USS Enterprise, Space, Wednesday FT

[solarhippie]

It had taken some wrangling to make this happen: you couldn't really just up and visit someone on a spaceship whenever you decided you wanted to. Even if that someone happened to be the captain. But, Karolina was persistant! And Jim had leverage!

And so, today, Karolina Dean found herself aboard the Enterprise. There was a backpack filled with Earthside treats over her shoulder, and a look of poorly-concealed wonder on her face as she looked around where she'd been received. Everyone looked so official in their uniforms, it made her feel like she should be introducing herself as 'Counselor Dean' or something. Or at the very least wear something that wasn't a yellow hoodie with some light blue jeans.

She was as much in awe as she was feeling out of place. But, there was someone else on this ship who'd make her feel more at home. So, now she just needed to find Jim! Easy!

... She probably shouldn't go looking for Jim on her own, huh?

[ooc: NFB, and for that guy!]

Comments

[solarhippie]

Karolina snickered. "Well, no, not the boring stuff." Even if their definition of 'boring' might differ. "But everything interesting!"

[pursuedthestars]

"Okay okay," Jim said, nodding and offering her his arm. "You don't get like spaceship sick or anything, right? We don't need to stop by medical?"

[solarhippie]

"Jim," she said, giving him an amused look as she took his arm, "I can totally assure you that the only time I almost got sick in space was when I was having, like, pre-wedding jitters."

And that was because of the hugeness of the marriage's potential consequences.

[pursuedthestars]

"Weddings," Jim said, shuddering at the thought. "So scary. But, I wouldn't be a thorough captain if I didn't check. You've never been on a ship like this before so better safe than sorry."

[solarhippie]

"If you start to worry, I promise I'll let them check me," Karolina told him cheerfully. She was looking around practically all the time, making no real attempt at hiding her curiosity. "But it'll be up to you to explain things when they figure out I'm a whole new species."

She'd already seen enough people around that she at least didn't feel like she was in the minorest of minoriest in not being human, though.

And that felt good. It really did.

[pursuedthestars]

"So, while we head to the interesting things, tell me how you've been," Jim requested, smiling at her. "Anything cool going on? Anything new to tell me?"

[solarhippie]

"Well, I've been trying to get the students to come to me," she told him, with a wry tilt to her smile. "It hasn't been going so well."

She was going to keep trying, though!

"Fandom's pretty quiet," she added, with a light shrug. "Maybe quieter than it used to be, or maybe it just seemed busier when we were students. And, I mean, I haven't been going out a whole ton, 'cause I have so much studying to do when I'm not working."

[pursuedthestars]

"You're still going back there to visit?" Jim asked, somewhat surprised. "I'm honestly shocked it hasn't burned down or been sucked into a black hole yet."

[solarhippie]

Karolina gave him a look: half gently weirded out, half amused.

"Where exactly do you think I work with the students?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh, that's right!" Jim said, wincing. "Look, I've had a few concussions lately. It's hard to meet new alien species and not piss them off sometimes."

[solarhippie]

Hey, here was Karolina's expression shifting quickly from one of amusement to one of concern! Because some things never changed, and one of them was her ever-present worry over various friends.

Obviously he'd proven himself to be made of some pretty sturdy stuff, but, still. Concussions.

"You're getting into fights with aliens that often?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Not that often but enough," Jim said, shrugging. "It's amazing that something you think is the right thing to say can so often not be the right thing to say. There are a lot of miscommunications."

[solarhippie]

"Maybe you were asleep in diplomacy class," she suggested, but it was gentle teasing. Even if she was still kinda really concerned.

It was in her nature. "But I guess it must be pretty hard to communicate with... so many different kinds of people."

[pursuedthestars]

"I only slept through a few of those!" There'd been a pretty guy in there that he'd stayed awake a few times to flirt with.

"But, we have lots of different people here whose jobs are to communicate and all. It just doesn't work sometimes. Some species are aggressive and some are just..."

He shrugged. "I'm fine though."

[solarhippie]

"Well, that's good enough for me," Karolina decided. "As long as you're not going around starting intergalactic wars."

Because she'd been peripherally involved in one, and those were Not Fun.

Also: "Or getting so many concussions that you start forgetting your own name. Or mine."

[pursuedthestars]

"No wars.: Yet. Jim couldn't say that he'd never be a cause of one of those but hopefully not for awhile. "Let's take you to the command center first. Show you the heart of the ship."

[solarhippie]

"Ooh!"

She was going to be such a nerd about everything. Sorry-not-sorry in advance. That impressed noise came accompanied with a squeeze on his arm, too.

"Weren't we just in high school, and there weren't any command centers?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Feels like that sometimes," Jim agreed, leading through the winding corridors of the ship. "But then sometimes it feels like I've been away from that place for years."

[solarhippie]

Karolina kept looking around with all the curiosity in the world.

(And once, turned to look over her shoulder when someone really pretty walked by.)

"I'd ask if you ever miss it," she said, "but it looks like you wouldn't even have the time.

[pursuedthestars]

"I miss the people, not the place," Jim told her, waving his hand over a sensor near a door and leading her through. The command center was just beyond one more door and noise could be heard from behind said door.

"But, most of my friends have moved on by now so I don't really have any reason to go back."

[solarhippie]

"Sparkle's still there," Karolina shared. "I don't know anyone else anymore." A beat. "I mean, of course I'm trying to get to know new people."

But, anyway.

Their doors had sensors, and was this how it felt to be in a scifi movie? (Yes, okay, she was an alien herself but she was also LA-born and he was right, she'd never been on a ship like this before.)

[pursuedthestars]

"It's just one place for too long," Jim said, shaking his head. "Couldn't do it, I'd get bored."

He swiped a hand to open the final door that led out to the command center of the ship. A large viewscreen showing the black of space outside was the first thing most eyes fell on. There were people working at different stations and lots of activity happening all over.

[solarhippie]

"Oh wow," Karolina said quietly and with awe in her tone, as the door opened.

Her voice was hushed. She didn't even realize she was doing it - it just seemed to go with the view. She didn't want to interrupt or disturb what anyone was doing! "This is where you work?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Well, sometimes," Jim said, shrugging. "It's where the bulk of what I do happens. But, I do other things too . This is actually pretty quiet. It's a lot busier when we're hailing someone or running."

[solarhippie]

"But, still," Karolina replied, though if you'd asked her 'still what?' she might not have been able to put it to words.

"Xavin's ship was nothing like this."