Ensign Lera Michaels - Spotted Parrots and Other Talking Birds
4 views
Skip to first unread message
steve...@yahoo.com
Jul 18, 2025, 9:20:03 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: 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: I won’t erase your gratefulness, but it doesn’t have to be that heavy. I understand what it means for Vulcans, but you do have some human in you. Can you not appeal to that side?
Lera had observed that many humans hate extended silence. They seemed to feel an overwhelming need to fill the void with small talk that no one actually cared about. She was grateful that neither she nor Ras fell in that category. The shop filled the silence on its own with the chatting of the other customers and the noises of the various machines behind the counter. She glanced at Ras over the top of her teacup.
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: Leave my little birdie alone. ::chuckling:: I remember seeing you as I left his office. Did you ask him why he was branding me with insubordination?
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: You can’t predict which hill you will die, if it’s even a hill. You can die a great number of places. A strange idea.
Lera knew little of the Kressari or their history. Surely they had suffered warfare recently enough that combat metaphors would not be wasted on them.
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: Ahh. I understand the sentiment now. ::stopping to sip more tea:: I too chose to back down, no matter how wrong I thought Hobart was.
Several minutes of silence passed.
Michaels: May I examine your new hand?
Ras placed his hand on the table where she could easily see it. Lera leaned forward and even allowed herself to touch it. The hand was elegantly crafted; a work of both the medical and engineering arts. There were no obvious seams in the surface no doubt covering the mechanisms within. Did it have a long-term power source inside, or did it draw its energy from his body? The hand had comparable flexibility and perhaps the strength of the other hand. Still, it was a tool and like all tools had its own learning curve. Ras would master it soon enough.
El'Heem: Chief Ohnari did a wonderful job, did she not? I am still working on getting the hang of it, though.
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: I’m the same way with medicine. It’s hard to shut off the analytical side of my brain when I come across a new medical curiosity.
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.
Ras examined the hand for moments before returning it to its more natural position. Perhaps the comment about surgery and medicine was a poor choice.
El'Heem: It certainly doesn’t prevent me from practicing medicine. I’ve seen shakier hands on cadets get posted in surgical specialties. ::pausing:: I just can’t bring myself to perform subpar work and it will be in this case. ::holding up his shaky prosthetic:: I don’t need that steadiness in Science, plus it was maybe time for a change of pace.
Michaels: Then, well and good. The science department has made an excellent addition.
More silence. More enjoying the aromas of the tea shop.
El’Heem: Thank you, Lera. ::pouring the newly brewed tea into his cup and sipping:: My little birdie told me something else.
Michaels: You must have a talkative pet. What is it? A parrot? A Fenza bird? What did it tell you?
El’Heem: He mentioned you two have a ::pausing and squinting as he said it:: thing.
Lera sat silent and motionless as she replayed the conversation in her head. The earlier mention of a "little bird told me" was the use of a Terran saying meaning that some unidentified person had said something. Someone had talked to Ras about Ezra and her. There was no doubt what the "thing" was.
Michaels: Your bird has spots. What of it? We are not hiding anything. We danced together at the Dewitt wedding. We invited you and others to lunch with us. It is not as though something untoward has happened between us.
El’Heem: No, though he does often kiss and tell, he didn’t tell me, I’ve observed it myself, and I just called your bluff. I’ll be sure not to let him know you think he has slightly more intelligence than a mushroom. ::chuckling:: Which, isn’t saying much. There are species with more computational power than all of Starfleet.
It was Ezra. So, Ezra had been talking to his friends. No doubt asking advice. She smiled but the smile faded. Ras had used the word "often."
Michaels: I believe I said something to the effect that many avian species have low intellectual powers. You can be certain that I was not referring to Ezra. :: beat :: He does "often" kiss and tell. Often implies multiple times.
Lera took a deep breath. She had been down this line of thought before. Was he trustworthy? Would she become just another story he told his friends? She hoped not. She had also decided that she was going to head down this trail and enjoy it while it lasted.
Michaels: What is in the past is gone and forgotten. It will make no difference if he is more experienced than I thought he was.
El’Heem: You’re good for him. I think you might ground him a bit.
Michaels: My limited experience is that those who try to change their partners invariably end up unhappy. I plan to accept Ezra as he is and enjoy our time together. That seems to be the most logical answer.
El’Heem: Just don’t go full Vulcan on him. He’s got a soft heart. If there’s any debt you owe, let it be repaid with love for Ezra.
The End
Ensign Lera Michaels
Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2
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: I won’t erase your gratefulness, but it doesn’t have to be that heavy. I understand what it means for Vulcans, but you do have some human in you. Can you not appeal to that side?
Lera had observed that many humans hate extended silence. They seemed to feel an overwhelming need to fill the void with small talk that no one actually cared about. She was grateful that neither she nor Ras fell in that category. The shop filled the silence on its own with the chatting of the other customers and the noises of the various machines behind the counter. She glanced at Ras over the top of her teacup.
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: Leave my little birdie alone. ::chuckling:: I remember seeing you as I left his office. Did you ask him why he was branding me with insubordination?
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: You can’t predict which hill you will die, if it’s even a hill. You can die a great number of places. A strange idea.
Lera knew little of the Kressari or their history. Surely they had suffered warfare recently enough that combat metaphors would not be wasted on them.
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: Ahh. I understand the sentiment now. ::stopping to sip more tea:: I too chose to back down, no matter how wrong I thought Hobart was.
Several minutes of silence passed.
Michaels: May I examine your new hand?
Ras placed his hand on the table where she could easily see it. Lera leaned forward and even allowed herself to touch it. The hand was elegantly crafted; a work of both the medical and engineering arts. There were no obvious seams in the surface no doubt covering the mechanisms within. Did it have a long-term power source inside, or did it draw its energy from his body? The hand had comparable flexibility and perhaps the strength of the other hand. Still, it was a tool and like all tools had its own learning curve. Ras would master it soon enough.
El'Heem: Chief Ohnari did a wonderful job, did she not? I am still working on getting the hang of it, though.
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: I’m the same way with medicine. It’s hard to shut off the analytical side of my brain when I come across a new medical curiosity.
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.
Ras examined the hand for moments before returning it to its more natural position. Perhaps the comment about surgery and medicine was a poor choice.
El'Heem: It certainly doesn’t prevent me from practicing medicine. I’ve seen shakier hands on cadets get posted in surgical specialties. ::pausing:: I just can’t bring myself to perform subpar work and it will be in this case. ::holding up his shaky prosthetic:: I don’t need that steadiness in Science, plus it was maybe time for a change of pace.
Michaels: Then, well and good. The science department has made an excellent addition.
More silence. More enjoying the aromas of the tea shop.
El’Heem: Thank you, Lera. ::pouring the newly brewed tea into his cup and sipping:: My little birdie told me something else.
Michaels: You must have a talkative pet. What is it? A parrot? A Fenza bird? What did it tell you?
El’Heem: He mentioned you two have a ::pausing and squinting as he said it:: thing.
Lera sat silent and motionless as she replayed the conversation in her head. The earlier mention of a "little bird told me" was the use of a Terran saying meaning that some unidentified person had said something. Someone had talked to Ras about Ezra and her. There was no doubt what the "thing" was.
Michaels: Your bird has spots. What of it? We are not hiding anything. We danced together at the Dewitt wedding. We invited you and others to lunch with us. It is not as though something untoward has happened between us.
El’Heem: No, though he does often kiss and tell, he didn’t tell me, I’ve observed it myself, and I just called your bluff. I’ll be sure not to let him know you think he has slightly more intelligence than a mushroom. ::chuckling:: Which, isn’t saying much. There are species with more computational power than all of Starfleet.
It was Ezra. So, Ezra had been talking to his friends. No doubt asking advice. She smiled but the smile faded. Ras had used the word "often."
Michaels: I believe I said something to the effect that many avian species have low intellectual powers. You can be certain that I was not referring to Ezra. :: beat :: He does "often" kiss and tell. Often implies multiple times.
Lera took a deep breath. She had been down this line of thought before. Was he trustworthy? Would she become just another story he told his friends? She hoped not. She had also decided that she was going to head down this trail and enjoy it while it lasted.
Michaels: What is in the past is gone and forgotten. It will make no difference if he is more experienced than I thought he was.
El’Heem: You’re good for him. I think you might ground him a bit.
Michaels: My limited experience is that those who try to change their partners invariably end up unhappy. I plan to accept Ezra as he is and enjoy our time together. That seems to be the most logical answer.
El’Heem: Just don’t go full Vulcan on him. He’s got a soft heart. If there’s any debt you owe, let it be repaid with love for Ezra.
The End
Ensign Lera Michaels
Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages