Giving the Tour [for losthunter]

[boldygoing]

It has been a week or two since the Enterprise was in any kind of condition to entertain visitors. A supply run here, a survey mission there, nothing close to casual enough for Captain Kirk to justify setting aside a little time to have a guest aboard, his days taken up by the duties of command. And certainly not out in the middle of deep space, where an unexpected visitor would be more likely to be seen as a stowaway or intruder, no matter if the captain vouched for them or not.

But it has been six months since the crew's last chance for shore leave, so after the debriefings are complete, Starfleet Command gives the slightly weary crew a brief three days off while the ship's systems are inspected and recalibrated. And it's a perfect opportunity to make good on his offer from a while ago.

Jim sits at a shuttle terminal in downtown San Francisco, a gold-shirt in a small sea of red and blue, all Starfleet personnel waiting to be taken up to various starships in orbit or in Spacedock. He knows it might be a few minutes before Hunter arrives, and keeps himself busy reviewing reports on a padd, keeping an eye out for the distinctive tattoos of his invited guest.


[OOC: Image links to replace invalid links below:
Spacedock
USS Enterprise
Warp core
Officer's lounge]

Comments

[boldygoing]

Jim goes quiet, and looks down at his hands, busying himself with taking a drink from his glass. "I get the not sleeping part. But I don't think I'll ever get how people can forget to eat."

[losthunter]

"Did something happen in your life that had to do with famine, or something similar?" Hunter keeps his voice gentle. He is here to listen, if Jim wants to talk. And if he is not ready, he won't be upset.

[boldygoing]

Jim looks up sharply at the question. No one, no one, has ever asked him anything like that. Those that know the truth about Tarsus IV are in the minority, and Jim's involvement is classified, so even his closest friends have no idea he was there. But for some reason, it's a little easier to talk to Hunter about it, even if he is nowhere near ready to go into any amount of detail.

"I know what it's like to be hungry," he says, which might as well be a yes.

[losthunter]

Hunter is a very observant person. This wasn't the first time that Jim had a negative reaction when the subject of going hungry had been mentioned. He had reacted when Hunter had talked about the homeless. And he had reacted when Hunter mentioned that he sometimes missed a meal.

And he is glad that he feels like he can talk to Hunter about it. Even if a lot of detail is not mentioned right now. Hunter leans over the bar, to place his hand on Jim's arm.

"That must have been difficult for you."

[boldygoing]

"Still is," Jim says, and he doesn't want to pull away for fear Hunter will think he's rejecting him, but the memories still make his skin crawl. "I can't talk about it."

[losthunter]

"Then we won't." And Hunter will keep this fact in the back of his head, so he doesn't accidently upset Jim again.

He does run his thumb up to Jim's elbow.

[boldygoing]

"Thanks." Jim's voice is quiet, but there's an audible hint of appreciation that Hunter isn't pushing the subject. It's one reason why Jim has never said anything to Bones, even though as his personal physician, McCoy should have access to the captain's entire medical file, including the classified bits. He knows that the doctor's desire to fix anybody who's hurting might make him push a bit too much.

[losthunter]

Hunter lets the moment be quiet. As if respecting whatever past that Jim is unable to talk about.

Then he tips his glass curiously. "Tell me about some of the different Alien cultures that you have met, so far."

[boldygoing]

Jim's mood is a bit subdued, but he all but jumps at the chance to change the topic. "We haven't had a real first contact in a while, but after we're done here at Earth, we're supposed to go survey this planet called Nibiru, out in Beta Quadrant. It's got a pre-industrial species, so we're not supposed to contact them directly, but if there ends up being a good spot to watch 'em from a distance, Starfleet might open up a long-distance cultural study."

[losthunter]

"Are there stories about the first-time that humans had first contact?" Hunter is a little curious.

[boldygoing]

Great question to lighten Jim's mood a bit. "Oh yeah, absolutely. It wasn't long after the third World War, and humanity as a whole was in a bad spot, but this one man - Doctor Zephram Cochrane - decided to retrofit an old nuclear rocket to experiment with faster-than-light travel. A Vulcan ship just happened to be passing by when he did his first warp flight test; they'd surveyed Earth before but dismissed humans as too primitive, especially since we were usually bombing each other. A warp signature from Earth got their attention, and they realized that humanity had gotten its shit together and discovered warp, so they landed and introduced themselves to Cochrane. Must've been a hell of a shock for everyone in Bozeman."

[losthunter]

"And so it was the Vulcans who first made contact with us." Hunter has to chuckle lightly. He can understand how humans could be seen as 'primitive'.

[boldygoing]

"Yeah. When I called them humanity's oldest friends, I wasn't exaggerating." This time, anyway.

Jim smiles a little. "Vulcans live longer than humans, usually around two hundred years, but it's still kinda mind-boggling when I remember that the first Vulcan to say hi to a human was Spock's great-grandpa."

[losthunter]

"That would be a little confusing to wrap your head around."

"How did Starfleet get organized?"

[boldygoing]

"That's a really long, boring bit of history, actually. It was a really gradual thing. In a lot of ways, Starfleet's still changing to adapt. We're already a little different from the future that old Spock showed me."

[losthunter]

"I guess it is important to continue to adapt and change. To make your own destiny in a way."

[boldygoing]

"There's a saying that Vulcans have, something their most famous philosopher once said: 'We have differences. May we, together, become greater than the sum of both of us.' It's pretty much true no matter what way you look at it." Jim raises his mostly-empty glass in a casual salute.

[losthunter]

"Sounds like something to drink to," Hunter raises his mostly-empty glass too. And finishes it off.

[boldygoing]

Jim drains his glass too, a few shards of ice still clinging to the sides as he tilts it back and swallows. "That hits the spot."

[losthunter]

"It does." And it makes him feel all warm inside. But being near Jim makes him feel that way too.

"So... am I allowed to see where you take command of your ship?"

[boldygoing]

Jim collects their empty glasses and puts them in a sterilization unit in the wall, a brief glowing light cleaning them in an instant. "That depends," Jim answers, putting his captain face back on, at least in part. "Civilians are allowed on the bridge at the captain's discretion, but you aren't allowed to touch anything. I know it'll be hard to keep your hands to yourself," he adds, a slightly mischievous and flirty look in his eye. "Think you can do that?"

[losthunter]

Hunter feels that warmth in his belly get even warmer when Jim uses that captain persona. Even the little touch makes him feel tingly all over.

"Keep me hands to myself..." His eyes rove down Jim's body. Smirking all the same at that mischievous look.

"I will do my best."

[boldygoing]

He grins a little. "You have no idea how sad it is that I'll never be able to have sex in the command chair," he laments out loud, and gestures for Hunter to follow him, heading back towards the turbolift.

[losthunter]

Hunter has to pause for a moment, before he stands to follow Jim. The lamentation almost sounds like a desire that Jim has. And he does enjoy finding ways to make Jim's desires a reality.

But it also sounds like there are reasons for his desire to be uncompleted.

And so he finds himself in an unusual situation. "Is that right?"

[boldygoing]

"Yep. Even if there wasn't someone else on the bridge at all times, the security feed would catch it and I'd get court martialed for 'conduct unbecoming' or something." Alas, it seems that this fantasy must remain as such.

"Deck One," Jim commands the lift, and it whisks them away to the top of the Enterprise's saucer section.

The bridge is an enormous circular room, consoles laid out to encircle the chair at the center, which looks out over the helm and navigations console, and the large transparent window at the very front of the bridge. The view from here is slightly less spectacular at the moment, given that Enterprise is docked, so much of the view is taken up by the large metal and glass behemoth that is Spacedock. But stars can be seen beyond the bulk of the station, and the distant light of the sun. Most of the consoles stand empty, but there are a few crewmen at work running various diagnostics, and they do not look up at the sound of the lift opening.

The center chair is occupied by a young man in science blue, a man with upswept pointed ears and a greenish tinge to his skin. He has two thick rank stripes on his uniform's wrists, and he stands as he notices who has entered the bridge. "Captain," the man says, his voice deceptively emotionless. Dark eyes quickly flick over Hunter, as well, a passionless assessment of the unfamiliar man. "I was not aware you were still aboard," he says, his gaze traveling back to the captain.

"I'm just giving a friend the tour while we're in port," Jim says, relaxed and unconcerned by his crewman's apparently unreadable face. "Hunter, this is Commander Spock, my first officer."