Interview Two - Captain ben-Avram
Posted on Sun Nov 3rd, 2019 @ 4:39pm by Commander Arianna Frost & Captain Akiva ben-Avram
2,909 words; about a 15 minute read
Mission:
Mission 0: Everybody Has A Story
Location: Captain ben-Avram's Office
After the interview with Commander Qiao, Arianna was beginning to wonder if everyone would have some sort of representative with them. While she was definitely certain that the scientist and his AI advisor were not telling her the whole truth, she wasn't sure as to whether whatever he was hiding was of value to her or not. Alas, she would come back to Qiao eventually, when she had more from others. Pieces of this puzzle were held by many players rather than just one.
The next player stood to reveal a lot, or not enough. Captain Akiva ben-Avram. Out of respect for his station, Arianna went to Akiva rather than mandate him coming to her. So, armed with two PADDs, one to record and one to reference from, she pressed the buzzer to his office door.
"Enter." The doors parted at the command, but Akiva did not face the door. He stood, as he often did, facing the Badlands' plasma storms arrayed across his wall-to-wall view port.
Arianna stepped in, slowing her pace as she noticed what he was doing. She took a moment to take the sight in. Square, stiff shoulders and back, hands clasped in eachother. The reflection in the barrier between them and the Badlands clear. Tension.
"Thank you for meeting with me, Captain." Ari said in a soft tone.
At length Akiva turned around, avoiding her eyes at first, but finally met them as he spoke. "I gave my word that I would cooperate. How do you wish to proceed?"
"I need to ask questions and I need you to answer them as truthfully as you can. Where and how is up for debate." Arianna offered, "As I iterated to Commander Qiao, these are preliminary interviews, any further actions will be processed after all personnel involved have been interviewed. So, wherever and however you feel most comfortable."
Akiva walked to his desk, gestured to the chair in front of it, and seated himself. "Have a seat." His hands folded into a tight steeple that pointed straight ahead.
Ari took the proffered seat, placing the two PADDs on the desk. Tapping a few commands, she dictated the stardate. "This is second preliminary interview for Internal Affairs Case File Number 457-Delta Eta-39. Investigating Officer, Commander Arianna Chelsea Frost with the Office of Internal Affairs of Starfleet. Officer interviewed is," she motioned over to Akiva to state his own details, as per standard practice.
"Um... Captain Akiva ben-Avram, JAG affiliate and commanding officer of Overwatch Station," he said, leaning toward the PADD as if it were a microphone.
"Thank you, Captain. My condolences on the loss of so many of your staff." Arianna said sincerely as she turned the other PADD on and tapped a few commands on it.
The word "condolences" made Akiva visibly stiffen, but he said nothing.
"Tell me about the initial briefing for your last mission, Captain." Arianna began in the same soft tone.
"There's not too much to say," Akiva said before really thinking it over. "We received a Theta alert that had a special order from the Admiralty. The field team was tasked with continuing Starfleet Security's investigation of the Species 8472 attack on the T'ien system in Lagashi space. A dossier was provided that contained preliminary theories from Starfleet Intelligence and scarce few details from the Security investigation. In truth, the field team did not have much to go on before they arrived at the scene."
Arianna nodded, her eyes dancing over his expressions and mannerisms. "How did Kazyah Linn take Karna Zsan?"
The question made Akiva feel indifferent. "I don't know. I'm told that Karna met the team outside the offices of Lagashi admiralty, though under spurious circumstances. Based on everybody's logs, I was actually in the process of completing an Article 15 investigation on Commander... Captain Mrazak's command decisions that led to the breach of security and loss of life, particularly due to allowing Karna Zsan on board the Phantom." Akiva set his jaw in a sullen, smoldering chagrin. "Admiral Tau evidently saw matters differently." After a few seconds of bitter contemplation, he remembered himself. "Forgive me. I've veered from your question. My statement for the record is 'I do not know.'"
Arianna took in the expressions on his face as he spoke and nodded. "Tell me about Commander Lhinn. I understand out of all the personnel here, you knew him best."
"We served together on the Vindex, though we did not have much interaction for some time. I was briefly the Chief Operations Officer until the XO spot opened. The CO saw something in me and offered me the role." Akiva chuckled wryly. "I almost didn't take it. But it was in that capacity when my professional relation began with Kazyah Linn. He was always a shadowy and evasive personality, and it turned out it was for good reason. One of our science officers, Lieutenant Saalkan, turned out to be a madman who led a mutiny in pursuit of... well, you can read about it in the MT-9939 archive file." Akiva punched up the file on his desktop display and spun it around. "Kaz... Linn... seemed to have sided with Saalkan at first, but as it turned out, he was undercover with orders from SFI to uproot Saalkan's conspiracy. Intelligence's MO doesn't change much, does it?" The rhetorical question was given with a scornful roll of the eyes. "Kaz... was tasked with torturing me to gain my command codes as XO, but when we were alone, he read me in to his mission. At first I didn't believe him, nabal that he is, but he proved it by providing inside information once the mutineers were forced to flee the ship. Thanks to him, we were able to track down Saalkan and rescue the hostages he'd taken as insurance." Including Laena, though Akiva did not include that detail. They weren't betrothed at the time, only romantically interest. Despite his faults, Akiva owed Kaz an unpayable debt for that alone. If only Laena hadn't left...
Akiva shook his head to clear it. "I know he's a cagey, unlikable man with a disreputable past, but he's always been a loyalist. It's... hard to believe the report. He's the last person I'd peg for a deserter."
'Don't give up that belief in him', Arianna wanted to say. Their line of work was often one of blurry lines and hard to believe truths and they all needed someone to genuinely believe in them. Now was not the time though. She was here to ask questions and untangle the mess. Personal opinions, later, maybe, if and when she stopped being seen as Internal Affairs dread.
Arianna tapped on one of her PADDs and saved the reference of the file for later reading.
"I'd like to go back to the reports of the deaths of Doctor Kiril Nevin and one Isaiah Zelaney. How well did you know the two of them?" Frost switched gears.
"I met them both on Bynaus earlier this year." Akiva went from pensive to gravely solemn. "My..." This was always hard to explain, particularly due to the stasis pod in the corner of the office that, when opened, would reveal an inactive android. "Biynah, my daughter, was accepted to the Academy. As a... synthetic lifeform, she was to undergo a strenuous Turing test as part of her final admission process. But the Bynar transport we arranged to ferry her there suffered a problem. A fatality, even. They blamed her, and she was taken to Bynaus along with the crew of the courier vessel. It was then that Kaz told me about Memory Theta. He warned me that Mrazak might take my daughter away if she was deemed a material threat to the stability of the Federation or any of its members. I took a leave of absence and went to Bynaus with the intention of getting my daughter back. Somehow I convinced Kaz to help me. Maybe it was friendship. Maybe he was worried that I would implicate him for leaking Memory Theta's existence. In the end, I crossed paths with the field team. Biynah was in their custody already, and she convinced us all to work together in order to prevent the catastrophic failure of their master computer network. That's how I wound up here."
Akiva paused, finding an old wound breaking open, one he hadn't addressed for several months. "Biynah died. She gave her life to save Bynaus. I threatened Admiral Nyel with exposure, and she responded by offering me this position in order to keep Mrazak on a tight leash. Through all of that, I came to know Nevin fairly well, but Lieutenant Zelaney kept himself at a distance. In fact, I'd arranged for his transfer away from here and back to his former post... Nevin, I mean."
The walk down memory lane made Akiva sigh in consternation. So many sad memories.
"You desperately need counselling, Captain." Ari thought to herself as she glanced over at the indicated stasis pod. "Why do you think they were killed?" Part of her hated the hard questions, especially at the moment of unravelling. Like everyone though, she too had her job, which was...to ask the hard questions.
The gesture Akiva made was somewhere between shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, but somehow failed to accomplish either one. "Hard to say. Nevin was a reported suicide, which might stand to reason. His ship, the Gallagher, ran afoul of a Borg ship before he was able to return to it. I recall he said that several loved ones were on board. After that... he changed. He was unresponsive, forgetful, and when the Gallagher was mentioned, he seemed almost happy. I was hoping he had merely learned to cope, but in hindsight... we should have done something."
He took a deep breath and tried to recall the field reports. "As for Zelaney... It's my understanding that he installed malicious code through the form of a ghost registry that mimicked Ferrofax's own credentials and thereby went outside the AI's notice. Rather brilliant, I have to admit, as well as the efforts of the young Lieutenant who broke through it. The last words Karna Zsan were reported to say aboard the Phantom was that he had one last gift to give, which heralded Zelaney's murder. As much as it pains me to say it, I have to conclude that Zelaney was a traitor in some capacity. I'll await for you to confirm that."
Arianna nodded, "that's partly what I'm here for, yes sir." Then she sighed. How did this man keep himself together? Well, the answer was barely, as it was obvious even to her non empath self that he was on the verge of breaking. "Has Commander Qiao ever mentioned the state of his relationship with Ms Zhang XiaoLi?"
"No." Akiva could not have been more indifferent in his reply. "I was not aware any relationship between them."
Frost made a note on her PADD, "do you find him the sort who would allow an external relationship to influence his work here or his duty to Memory Theta and Starfleet?"
"When we were on Bynaus, my daughter trusted him enough to tell him how to find me and reunite us. I don't have much cause to interact with him, but he has always struck me as a stabilizing presence on the field team." Akiva ran his hands across the desk and gripped its edge. "When can we get to Mrazak? I have a lot to say about him."
Arianna studied him for a moment, then leaned back, reaching over to her PADD again, tapping a note. Then she gave a feel free motion with her hand. "Tell me about Mister Mrazak, Captain."
"Mrazak is a half-wit disgrace to the uniform and a ben-zonah that infects these corridors with his stench." As Akiva spoke, his lips curled in a hateful sneer. "He disregards the lives and well-being of others for his personal gain. Three months ago, I had him nailed to the wall on judicial charges that he managed to evade due to some corrupt backroom deal involving Ryland Dedeker, a man he had classified as essential personnel and therefore beyond my ability to transfer. Another blackguard after Mrazak's own heart who is no more of a stranger to graft and perfidy than that Vulcan is. Thanks to Mrazak's double-dealing, that man's presence ruined everything! It's Mrazak's fault the baby--" Not even his temper could force the painful words out, so Akiva changed gears. He held two angry fingers in the air. "Twice I have brought him up on charges, and twice--" Akiva's fingers trembled with his ire. "--he has evaded justice! How many people must die before he is stripped of rank and sent to the supermax prison he deserves?!"
Once his wind ran out, Akiva leaned back into his chair and fought to still the micro-convulsions of his spent outburst. His anger demanded greater release, but his body was weak. And then he remembered the conversation was being recorded. "I apologize, Commander... That was not meant for you."
Arianna waved it off, "not necessary, sir." Then she reached towards the first PADD, "interview paused," she said as she dictated the time and tapped a command.
"Take a few, before we continue," she offered.
All Akiva could do was cover his face in his hands and weep. The trembling of his shoulders wracked his entire body. Eventually, his elbows made contact with his desk, which allowed his hands to cradle his head all the more. "What was I thinking? I was so arrogant, as if I could stand against the tide of corrupt bureaucracy. And now it's cost me everything. Everything." As he spoke, his weeping began to subside until it was only ragged breathing. "Ask your questions. I just don't know if I can be of any help to you..." Or anyone, he silently mouthed.
At present, he would not be much help, no. However, he'd already given her much to think about and quite a lot to research. Clearly, reports alone weren't going to get to the bottom of this. How many tears would it take however?
"I think that's enough for today, sir. You've provided clues to follow. That in itself is quite enough for a preliminary interview." Arianna said finally, exhaling a deep breath, "interview terminated." She said again, as she re-engaged the control on the first PADD and dictated the time and date.
"I'll have more questions later, but for now, thank you." Frost gave him a small nod and finally cracked a smile. "Now that we're off the record, your turn. I'll answer what I can."
After all, she wasn't simply here to run an investigation. This was her new job, essentially her new home.
Akiva had to blink his vision clear. At first he wanted to dismiss her, but that would leave his quasi nervous breakdown as her first private impression of him. A question was needed. Something... personal but appropriate. "How did you end up in IA?"
"They approached me, after I got reassigned from the BAT to Intel Counter Intelligence and later Spec Ops." Ari shrugged, "I'm a good criminal investigator and a good analyst, but Starfleet Security could only get me so far. I like the resources Intel and especially IA provides for me to get my job done."
Fair enough, Akiva's nod seemed to say. "You must be good if they sent you to sort this mess out." The next question which bubbled to the surface was one he'd rather not ask, but Akiva couldn't help himself. "If you had the chance to do it all again, would you?"
Her thoughts immediately drew to one action, one that sent her on a downward spiral towards blindness. One she could probably never share.
"Some things, absolutely." Ari sighed, "some not. Hindsight really is a bitch, you discover in your adult life. Life has a way of leading you where you need to be, without us catching up all that quick, or if ever."
"That's not what I mean," Akiva said, low and even. "Was it worth it?"
Ari held his eyes for a moment, trying to decipher what he was really asking, as the Captain seemed to be semi lost in his own grief and regret before she decided to answer.
"Yes, without question." She nodded. "Yes."
It might've been that her conviction was contagious. Maybe it ignited Akiva's own faith-born fatalism. Whatever it was about it, Ari's simple but earnest affirmative answer doubled down on the importance of duty. And not just to Starfleet, but to HaShem, to himself, to... His eyes drifted over to the corner nook where Biynah's remains were stored.
"Thank you, Commander," Akiva said at length. Sometimes when personal confidence failed, another's could substitute, at least for a time. "For perspective."
Arianna gave him a small nod, and that sliver of a smile again. He had galvanized, which she was glad for. Maybe not fully, there was still a lingering...something behind the slowly rebuilding walls, but it was a step up. Hopefully, it would continue to go up, rather than fall back down when she left his office.
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