No surprise, Jim's considered it, too; he had more classified information and more responsibility faster than any captain should, because an entire generation of Starfleet personnel had been slaughtered above Vulcan. He's been approved for a vice admiral rank. He could even get Scotty to back that one up, since he knows they all know by now-- but then, that'd probably end with the engineer saying How about I'm in charge since I'm older than the both of ye.

'Considered' is a strong word. It occurred to him, but he set it aside just as quickly, shrugging it off into the void of 'stupid idea'. Pointless posturing and conflict has never been his style. Better to save that shit for when it's worth it.

"That wouldn't work on me any more than I expect it'd work on you," he says. Jim Kirk's never rolled over for anyone in his entire life, and he imagines it's the same way for her.

A beat of quiet, then: "You were trapped out there?" Why would she only have her ship's database? Even in the farthest reaches of accidental travel, the Enterprise had been able to send the slowest of slow messages to a subspace relay, even knowing it might take years to get anywhere. (Thank something-or-other for Eurydice and her warp towing.) But Kathryn sounds very close-ended.