Chapter 2 - "Carpe Diem" (Part 1)

Benjamin Sisko could tell that his new ensign was used to standing on ceremony. He had arrived for this informal dinner party in uniform, with his boots and commbadge absolutely shining from careful attention and maintenance. In one way, it did Sisko’s heart good to see a young man so passionate about his career. But it was a bit of a concern that the younger man didn’t seem to when or even how to relax. Sisko had seen more than one young officer get tired of Starfleet quickly after being gung-ho and doing too much, too soon.

On the other hand, it did seem that Daniel Holmes had other interests as well. More than once, his eyes wandered to the very pretty lieutenant sitting diagonally across from him.

I wonder if the old man’s noticed yet? Sisko wondered in amusement. It was still somewhat awkward for him to think of Dax as a female. But all the same, it would be healthy for her to have a man in her life.

“So, how do you like my dad’s cooking, Ensign?” asked Jake Sisko. He flashed a winning grin at Holmes. It made Benjamin Sisko smile. He had asked Jake to be extra nice to the newest member of Deep Space Nine’s team, but he knew he’d needn’t have worried. Jake was a friendly boy without any prodding. And it seemed that Holmes was close enough in age that Jake felt comfortable enough to talk with as though they were equals. Sisko worried for brief moment that Holmes might take that as an insult. Some officers tended to demand respect, sometimes at the cost of their integrity. Again, Sisko’s worries were for nothing as Holmes genuinely seemed relieved that Jake had spoken to him in a normal way.

“It’s delicious. No, that’s doing it an injustice. It’s beyond delicious,” the young ensign assured his host. “Oh, you can call me ‘Dan’, by the way.”

Jake grinned at the display of familiarity. At that age, boys tended to look up to their older counterparts as role models. Sisko felt that Jake would probably learn a lot from Holmes in that regard and could do worse for a male influence.

“You’ve really outdone yourself, Benjamin,” Dax added, happily munching on grilled chicken and salt potatoes.

Sisko smiled widely and waved his arms expansively across the table.
“Between the compliments and the polished boots, I’m inclined to think that you two are lobbying for promotions.”

“I almost broke out the dress uniform,” Holmes admitted around a sheepish grin. That earned a round of laughter from everyone. “But if that was an offer to be promoted…”

The renewed laughter nearly drowned out the sound of the door chime. Still laughing, Sisko got up to answer the door. His laughter failed pretty quickly when he saw who was on the other side.

“Can I help you, Quark?” the Commander asked, allowing disdain to drip into his voice.

Without waiting for an invitation, Quark bustled in.
“Actually Commander, I’m here to meet the new guy.” Quark scanned the room and quickly settled on the one unfamiliar face. With a sharp-toothed grin, he strode over as fast as his little Ferengi legs could carry him.

“Ah, you must be the new fellow all my customers are talking about. Well, let me just say that you, my friend, are very good for business!”

Holmes stood up politely, hands behind his back at first, though he did offer his hand for handshake once Quark finished talking. Quark took it, albeit briefly. Hyoo-mans weren’t creatures he liked to touch. Their lobes weren’t quite prominent enough for them to be trustworthy. They made wonderful business patsies, though.

“ Well, I’m… glad I could help?” Dan stated\questioned. His eyes wandered around the room, silently asking how he was supposed to react to this. He had, of course, been ‘warned’ about the Ferengi at the academy, but this was his first time dealing with one in person.

Sisko seemed a little put off by the Ferengi’s impromptu visit. He snapped his fingers suddenly.
“Let me guess, Quark - rule number 121?”

Quirk seemed a little taken aback, but recovered quickly. “Rule of Acquisition Number 194, actually. ‘It’s always good business to know about a new customers before they walk in the door’. But that was close, Commander. You must have been studying.”

Turning his back on Sisko, leaving the Commander with his index finger raised and his mouth open, ready to start telling the Ferengi off, Quark faced Holmes again, a greedy grin spreading across his wide face.
“So, a hero, eh? And this isn’t your first time?”

“Actually-” Holmes began to protest, but Quark cut him off.

“Details, details-” Quark said, waving a dismissive hand. “What’s import is that the others perceive you as a hero. And your modesty will just add to my profit! Er, your respect, I mean.”
Putting his arm around Holmes’ shoulder, he guided him toward the door.
“How about coming down to the bar and talking about your heroic exploits? I’ll give you a good price on drinks-”

“Quark!” Sisko demanded, a dangerous edge to his voice.

“Commander, it’s rude to interrupt!” Quark managed to sound disgusted, causing Sisko’s temper to flare even more. But Quark ignored that and continued.
“Now, what was I saying?”

Sisko seized the diminutive Ferengi by the shoulders. “You were just leaving.”

Before the Ferengi could protest, he found himself being pushed through the door into nearly into Major Kira. She caught him around the shoulders, but almost as quickly threw him off. It was no secret that Kira was no fan of Quark’s, and that was further evidenced by the look of revulsion on her face as she touched him.

“Good evening, Major.”

The Ferengi’s comment went ignored as Sisko’s gestured for Kira to come in. Quark bustled by, unconcerned about the Major’s flippant attitude, though he did take an extended look at her backside as he retreated back to his bar.

“I’m sorry to intrude, Commander,” Kira said apologetically. She’d known that this was just meant to be a small gathering, and that Dax had wormed her way in by setting the table (and being an old friend of the Commander’s), so she wasn’t offended she was excluded. She’d been busy elsewhere anyway, as someone had to run the station.

“Nonsense, you’re always welcome here. Now, what can I do for you, Major?”

“Actually, I came to see Ensign Holmes.”

“By all means,” Sisko said invitingly. “It seems you’re popular tonight, Dan.”

Holmes strode across the room and stopped in front of Major Kira, standing formally.
“Yes, Major? How can I help?”

Kira seemed excited as she told Holmes “ I’ve just been in contact with the provisional government on Bajor. They wanted me to pass on their thanks for the way you handled the situation with those terrorists. They’ve transported me this, and asked me to pass it on to you.”

Nodding his thanks, Dan took the intricately wrapped box. He made sure to stare at it appreciatively before opening it, but it was more curiosity than manners that caused him to remember that bit of etiquette.

Beneath the gold paper decorated with the Bajoran home world insignia lay a lacquered box also distinguished by the beetle-like Bajoran symbol. The lid was bound to the box by a black cord. At Kira’s encouraging nod, Holmes removed the cord and pulled the top off the box.

Inside the box, laying on a bed of small, polished black stones lay a thin gold necklace, weighted down by a platinum amulet. The amulet was oval in shape, and was distinguished by a small circle on the top through which the chain was threaded.

“It’s beautiful!” Dax exclaimed as Holmes pulled the pendant out, allowing it to dangle from his hand. It’s heavy weight reminded him that doing the right thing didn’t come without a price at times.

“It’s the medal that Bajor awards two non - Bajoran recipients. It used to be called the ’Alien Friends of Bajor’ award, but it lost that name after the Cardassian occupation. ’Alien’ seemed too impersonal, so now it’s called the ’Bajoran Ally’ award. Only a handful have been awarded since the end of the occupation. One of the other recipients, in fact, was Commander Sisko.”

It was clear from the expectant tone in Kira’s voice that this medal meant a lot to either her personally or to Bajorans in general. Either way, Holmes was beyond flattered to receive this award. But he was also exasperated.

So much for my quiet entry to Deep Space Nine. he mused. But who could stay mad at receiving such a commendation from a race that had (understandable) trust issues?

“Major, I’m honored. It really means a lot,” he gasped in awe. A smile crept over his face. It was a very real gesture, despite his reluctance. He liked Major Kira already, and if her beleaguered people were going to show him trust, objecting would be stupid and impolite, and Holmes was neither of those things. “Will you pass on my thanks?”

Kira inclined her head, still smiling. “Of course.”

With that, Kira left. Holmes looked at the medal, a smile creeping across his face.
“You know, I didn’t joint Starfleet for the kudos,” he told them. “But it is nice to get them.”

Dax put a hand on Holmes’ shoulder as he admired the medal.
“Congratulations, Daniel. You earned that.”

Holmes gave a thin smile, not sure if he appreciated Dax’s hand on him or the medal more.
“Thanks…but I’m not sure. I mean, I was there, and I helped and everything. But you and O’Brien got me out; Commander Graves knocked down their shields; Cadet Larson got me onto the ship in time to sabotage them…”
He ran a hand through his thick hair, grimacing a little.
“I don’t know, I just don’t want to come across as a big hero. Especially being new, I don’t want everyone thinking that I’ve got…you know…a big ego or something. Or that I throw myself into dangerous situations for the thanks.”

He dropped his hand, giving a small laugh. “And now I sound ungrateful.”

“No, not at all,” Dax assured him. “I totally get where you’re coming from. Curzon didn’t like the spotlight being on him like that very much either.”

“Curzon?” Holmes questioned, wondering why the other dinner guests were chuckling.

And with that, talk of Dax’s previous identities and more well-earned compliments about Sisko’s cooking filled the room, and Holmes forgot all about his trepidation. He felt like he was being accepted, and that’s what he really wanted all along. So he settled in and enjoyed his colleagues and friends.
He decided to make sure to do more good things so that he could come back for another meal.
--

The next day was Holmes’ official first day on duty. He had met everyone except for the Chief of Security, Odo. And boy, was Holmes curious about him.

“A Shapeshifter?” he had asked incredulously while tapping keys on his console. “I didn’t know there were any. Huh. I’ll have to meet him.”

Kira looked over Holmes’ shoulder briefly, nodding at the data on the screen. She transferred the readings she needed to a data padd. “Just don’t gawk at him. Odo doesn’t like being on display.”

Holmes handed Kira another padd. This was one full of mindless inventory work he’d done to get himself acclimated to the ship’s systems. The Cardassian-Federation-Bajoran hybrid that was Chief O’Brien’s work in progress took a little getting used to.
“You know him well, Major?”

“You could say that. I’ve known him for years. Since the occupation.”

Holmes finished one more bit of work, then closed his terminal’s connection. “I’ve finished downloading the sensor and security logs from the Hudson. If it’s okay, Major, I’d like to run them down to Odo. It’ll give me a chance to meet him, and something to talk about when I do meet him.”

Kira nodded her consent, smiling a little at the enthusiasm. It reminded her a bit of herself during her days as a Bajoran Resistance member. She’d always been gung-ho herself.

Sisko stepped out of his office as Holmes was walking by. Holmes politely nodded and continued on his way to the turbolift. Sisko fell into step behind him.
“Where are you headed, Dan?”

“Security, Sir. I’m delivering some logs from the Hudson.”

“Do you mind some company? I’m on my way to inspect the Hudson now. Chief O’Brien has been doing a maintenance overhaul on her since the skirmish.”

Holmes stepped to one side on the narrow lift. “Promenade,” he told the computer. He took up his formal posture, back straight and hands clasped behind his back. “I‘m a little surprised that Starfleet Command had us keep the Hudson.”

“Mmm,” Sisko agreed. He was looking over a data padd as the turbolift sped down to the Promenade. “I would imagine that they’re having us hold onto it for security reasons.”
Sisko looked up to find Holmes deep in thought. Sparing him from asking, he informed Holmes that “It took two runabouts to take down one Cardassian ship. This will give us four, and increase our odds of holding out.”

“That’s a good advantage of the Danube Class,” Dan noted. “The small crew compliment, I mean. I think that, at any given time, we could muster enough people who are on-duty to use six runabouts.”

The turbolift reached the promenade, and Sisko stepped off the turbolift into the hustle and bustle of the average morning crowd. The station was a lively place even at off hours, though most of the more popular attractions were closed in the morning. Sisko noted that Quark was serving a ‘special Bajoran breakfast’ today. It might be worth it having Odo look into that, to be sure that Quark wasn’t selling synthehol this early, or that one of his shady, clandestine meetings wasn’t taking place. Sisko could swear that Ferengi was worth a security log by himself.

The two officers nodded cordially, then broke off in separate directions. Holmes slowed his pace down a bit, taking in the view. So many different races to look at; so many of them a mere footnote in a textbook or an offhand reference by a professor. To see them in person was awe-inspiring. It made Holmes remember some of what he loved about Starfleet.

His curiosity slaked for the moment, Dan redirected himself toward the security office. The twin glass doors hissed open on his approach, granting him access to the office occupied by the station’s security chief, Odo. Holmes was curious in spite of himself -what would the shape-shifter look like?

What greeted him was a humanoid form with pale skin and slicked back blond hair which framed a face that was almost human, but not quite so. The skin was unnaturally smooth and abutted by two smooth, featureless, vaguely ear-shaped appendages. The relatively tall body was covered with a Bajoran military uniform.

“Can I help you?” came a gruff, gravelly voice. Holmes snapped to attention, realizing he was guilty of the one thing he’d meant not to do.

“Yes, actually. I’m Ensign Daniel Holmes. This is my first day on duty here, and I’d hoped to meet you, since I’ll be working under you as part of my command track training.”

Odo gave Holmes in appraising look, probably similar to the local Holmes had given him. With a nod of his head, Odo that gestured toward the collection of data padds that Holmes was juggling in two overloaded arms.
“Are those for me, Ensign?”

Looking at his load as though surprised, Holmes managed a dim nod before handing over the whole kit and caboodle.
“Yes, sir. These are the sensor logs and security logs from the USS Hudson. Starfleet is allowing us to keep the runabout for security reasons. Chief O’Brien is getting the ship an overhaul from the damage it took in the skirmish with the Bajoran terrorists. I’m headed there now, if you’d care to come along and inspect the security measures.”

Odo was already looking through the padds, scrolling through the data within rapidly and exchanging them nearly as quickly.
“That won’t be necessary, Ensign.”

It was a moment before Holmes belatedly realized that the conversation was over. He was more than a bit taken aback by the sudden, rather rude dismissal before he realized that he probably had it coming from gawking like an idiot. The worst part was that Holmes was unsure as to how to correct his faux pas. He was getting the idea that apologizing out right wasn’t the right course to take with the enigmatic security chief. So, unsure as of what else to do, Holmes muttered ‘Nice meeting you’ and exited as gracefully as he could.
--

Miles O’Brien had been at work on the same runabout for nearly 8 hours. It hadn’t taken too much damage, but it was underpowered in its defensive systems and needed a major overhaul. Chief O’Brien was to his elbows in engine grease and discarded bits of conduit, but this was what he lived for. His work was his life, sometimes at the expense of his home life. As understanding as his wife Keiko could be, she needed her husband around. And with a young daughter, a beautiful little girl named Molly, O’Brien couldn’t let his work completely dominate his life. No matter how great the temptation.

He was so engrossed in his work, making mental calculations and the like, that he missed his giant boss walking calmly toward him.
“How’s it going, Chief?”

O’Brien started to reply, but banged his head comically on the console he was parked under. He emerged, rubbing his aching forehead. He’d gotten more bruises working on this Cardassian bucket o’ bolts than in all his other years in Starfleet combined.
“About as expected, sir,” O’Brien reported, wiping his hands on a rag he kept for just such occasions. “She’s a fine piece of machinery, but she needs more power. Maybe another phaser bank or two. I’m using the Hudson as a test subject for work I plan to do on other vessels. So far, so good.”

All of a sudden, with no warning, a conduit above O’Brien’s head exploded, raining fragments down on the two men. More hazardous was the console blowing up in O’Brien’s face, and the fire that started. Fire Suppression systems were off-line apparently, as the ship only gave an audio warning about the fire.

Sisko grimaced, preparing himself for pain as he reached through the growing fire to pull O’Brien out. The fire ate through his uniform quickly and began licking his arms and chest with orange flames. No one could accuse Benjamin Sisko of being a coward.

Ensign Holmes was just entering the landing pad when he saw the fire through the doors of the airlock, which had sealed off once the fire was sensed by the station’s sensor array. Holmes didn’t have an override code yet. So instead, he tapped his commbadge:
“Holmes to Infirmary! Medical Emergency on Landing Pad C! Beam out Sisko and O’Brien now!”

”Bashir to Holmes. We can’t get through the airlock seal! You have to override the lockout!”

“That’s a negative, Doctor. I don’t have a command code yet!”

Holmes wondered why Sisko hadn’t ordered the station to allow the airlock doors to open. He looked over, finding Sisko beating furiously on the glass part of the airlock door. The glass was decorative, with an actual force field in place over it.

“Holmes to Bashir! Speak your command code-”

Holmes put his commbadge right up to the control panel that was blocking his access to the runabout.
“-now!”
--
--
Odo surveyed the scene with his critical eye while Major Kira plowed through the damage, extinguishing small fires with a fire extinguisher.

“What a mess!” she exclaimed, cursing as she stubbed her toe on a piece of burned console casing. “What on earth caused this?!”

Odo surveyed the airlock doors, making a sort of growl sound of discovery.
“Either the station was damaged when the Cardassian ship exploded…”

A pause. Kira hated it when Odo got lost in thought in mid-sentence. But it was such a ‘humanoid’ thing to do, it made her smile despite her annoyance. Most of the time, anyway. Right now, with O’Brien’s life in danger, it wasn’t amusing at all.
“…Or what?” she prompted him.

Odo held out a small bit of what looked like a timer.
“Or we have a saboteur on our hands. A saboteur who uses Bajoran resources.”

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