voice test. [spoilers under cut]

[cheatingly]

You need to stop worrying so much and trust me. Would I mislead you?

Don't answer that.

I'm not the of person to sit around and wait for things to happen, and I'm not going to let you get away with that. The company's great, but you know what happens when I get restless.

Another thing -

I died and came back. I'm over it. You should be too.

Comments

[cannotforgive]

Oh, so forceful, Captain, such... initiative. It's the same spirit that nearly lost you your crew. Does your mundane tremble at the sound of your voice in their head, and jump to obey your every impulsive whim?

[cheatingly]

My mun is fine. Shouldn't you be on ice somewhere?

[cannotforgive]

A fate to which I suppose I should be grateful. The beauty of being here, however, is not having to be in ice.

[cheatingly]

I hope your mun knows what their getting into. Not everyone's equipped to handle a murderer.

[cannotforgive]

She is easily manipulated, and her weaknesses were evident from the moment she was first introduced to me. Although she may feel doubt and guilt, she is sympathetic to the crimes committed against my family.

I did what was necessary for my people, just as you did for yours, Captain. But yours is not a dying race as is mine, ironically created years ago to bring peace.

[cheatingly]

Genocide isn't peace. Your people are safe. Isn't that enough?

[cannotforgive]

Safety for the time being does not guarantee safety forever, Captain. Humanity turned on my people before, history says they will do the same again.

[cheatingly]

Humanity gets so touchy when you murder innocent people. I guess we're just not as evolved as you.

[polyglot]

And your crew? Are we over it?

[ Her face is giving you one big ol' hint, Kirk. Don't mess this one up. ]

[cheatingly]

I'm fine - better than fine. Never been better. [That's true - at least physically. He tries not to focus on the rest of it.] Can't get rid of me that easily.

[polyglot]

[ Ooh, no, wrong answer, thanks for playing. ]

You might be fine, but we're not. You didn't even think for one second, did you, about how this would affect us?!

[ Sound familiar? ]

[cheatingly]

[Isn't it always the wrong answer when he talks to Uhura? He just can't win.]

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Didn't your boyfriend say that?

[But Spock knows how afraid he was. It's not an experience he hopes to repeat any time soon.]

A captain goes down with her ship. I did what I had to do.

[polyglot]

[ Join the club. It's a rather large one. You and Spock can try and empathize with each other about it. ]

You didn't have to do anything! You could have told someone!

[ Geez, Uhura, try and be more stubborn about this. ]

We follow under your command because we're willing to die for you, do you understand that?! That doesn't mean you can just throw your life away on some noble illusion of going down with your ship!

[cheatingly]

[Getting along with Spock is weird. Arguing with him is easier.]

I'm not going to order someone to their death! What kind of Captain would I be? I was the only choice.

[polyglot]

That isn't a choice! How are we supposed to know that next time you're in danger, you won't just martyr yourself?!

[ Substitute I for we and you're there. ]

[cheatingly]

If it's my crew [Family. He means family.] I'm not martyring myself. I'm protecting you - all of you. That's my job. [Jim's not one to cite regulation, but he knows this one. A Starfleet Captain is authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means.]

I think you'd do the same.

[polyglot]

[Dammit, Kirk, you're not allowed to be right. Not now.]

You can't do it again. You can't. Don't make Spock pull your dead body out of a radiation chamber again. Don't make us watch as you're zipped into a body bag.

[ Did her voice just break? ]

[cheatingly]

[Jim deflates. Between his crew and all these muns he's sort of being suffocated by everyone's emotions - and his own.]

I'm sorry. I've been trying not to think about it.

We could all be more careful. You're right.

[polyglot]

[ We just have a lot of feelings, Jim. It's ok. We'll get over it. ]

Doesn't that scare you? [ She has to blink, hard, a few times. ] If it was one of us in that bag?

[cheatingly]

I'm not going to let that happen. Not to you, or Spock, or Bones. Not to any of us.

[Of course he's scared. His family, out on the farthest reaches of space for years? Anything could happen. He knows he could lose people. He probably will lose people, but not without a fight.]

[polyglot]

[ Uhura couldn't help it. She has to ask the uncomfortable questions. Someone does. ]

And we can't let that happen to you.

[cheatingly]

It's a deal. [He smiles again, ready to shake off the serious moment.] We'll all still be here in five years, or face the consequences.

[polyglot]

[She's more than ready; honestly? She's tired of yelling at people, crying at the drop of a hat and losing her mind. ]

Yes, Captain.

[uhurajustuhura]

Captain, go easy on your mun. If she's anything like mine, then it wasn't easy, watching you... watching you die.

It wasn't easy for any of us.

[cheatingly]

[It wasn't easy for him either. Not that he's about to talk about his feelings.] I'll try not to do it again.

[uhurajustuhura]

[She forces a little smile and nods. Kirk should know by now how she doesn't cope well with her 'family' putting their lives in danger, especially without discussing it with her first. Well, okay, not discussing it as a committee or anything, but a heads up next time would be nice.]

Good. [She clears her throat a bit, raising her brow.] But also - thank you, for saving our lives.

[cheatingly]

Anytime. [He means that. Better to sacrifice himself than to lose a crew-member. That's what captains do, right?

He sighs. He can't really blame people for being angry with him.]

I didn't think I had a choice. It was me, or everyone. I've got Starfleet's finest. I can't let you go out like that.

[uhurajustuhura]

[Her expression softens a bit, a little smile passing over her lips.]

We've also got Starfleet's finest captain. Don't argue with me. [She raised a brow pointedly, just in case he was about to try.] We need you, too. Don't ever forget that.

[cheatingly]

[ What's there to argue about? He is Starfleet's finest captain. Good to know you've come around, Uhura.]

I'll try. Don't want you to be mad at me - I've seen what that's like.

[uhurajustuhura]

[Don't it go to your head, Kirk. On second thought, Uhura really shouldn't have stroked his ego like that. But she smirks a little, shaking her head.]

You can ask Commander Spock if you need reminding.

[cheatingly]

[Too late.]

I wouldn't want to get in the middle of your bickering. [Again.]

[greenbloodedhobgoblin]

May I interject that it will take time for everyone to fully recover from the ramifications of your death, Captain. [There is some disdain in his voice but he remains neutral.]

It is unwise to stunt the grieving process. [He should know. He watched his planet fade into dust and you died right in from of his eyes.]

[cheatingly]

[Spock's right, of course. That's annoying. There's no point to argue with him - after all, he was there. He knows better than anyone. Jim thinks he saw Spock cry, but he also wonders if maybe this was a hallucination from the radiation.]

What am I supposed say? I can't fix it. IF you were me, what would you do?

[greenbloodedhobgoblin]

[Those tears, that emotional backlash; it was all real. That's the reason he is even mentioning being considerate of the Mun's feelings in the first place. He could hardly consolidate his own during the aftermath.]

I would stubbornly regain my usual demeanor. [Seriously. Two weeks and he's awake? If that isn't the recovery time of a man with ambition--and a bit of Khan's blood--he's really not sure what is.]

But as stated, there are ways to accomplish the latter without triggering those affected. [He feels for you, Mun. Spock will be your bro.]

[cheatingly]

[Jim Kirk doesn't die easily. He's got better things to do, like personally introducing himself to the new female crew members. He'd prefer Mun and everyone else focus on those things.]

I know, I know. It's. It's a lot to deal with, for everyone. There's no regulations about coming back from the dead.

Is there? [Please cite regulation here, Spock. Just this once.]

[greenbloodedhobgoblin]

Regulation 3 (Paragraph 12): In the event of imminent destruction, a Starfleet Captain is authorized to preserve the lives of his crew by any justifiable means.

Restoring lost life has no regulation. [Spock pauses momentarily, as if to think.] Rationalizing what occurred by ignorance, or dismissive nature, toward the events can cause distress in those concerned.

This is no matter discerning who is over what; rather you proved that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. [His expression hasn't changed but he looks the Captain in the eye directly.] Would it not also be considered jarring to have someone you respected die for you?

[cheatingly]

[Kirk shakes his head and scoffs. Sometimes Spock's honesty is a little hard to swallow.] It's always jarring to have someone you respect die. [That's his way of saying you're right. Enjoy it, Commander.] Discussing my death's not exactly enjoyable.

[paralleled]

So it's just that simple?

[cheatingly]

Good as new.

There's some science stuff but you'd have to ask Bones. [ He wasn't really listening. ]

[paralleled]

[ she knows bitch, she was watching. ]

Yeah, I know there was 'some science stuff' involved. They've got my department working on synthesizing a serum that wouldn't need the blood.

[cheatingly]

So I'm a guinea pig? Shouldn't I have to sign off on that? [Seriously though, what if this stuff goes weird.]

[paralleled]

[ she just shrugs. ]

Probably. But are you shocked that they didn't wait for you to?

[cheatingly]

No, not really. [He's still deciding if this bothers him, but it's not like he ever waits for someone else's approval, so...]

Keep an eye on that tribble.

[paralleled]

[ she smiles wryly. ]

We've named it Shelley.

[cheatingly]

[It's alive still! That's a relief. ] It's not going to [He pauses, and waves his hands in front of him in outward circles. You know, the international sign for breeding. He's from Iowa so that's a fact.] turn into 100 Shelleys, right?