riverview | ( video; un: kirk )

[ The video starts with one of Jim's usual smiles. For those who recognize the location, he's sitting at his desk at the Perimeter Guard. ]

So, after some rocky couple of months, it looks like we're settling in for a quieter month. I don't know about you, but I'm definitely not complaining. Everyone should take the opportunity to relax a little and have some fun, but please be careful. Keep in mind that things can stop being peaceful and safe pretty fast.

Building on that thought, I'd like to reinforce we are always accepting new members at the Perimeter Guard. Can't have too many of us. Also, if you can pilot ships, shuttles or airplanes, I'm always looking for more members for the aerial unit, more specifically.

If anyone's curiosity is piqued, feel free to drop by and ask for Captain James T. Kirk. I'll be happy to show you around.

[ And he leans in as though he's turning off the camera...

(( BLOCKED FROM @FRANKENSTEIN ))

... but instead he just fiddles with a couple of settings before going on to add. ]

I was also wondering if anyone here could teach me how to waltz? Or any other similar dance, really. Something nice and romantic. [ A nod. ] Thanks.

[ And now he's done. ]

((ooc: WHOOPS FORGOT TO ADD. If you want your character to join the aerial unit (they can still keep other jobs or remain in other branches of the perimeter guard in case you're wondering) please JOIN HERE! Thank you! ♥))

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[That earns a raised eyebrow.]

A young civilization, then. Three thousand years the lord of the Radch took power, and has ruled ever since.

[Two thousand years ago, Justice of Toren was made to be loyal to Anaander Mianaai, the lord of the Radch, but pretending not to be an ancillary means that shouldn't be so important a fact to her.]

By comparison— yeah, I suppose. I mean, Homo Sapiens have existed on my planet for roughly 300.000 years, but our social and technological evolution hasn't always been that fast. For hundreds of thousands of years my species lived in caves, hunting for food, so on. We're a fairly young species, compared to some others out there— even in my own galaxy.

[ It occurs to him that she might not even know what Homo Sapiens is, but then he doesn't fully understand all the words she says. ]

What's the Radch?

Humans, a young species? [She makes a thoughtful sound.] In that case, you would claim to be from humanity's homeworld?

[The question has her humming briefly, only a second or two, as she formulates her response.]

The Radch is a section of space enclosed in a Dyson sphere to prevent impure things from entering it. The Imperial Radch is the annexed territories surrounding it, serving as a buffer.

I am from humanity's homeworld. [ He cants his head, looking at her curiously. ] Earth, or Terra, is the world where mankind first evolved. At least in my universe.

[ Other planets have evolved in similar ways, so other species aren't so different from them. At least the ones they can communicate with more easily. It makes sense, he thinks, that species who have similar senses, skills and types of communication would be able to reach out to each other more easily. No doubt there are countless species out there that humans would have a much harder time communicating with, let alone establishing any sort of relationship. ]

You have a Dyson sphere? [ Impressive. They're not impossible in theory, he knows that. Then again, if her species is so much farther ahead in terms of technology, it stands to reason that they'd be able to build something like that. ] Where I come from, something like that would be used mainly to better harvest a star's energy output. That's the theory, anyway. I don't think anyone's really thought of it as a way to actively prevent things from coming in.

It's a subject of debate and conjecture, lost to time, to the humans of my reality.

[She's almost tempted to ask him for the coordinates of his world, but there's no guarantee that they would translate to her understanding of space. And no guarantee it's even somewhere that exists in her own world. Ah, well.]

It may have begun that way. It's difficult for those of us on the outside to say. I would never be allowed to pass through.

[ Given a map of his own known universe, he could point out where it is, so if she's somewhere in the same universe, if she knows even a fraction of what they do back in his world, then maybe she'll understand where it is. Right now, though, there's not much point to it. It's not like she can just head there, even if she wanted to. ]

That's a shame.

[ Jim monitors the radar for a moment, checking her path so far and comparing it to her flight plan. ]

They lose something, isolating themselves that way. No matter the reason.

[In the final stretch coming back toward the Perimeter Guard's facilities, Breq doesn't relax her monitoring of the controls and the ship's path, despite the conversation.

She shrugs, as she adjusts the heading.]

Undoubtedly. But it's easy, to hide away in a bubble, metaphorical or literal. They wouldn't understand the outside world, so most of them ignore it. Even in the outer world, humans are good at ignoring the inconvenient facts they'd rather not see.

That's a trait that spreads a little all over, I think. Doesn't extend to everyone, thankfully.

[ And Jim's come to realize that it very much depends on what sort of world each person comes from, what sort of time. He muses out loud, a vague smile on his face. ]

There used to be a saying, where I'm from. 'Ignorance is bliss.' Most humans don't believe that anymore, but— well, you get the sentiment.

It's very easy to slip into it. They say it differently, in the Radch. Everything is as Amaat wills it. Therefore, if there is injustice visited on some people-- some people who are not theirs, though they would not say it that way-- then it must be for some proper and beneficial purpose, beyond anyone's understanding.

[Her expression doesn't change, but there's a heaviness to her enunciation, like she's ready to bite the words as they come out of her mouth.]

Not all, of course. But to say the Radch is not just, or proper, or beneficial, was not taken lightly.

Fate. [ Jim mutters, to himself more so than anything. ] Few people believe in destiny, where I'm from. Humans, at least. There's no... higher force writing and deciding what your future will be like. Fate is what you make of it.

[ The doors to the shuttle bay area can be seen in the distance, as they approach the perimeter guard. He studies her profile for a moment, then asks. ]

Would you say it? [ There's no Radch here, no one to come after her for whatever she might want to say. She's the only source of information he has regarding her world, though. He can't help being curious about how she perceives it. ]

Would you be atheists, then?

[There's the ghost of a smile on her lips, that doesn't quite reach her eyes.]

I would. But I was not asked my opinion on the matter, by those citizens.

Yes. The vast majority of us, anyway. Different species, and even different humans, may have different beliefs. I'm an atheist, for instance.

[ Jim musters a faint smile, looking ahead. ]

Sure. But I was the one asking, anyway.

The differences in culture are fascinating.

[She says it genuinely, but her attention is down on the controls, as she stares down at the controls. After a few seconds of considering, she speaks up again, without looking at Jim.]

Culture is culture. And people are people. Neither is inherently bad, or good. The system that brings them to heel, though, I can't abide by it.

[ Jim watches her quietly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Few things make him like people instantly, but hearing Breq say that pretty much does the trick. ]

Nor should you. [ As they approach the guard, he activates the doors leading into the shuttle bay, leaning back to let her land the shuttle on her own. ]

( video; un: kirk )

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