Lt. Dakora - Put It On A Shelf

[Travis]

((Intel Chief's Office - Deck 16 - USS Excalibur-A))

Talos stood in his mostly empty office wondering where the time had gone. In the days since his conversations with Jinean and MacKenzie, he'd felt like he'd turned a corner toward his life returning to normal; then he'd received his new orders. 

He felt like he'd lived a small lifetime in the year-and-change since he'd first come aboard. It'd been his last chance, his one shot at redemption and, for the most part, he'd managed to make good on it. That chapter was over now.

As he packed the last of his personal effects in a small crate, he surveyed the office with more sadness than he might've imagined. Commodore Nicholotti had believed in him, after everything. She'd made him a department head. She'd trusted him. She'd made him feel like part of the crew. Even as he moved on to his next assignment, he would always have a high level of respect and gratitude for everything she'd done for him. 

He hefted the crate and left the office that was no longer his. As he stepped out into the Intel Suite proper, he found himself face to face with the majority of the Officers that had been under his command lined up and waiting. Someone, probably Lieutenant JG Calais, had let the word get out that he was down here and they'd all shown up to see him off. A smile formed on his face as he surveyed the group of talented and capable Intelligence Officers that he'd grown to care deeply for in the past year or so.

Calais: Good luck out there, Boss. We're gonna miss you.

Surprisingly, he felt his eyes getting a little warm, but he willed himself not to fully tear up. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

Dakora: I'm gonna you miss you too. ::He let his gaze pass over each of the Officers assembled in the room.:: All of you. It was an honor and a pleasure to be your Chief. ::He smirked.:: Thanks for putting up with me.

The tall, dark-skinned Jay-gee that seemed to be their chosen representative spoke again.

Calais: Try not to get into too much trouble out there, sir.

Shifting the weight of the crate in his arms, he shrugged just a little.

Dakora: Only if you promise not to let the Hazard team beat the D.A.Gr. in any exercises... 

He laughed and several of the others joined in and the sound was a balm for his soul. 

Dakora: Now, I've gotta get going, but you take care of this place for me, alright? ::He bowed his head just a little.:: Until our paths cross again...

He was nervous and excited about what would come next, but he knew the Excal's Intel Department would do just fine. They were the best, after all.

Talos Dakora left the Intel Suite for the last time and made for the turbolift. All of his other belongings had already been forwarded to the Artemis and this little crate was the last thing he need to pack. As the turbolift rose, he tried to mentally prepare himself to leave Excalibur, his home, forever.

((Docking Ring - DS 224))

Still carrying his crate of personal belongings, he leaned closer to the observation window, taking in the lines of the Artemis' hull for the first time. She was impressive, but where the Excal had been long and sleek, she was shorter and broader. His mind conjured comparisons between the lanky, sinewy muscles of a long-distance runner versus the comparatively stocky, powerful build of a brawler.

Dakora: oO I'm gonna miss the black paint scheme... Oo

In time he was sure the Luna Class Explorer would come to feel like home, but it'd take a while.

He clambered up the umbilical and toward his future.

((Talos' Quarters - Deck 03-RM.0303 - USS Artemis))

As he stepped through the doors to his new quarters he surveyed the facilities curiously. They were comparable in most ways to his digs on the Excal, maybe a little smaller, but not obviously so. He crossed the room and set his crate of belongings on the small table in the dining area and turned to face the stack of luggage and boxes that the logistics team had arranged in the living room that he needed to unpack.

Talos immediately knew where he would start and he carried the first box over to the shelf in his bedroom. He reached into the box, withdrawing the first of many trinkets, each one of them a souvenir of a mission or a person that had made some impact on his life, big or small.  He produced MacKenzie's Horga'hn that he'd salvaged from the trash back on Risa over a year ago, a Holographic order number token from Burger Nagus that reminded him of the time he'd switched bodies with Yogo, a charred piece of metal bearing the name USS Rampart on a stand, a medallion with the words "Medara Yacht Club 2374" emblazoned on it, a little decorative sombrero from the Excal's first (and last) Taco Tuesday and most recently, a patch torn off an old EV suit with the name of the MV Daisy shoddily embroidered onto it. 

Meticulously, he arranged each piece on the shelves, taking a step once the task was complete to survey his handiwork. He wondered if this shelving unit was larger than the one he had on Excalibur, because it seemed he had a lot more space left for future souvenirs from future adventures.

Something told him he wouldn't have to wait too long for his next opportunity to add to his collection.

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Lt. Talos Dakora
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Excalibur Artemis
O238811CD0

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke