DS9: Book by its Cover Chapter Two
The lift platform smoothly ascended, revealing the buzzing hub of Deep Space 9. A split-level layout sprawled out before Julian Bashir, a blend of officers wearing Star Fleet and Bajoran uniforms in various hues diligently attending to their diverse duties. The hum of activity surrounded him, and Julian couldn't help but be captivated by the bustling energy of his new environment.
Jadzia Dax, the Trill science officer, guided him off the platform. "This way, Lieutenant," she said, leading him toward a short flight of stairs. Ten sturdy steps ascended to a narrow mezzanine, where instrument panels beckoned for closer inspection. Julian spared them only a quick glance, knowing he would need to study them later to grasp their functions. Caught in the act of gawking, he flushed at Jadzia's amusement, a genuine reaction for once.
As they approached, Jadzia pressed the call button, and the automatic doors whooshed open. A subtle breeze brushed against Julian's senses as he entered the room. "Commander Sisko, Dr. Bashir for you, Sir," Jadzia formally announced before ushering Julian inside. The doors closed behind him, leaving him face to face with the formidable Commander Benjamin Sisko.
Commander Sisko possessed a darkly handsome visage, characterised by strong features and a commanding air. Despite the severity of his frown as he scrutinised a pad, there was a depth in his eyes that betrayed a caring nature. The frown hinted at his discontent with the situation, the new arrival seemingly exacerbating his concerns.
Ben Sisko finally looked up, his gaze landing on Dr Bashir, the young man had a wistful air lingering about him, as if he could wish Jadzia remained.
Clearing his throat, he captured Julian's attention, making the young man acutely aware of the commander's dissatisfaction. Ben wasn't pleased with the Doctor's assignment, a sentiment echoed by his admiral, who bluntly stated that there were no other qualified doctors willing to serve so far from Earth and Federation Headquarters.
"Please sit, Doctor," Ben commanded, indicating the seat opposite him. Returning his attention to Dr. Bashir's records, he perused the accolades — top of the class in most courses, graduated second in his year. A subtle squint examined the Lieutenant, who, in turn, squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. Ben delved deeper into the records, noting the absence of command, security, or basic self-defence courses—as dictated by Star Fleet regulations in this circumstance. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, though he maintained a composed exterior. The atmosphere in the room hung with a mix of scrutiny and unspoken tension, setting the stage for the unfolding interactions on Deep Space 9.
Commander Benjamin Sisko couldn't shake off the disbelief that resonated within him. An Augment on his station, and a Remnant at that—the absolute worst combination imaginable. In his ready room stood a living, breathing, genetically engineered super soldier.
Ben eyed the young man warily, his appearance seemingly unimpressive at first glance. Average, he thought. Average good looks, perhaps a slightly too prominent forehead, with long-fingered hands and narrow wrists that betrayed no extraordinary strength. But therein lay the issue – he looked like an average human, indistinguishable from the rest. If it weren't for the accidental revelation by his stepfather, Richard Bashir, during the young man's teenage years, Star Fleet might have remained oblivious.
The Remnants were a mystery. Ever since Earth had stumbled upon their existence during the Eugenics war, there was no surefire way of detecting them. No scan or test could unveil their true nature. Any attempt resulted in findings of a perfectly average human being. The 2053 treaty, orchestrated by the Remnant Prime, prohibited experimentation on them and ensured their citizenship under the Earth government of their birth. In return, the Prime ended the Eugenics war, emphasising that the Remnants were not affiliated with Khan Noonien Singh's ambitions and cabal.
During the Eugenics war, the Remnants proved their loyalty to Earth, uniting to crush Khan's forces with ruthless efficiency. Despite their demonstration, humans, true to their nature, attempted betrayal. The Prime's forces swiftly quelled this treachery, forcing a peace treaty. The Prime, with a calm demeanour, explained that the Remnants had coexisted among humans for centuries without detection and preferred to return to that way of life.
However, the revelation had a cost. The world now knew about the Remnants. The Prime reluctantly disclosed the existence of a secret human society that had been monitoring and assisting the Remnants for centuries. This society recorded their histories and interactions, revealing that the Remnants had lived relatively peacefully throughout recorded history. The Prime, however, refused to grant government agencies access to these private history files.
Instead, the society permitted supervised access to bona fide historians, anthropologists, linguists, and archaeologists. Membership in the society offered even more extensive access, but joining was no easy feat. One needed a recommendation from a Remnant or to be born into the society. Some members hailed from families that had been part of the society for ten generations, guarding the secrets and interactions of the Remnants with utmost secrecy. The clandestine world of the Remnants, with its complex history and societal intricacies, now intersected with the duties and challenges of Deep Space 9, creating an unforeseen dynamic within the confines of the station.
Julian ensured that a harmless smile remained plastered on his face, concealing any micro expressions that might betray his true thoughts. His perceptive eyes, sharper than most, caught the slight tension in Commander Sisko's mouth and the subtle tightening of fingers on the pad. Beneath the facade of control, Julian discerned the commander's revulsion, unfortunately for Julian it was not unusual occurrence.
The commander, seemingly composed, glanced again at the pad, undoubtedly examining Julian's file. "It says here you were born in 2341, and your mother is Amsha Bashir?" Ben began, his sharp eyes keenly focused on Julian. "That's correct, Commander," Julian affirmed. He found that sticking to the apparent truth was often the most effective strategy. Ben continued, "Father listed as 'unknown,'" leaving the unspoken question hanging in the air, hoping Julian would offer an explanation. "That's right, Sir," Julian promptly replied, maintaining a guileless expression.
"An unusual circumstance in this day and age, wouldn't you say, Doctor?" Ben inquired, not anticipating a direct answer. The parentage of the Remnants remained shrouded in mystery, and no one from Star Fleet had managed to extract concrete answers from the Prime or any other known Remnant. Despite Julian's youth, he understood that his people wouldn't permit him to join Star Fleet unless he could prove he could keep certain information confidential.
"I always think it's best not to pry into my mother's sex life, Sir," Julian swiftly interjected, putting an abrupt stop to this line of questioning. Ben sighed in resignation, recognising the futility of probing further. It was a long shot, and the elusive nature of the Remnants' background remained intact. The air in the room carried an unspoken tension, hinting at the delicate balance between the station's crew and the unexpected presence of a genetically engineered super soldier.
"To be frank, Lieutenant, I am uncomfortable with having an augment on board my station," Ben stated firmly, fixing his gaze directly on Julian's hazel eyes. Julian maintained his expression of harmlessness, adding a mix of resignation and disappointment. "I understand, Commander. It can be disconcerting to have a super soldier amongst you, who might strike out at a moment's notice," Julian expressed. Then, with unexpected swiftness, he shot out his arm in an imitation karate chop and let out a shout of "hi yaa!" managing to hit Commander Sisko's prised baseball off his table. With comically wide eyes, Julian watched in dismay as the baseball sailed through the air in its case, landing on the floor with a crash.
Ben stared in disbelief at what the young lieutenant had just done. "Oh no!" Julian exclaimed, scrambling from his chair to dive after the baseball. "I didn't mean to do that, Sir," he flustered, retrieving the ball and its now-damaged clear display box, which had several large cracks permanently etched around it.
Hunched in shame and embarrassment, Julian gently set the ball and case back on the desk. "I am truly sorry, Commander. I am sure it can be repaired easily in the replicator," Julian meekly suggested.
With gritted teeth, Ben looked at the cringing lieutenant. "Well, it doesn't look like I need to worry about universal domination any time soon," Ben said angrily, picking up his treasured memento and checking it for damage. Luckily, it only appeared to be the case that was damaged. Carefully putting it out of reach of the clumsy lieutenant, he went back to glaring at Julian. "I was worried about your unfettered arrogance and ambitions when I was told you were coming aboard. It seems I should have been more worried about the furniture and fixtures," Ben said crossly.
"Yes, Commander," Julian said quietly, eyes cast down.
"Be warned, Doctor. I will be keeping a close eye on you, and I have instructed my senior staff to do the same. You have excellent reports from your tutors and supervisors from your hospital rotations. So just stick to your medical duties and don't wander into station duties that don't involve you, understand?" Ben instructed the doctor curtly.
"Yes, sir."
"You are dismissed."
Julian got up somewhat jerkily from his seat and made a hasty retreat from Sisko's office. He exited the office without looking at any of his fellow officers and made for the lift platform. The tension lingered in the air, and the station's senior staff would indeed be keeping a close eye on the enigmatic Chief Medical Officer.
Recalling Jadzia's earlier instructions, Julian called the lift to him with a determined press of the button. Stepping onto the platform, he directed the lift to take him to the corridor below, away from the prying eyes of the senior staff.
As the lift descended, Julian felt a surge of frustration and resentment welling up within him. 'Unfettered arrogance and ambitions,' he seethed in his mind, his footsteps echoing with an audible stamp as he made his way to the turbolifts. The unfair stereotype that all genetically modified beings were akin to maniacal figures like Khan rankled him. The historical oversights, conveniently forgetting that Khan and his cabal were created and raised by "normal" humans, fuelled Julian's anger. The fact that they were bred and trained to be homicidal murderers, by those same 'normal' humans, was conveniently ignored, and the injustice of it all made him want to scream.
That Earth through its domination of the Federation had tried to infect all associated member worlds with their biases against any genetically modifications, really stuck in his craw. Yet the powerful members like the Klingons and the Vulcans were basically able to tell them to 'shove it where the sun don't shine', spoke volumes to their hypocrisy.
They never mention what the Klingons were doing to themselves, to improve the species. You only had to observe them over the last two hundred years to see how drastically they had changed. That was no natural selection in progress.
And don't even talk to him about the Vulcans. I don't know where the humans thought Ambassador Spock came from, but it sure as hell wasn't a stork or any sort of sex between Amanda Gracen and Sarek. He had read the papers. He knew it took a shit ton of genetic manipulation to produce Spock. Yet again, not a peep about genetic modification out of Earth or the Federation.
But any poor boondock planet that wanted to join the Federation had to sign a bloody treaty banning any genetic modification, no matter the cultural significance to the planet.
Prime directive my arse, Julian fumed.
Ahh! It was enough to make him grind his teeth to a stub.
Then his thoughts turned to his own family.
Cursing Richard Bashir and his indiscreet revelations, Julian lamented how a quiet, normal life could have been his if his stepfather had kept his mouth shut. His mother, Amsha, was a loving and intelligent woman, a generational member of the secret society that had watched the Remnants for centuries. She seemed the ideal candidate to be a surrogate mother, except for one unseen flaw – her terrible choice in husbands.
Richard had been fine when Julian was a child, perhaps a bit too involved, but nothing alarming. The protocol dictated that new Remnants shouldn't be informed too early about their true nature. However, as Julian grew older, Richard's obsession with the concept of augment Remnants intensified. He would never be admitted to that secret society due to his unsuitable temperament, skills, and education. This strained Amsha and Julian's relationship. For Richard could only gain entry to this secret organisation through an invitation from a Remnant, like Julian.
Being so close to this incredible secret, raising an 'augment Remnant' child, when the general public didn't even know how they procreated, proved too much for Richard to resist. He began dropping unsubtle hints to anyone who would listen, claiming to possess more knowledge than he actually had. Amsha couldn't control his destructive behaviour. And by the time Julian reached 17 years of age, it became general knowledge that he was an augment and a Remnant at that, even before he had fully awakened.
His mother pleaded for his forgiveness, and Julian, of course, forgave her. She was his mother, the woman who enabled his birth, and he loved her as both a son and a dear friend. However, Richard, his idiotic stepfather, was another matter entirely. Julian could barely tolerate the man and was endlessly grateful that he wasn't genetically related to him.
At least he had managed to maintain his façade in front of the commander. It seemed that Julian was on the way of persuading him that he wasn't a dangerous super soldier. Not after his stunt with the baseball and all the cowering he performed.
The Remnants had many secrets to keep, uugh! What a stupid name they had been stuck with. It wasn't the name they called themselves. But the Prime had commanded them not to reveal the name to any mortal. As much as 'augment' and 'Remnant' upset them, their true name would really trouble them. Julian sighed to himself, he fully understood the necessity of secrecy and he was fully committed to maintaining it. Though certain aspects of his people were all ready known, like his ability to heal himself and their long life span. But Julian should be protected from the worst of their curiosity with only being born 27 years ago.
As Julian took in deep breaths, trying to regain his composure, he realised he had wandered halfway around the ring during his fit of anger. Frustration gnawed at him—distractions like these were unacceptable. He needed to stay focused, especially with the commander's disapproval hanging over him.
Standing in the curving corridor, Julian weighed his options: continue forward or turn back. The unfamiliar surroundings made it a tough decision. Which ever way he turned the corridor looked the same. The same dark colour pallet, extended in both directions, but now he was alone and had a chance to really look he noticed very subtle shifts in colour. Very dark red and blue accented the design, he found it quiet soothing.
Just then, an older man in the black and yellow uniform of engineering appeared, jogging around the bend. Blond curls bounced as he approached, his flushed face betraying exertion. "Doctor!" he called out with a note of suspicion. "Where are you going?"
Julian studied the man's rank pips. "No idea, Chief," he admitted. "I seem to have walked by the turbolift after my conversation with the Commander. I will admit, I was somewhat distracted. Now I was just trying to figure out if it's quicker to continue or turn back."
Miles O'Brien, the chief engineer, relaxed a bit, having caught his breath. "I understand, Doctor. I have been on the other side of the desk during a 'talking to.' Disconcerting, isn't it?" The suspicion in Miles's eyes softened with understanding.
Besides he had a good idea what the commander had wanted to speak to the doctor about. The commander had informed all the senior staff three days before that an augment had been assigned to the station.
Miles didn't really know what to think. He had never met a real-life augment before. He had the underlining prejudice that a lot of people seemed to have, that augments had an unfair advantage over normal humans. But he was a professional Star Fleet man, he could behave civilly to the man, he would just keep an eye out, to make sure he wasn't using his abilities to get an unfair advantage over others.
Smiling at the other man, "I wonder how you found me down here chief?" Julian asked. The red hue returned to the other man's cheeks, "oh, I just happened to see you on the security cameras in this corridor."
Hmmm, Julian thought, he must be one of the senior officers Sisko mentioned in his office. Looking up to the ceiling, "I don't see any cameras?" he gently queried. "Yeah! The Cardassian's are right sneaky bastards. You wouldn't believe what they managed to hide around the station. The cameras are part of the light fixtures," Miles explained with a rueful shake of the head.
"Are they in our personal quarters too?" Asked Julian with a sudden frown of worry. "Oh no, the Commander ordered them to be deactivated as soon as we took control of the station," Miles explained, reassuring Julian. "There're cameras all over the station, all the public access areas and corridors, security zones. I think there might be cameras in the infirmary too," Miles told Julian thoughtfully.
Julian understood it was a necessity for security cameras to be in place in public zones, but they were not acceptable in a medical setting. "Chief I can't have cameras in the infirmary," Julian said firmly. "It's a matter of patient confidentiality."
Miles looked worried about this, "tell me chief would you be willing to strip naked for a medical examination if you knew there were camera's recording you?" Julian asked bluntly. Miles flushed hotly, he hadn't even thought of that, what if it was his wife? No, he definitely wouldn't like that. "I will talk to the commander and get them deactivated."
"Thank you Chief," Julian said with an expectant look and a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I am Miles O'Brien, chief engineer on board, sir," he said when he realised, he hadn't introduced himself. Remembering what the doctor had told him moments before, about being lost, he said "It's quicker if we continue forward. There's a second bank of turbolifts for engineering facilities on that side of the ring. If you're heading to the command center, use the starboard turbolifts near Quark's on the promenade, it's generally quicker."
Curiosity piqued, Julian asked about the turbolifts' destinations. Miles cheerfully detailed the port side commissary, short-term storage, and a pod-hostelry with sleeping pods. "Useful in emergencies," Julian remarked.
Looking around carefully, Julian took in all the details of their surroundings. He noticed now that all the accents were red. He wondered if it was a colour code that the Cardassian's could easily discern. Hmm! I wonder if the humans can see the colour changes too, maybe he will ask someone at a later date. He didn't often contemplate the differences in his senses and what he might experience that others didn't.
Reaching the turbolift, Miles pressed the call button. "Just say 'promenade,' and it'll take you to the correct deck," he advised with a half-smile.
"Will I reach the lift platform if I continue that way?" he asked Miles, pointing in the opposite direction they had just walked.
"Yes," Miles answered, "actually Doctor if you come up by these turbolifts it's quicker that way too." Julian committed this information to memory.
Julian thanked Miles for his assistance. Miles smiled tentatively back at the doctor, he seemed normal enough to Miles. He might even admit to his wife that he was a little disappointed at the doctor's ordinariness. He didn't know what exactly he expected in an augment. But it wasn't an overly friendly doctor filled with curiosity.
As the doors opened, Julian turned to Miles with a parting comment, "You should visit the infirmary for a medical soon. I noticed you were breathing pretty hard when you caught up with me. I might need to devise an exercise schedule for you." He said with a bright grin. With a jaunty wave, Julian entered the turbolift, leaving behind a shocked and then enraged Chief Engineer. Alone in the lift, Julian couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected turn of events.
He seemed to have met one relatively friendly person on the station.
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