Trust and Deception

Posted on 28 Aug 2013 @ 10:54pm by Master Chief Petty Officer Lance Nelson

1,286 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: M10: Divine Intervention
Location: Main Lounge - The Poisoned Arrow

[ON]

Cammy walked into the lounge in casual dress and did a quick scan of the faces to see if there were any she recognized. Being new to the ship, she wanted to learn more about her crewmates and the lounge was the one place everyone was bound to end up in sooner or later. Her eyes locked on to a young man that didn't register with her. She ordered a synthehol port wine and made her way over. "Hey sailor. Is this seat taken?" she asked with insouciance.

Lance had been lost in thought as he stared out the lounge window watching the planet pass below. Looking up he saw the young ensign, "Not at all Ma'am. Please have a seat."

"I'm not a 'Ma'am.'" she said, sitting down. Cammy thought about that statement for a second. "Uh...well, I am," she corrected. "..I mean, there's no need for such formality with me." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, you new to the ship?"

He nearly choking on his drink from the last comment he coughed and cleared his throat as well. "No no, I've been aboard since the Achilles was commissioned at SB 47. In fact I've been with the Admiral as his yeoman since he got his first command. You might say I know him better than any on the ship...aside from Ayren that is."

"I'm guessing she's his spouse?" Cammy said, taking a sip. "He must trust you a great deal then." She looked at her drink a second before looking him in the eyes. "I imagine he has you handling all sorts of things on his behalf. Dealing with the senior staff, scheduling meetings, looking through PADDs to find what's important and what isn't...I don't know how you keep up with it all."

"Yeah they met on DS5 when he transferred in from the 14th fleet and took over as the stations Chief of Strategic Ops." Lance was polishing off his drink as she continued. As he lowered his glass he was puzzled by the look in her eyes, not quite sure what they were saying. "All the above. It definitely gets hectic at times...especially since he took command of the task force. There are times I think I'm gonna pull a phaser if I see another PADD." Waving over to one of the Lounge staff he signaled for another round.

~Note to self: check the Yeoman's workstation for the PADD~ "I can only imagine." She popped her back with a languid stretch, and let out a sigh. "That staff meeting probably added to your To Do list, didn't it?" she asked, crossing her legs and sitting back in her chair. "Or do they just get together and play poker?'" Cammy ordered another wine and sipped on it.

Watching her lean back he was slightly puzzled, something felt out of place but he ignored it. Instead he leaned back himself and replied with a wry grin. "I'll never tell."

Cammy observed his actions, trying to get a feel for the Yeoman. He seemed restless "Ah, so it IS a poker game." She sipped her wine with a knowing smile. "I imagine the new Intel department head has a good poker face, being a Vulcan."

Her comment about the Intel chief reminded him of a situation he had been curious about. "Probably true. There is one thing though; what's the deal with him anyway? He seems to take every opportunity to piss the Admiral off. You would think someone that was part Vulcan would know it is illogical to antagonize a Klingon."

She looked at him for a second, trying to determine whether he was being serious or not. Considering Lt. Drake was nothing like that when she was around him, she opted for the latter. "Yeah, he's an animal. Last time I spoke to him, he almost cracked a smile. I thought we'd need three security teams to stop him. What were they fighting about anyway?" ~And why did a Klingon Admiral put up with a Lieutenant's attitude in front of the other Senior Staff members~, she asked herself.

He shrugged, "You know I don't really know. "Perhaps it’s a Klingon thing...the Admiral does respect those who stand their ground when they are right...so long as they ARE right. Between you and me though, I think Drakes days are numbered on this ship."

"You're serious?" her smile vanished as she considered the implications. ~Did this have something to do with her stunt in the Admiral's quarters?; If Da'nal was blaming him for what happened, that would explain why she wasn't having a friendly chat with the Admiral right now. This could work in her favor: if she set things up to look like Drake was behind her actions that would shift suspicion away from her. She didn't have much time if the Yeoman's forecast had any basis though. She'd have to make another move on the PADD soon if she wanted to keep Da'nal's mind on Drake.~ She let out a sigh. "It's hard to believe. He seems like a nice guy. Has that 'new boss' smell and everything. Still, if the Admiral learned something about the Lieutenant that he didn't like...well, I wouldn't blame him for being cautious." Her playful smile returned with her sarcastic tone. "Especially around those sneaky Intelligence types."

Lance laughed at that. "Ahhh, I think you will just want us all to think that. I'll agree that many find it hard to trust people that make a live out of deception, but I don't think all intel types are cloak-n-dagger. Beside if you can't trust your shipmates..."

"Do you trust me?" she interjected, leaning closer towards him. Even though you don't know anything about me or what kind of person I am?"

The question caught him slightly off guard, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. "Why wouldn't I? You are a Starfleet officer, a member of this crew, and as far as I know...which given my post is more than most...you've not given anyone any reason not to trust you."

"Really?" She leaned back. ~Either this guy's a conspirator or he's been way too sheltered his whole life.~ "I wouldn't trust me. I don't think many prudent individuals would. Even my role in Starfleet is inherently untrustworthy. You'd really put your faith in a person who is nothing more than a legal burglar with a uniform?" she asked, her face a mask of disbelief.

Nodding as he curled his lip a bit, "That may be so. But like you said, you were the uniform. So what if you are an infiltration specialist, your goal is the same as mine and everyone else on this ship. We all have a job to do and orders to follow. So what if your job is 'inherently untrustworthy', that's your job...not who you are. Or is it?"

Dismissing the question with a gesture, he continued. "Regardless. You are a Starfleet officer, that says something about who you are and what you believe in. And until I have evidence to the contrary I still have no reason not to trust you...I've been on starships most of my life. They are a community...a family. Trust is vital. If I can't trust a member of the crew while sitting here in a bar, how can I trust them when it really matters?"

Before and answer could come a blinding blue-white light filled the lounge and the ship was severely jolted.

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Ensign Cammy Valentine
Infiltration Specialist

MCPO Lance Nelson
Yeoman - NPC played by Da`nal

 

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