LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - Hindsight Is Twenty-Twenty
Travis
((OOC: Been stuck in the weird purgatory of holiday/family time. I’m planning to backsim my part of the mission end and stay caught up moving forward. I even have some JPs in the chamber that are ready to go that you'll be seeing soon!))
((Second Promenade, Deck 227, DS224))
Home.
It was a concept that different things to different people. To some, it was a warm cozy place far away that they longed to return to. For others, it was a distant memory that they thought about when they closed their eyes at night.
In many ways for Talos, the Artemis had become that. A home, a job, a family… all rolled into one portable city that patrolled the galaxy. Still returning to DS224 had dredged up so many long-buried feelings that had seemed to take him right back to where it had all begun.
From his ill-fated (and brief) deployment to the resolution, the launch of the Excalibur and the Artemis, and returning battered and bruised from countless difficult missions– DS224 had been the backdrop to all of it.
If the Artemis was his home now, then DS224 was like his hometown.
Jovenan: Sir…
He turned from where he stood, leaned up against the promenade railing, staring off into the middle distance and spotted a familiar ray of sunshine.
She seemed to rethink her greeting and with a smile, tried again.
Jovenan: Talos. Hi. Am I disturbing you?
He stepped back from the railing and returned her smile, shaking his head.
Dakora: What? No. Not at all.
Now an accomplished and decorated Lieutenant Commander, he sometimes had to force himself not to see her as that same nervous kid who had come aboard the Excal all those years ago. They’d been through a lot together and he’d yet to ever find himself regretting her company.
Jovenan: I was looking around the station. It’s been a while I was here, so some places still look new to me. How about you? Doing anything interesting?
He shrugged and gestured to the bustling crowd on the level below.
Dakora: Oh, not really, no. I was doing some people-watching and feeling a bit nostalgic, I think. Was considering grabbing bite somewhere…
Jovenan: Oh? Mind if I join you?
His grin re-ignited. Just a few shore leaves ago he’d invited her to coffee and she’d nearly shaken apart with nervousness. Talos was glad she was feeling more comfortable these days.
Dakora: That’d be great. What’re you feeling? I’m not very picky.
Jovenan: Response
Nodding, he fell in beside her and they began to move through the heavy pedestrian traffic of the busy station.
Dakora: Sounds like a plan to me!
They’d only made it a few steps when another familiar face appeared through the throng of people in front of them.
Salkath: Commander Dakora. Commander Jovenan. Greetings.
Talos bowed his head slightly in greeting, offering the Vulcan Engineer a smile.
Dakora: Salkath! I hope your first time aboard DS224 is treating you well!
Jovenan: response
They stepped aside out of the busy lanes of foot traffic as Salkath continued, his face unreadable as ever.
Salkath: My apologies for interrupting your shore leave excursion. I promise I will not keep you long. I wished to say something to you, Commander.
His gaze and his attention shifted to Jovenan, making it clear that she was the Commander in question here.
Jovenan: response
Salkath: On Stardate 240105.30, I attempted to incite you towards actions that insulted your personal and professional ethics and sensibilities. I pursued a tangent of logic in that conversation that, in hindsight, was not only illogical but also unprofessional. ::pause:: I have never been accused of being empathetic, but even that was a line too far for me to cross. I wish to offer you my sincere apologies.
Jovenan: Response
Talos suddenly felt like a bit like he was intruding and rocked on his heels just a little as his desire to be polite warred with his intrigue and duty to be involved in intra-crew relations.
Dakora: I’m sorry, if this is a private matter I can… ::He jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder.:: You know…
This time Salkath turned to him.
Salkath: I had urged Commander Jovenan to join me in decrypting the classified Fleet Formation technical files prior to the events of Frontier Day. It is a testament to her character that she did not acquiesce to my entreaty. ::he nodded slightly, as close a symbol of shame as he could express:: I realize that advising you of my insubordinate plans will require you to consider disciplinary action, but I needed to express my regret to Commander Jovenan while I had the opportunity.
That sounded complicated and important. And like it would probably generate all kinds of paperwork if it escalated.
On the one hand, with the benefit of hindsight, he and Jovenan and everyone else who had lived through that awful day knew that he was right to question the intentions of the fleet formation mode.
It seemed like the kind of sleeping dog that he’d rather let lie, but he wasn’t surprised that typically by-the-book Vulcan didn’t see it that way.
Talos shifted his gaze from Salkath to Jovenan, feeling his tone shift from the friendly tone he’d been using to a slightly more formal tone.
Dakora: And Jovenan? ::He raised his eyebrows.:: I’d like to hear your thoughts on the issue.
Jovenan: response
Salkath: response
Talos crossed his arms, leaning back slightly. If either party felt wronged, he would see this thing through to it’s conclusion. But after living through what happened, Talos supposed many Command Officers would be increasingly inclined to double-check orders coming down from the upper-most echelons of command.
Dakora: I think we can all agree that it was an unprecedented situation, one which ended disatrously. ::To Salkath:: We know now that your instincts were correct. ::To Jovenan:: and You followed protocol to the letter. ::He sighed and shook his head.:: From where I’m standing this seems like one of those situations where everyone involved had their heart and their heads in the right place…
Jovenan/Salkath: Response?
TAG/TBC
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0