Pike almost wanted to point out they could have asked how he was alive, it's not as if he hadn't heard similar reactions from Discovery's crew in regards to Georgiou and her reappearance after, well everything. The crew honestly would have taken it in much better stride then he himself had, if only because people reappearing from the dead and alternate universes seemed to be their bread and butter and he was just a poor, lonely old deep space explorer with a record to make everyone jealous.
The fact that his thoughts went that way as opposed to something more serious was perhaps the first clue Pike had that he was feeling that all too familiar pressure of his own accomplishments. He rarely saw himself as some large, important figure really, to himself he was just Christopher Pike, Starfleet Captain. Katrina had been the one to really drive home just how different his views, his actions, really were in comparison to his fellow officers and to hear this young man say the galaxy would be all the better for having him around? Well, if he was one for ego stroking he would be having a massive head right now.
So really all the response he has for Kirk is a very humble, "Thank you." For his words and a promise to himself to figure out just what all sort of impact he had on both the young men from this universe in front of him. But then it was right back to business and he nodded, sitting back and drumming his fingers on the table as he thought. This wasn't going to be an easy debriefing, not if Starfleet Command was anything at all like the one back home, worried and paranoid from an all to recent war and infiltration from Klingons and Mirror Universe counterparts. At least time at a colony would give them all a chance to recover and brace themselves, or at least as best they could for being so far from home.
"I will let Dr. Pollard and Dr. Culber decide if they need to transfer anyone over to the Enterprise. I'm sure they'll appreciate the help, in whatever way they can receive it." He leaned further back for a moment and nodded to himself as he continued. "And your plan sounds as good as any. Though I am sure that Command will come knocking if we take our time, so I'm not sure how much rest and time to process we will all get." But the offer was appreciated all the same.
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The fact that his thoughts went that way as opposed to something more serious was perhaps the first clue Pike had that he was feeling that all too familiar pressure of his own accomplishments. He rarely saw himself as some large, important figure really, to himself he was just Christopher Pike, Starfleet Captain. Katrina had been the one to really drive home just how different his views, his actions, really were in comparison to his fellow officers and to hear this young man say the galaxy would be all the better for having him around? Well, if he was one for ego stroking he would be having a massive head right now.
So really all the response he has for Kirk is a very humble, "Thank you." For his words and a promise to himself to figure out just what all sort of impact he had on both the young men from this universe in front of him. But then it was right back to business and he nodded, sitting back and drumming his fingers on the table as he thought. This wasn't going to be an easy debriefing, not if Starfleet Command was anything at all like the one back home, worried and paranoid from an all to recent war and infiltration from Klingons and Mirror Universe counterparts. At least time at a colony would give them all a chance to recover and brace themselves, or at least as best they could for being so far from home.
"I will let Dr. Pollard and Dr. Culber decide if they need to transfer anyone over to the Enterprise. I'm sure they'll appreciate the help, in whatever way they can receive it." He leaned further back for a moment and nodded to himself as he continued. "And your plan sounds as good as any. Though I am sure that Command will come knocking if we take our time, so I'm not sure how much rest and time to process we will all get." But the offer was appreciated all the same.