A Mercy Posting

Posted on Sat Jun 29th, 2019 @ 4:31am by Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov & Captain Abigail Laurens
Edited on on Sat Jun 29th, 2019 @ 5:10am

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: USS Astraea

ON

Commodore Polk rubbed her temples, not entirely ready to make another call on behalf of her favorite agent of chaos. Her options were running out quickly, news of what happened on the Norwich causing most commanders to outright reject to the idea of the man being on their ship. Even with the acquittal and sealing of records she had to admit that a firm no was the most logical reaction. The only people who seemed to want him was the Fleet Staff on Andoria, and that was the one place she didn’t want him sent. Taking a sip of her brandy spiked tea, she made the call to Commander Laurens.

Abigail sighed and rubbed her temples. Two days in and Command was already proving to be more difficult than she had ever considered. It seemed like every time she got one issue resolved, three more would pop up in their place.

The chirp of the communications on her console startled her from her thoughts, bringing her back to reality with a crash, that realistically could have just been from the PaDD she knocked off the desk as she jumped. Retrieving it from the floor, she turned her attention back to the console and opened the communication. "Commodore Polk?" Abigail said with surprise. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"As a leading member of the intelligence directorate I'm offering you one of the best analysts to take on the Astraea's Chief of Intelligence position," The statement itself was truthful, as much of a pain in the ass he could be the one thing he rarely did was get things wrong. It was a practiced line, something she needed after getting hung up on almost immediately be the Captain of the Aurelius. This was becoming a tougher sell than she thought it would be, "Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov."

There was a sharp intake of breath at the name. "I might be new to Command but even I know that name," Abigail replied quietly. She pursed her lips momentarily, watching the Commodore over the screen. "Tell me more."

A string of curses echoed in the Orion Officer's mind before affecting a practiced smile, something she still wasn't particularly good at. At least Laurens didn't immediately cut the comm, so it was a promising start,"Then you know that he's been cleared of any charges that may have been placed against him and that he is fully cleared for duty. For all his flaws, of which there are many, he's damn good at his job if not one of the best," She looked away briefly, trying to think of to close the pitch, "I know what I'm asking for Commander, and you are free to tell me to fuck off. I trust him, have trusted him, with my reputation and that's something I don't say lightly," The tone was that of deadly seriousness, Aleksander had never betrayed her trust and she owed him some loyalty.

Abigail fell silent for a long moment, just staring at the screen as she contemplated over the situation. "You're right, I could say that," she said quietly. "And I'd be perfectly within my rights to. But I'm not going to. How soon can you have him at Starbase 357? I'm not making any promises, but if you can get him here I'll let him speak for himself. I'll give him that much of a chance at least."

Mira let out a visible sigh of relief as some weight had been lifted of her shoulders, "Thank you Commander, I..."

A chime interrupted the conversation, “Commander Laurens, this is security, we have a man at the main entry claiming to be the new court jester. I…I’m not sure what to do,” Though the officer tried his best to sound professional, it was clear that he was bewildered by the ridiculous situation. There was an unspoken plea for help, any help.

“That would be your new Intelligence Officer Miss Laurens,” Mira pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping that he would at least pretend to be civil for a short time. It had been a forlorn hope, he never promised he would, instead saying he would take it under advisement. At least he hadn’t killed anyone…yet, “My suggestion is to collect him at the front door, otherwise he may find some other creative way onto your ship that will be less pleased with.”

Abigail sighed audibly, shaking her head momentarily before she glanced back to the console. "Commodore, tell me... why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?" she asked quietly.

Tapping her commbadge, Abigail drew in a sharp breath. "Laurens to Security. Tell Mr Voroshilov that his Queen is on the way."

With one more vague smile at the view screen, Abigail nodded slightly. "I'll let you know, but like I said, no promises." Without waiting for a reply she reached out and turned off the console, ending the communication before standing up and heading for the door.

--------

“So you won’t let me onboard?” Aleksander pointed dramatically at the ship, feigning and exaggerated sign of annoyance. In reality he was enjoying every moment of this exchange, getting a decent read off security, “Pizdec! It’s not like I’m some Gopnik firing Kalashnikov in the air.”

To their credit, the guards at the gate were trying to be as polite as they could be. What they wanted to do was put him in restraints and hand him over to the station for criminal processing, but since being an obnoxious asshole wasn’t technically a crime all they could do was wait him out, “We need to search your bag first.”

“And then you will let me on?” The accent was thick, understandable but barely so. He was wearing a large overcoat, one you’d commonly find on the fringes of Federation space. His eyes watched as the other man returned, whispering something to the guard whose job had been to distract him. There was a faint flicker of hope in their eyes which meant someone with greater authority was coming. The question now was whether that person wore command red or had a stun baton. Possibly both if he was lucky.

“If you just wait a moment Mr. Voroshilov our Commander will be arriving,” The relief was apparent on their faces. It occurred to the crazy man that Commodore Polk must have been on the line when security called him in. [i]Your timing is impeccable Mira.[/i]

“Well in that case I won’t be needing this,” The accent disappeared as Aleksi tossed the overcoat on the bag they were so desperate to search, revealing the gray uniform and two gold pips. A grin crossed his face as both security officers just stared slack jawed. The sound of boots on the gangway drew his eye, three shiny pips on a slightly aggravated woman. Sadly she lacked the baton.

“Commander Laurens,” He offered a smart salute, trying to behave just like mother had asked, “I’m Lieutenant Voroshilov. Permission to come aboard.”

Abigail cast a glance over Aleksi then turned to the security officer, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Well, where is he?" she asked.

The security officer stared back at her blankly before hitching a thumb toward Aleksi.

With another disdainful glance at Aleksi, Abigail shook her head. "No, there must be some confusion. I was told the court jester had arrived and this individual appears to be neither jesterly nor funny," she said dryly.

He dropped the salute with a chuckle, this was going to be a fun posting if the disgust was already flowing. Maybe he should have detonated that core, but where would the fun in that be? "We're all characters in this dark comedy we call life, I just happen to be the comic relief who's aware of it. The joke for the day is Starfleet's Justice System."

"Let him through," Abigail said with a shake of her head. "You can come with me. Leave your stuff, security will see it's taken to your quarters for you."

"Thank you gentlemen, your courage stopped an angry potato farmer from boarding the Astraea," Aleksi stepped across the imaginary threshold the security folks had fought so hard to protect. Turning once more he add, "Also, I wouldn't touch the head on any massagers you may find."

"Don't worry, my people have no interest in touching any of your stuff, no matter what it is. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I really do have things I need to do today." There was a certain terseness to Abigail's voice as she spoke, motioning for him to start walking down the corridor.

The fact she was unhappy was obvious and why shouldn't she be? Four weeks ago it was just as likely he'd be spending his days on a penal colony rather than back in uniform. Based on her word choice she hadn't blessed him to be on the crew, which was a shame considering hers was the last one on the Starbase needing a Chief Intelligence Officer and he had little interest in going to Andoria, "What sorts of other things?"

The walk back to her ready room passed in relative silence, but even Abigail was aware of the distinct glances from those who seemed to recognize who he was. Well, if she allowed him to stay, it would make things interesting to say the least.

Finally, walking into her ready room, she motioned for him to take a seat at the desk. "I need a latte, do you want something?" she offered politely as she moved to the replicator.

"Vodka," Without a second thought he took as seat on the other side of the desk. There had been a rather sick bit of pleasure Aleksi had garnered from the crew. It appeared the Federation had done well covering up the crimes of a the next maniacal warlord. Who said propaganda wasn't a good thing? "But I suppose black tea also works."

Ordering the black tea and a chai latte for herself, she carried the drinks back to her desk, handing his across to him before sinking into her own seat, sipping the mug slowly for a moment as she remained silent. Finally, leaning back in her seat, she set a level gaze on him. "As I'm sure you realize, your presence here is going to cause a stir. If you stay, there are going to be those that will disagree vehemently with your very existence, let alone your presence, so I guess my decision now is what do I do? Do I keep you on the ship and take my chances or do I send you back to the Starbase so you can wait for someone else to come along and take you on."

Digging into his pocket Aleksi dug out an isochip, sliding it across to her. Taking a sip of his tea he met her gaze, "You keep me because I was right, because I prevented a war the Federation didn't want nor were they equipped to handle," Sipping at his black tea his voice turned serious, "I understand you're taking a risk, probably thinking right now that you should just leave me behind. Honestly, you probably should if you don't want the hit to your reputation."

Standing up he moved to the observation window, "On the other, if your more concerned about actual outcome then I am your best choice. There are many officers that present less risk, but few will go as far as I have gone to make sure they're right," He turned to her, a smirk on his face, "And fewer still are better analysts, which is what you need on a warship where life and death can be decided on margins as thin as a knife blade."

Abigail picked up the isochip, turning it over in her hand, end to end, twirling it between her fingers as she watched him. Tossing the chip easily, she threw it back to him. "It's your lucky day Lieutenant," she said quietly. "But I suggest you don't push that luck, you may not like the outcome."

Aleksi looked down at the chip in his hand, then back to her. It seems the propaganda wasn't perfect, but it was still good. Lifting it up in fingers he nodded, he didn't want to be reminded of the fact the devil lived in all of them either. It was a fact that he had to live with for over a year. While he'd be happy to get rid of it, have someone to share his misery with, it was his burden to bare, "Thank you ma'am," Tucking the isochip away he looked at her, "I'm certain that Commodore Polk has mentioned I am not the easiest man to work with."

"I may have heard that a time or two," Abigail replied quietly. "I'm willing to give you a chance, but just remember, don't bite the hand that feeds you," she said softly. "Respect my crew and my ship and we won't have a problem and I'll make sure they treat you the same."

Aleksi chuckled at that statement, "If you don't plan on starting any genocides I think we shall get along swimmingly," He held few principles close, usually finding them more of a hindrance to his job than any help. Stopping the wholesale sale slaughter of innocents was one of those principles, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Abigail said quietly. "I can't guarantee I will give you an answer you like, but you can ask."

"I'm hoping for the truth, that's the only thing I care about," Taking a sip of the tea, decent for a replicated drink, he kept his eyes on the nearest ship. Setting the cup back on the saucer he glanced at her, "What do you think the devil is like? If he was right here, what would you see?"

Abigail paused for a long moment, contemplating over his words. "I will be honest," she said quietly. "I'm not sure I am even remotely qualified to answer this, but I think he would represent temptation. He would embody what ever it is that is most likely to tempt you into what ever he wanted you to do."

"That, Commander Laurens, is the first thing we agree on," He finished his tea, having met her devil not too long ago. Setting the cup on the replicator to dispose of it. Turning to her with a smile, he took a seat on the couch, "Lucky for you I'm like," He tapped the couch arm, "Kale, all I have to offer are things you'd rather not have but need to hear."

"The difference is that Kale is a bitter disappointment, no matter what you put it with," Abigail replied quietly. "And kale leaves a very very bad taste in your mouth. I'm sincerely that will NOT be the case with you."

"I certainly hope not either," He leaned forward a little, "Otherwise I'll have to resign myself to being bored, and when I'm bored," A chuckle as he looked back at her, "Well, it's not good."

Pausing for a moment, collecting his thoughts, he continued without sarcasm or jokes, "I can promise you three things. You will get the unvarnished truth whenever you need it, not always when you want it. Second, I will do everything in my power to help keep this ship and your crew alive. Lastly, my duty, the reason why I even put on this uniform in the first place, is to protect the innocent and if, god forbid, we ever do anything that jeopardizes that..." He cut himself off before he buried a deeper hole, "Forget that last one."

Abigail sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes narrowing as she watched him. "I think I've heard enough Lieutenant," she said quietly. "Your belongings will be in your quarters. I suggest you go get yourself settled in."

Aleksi was all smiles as she said that, as if he hadn't warned her not to commit any war crimes. Standing up, understanding her statement meant get out of her sight, "Thank you ma'am, I promise you'll only be slightly disappointed."

With a snappy salute he turned on his heel, making his way to the door. Before opening it he dug into his pocket, the worn isochip is his hand once more, "And let me know if you'd like to see the face of the devil, I'll be happy to oblige you. Good morning Commander," And without another word he stepped out of the ready room, his mind focused on one thing, alcohol.

As he walked out and the doors closed behind him, Abigail sighed softly, leaning forward, her head in her hands, with her elbows on her desk as she contemplated for a long moment. This was either going to be an amazing coup for their ship, or it was going to be the biggest mistake she could ever have made. Unfortunately it was something that only time would be able to tell.

=/\=

Commander Abigail Laurens
Commanding Officer
USS Astraea

&

Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Astraea