LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - Responsibility
Travis
(( Captain’s Ready Room – Deck 1, USS Artemis ))
Talos sat across the desk from Addison in her ready room, feeling just about how he imagined all of the new Ensigns felt when they received the trademarked ‘MacKenzie Welcome’.
He’d ripped the bandage off already and told her about his impending fatherhood; now he just had to survive the next few minutes.
Dakora: I know this is all... complicated– and the optics of the thing look not-so-great. But if I’m going to be stepping back into that second chair any time soon, I wanted you to hear it from me and not from some scuttlebutt out of the lower decks.
MacKenzie: And believe me when I say that was in your best interest. But, if you’d wanted to demonstrate responsibility, you could at least stick to getting your shots on time. Now, ::raising her hands slightly:: you have a mess to clean up.
She was right, of course.
Dakora: Yep. ::He flashed a sheepish half-grin.:: I deserved that.
The Captain gave a night-imperceptible nod.
MacKenzie: You’re damn right you did. ::pivoting demeanor:: So. You’re sort of dating a girl you knock up. Who lives in the Delta Quadrant. Do I have it right so far?
He winced, just a little, as his own poor choice of words were reloaded and fired back in his direction.
Dakora: ::With a short, dry laugh:: When you put it like that, it sounds... well, exactly as messy as it is. But yes—you're not wrong.
He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes dropping for a second to avoid the full weight of her unamusement. Of all the conversations he’d imagined having with his long-time Captain, this hadn’t been one of them. Then again, he wasn’t sure he’d ever imagined himself in this particular situation at all.
Dakora: Sam and I have been… more than “sort of” for a while now. We didn’t exactly plan this, obviously, but it happened, and I care about her—a lot. So we’re going to try and make it all work as best we can.
She smiled mischievously and nodded very slowly.
MacKenzie: So now that you are turning over a new, more responsible leaf, what do you intend to do about that?
Now Talos looked up and met her gaze, cocking his head slightly. He readied his sales pitch.
Dakora: Well, obviously, the mother of my future children being a 6-week slipstream voyage away isn’t ideal. ::He paused.:: And I still think there is a lot more for me to do here on the Artemis. That said, Samantha is an accomplished planetary scientist, and her term with the Amity SRC is almost up.
MacKenzie: Response
He tried to keep his tone and attitude neutral, like he was discussing the potential placement of any other of the Artemis’ personnel. But it was obvious to both of them that this was a sort of personal request.
Dakora: Our situation notwithstanding, I think she’d be a credit to the department and a good fit. ::He flashed a knowing grin.:: And I have it on good authority that she’s ready to submit the transfer request ASAP.
Talos had served under MacKenzie long enough to know that whatever her answer, there wasn’t any point in arguing.
MacKenzie: Response
He nodded.
Dakora: Understood. ::He tried to keep his emotions off his face.:: I’ll let her know.
With his primary objectives complete, he suddenly felt slightly embarrassed by the whole ordeal, but it was what it was. His gaze shifted to the planet hanging in space out the window behind Addison.
Dakora: Well, that’s all I had. ::He pointed to the window.:: Have you had a chance to make it down planetside, yet?
MacKenzie: Response
Talos fixed her with a wry grin as he recalled the chance encounter that had made quite an impression on both of them early in his career.
Dakora: If you roam the halls with your horga’hn this time around, ::He placed his hand to his heart solemnly.:: I promise not to bother you.
MacKenzie: Response
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0