Captain's Log 04 - Laughter Is the Best Medicine

[universal_charm]

Who: Kirk + YOU!
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Tourist if you want to come find him
When: Nov. 19

Hello, my fellow Drifters. For those who don't know me, I'm Jim Kirk - captain of the Tourist.

It seems like everyone's been kind of down lately, so I thought we might try something to lift the mood. They do say laughter is the best medicine after all.

_{[ He's totally expecting Bones to have a quip for that. Just waiting for it. ]}

So I thought I would start with a story from my early captain years on my ship, the Enterprise. Specifically, how I actually got on her in the first place.

Short backstory short, we were being mustered to see to a distress call from planet Vulcan, only I had been grounded due to some technical, ethical review business. Insisting I needed to be on the ship, I found our newest senior medical officer, Bones, and he agreed to help me on.

How, might you ask?

Well, he proceeded to inject me with a vaccine for an alien disease I did not need, and it temporarily made me ill. I am told I looked and sound loopy and or terribly drunk. Well, Bones got me on and took me to med bay to undo the damage of the vaccine by injecting me with more of them. To which I had delightful reactions - passing out, numb tongue, and my hands swelling. And when I say swelling - I mean they looked like cartoon gloves on a friendly animated character kind of swelling. It was like having two blown up surgical gloves for hands.

_{[ He waves his hands up in front of his face, back and forth, to help you visualize of course. ]}

It all turned out okay in the end, but that is the story of how I first got on the Enterprise - which I am now the captain of.

_{[ There's an upbeat message beneath that, surely. ]}

Now - who's next?

Comments

video;

[therewillbeorder]

Alright, just so I understand- you only got on your ship because you had someone with equally poor judgment inject you with something that made you severely ill just you could stay on the ship? And somehow you were later entrusted with command of that ship?

I cannot say I am surprised but at least I'm amused.

[He's definitely laughing at you, Kirk, and not with you but it's made his evening better already!]

Re: video;

[universal_charm]

Bones has excellent judgement, thank you, you would be lucky to have him as your CMO, but you can't because he's mine.

And he injected me with the vaccine to make me ill so I could get on the ship. Your listening skills need work.

_{[ Tsk tsk you jerk. ]}

video

[interstices]

How irresponsible are you?

Re: video

[universal_charm]

Injecting me with vaccines I had bad reactions to was not my idea, but I can't argue results.

Video

[halfbloodhatchling]

You come from a place with starships?

[There's more than a glimmer of amusement on Kai's face from the story, though.]

I became a Stalker because my guardian won me in a poker game.

video;

[universal_charm]

Yeah, that's right. I captain one back home, like I said. I work for Star Fleet, from the United Federation of Planets.

_{[ He cocked his head just a bit. ]}

You might have to explain those two terms to me.

video;

[notanoptimist]

As I remember it, your pathetic face was what got you on that ship. If you're gonna tell that story, at least give me what credit I actually deserve.

[Pause] Still dunno why I did it.

Re: video;

[universal_charm]

Because every now and then you take risks and place bets, and I was and am a good one.

_{[ Smug smirk is smug. ]}

Video

[per_audacia_ad_astra]

[Betamax tells this story with her hands, gesturing with the recollection.]

I'd just gotten my first rocket launcher - the Baron RS/1. I took it out to practice against a Fallen Dreg. It's dancing back and forth; I fire one rocket, it dodges. I reload and fire another rocket, my aim was way off. I reload, it's running right and taunting me - I just know it - and I track it and fire again without checking my surroundings and BOOM! I was standing too close to a cement barricade and the rocket impacts right out of the barrel, blowing up in my face.

[She laughs at herself,] Certainly taught me something about environment awareness, I'll tell you that!

video

[universal_charm]

And you were okay? Because a rocket exploding in your face doesn't sound pleasant.

[poked_heart]

Why'd they let you on the ship, though? Sick guy trying to come on board, wouldn't they more likely tell you to go the fuck away and get to a hospital?

[universal_charm]

Because Bones is a doctor and refused to leave his patient and was one of the chief medical staff necessary on the ship, so the security guy would have to explain why he didn't let medical staff onboard. Plus there wasn't a lot of time so security didn't argue all that much in the first place.

[bi_otic]

[The casual mention of the ship is what gets his attention more than the - admittedly funny and kind of bizarre - story had. He's less a fish out of water in the fleet than most people he'd met so far, which mostly meant he'd been surrounded by landed fish and doing his best to sympathize. Someone with experience in space is music to his ears.]

Pretty quick thinking there on your officer's part.

[universal_charm]

I'm still debating if it was quick thinking or getting me back. Probably both.

[bythewaves]

[ shaking his head and smiling ]

This truly happened? Your friend took a risk, indeed! But I suppose as you said, it worked out.

[universal_charm]

_{[ He chuckles. ]}

Yes, it truly happened. It's not the best start to a career, but it was the start of mine.

[cajunspice]

[Yes Kirk, you have a captive audience, partly as a friend but also as a secret Trekkie who is loving getting to hear his adventures. It reminds him of being a kid and being glued to the tv for the weekly episode, wanting to find out what the crew went through this time. The fact that he and Kirk were good friends now, well, that made it all the better, for a different reason.]

I would had paid to see that.

[universal_charm]

Have I really not told you this story before?

_{[ He laughs, because he was sure he had. It was a nice way to pass time after their liaisons, telling little stories like that in bed. ]}

Video

[wolfuncaged]

...

I can honestly say that when it comes to you, nothing surprises me any more.

Re: Video

[universal_charm]

That's actually not the craziest story either.

_{[ Griiiiiin. ]}

video »

[partialities]

[ she has to giggle, both light and bright, covering her mouth with a hand. ]

I must say, I cannot imagine it, Captain. You are always so impressive, I cannot seem to think of you as anything less than exactly that.

Re: video »

[universal_charm]

Well, I grew into the position, so I am glad I made progress!

But every good captain has to start somewhere right? I was just shaking off the last of my rebellious teen years.

video;

[bluediligence]

[ Aoko is, to say the very least, impressed. (Is that the right word for it? Probably. Maybe. Considering all of the insanity she's been involved with, she really has no room to judge.) ]

How the heck did you go from that to being made captain? You must've been really impressive in the field!

Re: video;

[universal_charm]

Well, with the help of said doctor and the other crew, I - we - saved Earth. That tends to endear the admiralty to a person.

video;

[winn]

Okay, you and I, we need to work on your storytelling technique. 'cartoon gloves on a friendly animated character' s'not bad but the rest of it - could be funnier.

Re: video;

[universal_charm]

You're saying you could have told it better?

AUDIO

[sandhate]

Seems like your medical recruit knows how to have fun.

Re: AUDIO

[universal_charm]

_{[ Excuse him while he laughs so hard that he starts crying. ]}