Steps - [Dr. Noel's Office] - [sometime after day 15]

[gold_ambition]

James did not want to go. He figured it was possible to get out of it--if he cut all ties, found the first ship off this rock, and never saw Tina again.

He knew he wasn't going to do that.

So short of discovering what Vulcans did when vile criminals like him didn't take personal responsibility for their actions, James had to keep his appointment

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[first_noel]

Helen stood to answer the door personally, rather than calling out a command for it to open.

She'd received a request from the local authorities, asking if she would be willing to work with Kirk to help fulfil his sentence. She'd agreed immediately; she'd never been one to back down from a challenge.

But when she'd accessed James' file from the Enterprise in preparation for their meeting, she'd discovered that he might be more of a challenge than she'd expected. It seemed that Len's suspicions had not been unfounded, after all.

Still, the fact that he'd agreed to meet with her at all - even taking the initiative to contact her - was promising. Helen opened the door and greeted James with a courteous smile.

"James," she said, stepping back to allow him entry. "Won't you come in?"

[gold_ambition]

He was surprised when she answered the door personally. He wondered what she knew about him. What was in his file. Jim could have told them anything, he thought, and been believed. But she showed no fear, and he entered past her with a nod. First names, huh?

"Can I call you Helen, then?" he asked, perfectly willing to be charming if it helped.

[first_noel]

"Please do," she answered, moving past him to a chair as the door slid shut. "Won't you sit down?"

She sat down, studying James as she waited for him to follow suit. Even if his message to her hadn't given it away, she'd be able to tell that he wasn't happy to be here. He hid it well; obviously he was used to keeping his feelings hidden. But there was a wariness about him. Not surprising, given his background.

"Thank you for coming," she said.

[gold_ambition]

He waited until she sat to do likewise--old habit--and crossed his legs. He was not happy to be here, but there seemed to be more profit in getting it over with than resisting further. Besides, Tina had told him.

"Thanks for having me," he said. "The Vulcan authorities were somewhat insistent, but unwilling to deal with me themselves."