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

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"To a large extent, yes. Still, Earth has advanced enough on a technological standpoint that it could likely survive even without space travel. Still, it's much easier to reach our allies in the United Federation of Planets with starships and warp drive."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"You're from Earth?" Luke brightened out of curiosity; he'd always thought of Earth as a legend, a mythical place that had supposedly been the cradle of their race. Still, this wasn't the first time someone on this ship had mentioned it, and he was eager to learn. "What's it like?"

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Earth is where humanity developed, at least in my world. Right now it's a green and beautiful planet, where man and nature have finally learned to live in coexistence. It wasn't always so, however, and it took us quite a while to come out of our nation-minded mentalities. Before Earth was one government, it was a series of nations, several usually being at war with each other at some point or another. The discovery of Warp Drive and FTL travel brought Earth's governments together."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"That sounds a little like how the Old Republic got its beginnings," Luke said. "The planet we started moving out into the galaxy from, Coruscant, is entirely covered down to the bedrock with city. But there are thousands of systems in the Galactic Alliance now." Though with things being the way they are, how long that'll last is anyone's guess, he thought a little sadly.

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Earth is still very green," Picard replied. "I grew up in a vineyard, actually, in a small section of Earth called La Barre, France." He gestured to one of the consoles on the bridge, bringing up a series of images and text.

"The Federation has over one hundred and fifty member worlds and is spread out over eight thousand light-years."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"And still growing, right?" Luke grinned. Perhaps this was truly how things had started for the Old Republic--he'd read the histories, of course, but it was nothing like living the birth of a galactic power.

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"That's correct. I take it you have some experience with such an organization?"

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"For a long time, I helped my twin sister reorganize the Republic, a governing body very similar to what you're familiar with, it sounds like. She's more the diplomat than I am, though."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Not everyone is a diplomat, though I consider my own diplomatic roles, especially my times serving during First Contact, to be among my proudest moments." Picard was earnest in his response, believing fully in the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet to which he'd sworn to defend.

"I get the feeling, however, that you're not as bad as you let on."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"Well, a Jedi is traditionally a peacekeeper," Luke said, "So we do learn diplomacy, since to us fighting should always be a last resort after all attempts at negotiation have failed. But my sister was the one who really got the Republic back on its feet after the Empire fell."

[clear-horizons.livejournal.com]

"Empire?" Picard asked, an eyebrow shifting at the statement.