James T. Kirk

Jim called them together - all of the men who were supposed to be guarding Nero and Ayel, who were supposed to have been feeding them, should have searched them. Harris, the head of security, and anyone else who should have been guarding them.

He was going to crack some heads together.

They had completely disregarded his orders about the prisoners: have them searched, feed them vegetarian meals, don't let anyone into their cells, don't drop the field. All four of them had been violated. He would see someone pay for it.

He looked to Spock, who seemed tense. Maybe he was just as angry as he was in his Vulcany way. Maybe he was mad Kirk was even bothering to discipline the people who had been making Nero and Ayel's lives a little more miserable. Sometimes Most of the time Jim couldn't even figure out what was going on in Spock's head.

"Should be here, soon. Going to wait until everyone's in the room before we start."

It was so heavily backlogged. Messages, paperwork, reports, news - all of it was backlogged. Kirk had holed himself up in his office, trying to get through it all. Okay, the paperwork was at least not seriously backlogged and he saw Spock's hand in that. Spock was good at that sort of thing, even if Kirk wasn't entirely surprised to see some things hadn't been done. The internal complaints and notices were personal touches that Kirk liked to do himself instead of shuffling it off to someone else and Spock wasn't the sort of person to do that.

So he sat at his desk, chewing on the end of a stylus as he read the latest complaint. It was someone going on about the lack of space on the ship and having to bunk up with someone else. He groaned to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Grow up, he thought at the officer in question and gave a quick reply back that was the professional version of 'suck it up'. The officer, Kirk had to admit, did have a point. There were just too many people on the ship now. They were over their short-term limit of crew, and he had already gone through several complaints from Starfleet itself about the rising cost of keeping the over-crewed Enterprise in food, supplies, and pay.

It was a choice he had to make. The stylus slid from between his teeth and he tapped it on the desk, staring down at the console in front of him. He nudged aside a report with a swipe of his finger and drew up a new document. This one would be going straight to the big wigs in Starfleet. He kept it short and sweet, without going into serious details.

It was a request to lighten the crew of the Enterprise by removing crew and transferring them to other ships. In a way, Kirk hated to do it. He knew people had signed on with the ship because of its fame, of him, of Spock, of Bones... and had stayed despite some serious issues already with the time-whatever was happening. There was just no choice. He figured the smallest amount of people he could get away with was about 80 people. It would free up a huge chunk of space and let people spread back out into single rooms instead of being forced to bunk up. It would also leave some more spare rooms, along with the twenty or so that were regulation to keep open for emergencies (which they seemed to be one giant emergency half the time anymore).

Sent, Kirk switched to the next document. One thing that he hated to do but he had little choice was in dealing with leave requests, either it was a straight out 'no' until they dealt with Nero and Ayel, or it was a 'request granted, but'. He wanted to be able to give them an 'of course, go ahead, you deserve it' but it was impossible right now with everything happening.

He had saved one set of documents for last, and with a sigh got to those. It was all stuff having to do with the Romulans.

What he started reading just about stopped his heart in his chest. What the fuck!? Nero had hurt himself (tried to kill himself!?) in his cell with a knife. How did the Romulans have any weaponry!? Kirk's fingers flew as he pulled up his orders to the head of security (dammit, Alex...) and he re-read it. There, down in the second paragraph. The Romulans were supposed to be searched, if security had to stun them to do it. Either Security had issues with knowing what a weapon was, or no one had gotten the balls together to search them.

Chapel had ended up going into the cell to save Nero's life (or heal him...). Kirk's eyes narrowed and he felt his teeth grind together. Immediately he sent out a message.

To: Christine Chapel (headnursechapel)
Nurse Chapel,

I need to speak to you in my office immediately unless you're in surgery.

Captain Kirk

He had to get more information on what had happened down in that cell. If he thought that was bad, it just got worse. He read about the Narada being on board, talking to her masters. Shit, shit... As if all of it couldn't get worse. He read Starfleet's orders for them to go straight to the New Vulcan Colony, and his brows vanished into his hairline. It made sense, of course, as the Vulcans were the ones the most hurt by Nero's actions.

There was someone on the colony he needed to talk to. Wanted to talk to. It made his heart beat flutter in his chest in a strange mixture of knowing, wanting. Spock, the one that had started it all, had never fully left him. Too many memories, emotions... left behind too many questions. Maybe he could get answers to them.

It would also be the site of Nero's trial, Kirk could only assume. He wondered how it would be worked out to try someone like this. Note, go back and read any history I can get on any sort of similar situation. He wanted to go into a trial prepared with what might happen, what they could ask of him, the story he would have to tell (again, with tons of additionals).

He already started to schedule a meeting with security for after his talk with Chapel. Heads would roll for what happened down in the brig. He saw a mention of Jim going down there with the Narada - he'd have to talk to Jim too.

To: James Kirk (original_fine)
Jim,

I need to speak to you in my office immediately about the Romulans.

JTK

He was going to find out what the hell was going on with his ship, before they got to the Vulcan Colony. How does a week as a kid end up with everything breaking down without me there? ...I think I need to talk to Spock.

To: Spock (cso_spock)
Spock,

As soon as you can, I need to talk to you in my office about what happened while you were acting captain.

JTK

(OOC: So here's what this is. XD I got a free 5 day pass to Star Trek Online, so here's some pictures and a review of what it's about if you're at all curious. I'll be putting up more pictures as I get some neat ones!)

So, my good friend from a very old MUD called Clandestine gave me a 5 day free trial pass to Star Trek Online because he knew I was desperate to try it out before I bought it. I downloaded the game (holy, fucking, shit. It took about 18 hours to download!) and jumped right in.

( BIG PICTURES BENEATH AND A REVIEW! )

Rules: - simple and easy.

1) Unless you obviously already have an agreement or something going with another character, please ask before you post under their thread wanting to have sexy times. THIS INCLUDES PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE RP AS WELL! If you aren't part of our group but want to have some fun sexy times with a character... well, shoot them a PM! Within the group, please do the same as a courtesy.
2) Don't be discouraged, upset, or anything similar if someone doesn't want to sex up with your character. Just reply to their PM with a 'no thanks' if you really don't want to for whatever reason. They could be too overwhelmed with other threads, or wanting to concentrate on one, or just don't have time to take more than one thread. Don't take it personally, please.
3) Post down below with your name AND your location in the subject of the thread if you want to be somewhere specific (like Jim will be specifically on the bridge) and change it for anyone who comes by. That way, its the absolute easiest way to find someone, track someone, gloss over someone, whatever.
4) If you're going to be doing something that COULD squick someone, please mark it with a warning in the subject of the comment. Just a courtesy thing!
5) Talk to someone before sliding into a multi-person scene. Don't just interrupt without making sure you're wanted.

It was the next day after a long, somewhat confusing day meeting his brother and father when Jimmy discovered the absolute best thing about the ship. The stars were really neat, the computers were cool, the way everyone rushed about (he wanted to see the engines with Momma still!) but the absolute best thing of all?

The ship had a LIBRARY!

Jimmy stood in absolute and utter awe as he looked at PADDs, consoles, even a few very old real books. He loved real books most of all, the weight and feel in his hands and lap and turning the pages. He had only a few at home, the rest on PADDs sent by Momma from space.

Avoiding the stranger in the room wasn't too hard - there was only one he didn't recognize and no one else. Jimmy found his way to a console and worked himself up into the chair, brows furrowing as he stared at the screen. If Lenny could work this, so could he!

But how did he find out what the library had in it? Would there even be books he could read? He still needed help with big words, but was very proud of how good he could read. Maybe he could read adult books - they would have to have some neat ones here!

His fingers gently touched the console screen and he started to work out what he could. Now... if only he could figure this out...

Kirk sat back in the conference room, foot propped up on the chair across from him. He had to deal with this debriefing with Jim and Spock, and honestly he just... didn't want to. He didn't want to know about Nero and Ayel but he had to, for Starfleet. He sighed, and looked across the room to Spock.

He had a feeling that Spock would be pretty quiet throughout the meeting, and if he spoke at all it would be in that Vulcany tight-lipped I'm actually feeling emotions but want to hide it really well way of his. Spock was the only Vulcan he had ever met that he could actually figure out the difference in those blank masks he wore. He wondered if it was because Spock was human, if he had just spent enough time around Spock, or sex made it that much more obvious.

Jim was going to go with a combination of all three.

Kirk took the time to read himself. He had a feeling he was going to need it, to keep his calm. The tattoos were gone, leaving behind only faintly pinked lines that Bones swore would fade to white then fade even further. Only the ones along his left arm stayed, with Vulcan visible from his wrist over his hand. The ones he had asked for, his own story, his own personal grief that he knew from not one, not two, but three sides. His own, the oldest of the Spocks, and Nero's. Each conflicting, each painful, each one right in its own method which did nothing but piss him off a little.

Kirk felt his left hand start to ache as if it knew who he was going to talk to. He had the knowledge that they were girls, and a fast look at the security cameras had confirmed that. It was weird. They had hair. He just had to do this, see them in the brig, tell them the basics of what would be happening to them, and then he wouldn't have to see them until he testified at their hearing.

He could do this. Had to do this.

Kirk gestured for the guard to let down the first field, which let him continue down the hall. Ayel's cell would be closer to him, with Nero as far away as possible to keep the two from communicating. He walked up to the field, and looked inside, studying Ayel quickly before the other noticed (he hoped.)

Trying to be captain of a ship, almost 1200 people. Trying to be captain of a ship, almost 1200 people, when people are coming and vanishing seemingly at random. Starfleet's on my ass constantly, sending new people to study us like bugs under the microscope. I know that they need to document this, but... I just worry for the privacy and comfort of the people who already have to deal with being displaced - away from their family, friends, crew, loved one. I don't want them to have to suffer because they're a scientific curiosity, specially those that aren't even part of Starfleet of their universe like the actors. Between Ephram, this new guy Roger Korby, and Dr. Noel... what else is Starfleet going to be sending our way?

Bones and I... I wish I knew what exactly to say about that, anymore. We fought. That much is obvious. I still don't know how to feel about it, what to think about it. I fucking punched Sam. Part of me still says he deserved it. The other part of me is asking me why I felt the need to punch my brother in the face. Twice. Hope it bruises nice. What the hell is wrong with me? I don't know if its wrong to keep Bones to his word that I'm enough and that his heart's mine sounds fucking cliche, great or that its wrong to want to hold him back from going and being with Sam when I wanna have sex with other people.

Great. Just... great. I don't know if I'm making things better or a hell of a lot worse. Does Bones know how I really feel about him? Is he just jealous... fuck. I don't know anymore. I offered to stop, but he didn't want me to. Or doesn't for another reason... hypocritical, and I don't understand it.

Then Sam's asking all those questions... is it really that hard to understand? If I'm there with Bones... its something we share. Not just.. something he's doing or I'm doing. I know he cares about Spock... Spock's gotta care about him if he's letting Bones touch him like that... why is it so different? Why? Maybe if I could figure that out, I'd know what to do about Sam and Bones.

Already preparing myself for another fight when Bones finds out. There's no if, there. Feels like another step before... something invetable happens. But then... at night... everything feels right again. Like we know how to talk, understand each other again. Don't even need to say much... just... be. Can two people be together like this? Don't know, but I'll keep fighting for it. I'm gonna figure it out, how to make him happy... and how to make myself happy for it. There's gotta be a place where we can both be content about everything's between us, even if it isn't right. There's gotta be. We find it at least for a little while.

The tattoos. Bones wants me to get rid of them, and I want them gone. Except... for some. He isn't happy about it, I can tell, and I'm not sure if Spock is either. So, starting sometime this week, we're gonna work on them to get them off. Not stupid, told Bones I was doing this with him alone in a private room or I'd leave them the hell on. I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'm not taking the chance.

Something's coming. I can just feel it. I've gotta be ready to make a stand and make it work when it does. I am going to do right by this crew no matter what it takes, as their captain. Justice for those who deserve it, punishment for those that need it, and... the rest...

One step at a time.

I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.