Time for a big ol' Nexus Block party

[sumarusfinest]

On a sleepy summer morning a wonderful smell begins to waft throughout the Nexus. For those familiar with this place there can only be one explanation but for those new faces to the nexus this may be a strange thing: seeing so many people flocking toward the sweet and savory scents perfuming the Nexus.

There are a few tables set out this morning in the Plaza in front of a small cafe loaded with several carafes of coffee, a myriad of pastries from more than a few different worlds and cultures, and a large pan of eggs and sausage kept warm over a chafing dish. On either end of the table are disposable plates, cups, and cutlery as well as a few welcome pamphlets in a small container. Along the front of the tables is a hand made banner.

Meet and Greet

Manning the tables is Katsuya Suou, red apron on and a cup of coffee in hand. He looks far too cheerful for how early in the morning it is. It's always satisfying to put one of these on and see the throngs of different people stuck in line together to get their food and find a place to sit among the tables and couches nearby.

"Right then, is anyone hungry? I've got more than enough here for everyone so please mingle among yourselves or feel free to ask me anything you'd like."


((OOC: This thread is ALL ABOUT threadjacking and hopping. I encourage folks to tag on each other's comments and mingle rather than to reply only to me. This is a huge opportunity to have your characters interact with people they wouldn't have talked to before. Branch out! Meet new people! Scheme new schemes! Steal the last chocolate croissant!))

Comments

[juststeverogers]

"What do you do if there's people already living there?"

Please don't tell him Earth is the invading alien force in this world. After surviving attacks on his own world Steve's not sure he could handle knowing they were the destructive invaders.

Oh, but there's a purring young cat along his arm. Jim gets a small smile from Steve before he drops his gaze to the critter and offers it the gentlest of pets. He has to be careful with small creatures like this. It's so easy to use too much pressure and not realize.

"I made my choice. I have to live with the consequences." As do everyone who chose to help him. Steve regrets the punishments that befell them. He really does.

[boldygoing]

It's a good question, and one that Jim was expecting. "Then it depends on how advanced they are. If they haven't discovered warp drive yet, or some other kinda faster-than-light space travel, we're not allowed to let the natives know we exist so we don't 'interfere with their cultural development.'" There's practically air quotes around that last bit, parroted straight out of Starfleet regulations somewhere. "If they've got space travel though, we get to say hi and see if they're interested in trade agreements and stuff like that, 'cuz they're going to come across us sooner or later anyway."

Zunar wriggles a little under Steve's hand, paws flailing skyward as the kneazle flips over on his back so those gentle pets fall on the soft underside of his chin, purring even louder. You can't feel bad while petting a kitty, Steve, them's the rules.

Jim just nods once, the sentiment an unfortunately familiar one, and something he's not very inclined to pry deeper about. Not unless he thought it'd do either of them some good, anyway.

[juststeverogers]

"So if you came across a people who were in trouble, but they didn't have access to space travelling technology, you would have to leave them there."

He doesn't mean to keep sounding so critical but there's a part of him deeply unsettled at the idea of leaving a fellow sentient person to die because they weren't 'advanced enough' to warrant help. They're people, not subjects of a nature documentary.

"Sorry, I'm sure this is all very complicated. It seems so far outside of what I know. The only other races I've ever met beyond Earth have all tried to kill me. When i try to imagine friendlies...I can't imagine leaving them to an untimely fate."

[boldygoing]

"That's what I said." Thank you, Steve! For noticing the gigantic gaping flaw in the Prime Directive being as stupidly rigid as it is. Jim's had a good, long think about his last misadventure with that particular regulation, and he's more convinced than ever that though he made some shitty, disastrous mistakes in the process, choosing to stop the volcano was not one of them. "It's a good idea, but there's gotta be some flex to it. I mean yeah, it's important not to fuck up their culture if they aren't ready to know about aliens, but what's the point if they get wiped out by something we could stop without them knowing?"

Jim shakes his head. "I can see us not sticking our noses into local politics, but volcanoes or meteors or whatever, there's shit we can do without showing off."

[juststeverogers]

"It sounds like that's not a senitment that's widely shared by your peers, though."

Steve shoots the captain a knowing look that says he understands more than Jim knows. For as lawful as Steve is most of the time, he's not afraid to break those laws when they're wrong either. He and a certain mister Stark may not be on speaking terms at the moment, but it was Tony who helped Steve learn how to do more than just obey orders.

He didn't like learning the lesson then, and he doesn't like it now. But he does understand its necessity.

"For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing."

[boldygoing]

"Thanks." Jim flashes him a small, grateful smile. At least somebody's backing him up on how dumb this all is. "We're gonna have five years to prove the point. Should be plenty, I hope."

He almost wants to ask more about Steve's apparently more hostile history with extraterrestrials, but that seems like something that'll just depress them both. Time to shift gears. "There's really no telling what we're gonna find out there. Terran astronomy's centuries old and we still haven't even scratched the surface of what's possible."