Talos Dakora

Offensive, but true.

I'm a tabletop noob, but I'd like to get in on it! I'm CST (UDT -6) but Friday and Saturday nights I stay up unreasonably late.

Welcome to the fleet! Looking forward to reading about your future adventures!

Welcome both of you! Looking forward to seeing you around the fleet!

Talos Dakora Checking in! "I knew you were coming... Three years ago I had a vision of your arrival. "

This made me smile. I love this game because you can have little character connections and plot threads like this that stretch back for actual RL years. 💘@Yalu

And today's award for most ridiculous sim title goes to @Robin Hopper:

Talos Dakora just beamed in wearing a pink velvet blazer. Does anyone know if this thing has an open bar? Asking for a friend.

Technically shooting Genkos is still her main goal at the moment. Just in a more broad sense.

Hey, hey! Welcome to the fleet! See you out there in the black.

This one from @Genkos Adea got a sensible chuckle out of me:

This was great you two! I guess @Vitor S. Silveira runs afoul of First Officers on all of his ships!

Welcome to the fleet! See you in-game soon!

Big class! Welcome to the group! Hope to see you out in the black.

Ok, when you put it that way it sounds bad, but we can explain...

Loved this so much.

I thought this one was really well done by @Yalu. Due to an encounter with a telepathic hivemind entity a year or so ago, Yogan and Talos swapped bodies for a few days. As a result, the Yalu symbiont has a snapshot of Talos' consciousness as it was at that time as a "host' of sorts. I really appreciated the call back to a long-running plot thread between the two characters in this scene where Talos is afflicted by an unknown contaminant that's causing the locals and those with extra-sensory abilities to lose control and be driven to destroy anything and everything. ================SIM================ (( Turyon Planet Hopper, Tecra, Da’al )) With the up-and-down escape underway, Yogan overheard Jones enlisting Hallia in his plan to test the stasis field theory. Occasionally, when he was certain they wouldn’t be fired upon, he glanced back over his shoulder to watch what they were doing. If this method worked, they’d need to implement it on a citywide scale, so Yogan tried to at least grasp the underlying scientific principles. Jones: ::consulting his tricorder:: Right, so the frequency we'll need is an oscillation between 34.8 MHz and 22.2 MHz. Is there broadcast transmitter array on this vessel, or will we need to go somewhere else? Dakora: How far away is this place? ::He grimaced.:: I'm doing... I'm doing real bad back here. The interruption was uncharacteristic. Talos wasn’t usually a complainer. The Betazoid’s pained expression masked a roiling emotional state just beneath the surface. Yalu: What can we do for him? MacKenzie: I can’t recommend another dose of Lexorin – he’s already agitated and I think at this point additional drugs might only make it worse… Jones: ::quietly to Yellir:: If he's willing to cooperate and hold still, we can do a short-range test on him. Yellir: Respectfully doctor, I don’t think he’s in a cooperative mood. I’d feel safer if Lieutenant Osuna held him down and we tried the device on him. But that’s not exactly an ethical solution. The thought of restraining Talos struck Yogan unexpectedly hard. He’d heard some of what Talos and MacKenzie went through as Klingon prisoners. It was grim and it was hard to listen to, but it wasn’t personal. This felt different. Yogan had never figured out what to do with the memories of “Talos Yalu” that existed inside his symbiont. Only recently had he started thinking of Talos as more similar to his other hosts than different. His first step toward reconciling the effects of a terrible accident of Cytarian technology had yielded some positive results. But now, as everyone discussed experimenting on Talos and holding him down, Yogan regretted blurring that boundary. He felt like they were talking about him, Yogan, and it was too weird. Yalu: No. Let’s not do that if we can avoid it. Osuna: Lieutenant? Talk us through it – what are you experiencing? Do you have control? Thankfully, Osuna stepped up and got Talos’ attention. But not in a good way. Talos eyed Osuna’s phaser. Dakora: Give it to me. Yogan’s hand shook as his thumb slid over the trigger of his sidearm. Osuna: Sit down, Lieutenant. MacKenzie rose from her seat and addressed Dakora directly. Given their strong professional relationship, and their awkward personal one, MacKenzie had the greatest odds of getting Talos to remain focused. MacKenzie: Lieutenant Dakora, I order you to stand down. Jones: Nearly there… Yellir: I’m improving the power distribution systems so the device doesn’t burn out halfway through using it. Hopefully it doesn’t erupt into sparks when we use it. Osuna: ::To MacKenzie:: Captain, permission to restrain Lieutenant Dakora? MacKenzie: I think that would be wi- Dakora lunged forward and grabbed at Osuna's phaser. Osuna stepped backwards but, given the craft’s small size, there was nowhere else for him to retreat. Dakora's hands closed around Osuna’s wrist. Dakora: It's MINE! MacKenzie: Stand down! Yogan hesitated. He’d never fully given himself permission to process the slush of memories, and this was the consequence. He couldn’t shoot Talos, because it felt too much like shooting a part of himself. Time slowed and Yogan’s vision grew narrow. This wasn’t good. If not dereliction of duty, it was at the very least a “referral to the counselor”-level of unprofessionalism. Osuna butted the side of Talos’ face with his elbow. Yogan winced as if he felt the blow land on his own cheek. Osuna: I said– Dakora: I NEED IT. Using his free hand, Osuna grabbed Talos’ wrist and twisted it backwards to free his phaser. The two stumbled sideways, knocking over a small crate, which clattered to the ground. Everything happened so quickly. Yogan watched numbly as Osuna tussled with Talos. The sound of Yogan’s heartbeat drowned out the sound of smashing crates and bodies being flung over seat backs. Osuna: Last chance, Lieutenant. Sit down. Dakora: Do... It... The blur cleared instantly when the weapons fire charged the air with energy. Yogan felt like he’d just emerged from a bad dream. Talos lay unconscious on the floor of the craft and Osuna immediately checked on him. Osuna: Dammit… ::To Jones:: Make sure he’s alright. Yogan didn’t notice—or maybe he purposely ignored—a tear running from the corner of his eye down his cheek and into his muddy, cakey beard. MacKenzie: Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve had enough excitement for one day. Jones: Took the words from my mouth, sir. Yellir: I’m looking forward to a long sonic shower when we’re back. Erbil: Not much more hopping left. ::to Teolin:: Grandpapa used to fly these old birbs during my conscripted service days. ::beat:: That’s when I met your grandmama. TBC

If you're wondering if you might someday be the best sim-titler on the Artemis, give it up. @Yalu's already won.

Welcome! Looking forward to seeing you around the fleet!

This was so good. I've sorely missed reading @Sal Taybrim's writing! Thanks for sharing!

"The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world." Modeled in 3ds Max, Textured in Substance3D, Composited and rendered in Unreal Engine 5.

These two reluctantly becoming friends-ish has been one of my favorite things to read and write! Really enjoyed this one by @Addison MacKenzie ========================================= (( Room 02-1601 - USS Excalibur-A )) Addison had gone to the replicator and returned with two cups of tea. She extended one to Talos before retaking her seat on the opposite end of the couch. There was something about bonding over shared trauma that few counselors or therapists could penetrate as easily as someone who lived it. MacKenzie: So which moment do you keep reliving? Dakora: There are a couple that keep sticking with me... ::He sighed.:: When they had me strung up on the crane... Vo'kor's guy? Durok? Well, he placed that dagger of his point first right into my sternum. He'd decided that I didn't have the intel he wanted and I felt his muscles tense and start pushing that blade into me. ::Talos shook his head and blinked.:: I knew it was all over. I was dead. I was so certain that I was going to feel the point driving through my skin, up into my chest- but at the last second Vo'kor shows up and tells him to hold off because we might still be useful. ::He directed his gaze towards MacKenzie:: It was close. And when I close my eyes my brain keeps filling in the gory details of what would've happened if he hadn't stopped. Addison was willing to let him talk, but he must have realized he was starting to relive all their favorite moments. Dakora: Uh, how about you? MacKenzie: I go back and forth between the sound of blood pumping through my head while I was being held up by my neck and the look on Vo’Kor’s face when we wiped out the rest of his bridge crew. She offered a slight smile at the sadistic implication. The corner of his mouth pulled up in a lopsided grin. Dakora: Oh, that was great. ::His eyes lit up a little.:: Or when the Commodore said the Excal was coming back online and Vo'kor was all: ::He assumed an inaccurate but comical impression of the Klingon's deep voice::"What, that's impossible! My little nano-bots! Boo-hoo! ::He switched back to his normal voice.:: and I was all like: "Shut up, Captain Asshat!". MacKenzie: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… And you actually got in my pants – who’d’ve thought?! Dakora: Hey, I pulled those pants off and you know it! I might have to get the replicator pattern from you... with some anti-wedgie modifications. MacKenzie: Perhaps just a size or two bigger, next time… Talos rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand sleepily. Dakora: You know, now that we're out and we didn't die, I do have a confession to make... Her smile dropped and her head cocked. MacKenzie: Well, we nearly died together… He took a deep breath. Dakora: Back on the Daisy; It was a voice print authorization. ::His grin turned positively cheshire.:: You didn't HAVE to say an authorization code at all. I just... you know... thought a little humor would help at the time. He broke out into a small fit of laughter at the revelation. Her lips pursed. MacKenzie: Uh huh. Well, little did we both know how much we’d need a little pick me up over there… Dakora: It is a good password though. Something no one would guess. ::He sipped up the last of his tea.:: I'm gonna use it somewhere in the Intel Department. He set his cup down on the little coffee table and yawned. A silence settled over them, only to be momentarily broken by the intelligence chief. Dakora: I don't know how, but I actually feel better. ::He shrugged.:: Thanks for the talk. And the tea. MacKenzie: I’m glad I could help. He rose and crossed to the door, but stopped right in front of it and glanced back at her. Dakora: And... if you have any trips planned for this shore leave that don't involve going to Risa, I'm respectfully declining now. He offered a mischievous grin, her “clearly fed up with it” voice chasing him out the door. MacKenzie: Good night, Talos! She couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle and shake her head. No, there would be no shore leave in their future. It would soon be on to the next great adventure. But first, bed. End Scene --- Commander Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS First Officer USS Excalibur-A Captains Council Magistrate V239601AM0

Welcome! Glad to see you here!

This whole exchange was great. 😂

You're too kind, good sir! And thanks for posting this @Lt. Trovek and Lt. Seta ❤️. I had fun with it!