Chapter 6
Qui tacet, consentit
Silence gives consent.
"Julian, you need some rest. Come on, we'll go to Quark's and get something to eat. Then,
you can go to bed. When you get up in the morning, you'll be able to think better," Ezri
pleaded.
Julian considered the thought. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He'd fallen
asleep at his desk. He was surrounded by all the reports Starfleet had received on the
incident. He just stared at them, trying to put all the clues together. Ezri had a point. He
needed to eat and he needed to sleep, but he couldn't let his best friend down. "I've got a
better idea. Why don't you get me something from Quarks and I'll eat it here. And I
promise I'll catch a few winks on an empty biobed," Julian replied.
Ezri sighed. "I guess that'll have to do." She kissed him goodbye. "Any requests?"
Julian shook his head. "Just a raktajino." When Ezri gave him a dirty look, he added, "Okay,
make it a Tarkalean tea."
"Like that's any better," Ezri muttered as she left the infirmary.
The chime for Vicki Ann's quarters rang. She had finished crying hours ago. There was
nothing left inside her but anger. "Come in."
Sid entered. "Where's Dr. Bashir?"
Vicki Ann pointed into the bedroom. "Did you know about the tetraline?" she said, getting
up from the desk.
"What about it?"
"Did you know it was in the hypospray instead of methacoline?"
"Yes."
"Why did you lie to me?" she screamed.
"Because we thought you might be hesitant. And you needed to be taught that you can
have no attachments when you are in Section 31. Not even inside. You can only trust
yourself."
"Thanks for warning me."
"You couldn't be warned. You needed to learn it on your own. Now, you have a new
assignment. You are going to take a trip to Rigalia IV to pick up some power couplings."
"For what?"
"We need to make some repairs here. I'm sorry it's not exciting, but you must work your
way up to the ladder. You're leaving in the morning. You'll only be gone for a week. Pack
light in case you need to run. You'll be meeting with Constable Hollan at the capital. The
government offices are at the center of town."
"The Constable is a member of Section 31?"
"No, just a sympathizer. No more questions, doctor. You get to come up with your alias
and your reasons for getting the couplings if anyone else asks. You'll need to learn these
skills before you can get any better assignments. There will be a lot of Starfleet officers
around who might recognize you, so before you leave, your appearance will be altered into
that of a Bajoran. We will also give you a device that will emit Bajoran life signs. The rest
of your instructions will be given to you by the Constable. Is everything understood?"
Vicki Ann nodded. "Yes."
Qui tacet, consentit
Silence gives consent.
"Julian, you need some rest. Come on, we'll go to Quark's and get something to eat. Then,
you can go to bed. When you get up in the morning, you'll be able to think better," Ezri
pleaded.
Julian considered the thought. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He'd fallen
asleep at his desk. He was surrounded by all the reports Starfleet had received on the
incident. He just stared at them, trying to put all the clues together. Ezri had a point. He
needed to eat and he needed to sleep, but he couldn't let his best friend down. "I've got a
better idea. Why don't you get me something from Quarks and I'll eat it here. And I
promise I'll catch a few winks on an empty biobed," Julian replied.
Ezri sighed. "I guess that'll have to do." She kissed him goodbye. "Any requests?"
Julian shook his head. "Just a raktajino." When Ezri gave him a dirty look, he added, "Okay,
make it a Tarkalean tea."
"Like that's any better," Ezri muttered as she left the infirmary.
The chime for Vicki Ann's quarters rang. She had finished crying hours ago. There was
nothing left inside her but anger. "Come in."
Sid entered. "Where's Dr. Bashir?"
Vicki Ann pointed into the bedroom. "Did you know about the tetraline?" she said, getting
up from the desk.
"What about it?"
"Did you know it was in the hypospray instead of methacoline?"
"Yes."
"Why did you lie to me?" she screamed.
"Because we thought you might be hesitant. And you needed to be taught that you can
have no attachments when you are in Section 31. Not even inside. You can only trust
yourself."
"Thanks for warning me."
"You couldn't be warned. You needed to learn it on your own. Now, you have a new
assignment. You are going to take a trip to Rigalia IV to pick up some power couplings."
"For what?"
"We need to make some repairs here. I'm sorry it's not exciting, but you must work your
way up to the ladder. You're leaving in the morning. You'll only be gone for a week. Pack
light in case you need to run. You'll be meeting with Constable Hollan at the capital. The
government offices are at the center of town."
"The Constable is a member of Section 31?"
"No, just a sympathizer. No more questions, doctor. You get to come up with your alias
and your reasons for getting the couplings if anyone else asks. You'll need to learn these
skills before you can get any better assignments. There will be a lot of Starfleet officers
around who might recognize you, so before you leave, your appearance will be altered into
that of a Bajoran. We will also give you a device that will emit Bajoran life signs. The rest
of your instructions will be given to you by the Constable. Is everything understood?"
Vicki Ann nodded. "Yes."