A Matter of Trust

Posted on 14 Jan 2016 @ 4:34am by Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Commodore Harvey Geisler

1,235 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Rude Awakening
Location: USS Black Hawk || Ready Room
Timeline: MD 9 || 1300 hours

As was now his custom, Harvey stood in his Ready Room, arms crossed while his gaze wandered out the window. Actually, his gaze was not wandering. Rather, it was affixed on the USS O'Carroll which was in motion just a hundred meters in front of them. He wondered how Lieutenant Commander Walsh was doing at the helm. Harvey was sure that he'd rather be back in the safety of the fighter bay, or rather tucked into the cockpit of his bird. Besides, he had Bast, Dicon and Niequist to accompany him. At least a familiar face or two should keep Walsh sane.

At least saner than Harvey seemed to be at the moment. At this speed, they'd reach the convoy in just a few minutes to offer repair and relief. And, he'd finally see who was right. Terlexa or Jillian.

He raised his left hand but paused it before the yellow isolinear chip, the same one that held the recording that Jillian had watched in the Interview Room, touched his chin. He'd been in the Gamma Quadrant six months, but he'd already developed several habits. Many by choice. Others by circumstance.

The last time he stood here with an isolinear chip -- a yellow one even -- was several months ago after Emily Carter, his trusted yeoman, had attempted to turn the Black Hawk over to the Syndicate.

Harvey sighed. Even that story was complicated. It was time indeed to put it behind him.

But rest he would not. Not until he knew who was right. The Captain closed his eyes, surprised to find himself wanting to root for Commander O'Connell.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Rasputin entered the Ready Room with a PADD in her left hand and saw the Captain standing with a isolinear chip in his hand and wondered what was on his mind. Whatever it was, the expression on his face said it couldn't be anything good. She cleared her throat softly and waited for him to acknowledge her.

The Captain remained lost in thought, staring at the impulse engines of the O'Carroll and the growing orb of Gavara on the other side of the window.

"Captain Geisler?" Mila asked, her light Russian accent clear in her voice.

Harvey's eyes widened, suddenly aware of another presence in the room. Not changing his position, he glanced to his left to see the source of the still unfamiliar voice. He'd have thought with a accent with as unique as Rasputin's on board, he'd be more accustomed to it by now. "What is it, Chief?" he asked the yeoman who'd just been recently assigned to the ship.

"I wanted to remind you about the performance reviews being moved back due to the current conflict," Mila told him as she offered the PADD.

He grunted, nearly chuckled really, at the yeoman's reminder. Here he was obsessing over who or what was Consortium and for most of the people on board, life was proceeding as normal. Harvey walked over and accepted the PADD, though he kept the yellow chip in his hand.

"Is there anything else you need, Captain?" she asked him, wondering what the isolinear chip was but was more than experienced enough to keep the curiosity off of her face.

Harvey skimmed the contents of the PADD before affixing his signature. He had noted her question; he just wasn't sure how to respond to it. The Captain handed the PADD back to the yeoman and studied her face for a moment. Once again, he found himself somehow unable to fully trust those around him.

He sighed. "I..." Shaking his head, he glanced back out the window, gripping the isolinear chip in his hand a bit tighter.

Mila accepted the PADD and awaited his orders, whatever they might be. She knew that when a Captain went silent like he was, something very deep was usually on their minds. They would either speak of it, or they wouldn't and it wasn't her place to inquire. She was certain that he had his own shipboard confidant to speak to on matters like that, but with the current Consortium conflict, she knew he was probably questioning the wisdom of such things.

Captain Geisler stood for a few moments longer, though his gaze was once again permanently out the window. After what seemed like a long silence, and though he didn't know if she was there, he asked, "You have a background with computer systems, do you not?"

"Yes, Sir," Mila said. "I have a up to date Computer Systems Certification in Operations and Communications, Captain. I've served in that capacity on the Yokohama, the Nebuchadnezzar and the Typhoon as well as my regular duties."

Harvey gave no indicator as to whether or not that answer pleased or disappointed him. He remained silent for a beat, then asked, "How about with verifying data. Checking for rogue code or data structures and matrices?"

"Yes, Captain," Mila responded. "It was part of my duties when accepting encrypted messages under priority conditions."

Harvey nodded, thinking of the covert methods Emily had once used months ago. Perhaps it was standard now for captain's and admiralty assistants to be well equipped with computer abilities. He took a step back from the window and faced Rasputin as he still clutched the isolinear chip.

Mila knew now that the Captain definitely had something in mind and put herself on alert, her expression a hundred percent professional. "Is there something you need me to verify, Captain?"

This came from Deep Space Eleven... Harvey thought, looking down at the chip. This can't be falsified. Still, somehow, he managed to take a couple steps forward and approach her. He held out the chip, but did not let go. "I need to know..." he said softly. "If this is real."

"I'll have it back to you within an hour, Captain," she promised him as he reached for the chip and met his eyes, her hazel ones reflecting nothing but honesty and loyalty. There was a touch of red in them as if she had been crying or had been irritated, but nothing else that would indicate that she had ulterior motives. When he didn't let go, she waited for further orders from him without trying to take it from his hand.

He did focus on those hazel eyes, and for the first time he'd wish he actually inherited something from his time on Betazed besides a life of emptiness. Slowly, he loosened his grip before finally allowing the chip to be removed from his possession. "I don't need to tell you that this material is classified. And what you're about to do and see cannot be shared by anyone." Harvey knew his words were said for his own benefit and not hers.

"Understood, Captain," Mila responded. In her service, she had handled plenty of classified material and it would take a Romulan mind breaking device to get the secrets from her. She twisted her wrist to show him the isolinear chip in it, then twisted her hand again and it was no longer there. "Nothing is leaving this room, Sir."

That little slight of hand made him feel both slightly better and worse. "Dismissed, Chief," Harvey ordered before his mind had a chance to reconsider.

"Aye, Sir," she said, performing an about face and left the Ready Room, eager to get to work on her new assignment.

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