When the intercom jingled, Kirk's gaze returned to where Spock and Uhura were still talking, three tables away. The conversation with Battler had distracted him from properly stalking the couple(???), not that Kirk was the type to stalk anyone, no matter how it looked to some people in the Academy. Really, he'd been trying to condense the entire Starfleet training program into three years; he didn't have time to follow the every movement of a hot cadet with a completely different focus from his. But if his and Uhura's social circles happened to overlap sometimes, well...
Here, it was his job to look out for his crew, but even beyond his professional responsibility as the captain, he could be genuinely concerned. After all, he'd known Uhura for three years without even having drunkenly made out with her once, which had to be some kind of friendship record, and he and Spock were best friends in an alternate reality, which to the least put them at the same level as Kirk and Older Alternate Universe Bones. Ergo, he was both captain and friend, and could therefore be concerned in both a professional "what the hell is Landel planning for us now?" way and a more personal "how did you guys even meet?" way.
Well. They seemed be dealing okay, at least as far as Kirk could tell when he couldn't hear a single word and only a quarter of the people involved seemed to be capable of expressing emotion. (Again, not that he wanted eavesdrop.) Luckily, the sight of a determined nurse bee-lining his way reminded Kirk that "therapy" sessions were also slotted for the shift, and he quickly got up and followed the other patients into the game room. On the way, no one tried to redirect him to Kisugi's office. One plus for this entire crazy day.
Kirk settled in a quieter corner of the room, empty except for two chairs and a table set with a disordered game of chess. He was long overdue for a few seconds alone just to... process. So. Three nights ago, Spock and Bones got a glimpse of the Enterprise in Bones' timeline. Two days ago, Chekov disappeared. Today, Uhura was taken, and apparently remembered nothing beyond escaping the black hole — in other words, more or less the same point as him, where Spock and Chekov had been able to remember at least a few days after...
As he mentally ran through the events of the past week, he picked up one of the chess pieces — a white king — and began resetting the board.
no subject
Here, it was his job to look out for his crew, but even beyond his professional responsibility as the captain, he could be genuinely concerned. After all, he'd known Uhura for three years without even having drunkenly made out with her once, which had to be some kind of friendship record, and he and Spock were best friends in an alternate reality, which to the least put them at the same level as Kirk and Older Alternate Universe Bones. Ergo, he was both captain and friend, and could therefore be concerned in both a professional "what the hell is Landel planning for us now?" way and a more personal "how did you guys even meet?" way.
Well. They seemed be dealing okay, at least as far as Kirk could tell when he couldn't hear a single word and only a quarter of the people involved seemed to be capable of expressing emotion. (Again, not that he wanted eavesdrop.) Luckily, the sight of a determined nurse bee-lining his way reminded Kirk that "therapy" sessions were also slotted for the shift, and he quickly got up and followed the other patients into the game room. On the way, no one tried to redirect him to Kisugi's office. One plus for this entire crazy day.
Kirk settled in a quieter corner of the room, empty except for two chairs and a table set with a disordered game of chess. He was long overdue for a few seconds alone just to... process. So. Three nights ago, Spock and Bones got a glimpse of the Enterprise in Bones' timeline. Two days ago, Chekov disappeared. Today, Uhura was taken, and apparently remembered nothing beyond escaping the black hole — in other words, more or less the same point as him, where Spock and Chekov had been able to remember at least a few days after...
As he mentally ran through the events of the past week, he picked up one of the chess pieces — a white king — and began resetting the board.
[Spock]