Song of the Void

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”Are you sure you don’t just want one of our hyperjump cores?” Yrala asked, surprised by the fact. Unlike Pharaa, she had already figured out that Selendil would be making her own versions of the core, but she still thought they'd want one of their cores to use in the meantime and to test things out.

“No need. The schematics and the technical information are enough.” Xiaoli explained with a smile in Selendil’s stead. “Selendil and Nox are already going through the schematics and making improvements based on Dhar technology and techniques. There’s really no point in building an interface to join one of your cores with our ship if we’re going to have to change it anyway.”

“Improvements?” Pharaa was even more surprised, though on a second thought maybe she shouldn’t be. The other party had come from another galaxy. Of course they would want to make changes to the technology.

“Yes. They’re looking into substituting some of the materials used in the cores with those only the Dhar have access to. You also mentioned that the cores have a rather notable psionic component. Well, I’m fairly sure you won’t find a better expert in the field than Selendil. Not to mention the fact that she has access to many more psionically active materials than other, younger races. Besides, Dhar have their own ways of doing even the most simple things like transferring power to the core.” Xiaoli went into a little more detail.

“Do you think she might allow us a look after she’s done?” Pharaa requested. Maybe some of the improvements could be copied.

“Maybe in trade for something? That said, I'm not sure you should be in a hurry to jump on that chance. Dhar technology and techniques are not easy to understand and even harder to replicate." Xiaoli gave some friendly advice.

Nox had created a 3d holographic projection of the core based on the schematics and they were making small changes to the hologram and running simulated tests on the results. "It's interesting how the core isn't actually an engine unlike what we assumed. The core doesn't move the ship. It moves the space around the ship. Or several ships as it turns out. That’s how they’re able to have one large ship jump many smaller vessels like fighters.” Nox commented in her new body. She was slowly starting to adopt small mannerisms from the others and she was currently rubbing her artificial chin with a hand. None of the others knew if it was on purpose or something she did on accident. Xiaoli would likely tease her about it later in an attempt to find out.

“It also has quite a bit of similarity with the teleportation I personally use. It's a clumsier version but in many ways more powerful thanks to the way their technology and psionics work together. We never had to create a system like this as we had warping, but maybe we should have. Anyway, I think that’s one area where we can make easy improvements. I can easily streamline and improve the psionic component, and if we exchange the materials they use to conduct psionic power then we’ll have made large gains already.” Selendil mumbled. She had already brought up the skills and knowledge of some of the best scientists, phase-smiths, and engineers she was storing. As she was one of the foremost experts on psionics, there was no need to consult others in that field. She’d do it anyway later on just to be thorough, but there was no need for it at this moment.

"If we replace the power transfer system we'll gain a lot when it comes to efficiency. With your improvements, we'll also improve the activation time and range." Nox stated. "Should we use the same material that we use on the hull?"

“Yes. It cuts down on the efficiency a bit when compared to more conductive materials, but it eliminates the danger of someone being able to interfere with the jump.” Selendil decided. On that note, she should probably come up with a way to stop the CAS ships from jumping by interfering with the psionic component.

The two worked for a while on simulating the effects of their improvements, and they were relatively satisfied with the results. “There is one thing.” Nox said thoughtfully. “The core would have trouble dealing with direct input of energy from our main power generator at its current size. If we scale the core up as much as is practical, we can make vast improvements to the effective range. However, the core would need time to cool down after each jump. Unlike the CAS, we would be able to make only a single jump before allowing the core to rest and we’d have to rest it for longer. On the other hand, if we channel the power through our auxiliary cores, we could make more frequent jumps, but the range would be significantly lower.”

To Nox’s surprise, Selendil laughed rather loudly at the options she had presented. “I’m surprised you’re making such an elementary mistake Nox. Of course we’ll go with the first option. Xiaoli, could you tell Nox why.” Selendil looked at the Cybran woman who had joined them after shooing away Yrala and Pharaa.

“Because the problem of allowing the core to cool down becomes an issue only if we use a single core," Xiaoli explained with a grin. "These aren't a system like the phase drive. There's nothing stopping us from having several cores on a single ship. We have enough space as it is, but we can always create more if necessary. The reason why CAS ships use a single core isn't because the ships can't carry more. It's because their power generation is inadequate to handle rapid jumps and the strain on their power systems being pushed so far.”

“A problem we obviously don’t share.” Nox shook her head in disgust at her own mistake. She had missed an obvious solution because she had not been thinking outside the box. “That said, it’s going to take a while to manufacture multiple cores.”

“Doesn’t much matter. We don’t actually need multiple cores straight away. Besides, we can make upgrades to the future cores after seeing the first core in action and taking note of the areas of potential improvement. It might actually be better to delay the second core until we thoroughly test the first.” Selendil pointed out.

“So how far would this be able to take us in a single jump?” Xiaoli asked with curiosity while pointing at the schematic.

“Hard to say.” Nox shook her head. “I can run simulations as much as I want, but to get a real answer we’ll have to test it in practice.”

“Estimates?” Xiaoli pressed.

“Anything from two-thirds of a galaxy in a single jump to hundreds of times that." Nox replied.

“So could this be used to travel between galaxies?” Xiaoli asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well it would be slower than warping of course, but if you’re prepared to make enough jumps, yes you could travel between galaxies. It would be much more efficient than using a phase drive, that's for sure, but how long it would take exactly is still unknown. We’re still talking several hundred jumps at least, if not thousands if we’re talking the average distance between galaxies..” Nox said confidently.

"Assuming it works as we predict," Selendil added.

“There’s always that. It might be that our improvements broke something important. On the other hand, we might have hit some unexpected synergies as well. We’re working off of some pretty generous assumptions here.” Nox agreed. They had a pretty good understanding of how the system worked, but their understanding was far from perfect. They couldn’t be sure that their ‘improvements’ didn’t go too far without testing them. There might be all sorts of potential issues that even the Eriads were not aware of.

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Moonshadow scratched at a specially made post in her room in frustration and contemplation. For a while now she had been consumed by a problem. She had wracked her brain to try and come up with a way to let Selendil know about the changes in the Great Song. More and more she felt like this piece of information was critical, and that it could have enormous consequences. Yet the universe didn’t allow her to just tell Selendil. She had tried dozens of times and dozens of different ways, but every time she got to the point where she was about to broach the subject she was unable to get the words out. The best she could do was to give oblique hints in the direction, but so far those had not worked.

It was disconcerting to say the least, for many reasons. She had always prided herself on her individuality and believed strongly in free will. Yet here was a power she could not fight controlling her actions and preventing her from acting on that supposedly free will. The implications were also frightening. She was aware of the unknown interfering in things when it came to this, but who knew how many other ways she was being affected without her knowledge? And here was the really scary part: she didn’t know what was behind the power. She thought of it as the will of the universe, but that was just her own assumption based on nothing but a hunch and a feeling. It could be some sort of higher power she knew nothing about. Did this mean that something like a god existed and was preventing her from acting? And was the unknown power benign? So far it didn’t seem like that was the case.

On the other hand, she didn’t get the feeling of hostility from the unknown power either. It just was. The fact that it prevented her from speaking to Selendil didn’t seem very nice, but there might have been good reasons for it. In addition, there were many unknown things in the universe. This was just the one that had affected her the most directly. Honestly speaking, even Selendil could be considered a higher power of sorts, and the Dhar Keeper could've achieved the same thing as the unknown power for all she knew. Yet in many ways, Selendil was a known quantity unlike this odd power affecting her. Selendil was odd at times, but she was also someone you could understand. Not easily, mind you, but if you made the effort you could do it.

Luckily her attempts to speak to Selendil had not been entirely wasted. She had learned some things about the restrictions she was working under. Her repeated efforts had allowed her to come to some conclusions. The first and the most important conclusion was that whatever was stopping her from speaking to Selendil wasn’t actually trying to prevent Selendil from finding out. Moonshadow couldn’t inform the Dhar Keeper, but she felt that the power actually wanted Selendil to find out. That was the crucial bit though. Selendil had to find out, or more precisely realize the truth, herself. For some reason that was important. Moonshadow was allowed to nudge Selendil in the right direction, but Selendil had to come to the realization herself.

That made Moonshadow frustrated. How was she going to push Selendil in the right direction if she couldn’t even broach the subject properly? It wasn’t exactly a topic that came up regularly either. Moonshadow and Amaterasu had both regularly connected to the universal consciousness and had slowly but surely started becoming better at utilizing it. They were still taking their first baby-steps, but at least they were taking steps.

It was still easier when they did it together for some reason. And that was also a sort of problem. The two of them also seemed to be locked in a sort of competition and a power struggle. Neither of them really wanted to fully take part in the struggle as they didn’t want to antagonize each other, but that too was a problem in a way. It prolonged the silent struggle that was now stuck in a sort of limbo. That made working together on certain things more difficult than it needed to be.

Moonshadow didn’t blame Amaterasu for the issue. The other woman had not created the problem. It was natural for a pecking order of sorts to be formed in any group. Some groups managed without one, but even those groups usually had one if it became necessary. A gathering like the ship they were on definitely needed one and usually had one in the form of the chain of command. The problem was that the Enduring Symphony wasn’t really a military ship, so the chain of command was murky at best. Added to the problem was that they were both people that were used to being on top without having to really establish their dominance, and the fact that the ship was filled with civilian personnel unused to a strict military command structure. Even Moonshadow herself was used to working outside military ranks as most military personnel just yielded to her power and expertise.

Perhaps she was thinking about this the wrong way? Perhaps this problem with Amaterasu could be the solution to the other, larger problem? Even if Moonshadow couldn’t nudge Selendil, perhaps she could use Amaterasu to do so? On an impulse, she sent a communication signal to the Illum woman and got a quick response. “Moonshadow. What’s going on? Something wrong?”

Moonshadow considered that before nodding. “In a way yes. I need a favor.”

Amaterasu’s expression grew serious. “This is really unusual. It doesn’t hurt to ask though. I can’t promise to do it, but I will listen.”

"That's the thing. I need you to do the favor without asking too many questions. I promise to tell you what's going on afterwards, but for now, I need your cooperation without giving a proper explanation." Moonshadow was frustrated by the fact that she couldn't even reveal that she was not allowed to say certain things, so she had to dance around the subject.

"That's…odd, to say the least. Can you give me a hint to the nature of the favor at least?" Amaterasu asked.

“It is not something arduous, and I don’t think it will be something unpleasant. It won’t go against your principles either. I just need you to go along with my instructions during a single meeting.” Moonshadow struggled with the limits of what she could say.

“Alright. But you’ll owe me one just for all this vague nonsense.” Amaterasu finally agreed. “What meeting?”

-----

“What’s going on? We were just putting the finishing touches on the plans for the jump core.” Selendil asked as the warped back on the ship. She was met by Moonshadow and a confused looking Amaterasu.

“We need your help with something. As you know, the two of us have been making slow but gradual progress when it comes to the Universal Consciousness. I think it would be good to get some feedback.” Moonshadow approached the subject directly. She knew Selendil appreciated her time not being wasted.

“Not the best of timings, but since I am already here…” Selendil mumbled but agreed. “Shouldn’t we all be doing this psionically though?”

“No, I just wanted some advice. Also, it seems that your presence is so oppressive that it is easier for us to act when you are not present. I think it has something to do with the difference in how far we’ve come in utilizing the Consciousness.” Moonshadow said, skirting the very edges of what she could and couldn’t’ say.

“Interesting. I didn’t know that.” Selendil stated, suddenly more eager to find out more.

“I only found out once we did it with Amaterasu and without you present. It also seems it’s easier when we do things together.” Moonshadow said.

“Well, the whole purpose of the consciousness is for minds to come together so of course it would be. All our greatest achievements were joint efforts as well.” Selendil remembered with some nostalgia.

“We even managed to get a slight start on the Great Song, though only the very basics. Amaterasu was actually the one who managed it, and I wanted to ask for your advice. Amaterasu, could you hum a bit of what you managed to accomplish?” Moonshadow asked. This was the critical point. This was as far as she could approach the subject.

"Umm, you do realize it's not even close to the same thing as while we're inside the Universal Consciousness, right?" Amaterasu asked a little confused. In fact, humming the tune of the Great Song was like trying to describe Selendil and all you could do was to use a single color as a description and nothing else.

“I know. Just go with what we agreed.” Moonshadow prompted, emphasizing that this was the point where she needed the other woman’s cooperation.

“Alright. It’s going to be dreadful, but here goes nothing.” Amaterasu tried humming the bit of the Great Song she had managed before. It wasn't even close to what the real thing was like, however, just that was enough.

Selendil looked thoroughly confused. “Are you sure? That…are you sure? Moonshadow, did that sound at all like the Great Song?” The hummed notes were barely adequate, like someone with no ear for music trying to hum some new popular song, but there was one crucial detail. Even if Amaterasu’s humming was rotten, it was good enough to make one thing clear. It sounded completely different from the Great Song Selendil knew. It was like Amaterasu had decided to describe Selendil with the color pink.

“It sounded just like the Great Song we could sing when we were alone with the two of us.” Moonshadow said, and she could feel some of the restrictions on her being eased just a bit, but she still had to tread carefully.

“But…you heard me sing as well. That didn’t sound anything like my song, did it?” Selendil asked again, her mind grappling with the implications.

“It did not. Your song was different.” Moonshadow managed to say, and her face twisted as she struggled against what she could and could not say. Selendil was too confused to notice, but Amaterasu was not.

“Moonshadow? Is something wrong?” She asked, worried.

“Yes. I…cannot.” Moonshadow managed and her mouth opened and closed as her ability to say more was blocked. Now even Selendil noticed something was wrong.

“She’s being stopped from speaking. She’s struggling against the limits of what she can say. Don’t speak. Just nod for yes and shake your head for no. Don’t move if you are prevented from answering. Don’t force it. Is something preventing you from being able to speak freely?”

Moonshadow couldn't nod, but her immobility in itself was answer enough. Even if whatever power was stopping her from speaking, it was not something that would force her to shake her head either. "That's a thorough control," Amaterasu added with a scarily angry look.

“Yes, it is. Do you know who did this?” Selendil asked.

Moonshadow hesitated a bit before shaking her head. “Is anyone else affected to your knowledge?” Selendil asked, getting another shake of Moonshadow’s head.

“Does it concern other topics aside from what we were just talking about?” Amaterasu asked, suddenly connecting some dots in her mind. Why would Moonshadow use a topic like this to reveal the issue, unless this particular topic was important?

Moonshadow shook her head with obvious relief on her face. “So something is stopping you from speaking about the Great Song?” Amaterasu asked, and Moonshadow once again couldn’t move which was answer enough.

“Something is stopping you from revealing something you found out?” Selendil questioned, starting to understand where this was going. Once again Moonshadow didn’t move. “You are being prevented from revealing that the two songs are different?” Again no reply.

“Is that the only thing about the song you are unable to reveal?” Amaterasu suddenly asked. No reply. “So there’s still more we have not managed to figure out?” This time Moonshadow managed a small nod as more of the restriction was eased.

“Who would do something like this?” Amaterasu asked with confusion.

"The universe itself," Selendil replied with a realization. “The Universal Consciousness sometimes gave us trials that we had to pass to progress, although this one is something I’ve never run into before. The trials were always personal affairs, usually requiring some sort of personal realization.”

“I…can’t reveal more. The rest you” Moonshadow nodded towards Selendil. “have to figure out yourself. If you try to ask more, there will be consequences.” That was something she had realized suddenly.

“So it’s a trial for me and Moonshadow encountered the answer before I did. Now it makes more sense.” Selendil concluded with a start. ‘Two different songs? Is that why others are now able to join in as well? I feel there’s more to this.’ She thought to herself. Then she came to a sudden revelation. Was this why she'd been prompted to rescue Moonshadow?