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(no subject)

Who: James T. Kirk
Broadcast: Network - open to all
Action: all around the SS Red Fish + SS Heron
When: Right now, and throughout the following week

NETWORK BROADCAST ▹ VIDEO;

[ Jim's staring seriously at the camera as the broadcast begins, concern visible on his features. He might be easily recognizable to most everyone on the Fleet, but as soon as he starts talking, it will become obvious that he is not the same man, or at least not having the very same memories. Not of this place, that's for sure. ]

My name is James T. Kirk. I'm... not entirely sure how I got here, but for what it's worth, I'm one of the new arrivals.

[ He presses his lips, glancing around. ] This isn't the first time I've been brought to a universe other than my own, but I was wondering if anyone else here has had a similar experience. Coming here from a place that's not your reality of origin.

[ A pause, ] Specifically, has anyone here heard of Riverview, or the Quarantine?

[ He can't help a hopeful look. A familiar face, any familiar face, will be welcome. He's looking for a specific one, admittedly, but he's not holding his breath on that one. ]

Thank you in advance.

ACTION ▹ SS RED FISH

[ Once he makes that broadcast, he'll be exploring his new location, so he knows what he's dealing with. He can be found roaming the ship, poking his head into all the nooks and corners, and possibly trying to sneak his way into off-limits locations, if there are any. Stop him getting into trouble, or help him? Or just come say hi to a not-quite-new face. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The joking does ease some of the tension off his shoulders, and he grins faintly. He's got a feeling they'll manage to work this out somehow. ]

Yeah, same here. I've met two men with our face before, but they were different. One of them a little older, even. Definitely hairier.

[ Gesturing to his own jaw area, as to indicate a big, scruffy beard. ]

That sounds perfect, actually. Your quarters, if you don't mind? I keep getting these weird looks, and I can only imagine it'd be even worse if people saw us together.

_{[ Kirk made a face at the idea of their jaws featuring a beard. Maybe
a well trimmed one, but not - not a mountain man beard. No thank you.
]}

Heh, probably. Do you know how to work the shuttles or would you prefer I come get you?

It's fine, I can manage. I've made use of them already.

[ Having that pilot augment does help a lot in that regard. ]

Your quarters are on which ship, by the way?

The Tourist. Ping me when you’re close, I’ll come meet you in the shuttle bay. She’s a bit confusing your first time through.

_{[ This wasn’t strange at all, inviting yourself over for a drink with
yourself. He would need the drink just for the headache at this rate.
]}

Will do.

[ With a nod he ends the feed, then takes a couple of minutes to just absorb what's happening. He's meeting himself. Some version of himself, at least. How similar are their stories? How close are their universes to each other? What if they come from the exact same one?

Thankfully one thing makes them different. It's not much, but Riverview has changed him. That might just work in their favor, here.

Finding a free shuttle, he makes his way from the ship he's currently in, the Heron, to the Tourist. He pings Kirk just as he's touching down, so hopefully the other captain will be waiting for him at the shuttle bay once he steps outside. ]

_{[ It certainly not a situation he ever thought he would be in, that's for sure. Even with having two Spocks back home, it had just never been scenario for himself that he thought would happen. Even here, where he had seen two versions of the same person, it had just never felt likely.

And now, here he was. Standing at the doors dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. No need for a uniform here, and the one he did have he treated preciously. No closets full of replacements here, after all.

He watches his other self walk towards him, looking him up and down, and god what it was an eerie feeling. Spock's other self had at least been older and not a direct doppleganger, though he imagined it might be creepier getting a look at how you'd age. ]}

Welcome to the Tourist. She's no Enterprise, but she's home.

[ He can definitely relate, with regards to how eerie this is. Well, he probably can relate to a lot of things regarding Kirk, because they're after all the same person.

What uniform he does have is whatever he got when he arrived here. He's wearing it now for practicality's sake, since he had to pilot the shuttle. Walking up to Kirk, he gives him a quick glance up and down, then offers his right hand for a shake. They could be the very same, if not for the ring he's wearing in his left hand, though the other man might not be able to notice it just yet. ]

You're all settled in, I see. [ Dipping his head in a nod, ] How long have you been here?

_{[ That horrid jumpsuit. Well, he could change that quick enough. They
should be a perfect match for each other closing wise. He took the other’s
hand and gripped, the firm handshake of a captain to another captain. Can’t
make a bad impression, especially in front of yourself, right? ]}

Almost three years now, Earth Standard.

_{[ He leads his other self into the ship, a twisty sort of thing that
at first feels mazelike and a bit like shoots and ladders come to life.
]}

Hard to believe, honestly.

[ It's not the most fashionable choice, granted, but he's currently still short on options, and this was a little easier to pilot in than a pair of jeans and a turtleneck. ]

Wow. That's a pretty long time. I was in Riverview for a year and a half, myself. [ There's a moment's hesitance, but he decides to add. ] Bones arrived there with me. We were together for a while.

[ Though following Kirk's lead, he still looks around curiously, taking in every detail. A strange, confusing ship, he has to agree with that much. ]

How do you mark the time here? Does the Fleet follow an Earth Standard calendar?

_{[ There is a pause at the mention of Bones. The kind of pause that
spoke of loss. ]}

Bones was here for a bit too. But he - he’s gone now. Home, I hope. Chekov is here though. But like you he’s been in another place before this - a prison called Marina. So he’s not exactly the Chekov I remember, or you I suspect.

_{[ He paused at a door and keyed it open. His room is sizeable, nothing
like on the Enterprise, but there’s room to move around - a bed, a small
desk and chair, closet space, a trunk, shelves with a collection of
souvenir items and books. And also on the bed were a pair of what appeared
to be slugs, except they were quite large and fluffy, little feather like
attanea curiously wafting about. ]}

I have no idea what calendar it keeps but it at least seems more or less in line with Earth Standard and most people are from an Earth of some sort, so that’s what we keep. Make yourself comfortable. You prefer scotch or whiskey?

[ When he says ‘together’, he does mean different types of ‘together’, but it might be for the best that he doesn’t get too into that. ]

Chekov’s here? [ There’s a small smile at that. ] On your crew, I expect. I’ll have to say hi.

[ And probably overload the poor kid with worries, having two captains running around the Fleet. ]

Same thing back on Riverview. The months had different names, but otherwise the calendar was remarkably similar. The climate, too. [ It was almost eerie, as though the whole moon had been made as a copy of Earth. At least on a fleet of ships where most passengers came from some version of Earth it made more sense.

He raises an eyebrow at the question, smiling lopsidedly. ]

Whatever you’re having. [ Besides, he’s curious. Does his taste differ at all from this other version of him? ]

Heh, yeah, sure is. He's my first mate, actually. Figure after all this time, he's earned a promotion.

_{[ And yes, it was likely Chekov would have some sort of attack with both of them being in the Fleet, but Kirk was sure he would get over it. Chekov was stronger, stronger than he gave his own self credit for most of the time.

Kirk pursed his lips as he turned over the options in his head for a moment, finally pulled out the scotch. Or, well, it wasn't exactly scotch, but it was close enough He had picked up the bottles a few planets ago, a lovely blue glass. He poured them each a measure into glasses and pushed one towards his other self. ]}

I guess I know how Spock felt now.

I'm surprised he hasn't had a mental collapse from the stress.

[ He chuckled, but really, he was just teasing. Jim would trust anyone on the bridge to perform exceptionally as a first officer, and Chekov was no exception. Even if he did tend to get a little more nervous during stressful situations.

Maybe his time here had done him some good, in that regard. Jim for one was just glad that he'd get to see one of his crew again. He'd missed them all so dearly.

He accepted the glass and took it up for a testing sip, humming. The comment drew a huff from him, and he shook his head. ]

I'm not sure we can ever say we know how Spock of all people feels at any given point.

[ A lie, really. If anyone would know, it would be Jim. Uhura, possibly, but even then. Still, it was no easy task to get a read on the Vulcan at times. ]

Honestly I am too, but he’s... doing all right. As all right as any of us, I think. And Spock has feelings, they’re just pushed way, way down inside.

_{[ He sipped his own and went around to sit on the edge of his bed,
reaching down and petting one of the slug like creatures absently. A quiet
settled as he looked at his other self, broken by a laugh as he took
another sip. ]}

I’m sorry, I just - how do you start a conversation with yourself right?

[ Jim can't help a snort at that way, way down comment. Sounds accurate, yep. Not that Jim would trade it for anything.

Sometimes he doesn't mind silences. They can be a nice, comfortable thing, with the right person. Right now it definitely feels a little awkward, and he only realizes he's been staring at the other Kirk, watching him pet his slugs, when he laughs suddenly, breaking the quiet in the room.

He chuckles too, shaking his head. ] You're asking me?

[ It's funny because he's... you know. You.

Still, with a long sip from his drink, he gets to his feet and makes his way over, crouching near the fluffy slugs. ] They're cute. What are they?

Official scientific name is unknown, but slug works fine.

_{[ He picked up on that was a sort of periwinkle blue, the creature
actually making a tiny burbling sound. He placed it on his other self’s
shoulder, the slug poking at him with its little feathers, curious. ]}

We found them on one of the planets we visited. They have a mild empathy effect - calming. Nothing that would change your mood, but they’re good for a cuddle. Like how petting a dog reduces stress, just a little stronger.

_{[ He scratched at his with one finger, the motion seeming one of
habit. ]}

Is it bad that the first thing I want to do is find out how different we are? I can see one already.

_{[ He nodded to the ring. ]}

Whoever discovered it should get to name it.

[ He was pretty sure that was how these things worked, after all. Still, for now he was content to pet them, fingers sliding slowly through the fluff, watching the way it reacted to touch. ]

Sounds very relaxing. I already have something for that, but that's nice to know.

[ It was very unlikely that he'd find one of these anyway, so it hardly mattered. He glanced up at Kirk's admission, though it didn't strike him as strange. The same thought had occurred to him, honestly. He didn't see it as a way to judge or distance himself, but to simply reassure himself that they still could be two distinct people, that their individuality wasn't lost just because they were supposedly the same man, from similar universes, if not identical.

He glanced down at the ring, chuckling as he reached for it with his other hand, twirling it around his ring finger. ]

Right. I... just got engaged. He's here too, on the Fleet-- Victor Frankenstein? I think you two have met already.

_{[ Yes, that was it, wasn't it? Wanting to know you were... you. That there couldn't be another like you, even here. Your pasts might be the same, a series of shared experiences, but you were you and this person who shared your face and your name wasn't just your mirror looking back. Hard enough trying to figure out who he was without the Fleet for the past nearly three years. He wasn't sure what he would do if he and this duplicate were practically carbon copies.

There was something sweet about seeing a look like that on his face. He wondered if he looked at Remy like that. If he had looked at Fenris like that. ]}

Heh, yeah, I did. I felt a little bad before you showed up, like I was breaking his heart just a little.

_{[ He held out his hand. ]}

May I?

_{[ Because you have to show off the rock, right? ]}

[ Jim had full confidence in his own uniqueness, and if this Kirk was anything like him, then he would no doubt feel the same way. So far, so good. They were pretty alike, seemed to think along the same lines, but not so similar that Jim felt as though he lost all sense of identity.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he was again thankful for his time in Riverview, for all the ways it had changed him. If nothing else to make him a different Kirk from this one. ]

I wouldn't worry. He's sturdier than he looks. Get this-- when I got here, he already had the ring at the ready. He was just... expecting me to show up here, because that's just how true love works. [ He waved his other hand, a fond smile on his face. ] He's from a fairytale world. Trust me, don't ask about the details.

[ He gladly offered his hand for Kirk to take, letting him inspect the ring. ]

Kinda looks like the delta insignia. I love that little detail.

_{[ The mention of true love gets a laugh out of him, because it does sound like a fairytale doesn't it? Victor had explained some of the curse to him, but he had not pressed too much into it. It's the sort of thing you have to ease into it, isn't it? Plus, further conversation starters down the line. He had liked talking to Victor, after all.

He took his other self's hand gently and looked at the ring itself, nodding at the mention of the delta insignia. It was a nice touch, very sweet. Though it was odd to think of himself getting married. He cared for Remy deeply here, but he wasn't sure either of them would ever want to go for marriage. It just felt... to painful. ]}

Kind of thing a guy does when he really loves you, right? Congratulations.

Though don't rush to the alter. There's already another wedding scheduled for Christmas, so wait your turn.

_{[ He's smirking though, as if his tone did not give away his teasing already. He's not lying about the other wedding though. And Kirk is sure it is not wise to try and overshadow the special day of two gay werewolves. ]}

[ Jim laughed too, knowing how silly it all must sound. He's gotten so used to it, sometimes he forgot how weird Victor's world must sound to others. Or worlds, as it so happened. And he hadn't even begun to explain Lucy yet...

Then again it might be for the best that he didn't even mention her to Kirk. Being engaged to Dr. Frankenstein of all people was likely a lot already, best not to add to that the fact that they had adopted Cinderella's daughter before coming here.

Damn, his life was weird. ]

Thank you. [ He smiled fondly, nodding as he brushed a thumb over the stone on his ring. ] Yeah? Well, I don't think that's gonna be a problem. I mean, Victor and I have always moved pretty fast through every stage in our relationship, but I think a month might be cutting it a little too close to plan out a wedding. Besides, we're still getting settled in here, so we'll wait.

This might sound slightly self serving, but I would like to put forth myself for conducting the ceremony. Or would that be weird?

_{[ He tried to imagine the scene and he couldn’t help but giggle. Him,
dressed in - well, a suit probably. He would offer his other self the
formal uniform he’d managed to gain back if he wanted it for that day.
There wasn’t even a question on that. But god, thinking of himself getting
married. What a trip. ]}

I’ve been with Remy for about two years now. I started with him pretty soon after he got to the Fleet. It was casual flirting and fun at first and... now, well, here we are.

_{[ There was also a budding relationship with Kurt, but Kurt was
extremely private, and he didn’t want to declare anything that Kurt wasn’t
comfortable with or ready for. Kurt was going to take time and patience,
but he was worth that. ]}

I’m sure he’ll contact you soon, or you’ll meet him. He’ll probably find this whole situation hilarious.

_{[ He rolled his eyes, but there was fondness there. ]}

Probably a little. [ He smiled, though. ] I wouldn't mind, but let me ask Victor. He might feel a little differently.

[ Although to be fair, Victor was pretty used to weird things himself. So maybe he wouldn't mind this either. It would definitely make their wedding a very memorable ceremony.

Jim nodded, smiling as Kirk spoke of Remy. He could relate, as that had been how it had first started with him and Victor. Granted, it had moved on to something much more serious quickly after, but... well, it was exciting more than it was terrifying. ]

I met Victor almost a year after I got to Riverview, myself. I... actually, I was seeing someone else before, but they went away. Back home, presumably.

[ But he was glad for that now, thinking about it. Bones got to resume his own life in their universe, while Jim got the chance to meet Victor. Had he once cared for Bones as much as he did for Victor now? Maybe so. But he was over it now, and Victor was undoubtedly the most important person in his life. ]

Oh, will he? [ He chuckled, shaking his head. ] Thought he'd find it confusing, more so than hilarious. But as long as he doesn't mind me being around, I guess I can't complain.

_{[ He nodded in understanding. ]}

I was with someone before too. Well, I was with him and Remy at the same time. His name was Fenris. He... he went home.

_{[ Obviously it still hurt, but he took a drink and pushed it aside
with a quiet prayer for Fenris, wherever he might be. ]}

He won’t. It’s not like either of us has a choice in that regard. You can avoid people fairly well, but...

_{[ Tiny ships. Finite space. All tethered together on one place. Hard
to avoid each other forever. ]}

Speaking of being new though...

_{[ He got up and went to his closet, pulling it open and opening the
inset drawers, tugging out a couple of shorts and pants. ]}

Bet all you’ve got is the jump suit right? When you’re ready we can go down to the planet and properly set you up, but for now these should get you by. At least we both know they’ll be a perfect fit.

[ The thought of polyamory didn't get him to bat an eye, but considering the men he'd dated himself? He knew that wouldn't have gone over so well. They were very much the monogamous sort, and even a little possessive. Something that Jim appreciated more than just a bit, admittedly, so it hadn't even crossed his mind to suggest something like that. ]

I'm sorry to hear. [ A comfort, little though it was. Jim knew what that felt like, losing someone.

He followed Kirk with his eyes when he got to his feet, standing upright himself as he watched him dig through his own clothes. ]

I've got only one other change of clothes. [ So yes, he really needed to get more. Right now he was in enough need that he wouldn't turn down the offer. ]

Thanks. I hope it's not a problem to wear more casual clothes, honestly. The suit's hideous, and kind of itchy in places too. [ He smiled at the comment about the sizing, accepting the clothes. ] You mind if I change now?