ximilialog | [Open] October Catch-all

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[Open] October Catch-all

CHARACTERS: Kaidan Alenko and you!
LOCATION: around the station
DATE: October catch-all
CONTENT: Cooking, training with body and biotics, whatever
WARNINGS: probably nothing beyond some light swearing and friendly sparring

Cooking with Kaidan

[On certain times and days, Kaidan decided to go into the kitchen and do some cooking. He looked through the fridge and food storage for ingredients he could work with and put something together. Working out what would taste best for whatever result he had in mind helped keep his brain from spinning around everything that happened on the mission. And the end result was tasty, so that was a plus.

If anyone came by while he was cooking, he would gladly strike up a conversation and offer them some of the food when he was finished]

Training Montague

Years of being in the Alliance drilled it into Kaidan to keep in shape even between missions. This last one especially prompted him to get in more training-- biotic training specifically, but he knew it wouldn't hurt to keep up with his physical prowess as well. If there was no one to spar with in the training room, he would do his own routines. He also did laps around the station.

As for his biotic training, the simulation room seemed like the safest place to do that. He wouldn't have to worry about holding back against simulated enemies. Strengthening his shield was his top priority, but Kaidan worked on his other skills as well while he was in there.

Weird Biology (closed to Newton)

[Kaidan hadn't forgotten his promise to Newton that the man could examine his biology, he sent a thought-text letting him know Kaidan was ready to be examined whenever Newton was. He would have done this regardless, since a xenobiologist was probably the best person to know, but after the mission it seemed especially important that someone on the station knew Kaidan's biology and how the biotics affected him]

Wildcard

[If none of these appeal to you, you may also find Kaidan in other parts of the station. Sometimes in the common living area reading books, sometimes in the sunlight room just enjoying the nature. Or you can poke me on plurk

seraphjewel if you want to plot something! Either actionspam or prose is fine, I'll match style]

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[ Jim rises to his feet, stretching up above his head one last time before putting his sneakers back on, then grabbing the small bag he brought with him. Then he leads the way out of the room, headed to the kitchen. ]

[He looks for the most important thing first, the alcohol. Some beers will go great with whatever kind of food there is. There's probably some stuff in here for a snack or a sandwich]

I've been wondering: when did you get shot? I know it had to be after we split up, but how did it happen?

[ Sandwiches is exactly the kind of food Jim's aiming for, and he's gathering a few things they can add between two slices of bread while Kaidan finds those beers. ]

I ran into Finn. We headed to the control room after, but we ran into some Lionettas along the way who were less than friendly. The 'shoot first, ask questions later' type. I got one of the bullets to my shoulder during the mess.

Glad you got out mostly okay. I had to help Quill with a dislocated shoulder.

[He finds the beer and hands one over to Jim]

Yeah. I saw him around the infirmary after we got back.

[ He'll have to catch up with him later. For now he accepts the beer with a thanks. ]

What do you want in your sandwich?

Meat, cheese. I'm not picky. I love steak sandwiches, but I won't be disappointed if we don't have that.

Think you're out of luck there, but there's some ham and cheese, so we can make do with that.

[ He gets them from the fridge and sets everything down on the counter, putting the sandwiches together and setting them neatly on plates. That done, he puts everything back on the fridge so other people can help themselves. ]

Ham and cheese sounds great.

[He politely waits while Jim arranges the sandwiches, only taking a bite once the other man has settled. Kaidan takes his time chewing, but eventually he has to air out his thoughts]

I've been thinking about the last mission a lot. How we found out the orbs are sentient beings, and how they seem to make bargains with certain people. And it has me wondering what the commanding officer is doing with them once we've retrieved them. I don't like knowing nothing about the person who's supposed to be in charge, especially when we're giving that person access to something so powerful.

[ Jim helps himself to his own sandwich, though his appetite dims a little when the new topic is introduced. By the look on Jim's face, it's obviously something that's been on his mind as of late. ]

You're definitely not alone there. I'd say plenty of people have issues with what's happening here. What we're doing, what these orbs are for. I'm not just worried about what the commander knows either, I'm also concerned about what the orbs themselves might want, if they're so desperate to be together again.

I wish there was a way we could communicate with the orbs directly. If we just had some time with them before they were taken away from us. [He pauses, brow furrowed in frustration] I've been on missions in the past where we've discovered unfamiliar entities. We've been able to talk with them, learn about them, even make alliances.

Not that I think we should ally with the orbs, but at least talk with them ourselves.

Yeah, a few others have mentioned that, but it's not easy. We don't get a lot of quiet alone time with the orbs. Even this time, when Peter and Kovacs managed to get it a decent while before we were brought back, the orb didn't really communicate with them.

[ He shrugs, taking another bite from his sandwich. ] But if we keep being sent out on these missions, I expect more opportunities will arise. So who knows what we may learn.

Then we'll just have to do everything we can to get that opportunity. I know we're not the only ones frustrated with this lack of information and the "chain of command".

[Being a soldier, that really gets under his skin. He's had some impersonal commanding officers before, but he could at least see and interact with them. This guy might as well be a ghost, and Kaidan doesn't like that. Maybe it reminds him too much of the Illusive Man and how so little is known about him even by those high up in the Cerberus food chain]

[ Jim lets out a faint snort. He can almost hear those quotes in Kaidan's voice, and boy does he agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. ]

A very loosely applied term, there. And honestly, this isn't Starfleet, so I don't recognize this guy's authority. For all we know, the station might not even be his. He certainly doesn't seem to know much about how it's supposed to work.

No, and it's not the Alliance or even the Citadel. I think... [He hesitates only a moment] I think I would feel better if one of us was in command. Someone who can make the hard calls. Right now we're not very organized, but what do we do in a situation where the person doesn't give up the orb willingly? Who gets to decide the next step?

It doesn't have to be one person; it could be a council, like on the Citadel. But there needs to be some kind of authority or we're all just out for ourselves.

I don't disagree with you there, Kaidan, but look at our group; many of the people here are out for themselves. More focused on their personal goals and undoing their regrets than necessarily doing the right thing. Our ideals are all different, our purpose in being here, and the lengths we all might go to to get something we want.

I recognize this, and I wouldn't expect everyone here to adhere to whatever code dictates my actions. I don't think anyone here has the right to exercise that kind of authority... however, some kind of council would be more appropriate. People should be appointed to the seats by voting, but it's... it's complicated. The truth is we don't truly know anyone here, so we don't know if they might have a trick up their sleeves. How do we know who we can trust?

[ He heaves out a deep sigh. ] Not to mention that I seriously doubt us trying to establish such a system probably wouldn't go over well with the commander. And he does still have control of the station and its AI.

But that's the problem, isn't it? Someone who's only out for themselves may end up doing something terrible. I couldn't stand by and accept that. Whatever our ideals and goals, we are all in this together. It may not be fair for us to expect someone to adhere to our moral code, but it's equally unfair to ask us to go along with something we believe is unethical. It's just going to lead to in-fighting.

[He nods] You're right, we don't know each other that well. But we need to. That's the only way we're going to get far into the rest of these missions.

[His smile turns grim] There are ways of taking control away. I've been thinking of talking with Viveca. Maybe we can get her on our side. The AI of our ship used to be shackled, but she chose to ally with Shepard and when she became unshackled she developed more. It could be that Viveca is a possible ally who is just shackled by the commander or whoever is actually in charge.

[ Jim's quiet as Kaidan talks. He's absolutely right in everything he says, and there's no way Jim would be find with just sitting idly by and doing nothing if one or even a small group of them decided to do something horrible just to achieve their own personal goals.

And while he doesn't know everyone here, and he certainly doesn't trust everyone here, he knows at least enough people to know that he wouldn't be alone in wanting to stop something like that. ]

I trust you, [ He states after a moment's thought. ] I trust others here, too. If you want to give that a try, you can count on me. And I can try to speak to others and see if they'd be willing.

[ It's a risk, if Viveca decides to rat them out, or if she's actually the one in control of all of this, but... well, it's a risk they have to take. ]

Thank you. I trust you, too. And I know Quill is a good guy. I'm still getting to know everyone, but I know there are people here we can trust.

I'll let you know how it goes with Viveca.

Yes. I trust him, too. [ In fact the name brings a small smile to his face. It's clear that Jim is very fond of Peter, and he wholly agrees with Kaidan's assessment. ]

Thank you. I'd like to hear about it. And I'll keep my ears out for anything interesting.

[He raises an eyebrow. He can pick up on that fondness for sure]

I'll look forward to hearing what you learn. And... thanks for talking with me. I really needed to get all that out.

Not at all. Whenever you feel like talking, even if it's just to vent, you know where you find me.

[ For now he's content to go back to his sandwich. It's simple, but it's more than enough to replace the energy he spent exercising. ]

That goes for you, too.

[His smile grows a bit warmer, going back to munching on his own sandwich]

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[Open] October Catch-all

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