[Lt. Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

Recently returned from Serenity, and currently off duty, Shavan was intent on a night of heavy drinking and not caring who he left with. He leaned against the familiar bar and picked up the glass of Orion rum that was set in front of him. The strong liquor burned his throat as he tossed it back, the first step toward welcome oblivion. Motioning the trill bartender for a refill, he turned and eyed a group playing cards in one corner. The latinum to support his habits had to come from somewhere, after all.

Such plans were interrupted, however, by the sound of loud and fast-moving footsteps, and he glanced toward the source. A human woman, very clearly not a usual patron, was walking directly towards him. The brief statement, and ‘request’ that followed, was certainly not one that he had been expecting. And probably meant nothing good.

Admiral Ellis was a name he’d heard mentioned somewhere, but never put a face to… until now. For a second his gaze slid past her, sizing up her aides and the distance to the door. However, he was neither immediately hauled off to the brig, nor able to discern the motive for such a visit.

Carefully, Shavan gave the Admiral a gracious smile. “Of course.” Without waiting for further prompting, he turned and, taking his drink with him, led the way to the back of the room. Sitting down at a small, grimy booth, he gestured to the seat across from him. “What can I do for you, Admiral?”

Felicity Ellis

[Lt. Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

So, that was what he had done to get the attention of an Admiral. Caldonia, of course.

Shavan watched her sharply, noting the interaction with her aides and the display of disdain at their present surroundings. In contrast, he settled in comfortably, perhaps appearing more at ease than he really felt. He didn’t trust a word she said, but obligation to at least pretend to go along with it was joined by a touch of genuine curiosity.

Interesting that she wanted to get this done as quickly as possible, so much so that she could not have scheduled a meeting. And yet, surely this could have been done over a holo call from Earth, or waited less than the four months since they’d gotten back from Caldonia. (Four months of pretending everything was fine, with more thrown into the performance than ever before.)

Of course, it was not his place to contradict her on that aloud. And, considering that he had been expecting such a thing ever since the encounter with the Gorgon on the shuttle, he did not entirely disagree about getting this over with… and getting back to his usual evening plans in this bar, which he appreciated in part due to its usual lack of people like Admiral Ellis.

Much about this situation was an egregious oversight, indeed.

“I see. Yes, it was an oversight." Nodding assent but saying little, he simply waited for her to continue. "Where should we start, ma’am?”

Felicity Ellis

[Lt. Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

Admiral Ellis phrased the question almost like she’d already caught him in a lie. But that was okay; surely he would not make the right impression by being completely uncooperative, or by playing dumb. By now it had occurred to Shavan that if he played it right, having the Admiral as an audience was an opportunity it would be a shame to waste. At the very least, the things she asked could be telling. He didn’t need to like or trust her at all for this interaction to go two ways. Though he would have to start by answering.

“Well, I can only guess about their motivations. As I’m sure you already have.” So much for keeping this short and to the point. “Maybe they felt they already knew everything they needed to, or maybe it was an emotional decision. They did seem genuinely guilty about leaving us behind.” He gave her a brief, measured look while taking a sip of his drink, then shrugged. “So either way, there was nothing to gain from requesting it.” He narrowed his eyes a little. “Though I wonder what anyone would possibly think we’re hiding.”

Felicity Ellis

[Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

Shavan watched the Admiral with practiced impassiveness as she brought up the escape in response to his own prompting. “Of course the transport was searched and decontaminated.” That was standard procedure, after all. The disruptor that had killed Solin had of course been disposed of first. His fingers tightened slightly on the glass as he remembered their Kurjarian ‘friend’, dead by his own hand. The true fate of Solin would be indeed be very valuable information to the right person, with implications much bigger than his own desire to not return to prison. A galactic scandal, as the Admiral put it. Which was why he’d need a lot more motivation than this to share it.

He took another drink of rum. “Maybe I could give you more useful information if you told me exactly what you were hoping to use it for.” A statement she could dismiss, but the underlying message was clear enough.

Felicity Ellis

[Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

The reprimand was expected enough, even if it deepened his dislike of her. The meaning behind his words still stood; it was all part of the game. Though maybe it was time for a different gamble. Shavan didn’t see any reason to personally care about fixing the Federation’s relations with Caldonia, but he did want answers too.

“Well, if you’re looking for a twist to put in that story, you won’t find it in our escape… but there could be something in how we were caught in the first place. Looking back, it was too convenient. Too many coincidences. Almost as if it was planned, and someone wanted all of it to happen.”

In reality, Shavan didn’t entirely know if this was the truth Admiral Ellis wanted to hear, something she already knew, or just distracting, paranoid speculation. So he carefully watched her reaction, stopping before saying anything specific. 

Felicity Ellis

[Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

The immediate mention of Xoteak felt like another dismissal, or an attempt to get him to say more by forcing him to correct her. The exact role of the Caldonian exile was suspect, but seeing as they both already knew that, it was barely worth mentioning here. No… what he wanted to get at was something bigger. Xoteak could've been tricked too, and hardly could've orchestrated everything alone.

Shavan clenched his jaw as his mind forcibly ran through the spiral of events leading to their capture, and he wondered if the Admiral’s last sentence had any double meaning. He took another drink, and answered carefully.

“Exactly. So I’m more interested in who put him up to it.”

Felicity Ellis

[Shavan Th’zhaar - The Spotty Alibi]

In a flash of understanding, Shavan saw both the truth and the trap in the Admiral’s words. If her statement was to be taken at face value, and the Caldonians needed nothing over the Federation than the trillium they already had, the next question was obvious; who else had something to gain in this?

Another power wanting to become the main customers for the trillium was a possibility, but at the same time, he already had a different answer. It just wasn’t one he knew what to do with.

It went back to the Kurjarians, to the last minute plan to rescue Solin, and the way she turned on them in the end. Maybe it did make sense that Xoteak was indeed a dissident, and that their ‘mission’ had been exactly what it appeared to be. With just one catch: they were always meant to be caught. Having martyrs for the cause had brought outside attention down on Caldonia the way the Kurjarians couldn’t alone, and was far more effective than simply recording the Pit from the outside.

And she wanted him to think it, to say more in the face of doubt. The urge to drain an entire bottle of rum got stronger. Still, Shavan would not back out, nor would he start giving information too freely. “You just said that the Caldonians have all the cards now. What are they asking for now that they weren’t before?” He leaned back a little and settled for draining his current glass instead. “Unless someone else had more to gain.”

Felicity Ellis