"Nature Versus Nurture, Part Three"

Posted on Fri Mar 31st, 2017 @ 9:00pm by Lieutenant Commander Marit Lantry M.D., Ph.D. & Colonel S'er'in'e

Mission: Shadows and Whispers
Location: Doctor Marit Lantry's Office, Starbase 332

"I am superior to you in every way." He grabbed her wrist firmly. "What are these?" Obviously meaning her finger nails. "Nothing compared to these." Extending his claws to full length. "What you call teeth, useful for chewing food, I kill with mine and have done recently." His lips parted to reveal his own very long, very large fangs and teeth. "You stand there indicating the threat to me is the Overseer. No, the threat to me is you and your kind and many others like it. Changing who and what I am so that I am acceptable to social norms, a concept imposed by lesser species. No the Overseer has made a very painful truth that I have lost my way, forgotten who I am and that I need to find it again."

"The respect the S'er'in'e you know shows you, the bowing for example is an extension of what we do on the Homeworld. I do not need to bow to you, only the females of my kind, you aliens are not worthy of my Caste's respect but I felt that extending that to others would help, all it has done is made it easier for other species to manipulate me to behaving how you want me to behave. Captain Von stopped me from killing that man earlier, if this were the Homeworld I've have killed him and nobody would have bat a tail over it. That man attacked Von, he would have killed her had I not been there but she had the nerve to stop me?"

S'er'in'e circled around Marit. "By letting him live you invite attempts by others. Had I killed him the message would be clear. But alien ways pathetically frown upon death even when its very message can be a powerful one." He took a few breaths in silence. S'er'in'e also knew his Mate was Human, the very 'inferior species' he'd just blasted Marit for being apart of but all judgement ended the moment she took him as her Mate. A Mate was the exception to almost every rule in Caitian society, the only ones to stand up against the leadership and still win.

S'er'in'e stopped in front of Marit. "Now Counsellor, how did you like the alternative?"

Marit had hoped by eliciting his anger, he would recognize he wasn't entirely responsible for his current attitudes and he would recognize the danger in letting the Overseer define who he was, but it seemed all she had done was given him reason to turn his anger toward others by belittling them, and in this case, her. Taking in every word of his expansive demonstration, Lantry shrugged. "What I like or don't like is irrelevant because none of this is about me or anyone else. This is about you, your future, and your truth. If you truly believe the Overseer is right, then nothing I or anyone else say is going to change your mind. Frankly, that isn't my goal because for better or worse, you have reason to think and feel as you do. We've established your agreement with the Overseer, so the only question that remains is, now that you agree with her assessment of you, what do you need to do to prepare yourself for the consequences of being in such accord?"

"The consequences can be far reaching, the Overseer chooses. Until I know her wishes I can not prepare for anything, she is not known for her....understanding." S'er'in'e growled as he paced the length of the windows.

"It seems to me she's made her wishes pretty clear. She wants to take you back to the homeworld," Marit replied.

"That much is obvious." S'er'in'e answered. "Perhaps it would be prudent to close this session and resume another time when more information is available." S'er'in'e suggested.

"You're free to leave it anytime," the counselor replied simply. "I do hope you will continue to reach out to speak to me. I know it feels like you're alone right now, and I know you even may be frustrated because I don't fully understand your culture, but I promise, I am on your side, and I will always be willing to listen anytime you need."