Note to readers of The Splendid Joy of the Stars: Unfortunately, this story is on indefinite hiatus. I may return to finish the story someday, but right now I can't foresee that time. I never wanted or expected to be the writer who posted something without finishing it, but I could never have foreseen the new directions that my personal and writing lives have taken me. At this point in my life, I'm simply finding it impossible to realistically inhabit the perspective of Jim Kirk. My apologies to those of you who invested yourselves in this story.