LtCmdr. Talos Dakora - Impending Arrivals
Travis
( Captain’s Ready Room – Deck 1, USS Artemis )
Talos had paid Captain MacKenzie a visit for the first time since his return to the Artemis under the guise of delivering some general updates and checking in. His real objective was to inform his Captain of his unexpected impending arrivals.
Dakora: Right. Of course. Were you able to do some catching up with Commodore Nicholotti? ::He grinned.:: I’m sure Genkos was thrilled to have her around for a while.
Addison nodded slightly.
MacKenzie: It was good to have her aboard for a little while. She may still be around if you’d like to say hello – I don’t think Genkos swept her down to Risa yet.
He shifted in his chair, as he tried to figure out how to approach the next subject. It felt more personal than the two of them typically ventured, but it was also the sort of thing that she would need to know as his CO. Especially if he returned to his previous position at some point in the future.
Dakora: Speaking of that… ::He paused, screwing up his face a bit.:: Well, not that, specifically. But, I… uh… have some personal news.
MacKenzie: Personal news?
He paused, still not quite looking Addison in the eye, as if bracing himself for a phaser blast that might never come. He knew this wasn’t against any regulation per se—Sam was a civilian, and he wasn’t her direct superior—but still. There were… optics. Layers.
Dakora: Well, you met Samantha Richards, right? She visited a while back– she was part of that Amity team we picked up on the Borg cube.
She nodded affirmatively.
MacKenzie: I remember Richards, sure. Nice girl. A little weird… but the good kind.
He cleared his throat and shifted in the chair again, finally looking her in the eye—briefly as he nodded.
Dakora: Well, I’m sort of dating her.::Beat.::We ran into each other back on Earth after everything that happened on Frontier Day and… well, one thing led to another. And then a few more things led to… something else.
Talos could tell from the expression on her face that he needed to cut to the chase soon. He gave a nervous, slightly lopsided smile, and got to the point. He held up a hand to momentarily delay her comments and/or derision.
Dakora: Wait, ::Sarcastically:: It gets way better.::He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.:: She’s pregnant. With Twins.
He held up two fingers demonstratively, just in case she wasn’t following. Addison’s eyebrows climbed to new heights as his words settled over her.
MacKenzie: I’m sorry, what?
And there it was. The cat was out of the bag. It was almost a relief to get it off his chest. Or at least it would be after this was over.
Hopefully. Maybe.
Dakora: I know! I know! It was after Frontier Day– sickbay was swamped, I missed an injection– it just slipped my mind and apparently, that’s all it takes.
MacKenzie: Response
Talos sort of collapsed back into the chair behind him. Now he just had to ride it out. He hadn’t felt nervous like this talking to MacKenzie since he’d been a Ensign or JG. It was oddly nostalgic.
Dakora: Apparently that whole “99.97% Effective” thing doesn’t mean a whole lot when you miss the appointment.
MacKenzie: Response
He diverted his gaze out the window behind her for a moment as he fought off the urge to squirm in his seat.
Dakora: I… I don’t really have a game plan here. I’m just trying to be responsible. And Honest. With you. With her. With myself, I guess?
He blew out an uncomfortable sigh and dropped his hands onto his lap as he opened up more than he was used to.
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: Response
Talos blinked a couple of times and nodded. Of all of the ways he’d expected her to react… that was one of them.
Dakora: Yep. ::He flashed a sheepish half-grin.:: I deserved that.
MacKenzie: Response
LtCmdr. Talos Dakora
USS Artemis-A
O238811CD0