LtCmdr. Dakora - Into The Dark
Travis
((Intel Suite - Deck 08 - USS Artemis-A))
Stacked up on the door and prepared to make a tactical entry, Talos watched as the computer finally gave in to the combined efforts of Silveira, Osuna, and Jones to override the lockdown.
As soon as the door slid open, Talos clicked his right heel against his left, causing his mag boots to release before grabbing the door frame and launching himself into the room behind Silveira
His eyes scanned the dark room, lit only by the dim, uneven glow of a few consoles.
Silveira: CONTACT
The Portuguese Tactical Chief’s voice pierced the eerie silence of the dark space.
All at once phaser fire streaked in all different directions, lighting the space in uneven and fleeting shades of red and orange.
The place was a mess and the unconscious bodies of his intel personnel and miscellaneous equipment floated in the air randomly, complicating the tactical situation.
He reactivated his mag boots and felt himself standing on a wall, perpendicular to the floor. Talos ducked behind a floating desk that had become wedged in place on the wall nearby and tried to engage the enemy, managing a few shots before returning fire chased him back into cover.
Talos called out to the enemies over the action.
Dakora: We don’t have to do this! ::He shrank a bit as a barrage battered the desk he hid behind.:: No one else has to get hurt!
Osuna: response
Enno: Either no one dies or everyone dies. ::beat:: Let’s just get this over with.
Hodga: Time’s up!
The responses didn’t seem promising.
Talos knew the battlefield better than anyone, seeing as how it was his space they’d holed up in. Once again, he clicked off his mag-boots and kicked off the wall, sending himself hurtling toward the cover of a cluster of workstations near his office.
An explosion from somewhere much closer than he would’ve preferred cut his plans short as the concussive wave sent him careening into a wall. Searing pain in his right shoulder and the left side of his abdomen made his head swim as he tried to fight through intense pain.
The frantic phaser fire of a few moments ago had died down and there was a lull in the fighting, probably so everyone could assess their wounds.
He heard voices– Suliban voices– from somewhere nearby, but his ears were ringing so loud he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Dakora: Ugh… ::He coughed.:: Not..good.
He rasped the words out quietly, as his hands cautiously probed his wounds. Talos’ fingers felt the shredded remains of the right side of his uniform and followed the slick flow of blood up to a not-all-that-small piece of jagged metal jutting out of his upper chest where his shoulder met his collarbone. His hand recoiled from the foreign object sticking out of his body and his head swam again.
Distantly, he was aware of Silveira propelling himself across the room towards an enemy escaping toward the data-vault. Hiro took a few shots at the fleeing enemy before dropping back into cover.
With his good arm, he pushed off the wall, sending his body careening toward Doc. Jones’ position and managed to grab the edge of a desk and jerk himself to an extremely painful stop.
He saw Jones affixing something to Kader’s face and a fresh wave of adrenaline pumped into his veins. One way or another, he had to see this thing through. Hefting his phaser rifle in his left hand, he turned to Osuna.
Dakora: How is he?
Osuna: Response?
Bringing himself painfully to his knees, Talos peered over the cover, trying to locate the remaining targets, when he saw something unexpected.
Two of the Suliban approached with their hands raised. The one in front spoke first.
Enno: ::to Dakora:: I’m the commander of the ship that attacked you. I’ll turn its logs over to you, and I’ll help you apprehend Nirra if you let the rest of my crew go.
Hodga: And he doesn’t mean to a penal colony…
Clicking on his mag boots, Talos pulled himself to his feet, his face contorting as his shrapnel-riddled hip protested.
The ship shook again, a well-timed reminder that there was more at stake here than just the people in this room.
Dakora: Order your forces to stand down Commander, then we can talk about why we should let any of you go.
Osuna: response
((OOC: Leaving this exchange in for reference/timeline reasons, but Talos can’t hear/isn’t focusing on it)
Jones: Hey Flint. You breathing ok, bud?
Kader: Response
Jones: Take a very small inhale of this. It’ll feel weird for a second, but it’ll clear out your air passageways.
Kader: Response
Talos swayed just a bit unsteadily, keeping his phaser rifle pointed in the Suliban’s direction but at the floor.
Enno: Because I’m just a criminal. Nirra is a terrorist. She won’t stop until she’s compromised every Starfleet Intelligence operation in the region. ::beat:: She won’t stop until she’s brought down the Federation. Surely an existential threat to the Federation is more important than a bunch of low level smugglers acting on my orders.
Talos’ eyes went wide at the revelation of their plot, even as the Suliban leader added an addendum to his statement that Talos didn’t understand.
Enno: Let’s also just say—— ::beat:: I’m doing it for my friend Tim.
Hodga: The ball, as they say, is in your court, gentlemen…
Talos shook his head slowly. He couldn’t just let them all go after they’d attacked two Federation ships, wounded many– possibly even killed– some of his crew. He’d have to count on Silveira to prevent the remaining enemy from accomplishing her goal.
Jones: ::under his breath:: Sil, you crazy, SOB…
Shifting uncomfortably as the pain in his hip grew, Talos couldn’t take his eyes off the Suliban in front of him. Hiro and Gabe would have to help Silveira, not that he would’ve been particularly useful in his present state.
Dakora: I don’t think you’re in the position to make that bargain. ::He hissed involuntarily as the ship rocked.:: If you stand down your forces and surrender, we’ll make note of your cooperation in the official record.
Everything hurt now. The lightheadedness had set in and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to stay in the game.
Still, he stood as straight as he could, even as he felt the blood running down his leg begin to pool in his left boot.
Osuna: response
Enno/Hodga: Response
The sounds of a vicious brawl between Silveira and Nirra, finally forced him to turn around just in time to see Silveira come out the victor, though he appeared to be in rough shape as well.
Silveira: Doc… I need a medic…
Talos took a step toward his friend, stumbling as the weight of the mag boots proved heavier than he could easily manage after losing so much blood.
Unable to make it there himself, he pointed in Sil’s direction
Dakora: Jones… ::The words felt clumsy in his mouth.:: Help… him…
Then he felt it.
The gentle, tingly feeling of the transporter beam enveloping him and everyone else in the room.
And then it was over.
[End Scene For Talos]
TAG/TBC
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LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0