Afterimage

Posted on 16 Jun 2022 @ 9:52pm by Grenkat

Grenkat marched into his quarters, scowling and his head throbbing. As soon as he made it inside, he finally felt his vision turn red and he grabbed the closest thing to him–a plant encased in a vase–and threw it hard against the opposing wall. The glass shattered on impact with water flying across the carpet below. Grenkat didn't notice any of it, though. He was in tunnel vision mode: he went across the room to grab the sword which hung on his wall, carefully encased within a sheath. He was just about to make it out of the room before a loud beep interrupted his concentration.

"By Irastet, what-?!" He growled out, before the computer gave him his answer.

"Incoming subspace message for Grenkat." The computer's calm feminine voice replied.

"From where? Who in the name of the Directorate would be calling me?" He stepped further into his room once more, his sword hanging by his side.

"Message originates from Azati Prime." The computer answered.

"Aza-... where-.... Fine, put it through." He tossed his sword onto the nearby chair and turned the small computer on the desk nearby toward him. After a few more moments, the answer to his question appeared on the small screen: Lounet, dressed in some awful looking Directorate-era uniform. His smug expression only further enraged Grenkat, not to mention what followed it.

"Aw, fantastic, the one time I call you and you have your shirt on."

Grenkat immediately marched away from the computer, his vision blurring once more from anger as he grabbed his sword and prepared to storm off to the holodeck.

"H-hey, Grenkat, it was a joke! Come on, I actually called for something important!" Lounet's smug demeanor had just as quickly shifted to one of desperate pleading. Grenkat relented, and turned to once more look at the computer with his sword in view.

"What is it you want, Lounet. I'm busy, unlike you it seems." Grenkat's voice was laced with venom.

"Oh-ho-hoh, I guess I called at a touchy time. Your brain acting up again? Well as I said, I did call for something important. I need a medical opinion of yours, of a sort." Lounet leaned forward in his chair, trying to look more professional than he had a few moments ago. He was right, of course. The impact of Grenkat's re-education was flaring up once more, his mind hazier than usual. Not that the re-education was still in any way effective. His surgery under H'Rilla's care had taken care of that. Still, the occasional disorientation and mood swings weren't uncommon.

"Well no need to dance around it, just tell me what it is." Grenkat spoke impatiently.

"Alright, alright, calm down. It has to do with genetic engineering. I was curious… could the Ruhansans use genetic engineering to find a way to procreate?"

"Could-... what? What kind of question is that?" Grenkat's anger briefly subsided as confusion took over, surprised by the sudden topic shift.

"Exactly what I said. Could the Ruhansans genetically alter themselves so they could produce viable children?" Lounet's expression had turned serious, which told Grenkat he wasn't playing around. He sat in his desk chair before he answered.

"Well… I suppose the answer is yes. You can do a lot with genetic engineering. It's not out of the question for them to find a way to produce gametes which can combine to eventually form a fetus of sorts. What makes Ruhansans infertile is that their gametes are undeveloped. So… the answer is yes. It would be possible, under the right circumstances. And with careful research. Why?"

"Because I want to know if it's possible for the Ruhansans to pursue it. Because if it's possible, then they will try it eventually. It's something we have to think about in these negotiations. Now that I have my answer, are you going to tell me if I was right? It's your re-education that's acting up again, I know it." Lounet's expression had not changed from one topic to the next, as if both were just as serious.

"Like you care. You may as well have ordered my re-education yourself." Grenkat practically spat the words at him, his anger rising once more.

"Oh, don't worry." Lounet's expression turned to anger at Grenkat's response. "This isn't out of any genuine concern for your well-being, I can assure you of that. But you are the face of the Piraktan people to much of the rest of the galaxy. I would hope you aren't completely mentally incapacitated from your own failings." Lounet's voice was dripping with bitterness at Grenkat's anger towards him.

"Ha! Well I can assure you that, despite being forcibly exiled from my homeworld because of choices completely out of my control, I am quite the representative of our people. Now don't you have some meeting to run off to, or are you pretending you're more important than you really are again?"

Lounet scrunched his face in anger. "Oh, I forgot, all you can think about is that idiotic sword of yours, and swinging it around in a Tynak ring all day. Wanting to live the glory days of the past, do we?" Lounet then leaned forward and slapped his hand on his computer. The call ended immediately.

A small sense of satisfaction filled Grenkat, before he headed out of the room and towards the holodeck. As he did, he also felt a dark pit of emptiness in his heart. A yearning for a past long gone.