Mutually Assured Distrust

[Ethan Neufeld 0]

"Permission to enter the bridge, Captain?" Ethan stood tall in the aft entrance to the bridge, patiently waiting.

 

Several weeks ago he'd assumed an identity and the Qob had first come to know him as the Vulcan Selek, but this didn't read like Vulcan deference. On Xorax he'd carried himself in a detached, stately manner, like one might imagine an ancient Roman senator. This was noticeably different. A mistaken glance and it seemed he was at attention; a longer look, his stance was casual and his left hand stuffed into a pocket. But it was revealing to anyone that preserved an ounce of Starfleet in his blood. His bearing, professionalism, decision-making, dialect, weapons and choice of clothing, even haircut: these were the threads of strong naval, martial discipline. It was clear: why, unlike those who were accustomed to informal command styles, Ethan hadn't yet inserted himself into ship's operations but when requested and in emergencies. Why he'd responded swiftly to directions and without objection or unnecessary commentary. Why he was friendly but remained steadfastly distant with an Orion like Pher, when others would have jumped in at the first opening. It was tradition. It was Starfleet. He was doing it unconsciously; giving into his habits now that he'd given up masquerading as something he wasn't. The lifestyle was obviously still a deeply rooted part of him. It was easy to imagine him standing there in a uniform, waiting to report to his superiors; perhaps too easy.

 

The image of a man molded by the military did not put Joe off. The Starfleet castoff was a common enough archetype in Bull's Head, especially the taverns where mercenary Captains turned for new recruits. There was even a sort of comfort to be found in the knowledge that a few members of the crew would always defer to the commander, trained as they were to recognize (even seek) the one in charge and do their duty without question. Joe had always tried to foster an atmosphere of freedom and individualism on his ship, but such an atmosphere was not without cost -- loyalty had to be worked on diligently, and disloyalty had to be guarded against carefully. Wild cards like Byblos and Shane could bring levels of productivity and expression that would be stifled on a Guardian ship; just the same, they could allow disagreements to descend to violence or even act on a desire to claim the ship or its cargo for themselves. Loyal hands with military mentality were a useful planned contingency, one of many, in such mutinous circumstances.

 

The trouble with Ethan was that Ethan was Selek. Selek was the image of a military man behind a deceptive mask, complete with prosthetically pointed ears, and it was the mask that put Joe off. Loyalty could not be guaranteed from a human pretending to be Vulcan, possibly in an effort to dodge the bounty that had been placed on his head.

 

Joe knew that Selek was Ethan. Joe knew that Ethan knew that he knew. And so an unspoken mutual understanding of both the deception and its ineffectiveness hung between them. What Ethan's presence on the expedition meant, Joe could not say. Was he simply doing the job that Dr. Phantos had assigned him, providing security escort for Xorax colony's assets? Or did he maneuver himself onto this expedition (by himself or with the backing of others) for his own purposes? Joe's primary concern was ensuring that Qob would not be swept up in whatever schemes surrounded the faux-Vulcan; that his ship, his crew, and his current job would not be threatened either by Ethan's plans or the plans of those who had placed the bounty. His secondary concern was determining how said schemes might be turned to his and his crew's advantage.

 

So he extended the welcoming hand. Even as he held out a distancing one. "Permission granted, Mr. Selek," he said with his warmest smile. No use giving his 'no permission needed speech'; a military man would be more comfortable with the asking and receiving of permission, and Joe had no reason to believe that Ethan would be on the ship any longer than the next month. "You missed the light show on the planet, but a second probe is being readied as we speak. Maybe you can give Pher a hand."

 

Stepping from the hatchway as Joe spoke, Ethan's eyes briefly scrutinized before his gaze locked confidently on Joe's. His expression was set in neither a frown nor a smile, merely focused and alert. The hint of potential camaraderie he had gained with some of Joe's subordinates wasn't here. Neither of them felt they could simply come out and say what he was thinking. Neither desired to unilaterally change his strategy; the stalemate continued, neither trusting in the other more than he must as he searched for the advantage. Equilibrium built on mutually assured distrust. If there was a different way, they weren't seeing it. Ethan sharply nodded and then wordlessly proceeded toward the station at which Pher was seated with Byblos nearby.

 

Joe glanced at the Orion and Nausicaan, still engrossed in discussion. Joe knew that Pher would be keeping half an eye on Ethan even if she appeared otherwise; Joe, after all, had instructed her to. Her proximity was the reason he could give Ethan access to a Bridge station without wondering if his mind was truly slipping.

 

"I haven't had a chance to thank you yet, Selek," Joe offered with his same warm smile. Mistrust didn't exclude a little gratitude. "I know you were doing your job back there, keeping the Verbistul crew safe. But still, you had my people's backs in a very dangerous situation. Duty or no, puttin' it on the line for my crew will earn you points around here."

 

Inches from Pher's station, Ethan paused and shifted obliquely to look across his shoulder. His body language faintly wavered as he considered Joe's smiling gratitude. Then after a moment he replied, "Yeah, no problem;" blasé like he had performed the same duty a thousand times before but sincere. A turn of his head and that was it; he was back to the present task, perusing Pher's station as he moved to stand behind her.

Edited May 24, 2011 by Ethan Neufeld