“There are always bad actors in every species.” Chief Petty Officer Henry Wyatt stood amid the ruins, scanning the planet’s surroundings that held the mysteries.

Chief Science Officer Sadie Fowler stood beside him, working her long-range scanner. “You think this place was an El-Aurian enclave or something?”

“Or something is probably closer to what it is. I had some time to review the DNA data they have from you and Vocast – you’ve had some cowboys playing around in your past. The markers from Vocast are one thing, but there’s a surprising amount of El-Aurian indicators as well.”

Sadie felt her chest tighten, “I’m…part El-Aurian?” Every step of the way, the revelations threatened to increase her struggles with her identity. She had been who she was for so long.

His soft eyes turned to meet hers, his voice softening, “Who you are hasn’t changed, Ms. Fowler. Remember that – what we discover here will help you understand the what – but the who remains everlasting.” He pointed towards one of the few structures still standing, “Latent readings suggest to me we might find a power source in there.” He motioned for two security officers to follow them as he walked with Fowler behind him, “Before the Borg destroyed our world and massacred our people – many of us found our way to other places around the galaxy.”

Sadie followed him closer to the Victorian-looking house, the readings on her device also accelerating. “I remember reading your dossier…at least the available parts. You stayed on Earth.”

Henry reached the door and began to scan it, “My parents died in the Borg attack. The entirety of the Loval family line was extinguished.” He turned at her silence. He addressed the shocked look on her face, “It’s been almost five hundred years since I landed on Earth. It’s been a hundred and thirty-six years since the Borg attack on my people, Lieutenant Fowler. I have learned to accept my reality in that time. By staying on Earth, even at the precocious age of one hundred and twelve…I would have faced stringent consequences if I had returned home. I made a conscious decision to remain.”

Fowler realized what he must be thinking and replied, “I’m not making a judgment, Chief Petty Officer. I’m…this mission has been making me realize that I’m not alone in being an orphan, not in the least.” She nervously kicked at the dirt, “I was trying to ask without really…asking.”

“Well, stop doing that. If you want the answers, ask directly. Doing whatever it is that you called that…is a waste of time. And time is something I know a bit about. We don’t have as much as we think we do. Never enough time.” He sized up the door and sent his right booted foot against the wooden grain, and the door collapsed in a heap inside the house. “You are an orphan, Lieutenant Fowler. I read your dossier. Captain Walton and others have briefed me on your connection with Vocast. One thing you must realize,” he peeked inside the door and gestured for the security officers to clear the room, “…is that we are all orphans in our own way. Be it from family, homeworlds, friends, or otherwise…we’re all alone in the expanse of space.”

She was muted by what he knew. She followed him through the door after security announced the area was cleared. They walked into a shabby interior. The walls were crawling into the ground, and a thick layer of dust and debris was scattered around them. She found her words, “I don’t know what to feel, Master Chief. With Vocast in my head…I have someone who understands…but she is a lot. You are. Just…let me finish talking with him.” Sadie grumbled a heavy sigh, “She’s feeling and sensing everything around us..and excited about all of it.” The science chief turned back to him, “I thought I knew what I was. I lived this identity and this life…and now everything I know…or felt…or learned…it feels like I’m losing myself…and I can’t stop from those parts of me getting overwritten by all this new…stuff.”

He strolled, scanning and still listening. “Someone once said, ‘Everybody’s human’. Most species experience emotions along a similar spectrum. The experience of feelings and emotions…it’s one of the shared things that manages to tie us all together in this massive universe. What makes you who you are is not the DNA or the type of blood running through your body…what makes you who you are is the life you live and the choices you make in the pursuit of living.” He tapped on the wall lightly and then pounded on it as he went down one end of the room to the other. A heavy sound continued until a hollow sound was near the back of the house.

Fowler brought her scanner and began to go to work, “You make it sound so easy, Chief Petty Officer.”

He guffawed, startling her, “I don’t think I’ve ever used those words to describe life – human, alien, or otherwise.” He showed her what his tricorder was telling him and she showed him her scanner results. “You’ve begun to discover where you may have come from – all orphans eventually make this journey.” He called the security team over and pulled Fowler a distance away, “Only rule I’ll give you is this – don’t make the journey alone.”

Sadie jumped at the sound of phasers as the security team went to work on the wall. Out of the fading dust, an expansive winding staircase soon appeared. She turned to Wyatt, “Will you help me? Find my way?”

Henry clasped a hand on her right shoulder, “You really took that whole ‘be direct’ advice to heart quickly, didn’t you.”

She blushed, “I…I think I need to start accepting the advice of those around me more. You didn’t answer the question, Chief Petty Officer.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Fowler. And you can call me Mr. Wyatt. Less of a mouthful than my rank.” He stared at the stairway, “Whatever we find down there…don’t judge my people by whatever it is. I’ve seen some of the darker sides of us…and it’s never pleasant.”

“It’s a deal, Mr. Wyatt.”

“Then let’s go find out what story this house has to tell.”