LtJg Lera Michaels - Does That Mean...

[steve...@yahoo.com]

((Indulgence of Chocolate-Coated Jama’haron, Deck 47, Room 47166))

Michaels: :: another sigh :: I am struggling here, Ezra. I need your help to understand... at least minimally... what has happened. And how I can help. I do not understand why this dream has upset you so... unless... it either was not a dream in the same sense I use the word, or it has some special significance to Trills that I know nothing about. You and I are two different species. There are things about Trill I am scarcely capable of understanding. Vulcans and Humans have no parallel to what it means to be ... joined. Or the relationship between hosts and symbionts. Or unjoined Trill and symbionts. :: She stopped and wondered if she suddenly understood. Lera bit her lip. This could be a dangerous question to ask. :: I have seen Humans suffer emotionally about seeing the body of a dead stranger. They suffer horribly at the death of a family member. :: long pause :: Did Dex Lyr die?

Zerva: ::nervously:: It’s a little more complicated.

Michaels: I hope you know, or at least suspect, that I would help you in any way I can. I will never betray you or reveal any secrets you choose to confide in me. If my queries are straying into matters that you do not wish me to ask about, you simply have to let me know.

Ezra placed his hand on hers, and she moved her hand to interlace her fingers with his. He turned the PADD back for a moment, made a simple adjustment before showing it to her again.

Zerva: ::beat:: Yes, Dex Lyr died. Check the Stardate. That’s five days from now.

Michaels: Five days into the future on the Khitomer. Not on the Indulgence of Chocolate-Coated whatever.

Zevra: Because he was on the Khitomer when it went down and crashed on the very planet that took most of our lives. His injuries were so severe that he needed surgery in order to survive.

Michaels: But he did not. That your name is on the entry implies that you survived the crash as well. :: she tried to smile but Ezra's mood seemed to make a poor idea. :: That is not our future.

Zerva: ::nods:: Says here he was a Starfleet Transporter Operator on the Khitomer. But he’s not on the current crew roster, which means he transferred just days before his death.

Michaels: Dex Lyr has never been on our roster so far as I know. Are you saying that he was on Khitomer when it crashed but not as a member of the crew. :: she closed her eyes and frowned. :: But he had been transferred off the ship. And Ohnari?

Zerva: Yes our resident CMO, Doctor Ohnari performed the surgery. According to this medical file, he didn’t survive his injuries. ::beat:: But his Symbiont did. ::heart beating faster:: That’s where I come in…

Michaels: I am still missing how this relates to your dream. A joined Trill host, affiliated with Khitomer and located many light-years from our current location, dies but the symbiont survives.

Lera looked at Ezra and bit her lower lip. oO Is Ezra feeling guilty because he was not there? Oo

Zerva: ::taking a breath:: I’ll get to the dream in a moment. ::beat:: In order to save the Symbiont’s life, they needed to transfer it into a host as soon as possible. I was ::pause:: the only available non-joined host candidate who was still alive to take the host.

Michaels: Bingo. So that version of you became the new host for the Lyr symbiont.

Ezra made another adjustment to the PADD. He turned it back to show her the picture she knew was coming. It was a picture of him sitting on a biobed in sickbay that had clearly been badly damaged in a crash landing. Doctor Ohnari's skill at working with minimal facilities. That was not what bothered Lera most about the picture. Ezra, that Ezra, looked as happy as she had ever seen him.

Zerva: ::beat:: Say hello to Ezra Lyr.

Michaels: Hello, Ezra Lyr.

Lera folded her arms across her chest and leaned back. She ignored Foxy Lady as the dog jumped onto her lap. She covered her mouth with her right hand as she sat silently staring at the picture.

Zera: Response?

Michaels: I am fine. But I have one observation that I have made before and one question. :: She sighed. :: First, that Ezra Zerva is a different version of you in a different future that can no longer be our future. We are not going to that world. We are not going to crash on that world. The Dex host is not going to die when our version of Khitomer does not crash on that world.

Zerva: Response.

Michaels: Before we go much further down this path, there is one thing I want to understand. One thing I need to understand better. You do not need to go into details, but... :: Lera frowned. :: When a Trill becomes the host of a symbiont, it is not just a physical joining. It is not just a matter of carrying another sentient being in your body. It is also... a joining of minds as well.

Zerva: Response.

Michaels: Does that not mean that the overall memory and personality change?

Zerva: Response

Michaels: If and/or when you become joined, does that mean your personality... that your thoughts toward... certain people will change?   oO Like me, for example? Oo

Tags/TBC

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LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2