driftfleet | [ Video + Action ] We Are Not Amused

Who: Jim Kirk + You!
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Yes, in the shopping areas
When: Today

[ Video ]

_{[ The picture that comes up is that of one Captain Kirk, his lips drawn into a meld of thin line and irritated purse. It is a rare expression for him, but in this case it is well deserved. He's sitting in his room, on his bed, the wall behind him, and a slug perched on his shoulder. He needed the soothing influence. ]}

I don't know which if your sponsors -

_{[ He inserted air quotes here ]}

Thought to send this particular care package, but it's not nearly as tactful, funny, or even comforting as you might think it is.

_{[ He held up a letterman style jacket, which seemed innocent from the front in its black and white coloring. But then he turned it to the back, where proud letters were emblazoned -

I DIED AND I SURVIVED ]}

I got a whole box of them. If you want one, I guess... come and get one? Though really if you want me to burn them, I'm happy to do that too. Take some marshmallows to them as well, because why not at this point?

[ Action - Bazaar/Shops ]

_{[ Kirk had taken some of the jackets from the box and brought them here. Even though he had made an offer to burn them, he thought they might be more useful if they could traded for credit or some sort. The leather and construction on the jackets was nice and sturdy. Surely the people out here could appreciate that and pay a pretty penny for it, even if the back was... unpleasant.

He could be seen trying to barter the jackets for some supplies, mostly food to round out the goo, sometimes some things to keep them occupied like new games he found, or even just some new clothes to freshen things up. But he seemed to be having similar conversations at every stall - ]}

What kind of bad luck you trying to bring around here? Ain't no way in hell I'm trading for that!

_{[ And other variations, often with less than viewer friendly wording. Definitely not a hit. ]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Psycho Mantis, personnel support on the Bishop. Every time I think I've seen it all with Atroma, things like those jackets crop up.

I think the best tactic to take with Atroma is to expect nothing and be prepared for anything. They like twisting the knife, I've found.

Do they? I should count myself fortunate. Some people have enough knives for a butcher's shop.

I think Atroma has more than enough for an army.

Those jackets make me wonder how tasteless they could be about my past. I won't ask for the details. The phrase alone says plenty.

If you really want to know, I'll tell. It doesn't bother me, talking about it anymore. Even if I did, secrets out now, isn't it?

I should take a lesson from you. It's hard to admit that I even died back home, much less that it didn't stick here.

What happened to you? People who come back from the dead tend to die in the first place because of dangerous career choices.

It wasn't like I wasn't planning for it to stick when it happened to me.

Dangerous career choice is a way to put it. Basically it stemmed from a lot of my own short sightedness and rash decisions, and not being able to see when my whole crew was being set up. The engines of my ship were sabotaged, and I went in to manually fix them so we could pull out of gravitational free-fall back to Earth. Didn't have time for the suit, just kicked the reactor back in, and basically got blasted with radiation when it went back online. I died from from radiation poisoning in about fifteen minutes.

[The tale sends an old shiver down his spine, remembering names like Chernobyl and the threat of the Cold War. Visibly, he tenses up as though cold and it's a good minute before he can start to relax.]

Isn't that how it goes? Radiation is a killer of a different kind. I usually don't praise people, but you're an exceptional kind of thoughtlessness. Others might have hesitated long enough to bring ruin upon countless people, but it sounds like you walked into a reactor chamber without so much as a second thought.

It was my fault we were in the situation. I am the captain, I had to take responsibility. If I didn't do it, the ship would have crashed into Earth, and our trajectory had us heading straight for a major metropolitan area on top of it. The needs of the many before the needs of the one. It was either I go in and most likely die, or I don't, and thousands die.

Not much of a choice.

And I ran, actually.

_{[ It's a joke, see? ]}

[He laughs at the joke. Not a full body kind, but the kind that sits low in the throat.]

You have hero syndrome. It's a common affliction among people who try to see the good in all things. Regardless of the pragmatism you might bring in to assess a situation, all actions err towards aiding and protecting others, even at great and lethal risk to personal health and safety.

From the sound of it, you get paid to act that way too. An Earth where a man can have a ship, a crew, and a radiation-rich engine all within close proximity sounds interesting. Mine is more violent and prone to making giant machines.

Well, I can't deny that. My CMO has said as much, and I trust his medical opinion.

I get paid to explore the universe, and to uphold the mission and beliefs of Star Fleet. Being a hero is... just a part of being who I am, I suppose, like you say.

Chief...Medical Officer? Someone like you must see him all too often for his liking.

I was never quite that altruistic, but I tried to align myself with the law wherever I happened to travel for a long time. It didn't last, but I tried.

I think anyone seeing him even once is far to often for his liking, to be honest. But you aren't wrong either. He only wants me around when it's time for my physical, and that' the one time I avoid him.

I can understand that. I try and work with the rules but sometimes - sometimes you just have to break them. For the greater good.

He's a real doctor, then. They're happiest when people are healthy, even if it means they don't need to work.

Hmm. At least you can cling to the greater good. My crusade fell to the wayside with my mental health. Not what I wanted, but I brought myself back together.

Very real doctor, who unfortunately works in a business with a fair amount of collateral damage. And has zero problems tracking me down for a physical when I need it.

Hey, I'm not going to judge. I have no idea what was happening in your world, after all.

Sounds like it. We didn't have a dedicated medic for our team, but we all knew plenty about how to patch each other up.

A lot happened where I come from. My name is one chapter in a long history of people getting tangled up in each other's lives and the politics of various countries.

[ Video + Action ] We Are Not Amused

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