<USS Avalon> "Interview B"

“Interview B”
by Commander Javan Sierra
& Ensign Melanie Redgrave



The atmosphere on the ship still lingered on the heavy side despite their closeness to Earth and Melanie couldn’t help but feel that it was somehow odd. Her ship-serving friends had all explained an electric kind of charge that would pass through a ship when it was homeward bound. This felt more like a wet blanket that one couldn't get out from under no matter how hard one kicked. She hoped as she stepped from the turbolift that the mugginess wouldn’t last much longer.

Melanie took a small gold watch which hung gracefully from a delicate gold chain from her pocket and checked the time before approaching Commander Sierra’s door. A smile tugged at her lips as she ran her thumb over her mother’s watch. She was a few minutes early but that was alright. She liked keeping people on their toes. Melanie put the elegant little watch back into the pocket of her uniform slacks and then rang the Commander’s door chime.

His quarters were clean for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. The usual tattered floor and littered space looked like a wasteland compared to the other quarters he’d seen. Stuffing a bunch of dirty close into a drawer and hearing it mechanically seal, he moved back to the couch for a moment of relaxation. He wasn't exactly sure what the meeting was about, but he figured it was something to do with the autopsy of Flubb. It was nice having a Forensics unit onboard so he didn't have to dirty himself with it, but he felt out of the loop and that made him uneasy.

His serenity was shattered by the chime. Sighing an exasperated sigh, Javan stood. Though he was only in a white sleeveless t-shirt and black wind pants, he still felt professional and well-dressed. So his visual standards were low, so what? "Enter," he called to the woman outside his door and he moved over to meet her.

Melanie stepped into the cabin as soon as the doors opened and quickly scanned her surroundings. The room was a rather barren one for someone who’d been in residence for a long period of time, but Melanie chalked it up to the fact Javan was a man and had most likely spent the last ten minutes shoving dirty socks under his mattress. "I do apologize for intruding on your personal time, Commander. However, I have a few things I’d like to discuss with you. Starting with a question or two."

"Of course, Ensign, would you like something to drink?" He made a fledgling motion to his replicator that still had a dirty plate on it. He frowned internally, "computer, recycle replicator's contents," and in a flash it was gone into a swirl of glowing particles.

A slight smile threatened to tug at Melanie’s lips but neither her professionalism, nor her Englishness would allow her to show it at such a time. "No thank you, Commander. I don’t wish to take up any more of your time then I need to." She paused while she took out her ever-present PADD. "Commander, if you could start by telling me what you thought of Captain Flubb?"

"What I thought of him?" Javan repeated the question to himself as he sat. There wasn't a lot he could say for he hadn't associated with him much at all during his tenure as ship's Captain. Sitting down he placed his hands on his knees, "well, I didn't know him all that much, I'm afraid. He was a capable officer, but when he took command it seemed to me that the ship was run more and more by myself and Commander Skyler. As a person he was just like you and I, I suppose."

Melanie sat in a chair near Javan and nodded slightly. She was having a hard time finding a motive for this murder since it appeared that no one had more than a sliver of contact with the man. He was starting to seem very withdrawn and Melanie wondered how on Earth he’d gotten a command. "So you had little contact with him, if any?"

"A few briefings, some security updates, other random command staff conversations, and personnel reviews. For the most part I was running the bridge or in the security offices," Javan folded his arms across his chest. His eyes tried to search for her, but she was intent on her interview topics. Suddenly he felt suspicion in the room. "Am I being accused of something, Ensign?"

"No, sir. I am only eliminating variables." Melanie looked at Javan, reading him, he was tougher than most, probably because he was a Betazoid, but there were little things. "You are, at the moment, a variable, Sir. You meet the criteria set by the evidence. That is all."

She looked back down at her PADD to consider her next question. Given his position he would most likely have been in the ready room within the set amount of time she was using as a guideline so she moved on to her aces. "What types of shoes do you wear, Commander?"

"Standard Starfleet-issue for the most part. I have some tennis shoes I wear for running and exercise, but I'm not a big shoe person other than that," Javan said as he looked down at his bare feet. If he could work without shoes on, he thought, he would have. It was so much more comfortable and he could run a hell of a lot better without shoes on. "Shoes are shoes."

"So says someone who’s never worn a pair of fine European heels." Melanie replied with a slight lilt in her voice before she could stop herself. Once she realized she’d slipped in her formality she cleared her throat and went on. "Do you own or have you owned a pair of Durvusian soft soled civilian boots, size ten?"

He thought for moment not even recognizing the species. After a moment he shook his head, "I've never heard of the Durvusians. And, I wear an eleven. I haven't worn a ten since I was at the academy. And, like I said, Starfleet-issue or tennis shoes. As for wearing heels, I'm afraid that I'll leave that to those that are more suited for them."

Melanie managed to choke down her laugh but couldn’t hide the smile the Commander’s response had caused. "They are a small species who have settled on Risa to sell their goods," she tossed out while regrouping her thoughts. She really didn’t think the Commander was who she was looking for, but she hated loopholes and wanted to cover all the bases for both their sakes. "I only need to know one other thing, Commander, and then as head of security you may feel free to ask me what the hell I’m trying to get at." She looked at the Commander, watching the way he moved his body, she seemed to already know the answer to her final question. "Are you left handed?"

"No. I'm right handed."

Melanie nodded. "I thought as much." She quickly scribbled down a few notes and then with a much softer _expression_ and with more of the natural lilt of accent went on. "Thank you, Commander, for putting up with that, but you can fully blame it on your height and build."

Smirking slightly, he nodded, "I also assume that you're keeping Junior Lieutenant Orton informed of the situation, correct?" Orton had been recently named the liaison to the security department and was to give all information from Forensics proceedings to the security head. Sort of a middle man job, but a post nonetheless.

"I’m afraid, Commander, that I have yet to meet my department CO and was not aware of Mr. Orton." Melanie wrote the name down quickly and made a mental note to sit down and find out more about how things worked here. "I will keep him informed as of now, sir."

"And, I would also like to see whatever else you've uncovered as far as the investigation goes. Ship security and all."

"Of course, Commander. I will have a fully detailed report for you by the beginning of Alpha shift." Melanie was almost grateful for the added work. She was still avoiding everything personal in her life at the moment. "There isn’t much: a few odd foot prints, a holographic recreation, the type of shoe I believe the suspect wore, and the fact he or she was left handed. It would help if we had someone with motive, but it seems Flubb was disliked and closed off."

He nodded, "yes, so it seems. Keep me informed as well and if you need to make an arrest or an accusation I would like one of my men there and myself notified. If there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know." He stood up hoping to end the session, suddenly things stopped making sense and he had to make a call to someone. "If there isn't anything else...?"

Melanie stood as she shook her head. "Nothing Commander. Only that when it comes time for an arrest I will gladly allow your men to do it. I deal only in the evidence. You may have the pleasure of dealing with the person." Melanie smiled at him as she put her PADD away and then headed for the door. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Commander."

"Eckstein to Sierra," the young lady's words echoed over the communication systems, "you may want to come down to security, sir, we have something I think you should deal with."

Javan looked at Melanie, "somehow I doubt I will," and he exited his quarters behind her.

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