Jim enjoyed his time with Spock very much, but if he thought he could avoid Pike the whole time, well, he was wrong. The man was just as persistent at finding Jim as Jim thought he was at hiding from him. He really wasn't sure why, but it had to do with him recruiting Spock right out from under his nose. Oh, well, he'd be gone soon and leave this place in the dust. Just as he was heading to the shuttleport to catch his transport back to Betazed, he was accosted.
"Jim! Where you off to in such a rush?" Jim turned and saw Chris Pike approaching and stopped.
"Getting ready to head Back to Betazed, Captain. Had a nice visit,
but I don't want to hang around too long in this place, you know.
"I doubt you'd be recognized right now," returned the captain, eying Jim's disheveled state. "That's quite the disguise, son."
Jim grinned in spite of himself. "Thanks. I take great delight in my hobo looks. You watch the rest of the tape, yet?"
He asked abruptly, wanting to know if Pike had heard how the other Starfleet captain had used him instead of helping him.
"Yes. If you have any other details, I might be able to track down the officer involved, Jim. If she's still here, well, you're more than well justified in keeping a low profile."
Jim thought for a minute then said in a low tone, looking around warily, "Caucasian with red-brown hair, green eyes, called herself Monica. Considerably older than me. Didn't get a last name. She clearly knew who I was, though, because she screamed my name good and loud."
Pike cringed and Jim looked grim at his own recollections.
"Sickens me to think about, but That's very helpful, Jim. I'll get to work on that. I promise you, if she's still in Starfleet, we'll find her. What she did is grounds for court-martial."
"Good luck proving it. She'll claim it was consensual, of course. They always do." Jim's tone was resigned, rather than bitter.
"If she didn't even bother trying to pay you, she knew exactly what you were: a slave with no choice in the matter," Pike pointed out. "That's very, very, illegal conduct for Starfleet officers."
This gave Jim a bit of hope. There was indeed a giant difference between soliciting a willing prostitute and taking advantage of someone's sex slave.
"Another thing I wanted to mention, Jim," Pike continued, "was I got in touch with some friends at the IBI, and apparently, they're quite pleased with the aptitude you've shown in your classes. They've got their eye on you for the task force when you finish school and their academy. Keep that in mind if you're feeling discouraged."
"Wow," Jim breathed, blue eyes shining at the prospect. "I'll do my best to keep on track, sir. I look forward to kicking ass and saving folks from being exploited."
The Captain smiled at this.
"That's what I like to hear, Jim. You'll do your father proud."
"Even though I didn't follow in his footsteps?"
"Of course. George wanted his kids to live their own dreams, not his. If that had meant you followed in his footsteps, all well and good, and if you didn't, it was just as good. Much as I've loved being a part of the Fleet, it does not have the monopoly on making a difference. You'll be a fine agent, son."
He laid a hand on Jim's shoulder and looked him squarely in the eye.
"If it means anything, I'm proud of you too."
The sincerity in his voice made Jim swallow hard. He could see the regret Pike still carried from not intervening before Frank sold him and then basically giving him up for dead. In fact. Jim had wished he was dead quite a few times over the years
"Despite the degradation of being Andromeda's sex slave, I don't remember actually wanting to die while I was there. Now on the farm, that was not the case, particularly when we were working 18 hours straight on little sustenance or rest in the boiling sun. Planet 2506's days are much longer than earth days and the natives are adapted to being awake that long, but us Terrans and other off world species found it difficult and were frequently getting scolded and beaten for faltering. The lowest point came when I was publicly punished for stealing food for my starving friend and forced to stand tied to the post for two hours afterward. Thirty lashes was more than I'd ever had before and I almost passed out. I could feel the blood running down my back to my legs and I hoped it would keep on gushing out until I died and was free of the misery. No such luck, unfortunately, but when I was finally untied and led to the slave quarters, my friends were waiting with salve and bandages and insisted on dressing the wounds. Despite the throbbing, it was comforting to have their kindness. Aria whispered to me as she worked, "please do not give up, James. We need you and love you."
That drove the suicidal thoughts away for the moment, thought not for good."
"Thank you," he simply answered Pike. "I've got to go now, but I'll try to stay in touch when I can."
"I appreciate that, Jim. Take care now."
With a firm handshake, they parted, and Jim headed back to school in lighter spirits.