appreciations Lt. Tahna Meru - Vulnerable As A Horta With A Skin Condition

[Doz Finch]

Comical and yet endearing read between this amazing character duo. I love how juxtaposed Alieth and Meru are; this whole sim was a joy to read! A masterclass in meshing serious with light-heartedness, which I appreciate as a newer member of the group. Loved it! @Tahna Meru & @Alieth

 

Quote

((Pamoran Caves, Palanon))

 

Meru just wanted to examine the local flora and fauna, but of course, Alieth had notes. Not all bad, she'd praised Meru's recent work returning to the present and protecting the system from the rogue planet. But no compliment from Commander Alieth was complete without criticism. 

 

Alieth: I have been informed that you have not had any "dates":: she stressed the strange word in a peculiar way:: since you left the Academy, at least, and that such a state of affairs is detrimental to your emotional development. I have therefore taken the resolve to ensure that you have no such deficiency.

 

Tahna: What?

 

This time Meru couldn’t tamp down on her emotional reaction, her voice cracking, warmth rising to her cheeks. She couldn’t even manage to tear her eyes away from the Commander, until, for a second, she thought to glance behind and ensure Cory wasn’t following them with a camera. Because this had to be a prank, right? There was no way this wasn’t a prank, even if she hadn’t enlisted anyone’s help in filming it. 

 

How did the Vulcan even know about Meru’s dating life (or rather, lack of one)? Ena was the only one who really knew anything about it, and she wouldn’t dare blab. Meg, maybe? Though the two hadn’t really talked about such things, maybe it was just some observations, and a well-meaning comment of concern caught up by the rumor mill. 

 

A string of unsavory Bajoran curses ran through Meru’s mind, and she bit her tongue, as she accepted the Padd Commander Alieth offered her. Her stomach felt leaden as the woman resumed her speech. 

 

Alieth: Here I have selected a number of profiles that I consider highly suitable for you. Candidate number six :: she tapped the screen to highlight what looked like, to all appearances, a pile of wet rocks, an Horta :: seems especially well-matched for you.

 

Oh no, this was definitely some cruel, elaborate prank. Had to be. A Horta was the most well-matched candidate? How did the Vulcan even decide these things? This was worse than the time Ena had tried to help Meru make a profile on Starflirt and she’d deleted it a mere three days later. 

 

So, she had two choices: play along and make a fool of herself if this was a prank, or refuse to play along and make a fool of herself if the woman was serious. What to do, what to do…

 

Tahna: I– I’m sure they’re…lovely, but they’re not exactly my type, sir. 

 

Alieth: I see… :::: she fished the PADD back, brow slightly furrowed in intense concentration.::  So, what would you regard as “your type”?

 

Tahna: Um, someone more humanoid I suppose? 

 

She wasn’t that picky about appearance, she didn’t think. She’d happily date many species and genders, but she preferred a species with at least a familiar arrangement of limbs and a more surmountable communication barrier. A Horta didn’t seem like a great candidate for an interspecies relationship, not to Meru, anyway. Which led her back to the question: how the hell had Alieth determined that one was especially well-matched for her? What was this matchmaking based on? Had the Horta also borrowed CC for mischief at some point?

 

Alieth: Well, it is a legitimate option, although it does rule out candidates three, twelve and twenty-five then.

 

Okay, but now she was curious who those candidates were. Not out of romantic interest, she just wanted to know who the Vulcan considered suitable candidates. And why. She still didn’t know why. But Alieth certainly seemed to be serious, gravely so, and hope that Meru was being pranked faded, so she took a deep breath and tried to seem interested and not hopelessly embarrassed. 

 

Tahna: Well, uh, who else do you recommend? 

 

Alieth: Well, the two most conservative options would be Cadet Ico Ena, Lt Commander Kero Rix or Crewman Second Class Lojah Oded. You have strong cultural ties in common, or share hobbies or a sense of humour. The first two share your penchant for getting into trouble, which possibly has an appeal for you. Miss Oded has better manners, but has a very interesting conversation and a drive for discovery and adventure that would make her an excellent companion for you.

 

Meru was very proud of herself for not laughing when the first name was that of her best friend—her very happily taken best friend. It seemed there was a blind spot in Alieth’s research. Not that she was going to let Alieth know that, of course, the information could prove useful later. 

 

It wasn’t like the Commander could order her on a date. 

 

Tahna: Sir–

 

The Vulcan raised a hand to stop the other scientist's statement before she selected another set of profiles.

 

Alieth: I have also found that you have character compatibility with Ensign Thea Kairis, Lieutenant Gnaxac, Lieutenant JG Megan Bendyn, Ensign Tzim-Shah and Warrant Officer Shakaar Meressa. I would also urge you to consider a Vulcan partner, Petty Officer Second Class T'Hal would be a splendid choice.

 

She passed the tablet back to Meru, all nine profiles open. Some she knew, others were friends, one she’d seen lose an arm (did she really have that much in common with Tzim-Shah?), others were strangers. All were perfectly wonderful people, as far as Meru knew and their profiles indicated, but if she’d felt awkward about dating before, it was even worse now that she had her boss playing matchmaker. 

 

She hadn’t been on a date, a real date, since…well, not since she’d ended her first and last relationship during her second year at the Academy. She was just too busy, and that excuse was even partially true. The rest of the truth was that she was afraid. She was afraid to be vulnerable like that when she could just get hurt again, afraid that they’d like the idea of her more than they actually liked her, afraid of so many potential heartaches. Even then, the idea of going on dates and having a partner to tackle life with was very nice…but was she willing to risk it?

 

When she was trying to make friends, she was mostly able to ignore the little voice in her head that said she wasn’t good enough. When she thought about dating, that voice was ramped up to a hundred. 

 

The petite Vulcan bent down to take a couple more samples from the cave, a purple slime-like creature and what was clearly some sort of crimson yeast.

 

Alieth: Well, so?

 

The words pulled her out of silent, spiraling contemplation, and Meru realized she’d hardly looked at the profiles.

 

Tahna: You’ve been…very thorough. 

 

The petite Vulcan drew up to her full height and looked Meru in the eye. Meru nearly flinched, the only unsuppressed movement a small twitch in her restless hands. 

 

Alieth: As soon as we get back to the Gorkon I have to arrange at least two dates for you, so you have until we depart and no later than the end of the day to choose one of the profiles.

 

A string of unsavory Bajoran curses were Meru’s only thought for a minute, and she bit her tongue so they didn’t slip out. 

 

Turns out Alieth could order her to go on a date, two dates, in fact. And she had to pick some poor crewmate for the Commander to arrange something with. Were they even aware they were part of the terrible Vulcan’s scheme? Had she received their permission to participate in this dating game? Probably not, since Meru hadn’t been consulted either. 

 

The chemist extracted her spectacles from another of her many pockets and perched them on the bridge of her nose for a brief moment to look across the cave before slipping them safely back into their case.

 

Alieth: In any case, we should get back to the others, they seem ready to leave now.

 

Tahna: Yes, let’s.

 

Let's forget this conversation ever happened. But she knew that wasn’t a possibility, and she’d be forced to choose someone. She could definitely rope Ena into a fake dating scheme, but that would cause more trouble than it was worth for the both of them. Eventually, Alieth would check in, or find out that she was seeing someone else all along, and then she’d probably be in even more trouble. Meg and Lojah might understand what was going on, and would be interesting company even if one had the tendency to talk her ears off at the gym. 

 

On the other hand, if she were to consider this question seriously, actually let Alieth set her up on a legitimate date instead of just trying to get the science chief off her back… 

 

Maybe she should go along with it? 

 

The rest of the group was packing away the trash from their lunches when the two scientists returned, happily oblivious to their completely unscientific discussion. If Meru had been hungry before, she certainly wasn’t now. Were her cheeks still flushed? She couldn’t tell at this point, but maybe the lighting was still dim enough to not matter, or it could be blamed on the rosy xenophyophores in the area. 

 

zh’Tisav: I think should stick to either this branch or this one, or maybe both.  They seem to head more toward the magma pocket.  We definitely shouldn’t split into more than two groups.  No one should be in these tunnels alone.  I’m not saying we should split up, but it would cover more ground

 

Stoyer:  These tunnels can go for miles in any direction.

 

Sevo/Alieth: Response

 

Cory surveyed the gear, and Meru made sure all her equipment was ready for the descent. 

 

Stoyer:  What will we need down there?

 

Meru deferred to their cave expert’s judgment. 

 

Sevo/zh’Tisav/Alieth: Response

 

Stoyer:  Well, I am ready to go when y’all are.

 

Tahna: I think we’re ready to press on. 

 

Sevo/zh’Tisav/Alieth: Response

 

Tahna: Who has the most caving experience aside from Ensign zh’Tisav? 

 

They’d need that, if they were going to split. They could encounter all sorts of obstacles, and there was no guarantee they’d be able to communicate well if they needed guidance. 

 

Sevo/zh’Tisav/Alieth: Response

 

Tahna: And there should probably be a scientist on each team. 

This, too, was only logical, and absolutely not an attempt to get away from Alieth for a bit. 

 

Sevo/zh’Tisav/Alieth: Response

 

Tahna: Right, then it’s settled. Onward into the earth. 

 

Sevo/zh’Tisav/Alieth: Response

 

 

 

--

 

Lieutenant Tahna Meru

Science Officer
USS Gorkon (NCC-82293)
G239801TM4