Song of the Void

”Most races have some habits or rituals that other races would consider weird. To them, these habits and rituals make perfect sense, and the others seem like barbarians for not doing the same. At the same time, the others consider them weird for their silly little traditions. The trick is that this applies to everyone. It also doesn't apply just on the level of an entire culture either. As individuals, we have odd habits and personal quirks as well. Now, some people are of the opinion that since we all have these quirks, we can't really judge anyone for their weird habits. Others say that weird quirks are not created equal. Having a silly ritual is not the same thing as sacrificing a hundred children at every full moon, and thus should be treated as such. That argument has raged in its basic form since the inception of civilization, and there has not been a conclusion so far. So, as a consideration for everyone involved, I'll refrain from wading into that morass. To me, the lesson is that we're all weird, and some more so than others."

- High Ambassador of the Mrrroww

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They had not been on the station for more than ten minutes before the Dashane approached them. To be more precise, the tall, bulky, and veil covered Dashane man approached Selendil. The being spoke in a deep voice and an impatient tone that barely avoided straying into being disrespectful. “The Overseer of Rites requests your presence Powerful One.”

‘The Overseer is the shaman I mentioned earlier. It seems like some sort of a specialist title.’ Haven sent a silent message.

“And what does this Overseer want with me?” Selendil asked in a firm voice. They were here to meet the Dashane, but the Dashane didn’t need to know that. If you approached a random person on the station and told them to follow, there would be some questions asked.

“To determine whether you are a hunter, prey, or a predator.” The Dashane answered, as if his words explained everything.

"I suppose I can oblige enough to meet them at least," Selendil said slowly. It wasn’t a sufficient explanation, not by a long shot, but she sensed she wasn’t going to get more without pushing.

The Dashane looked at the two people standing with Selendil. “They are not invited.”

"Yes, they are. Unfortunately, your Overseer does not get to determine that." Selendil shot back in a tone that brooked no argument.

The Dashane seemed to be struggling between following orders exactly, his dislike for beings he considered prey, and the fact that he was deathly afraid and struggling not to show it. Finally, he seemed to give up. "That is not for me to decide. The Overseer will make the decision." His words were also a bit of an argument against Selendil's words, but only very slightly.

They were led through the station and the transports flew them to one of the more remote sections on the outskirts. The trip took a while due to the sheer size of the station, but they didn’t bother arguing. They all considered it better if the upcoming fight didn’t happen close to the important parts of the station. It would be a shame if the sections they liked got damaged by the battle after all. They finally reached the very edge of Haven, and they were greeted by a large area that had been cleared aside from a large structure that looked like a stadium of sorts. The difference being that it was much sturdier than most sports arenas.

The arena had enough room for a hundred thousand observers, without counting the platform floating in the air, and every seat was filled with Dashane. There was a small smattering of other species seated around the arena, and Selendil suspected all of those had been recognized as hunters by the Dashane. Moonshadow would've gotten an invitation as well if she had been aboard the station. "That's a lot of Nulls in one place," Selendil muttered.

“Nulls? Ah, you’re referring to their resistance to psionics, aren’t you?” Amaterasu realized. She could already feel her control over psionics fraying at the presence of so many Dashane, which was likely one of the reasons why so many of them had gathered.

“There are species in the universe that have psionic potential that has been entirely directed towards nullifying the effects of the psionics of other races. Thus the name Nulls. They usually develop on worlds where more than one intelligent race has risen to prominence, at least one of which is highly psionic. It’s a defense mechanism.” Nox explained in a voice that didn't carry very far. It might not be the best idea to broadcast the information among the Dashane.

“You could say that the Null can become Deities as well. They only really have one power, a very specialized one at that, but it’s still considered a power. Despite their name, they really do have psionic potential. The more powerful the Null or the more of them have gathered, the more powerful the defenses they have against psionics." Selendil added her own explanation, though she didn't bother keeping her voice down. Their guide looked at her oddly but didn't say anything.

"So I'm guessing even this many of them won't be a problem for you?" Xiaoli asked. Her own powers had stopped responding entirely already.

“A fair assumption. Sometimes quantity can’t replace quality. If you had refined your psionics far enough, you would not be affected either. This is one of those times where a psion’s base power is more important than the number of halos.” Selendil confirmed the Cybran woman’s suspicions.

“I’m working on it. Just give it time.” Xiaoli stated a little defensively.

Amaterasu on the other hand grinned. She had already reached a point where she could be considered to be something like a P14 or P15, where before they had all thought that the P13 was the highest base strength one could have. She was affected heavily by the Dashane gathered here, but her powers still worked to some extent. “You’re falling behind tinhead.” She playfully jabbed at the woman.

“Shut it freak of nature.” Xiaoli shot back.

The guide led them towards the center of the arena where an ostentatiously dressed Dashane stood waiting for them. That alone was weird. Nearly all Dashane had very simple and practical attire. The gaudiest they ever got was to have a fancy armor, and even then it was only expensive and not conspicuous. They all covered their faces as well, and it was hard to tell their features besides their general outline. The Dashane at the arena still had their face covered, but the best way to describe them was extravagant. They had all the possible hues of colors in their attire, as well as imagery stitched into the clothing and plenty of jewelry hanging from every piece of clothing. It was like all the decorations from other Dashane’s clothing had been transferred to one person.

The gaudily dressed Dashane opened their arms in greeting. “Welcome Powerful One, to the Arena of Blood and Hunt. Or at least what passes for an arena on this station. Ever since your first arrival on the station, our people have been gripped by a new feeling, the feeling of inferiority. I would like for you to help us determine something. As Dashane, we have a very simple way of seeing the universe around us. There are Prey, those people that are weak and do not have the strength and skill to prove themselves worthy of respect. There are the Hunters, those that have proven themselves and take part in the great hunt. And then there are Predators. Beings that are stronger than even the best of our Hunters and that do not choose to become a Hunter. True Predators are few and far between, and you can imagine what they do.”

“So I’m guessing you want to determine my place in your view of the universe?” Selendil asked.

“In a way. Tradition demands that you need to prove yourself to be counted among the Hunters, you are currently seen as a Predator. Even if you want to stick with that category, we need to take a measure of your mettle. That can be done either via a hunt, or a ceremony like this.” The Dashane they had determined to be a shaman responded.

“And what’s in it for me?” Selendil questioned. She didn’t have anything against a proper fight, but she felt there was more to be gained here.

They could sense the smile in the Dashane’s voice. “I recognize that others do not honor our traditions, which is why we are willing to negotiate compensation of sorts. However, I would keep something in mind. If you remain in the category of a Predator, our Blood Hunters will feel obligated to hunt you down as a danger to our people."

To everyone's surprise, Selendil burst into a gale of laughter. "Oh, but we both know that's not true. You may say that you're doing this for the reasons you said, but that's not the real reason, or not the main reason. You’re here because your Blood Hunters have refused to take this hunt. They might be willing to die to wash away their shame, yes I know about your customs, but they do not want to throw their lives away for nothing. They know they would lose. You need to have this fight happen, and be testified by many, so that you can use the news of this fight to calm the fears of your people. So don’t bother threatening me. I welcome any attempts your Blood Hunters might choose to make. However, I can be persuaded to take part in this charade. You just need to make it worth my time.” She had done some research beforehand.

The shaman faltered. Even though her earlier words had not been false, Selendil had stabbed at the heart of the matter. The instincts of every Dashane were screaming to run away from the being in front of them. That’s why they had left Haven when Selendil first arrived. A fight on the arena was a good way to tamp down on the instinct. The instinct would still be there, but the reality of an arena fight could never match the dreadful feeling they all got, so they would be able to use reason to temper that instinct to an extent. The appearance of Selendil had also caused a growing spiritual crisis back at their homeworld. A fight like this would go a long way towards quelling the crisis.

“What do you want?” The shaman with an androgynous voice asked.

“I want some of your best hunters. I happen to be in need of good fighters. Those that can keep their prejudices inside. My crew already has members of several races. Many of them could qualify as Hunters, one has even already done so, but some do not possess the qualities. I don’t need the Hunters treating the others badly, or I'll need to punish them severely. In return, they will get to experience all-new hunting grounds and prey that they have never faced before." Selendil made her pitch.

“Such hunters might be difficult to find, but not impossible. Especially if you prove yourself worthy of commanding them.” The shaman nodded slowly. This was not outside of what they were willing to part with to deal with the issues that Selendil’s appearance had brought. In fact, they had anticipated something like this might come up. Dashane were popular due to their skills after all. “That said, it would help if you did not defeat today’s challengers with what you call psionics. I can sense that even all the people we have gathered here would not stop you from using your powers, but it would be seen as cheapening the process.”

“That’s not a problem. It is settled then. Send in the first challenger.” Selendil nodded easily and levitated inside the area set aside for the fight.

“Do you need weapons?” The shaman asked while it rose to the arena as well.

“Just give me whatever the challenger is using. That way they can’t complain about me using weapons that are too advanced.” Selendil stated confidently, while several personalities of the best warriors of the Dhar rose to her consciousness. She was rather handy with a weapon herself, but a specialist was always a specialist. She excelled at fighting with her psionics personally.

“So be it. Send in the first challenger!” The shaman gave the signal, and a mix between a spear and a trident was provided to Selendil as the first Blood Hunter chosen as the sacrifice entered the arena.

"How quaint," Selendil commented looking at the spear that looked like it was made from bone, although it was fully made of synthetic materials. Her form seemed to become a bit more solid than usual, and the light battle armor she wore appeared around her. She didn’t need the armor, as it was mostly there just to give the enemy something to aim at. She actually had to mentally disable the psionic shield that would normally prevent any attacks that they might send her way.

The first Blood Hunter was prepared to die, as he had been sent out to test Selendil. They just wanted to get a feel for her abilities. He rushed towards Selendil, suddenly throwing his own spear as he got close enough to be sure of hitting. He had a backup weapon on his belt. Not that he got the chance to use it. As the thrown spear closed on Selendil, she spun her own spear a bit and redirected the attack away from her easily. Then she took a step forward slamming the spear into the Blood Hunter in a wide sweep. The weapon shattered in her hands, but it was not alone, as the nasty snap of broken bones was heard while the Blood Hunter was blown out of the arena assigned for the fight.

“Hmm. A bit too fragile.” Selendil commented, though no one was entirely sure if she was speaking of the weapon or her enemy. “I hope that wasn’t the best you can offer.”

“Of course not.” The shaman stated. That had just been a test, one that didn’t produce the results they had desired. Now several Blood Hunters were jumping to the arena at once.

"I thought this was supposed to be a fair fight," Amaterasu commented with a raised eyebrow.

“This isn’t meant to be a fight at all. This is a hunt, albeit one where there is no need for tracking nor any opportunity for laying traps. The target has shown weakness by losing their weapon, so now it is time to strike.” Xiaoli explained with slight disdain. She considered herself a warrior and Selendil was much the same. Hunters were a little different. Hunters that were after dangerous prey didn’t work alone, not if they were smart. They moved in groups and worked together to bring the target down.

A dozen hunters closed on Selendil, but she wasn’t just going to stand around waiting for them. Before they managed to converge on her, she moved like a blur, disarming the closest target and disabling him with a well-placed attack. Then she used the poor bastard as a shield against the incoming attacks. The trick worked in the sense that the others hesitated for just a breath, enough for her to once again rush into their midst so that the Dashane that were further away didn’t dare to attack recklessly. To her, the enemies around her were moving extremely slowly, and she had no trouble weaving through them.

The battle that followed was extremely one-sided, even with Selendil using their own methods against them. It wasn’t immediately obvious as Selendil didn’t continuously flaunt it, but the difference in ability was simply too wide of a gap to be overcome with simple numbers. In the end, over a hundred Blood Hunters lay on the ground in the various states of injury. Many were dead and many more were in the process of dying. To the Blood Hunters, it was the goal of their lives to die in honorable combat to wash away some previous dishonor they had incurred. There were few things more honorable than dying in battle against an enemy like Selendil, showing that they had overcome their fear, so she granted them their wish. She had even allowed a few of their attacks to scrape on her armor just to give them the distinction of their weapons reaching her. The dull weapons didn’t even leave a scratch so why not?

When the battle came to a close, she slammed what remained of her latest stolen weapon on the ground. A wave of psionic energy passed through the whole place and every Dashane was lifted into the air by an invisible power. They all heard a voice speaking in their heads. “Just so you don’t forget. I may have honored your way of fighting, but I have my own ways. Remember that.”

The Dashane all felt a deadly pressure bearing on their minds for a fraction of a second, and then it was gone as if it had not happened. To remind them that it had, they all fell back down on their seats. “I think the point has been made, don’t you think Overseer?” Amaterasu said with a smug tone.

The gaudily dressed Dashane cleared their throat. “Yes, I believe you’re right. The ritual is complete!” The announcement was made in a way that it was heard all over the arena. The Overseer then walked closer to Selendil. “We will keep our end of the bargain. It will take a bit of time to find enough Hunters that will fit your specifications. Their type is not common after all. But we will see it done, and they will gather on the station at a place you designate.”

“Good. See that you do. I don’t want to come and collect the debt later on. Incidentally, I might be able to help those hunters develop their own abilities against psionics, so if the lure of new hunts is not enough…” Selendil added a small enticement. She was not a Null and neither were any other Dhar, but they had dealt with such species before. She knew of the ways they could develop.

“Rest assured, the lure of new things to hunt will be attractive enough, but I will keep your words in mind. Masters of Hunt can be a bit difficult to convince. I already have a suitable Master in mind, and they might need a bit of convincing.” The Overseer reassured Selendil.

"Well, that went better than I thought," Amaterasu stated as they walked away towards the transports. Selendil would be warping them back on the ship, but it was better to do so in a place that had less people all around. "The two of us didn't get the opportunity to shine, but your brand of diplomacy seemed remarkably effective in this case."

“We could always go back and have you fight?” Selendil suggested playfully. The fight had refreshed her.

“Oh, could we?” Xiaoli asked eagerly, playing along with the joke.

“Oh dear.” Amaterasu sighed. “Perhaps we shouldn’t. We got what we wanted. Let’s not spoil it.”