"Rough times are something Starfleet crews tend to attract, at least the best ones." Because he had to try and lighten the mood a little, because even with their own antics in the midst of them all, rough times always spelled worries about crew, about family. Plus if he thought of his crew as family, he could only imagine what this universes Pike was like and well, again, a path he wasn't sure he was ready to follow.

"I'm glad you could give your crew some happy times. Deep space missions, for all they can be boring at times amidst discoveries, they take a toll." The waiting and then the rushing for the discovery, and of course the inevitable breakdowns for being so far away from home and having to figure out some way to fix it. There was always something going on and it always seemed to pile up at the worst times. "Ever had the pleasure of teaching cadets in the Command Training Program on your bridge?"