Fic: Observations, Ch 153
“He’s not talking.”
“Captain, with your permission, I might engage in a mind meld to extract the necessary information.”
“It looks like that’s our only option.”
“Podozhditye.”
Lt. Chekov was looking intently at the file, then through the glass at the man sitting in the interrogation room.
“What’re you thinking?” Sulu asked. “Think you can crack this guy?”
Pavel shrugged. “I can try.”
Lt. Giotto and the captain exchanged looks. Nyota frowned.
“You want to give it a shot?” the captain asked.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir. No offense towards the lieutenant, but he hasn’t had any training in interrogation techniques, and may unintentionally violate the Starfleet codes.”
“Giotto has a point. Chekov, tell me why you think you can take on this guy.”
The lieutenant was silent for an interval.
“Znayetye, on napominayet mnye moyevo brata.”
Nyota looked incredulous.
“Translation?” the captain demanded.
She looked at Pavel, who simply shrugged. Nyota straightened.
“He reminds the lieutenant of his brother, sir.”
“And you think that’s enough to get the info from him?”
“I am not promising anything, keptan. Maybe it is working, maybe it is not. If it is not, then Commander Spock is still able to be doing mind meld. Mnye vsyo ravno.”
“Captain, I believe we should allow Lt. Chekov to interrogate the prisoner.”
The lieutenant was studying the prisoner intently. Everyone else in the room was looking at him.
“Permission granted.”
“Horosho. I will be right back. I am needing something.”
He left the room quickly.
“Where’s he going?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Giotto, turn on the universal translator. I’m not listening to an entire interrogation conducted in Russian.”
“Aye, sir.”
A moment later, Pavel entered the interrogation room holding a small box.
“What is that?”
“I can’t tell, sir.”
The lieutenant sat down, the motion casual. He fiddled with the box and slouched in his seat.
Sulu laughed.
Nyota gave him a sideways glance. “Care to explain the joke?”
“And what’s in that box?” Giotto asked.
“Nothing illegal. Just watch.”
The prisoner gave no indication that he was aware of or effected by the lieutenant’s presence. Chekov continued to fiddle with the box, occasionally looking at the man seated across from him. After a few moments of silence, Chekov absently tapped the box against his palm, then opened it and drew out a cigarette. He fished around in his pockets and took out a lighter.
The sound of the flame and the smell of burnt paper and tobacco finally caught the prisoner’s attention.
“Hotitye?” Chekov offered.
-want?
Lebedev made no motion.
Chekov slid the pack of cigarettes and the lighter across the table. The box stopped short of being within easy reach of Lebedev’s cuffed hands.
The lieutenant continued to smoke, watching the prisoner with casual interest.
Lebedev sat up, outstretched his arms, and took the cigarettes. He took one to his mouth, put the box down, reached for the lighter, and after a few tries lit the cigarette. Lebedev took a deep drag and relaxed. He looked at the brand name.
“Spasib. Gdye kupil?”
-thanks. where bought?
“Na chyornom rinkye, kogda mui buili na planetye Placer. Vui kogda-nibud buili?”
-on the black market, when we were on the planet Placer. have you ever been?
“Nyet. Sliushal mnogo o nei, no nikodga nye buila. Ponravilis?”
-no. I’ve heard a lot about it, but never was. liked?
“Ochen. Poshol s’druzyami, i ya kupil vot eti i vodku, kotoraya ya dumal, shto buil prodana tolko v Rossii.”
-very. I went with friends, and so I bought these and vodka, which I thought was only sold in Russia.
“Zdorovo. Vsyo, prodavshiye Orionami.”
-cool. everything, sold by the Orions.
“Tochno.”
-exactly.
Lebedev and Pavel sat, the silence now companionable.
“Mozhno yesho odnu?”
-can, one more?
“Beritye. Krom’e menya, nikovo nye kurit na etom korable.”
-take. except me, no one smokes on this ship.
“Spasib. Znayetye, ya sluzhil cheteri goda v Zvyoznom Flotye.”
-thanks. you know, I served four years in StarFleet.
Lebedev lit another cigarette, inhaled, then exhaled. He looked at Chekov.
“Nash kapitan-slavniu malui. Gorazdo starshe chem Kirk, no on-kommandeer. U’nevo buil spokoinost v nutrii, ponimayete. Nastoyashi muzhik.”
-our captain, a nice fellow. much older than Kirk, of course, but he commander. he was calm in inside, you know. real man.
“Moi brat sluzhil c takim kapitanom. Vspomnitye reshitelnui boi s Klingonami?”
-my brother served with such a captain. remember the decisive battle with Klingons?
“Kak mogu zabuit? Ya sam strelyal tekh ubludkov.”
-how can I forget? I shot those bastards.
“Klasno.”
-cool.
“Brat u’vas, tam buil?”
-brother with you, was there?
“Da, buil. Da i umer.”
-yes, it was. yes, and died.
“Nu, tak buivayet.”
-well, it happens.
Pavel nodded, then took another cigarette. Lebedev finished his, crushing the stub against the table.
“Next time he does this, we should get an ashtray,” Jim remarked. “No one told me he smoked.”
“He picked it up when he was at uni.”
“He told you this?”
“It came up. Pash doesn’t smoke that often though.”
Chekov slid the box and lighter across the table to Lebedev.
“What is it with Russians? They all smokers?” Giotto asked, brows furrowed.
“It would seem so,” Nyota replied.
“Ladno, nu davai koroche. Gdye ona?”
-okay, well, let’s shorter. where is she?
Lebedev looked at Chekov evenly and exhaled.
“Ona nye naidena.”
-it was not found.
Chekov waited.
“Oni otrezali yei golovu.”
-they cut off her head.
“Fuck,” Jim breathed.
“A telo yeyo?”
-and her body?
“Zola.”
-ash
They continued to smoke, the cigarettes slowly burning down to stubs. Lebedev flicked the ashes on the table, down on the floor. Chekov occasionally tapped his cigarette against the table ledge. His face was expressionless.
“Do you think he’s telling the truth, sir?”
“Yeah. Yeah, Giotto, I think he’s telling the truth,” Jim closed his eyes.
Lebedev started on his fourth cigarette. Chekov flicked his stub onto the table.
“Pochemu vui nye tak govorili ranshe, esli ona uzhe buila ubyta?”
-why did not you say so earlier, if she had been killed?
“Oni bui verili v moi slova?”
-they would believe in my words?
Chekov shrugged.
“Nu, tak i buivayet.”
-well, that happens.
Lebedev nodded.
“Horoshiye cigaretki, eti.”
-good cigarettes, these.
Chekov grinned. He took his lighter, left the cigarettes with Lebedev and exited the room. When he rejoined us, he reeked of the smoke.
No one quite knew what to say.
“You think he’s telling the truth?” Giotto demanded once more.
“He is having no reason to be lying,” the lieutenant shrugged.
Nyota was looking at Chekov, reevaluating all her impressions of him.
“That was a good job you did in there. Next time, we should just have you question everyone who comes through here,” Jim said, tone light, eyes piercing.
“It will not be working with anyone else, keptan,” he grinned. “I was getting lucky is all.”
“The same lucky streak you get playing poker?” Nyota teased.
“Mozhet buit.”
Sulu nudged Pavel.
“We should go. Gamma starts in half an hour.”
“Da. Is that all you are needing, keptan?”
“Yeah, we’ve got it from here. We’ll comm you if we need anything. Actually, while you’re there, plot a course to Starbase 11. Number One’s ordered us there, I’m supposed to meet with Lt. Shaw or something.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Uhura, send Starfleet a message, will you? About all this.”
“You think this is the only information we’ll get out of Lebedev, captain?”
“I don’t think there’s much more we can learn from him. Right now, we should focus on the fallout. We’ve got the perpetrators.”
“Are you planning on sending them down to the planet to be tried?”
“Not a good idea. We’re gonna hold them here, it’s safer that way.”
“Safer, sir?” Giotto’s brows were raised.
“For the prisoners. Beheading and burning the body of the Crown Princess-someone might decide to kill them off in their sleep. No, we’ll hold them here until I’m satisfied that these guys are held in secure facilities.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll draw up the roster for guard duty.”
“Thanks. Take Lebedev with you, while you’re at it.”
Everyone went to their respective duties. Jim watched as Lebedev was escorted out of the interrogation room to be taken back to his cell.
He kept staring into the empty room.
“My crew’s full of surprises.”
I stood beside him.
“Do you think I should talk to him?”
“I overheard Lt. Chekov complaining that no one would play poker with him. His proficiency has turned into a hindrance.”
Jim smiled. He kissed me.
“Captain-”
“I know, I know. Self control. My quarters tonight, or yours?”
“Yours.”
Jim kissed me again.
I raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Where’re you headed?”
“The laboratory.”
“I’ll be on the bridge. Let me get a yeoman or something to clean up this mess Chekov left behind, and then we’ll leave.”
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