SHURUFI
The shame of Arkania
"Where did the title come from?"
"Oh...
That one...?"
"Yes,
that one."
"... It wasn't aimed at her, if that's what you're asking... No, it was an insult directed towards me."
- A discussion between an unnamed scientist and Turik Zashurr.
Genetic experiments are not uncommon upon Arkania, and so it'd come as no surprise that there have been many attempts by certain scientists to push the boundaries of their own species, to take an attempt at perfection. Turik Zashurr was one such scientist who sought to improve upon the design of his own people in search for the next step in evolution. He believed greatly that drastic steps should be left to the eccentrics and the blind who sought to make too far of a leap in too short a span; something he believed to be the downfall of many experiments. Genetic modification should be performed piecemeal, step by step, guaranteeing stable results before taking the next one, even if it took decades.
Turik believed that he should've started small, a relatively minor genetic modification by his own estimations that wouldn't greatly impact the stability of an Arkanian's great mind.
Beauty, he thought at first.
We should be beautiful. Using his own DNA as the genetic baseline he began to experiment with the creation of an Arkanian with Hapan genes as the beauty of Hapans was known galaxy-wide, and most of the hard work of isolating their genes had already been done in the past. They were the perfect candidates for combining with Arkanian blood in the pursuit of vanity.
Years were spent on theory alone before a practical attempt was finally made, and all the time spent waiting had seemingly resulted in an immediate success. At that moment Turik was fascinated by his own genius, that he should create an Arkanian with Hapan genes on his first practical attempt? Truly it was a sign that his research and experimentation was on the correct path. If he knew back then that the creation of Shurufi would destroy his reputation he may well have put an end to her then and there.
As time passed the young girl known as Shurufi, a tanned blonde-haired Arkanian with their unmistakable pale silver eyes, grew into her own. She developed a curious mind which was promising at first, and seemed to display much interest and joy in communicating with others. Turik documented her steady upbringing with enthusiastic hope. all roads were pointing towards a healthy and bright future for the child.
To some surprise Shurufi eventually started to display Force sensitivity at a young age, Turik presumed that the genetic half of the Hapan DNA within her must have come from some force sensitive Hapan, for he had no control over it himself. He viewed it as an uncertain anomaly and had a distaste for it at first, but Shurufi seemed to enjoy her abilities to shift small objects around without touching them, and eventually he started to enjoy the smile that it brought to her face.
With time his documentation of Shurufi lessened, his research slowed, and he found satisfaction in simply raising her as any father would. They formed a close familial bond in time, but during her teen years something had changed that he hadn't noticed at first, blinded as he had become by paternal instinct. The girl's natural curiosity had shifted into naivety, her bouts of inspiration turned into fleeting interests, and she displayed a lack in something that was the pride of the Arkanian people. In education she started to steeply fall behind her peers, her interest in certain subject matters disappeared almost entirely, and eventually it was markedly noticed by others that her intellect was lacking compared to their own.
"She's an idiot."
"...No, she isn't."
"She's a complete fool!"
"You're wrong."
"Then what is she, Turik?"
"She's..."
"She's what? Useless? Stupid?"
"No. ...She's my daughter."
- An exchange between Turik Zashurr and a respected peer.
Shurufi didn't have the brilliant mind of an Arkanian. By all accounts that alone was enough for the experiment to be considered a failure. When he was younger Turik would have been eager to simply be rid of her and start over again, but he was someone else now, someone who saw more than results. He was a father, and Shurufi was his beloved daughter.
Because of her differences Shurufi had a troubled upbringing, but she had a loving father who was wealthy and influential despite his reputation taking quite the turn because of her existence. Perhaps it was fate then that eventually, when her connection to the Force had become undeniable, that those seeking students and padawans came and offered her the opportunity to learn what she was truly capable of, that her mind was bright in a way the Arkanian's couldn't see, one capable of compassion and forgiveness.
At first Shurufi was hesitant to leave her father but Turik understood that the life she could have with those that could teach her the ways of the Force was markedly better than the one she'd have on Arkania, constantly haunted by the shadow of her own birth.
