One Step Ahead of the Devil

Posted on Thu Jun 27th, 2019 @ 9:42pm by Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov
Edited on on Fri Jun 28th, 2019 @ 10:27pm

Mission: Getting To Know You
Location: Earth
Timeline: Weeks Prior

ON: Starfleet Headquarters

A panel of three officers sat at an elevated table at the far end of the room as Aleksi marched to the defendant’s position. The engineer at the far left of the table motioned to him, “Lieutenant Voroshilov, please take a seat.”

“If it's all the same to you sir, I'd rather be standing,” If his fate was to be sealed he'd rather face it staring his prosecutors in the eyes, smile on his lips.

A protest from the engineer was cut short by the officer leading the inquiry, “It's his right,” The eyes of the Commodore bore into the young officer, “You understand that the charges that have been brought against you are serious? You stand accused of mutiny, piracy, and murder among other crimes.”

“Perfectly,” Aleksi gave a curt nod to the JAG officer to the right of the Andorian, a devious smile on his lips.

The JAG representative cocked her brow. He understood but did not regret his choice. Even then he was replaying the memories with no small amount of righteousness, “I believe Lieutenant Voroshilov fully understands his predicament.”

"I'm not sure that he does," The Commodore looked right into Aleksi's eyes, a flame of hatred burning in them, "He killed a fellow Starfleet officer, a hero of the Dominion War, a husband, a father..."

“...A genocidal maniac,” The Betazed finished for him, a tone of disgust in her voice, “Are we here to deliver a verdict or begin a new court martial?”

The Commodore gripped the arm of his chair, glaring at the JAG Office. The lingering silence was broken by Aleksi, “I am fully aware of Captain Ch'evhiasrahr’s record and I would replay the situation almost the exact same way.”

“Almost?” The engineer was glad for the distraction from the Commodore's heat.

"I wouldn't have hesitated to kill," The smirk turned to the Commodore, "That hesitation nearly cost one of my men their lives."

The JAG concealed a small grin. This man was either the dumbest or most clever man she’d ever seen in court, “You don't know when to stop digging do you?”

“It's part of my charm,” If he was going to be thrown into a deep dark hole, he might as well be honest and get at least one good laugh in. The fact it was irritating the Commodore was icing.

The Commodore rubbed his temples, “Fortunately the Federation, unlike you, does not believe in the death penalty. Read the verdict.”

“The Office of the Judge Advocate General recommends no charges be brought against the crew of the Spectre in the case of the mutiny aboard the USS Norwich. It is the opinion of the office that the actions of Lieutenant Voroshilov were not taken lightly nor without serious deliberation. Further evidence taken from the Norwich shows that conflict between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire was potentially avoided due to the actions,” The JAG Officer nodded to Aleksi, adding, "Due to the nature of this inquiry certain details will remain classified."

Aleksi smirked at the Andorian who clearly not pleased with the verdict. Why would he be? Captain Ch'evhiasrahr had been the Commodore’s classmate, “Veritas vos liberabit Commodore Aris.”

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ON: Chateau Domaine

“Is it customary to meet with the man whose fate was in your hands?” Aleksi stood up as Captain Adeik approached his table.

“You'd be surprised,” She shook his hand, “I met my ex-husband the same way,” While the meeting was technically within standards it was most certainly frowned upon. None of that stopped Leana's curiosity about the man Aris wanted to put in a shallow grave. Aleksi's cavalier attitude regarding his own life was apparent in his confidence in the face of uncertainty. She was sure he'd have been the sort of man to give the orders to his own firing squad simply because he could. That was a quality she admired.

“So are we looking at a Human Wedding or a traditional Betazed one?” Aleksi pulled a chair out for her, “I need to know if I should start on my tan.”

Finding a good bar in San Francisco that wasn't full of fleet officers or politicians wasn't easy, discretion being a requirement for this sort of meeting. Instead he chose a vineyard, one of his favorites in Napa Valley. It was good for impressing people with the view and the wine. It also helped that he had done some consulting for them in the past.

With a laugh she took the seat, “That, Mr. Voroshilov, has yet to be determined," looking over the grand view below she could tell his choice of location was no accident. With the 18th century French Architecture melting into the rolling fields with the fog crested mountains in the distance it was clear he intended to take her breath away, “Though you're making a case for a ceremony on Earth,” She made it clear he was succeeding.

“Call me Aleksi,” With a smirk he took his seat, “I'd like to think I know a thing or two about beauty.”

The comment wasn't lost on her. She may have requested the meeting, but he had set the stage. He is a clever boy, “And yet you still chose to spend a year on a Bird of Prey.”

“For God and Country,” Looking over to her he added, "Plus austerity has its own sort of beauty."

The waiter returned with a two champagne flutes and a bottle of sparkling wine. Leana watched the lithe man silently open the bottle and pour a little into Aleksi's glass. Taking the glass, he looked at the liquid then took a sip. Nodding his approval, the waiter filled Leana's glass first then his before setting the bottle in a small bucket of ice, "Merci Felipe."

Leana lifted her glass in Aleksi’s direction, "Perhaps we should toast your good fortune?”

“To harrowing adventures and narrow escapes,” He said as he raised his glass to her level, “May the rewards be plentiful and we always remain one step ahead of the Devil.”

“Here here,” Leana toasted his glass, taking a sip of the bubbly, “Any idea what those adventures will be?”

“For tonight a drive through the valley at unsafe speeds until I end up in Napa,” Taking another drink of wine he let it sit in his mouth for a moment before swallowing, “There’s a fantastic sushi restaurant there.”

"So the relic is yours," There had been an ancient automobile in the parking lot when she arrived. He said he knew beauty, “Sounds like you're asking me to dinner.”

“Only if you're answering,” He leaned back a little.

“I could always go for a near death experience,” She answered, “What then?”

"Start on my resignation letter," He set his glass down, watching the bubbles for a bit before looking at her, "A reputation as a mutineer and murder doesn't bode well for future career prospects. I could be a pirate, that seems to fit my skill set."

She coughed a little, the statement caught her by surprise, “But you were cleared of all charges. Hell, you may get a medal out of this.”

Aleksi swirled the wine in his glass, watching how the bubbles reacted, “Captain Shral Ch'evhiasrahr was a very popular officer, heavily decorated as well. Many of his crew would go to hell and back for him, I know because I nearly had to blow up the ship.

“Commodore Aris and Shral grew up in the fleet together. Before taking command of the Norwich he turned down a flag officer position. The same one Aris has right now,” He finished the glass.

She sat there in silence for a few moments as he topped off her glass. He did his homework, “Not wanting to stay in because of a stigma seems...unlike you.”

"And here I thought we only just met," Setting the bottle on the table Aleksi looked back at her, “You're right though, in fact it could prove comical until I’d inevitably get bored. They'd send me to some far-flung corner of the Federation were I'll be on some staff filing paperwork. I choose my own destiny, not the fleet.”

She couldn't help but laugh, “You only stay in because you aren't bored yet? That explains so much,” As lead investigator for his case she had delved into his files. Whether it was willingly taunting adversary forces or playing the rogue smuggler his assignments always had a thread of action, even if it could be considered fatalistic amounts of it, “What would you do in the real world?”

“Winemaker,” The reply was simple, but brought a smile to his face. His imagination dancing with the simplicity that life would bring, “Someplace near the coast. Good land for Burgundy wines, my personal favorite. "

Taking a long sip she got the feeling that this was more than theoretical, “Sounds lovely, how big Chateau Voroshilov would be?”

“A modest 150 acres,” He looked her in the eyes as he filled her glass again, “The main house overlooking the Pacific, low fog in the mornings and…” The chirping of his comms brought an unwelcome interruption, “Cyka,” He groaned, looking toward the comm then again back to her.

“Go ahead, could be news about your harvest,” Leana smirked, trying to imagine the man in front of her as a farmer. She had to admit it was hard to get past the image he had put into her mind of a pirate.

Aleksi smiled as he took the call, “Voroshilov here,” as the voice on the other end went on the humor drained away from his face, “Understood, I'll be there tomorrow.”

Setting the comm down he chuckled, “Looks like the Chateau by the ocean will have to wait.”

“Something interesting happen?” She leaned forward, curious as to what changed his plans so quickly.

“Very much so, " He raised his glass, toasting towards the heavens, “I’m being assigned to a ship.”