Lt. Dakora - Disorder

[Robin Hopper]

I promise this time I properly looked through the forums to confirm nobody else had already posted this one!

@Talos Dakora, writing from the perspective of a man whose mind is being overthrown by a telepathy-infused rare-mineral-induced rage did a great job capturing the swing and balance between his lingering 'humanity' and the turbulent and uncontrollable desire to destroy growing within him. A fun read!

Original Here: https://groups.google.com/g/sb118-artemis/c/s3jHzML-vig/m/tWRrSCprFwAJ

Quote

(( Turyon Planet Hopper - Hopping Over Tecra ))

 

Talos stood quietly in the back of the strange craft, struggling to hang on as urges and thoughts that weren't his own fought for control of his mind. Whether it was the corrupted dust that had blown in the open ramp or his proximity to the rioters in the house, whatever remained of MacKenzie's meds seemed to have worn off completely.

Eyeing the phasers in Osuna and Yalu's hands he knew two things: he was on borrowed time and he wanted one of those phasers. Badly. 

Talos bit down on his lip so hard he tasted blood, trying desperately to maintain a grip on his sanity.

Dakora: How far away is this place? ::He grimaced.:: I'm doing... I'm doing real bad back here.

 

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…

 

The Security Officer, one of the newer additions to the crew, shifted his attention to Talos.

 

Osuna: Lieutenant? Talk us through it – what are you experiencing? Do you have control?

 

He felt an odd sound emanate from his throat. A kind of guttural growl that he had no idea he was capable of making. He felt his mind fracturing, the conscious, rational part of him grasping for the controls of a vessel that seemed set to continue forth on its own.

 

Talos' face devolved into a series of twitches, then all at once, the twitching stopped. He turned to face Osuna, his eyes settling on the phaser in his hands.

 

Dakora: Give it to me.

Powerless to stop whatever happened next, a part of him screamed for help from inside his own mind.

 

He felt his muscles tense up and knew violence was imminent.
 

Osuna: Sit down, Lieutenant.

 

As the last of his rational thoughts ceded over to the sickness that afflicted him, he recognized MacKenzie's voice as she took a step toward him.

 

MacKenzie: Lieutenant Dakora, I order you to stand down.

 

He tried to cling to her words, to comply with her order. He wanted to. Talos' last rational thought was an apologetic whimper to Addison MacKenzie.

 

Voices carried back from the front of the vessel, but he couldn't make them out. 

He realized with absolute certainty, that he needed Osuna's weapon and he needed to destroy everything. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else was real.

 

Osuna: ::To MacKenzie::  Captain, permission to restrain Lieutenant Dakora?
 

MacKenzie: I think that would be wi-

 

The rage-monster that had been Talos Dakora launched himself at Osuna, one hand latching onto the wrist of his phaser hand as his larger frame collided with the Security Officer's body and pinned it against the wall.

 

Dakora: It's MINE!

 

MacKenzie: Stand down!

 

The CO's voice no longer fazed him as he tried to wrestle the weapon from Osuna's hand. Talos caught his other wrist, but not before the Security Officer managed to strike him hard across the face with his elbow. The pain was blunted to nearly nothing, but the jostling caused his grip to loosen just enough for the smaller man to regain control of his free hand.

 

Yalu/Erbil: Responses?

 

Osuna: I said–

Talos cut him off, hissing words through bared teeth.

 

Dakora: I NEED IT.

 

Rage overpowering any technique or sense of self-preservation that Talos had, he lunged wildly at Osuna's captive wrist. Clearly, he'd telegraphed the move, because the Filipino Security Officer managed to catch him out of position and bend back his wrist at an awkward angle. Talos' desire to break things, seemed not to extend as far as his own bones, and he loosened his grip as Osuna applied pressure. Flailing wildy, he managed grab hold of some part of his opponents uniform with his other hand as he stumbled backward, into some of the cargo in the hold. 

 

His other hand clawed wildly at Osuna, pulling, clawing, grabbing until he got ahold of the man's face. Frantically Talos made to end the fight by wrenching Osuna's neck around until it broke or he stopped fighting, whichever came first. The rage that afflicted his mind didn't care what happened, it needed the phaser. It needed to destroy. With another wild lunge at the man's head, Osuna deftly dipped under his advance, quickly gaining leverage and sending Talos over his shoulder in a roll.

Distantly, he was aware of the meaty thud of his body slamming into the deck plate, but where pain should've been there was only rage. He managed to lock his grip around the Security Officers' wrist once again as their bodies tangled on the ground, he pummeled every part he could reach with his other hand until something struck him on the shoulder like a bolt of lightning.

 

Instantly his arm and shoulder went numb, drooping slightly as he watched Osuna scramble clear of his grip. Talos tried to get up with his one functional arm, but was only part of the way through the awkward process when his opponent, his attacker called out to him. 

The hatred burning in his black eyes faltered as he stared down the emitter of the phaser pistol pointed in his direction. The stun had rattled him enough for his rational mind to try and take control, but it was a futile attempt.

 

Osuna: Last chance, Lieutenant. Sit down.

For a moment he was still, as he summoned all of his discipline, all of his mental fortitude, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the power of the Da'al contagion.
 

He managed to choke out two words as the rage yanked his consciousness back out of his control.

 

Dakora: Do... It...

 

He launched himself at Osuna again, hearing the whirr of the phaser, and feeling the sizzle as it struck his body. 

 

Then, it was over.

 

[+ Vitor S. Silveira]

9 hours ago, Robin Hopper said:

I promise this time I properly looked through the forums to confirm nobody else had already posted this one!

 

And a great sim as most in this mission.

What a start for the Artemis 👍