Reacquainting [OPEN, COMMAND CREW INVITED]

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

Picard was in the Sensoriums. It wasn't an unusual spot to find him by any means, but unlike much of the time when he relaxed in a smoky jazz club, or walked along the streets of Old Chicago or New York, the captain was not dressed as Dixon Hill. He wasn't smoking or drinking, either. Instead, he simply stood on the bridge of the Enterprise, listening to old reports, Captain's and Senior Officers' logs, and even going so far as to recreate some of the memorable moments on the ship. Now wanting to try and use the hologram as some kind of emotional crutch, he even had the simulation make an artificial version of himself, playing through the events exactly as they'd occurred.

Taking a sip from his tea, the captain gazed out of the viewscreen to the expanse of space before him. It made for a very pretty picture, no doubt about it, but it was not why he was here. No, Picard had the unfortunate self-assigned duty of reacquainting himself with every case of temporal discrepancy and every judicial dispute and every interdimensional boondoggle the Enterprise and her crew had ever been involved in.

He did laugh, however, when he read the regulations and operating procedures for the Department of Temporal Investigations. He almost pitied them, having to deal with so many temporal disputes involving James Kirk.

Comments

[captain-jtk.livejournal.com]

Kirk was still trying to clear his head - despite what others might think, command had never been and would never be easy. He enjoyed the job. It was his passion, his goal, his calling. That didn't make it an easy job, however. This whole affair with the Yeerk had shaken him, if only slightly. The crew... the crew needed to work together, not be divided. If he were on board a Starfleet ship, things would be simpler. He could cort-martial the offenders, would be sure that the rest of the crew, regardless of their personal feelings, would stand behind him.

Here, it was different. The crew, his fellow command staff - they could and would question his decisions. He could deal with that. But the idea that the crew would simply fall apart around him if someone pushed too hard in the wrong direction...

He found the Sensorium in use and ducked inside curiously. He came to a quick halt, stared at his surroundings. It was familiar in an odd, eerie way. The layout, the central command chair... but the technology was different. Instead of analogs, switches, and buttons, everything was mounted on computer screens. Probably touch sensitive, or so he guessed. And there was Captain Picard, sipping at a cup of tea. He nodded at his counter-part, flashing a wry smile, "Captain. I see the bridge of the Enterprise hasn't changed terribly much since my day."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Ah, hello, Jim," Picard replied, smiling. "I was actually just reading about you." That last part was said with a smirk, and one that Kirk might recognize besides. It was the same smirk that Bones had on his face whenever Kirk did something simultaneously brilliant and stupid.

[captain-jtk.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Kirk quirked an eyebrow, leaning against one of the rails, "And what exactly were you reading?"

He recognized it alright and he was trying to think of which escapade Picard might be referring to.

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"In my own point in time, there's a new branch of Starfleet known as the Department of Temporal Investigations. They help maintain temporal continuity and try to repair any damage done to the timeline by Starfleet vessels and crews. You're quite popular in their records," he explained, still grining, "with seventeen temporal violations. It's a record that has yet to be broken, and has led to standard operating procedural changes. The most notable of these changes is that any ship's crew registered as part of a temporal event is asked if they encountered Captain James Tiberius Kirk in their travel." Picard held out some of the reports for Kirk to take. He was aware of the potential ramifications of revealing the future, so he made sure to only hold up any reports from the first two years of the original Enterprise's five year mission.

[captain-jtk.livejournal.com]

"Well, glad to know that I continue my fine tradition of following my instincts," Kirk chuckled, taking the reports and sifting through them for a moment. They were familiar. He still remembered a few of them as if they'd happened yesterday.

He looked up with a wry grin, "Also glad to hear that I can at least hold something over the new generation."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"I'll be honest, Jim. You can keep the record. The less I have to tamper with the timeline, the better." Picard's smirk took a wry twist at that last thought, and slowly turned into a more rueful smile than anything. He hadn't lied; he really didn't want to touch timelines anymore than necessary. Who decided what was necessary, however? Suppose it was possible to bring back a lost friend, and maintain continuity...

Picard forced his mind to pull away from thoughts of his departed friend, turning back to Kirk instead. "Would you say everyone's ready for Worf's first exposure to the Kobayashi Maru, Jim?"

[not-prncss-tldr.livejournal.com]

Lafiel's heart had positively lifted since she'd been accepted to the security team. There was a spring in her step, almost as if she were walking in the half Earth-standard gravity she was used to. Leon had efficiently pointed out the places she needed training in, and they were less than she'd thought they'd be.

Her klanyu swung jauntily from its improvised holster as she opened the sensorium pod.

Her breath caught, then did a kind of slightly melancholy inhale. It was a spaceship. The blinking, plasticine interior was instantly recognizable, the clean lines and displays, presided over by uniformed figures.

She almost forgot for a moment that it wasn't real.

She snapped a quick salute.

"Captains, my apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt, I just didn't realize this pod was occupied."

[captain-jtk.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's not that I wanted to tamper with the timeline. The fate of Earth was at stake, you know," he responded with a grin, "And yes, I think Mister Worf will do just fine... although I wonder if we should change them from Klingon battle cruisers into something else."

He was about to postulate further on the matter when Lafiel traipsed in. He returned the salute, almost on reflex, "At ease, commander. It's perfectly fine."

He remembered that she'd thrown herself in front of him down in the city, without regard for her own personal safety. He didn't want her to make a habit of it, but he was grateful, all the same, "Doing alright, are you?"

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Generally, the Kobayashi Maru takes place in the Romulan Neutral Zone anymore, but with the recent diplomatic and peace talks with Romulus, perhaps Borg or Dominion space would be most appropriate." He turned from Kirk to regard the newcomer, his grin wry and welcoming.

"Hello, Miss Lafiel. I'm just reacquainting myself with some regulations and records from back home. Nothing to worry about."

[not-prncss-tldr.livejournal.com]

Lafiel unstiffened slightly but did not sit down just yet.

To Kirk, she nodded. "I have been accepted to the security team."

To Picard she smiled in silent solidarity. Even in her society, where they almost never used paper and military and government were one, there were still an irritating number of forms that needed signing and filling out for a captain.

Her eyes cast about. A small console was available at one of the chairs nearby so she plopped down in it. Her hand danced over the keys, which brought a tiny scale model of the ship up in holoprojection. The design seemed a great saucer, onto which had been bolted a dipping strut which ended in a rounded engine (she wondered how it could maneuver with an engine that small in comparison to the ship) and what appeared to be two tubes housing weapons systems. It rotated in space, a pretty picture, but it told her nothing of the ship's name, size or capabilities, only the status of the systems.

"What kind of vessel is this?"

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

He'd been on his way to the Sensorium with the vague idea of eating food that tasted and looked like real food in the Temple simulation he'd set up, but instead stepped onto what was apparently the bridge of some kind of ship.

Fascinated, Luke walked around, his steps muffled on the carpeted floor, leaning in to look at the readouts on some of the screens. It was entirely unlike any ship he'd been on--everything was in Basic, for one, not Aurebesh, and while he could figure out some of the information, the rest was new to him.

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Can I help you?" Picard asked, sipping once more from his tea. Setting the glass aside on the navigation console, he turned around to regard Luke more fully. The older man looked to be closing in on Picard's age, though it was hard to tell anyone's age on this ship.

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

Luke looked round at the older man, blue eyes going wide. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to intrude." He looked around the rest of the room, fingers running across the surface of a console.

"I just happened in and got fascinated. I've never really seen a ship that looks like this." He paused, looking at a diagram of the Enterprise that was on one of the screens. "And I don't recognize all the functions of these stations."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"That," Picard said, gesturing to the diagram, "is the Engineering station. Next to is Astrometrics, and behind you are the consoles for Tactical and Security. Numerous other stations for minor functions are situated on the right and left hand sides of the bridge." Picard walked to the center of the bridge, setting one hand on the top of his chair.

"Up front are the Ops and Conn consoles, controlling communications, navigational controls, as well as sensor readings, shipwide activity and crew reports when needed." He gestured to the seat he was leaning against, smiling.

"And of course, there's the captain's chair."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

Luke took it all in, amazed. The only ships he could think analogous to these were probably the battle cruisers, with their big viewports and many stations for various tasks. "It sure doesn't look much like the ships I'm familiar with," he said. "Except for some of the bigger battle cruisers, like the Star Destroyers. Then again I prefer smaller, one-man snubfighters to being on big vessels like these."

His feet had taken him down to between the two smaller consoles, and he turned at last, smiling. "She looks like a fine ship though." It was good to be on what felt like a proper ship. Closing the distance, he held out his hand to shake. "Luke Skywalker."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Fighters? That's very interesting, actually. Starfleet's only had fighters for the last few years; they were generally considered inefficient." He held out his hand for the other man to take. The touch of information about Luke's home reality was fascinating, and he was interested in learning more.

"Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the USS Enterprise, and the captain of this vessel's crew besides. It's pleasure to meet you, Mister Skywalker."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"They're ubiquitous where I'm from--like cavalries in land-based warfare, if you're familiar at all. Just a difference in needs, I think. Our big battle cruisers aren't nearly maneuverable enough to harry enemy ships."

Luke smiled, shaking Picard's hand. "Just Luke is fine, Captain. Nice to meet you. "

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"That's actually very fascinating," he said, accepting the hand with a smile. "Most of our vessels merely have shuttles aboard, though this vessel does a captain's yacht attached to the ventral saucer section."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

He let go the other man's hand after they'd shook, and looked around the bridge again. "We've got spacecraft of all kinds--from the snubfighters and battle cruisers I mentioned, to transports, yachts, exploratory craft... without it, we'd never survive, I think. Every planet's become dependent in some way on others. Is it the same way where you're from?"

[prettycoolguy]

Given the choice between being on the ground and on a ship, the Chief would prefer the ground any day of the week. It's where he belongs, with a solid planet under his feet and a weapon in his hands.

Still, ordinary ships are familiar to him. Nothing weird and organic, no eyeball-like things watching...

He can't resist investigating when he sees what the sensorium has become. Then he notices Picard is here.

"Sir."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

Picard raised his glass cordially to the Chief, inviting him in further. "Master Chief."

[halfa-hero.livejournal.com]

Danny lets out a long, low whistle as he enters. "Neat."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

That made Picard laugh, and he set down his tea before greeting Danny. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" he asked of the young man. "I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

[halfa-hero.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. I'm Danny Fenton. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but spacecraft, the non-organic kind anyways, have always kinda been a hobby for me since I want to be an Astronaut.

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, not at all. Please, come in." Picard regarded the boy and his garb more carefully, pausing a moment to commit his appearance and name to memory.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Fenton. I was simply reviewing some regulations and mission logs from my own reality. As to you being an astronaut, I can only offer encouragement. To see the stars is certainly a fine goal to have. Welcome aboard the USS Enterprise."