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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 10, 2009 20:26:03 GMT -5
((I'm done with you, woman! Just kidding.))
It was a valid theory, and something to work from if not to adopt wholeheartedly. The problem with controlling forces, Kirk thought, was that one could never be certain one was controlling one's own thoughts and reactions. He certainly felt like himself, but that was little indication that nothing was wrong. Other mind-altering experiences, though viewed with incredulity in retrospect, had felt equally real.
Kirk wondered if the indignation he felt at the thought of being anyone's social experiment meant anything at all. But he'd stop that line of thought--if he wasn't careful, he could end up second-guessing every one of his reactions, and that was pointless.
"It's strange," he said, setting the menu down. "The vast majority of people who seem to belong here don't seem interested in me at all; if I request something, I get exactly as much attention as is needed to fulfill whatever obligation my request covers. Like the waitress, or anyone in the street. They don't seem interested in further interaction. By and large the people who react the way one would expect, who engage and question, are those who seem to have strayed from their own places of origin. Such as ourselves. Other space travelers--whose universe doesn't bear much resemblance to either of ours. Or people whose manner of dress suggest they're from a different period in Earth's own history, though I can't be entirely sure about the fashion trends of centuries ago. What are you having?"
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 10, 2009 22:36:31 GMT -5
((ha ha I'm playing a vegen.))
Spock had not been paying much attention to the food. Nor the cafe, truthfully, after his initial survey. He was still too interested in discussing theories with the captain. However there were not many choices on the menu suitable to him and a cursory glance had decided his order.
"Fruit. And greens. I believe your monetary funds should sufficiently cover that, and whatever you might like."
Spock didn't ask what that was. He had never been particularly interested in food other than for the purpose of gaining required nutrients. He had noted however that most humans were significantly more interested in it than he.
"I do not eat dairy," Spock explained, for the benefit of Kirk's potential curiosity. "I shall have to make specific requests to our help."
Spock thought that the waitress had given Kirk rather more attention than necessary to fulfill his request. Kirk was no doubt used to it. Spock understood that by human standards, the captain was aesthetically pleasing. He had to be aware of it. In fact Spock suspected the Kirk in his own universe to have used it to his own advantage, considering the man's reputation.
"If this world is a center of space-time displacement, as we have been discussing, then the natives might have become used to constant visitations. However, your observations are also consistent with the social experiment idea. The 19th century Parisians are the control element. The 'visitors', as it were, are the variables."
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 10, 2009 22:59:19 GMT -5
((J they are too smart for us! They are going to figure out who's behind the curtain and come get us!))
Kirk was planning a good meal. He was excited by many of the choices on the menu, especially considering McCoy's frequent dietary meddling, but he didn't want to offend Spock. He wondered if he was reading this correctly, and if there actually existed such a thing as a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, optionally with sauce and/or a fried egg on top.
He thought maybe if he left the egg off, he'd feel less guilty eating it in front of Spock. Not that Spock ever questioned his eating habits.
"True," he said. "It doesn't rule either potential out. But I'm sure we'll discover something, Mr. Spock. In the meantime..."
The waitress was approaching, and Kirk happily ordered his croque monsieur and was rewarded with a look so commonplace he almost didn't notice it anymore. He really didn't see what the big deal was; he liked people, he liked being friendly, and it seemed only polite to smile and make sure other people were happy, too. If he'd been thinking about it at this moment, he'd have suggested to himself that it wasn't as though Spock didn't get his share of attention, as well. Some women just went for the mysterious type.
This one turned to Spock, however, with professional curiosity and no more, receiving his order with the sort of surprise reserved for people with weird dietary requirements and not aliens with strange ears and unfamiliar uniforms. Or maybe it was all the same to her.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 11, 2009 0:29:33 GMT -5
Spock realized that while he was interested in exchanging universal theory with the captain, Kirk might not find it as engaging. Dedication to logic did not imply interest in problem solving and philosophy; there were just as many Vulcans as humans who were not interested in abstractions and theory, especially as they often lacked practical application.
Kirk was interested in the food. Hunger affected humans differently than the simple recognition of a need for sustenance. Possibly also he was interested in the waitress. Spock was not adept in interpreting these things, but he knew humans also hungered in other ways.
Spock looked at the silverware. He had already assessed the cafe and everything in it and found nothing to help him address the issue of where they were or how they got there. Reflected in the spoon, his own face looked distorted.
He wondered who his other self was to this Kirk, and how his current self compared.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 11, 2009 13:07:46 GMT -5
((Sorry I didn't reply this am before you left, you know I wasn't feeling well. )) Done with their orders, Kirk smiled goodbye at the waitress and turned back to Spock, without altering the smile at all. Though if anything, the warmth in his eyes was more specific, directed as it was to the person in front of him rather than the ambiguous reality of "people." He wanted to hear more. More of this Spock's theories, more about his world, about himself in it, about the older Spock, about what his younger self meant to this Spock. If anything. It was one thing to be fairly assured that he could read his Spock, rewarded as he'd been in the past for that exercise. It was another to assume the same about his and Mr. Spock's counterparts in another universe. But it seemed too tacky even for him to ask, "Hey, young Mr. Spock. You and the younger me--we're good, right?" It was natural for Kirk to assume that they were. But as single-mindedly as he pursued his goals, it didn't follow that he was unable to contemplate alternative interpretations. "Mr. Spock," he began. "I think we have several valid theories to work off of, and I'm sure you're eager to get down to figuring out where we are and how to get back. But I hope you'll forgive my very human curiosity when faced with the opportunity to speak to someone from a time so similar, and yet so different, from my own. As I mentioned, I don't see any potential danger in revealing this sort of information, since it's unlikely to affect either of us in our own timelines. And we can hardly determine a solution sitting at a cafe table. "Frankly, Mr. Spock, I want to know where you came from." Those words, in a different tone, might well have been a challenge. But right now they spoke only to Kirk's fascination with Spock's surprise appearance, his world, and the man himself.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 11, 2009 14:48:01 GMT -5
((Don't be sorry! How are you feeling now? Anyway, we have been RP'ing, like, a lot, I don't expect us to sustain the pace, or anything. That is, no pressure to reply if you don't feel like it. Even if/when I am/we are markedly obsessive.))
Spock looked back up, pleased by the captain's words. His pleasure was not illogical. He wanted to know more about the captain and his world and time, too, and Kirk's questions should naturally precipitate the exchange of information Spock had initialized earlier.
Spock was also amused by the open-endedness of Kirk's question. There were many things this Kirk did not need to know, but Kirk's question did not demand those answers. From what Spock could observe, Kirk might very well have just said, Talk!
Such non-specificity was illogical. But the sentiment behind it, that the captain just wanted to know him, was still pleasing.
"I am from the planet Vulcan, Captain. I am from the union between the Vulcan Sarek and the human, Amanda Grayson," his voice remained steady, "and a team of scientists. If you wish specifics, I am from a specially designed incubator developed in the Vulcan Science Academy on the planet Vulcan."
Spock's amusement showed. "Or did you desire specificity of a different sort? I do not know that I can adequately address the 'human curiosity' to which you refer without further guidance."
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 11, 2009 15:27:34 GMT -5
Kirk's smile broadened from just warm to "amused," the skin around his eyes crinkling a little. So he could joke, after all. It was something of a relief.
"I see I'd forgotten to take into account your Vulcan literalism, Mr. Spock, though confirmation of familial details at least reassure me that not everything is changed." But it was a valid point--where to begin? He'd left the question open not though forgetfulness, but his own overwhelming lack of direction. There was simply too much to know.
"You say you were the Academy when I--when my counterpart was studying there. But I presume your association had continued beyond that. Where are you stationed now?"
Kirk raised his glass and watched Spock over the rim as he drank. He'd been about to mention the Enterprise, but he realized that he might be more interested in answers given to non-leading questions. The Enterprise, after all, hadn't come to him but two years ago; surely a younger version of himself had yet to attain the rank of captain. And he was curious, too, about how this Mr. Spock felt about the brash young man he knew himself to have been; Spock's answer would illuminate merely by virtue of what he chose to address.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 11, 2009 19:39:39 GMT -5
Spock's own expression did not change, but he regarded Kirk's with curiosity. For some reason Spock felt as though he had achieved something--some sort of triumph--with the captain's smile.
"I serve under your younger self as first officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, of which your younger self is captain." He had not known where to begin, but now that the captain had given him a starting point, Spock had no desire to be obtuse. He continued without prompting. "Your other self is recently promoted, and the Enterprise is relatively new, however my berth is not. Until recently I was first officer under Captain Pike, as my self in your time apparently served. Captain Pike is now made admiral. Before these alterations in Command I was both science officer and instructor at the Academy.
"The Enterprise has only been just assigned, a five year mission to seek out new life and civilizations. Per the advice of my elder self, I submitted myself as candidate for number one aboard the vessel, which now occupies me fully." Spock paused. "My elder self implied this was my station and that the captaincy was Kirk's in his own universe. I have deduced from your uniform that you are the captain of your own ship. Am I correct in assuming it is the Enterprise, and that the Spock of your universe is your first officer?"
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 12, 2009 2:34:22 GMT -5
((See, and I'm having trouble not letting Kirk get mental pictures from stuff like "I serve under your younger self" because that's where my brain goes. I think I'll keep that sort of thing subconscious for now, anyway.))
This was surprising. And Kirk wanted to grasp the thread offered him and follow it back to its source, find out what had changed to remove Vulcan and give him--the other him--the Enterprise at an even earlier age. He'd been assured that his own captaincy was astonishing enough. What was he, in this other universe, to have achieved it so much earlier? Just how old was he? And was this other Spock... his Spock?
"It is, and he is," he confirmed, but the words seemed rushed, distracted. "And I'll answer whatever questions you have, but... Admiral Pike. How is he? The Christopher Pike in my universe was severely wounded. Paralyzed. But your counterpart in my universe served under him on the Enterprise for over ten years. Forgive me, but it doesn't look like that's possible. And your version of me must be far younger than I was when I took command."
He realized he'd taken over the conversation, just when he'd gotten Spock talking, but it occurred to him that something must have happened to Pike to launch the other Kirk into such a position "early," as it were. Something different from the accident he'd suffered after he'd left the Enterprise.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 12, 2009 10:01:49 GMT -5
((I was totally thinking of that too; that's partly why I wrote it that way.))
Spock was still vaguely amused as the rush of the captain's curiosity washed over him. "There is nothing to forgive. I have lived twenty-six years, hardly the number feasible to have served with Pike a decade. As far as I can tell, the divergence in our times would not allow for we being different ages; in my universe you are still one year younger. Your other self became captain at twenty-five."
Spock considered the captain and his words, wondering if his question was driven by concern for Pike or something else. The Pike of Spock's universe was different than the Pike of this Kirk's; there was no rational reason for this Kirk to care about that Pike. Therefore Spock should have been able to rule out concern as a motivation, but he could not. Judging from this Kirk's attitude to this point, concern could never be ruled out from his motivations. Kirk seemed preternaturally concerned with everything. Spock found it vastly impractical.
Spock himself was not concerned regarding the paralysis of this Kirk's Pike. It was not the Pike of his universe. Spock had not served under that Pike, 10 years or no. Spock was not concerned at all. He was just curious. Interested, that was all.
But Spock did not ask about the paralyzed Pike. The captain had said he would answer his questions, but right now he was asking his own. Spock had always been patient.
"Admiral Pike is confined to a wheelchair. An injury damaged his legs. They are working with his nerves but it is uncertain whether he will walk again. Otherwise he is in good health. I also believe he is emotionally stable, considering the connection of the human psyche to its physical state. Admiral Pike always enjoyed recruiting and mentoring cadets, and always wished for a family. He will now fulfill both desires."
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 12, 2009 10:38:41 GMT -5
((Kirk seemed preternaturally concerned with everything. Spock found it vastly impractical.
I DIE NOW. Seriously half this thread is just squeeing about it.))
Kirk smiled with relief. He hadn't even really known Pike, but he knew how Mr. Spock had felt about him, and he had seen the results of his Pike's injuries as well as Spock's regard. It was, to men like them, a fate worse than death.
"Good," he said. "That's good to hear." Sure it didn't matter, not directly. But the idea that there was a counterpart who'd fared better in this other world somehow reassured Kirk. Though he felt compelled to explain at least some of his reaction to Spock. "The other Chris Pike--the one I knew--probably would have been gratified to know things had worked out better in your world. But it's interesting to me that the other Kirk was given command so young. I assume this was unprecedented, or else Startfleet is a far different organization from the one I'm familiar with. I am indeed one year younger than my universe's version of Mr. Spock, but otherwise the differences are astonishing. I assume it has something to do with the red matter you mentioned, and the other Spock."
He wondered what he would have done with the post, at 25. How he could have handled it. He would have, he knew that much. He'd have had to. But that had been barely a year after the events aboard the Farragut, and looking back he knew he hadn't really been ready.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 12, 2009 11:27:09 GMT -5
((HEE It is because we are awesome!))
Purposely obstructing the trend of conversation at this juncture would not be completely baseless. Most of what Spock was about to say could have no impact on this captain, and it was irrelevant to their circumstances.
However Kirk had already made the point that to share information would be ideal. Furthermore, Spock's reticence may give offense, and while that offense may be illogical, it was important to respect the feelings of other species. Most of all the only reason Spock hesitated was because he did not want to talk about Vulcan, and that was most illogical.
The hesitation was bare and Spock's face was impassive as he spoke. "When the star in the Romulan system of my elder counterpart went supernova, a Romulan mining vessel witnessed the destruction of Romulus. The captain of this vessel, Nero, learned the purpose and location of my counterpart, and his ship, the Narada, gave pursuit. They both traveled through time by the means of the singularity.
"In my own universe, Nero destroyed Vulcan by means of red matter, in order that my counterpart experience what Nero himself experienced before departing his own time. But Nero was driven by despair. He gained the security codes for Earth from Pike, whose legs were injured in the process. Nero was determined to destroy Earth with red matter as well, but was prevented and destroyed. Largely as a result of the actions of your younger self.
"As a result of these events, your younger self was promoted. It was indeed unprecedented."
Spock's voice was clinical throughout. He had determined the overview necessary, but he already knew all of this. He very much wished to pursue other topics, but he knew he had given the captain a lot to process. Undoubtedly Kirk would wish to digress further on the subject.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 12, 2009 11:52:38 GMT -5
Something within Kirk had stopped. He sank back, slightly, in his chair, no longer leaning forward and inviting conversation. When it started again, he felt anger, deep and irrational and oddly personal. It was done--he'd been there, he'd done what he could, even if it wasn't him him--and there was nothing he could do about it now. His expression was not impassive, or clinical. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw was clenched and twitched slightly.
He wanted to hit someone. Specifically, Nero. He hoped that he already had. He thought about the Romulan commander who had so tickled his vanity; how, despite everything, he too had seen honor in the man's comportment and mourned his loss. He wondered if questioning that now made him a bigot.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Spock," he said tightly, because he had to say something, and he knew somewhere in the back of his brain that he was probably behaving in a way the man would not comprehend. It wasn't his Vulcan.
It didn't matter one bit.
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Spock
- Ingenious Pilot -
Apparently he's GQ?%\0\%
Posts: 142
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Post by Spock on Jun 12, 2009 12:30:27 GMT -5
((You. )) Spock could easily read the anger in the captain's face. The events Spock related had already happened, and did not in any way affect this Kirk, but Spock was already used to him not making sense. Spock's reaction at the time to the destruction of Vulcan still filled him with shame. In particular there was the way he had reacted to the Kirk of his own time. And to some extent Spock knew he was still reacting, still could not completely quell his sorrow or his anger, and seeing the latter emotion echoed in the captain was making Spock uncomfortable. "Acknowledged," Spock said, believing that discomfort was primarily contained and that he was behaving externally if not internally with logic. Spock was still eager to move on, but as before he delayed a segue so as to allow the captain further questions. There was no reason Spock should not be able to speak further on this issue. No logical reason at all.
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Post by James T. Kirk on Jun 12, 2009 16:21:59 GMT -5
((Aww. I was thinking about "Errand of Mercy" where Spock restrains him and he's all, "yeah, I was gonna kick their asses." You know that I pretty much want to watch each of them all over again as soon as they end.))
Even his Vulcan wasn't really his Vulcan. But the anger and sadness he felt was his well enough, and he could not begin to imagine what it had been like for this Spock. He was under no illusion that Vulcans could not feel. And having one's entire planet destroyed--possibly his entire family, Kirk hadn't asked about that yet--was one thing he hoped even Vulcans would agree was worth losing a little reserve over.
His Spock, when overwhelmed with emotion, was careful to tell him. Kirk counted that as a measure of trust, that the shame of those feelings was outweighed by Spock's need to keep his captain informed, his command safe. This Spock was trying too hard.
Kirk had to force himself to calm down in order to see that, in order to be sensitive to Mr. Spock in a way he could accept. Or try to, anyway. Apologies were illogical--Kirk hadn't done anything. Nor would they bring anything back. Acknowledging that Spock was likely upset about this would only make it worse. Kirk was torn between that sensitivity and the firm belief that there was no shame in feeling anger or sadness over the loss of something so huge. That withholding that grief was potentially harmful.
But he wasn't Vulcan, as he'd been reminded, and grateful for, many times.
"The loss to your universe is great," he said at last, "and, if it would ever assist you in organizing your thoughts on the matter, you should feel welcome to address it with me. Any time." He hoped that rode the line between logic and caring, and allowed Spock some way out. In either direction. He was still angry, but it wouldn't help Spock. He wasn't sure he understood why, exactly, just that it was true. He could not disguise his continued shock entirely. But he could try to change the subject.
Luckily, the food arriving allowed for some pause in the conversation.
"You know that your older counterpart is my first officer," he said when the waitress had once again retreated. "Are you curious about anything I can tell you?"
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