InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Dammit, Janet!"

captain james t. kirk (buckleup) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-07-04 15:06:00

Entry tags:

!closed

WHO: James T. Kirk & Data
WHAT: two captains of starships named Enterprise meet
WHEN: not too long after Data's arrival and network post
WHERE: the roof of Building B
RATING: TBA
STATUS: incomplete

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jim knew about a variety of things that took place in the 24th Century during and before the time that Ambassador Spock -- and now, Captain Data -- hailed from. Some of it was direct information, but a majority of it wasn't. There was a large mess of mixed images, thoughts, feelings and sounds, some of which he could make sense of, others not. He'd learned to ignore that garbled side dish of information that had been dumped into his head during the ambassador's mind meld; but it was thanks to that mess of extra information that Jim realized he'd heard of Captain Data before in flashes of memories that weren't his own. He didn't understand them, but at least it told him that this Data was genuine and not someone presenting them with falsities in hopes of worming their way into this makeshift Starfleet system he'd put together and worked hard to keep together while they were trapped in Colligo. That, coupled with the fact that Seven seemed to trust him as well, gave Jim reason to believe that meeting the other captain was the best course of action.

After all, even though the Temporal Prime Directive had been punctured in ways that would make the boys at Temporal Investigations spin in their seats and wish they'd gone into botany instead, there were some things Jim had kept to himself; things he hadn't even told Bones or Seven. A good captain knew when to keep their mouth shut.

He waited a top the roof of the second building for the other Enterprise captain, wearing his uniform in an ironic twist of fate where all his other clothes had been in dire need of a wash and him being too lazy to do so; it was oddly fitting for such a situation.

(Post a new comment)

point68seconds
2009-07-05 02:57 am UTC (link)

He had never met James Tiberius Kirk. He had known several members of the old crew, including and most especially Ambassador Spock, but Kirk himself had been out of his reach. It meant, of course, that if nothing else, this experience would prove to be interesting for its sheer historical significance. This was not, after all, the aged version of the captain, but instead one just starting out-- young and, perhaps, new to his ship.

Data remembered being new to Enterprise. That had been.. a very long time ago, it seemed. He and Captain Picard and the others had fought very, very hard to prove Data's worth to Starfleet. In the end, of course, it had paid off.. but he sometimes still dealt with prejudice in places he went. Oh, not on his own ship: no, his crew seemed to be quite fond of him. Still, there were people out there that still thought Data, being a machine, should not have been allowed captaincy. Some thought even stricter things. Still-- he'd come a long way from his beginnings.

Opening the door that led out onto the roof, Data stepped through and closed it neatly behind himself, catching sight of the other man and striding toward him. --The android himself was as golden-skinned and eyed as he'd always been, dressed in the red-and-black command uniform of a captain; it was what he'd arrived in, after all, and for Data, he was always on-duty. After all, he had no reason to sleep or rest, and he couldn't really grow bored. It was interesting being able to face this man, captains of the same ship from two entirely different times.

Captain Kirk really was young, wasn't he? He couldn't have had Enterprise long.

"Captain Kirk," he greeted, extending his hand in the human greeting he knew most from Earth preferred. Though his face remained expressionless, his eyes were friendly. "It is a pleasure to meet you in person."

(Reply to this) (Thread)

buckleup
2009-07-05 05:40 am UTC (link)

If there was one thing Jim was certain was different about him, it was his age. He knew from both Dax, Seven, and the ambassador himself that according to the timeline Data was familiar with, he was far too young to be Captain of the Enterprise; but, as it were, the differences in the timeline had led to him gaining captaincy of his ship far earlier than his prime timeline counterpart. The other James Kirk had been in his early thirties when he'd been given the rank and the ship. He was twenty-five, fresh out of a brief stint at the Academy, and the youngest, most unconventional captain in Starfleet History as of yet. He wasn't sure whether or not that changed during Data's time and didn't want to ask. He was happy with holding the record in his own time.

Perhaps it had been foolish of Jim to expect to see a Human captain, as this man -- despite the uniform that looked nothing like his own or the one Dax wore -- didn't seem to be Human. Or, if he was, he needed to ditch the creepy contacts and spends some more time out in the sun, because damn, the guy glowed worse than he did and Jim Kirk was as pale as they came.

He shook the hand, blinking at the odd texture of the skin, but not commenting on it. No, he was in command mode and knew better than to succumb to his tactless reactionary responses. "Captain Data. Pleasure's all mine."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

point68seconds
2009-07-05 05:56 am UTC (link)

Once pleasantries were out of the way, Data folded his hands behind his back in a pose that had likely been picked up from Spock, posture ramrod straight and expression still betraying nothing of what he may--or may not--have felt. Then again, with the ability to turn his emotion chip off at any given time, that wasn't terribly surprising. --He wasn't the most demonstrative person even when it was on.

"I am given to understand that you have information for me," he prompted with a slight tilt of his head, the motion seeming rehearsed and, somehow, not quite natural. Though he understood human gestures and often emulated them, they were still not necessary for him. He used them consciously, to make people feel less uncomfortable around him. "I would be most interested to hear what you know about the circumstances of the Nerada's appearance and that of Ambassador Spock into your timeline." And he was, admittedly, rather anxious to hear that the ambassador was safe and well.

If things really had been changed so much, it evidently meant that there was now (at least) one distinctly different alternate reality. After all, Data had not ceased to exist, and he still distinctly remembered Captain Kirk being older when he'd first gained command of the Enterprise. --He wondered, in another part of his brain, just how many alternate realities there really were. It wasn't the first time someone had gone back in time, after all.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

buckleup
2009-07-06 02:12 pm UTC (link)

This guy was didn't waste time in getting to the point, did he? Not that Jim minded. The captain in him appreciated such directness and made a mental note about this aspect of Data's behavior that he filed in the back of his mind for later; information to be added to the personal database he kept for his eyes and his eyes alone, should he ever need to reference it for something. In this place, who knew when it would come in handy and it had given Jim something to do alongside the futile attempts he made at getting the answers he so desperately craved.

"First off--" And here, Jim reached behind him and pulled a PADD that he'd fashioned himself from several primitive devices pulled apart and patched together (he'd constructed a few them, actually), holding it out to the future captain. "--I've compiled a list of all Starfleet Personnel present in the city, ordered by chain of command. Listed with them is their previous assignment and year of origin. It should be noted that anyone who hails from 2258 is from the alternate timeline created by Nero, as well as Commander and Ensign Kirk, from 2233. You'll also find that I used my authority as a captain to hand out a few field commissions to promote a more stable chain of command."

He waited for Data to take the PADD, then folded his arms across his chest. "I also wish to suggest that you and I maintain a co-command while here." It wasn't necessarily that he was threatened, but more he knew his crew and his parents were loyal to him by default and he wanted them to respect Data. If this was a friend of the ambassadors, this was someone Jim could trust--and honestly, having someone else to share the burden of acting Starfleet presence would take some of the weight off his shoulders.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

point68seconds
2009-07-08 04:39 am UTC (link)

Eyes darting over the list and storing the information, Data offered a short, affirmative nod, handing the PADD back and returning to his previous position. "I agree," he said, voice mild and toneless. "Most Starfleet personnel here seem to be from your crew; therefore, you know them and their abilities best. I have no objections to your proposal." A pause, another tilt of his head, and he seemed to take a moment to study the human man, brows twitching the slightest bit as they seemed to draw together. "I do suggest, Captain Kirk, that you take advantage of my arrival here and rest. You look-- weary."

That was something that could be dealt with later, though, and Data still didn't know what had happened in 2258 in the alternate timeline. Kirk and Spock were still alive, and he'd seen the names of many of Kirk's original crew-- so what did that mean?

"The threat of the Nerada was eliminated?" he queried, never one to mince words-- especially not after he'd taken command of the Enterprise. "There is much that I do not yet know about what happened after it arrived." Not a terribly subtle prompt, but his crew had decided they appreciated directness more, anyway.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

buckleup
2009-07-09 05:53 am UTC (link)

Weary? He would have objected to that, had he not spent the past two months dealing with curve ball after curve ball after curve ball that this place felt necessary to throw at him. There was no denying that he could probably use a good sleep -- he knew that there were bags starting to form under his eyes -- and some time away from staring at the glare of the painfully primitive screens that Seven had cleverly rigged up in the makeshift lab in her apartment.

Knowing the other captain was right, Jim pushed his pride aside and accepted what was offered.

"I appreciate that, Captain. Thank you."

Now, there was the question of where to start. He knew what had happened in the 24th Century with Romulus and the Narada and Nero having originally been a friendly acquaintance of Old Spock's. Data, however, was from that time, so there was no need to go over that part like he'd had to with Temporal Investigations back home -- and that was an interrogation he never wanted to go through again. timeline abiding pricks had a serious chip on their shoulders. They could've at least said thank you for the part he played in preventing Earth from suffering the same fate as Vulcan.

"It was. I gave the order to fire on Nero's ship personally." Nevermind that he'd only been Acting Captain at the time. "The Narada emerged from the temporal singularity on Stardate 2233.04 near the Klingon-Romulan border where the USS Kelvin was conducting a survey mission. Nero attacked the Kelvin and killed her captain, leaving Lieutenant George Kirk in command. He evacuated the ship and then rammed the Kelvin into the Narada in order to buy the escape pods and shuttles time. I was born on one of those shuttles."

(Reply to this) (Parent)