driftfleet | [video]

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[Sam's in the cockpit of the Starstruck when he turns the communicator on, seated in the captain's chair. He regards the camera in silence for a moment, and anyone who knows him might be able to tell that there are bags under his eyes, and that his normal goatee isn't as neatly shaven as usual, with rough stubble around the edges.]

I know we've had a lot of these lately - hell, I think someone else even pointed out that we had a lot of these lately - but since they were here for so long, I couldn't just not say something. Figure there are still people out there who deserve to know. [His own teammates, let alone any friends they'd made in their time here.]

Steve and Peggy are gone. [Well, Peggy's been gone; Steve's more recently departed. Sam feels like he ought to say more, but everything feels too private to dump on the network, in front of everyone. He opens his mouth to try and dredge something up, anything, but-

Nah. End transmission.]

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Damn.

[Kitty has never fully believed people simply go home when they aren't here anymore. She came from another abduction before this one and there are more out there. It would be easy enough for them to cut off memories whenever too many had built up. But the general consensus is that it's okay when people who still have life left to lead back home disappear provided they also aren't from some kind of hellscape and Steve and Peggy weren't. It doesn't mean they aren't missed, but it's not the worst thing.

But...

They were engaged and they aren't heading back to the same time. She knows a little something about starcrossed engagements in these places.]

That one hurts.

[Plus, Steve had always been important to her and she'd gotten closer to Peggy more recently.]

Yeah, it does.

[Because, god, he'd wanted Steve and Peggy to have all the time that had been denied to them, even in a messed-up place like this. He doesn't want Steve to go back to a life on the run with just him and Nat for company.]

I'm sorry. [She doesn't know Sam well, and she's only strongly guessing which Sam she's talking to, but she's pretty sure he's close to Steve.]

These places have never met a good thing they couldn't mess up.

[Furiosa stands at the door to the bridge, flesh arm crossed over prosthetic, and looks at Sam.]

Getting rather sparse here. [Still missing Max, and although she hadn't been exceedingly close with Peggy or Steve, it still stings. ]

Who's the captain now?

Tell me about it. Gonna be outnumbered by the animals soon.

[Sam gives her a wry smile.] That'd be me.

[She tips her head and knocks a finger in his direction in acknowledgement of his new position. It wasn't exactly a high-stress position, but she trusted him, so far. It was certainly better than having the role vacant.]

What is our whole menagerie comprised of now? [She knows about Rock, but hasn't really kept tally on the others that were around.]

[Sam acknowledges the quasi-salute with a nod and a huffed laugh.]

I have a cat, and there's Rock, and Steve insisted the rats in the vents he named after fictional characters were his.

[Which may or may not count for that tally, especially that Steve's no longer around to keep them from feline predation.]

[She peaks her eyebrows at the mention of rats. Yes, sorry Steve. Just going to let the cat do its thing.]

I can take care of Rock. The rats ... I'm fine letting them fend for themselves.

I'm not totally sure which humans are on this ship, to be honest. You and me, and I think Ochako's around here somewhere. Saw another guy the other day, but I think he transferred.

[Sam is clearly the best captain.]

It changes, often enough.

[She was better at keeping track when she was captain of the First Breath. Being relieved of that duty, and having spent some time focusing on Max, she'd fallen behind on watching the current roster.]

[That's too bad. He hadn't even known they were here, but people get quiet and disappear like that sometimes, he remembers.]

I'm sorry, Sam.

I- I don't think he would've wanted to be around here without Peggy, anyway.

[A wry twitch of his lips, and then-]

Jarvis was here till recently, too.

[He blinks, caught off guard.]

Not the program, JARVIS? The man he was based off of?

[~~Grandpa?~~]

Yeah, he ran a restaurant over on the Iskaulit. Made the best damn space tacos you'll ever have.

[Sam looks amused.]

And apparently he had all kinds of adventures with Peggy back in the day.

I don't doubt that. I can't say I've ever had a space taco.

[That much he knew, and he nods.]

I did read certain files on him, as I admit I was curious what sort of man Mr. Stark would name his houskeeping program after. Was the restaurant a cover for espionage activities?

[what files were you reading, dude]

They're like regular tacos, but in space.

[Helpful, you might say, but this is the exact conversation Sam had with Jarvis about space tacos.]

No, he just wanted to feed people. Although he had a wall of gluttons who were banned from the restaurant. [An amused look.] Steve and Peggy were among them.

[All right, all right, that gets a smile on both accounts. Would Jarvis still have liked to feed someone who doesn't technically need to eat? From what little he knows of the man, the Vision would guess the answer is "yes".]

Then I hope it does continue to be open. Feeding people is a good legacy to have.

[He glances away for a moment and his voice softens.]

A goodbye does not have to be forever, even for someone lost in time like Peggy Carter.

It's more...I wish they would've had more time together, you know? All the time they deserved to have in the first place.

[Look, Sam's a romantic, and he wants his friends to be happy. He doesn't know if Steve'll ever find someone like Peggy back home.]

[Not so very long ago, the Vision would have been more curious, more confused. But now he has a different perspective on things, gained from years of sneaking away to be with the woman he loves. So he's silent a little longer than usual.]

I do know, and it's not fair.

But I am glad they had any time together at all.

[How would Sam feel about Natasha showing up in the Starstruck kitchen, making coffee for two?

Hopefully not too bad, because that's what he'll get.

She doesn't seem like she's apt to force a conversation, but she knows what this means to Sam. And maybe she'd like some company herself, not that she'd admit it.]

You bring the vodka over, too?

[Maybe he's been imbibing a little too much since Steve left, but, hey. Nothing wrong with doctoring the coffee, right?

He slides into a chair across from Natasha, glad for the company.]

I didn't. Something could probably be arranged though. Maybe I could have Barnes bring it over?

[Maybe he'd want to drink with them.]

Sounds like a plan to me.

[He won't say no to drinking with Nat and Bucky.]

[She takes a moment to send Bucky a text. She can trust him with a mission.]

Regular coffee good enough until he gets here?

Gotta make room for the vodka in the mug.

[Right? Right.]

You can drink it down a little. Barnes will be a couple minutes before he gets here.

Yes'm.

[Sam salutes her with the mug and takes a drink.]

If Irish coffee is coffee with whiskey, does that mean coffee with vodka is Russian coffee?

[Important questions.]

Espresso, vodka and cream. [Stereotypical. A cocktail. Not real Russian coffee, as such. But she'll play along.] We'll just have to make do I guess.

Close enough, right?

Close as we can get here, anyway.

[And he doesn't really need a cocktail. Coffee and vodka fits his mood right now.]

We don't need closer for our purposes. [Following his thoughts.

With coffee poured, Natasha hops onto the counter. Steve used to complain about it.

He's not here to stop her though.]

You're gonna need a new first mate.

[Ah. They had been quiet lately, hadn't they? Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise, but it does come as a disappointment. Especially in Peggy's case - Thor knows he won't see her again.]

Thank you for letting us know.

[Sam's going to miss Peggy more keenly than Steve - at least he knows his best friend will be waiting for him back home.]

No problem. Figured someone ought to speak up.

[And he'd been half afraid that if he waited too long, Loki would find out first and pull another stunt.]

Thanks, Sam.

There's a chance they'll come back, but in the meantime, I'm sorry.

[ He's watched Steve and all the other friends he's known come and go multiple enough times that it's less jarring and more disappointing. He tries pushing it away, because it's easier to deal with.

Despite how much both these losses hurt for all of them. ]

Yeah. [Sam just sighs for a moment.] I'm sorry, too.

[Because, hell, they were Bucky's best friends too. He's not the only one who's affected by this.]

[ All he can really do is shrug. The silence lingers, but he glances back to the video. ]

Drinking?

Sounds like a plan to me. Come on over, Nat's already here.

[As he probably knows.]

I'll bring the good stuff. I still have a bottle from a few months ago.

[ From when Steve got him a bottle of that suped-up alcohol for his birthday. He was saving it for a special occasion, but fuck it, being sad is the occasion today. ]

You're a good man, Barnes.

[Sam throws him a mock-salute.]

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