Doctor Taiek sat across from this once notorious Tal Shiar asset inside a Kestrel shuttle, assessing him as the doctor had a habit of doing while listening to the plan. Here is the infamous Khaiell Rhadai, very much not a specter in the night, but instead a green, vegetable matter based being, able to form himself if given time and a structure to cling to, and devoid of a heart and a mind, but nonetheless with the heart and mind of a true Rihannsu. This alien life form, not theoretically begat of the Progenitors, exhibited behaviors and emotions that were oh so familiar.
In the doctor’s mind the question burned: did he have a soul?
“… so we meet back here,” Evoch said, “ and I cannot stress this, time is of the essence. We cannot wait for anyone. I’m sorry, but if someone isn’t here, well… they will not go with us. I am pushing my time table to its limits, you understand?”
“I understand, Evoch,” Taiek replied. “I will whip them into action if I have to.”
“Well…,” Evoch said with a grimace, not sure how to take that statement.
“Figuratively speaking, son,” Taiek replied reassuringly. “I am not like your old masters. Do not worry, we will be here, and we will be devoid of those who might wreck our little party.”
“Good. There are so many things that can go wrong. A hidden agent would be one of them.”
“You could just leave by yourself, Evoch. That would be safer.”
“Yes, but,” Evoch replied, “it wouldn’t be right. I mean after all the help you’ve been to me. I cannot in good conscience leave you to your fate.”
The doctor leaned back and looked carefully at Evoch. It was an unnerving silence and Evoch wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Something… on your mind, Doctor?” Evoch inquired.
“You,” Taiek replied. “You are on my mind, Evoch. I am curious how someone brought up to be an emotionless, hardened killer, suddenly gains this… morale compass, rebels against his masters, and risks his life to save an old, worn out, defector… on pure trust I might add?”
Evoch thought for a moment and stood up. “Well,” he replied, “ I met my brother, the greatest of all of us.”
“Is that so?” the doctor said inquisitively. “Do we have time for you to share this story? I am truly curious.”
Evoch looked back at the chronometer on the control panel next to pictures of his two siblings then back to the doctor with a nervous smile. He really didn’t like discussing it. In fact, he was beginning to hate any focus on himself, especially the less than savory side of his past.
“I was sent to enlist the help of my brother, Charvas, who was harvested at the same time I was, in a plot to kidnap and kill my sister, Ansha, who is a Starfleet officer, then harvest her spores which we produce upon death. That way, Dhusuia could produce an army of fungal warriors such as myself, all loyal to her only.”
“Oh my. Was Charvas with us on Rator III?” Taiek asked. “Why didn’t they just kill him then… or you too.”
“They did not kill me because I was still considered a valuable asset and my sister is a Starfleet officer with all that Federation knowledge that would be passed down to her offspring as it is with our species. An important intelligence boon if there ever was one. As far as Charvas is concerned, while I was sold to Dhusuia, he was found abandoned in a waste bin, on Rigel VII by an Orion woman.”
“Oh, so I assume he is in the Syndicate?”
“No, absolutely not,” Evoch replied quickly to clear indemnity. “You see, his mother, or rather the Orion woman who found him and raised him, was what is referred to as ‘a pot-scrubber’… or at least that is the polite interpretation from the original Orionii. She was born incapable of producing the seductive pheromones her kind use with great effect.”
“Oh, like that slattern, Neema Jual,” Taiek said, practically spitting venom.
“Oh, yes,” Evoch replied, then moved on, as not to out a former enemy who is now an ally as that was one of Reggie Tohanna’s aliases. “Anyway, this woman was a believer in hard work, good honest living, and avoiding criminal activity. She was a loving mother and a good, upstanding, role model for Charvas, though not well educated. Needless to say, while Charvas lacks the intellectual capacity to do most higher level tasks, he more than makes up for it with his uplifting charm, and always friendly nature.”
“So he is stupid?” The Doctor said, “And yet you call him the greatest of all of you?”
“Yes. You see, from him I learned the truth. He is honest. He is kind. He has no enemies, and I learned there was an alternative to living one’s life. I learned that all I had been up to that point was nothing but a lie.”
“How, mere discussion with this prophet? A testimony?”
“No. Well…sort of, it’s complicated. You see my species has an ability to touch and share experiences with one another. I had mentioned this ability earlier. All the knowledge and emotion wrapped up with that. We lack a natural understanding of right and wrong, so the problem with that is the context of experience must be conveyed by another method, something that my sister and I figured out… that’s a whole nother story there.”
“Needless to say,” Evoch continued, “I saw his life unfiltered and everything, and whereas I could block certain aspects of my life, he could not. I had never experienced love, being cared for, that feeling of security in a mother’s arms, and that grace one receives when one makes a mistake and is scolded but forgiven. Only torture and cold, hard discipline for me.”
“Sounds like one of those dreadful tragedies my wife likes,” the Doctor commented, which gained a chuckle from Evoch who was very much comfortable with self depreciation anyway.
“Doesn’t it though,” Evoch replied. “Anyway, I had many questions. I thought surely with an upbringing like that he would be nothing but a lazy, unruly, gadabout, but he was not. He was forthright, dedicated to any task assigned, and willing to help others. He was humble. He was kind. I asked him if I could meet his mother, I wanted to see her, hear her, and have that sublime experience for myself. I could not shake the terrible sense of… well… the notion that everything I knew was wrong, and I could have been raised… well… like that. I was envious”
Doctor Taiek was engrossed. This was a true example of nature versus nurture, save the species in question was for the most part a blank slate when separated from their inherited memories.
“And when you met her?” Taiek asked.
“She… she hugged me. I was frozen, I didn’t know what to do. She made a comment about realizing Vulcans aren’t much for that kind of thing but ‘any brother of my son is my son too they’re gettin’ a hug’ she stated. You see, I had told Charvas I was raised by Vulcans.” Evoch shrugged.
“Makes sense, “ Taiek replied. “Most yyhk can’t tell the difference.”
“Indeed,” Evoch responded. He continued. “She demanded I stay for dinner, if not for a day or two. I mentioned I had other appointments unfortunately, but nonetheless, she was as kind and caring as Charvas’ experiences conveyed. I… if I had the capacity to cry, I would have broken down, right then and there.”
“Oh my,” the doctor replied.
“I made up my mind on the way home, I would not follow through with this plan. I would not help Dhusuia enslave MY people as she did me! No! I would find my sister, and my people, and I would protect them.”
“And, you killed Dhusuia.”
“Yes. Or rather I laid the trap.”
“I don’t blame you, boy,” Taiek replied. “I don’t blame you one bit. I think you did all Rihannsu a huge favor.”
“Did I, though?”
“Yes, have no regrets on that one, Evoch.”
“It’s become hard not to, especially after meeting my sister.”
“What do you mean, Evoch?”
“You see,” Evoch replied. “Ansha is smart, driven, a bit too stiff if you ask me, somewhat prone to vanity, but she has a good heart figuratively. She subscribes somewhat to a Terrahain religious practice known as Sikhism, which is a warrior cult I guess, but more defensive and somewhat pacifist in nature. She has taken lives in the line of duty. Justified kills that saved others, and yet, she lives with regret. She wonders if there was another way. Those deaths haunt her.”
“Was her upbringing a hard one?”
“No, with the exception of some traumatic moments she had very loving dedicated parents too.”
Taiek’s face filled empathy and concern for Evoch. “I’ll bet that makes it rougher for you, huh, son?”
“No, strangely, I find myself happy, that out of all us I am the only one that suffered from a horrible upbringing. I find joy in their experiences which they shared.”
“Survived Dhusuia and lived to tell the tale,” Taiek replied. “I must admit, your species is quite fascinating. Very adaptable. I would love to study you… albeit from an ethical standpoint.”
“Well, perhaps, Doctor, you will get to meet Ansha’s Terrahain father, Dr Vakmar Singh. He has ethically studied our species in depth.”
“I would like that, very much,” The Doctor replied, as he stood up. “But first things first, we need to get out of here. I’ve been a distraction long enough I’m afraid, though I do appreciate you obliging this old doctor’s curiosity,” Taiek said while softly swatting Evoch’s arm. “I shall go wrangle my kin now, and prepare them for the upcoming journey.”
“As you say, Doctor. We leave at sunrise. Be safe. Jolan Tru.”
The Doctor nodded and left via the shuttle passage. Evoch stood in silence recounting the memories he had just shared. He then looked at the pictures of Charvas and Ansha posted on the pilots control panel of his shuttle and smiled.
(edited for clarity and grammarical errors. )