A Change At the Top

[Cptn Swain 0]

Misha Abronvonvich sat quietly in his darkened office, only the low glow of the Avalon sky shining in through the large floor to ceiling windows lit the room. Though it was ‘morning’ station time, the solar sunrise wouldn’t happen for another three hours, when Avalon’s second sun burst over the horizon. Irae Varen set a few feet away, drinking coffee and examining his commanding officer. It wasn’t like Misha to brood.

 

“Sir,” he finally said. “Should I get the lights, Captain Swain will be here soon -- he’s usually early from what I can tell.”

 

Misha nodded his head, but remained facing the window. “Fifty. Fifty years...”

 

Irae blinked. “Sir?”

 

“I have served Starfleet fifty years next month. That’s longer than most of the officers under my command have been alive.

 

“I’ve given the Fleet everything. My life, my brother... my marriage... my two sons...everything.”

 

Unsure where exactly this was going, Irae remained silent, gathering that the infamously guarded admiral had something on his mind.

 

“You know I could have just about any position I wanted after the war? Oh they wanted me to run the Cardassian Reconstruction -- but I couldn’t forgive them. Not for everything they did to us, to me, to the quadrant. I should have just bought damned boat and went home. But I’d done that before, and I hated it. I like to be in the thick of things, you know?

 

“I am going to hate it all over again.”

 

“You’re retiring?”

 

“If you want to call it that,” Misha said turning around, finally. “Following an in-depth review of my two years in command, and as part of a larger hearing into the Camelot Project, a review board is going to recommend to the President that I be removed from command. They were especially concerned about the incident with the Augustine and found Captain Swain’s testimony to be ‘alarming’.”

 

Irae blinked blankly. “Swain ... testified against you?”

 

“Not directly, though he might as well have. The Board of Inquiry into the destruction of the Augustine provided testimony and information to the review board. To say he was unhappy with me is an understatement.”

 

“But surely that can’t be the only thing.”

 

“Hardly,” Misha said gruffly. “They’re also putting me on the hook for everything Corizon mucked up.”

 

“Shouldn’t ATAG be taking the fall for that? He was doing their bidding -- if you can call it that.”

 

“Corizon through me under the bus too.”

 

Irae was genuinely shocked. “Surely not. The man was a lot of things, but a back stabber?”

 

“He agreed to allow his personal logs to be part of the formal record. In them he questioned my leadership and if I was being assertive enough with command over the weapons smuggling. He went on to basically accuse me of being part of the conspiracy.

 

“He’s all but blaming me for forcing him to act.”

 

“Oh for god’s sake,” he said. “Surely command sees that for what it is -- Corizon trying to get back into the uniform.”

 

Misha laughed mirthlessly. “Oh, I am sure they know that. I am sure they’re more than happy to oblige him too, if it means they get a nice, fat fall guy to pin all the troubles of the Quadrant on.”

 

Irae shook his head. “I thought they already did that with Corizon and the head of ATAG.”

 

“Bacco apparently wants another pound flesh. The official report hasn’t gotten to her desk yet; I still have some friends on Earth -- they warned me so I could beat her to the punch.”

 

“So you’re just going to let this happen?”

 

“What do you suggest, Irae? I serve at the will and pleasure of the Commander-in-Chief, if Bacco wants me gone, all she has to do is give the order. If I retire, they’ll like let the matter go. If I try and fight it, they’ll do everything in their power to destroy me. I am no saint Irae; I’ve done my fair share of questionable things. Hell, I probably am responsible for letting Corizon get out of control.

 

“The way I see it, she can appoint someone who her people can keep on a tight leash and I can go fishing on Lake Armstrong. It’s a win-win.”

 

Irae frowned. He didn’t know exactly what to say to that. He also didn’t like the idea of a new commander coming in and shaking everything up, but if Misha had made up his mind there was little use in fighting it. “So what about our meeting with Asher?”

 

The old Russian ran a hand through his snow-white hair and leaned back in his chair. “I am going to give him general command of the task force.”

 

Irae blinked. “You... are?”

 

“Oh, I think he’s going to screw it up royally. He’s a scientist, not a soldier -- says so himself, but he’s earned it I suppose. I’ve put him through a lot and he never wanted this command in the first place -- god don’t I wish they’d given it to someone else. But.” Misha said waving a hand, “he’s got the information and his crew knows more about these damned pirates than anyone else at the moment, so I am inclined to give him whatever he wants. Might as well go out in a blaze of glory -- and besides, when it does go to hell in a handbasket, it will be someone elses problem.”