[video/action]

[candothat]

Enterprise? Do you read?

[A curly-headed boy, almost certainly not out of his teens, frowns at the screen. His words are rendered somewhat incomprehensible by a thick Eastern European accent in spite of his obvious attempts to annunciate.]

Ensign Chekov to bridge. Uhura? Sulu? …Mr. Spock? Chekov to engineering. Mr. Scott, can you hear me? There may have been a... ah, a malfunction with the teleporter.

Can anyone hear me?

[He sighs and fiddles with something on his device. The video feed distorts momentarily before returning to normal. When the teenager speaks again, his tone is low and words less painstakingly produced as if he’s speaking himself.]

Ai, what is this? There shouldn’t be interference this far out from the magnetic anomaly. Eto piz`dets…

Comments

Action;

[candothat]

[solemnly] At least you did not grow up in a sissy car.

['Interested' doesn't even begin to describe Chekov's fascination with the car's interior. That fascination extends to the car's owner's stories.] That one was his favorite, maybe. A hundred others would not replace a favorite. And Sam--he is a brother?

The imperfections-- [He's eying the carved initials now] --they make her special. They tell stories. I like ships that have stories to tell better than new ones.

Action;

[dudeimbatman]

Amen to that. [Chekov and Dean are probably the same age mentally, which isn't an insult to Chekov.]

Yeah, he's my little brother. [Who is now two inches taller and several pounds heavier] Yeah I convinced him that he was hiding there, giving orders from the trenches.

[Dean nods, letting Chekov have a good look at the car. There's a dark stain on the white leather of the back seat. He hasn't explained that story but there's definitely one behind it. It's just not a happy one.] Yeah, it sort of makes them people instead of just a bunch of nuts and bolts.

Action;

[candothat]

You are close with your brother? [It's not so much a question as a restatement of the obvious.] Is he in the City also?

[He won't ask about the stain--some people don't like talking about the more unpleasant memories their belongings tell--but he takes full advantage of Dean's unspoken invitation to inspect the Impala.] Yes, just like that. It gives them personalities.

Action;

[dudeimbatman]

Yeah. Practically raised the kid and he's here. He wasn't for a while but the last few months, he's been here.

[Dean nods in agreement.] Never understood someone who wanted to drive a shiny hunk of metal right off the assembly line. Hollowed out and absolutely no damn personality.

[Of course Dean's never had the money to afford any kind of new car.]

Action;

[candothat]

You must be glad to have him here.

[That makes Chekov smile.] Starships are not like that. Seeing one new before it is launched--there is something very beautiful about it.

Action;

[dudeimbatman]

Yeah, it doesn't suck.

[In fact it's pretty much why Dean thinks this place is awesome.]

They smack 'em on the hull with a bottle of wine like they do ships?

Action;

[candothat]

[For a fleeting moment, Chekov thinks about his family and crew and the possibility of living for a time--years, perhaps--in the City without them. Ships! Back to thinking about ships!]

Some captains do, but not all of them honor old traditions. I think it is bad luck to skip the christening of a ship.