Quelick had been too young to know what times were like before the war, only that they were times of peace and freedom – but he was too young to know what those words truly meant. His parents were killed in the war and he had no other family to speak of. He learnt about deception before he did love. That's what made him different to most Thermians. Thermians only knew love and peace and kindness and acceptance to all things until the war. Deception was a lesson taught much slower to the others, but to Quelick, who was isolated to all things Thermian, had to learn only what he was shown.

It was easy to trick people, to bully and to lie, but these talents only served to isolate him further from his people. Even though everyone was suffering, even he was different in suffering, and nothing he could do connected him with others.

That was until the historical documents.

When they first received the transmission – everyone knew, because Thermians shared everything – no one knew what to think. These were strange, strange creatures, talking in a language no one could understand. But when scientists began to work on a translation and began to conclude that the people on the screens creating and doing and overcoming terrible trails were figures of a distant planet's history, there was a lot of talk and excitement. People began to hope again. These strange creatures were overcoming trails again and again, each one different but so important. Maybe the Thermians could do it to.

Then they heard the first translated words: "Never give up, never surrender."

Everything changed. Inspired by these words, their culture was rebuilt, modelled after the person and crew who had uttered them. Everyone loved these people – humans, as they came to know them. People loved Commander Peter Quincy Taggart the most. He was the one who uttered the words that saved them all. Quelick loved him too, but there was someone else he adored more.

Doctor Lazarus. He was not human. He was Mak'tar. He was different to the others.

Quelick idolised him. He had never had a father, but what he felt for Doctor Lazarus must have been close to that. Quelick studied him, copied him, got mad at him, and learned from him – even though they had never met. He forgot about deception, about lies, about hate, and only followed the logical, honest ways of the Mak'tar.

A.N: Just wrote this on a whim instead of doing homework.