nexus_sages | (no subject)

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Of all the things Jim Kirk wishes he could do right now, getting good and drunk to drown his sorrows is certainly towards the top of the list. But his doctor says no, absolutely not, and never in his life has he wanted to go against doctor's orders less than he does lately.

So the captain finds himself in the Forum, unsure even what the hell to do with himself, and he gingerly eases himself down onto one of the couches, moving with the careful patience of the recently physically injured, before he notices the date on a nearby calendar.

Father's Day. Huh. How... stupidly appropriate.

"For those who've lost a parent... how the hell do you honor their memory? Even if you haven't, do you bother doing holidays like this?"

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"Yeah," Jim agrees. "It's just... trying to figure out how to word it without having to go through a psych eval. It helps a little that we've had actual proof of alternate universes show up already, but that's something that's easily explained by actual physics."

That certainly helps. This place is explained by actual physics, too, for that matter. Your best explanation might simply be bringing him here.

"Maybe," Jim agrees. "We're supposed to be open to strange discoveries like this but he's the stubborn type. I have a friend I met here that wants to back me up on this though, so we'll see if he believes us before resorting to drastic measures."

He's your friend, you'd know best how to argue with him.

He nods and leans back slightly in his chair. "So is there anything else I should know about this super immune booster thing?"

Well, if you get it, you'll be looking at a few days of minor hell as everything integrates and sorts itself out. Think of the worst cold you've ever had, lasting for days, while your gastric tract vacations in the hands of a balloon animal enthusiast.

Yeah, Jim is glad he asked. He winces a little at the mental images that brings up, a little less enthused about the idea. But it still sounds like a little suffering in the short term is a fair trade-off for lasting benefits. "A few days? Great. All the more reason not to do it right away... I don't want Bones to think I'm having some kind of setback. I only got cleared for real food last week."

As I said, there's no chance he wouldn't notice if he wasn't already aware.

Jim nods. "Yeah, I can see why. I can't say I'm looking forward to the experience, but it wouldn't be the first time I've gotten sick for a good cause."

*She nods agreement.*

But it might be the last.

"Here's hoping." Jim is fairly certain he knows what his answer is going to be, even though he asked for more time to consider. At the very least, he figures he should bring it up to his doctor before committing, in case it might interfere with some part of his treatment that Jim doesn't know about. "Is there a cost attached to all this?" The Federation's economy is well-equipped for barter of things that are rather valuable in other times and places, he's learned, but it's better not to assume.

A cost to anyone, or a cost to you?

That gets a frown out of him. "I meant me, but either one."

I wasn't planning to charge you for it, no. It will cost me a few credits, though, between the lab-work and the custom formulation.

Now he feels a little conflicted. While he's grateful for her generosity - both financially, as in this case, and in spending time and effort helping him work through some of the turmoil in his life - he also feels like he's not giving back like he should. "There's nothing you want from me for it?" He's not suspicious of her charity or anything, of course. Just trying to avoid taking anything for granted.

*She smirks, her tone teasing.*

Worried you'll wake up someday to find me standing over your bed with a favor I need?

"I hadn't thought about that, but now that you mention it..." He smiles a little, taking his cues from her mood. He's not too worried that will come back to bite him, but after everything that's happened, he figures it doesn't hurt to ask. "I think I probably owe you one by now anyway."

I'm offering the vaccine out of a sense of responsibility, not because I expect to gain from it. If I bring you somewhere, I assume the responsibility of getting you back again, and not sending anything back with you that would cause problems at home. That's much easier with a healthy immune system.

"That's fair." And rather in line with his century's typical attitude about this sort of thing, so he's fairly comfortable with that. Still, Jim likes to find ways to say thanks to those who help him out, beyond just the words themselves. So he'll probably be keeping an eye out for something he can do for her, whether it's sometime soon or in the future.

*She raises her glass in answer to his acknowledgment. A ruthless part of her consciously cultivates urges toward reciprocity in others because it's good strategy, but at her heart, she does just like leaving things (and people) better of than she found them, when she can.*

Speaking of reciprocity, Jim figures his issues have monopolized the conversation enough for the moment. They've worked through most of it, and though it still weighs on his mind, it's a little less after the sharing. "So... anything interesting going on for you? Besides giving reality checks to starship captains anyway."

I'm actually doing fairly well. I mentioned those pirate ciphers I got the last time we spoke--they may be about to pay off more than I expected. I might have found the site they use for Ridley. If I can take it down... he might finally be truly dead. Wish me luck.

"Good luck," Jim says, sincere in his good wishes for her. From what little he knows of her work, it sounds like she's doing it for the right reasons, and he can get behind the idea of shutting down pirates like the ones she told him about.

But then, because he doesn't know the details, "Who's Ridley?"

Thank you.

*She catches a quick sip of her drink before answering.*

Ridley is a pirate general. He led the raid on K-2L when I was a child, and killed my parents. He also has some high-end cybernetics wired into his brain, copying full engrams periodically. Every time I kill him, the pirates find some way to enhance the body they've cloned for him, hoping to cover whatever I did to him for the next time.

He's had several drinks by now, so his back doesn't bother him when he sits up a little straighter, realizing that this isn't just business as usual, it's personal. "So there's a chance you might've found the spot where they keep his backups?" With that context, it makes her previous statement make a lot more sense.