Posted by Ensign Tabris Asam (Engineering Officer) in Empathy and Plants

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharah Fayth (Chief Science Officer) in Empathy and Plants

Posted by Ensign Tabris Asam (Engineering Officer) in Empathy and Plants

(snip)

Tabris was visibly joyful as started to explain, “So I guess their subspace relay was down so I had been sending them but it was just radio silence till they got it all working and he got flooded, and same with me. He had been writing them but knew it wasn’t working so he just saved them. You know, it’s weird. He was telling me all about the little things, like a good score on a test or an injury that he had and it was just nice to read about his day to day life, even if I’m not there. He even started his letters off with ‘Hi dad’ which warmed my old heart let me tell you!” Tabris stroked Geoff’s branches a little as he spoke and looked at his old friend, “You’re going to have a little brother soon!” Tabris said totally seriously, “So he has been having some trouble with Vedi because he’s leaving right? So Vedi doesn’t want him to go and is being kinda mean to Neltus but… Sorry, Vedi is his roommate and best friend he’s 8 as well, anyways so Vedi has been making fun of Neltus and he’s taking it personally. See the thing is, I’d love to adopt Vedi and his two siblings but they have to say yes and I don’t know if they will and.... I’m sorry I’m rambling…”

Tabris Asam, Eng

Sharah smiled, extremely happy for Tabris. “See I told you it was nothing!” She listened as Tabris recounted his letters from Neltus. She understood the importance of them. For a year that’s all she had from Joseph was their letters. Once in awhile they actually got to talk in real time, but not as often as she would have liked. They’d had two, all too short, visits together. It wasn’t enough when you loved someone. She missed her brother and parents like crazy too, and Ashlyn, who she didn’t hear from anymore. It hurt more than she wanted to admit. She just wanted to know Ashlyn was okay. That things were getting better, but her letters wouldn’t even go through. She turned away for a moment getting her own sadness under control. She was happy for Tabris. “So he hasn’t said about the room yet obviously. But let me know what he says.” She glanced at Geoff and laughed and the drum roll that seemed to come to the front of the flora symphony of the arboretum as Tabris touched Geoff’s leaves, like Geoff was purring. “Well I can understand why Vedi would be sad. They go through a lot together don’t they? And why would you have to adopt 3 more kids?”
Lt. jg Fayth, CSO

Tabris gave Sharah an annoyed look channeling his inner teenager as he said, “I know I know… I worry too much.” Tabris smiled once again and said, “I don’t know if the images of the room will even load given what they have to work with out there, and maybe it’ll be a surprise for him. And I’d adopt Vedi and his two siblings who are 4 and 3 because they were all found together but the kicker is that Vedi and his sister are Cardassian, and the youngest boy is Bajoran. Vedi shared with me that he thinks they’ll grow up in the orphanage and that breaks my heart because no one wants to adopt mixed species orphans. See here’s the thing, I don’t give too hoots where your genetics are from, I worked on Bajor during the occupation and helped the resistance, but I knew great people, both Bajoran and Cardassian, and I also knew terrible of both as well.”

Tabris Asam, Eng

Sharah settled more comfortably next to Geoff and watched Tabris rant for a moment. “Tabris, you know you are trying to convince yourself of something, but you’ve already decided. So out with it. What’s got you so worked up?” Tabris was usually so stead and calm, this was amusing to watch him get worked up. But it was over kids and she was pretty sure she’d feel the same way. She and Joseph talked about having kids. And she did want to have them, but could they adopt too? So many children without families....She could feel the memory Tabris had of feeling Vedi’s struggle and it broke her heart…and then. “Whoa! Tabris! What’s with that. Okay so I am ALL for you adopting 4 kids, but are you letting your empathy control your decision? I mean I get it. I would too, but you should at least be aware of it. Right, because otherwise when they are bad they will walk all over you. Having empathy and kids is tricky. You said something about empathy earlier and not knowing what to do.”
Lt. jg Fayth, CSO

Tabris had kind of expected this response once Sharah read his thoughts but he didn’t know that she was going to so quickly deduce exactly what he was thinking. “Well I was going to respond but I see you already know.... and no it’s not official yet, at least I don’t know if it is or not. Neltus’s adoption went through and that was guaranteed. But I talked to the judge and the house mother about adopting all 4 of them, and I recorded a message… well here just listen.” Tabris said as he tapped his comm badge and said, “Computer would you please play Tabris Message 323 to Delotha? Thank you.” The sound of his voice came through the comm badge a little crackly, almost like an old radio:

“Vedi, Mecona, Julin, if you’re hearing this message then I want you all to know that in the brief window that I was here to get to know and adopt Neltus that I realized how much of a family he has with you three. Vedi you are the wise brother who cares for your siblings and that you two are basically inseparable. I also know from our conversations that you have a wonderfully caring soul and know that, even at such a young age, that sometimes hard decisions need to be made. I understand you were ready to make the hardest decision of your life. Mecona, Julin, I know that you idolize both Vedi and Neltus, they’re your big brothers and you want to stay with them because that’s what family does, and you want to grow up with them, even if sometimes they can be annoying. Kids I want you all to know that with deep consideration I approached Judge Arroz and House Mother Karra with an idea. That it would be wrong to split up siblings, and that it would be inappropriate for any of those siblings to have to be split apart. I asked them if I could adopt you three as well. Not just because you see Neltus as a brother, but because I love each of you in your own way. Vedi, I love you because you’re a sweet compassionate boy who cares deeply for what’s right even if it’s hard to do. You make sure that your siblings are cared for even if it is at your own detriment. Mecona, I love you because while I’m here you’ve been a constant companion when you could, curious and inquisitive, asking all sorts of questions because the world is a new place and you trust me to teach it to you. Julin I love you because you’re just a little ball of energy that would shoot through the ceiling if you weren’t held down by gravity! You let me play with you and your giggle brightens my day when I make your robot talk or toss you in the air. If you’re hearing this, then that means that their answer was yes, but it’s up to each of you to decide if you think I’ll be able to be a father to each and every one of you.”

Sharah listened to the message and smiled. “Tabris…that’s amazing!” She wiped at her face. The feelings coming from Tabris were strong and pure. He was so happy and scared at the same time, and so in love with those kids. She’d seen it quickly and it was just how her mind worked. After so many years she was good at picking up and getting through the static, if it was someone she knew well.

He turned to Sharah and said, “Well I fear that you may be right. Vedi came to me on the second trip and told me he was going to ask Karra to split them up so they could be adopted. He thought the little ones wouldn’t remember, but he’d be hurt the most. I just… I couldn’t stand that thought, that’s what I’m sure you felt as I replayed that memory.” Tabris said as he nodded a little and leaned on the tool crate close by, “So I wanted to talk to you about my empathy because on Earth my parents didn’t even tell me I wasn’t human till I was 19. El-Aurian kids grow at a similar rate to humans but by the time they reach around 20-25 their aging basically slows to a crawl. Whenever I would tell my parents that ‘I thought someone felt sad’ they would say I just had good intuition. So I basically never have practiced or honed my ability to feel other people’s” he paused to look at Geoff and stroke a leaf, “Or thing’s feelings. Where should I start?”

Tabris Asam, Eng

“Oh wow…I…Hmmm… I don’t know. I’m not sure El-Aurians empathy works the same. But I can try. And your parents weren’t wrong…empathy is like really good intuition, but it’s also the ability to not just read the body language but you FEEL it too. For me it’s like I have two bodies. My own, that has my own emotions and feelings, but then a second body and I feel like my own but I know the feelings belong to that other body. I’m sure that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Strong emotions are easier to pick up because there is so much power or force behind them. Like…I could hear your memory of talking to Vedi. I could also feel you felt his fear and sadness. Did you recognize that? At the time, that you felt his emotions? Think about it and see if you can tell the difference.”
Lt jg Fayth, CSO

Tabris thought deeply about what Sharah had said regrading the two bodies. He didn’t feel the same but couldn’t describe it easily. “So it’s weird it’s like I can feel what I feel right? But with Vedi I just felt my own emotions get pushed to the back of my head, like I was feeling what he felt mostly, and what I felt before was a memory that I was trying to recall. It comes in flashes for me, like I can’t easily ‘tell’ what you’re feeling right now but if you’re feeling strongly I’ll get flashes of it.”

Tabris Asam, Eng

Sharah nodded, “That makes sense. And how each person describes it, isn’t wrong or right. Just unique. And it may be that your empathy only picks up very strong emotions, but maybe not.” She looks around the arboretum and there are several other people, which she knew because she could feel and hear them. “Okay so you said that it’s like your emotions are more pushed to the back like a memory? Can you try and do that? Try and push your own emotions to the side? And see what fills that space?”
Lt. jg Fayth, CSO