at the display showing an image of the strange ship that had saved the High Ambassador. The ship seemed to be impervious to any scans they tried doing, and this image was the best they could manage. The strange ship was just floating there doing nothing.

“A complication?” Kurnau asked a little impatiently. “I don’t want to make this a territorial dispute but strictly speaking I’m not under your command. I should be able to make contact with the High Ambassador at my choosing.” She was right of course. Despite his commanding position over the fleet and his well-earned position as a member of the High Command, the Primaris didn’t hold command over the Deities. It was also a fact that both Kurnau and Moonshadow were high ranking members of the same clan that didn’t have to run their communications by anyone and she had only asked permission as a courtesy.

“Come now Deity, I’m sure you can feel it more keenly than anyone.” The Primaris stated with a throaty huff. He was not naturally psionic but he had been enhanced to a point where he might as well be, albeit not a powerful one. Even he could feel something odd and powerful about the ship they were all very pointedly ignoring at the moment. A Deity must feel it much more clearly than him.

“I do, though what does that have to do with the High Ambassador?” Kurnau asked.

"That ship saved her and hasn't moved more than a few dozen kilometers away from her ship since. Considering her ship is drifting a little erratically, the strange ship must be doing it on purpose. To be perfectly frank, the High Ambassador has bigger worries than you at the moment.” The Primaris drew a deep breath before continuing. “And I’m pretty sure the fear you sensed from the Shinzen was caused by either that ship or whatever is on it.”

"I…appreciate your candor," Kurnau stated carefully before continuing. "In honor of that candor, I think I should mention something. Besides fear, there was another emotion that I sensed among whatever force is controlling the Shinzen. I did not want to mention it before because I’m less sure about what I felt. It was just a brief flicker before I was shut out.”

“And what emotion was that?” The Primaris asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"Awe," Kurnau stated quietly.

They were both quiet for a while, thinking about the possible implications. “Deity Kurnau, the High Command thanks you for your service. You have performed admirably under horrendous conditions. As the person most versed in what happened on the planet, you will no doubt be asked to answer more questions later on. I ask for your patience and cooperation as the information may prove invaluable.” The Primaris stated, and Kurnau could recognize the dismissal.

Kurnau had provided a lot of useful information. The report about an assault on a Shinzen ‘factory' was particularly enlightening. It seemed like the Shinzen were using the biological matter of other beings to create their own soldiers. There were hints that a larger biodiversity was required for the creation of more complicated individual units, which was why the Shinzen didn't like destroying the local flora and fauna. The most important piece of news was that at the heart of every Shinzen was a core of some kind. On the so-called ‘Grunts' the core was tiny, but the more dangerous Shinzen had larger cores. That brought in an interesting question. If the only thing uniquely Shinzen about their people were the cores, should they be considered to be a species of sentient minerals instead of traditionally biological beings? Still, the news about the Shinzen feeling fear overshadowed anything else the Primaris had learned.

As the connection was cut, the Primaris idly scratched at his table as he considered the image of the ship floating in front of him. He was no expert, but even he could recognize the appearance of an alleged Progenitor vessel. The ship’s presence in the system would not go unnoticed and the word would spread. Even if it turned out that the ship was a fake, it was still a supremely advanced vessel. That much was obvious at a glance. He was not stupid enough to attempt to detain the ship, but if he did nothing the other members of the High Command would have his head. He wasn’t entirely sure they would only settle for his figurative head either. It was easy to make veiled accusations and claims about how they would’ve done better after the fact. Yet, he wasn’t going to plunge his race into a battle with a potential Progenitor vessel out of political convenience. Especially after the ship had saved one of their own.

He suddenly made a decision and sent a communication signal to Moonshadow. Her image jumped in front of him after a short delay. “Primaris.” She greeted politely, though clearly, she was more agitated than she seemed. He could see repairs being conducted behind her as mechanics rushed about among medical personnel.

“High Ambassador Moonshadow.” He returned the greeting. His greeting also carried some hidden messages, mainly that this discussion would be important, official and likely carried consequences. “Have you made contact with the unidentified ship yet?”

“I have not. I recognize the importance of the situation, but I have crew missing and a damaged ship to deal with. The unidentified ship as you called it has shown rather considerable patience all things considered, and I think I have a hunch about why.” She had more than a hunch. In fact, she was almost certain she already knew the identity of the other party. How and why they suddenly appeared here was another matter.

The Primaris prevented her from speaking further, as he didn’t want her to reveal too much as this communication would be analyzed later. “I recognize your situation is not optimal, but this is something that needs your immediate attention and your crew will have to manage without you. The unidentified ship has displayed interest in your ship, and I think it is safe to conclude that you are the best person to deal with it. In the name of the High Command, I’m authorizing you to handle this situation, and it should be dealt with immediately. I will bear responsibility, though you of course realize that the results of these talks will have consequences.”

If his earlier words had carried several meanings, these were even more loaded. At the same time, they implied that he was taking responsibility for the potential failure of the situation by giving her a carte blanche to deal with the strange ship, but he also made it clear that unofficially she would also have to suffer consequences if things didn’t go according to the High Command’s wishes. And they likely would not. The High Command’s wishes were extremely wishful when they had the benefit of hindsight on their side. He was essentially taking the blame and warning her at the same time. He would carry the official punishment, but he would recover eventually. She might not be as lucky depending on how some of the other clans decided to pursue this matter.

On one level it could be seen as underhanded to push things on her lap, but Moonshadow knew better. He would already face censure because their shameful display in this battle had been seen by outsiders and he had not ordered the unidentified ship to be seized. They both knew it would be a disaster if they tried, but that’s not how others would see it. That didn’t even take into account the fact that the battle didn’t exactly go perfectly either, despite their eventual victory. On the other hand, since she was already at the center of this, he wasn’t really implicating her in anything she wasn’t already involved with.

"Your orders have been received and understood." Moonshadow stated a little unhappily. Just because he was acting in a way that was in some ways admirable and very practical, that didn't mean it wasn't slightly underhanded as well. He could’ve taken the lead in the negotiations and relegated her to just a supporting role, thus taking the sole blame. That would’ve been almost unnaturally chivalric though, so she wasn’t really expecting him to do something like that.

As the connection cut, Moonshadow gave a small growl. “Well, I’m boned. And the negotiations haven’t even started yet.” As the High Ambassador, she had a lot of political clout and her strength was respected among the Deities as well. Still, that might not be enough to shelter her from the fallout if this went badly, as the matter was just too important. She had also made enemies in the past, enemies that would no doubt jump on this chance. “No pressure. It’s not like most negotiations are without risks, so why would this time be any different.”

--------

Selendil floated in the air in a meditative position, calmly waiting for the move of the other party. This surprised Amaterasu a little. The Dhar in front of her clearly thought of her and her kind above other races, so waiting patiently like this seemed a little odd, though patience was a useful quality to have in a person. “I’d like to apologize for my lack of faith old one.” The empress suddenly stated.

Selendil opened her eyes and looked towards Amaterasu, either in question or urging her to continue. "I was rattled by the idea of going into battle between the Mrrroww and the Shinzen. Both of the two races are a rather serious potential threat to my kind, so the idea of being dropped between the two fleets in a ship that isn't working to full capacity was…disconcerting, to say the least. I did not show the appropriate trust in your ability to handle the situation, and in hindsight my error was obvious. Thus I want to apologize."

Selendil, in turn, was slightly amused. The galaxy had not seen a Dhar go to battle for a long time, not to mention a Keeper. It was understandable that the others didn't realize the difference in ability. Knowing someone was stronger than you and seeing it in practice were entirely different. Though in this case there had been less actual fighting than one might expect thanks to the fact that the Shinzen had retreated so soon. The ship had fired a single torpedo and Selendil had barely even used her powers, so in effect, Amaterasu had not really seen anything yet. “Seeing is believing, though if you’re going to work for me, you’ll need to have some trust. This was barely a scuffle.”

“Can I ask a question?” Amaterasu suddenly asked, making Selendil even more amused. She didn’t bother pointing out that she just had asked one, and instead she made a gesture with one of the tails at the back of her head.

Amaterasu had seen the gesture before and recognized it was meant to urge her to continue. “Why are we just sitting here? Making you wait like this seems a little rude.”

“We are not just sitting here though.” Selendil laughed. “Nox is tapped into their communications, and I’m listening in on the important parts. Frankly, we do not care about the rest of the Mrrroww aside from the High Ambassador, and it seems they have also recognized this fact. I have a feeling Nox might have pointed them in the right direction. Thus we don't care about the rest of their fleet. The High Ambassador, on the other hand, is taking care of her people. That is an instinct I can respect. While I do not personally care about her crew, she does. I would do the same in her position. Besides, we don’t have to wait for much longer.”

As if on cue a ball of energy floated in between Selendil and Amaterasu. The ball seemed to change shape and solidify, and the figure of Moonshadow was soon in front of them. “Selendil, I presume?” The figure in front of them asked almost rhetorically. Seeing Selendil in a much more open armor instead of an encounter suit that hid her completely was a new experience, but she could still sense the similarities immediately. For some odd reason the communication method that Selendil used allowed Moonshadow to sense the other party as if she was right next to them.

"You presume correctly High Ambassador," Selendil replied calmly.

“And I see we are not alone.” The Ambassador’s image turned a bit towards Amaterasu. “A Human? This is…unexpected.”

“Illum, if you would High Ambassador. We keep telling the other races that we are not really a single race with the Tetrarchy and Cybrans anymore.” Amaterasu replied with a small diplomatic smile.

"The newest member of my crew," Selendil added.

“Speaking of, is Lilly on board as well?” Moonshadow asked carefully.

“She is still back on the station helping with recruitment. Our departure to come here was so quick that I didn’t have time to take her along. You could say that our arrival already cut things pretty close.” Selendil replied.

“I thank you for helping my ship and crew. Though you speak as if you knew I was going to be in danger and came here to rescue me.” Moonshadow noticed certain implications in Selendil’s words.

“We were informed of your plight, and you did imply that you might want to request our assistance at some point, so we decided to help. We can discuss our compensation at your earliest convenience.” Selendil noted that Moonshadow had not thanked them for rescuing her personally. Whether this was because she prioritized her crew in her thanks or she thought she might have personally survived was not clear.

“I…see. I would very much like to know how you knew of the danger. I would also like to know why you would go out of your way to save me. Our interactions were positive but rather brief. I'm not blind to the fact that revealing your ship will come with consequences, so I'm forced to wonder what would prompt you to shoulder those consequences for my sake." Moonshadow's curiosity got the best of her.

"The answer to both questions is actually connected, though unfortunately, I can't answer you properly quite yet. Suffice to say that you possess certain talents that I find interesting. Talents that you yourself aren’t aware of. Talents that would actually be quite useful as a part of my crew. If you were to join, I would consider that adequate compensation for what happened previously, and I would be able to answer your questions more fully.” Selendil didn’t bother dancing around the issue and took the blunt approach.

“You…want me to join your crew?” Moonshadow sounded just as incredulous as she was feeling. This was not what she had expected to become the crux of their talks, though she was less surprised than one might expect thanks to their earlier talks.