It's A Small World

Posted on Sat Apr 22nd, 2023 @ 8:38am by Lieutenant Leah Bailey & Lieutenant Commander Michael Ki

Mission: Wrath of the People
Location: Japan - Earth
Timeline: MD-03
2713 words - 5.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Even in the 24th Century, the Japanese countryside remained relatively untouched by technology and civilization. The forests and hills retained their natural beauty, away from the major population hubs. It was peaceful.

Leah enjoyed wandering the woodland while the blossom trees were in bloom. It reminded her of distant childhood, visiting her grandparents outside of Kyoto. She remembered being a small child, dancing between the falling petals as though nothing else in the world mattered.

She wasn't far from the village, so it wasn't unusual to find others walking a similar path; but to discover someone you knew on that way was statistically unlikely. For them to be someone you worked with, even more so. But she was surprised to find a familiar face wandering just ahead of where she was.

"Doctor Ki?" she called out, approaching. "It's a small world. What are you doing out here?"

Michael had taken advantage of being on Earth to visit his homeland. To recharge his internal batteries in the safety of his beloved Japan. He wore a pair of tobi pants with a loose fitting cotton shirt and a hakama over it. For the moment he had enjoyed the stroll through the blossoms and the absence of anything relating to the Athena. His time on the ship thus far had been a turbulent one and he was happy to be rid of that life for the time and embrace the simpler things. The voice of a woman calling his name brought his thoughts to the present, as well as looks from many onlookers as the serene silence broke. Ki recognizes the woman as one of Athena's science officers. But what the hell could she be doing here. He decided to be as gracious as he could. So Michael slowed his walk and allowed her to catch up.

"Morning Lieutenant. I am taking a stroll through the beauty that is my home. Can I be of any assistance?" Michael hoped that she would leave him alone. However, manners and decorum dictated that he ask.

"Oh...no, I suppose not really. I was just surprised to see you here of all places. My family come from the village down in the valley. I used to come here quite often when I was young." She smiled, wondering if he would elaborate further on his history with this place.

Now it was Michael's turn to be surprised. "You are from Japan as well. I was born and raised in Okinawa. Wonderful to meet someone from Japan. Come you must stroll with me and perhaps we will stop for some sake."

"Thank you," she nodded with a smile and slid into step alongside him. "I've never been as far as Okinawa. In this country, I mean. Obviously going into space is a lot further. But growing up we never ventured too much further than the hills. What about you, any adventures to share?"

"Oh plenty but they all take place around Okinawa. Like you I never ventured far from my home in my childhood. However, there are plenty of times I would get lost in play and find myself floating down the river. In truth I may have not changed much. Sometimes I am lost floating among the crew, but that is the life we have chosen. Eh?" Michael proffered his arm for her to take as they walked. Manners was something that was instilled in him from an early age.

"I know how you feel. I find it easy to get lost in the stars sometimes. Out here, when it's late, you can see a sky full of them." Leah glanced upwards, as though the daylight might give way to some glittering dots. "I don't feel like I see you spend much time with the rest of the crew, Doctor. Is there a particular reason why?"

And there it was, the one question that no one had ever bothered to ask him, and perhaps the one question that he had no interest in answering. He stared forward for a minute or so as he formulated his answer. "Please call me Michael if you would not mind. I feel gallivanting the galaxy is young person's game. So I stay in the lab where I can do the most good. I am a diagnostician and that means my unknown is an unknown illness. So, I toil away to cure the incurable which is something I truly love to do. I have found that people find that sort of thing uninteresting. So, rather than have them avoid me, I avoid the connections."

"Sounds lonely," Leah observed. She had spent her own career in a mix of lab work and field work, often at the drop of a hat. She understood, a little, the peace and quiet a laboratory provided. "For some people, at least." Her hand extended to catch a pink blossom as it fell from a branch above. "Isn't curing the incurable a logical impossibility? Surely it's toil without end, in that case?" she pondered.

"It is..." Michael began as he responded to her comment about loneliness. This was something that he never thought about. But now that he did he found that his life was lonely. Her question caused his demeanor to change. It seemed that she may have a slight interest in what he did. He jumped at answering the question. "You see it is not an impossibility. In fact nothing is incurable, it is simply that no one has looked into the illness enough to find the key. It is the puzzle that is the fun, the thrill of figuring out that you can cure someone who thought hope was lost. There is simply nothing like it. Tell me where do you find the passion in your work?" After he asked his question Michael reached out to take the flower. "May I?" When she handed him the flower he gently placed it in her hair. "There now you have your very own kanzashi."

Leah blushed slightly as her fingers just slightly adjusted the flower.

"My father used to bring these back for my mother. She had dozens of them, pressed and displayed all around our house," she explained. "Seeing the beauty in nature, that's where I get my passion; whether it's the wonders of the world around us, or the stars in the sky..." she motioned with her hands, almost spinning on the spot. "It's majestic; even when it causes chaos you can see just how incredible it all is."

"I would agree with you. About the chaos of nature and the chaos of the human body. We are all one hell of a machine. Being home again almost makes me wish that I did not have to return to the ship, to space. There is a part of me that constantly yearns to be here..." Michael's voice trailed off and was replaced by a sigh. "...And yet duty calls and the work that I have sworn myself to is out there. Tell me Leah have you ever been a part of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony?"

"You're asking if someone who was born in the village down the road and grew up here for the first half of her life has ever had traditional tea?" she echoed, a little smile on her lips. "There might be a chance I've had it more than you!"

"Well then... If my memory serves there was a beautiful tea house surrounded by cherry blossom trees just down the road. Mr Jinja ran the place years ago, but I can't imagine he is still there. Care to accompany me for some meditation and tea?" Michael hoped that his eagerness did not show through as he spoke. Despite his normal curmudgeonly attitude he was rather overjoyed to find someone that came from the same culture as he, to enjoy it all with.

"I'd like that. It has been far too long since I've visited Mr Jinja. I wonder if his family are still there..." she pondered, stepping into stride next to him. "His daughter made some of the finest kimonos I have ever seen; I didn't bring one to wear myself."

"Yes, I remember her kimonos all the finest silks. I believe we will have kimonos that we can wear. Come!" Michael proffered his arm for her to take. For the first time in a while he felt at peace. He now began to wonder if he needed a woman in his life. For the second time he chatted with a woman and felt at peace.

Leah took his arm graciously and continued down the path to the tea house that sat nearer the base of the valley. It was older than both of them put together, still bearing some of the timbers from long ago supported by more modern aesthetics. But the atmosphere was the important aspect; the calming nature of the environment and surroundings.

Leah took a few moments to change, reappearing in an emerald kimono embroidered with golden leaves. Her hair tied up atop her head, she gracefully returned to where he was waiting and lowered herself to the ground.

"Isn't it strange how just the smells of a place can evoke memories?" she said, smiling as she gazed around the old tea house, filled with a history of its own.

Michael took a deep breath in through his nose and took in the aromas that surrounded them. In particularly the smell of the cherry blossoms. "Yes indeed... The sense of smell is keyed directly to the memory center of your brain. That is to say it is in most humanoids. To this day if I smell dumplings being steamed I cannot help but think of my grandfather." Michael lowered himself onto the ground next to Leah. The two sat in the Roji or garden as they waited for the hosts of the tea house to summon them for the tea ceremony. These procedures were as old as time itself and were followed to the letter.

"Were your family quite traditional as well?" she asked, curious about the reference to his grandfather. Her own had been a mixture, for better or worse.

"Indeed they were and it was my grandfather that taught me the importance if the tea ceremony. Every Thursday my grandfather would make steamed dumplings and gyoza. He did it so ritualistically that you could set your watch by it. I remember who delicious they smelled as they cooked. Although my grandfather has not been with us for some time when I see someone making dumplings or smell them all of his memories come unbidden to my mind. Tell me who taught you the traditions? Finding someone who knows the traditions is becoming harder and harder." Michael spoke with reverence for his family and the traditions. He seemed to be bonding with Leah as he told her somethings about his past that he would not tell many people if anyone.

"My mother," Leah replied, dipping her head. "I remember those long afternoons, making sure everything was precise, graceful. Lots of repetition." As difficult as those moments had been, they were fond memories. "I like to be reminded of where I come from, don't you?"

"Always, if one does not know where they come from how can one know where they are headed..." Michael was interrupted by a Japanese man who entered wearing a black kimono with lilies decorating it. A soft gong was heard just prior to the man's entrance. This newcomer spoke softly in Japanese. "Please follow me to the kaji for the meal." The man bade that they rise and led them down a narrow path through a beautiful garden. As was tradition this walk which was to be meditative in nature was conducted in silence.

After the five minute walk through the garden the three of them arrived into a small room where a table had been laid with some food. It seemed that it was their first course made up of some sushi rolls. "Come friends sit and enjoy." The Japanese man said and motioned toward the cushions placed around the table. Michael made his way to and emerald green cushion and stood there as he waited for his companion. When Leah had taken her spot Ki bowed to the man who was their host, a soft gong could be heard. Michael took his seat. The ceremony had begun, and Michael knew they were in for a real treat.

Leah waited patiently, but also absorbing the sounds and smells. Memories resurfaced of spending her time in these places as a child; impatient and eager for things to move at pace. Now, being older and wiser, she recognised the need to slow down and appreciate the traditions. "This was a good idea," she said, bowing slightly to Michael.

Michael returned the bow in turn. He agreed that this was not only a treat but a great idea.

A moment after Leah finished speaking their host arrived and spoke in perfect Japanese. "We gather as friends and you our most honored guest. For your sakizuke please enjoy an exquisite bite of horsehair crab and sea urchin tossed in a vinaigrette." Two women in kimonos presented the small plates of food and placed them in front of both Michael and Leah. No sooner were the dishes placed then everyone was gone.

"As is tradition first we enjoy a delicious meal and then the tea. One must take in the entire experience. The flavors the sounds everything." Michael closed his eyes to enjoy his surroundings before he tucked into the first course.

She smiled, and graciously let him have his moment. "Real cooked food, no less. The replicator can't always get the smells right, can it?"

"Never could... and the sounds of everything can never be replicated. I once attended a tea ceremony aboard the USS Poseidon. It was done in the holodeck but you can tell it was not the same." Michael finished his first course in another couple of bites. He sighed... "Delicious!"

"Nothing beats the real thing," she agreed. "We'll have to take some with us back to the ship, perhaps make sure that we don't have to make do with replicated tea and piped-in noises."

The rest of the courses were served in their proper order and each one was more delicious than its predecessor. When the meal was finished a soft gong could be heard. Servers who worked for the host came in and cleared the remaining tableware. The host himself came in next. "Please follow me into the garden where the tea will be served." He waited for Michael and Leah to come behind him and lead them through a small arched doorway and into a beautiful garden. Trees, hanging plants, various stones, and flowers could be seen. He led them through the garden slowly so his guests could take it all in. When they arrived at the center of the garden there was a clearing with a small hole dug in the center. Over the whole was a grating and a clay pot sat on the grating. A small fire blazed in the hole. Next to the fire there were three cushions and a blanket with bowls laid out. "Please sit. We begin with the thick tea." The host took his seat and began placing various leaves into the pot.

Michael was in awe of everything that he saw. From the street one would never know this beauty that showed itself now. He followed the host being sure to breathe it all in. When they arrived at the fire he stood by his cushion and awaited Leah to take her seat, as tradition dictated. As all the proceedings occurred Michael had a rare ear to ear smile on his face. This was truly something that he loved.

Leah matched the smile, joining him in sitting to enjoy the moment. Nothing more needed to be said; as a cultural experience and shared appreciation, this was something not to be spoiled with words. Instead, the pair allowed the sights, sounds and smells to permeate the senses and to simply enjoy the tea house's offerings. A rare moment of peace, they found, amidst the chaos of life and work.

Hopefully not one to be lost.