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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

[ Jim, on the other hand, finds it a little weird to be addressed that way again. Even while working in Riverview, people didn't just call him 'Captain Kirk'. Feels odd now, hearing it again. ]

Oh, you know me. I'm adaptable. [ He shrugs and slides onto the seat next to Chekov's. ] But yes, most of my questions have been answered so far. Guess it helps, having experience with multiverse travel.

[ Jim's look is knowing. He's been told that Chekov's been through that before, himself. ]

[Sorry Jim, you're going to have to ask if you want to be anything other than 'captain.' Or wait a couple of months. Informality is earned!]

It does, yes. The places change, but the premises are usually similar.

[He pours each of them two fingers of the amber liquor.]

You mentioned two other places--Riverview and the Quarantine?

[ Jim nods. Riverview wasn't exactly the same, nor was his arrival there, but the point stands. Similar enough.

He accepts his glass, tilting it slightly towards Chekov. ]

They were both the same place. We called it Riverview because it sounded nicer, but-- it was a quarantine city, built within two fortifying walls on an otherwise unpopulated moon. Most issues we had were related to the power grid, power distribution, wall safety and the wildlife beyond the walls, but it was otherwise a fairly peaceful place.

[ Granted, when things went wrong they went really wrong, but... ]

Riverview does sound much nicer. Like a place to live instead of a prison.

[He mirrors the action with his own glass before taking a sip. The drink is smoky with a bit of a bite.]

'Fairly peaceful' by your standards? [Because that's not nearly as peaceful as normal-person peaceful.]

It was a place to live in, yes. Definitely.

[ He smiles softly. That brings him to a topic he wanted to touch with Chekov. He chuckles at the question first, though, pursing his lips and shrugging. ]

Maybe something like that. It was a Quarantine city on an otherwise uninhabited moon, after all. But... it was nice. A lot of us got a chance at... I don't know. A normal life, I guess. Opportunities we wouldn't otherwise get. [ Taking a slow breath, he finally lifts his left hand and rests it on the table, showing Chekov the engagement ring he's wearing around his ring finger. ]

[It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that means. He studies the ring with a rather solemn expression.] The person who gave this to you is here?

Yeah. He's here. [ Jim probably would look a little more miserable right now if that weren't the case. ]

Anyway, it's... not a big deal, or anything. But you're part of my crew, and I consider you a friend. I just wanted to let you know.

[Pavel brightens considerably when Kirk answers in the affirmative. Love is tricky in places where multiple universes intersect and people come and go all the time; it's nice to hear that it works out sometimes.] Good.

It's a little bit of a big deal, I think. [This Jim is winning him over pretty quickly, darn him.] Will you also let me know his name?

[ Victor would say that it was only to be expected; that fate folded universes together so they'd meet, and so that he'd expect no less than for them to come to a new place together. Jim can't be so sure as he is, so he'll settle for that: yes, it is good. ]

Okay, maybe a bit of a big deal. [ He grins and chuckles. He does know himself, after all. Probably no one would ever imagine Jim getting married, least of all Jim himself. ] Victor Frankenstein. He's currently on the Heron, so I'm putting in a transfer.

[Yes Jim, it's a big deal--and not just because Pavel's a bit of a romantic.]

I have not had the opportunity to meet him. [And, since he's not much of a fan of nineteenth century literature that was written outside of Russia, he doesn't have an opportunity to be curious about the name either.] But, if you like him enough to propose to him, he must be okay. ...Or did he do the proposing?

[ He's well aware that anyone who knows him would never expect him to get serious with anyone, let alone settle down and actually get married, so really, he gets why it's a "big deal". ]

You will. I can introduce you. I mean, it's probably for the best that he gets to meet my best man. [ He's not even gonna ask, it's just happening, he's decided it, it's done. ]

Actually, I... was thinking about it. But he was more scared about taking that step than I was, so I decided to leave it up to him. So when he proposed, I'd know for sure that he was ready.

[There's a comically long pause as Pavel reviews that sentence a few times to confirm that yes, Kirk just informed him that he's his best man. (Look, he's still wrapping his head around the part where James Kirk has a fiance, it's a lot.)]

Yes, probably, but... you're certain? Not about introducing us, of course I would very much like to meet him.

I'm happy for you, C--Jim. [He narrowly stops himself from saying 'Captain.' No need to give Kirk reasons to rethink that best man thing.] That you found someone who wasn't too scared once, and that you found him again here.

[ It's fine, Jim doesn't mind waiting, just giving him enough time to work through that. It's not a question, nor an invitation. He's not going to ask himself to be his own best man, after all. Besides, Kirk already expressed interest in officiating the ceremony, that's weird enough as it is.

And aside from Victor, Chekov's the one person here he's closest to. He definitely wants him to have a special place at his wedding. ]

Thank you. Pavel. [ What an odd little thing, isn't it? Sticking to first names. Jim likes it, but it'll take a bit of getting used to. ] Oh, ask Victor about it and he'll tell you all about how the power of true love meant that we'd find a way to one another should we ever be parted, no matter the circumstances.

[ Which is technically what happened here, so. Fine, he's not entirely wrong. ]

[Chekov is well and truly honored even though the candidate pool is small.]

I think that I won't ask him about it. [Love is great and all, but Pavel doesn't put much stock in true love or people magically finding their ways to each other across universes. Maybe he'd be more accepting of the idea if it had worked that way for him.] From my experience, I would say that you and Victor [Wictor, but he makes no attempt to correct himself] are the exception rather than the rule.

Not so surprising, probably, since you usually defy the odds.

Probably for the best. He can get really... intense about it.

[ Figure that. A scientist, a lover of empirical knowledge, believing and feeling so strongly about things like the power of magic and true love. Jim wouldn't have put much stock in it a year or so ago himself, but... well, Victor may have rubbed off on him a little. ]

Well, you know me. I always endeavor to be the exception to every rule. [ So why not when it comes to this, too? Anyway, just to change the subject a little... ] How are you, by the way? I heard you've been here a while. And... that you were elsewhere too, before coming here?

Noted. When I meet him, I'll be certain not to mention anything that contentious.

[The subject change isn't entirely welcome. Even though this Kirk has been away from home for a while himself, Pavel can't shake the fear that they won't be on such good terms once he knows how much time has elapsed.]

Mmhm, I have been here for twenty months--not as long as the other version of you. Before this, I was in a simulation called MarinaNova for... somewhere between four months and two and a half years, and prior to that I was in the City for nearly two years.

[ Jim chuckles and nods. Victor wouldn't be that pushy about it, to be fair, but he has had a lot of personal experiences related to magic, so it's a different kind of reality for him.

He focuses on the details that Chekov shares instead. The lengths of time don't surprise him much, honestly. From what he's been told so far, he had a good feeling that it would be something along those lines. He's been away from home a little longer than Jim, but it's not so jarring, when he himself hasn't been there for over a year and a half now. Time blurs a little, but things... change. He's changed. But this doesn't change anything between him and Chekov, not fundamentally. He's still his navigator, and his friend. ]

I'm sorry. [ He rests a hand on Chekov's shoulder, briefly. ] We don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to. [ He's curious, yes, but he won't press. ]

[What's more jarring--to Pavel, anyway--is remembering that he was seventeen when he first set foot in the City. Now he's somewhere between twenty-six and twenty-eight.

Pavel relaxes visibly with Jim's response. Part of him even wants to talk about some of it even though he, as a rule, doesn't like to share unpleasant things and has made it this far without telling the other Kirk much of anything. Maybe someday.]

I can tell you that I had a fiance. [Silly stories, however, are extremely shareable.] Twice, actually, but only for one day each time.

[ It would be jarring to Jim too, were he to really do the math and realize that. As Chekov doesn't state it, though, he doesn't focus on that.

But he does focus on the bit of information he offers up. His immediate reaction is to pull his hand and hide his ring, but he fights the urge, instead just curling his fingers in. ]

I'm so sorry. [ He actually debates on whether to ask anything about it, but his curiosity wins out, as always. ] Was it... the same person, both times?

[Nono, that wasn't the reaction Pavel had been going for! If he'd wanted to go the serious route, he would have mentioned the time he was married to Kitty for seventeen years. (Long story.) (Not a long story, more like a complicated one.)]

No, don't be, it was fine--just curses where we were given false memories! [Actually, that... isn't that fine by normal standards, but...] And no, it was different people. The first time was a little embarrassing after because Lena and I had never met prior to the curse, but the second was a good thing. Lucy and I liked being engaged for a day so much that we started dating.

Oh.

[ Jim frowns a little, then his expression eases, and he nods. Is that better? Maybe? Still sounds messed up as hell, but also... it reminds him of something else. Someone else, more specifically. ]

Oh! Oh, you really should talk to Victor about that, then. He was also trapped in a curse, given false memories, a false name, the works. He was trapped in that curse for about thirty years without even realizing, though he did eventually regain his memories. That... whatever happened to you, it must be similar to what he went through. Who knows, you two might find common links between your experiences.

Was this in Riverview, or was this in his home universe? [His curiosity is piqued.] Memory-altering, time-altering events were common in the City and not unheard of in Marina, but I have met very few people who experienced such things prior to being abducted by... whoever or whatever the beings operating these prison universes are.

His home universe. We had a lot of weird stuff back in Riverview, but never something quite like that.

[ Jim shifts in his seat, as though he's making himself comfortable for a long story. Or a complicated one, at least. ]

Victor lived in a place called Storybrooke for about three decades. His name there was Doctor Whale and he worked at a hospital. Everyone in that town was actually trapped in a magical curse, and were all given false names and memories. And they were all... characters. From fairy tales, children's stories, the like. You had Snow White and the dwarves, and there was an Evil Queen, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood... They all came from another world, called the Enchanted Forest.

Not... Victor, though. He came from the Land Without Color. And yes, it was literally what it says on the tin. [ He tilts his head a little. ] I take it his name doesn't ring any bells. The story of Doctor Frankenstein and his monster?

[Pavel listens closely and does not doubt a single word. A curse that spanned three decades and made everyone affected think that they were fairy tale characters? Sounds legit.

He shakes his head.] No, I'm not familiar with that story.

[ Jim nods. It doesn't surprise him that Chekov's never heard of it. ]

It's an old story, where we're from. A novel. I'd see if I could find it for you, but Victor's story is a little different.

[ Still a lot to digest, though. Victor's done a lot of morally dubious things in his past, it tends to make people feel uneasy. ]