Interview with Rei - Part 4 of 10

As Steve Fisch and I get the scripts ready to sell Rome's Revolution as a streaming series, he asked me for a lot of background information that I did not have. So I took some time out to interview Rome and Rei. Here is Rei's interview, part 4 of 10.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interviewer: So you really were not aware of the passage of time? You did not know how long you were asleep?
Rei: I apologize for not knowing your physiology intimately but does your species sleep?
Interviewer: Yes.
Rei: And when you wake up, are you perfectly aware of how long you were asleep?
Interviewer: Only in the most general sense. Environmental cues and all.
Rei: Do you use anesthesia during surgery?
Interviewer: Of course. (The interviewer raises a tendril) I understand. By its very nature, the sleeping being cannot be marking the passage of time. Otherwise it wasn’t truly asleep.
Rei: There you go. Anyway, the Vuduri had selected me at random for their study and started the resuscitation cycle. The hyper-oxygenated fluid drained away and the defibrillator fired and started my heart on the first try.
Interviewer: That sounds good
Rei: In theory, yes. In practice, no. The sensors that provided feedback to the machine were dead. So it didn’t know my heart was already beating so it fired again, way stronger this time.
Interviewer: Shocking an already beating heart. What did that do?
Rei: It’s a good thing I was young and strong. I survived. But the stupid thing was ramping up to zap me again and that third time would have killed me for sure so I mustered up enough strength to pull off the defib pads.
Interviewer: Since you are here and we are talking, I assume this worked.
Rei: Yeah. It burned my fingers but at least I was alive.
Interviewer: So then what happened?
Rei: The two Vuduri assigned to awaken me… Canus because he was sort of a medic and Rome because she was, uh, expendable…
Interviewer: Expendable?
Rei: My species has a lot of flaws. Again, it probably goes back to our caveman roots. One of those traits is bigotry. Us versus them. It has always been comforting that you were part of a group and that group was amassed to fend off other groups. You learned to hate those other groups. When I was growing up, it was race, the color of your skin, or your religious background, or your sexual orientation. All of these led to hatred.
(Interviewer shakes its head)
Interviewer: This is one trait that we do not seem to have in common. As a species, we always felt part of the one. When the Union made First Contact, we did not have any fear of them and thus no hatred.
Rei: Yes, I know. I’m always happy when First Contact goes well. It doesn’t always, you know.
Interviewer: I am aware.

Tomorrow, part 5