Ensign Lera Michaels - The Hill You Choose To Die On
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steve...@yahoo.com
Jul 18, 2025, 5:31:38 PM7/18/25
to USS Khitomer – StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG
((Ventral Ring Beta Module, No Leaf Unturned Tea Shop, Deep Space 33))
Michaels: Welcome, Ras. You are looking well.
El'Heem: Truthfully, Lera I am doing much better. Thank you.
They sat. Though Lera tried smiling, it felt fraudulent. She knew that the Human emotions of sorrow and guilt had no value beyond motivation. She tried sweeping them aside and, once again, failed miserably. Before meeting T'Dara, she had always assumed that Vulcans did not feel such emotions. But T'Dara seemed to feel such emotions. Perhaps...
Michaels: You seem to have a knack for finding tea shops. I know you remember helping me on DS9. That tea was a great success with my aunt and uncle. :: beat:: I decided to try this one :: holding up the cup of purple tea :: The name interested me. Perhaps I should have waited until you were here to help me pick a more suitable tea.
Ras silently signaled to the Bolian, who started on her to their table.
El'Heem: Butterfly Pea Flower. A wonderfully light tea. A good choice, don’t fret about that. ::bartender approaching:: What Puerh do you have in stock?
Bartender: We have a Malawi Shou Puerh that I’d recommend.
El’Heem: Let’s do that. ::bartender nodding and beginning to walk away:: Uhh Gong Fu please.
Bartender: Of course.
Lera smiled a soft, genuine smile and shook her head. Of course. Ras has always had a taste for the most exotic teas. She had hoped for this reaction when they had gone to his room to get him to go to lunch.
El’Heem: This tea house is new. I don’t believe it was here the last we were.
Michaels: If I remember correctly, there was little on the station that was not in ruins. It is pleasing to see the station recovering.
El’Heem: Indeed. ::pausing and watching Lera:: How have you been?
Lera hesitated and took a sip of her tea, hoping to hide that fact. What to tell him? Should she mention Ezra? Not that Ras and Ezra were in some sort of competition for her affections. Still from Ras's viewpoint, she and Ezra were merely good friends. What did Ras need to hear? His efforts to help her had cost him so much.
Michaels: I am well. I suppose that it is technically possible that I could be happier. But then you know how Vulcans are. Happier is seldom a factor we consider. I am doing well.
El’Heem: ::to the bartender:: Thank you.
Ras's tea arrived. Lera watched as he prepared the tea. Much of what he did seemed overly elaborate and unnecessary. How did her father prepare tea? Hot water into the cup. Then bounce the teabag several times. Drink the tea. Ras would, no doubt, consider such an approach to be barbaric. Lera could not argue with that. Ras certainly had reasons for each step and a palette sensitive enough to know the difference.
El’Heem: Your words say one thing, but your actions show otherwise.
Michaels: I have no idea what you are referring to.
El’Heem: A little birdy told me you gave a speech after I left the restaurant. I am sorry I wasn’t there to hear it.
Michaels: You should be careful listening to small avian creatures. Many have only slightly more intelligence than mushrooms. :: beat :: I proposed a toast. I wanted everyone to know what you did; how you saved them all.
El’Heem: ::taking another sip before setting the cup down:: Lera, I want to make one thing clear, you do not owe me a debt.
Michaels: Yes. I do. I made a mistake. You covered for me, saved my life and did what should have been my job. :: a quick glance at his prosthetic hand and just as quickly glance elsewhere:: You suffered because of my incompetence. From my perspective, I owe you... everything.
El’Heem: What I mean to say is, I did retrieve you from the spacewalk after you succumbed to hypoxia, but if I hadn’t, Prix would have. ::lifting his prosthetic hand from his lap and setting it on the table.:: Likewise this is not your fault. We were operating on the knowledge we had at the time and it was a desperate moment. Any number of mistakes could have occurred resulting in the probe firing. Yet it did not. That is a success.
Michaels: And if Prix had done what you did, I would be in her debt. :: long pause as Lera takes another sip of the purple tea. :: There were multiple errors that could have resulted in far greater losses than we suffered. That does not erase the debt.
Lera knew that Ras was correct. Someone would have done what had to be done. Without the EVA suit failure, it would have been her. If Commander Dewitt had been there, it would have been him. She sighed. She almost preferred thinking that she owed him a massive debt. It was satisfying in its way.
Michaels: You are correct, Ras. There was a strong, random element that meant the task fell to you. I will ask that you do not attempt to erase my gratefulness that you did your duty.
El'Heem: Response.
Michaels: Did your small avian tell you I went to see Commander Hobart? I had heard that he was unhappy with you. When I saw him... well I did not need to be a telepath to know how angry he was,
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: I asked but I found his answer unsatisfactory. His timeline was 'wait', 'decide', 'send the shuttle', and 'destroy the probe'. That takes precisely the same amount of time as 'send the shuttle', 'wait', 'decide', and 'destroy the probe.' But my father... my human father has always said to be careful what hill you choose to die on.
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: He was always saying things like that. In many cases, they border on being wise. One of his favorites was "Never turn down a clean restroom." Being careful what hill you choose to die on means that you should avoid a fight you are not certain you can win, unless it is for something very important. I knew I was never going to win an argument with Commander Hobart. I chose not to fight.
El'Heem: Response
They sat for a few minutes and finished their tea. Since Ras had shown her his new hand, she gave up trying to avoid the topic.
Michaels: May I examine your new hand?
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: This is an impressive piece of work. Some day, I would be interested in examining the interface between the mechanical and the neurological subsystems. I apologise, Ras. It is the curse of being an engineer. We are barely capable of looking at anything mechanical without speculating on how it works. You should see me in an amusement park.
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: I do not know anything about your professional inclinations, but this should not prevent you from practicing medicine. I understand your reluctance to engage in surgery, but you do understand that while surgery and medicine overlap, they are not identical.
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: Then, well and good. The science department has made an excellent addition.
TAGS/TBC
Ensign Lera Michaels
Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2
Michaels: Welcome, Ras. You are looking well.
El'Heem: Truthfully, Lera I am doing much better. Thank you.
They sat. Though Lera tried smiling, it felt fraudulent. She knew that the Human emotions of sorrow and guilt had no value beyond motivation. She tried sweeping them aside and, once again, failed miserably. Before meeting T'Dara, she had always assumed that Vulcans did not feel such emotions. But T'Dara seemed to feel such emotions. Perhaps...
Michaels: You seem to have a knack for finding tea shops. I know you remember helping me on DS9. That tea was a great success with my aunt and uncle. :: beat:: I decided to try this one :: holding up the cup of purple tea :: The name interested me. Perhaps I should have waited until you were here to help me pick a more suitable tea.
Ras silently signaled to the Bolian, who started on her to their table.
El'Heem: Butterfly Pea Flower. A wonderfully light tea. A good choice, don’t fret about that. ::bartender approaching:: What Puerh do you have in stock?
Bartender: We have a Malawi Shou Puerh that I’d recommend.
El’Heem: Let’s do that. ::bartender nodding and beginning to walk away:: Uhh Gong Fu please.
Bartender: Of course.
Lera smiled a soft, genuine smile and shook her head. Of course. Ras has always had a taste for the most exotic teas. She had hoped for this reaction when they had gone to his room to get him to go to lunch.
El’Heem: This tea house is new. I don’t believe it was here the last we were.
Michaels: If I remember correctly, there was little on the station that was not in ruins. It is pleasing to see the station recovering.
El’Heem: Indeed. ::pausing and watching Lera:: How have you been?
Lera hesitated and took a sip of her tea, hoping to hide that fact. What to tell him? Should she mention Ezra? Not that Ras and Ezra were in some sort of competition for her affections. Still from Ras's viewpoint, she and Ezra were merely good friends. What did Ras need to hear? His efforts to help her had cost him so much.
Michaels: I am well. I suppose that it is technically possible that I could be happier. But then you know how Vulcans are. Happier is seldom a factor we consider. I am doing well.
El’Heem: ::to the bartender:: Thank you.
Ras's tea arrived. Lera watched as he prepared the tea. Much of what he did seemed overly elaborate and unnecessary. How did her father prepare tea? Hot water into the cup. Then bounce the teabag several times. Drink the tea. Ras would, no doubt, consider such an approach to be barbaric. Lera could not argue with that. Ras certainly had reasons for each step and a palette sensitive enough to know the difference.
El’Heem: Your words say one thing, but your actions show otherwise.
Michaels: I have no idea what you are referring to.
El’Heem: A little birdy told me you gave a speech after I left the restaurant. I am sorry I wasn’t there to hear it.
Michaels: You should be careful listening to small avian creatures. Many have only slightly more intelligence than mushrooms. :: beat :: I proposed a toast. I wanted everyone to know what you did; how you saved them all.
El’Heem: ::taking another sip before setting the cup down:: Lera, I want to make one thing clear, you do not owe me a debt.
Michaels: Yes. I do. I made a mistake. You covered for me, saved my life and did what should have been my job. :: a quick glance at his prosthetic hand and just as quickly glance elsewhere:: You suffered because of my incompetence. From my perspective, I owe you... everything.
El’Heem: What I mean to say is, I did retrieve you from the spacewalk after you succumbed to hypoxia, but if I hadn’t, Prix would have. ::lifting his prosthetic hand from his lap and setting it on the table.:: Likewise this is not your fault. We were operating on the knowledge we had at the time and it was a desperate moment. Any number of mistakes could have occurred resulting in the probe firing. Yet it did not. That is a success.
Michaels: And if Prix had done what you did, I would be in her debt. :: long pause as Lera takes another sip of the purple tea. :: There were multiple errors that could have resulted in far greater losses than we suffered. That does not erase the debt.
Lera knew that Ras was correct. Someone would have done what had to be done. Without the EVA suit failure, it would have been her. If Commander Dewitt had been there, it would have been him. She sighed. She almost preferred thinking that she owed him a massive debt. It was satisfying in its way.
Michaels: You are correct, Ras. There was a strong, random element that meant the task fell to you. I will ask that you do not attempt to erase my gratefulness that you did your duty.
El'Heem: Response.
Michaels: Did your small avian tell you I went to see Commander Hobart? I had heard that he was unhappy with you. When I saw him... well I did not need to be a telepath to know how angry he was,
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: I asked but I found his answer unsatisfactory. His timeline was 'wait', 'decide', 'send the shuttle', and 'destroy the probe'. That takes precisely the same amount of time as 'send the shuttle', 'wait', 'decide', and 'destroy the probe.' But my father... my human father has always said to be careful what hill you choose to die on.
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: He was always saying things like that. In many cases, they border on being wise. One of his favorites was "Never turn down a clean restroom." Being careful what hill you choose to die on means that you should avoid a fight you are not certain you can win, unless it is for something very important. I knew I was never going to win an argument with Commander Hobart. I chose not to fight.
El'Heem: Response
They sat for a few minutes and finished their tea. Since Ras had shown her his new hand, she gave up trying to avoid the topic.
Michaels: May I examine your new hand?
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: This is an impressive piece of work. Some day, I would be interested in examining the interface between the mechanical and the neurological subsystems. I apologise, Ras. It is the curse of being an engineer. We are barely capable of looking at anything mechanical without speculating on how it works. You should see me in an amusement park.
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: I do not know anything about your professional inclinations, but this should not prevent you from practicing medicine. I understand your reluctance to engage in surgery, but you do understand that while surgery and medicine overlap, they are not identical.
El'Heem: Response
Michaels: Then, well and good. The science department has made an excellent addition.
TAGS/TBC
Ensign Lera Michaels
Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2
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