Sehkvit (The Surgeon)

The Surgeon with the wrong eye color, demonstrating why I needed a wiki

The Chatcaavan known as the Surgeon throughout most of the Princes' Game series. Sehkvit, his name, was divulged during the events of the Insurrection.

Physical Characteristics

The Surgeon's eyes are a "startling green." He dresses for pragmatic rather than sartorial effect.

History

Apparently the Chatcaavan equivalent of a valedictorian in school, which he attended with Kuuvel. Had courses in riot weaponry.

The Surgeon is Outside, a position that affords him considerable protection as he is not subject to the deadly games of males Inside, but that also requires a strict neutrality. He is not obliged politically to any male, not even the Emperor, but is in the rarefied position of being needed by every male given the violence of the Court.

Agreed to the Emperor's request to give the Slave Queen (as she was known at that time) a safe harbor in the event of a serious challenge to his authority.

Recent History

The Surgeon visited Lisinthir Nase Galare to introduce himself at the Emperor's request. He told Lisinthir that he would heal him of honor injuries--wounds brought on by fighting or sex with another male--but not of "wounds of treason" or wounds that only an alien would sustain: poisoning or illness.

When Lisinthir did in fact gain honor wounds, the Surgeon treated him. Later, Lisinthir convinced the Surgeon to aid the Mother during her difficult birth by appealing to the fact that the Mother might be carrying a son, and successfully convinced him. The Surgeon later healed both the Emperor and Lisinthir after their nearly-fatal fight over the fate of Alliance slaves; he indicated to Lisinthir that his clinic was the safest place, especially when the Emperor was absent, as the clinic is Outside and Lisinthir could not be attacked there. He also noted that he was uninterested in weaning Lisinthir off his addiction to hekkret, but would prescribe him a precise dosage (that Lisinthir sometimes chose to ignore).

When the Emperor made his decision to use his Eldritch form to feel Lisinthir's emotions during torture, the Surgeon reluctantly agreed to be the instrument of that torture, as his medical expertise would prevent him from accidentally killing Lisinthir.

During Second's challenge of the Emperor, the Emperor invoked an old agreement: at times of challenge that might result in the Emperor losing, the Queen was to hide in the Surgeon's clinic. The Surgeon immediately recognized the situation, relieved Triage of duty, and escorted the Queen to the windowless sanctuary of his office.

In the aftermath, the Surgeon healed the Emperor's damaged wing, "without anesthetic, with the efficiency of one accustomed to far more grievous wounds."

Trivia

• Calls Kuuvel 'Idiot'.
• Lisinthir thought he had no sense of humor.
• Has an impersonal treatment of everyone, from the Slave Queen to the Emperor; he does not disdain speaking to females if it would be useful (the Queen said, "The Surgeon speaks to me, and perhaps he does that to all things that can talk back"), nor is he afraid to bluntly contradict the Emperor in his role as Surgeon.
• The Queen said of him, "He does not talk much. [...] Few people know him, or anyone Outside. It keeps them safe."
• His clinic, like him, is Outside; killing cannot be done there with impunity, making it one of the safest places in the Court, for those who are able to claim sanctuary there. The Emperor deliberately used this as a hiding-place for the Queen in case of a challenger who might actually defeat him.

Body Language

The Surgeon moves with precision and efficiency; unlike other males, he does not bother to expend effort on dramatics or grace. His gaze is more neutral than that of most, without the aggression or assessment common to males.

Quotes

• "No. [...] You may have bravado elsewhere, but not here. I did not pack your digestive organs back into your body so you could resume as if you needed no recuperation."

• "Does it matter to you?" the Emperor asked. "Who is king in this place."
  "No," the Surgeon said.
  The Emperor chuckled, but the sound lacked humor and soul. "Spoken as one Outside."
  "Yes," the Surgeon said.

• "I long for there to be less waste. But life ends in death, Queen Ransomed. Nothing Changes this."

• "There is a vigor to hybrid creatures that cannot be duplicated with purebreds, and he is busy crossbreeding everything he sees with everything he already knows. It has been... an interesting assignment, seeing to him."

• "They were not beautiful. Could not be, when they'd been hacked and pierced and lacquered. But they were yours. They should have been left to you."

• "The rules served me. It made me complacent."