(no subject)

[boldly_going]

Jim has spent the last month or so investigating the various doors that make up this Nexus and he has yet to discover the rhyme or reason behind it. It seems like the Nexus is some sort of hub between universes, some sort of place where inter-dimensional travel is nothing more than walking through a door to a new destiny. It doesn't have the same impact as piloting a ship, of course, but it's not half bad.

Jim wants to know more. He thinks that there's enough doors out there to warrant further investigation on more than just an intellectual level. What if there are refugees who need a haven or resources they could harness to make the Nexus better? These things are the crux of his own five-year mission, the one he's temporarily detoured from, and he thinks he should continue it in whatever way he can.

As much as he likes to think he can do this on his own, Starfleet has taught him that teams are always a better option. Four heads are usually better than one and he thinks if they could organize teams of four to explore the doors, they could do recon and research and catalog the new worlds they encounter and put together a database of which worlds are safe and which are never to be explored alone.

He puts out an announcement on the hotel's network for those interested to meet him in the Smoking Room for a drink and sets up there, enjoying a nice glass of whiskey.

Comments

[aspecialkindofwoman]

Milady deWinter is not a team player. Anyone who knows her knows that. But the idea of exploring with something of a back up in place? That is appealing even to her. And while anything she finds out she will use to benefit herself first and foremost (some habits do not die quickly, after all), she has excellent reconnaissance skills.

She has foregone her period clothing, though she is still dressed finely. So, it is with a characteristic wariness that she shows up in the bar, watching closely before she figures out who's leading, sizes him up and approaches.

[boldly_going]

Jim is excited to see that his first visitor of the day is a woman and a beautiful one at that. He's all about beautiful women.

"I take it that you saw the announcement? Or is this just my lucky day?"

[aspecialkindofwoman]

Vague amusement showed in the there-and-gone quirk of the corner of her mouth. "Both, perhaps," she tells him, taking a seat. "I believe your announcement something about drinks."

[boldly_going]

"Drinks, of course," Jim says expansively. He calls over a waitress and orders another drink for the lady.

"I never mind buying a drink for a pretty woman. Is that the only thing bringing you to my table today?"

[aspecialkindofwoman]

No. But she hasn't gotten where she is (meaning 'still alive') by laying all her cards on the table.

"The paper said something about ... exploration," she replies as a kind of answer. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

[boldly_going]

"I was planning on putting together away teams based on the strengths and talents of the people here in the Nexus," Jim explains. This is a pet project of his and one he's put quite a bit of thought into over the last month (or however long he's been marooned here - he doesn't think he's been in one place this long since the Academy.)

"There's a lot of unexplored territory out there and if we could map and catalog it, we could have an index for the less adventurous types to know what they're getting into when they go into the great beyond. Are you interested in signing up?"

[aspecialkindofwoman]

So, it would be all about helping others, just because.

This isn't something Milady is terrifically familiar with; her nose even wrinkles a little.

But then she shrugs. "All right. Fine."

It isn't as if he's got anything better to do.

[boldly_going]

"Fantastic," Jim says, moving the sign up sheet toward her. "I don't know when we're going to start doing expeditions but I at least want to get enough people signed up so we can have several different teams. Have you done a lot of exploring through the doors yet?"

[aspecialkindofwoman]

"Some," She admits, not elaborating from there. But she signs her name with a flourish. "And you?" she asks. "What have you seen?"

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Harvey doesn't seek out the good Captain, but he does leave him a message detailing the few doors he's run into himself.

I found one that grants you obnoxious 'superpowers' that may or may not travel with you once you leave the room. There's one near that that contains dinosaurs (didn't enter that one for obvious reasons). Not far down the hall from the dinosaurs, you can attend a high school prom dance - put on your best tux to blend in. I have also heard there is a door that will turn you into a 'super-spy' - like James Bond, but I've yet to locate that one.

[boldly_going]

Jim gets the message and decides that this is all very good intel about the doors, intel he would like to develop further and so to that end, he sends Harvey another message over the hotel network.

I'll put it into my notes about this place. Care to meet over drinks?

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

As long as you don't want me to go to the prom with you.

That's snarky Harvey-speak for 'drinks sound good - where and when'.

[boldly_going]

Hardly. Tomorrow at 8? I'm buying.

Jim thinks this is the least he can do since he's going to be imploring upon Harvey to sign up for one of his away teams. It's going to be exciting and beneficial for the group as a whole to encounter all of the doors and catalog them.

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Done.

He's actually looking forward to having drinks. As for being recruited for an away team? That he might actually be ecstatic about, though, outward appearance will probably be no different than usual. Don't be fooled by the suits.

[boldly_going]

Jim has two drinks on the table when Harvey arrives. He likes him, especially since he's so different than Jim - there's something to be said for variety.

"So, planning to sign up to explore worlds beyond the Nexus?"

[notgivingyourmoneyback]

Harvey makes his way into the bar sharply at eight. If that has more to do with having drinks than being punctual, who's to say. He's forgone the suit tonight in favor of more casual attire - jeans and a v-neck tee. It doesn't stop him from walking in like he owns the room and taking a seat across the table like he's there to do business. It's just different business than were he at work.

He takes a sip of the drink on the table. "I suppose that depends on what the perks of this exploration might be," he replies.

[boldly_going]

"A chance to see something outside of our beautiful luxury prison?" Jim hasn't ever felt the need to explain the perks of exploration to someone before but he's willing this time.

"Brave new worlds full of beautiful women?"

[morethanhuman]

Walking back to the hotel from the gardens, Erik had skimmed and summarily dismissed Kirk's message about meeting up to explore the hotel's doors. He wasn't a team player, and while he was more than qualified to explore the potentially dangerous worlds through the doors, the list of people he'd consent to have accompanying him was very brief. Kirk was on it, thanks to Erik's experiences with him and Spock on the Proserpina— but without Mystique, Nuada, Clegane, and the rest, Erik wouldn't be caught dead owning responsibility for the survival of a group.

But thinking of the station was a slippery slope, and by the time Erik reached the hotel he was plagued by a nagging sense of guilt at ignoring Kirk's invitation. Though the memory was more than two years distant, his time on the Proserpina had been important, the people he'd met there (a few of them, at least) even more so. Kirk wasn't Mystique, or Lwaxana, or even Carter, god help him— but somewhere along the way those people had forced him to start giving a shit about something other than himself, and annoyingly, it seemed to have stuck.

He found himself heading for the bar without having consciously decided he was going. Might as well order. He clocked Kirk the minute he walked in; no one else seemed to have showed up yet. He took his beer and headed in the Captain's direction, telling himself he was taking pity on the man and nearly believing it.

"People used to accuse you of lacking common sense," he said as he took a chair at Kirk's table. "I'm almost beginning to believe them."

[boldly_going]

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Jim says, a smile twisting his lips. He doesn't think there's anything to be gained by being cautious, even if he doesn't play as fast and loose with rules as he once did. He's learned his lesson on that front.

While he's never going to be as steady and logical as a Vulcan, there's a bit of that he likes to carry with him. It's just enough to even things out and make it so that he isn't reckless without cause.

"This is perfectly logical, though."

[morethanhuman]

"That depends on the outcome," Erik countered. "There's no armory here, no way to prepare yourself for what's on the other side of any door you go through. And I've been through enough to tell you, you don't want to go through them unprepared."

He thought of the dead world full of dead things, shambling monsters that ate the living. He thought of the dinosaurs— though admittedly, it was harder to say with certainty he'd never revisit that door willingly. Still, it was proof enough that it would be folly to bring anyone who couldn't defend themselves.

[boldly_going]

"I don't see a way to feasibly obtain weapons here in the hotel, though," Jim says, frowning a bit. He has a very good point about that. If those on the other side are armed to the teeth, he and his teams aren't going to stand much of a chance.

"Maybe I should see who all does have weapons here and see what we have to pull from. Surely we can reverse engineer a few things, right?"

[morethanhuman]

"Not here in the hotel, no. But it depends on what you mean by weapons." Erik shrugged. "If you want guns, there are doors we could go through to get them. But some of those present their own challenges." The dead world, Jurassic Park— they'd find guns there, but at what price?

"There's a simpler way. A door that gives you powers when you go through it. My friend can shoot fire from her hands now— I can think of a few places that might come in handy."

[boldly_going]

Jim arches a brow. A place where he could aquire a weapons skill without actually having a weapon to hand? This hotel is just chock full of surprises.

"Which door is this? Is it safe enough to bring a team that isn't armed into it? I don't want to put anyone into harm's way if I don't have to."

[morethanhuman]

"Safe as houses. You walk through and end up right back where you started, except you've got a little something extra when you come out the other side."

Even as he said it, he wondered if that was actually true. But the chance for benefit far outweighed the risk— and if they didn't try, they'd never know for sure.

[boldly_going]

"We should go, then, and suit up for other places," Jim says. It's a good thing to know that they can get some sort of ordnance to aid them in case they run into hostiles beyond one of the doors.

"It would be amazing to wield that kind of power with just my body."