I finally finished an Omake that I have wanted to write since about October. The discussion about the Vatborn in this part inspired me.
I hope you people like it.
The Blood of Drake
Maximilian Oda sat in the small changing room before the maintenance airlock on the prime deck of the
Tiamat-class destroyer
Hydra. He could feel his heart race in his chest and the tension grow. In the small room, another vatborn was already waiting. The vatborn was Miles Sisko, the oldest vatborn on the
Hydra. He had been part of the first batch that had joined the navy; even if his rank was below Maximillian's, he was a parental figure for most of the vatborn. A man you went to when you require advice or help with something that the military protocol can't take care of.
Or when someone faced a dilemma. Such as the one Maximilian encountered when he read the book Miles had given him when he was off-duty. The book was
The Blood Manifesto, a work that was part philosophical, part religious. Written by vatborn for vatborn. There was only one way to truly get it, from a vatborn who was part of the
Bloodsworn – those who had accepted the truth as laid out in the book. Maximilian had been given his book by Miles. At first, most of it had made sense, but the more he read, the more his questions became. Finally, they had reached a point where he couldn't continue. He needed help to solve the dilemma he had found himself facing.
"You have questions, brother?" Miles Sisko's voice sounded rough, thanks to the loh-sticks he liked to smoke whenever he had the chance. His face showed a significant burn scar, a memory of the time the
Hydra had faced orks and barely made it out.
"Yes." Maximilian hesitated for a moment as he tried to find the right words. "It's about the book you gave me. I've read it thoroughly. But certain parts have left me with an uneasy feeling. I understand what is written, but it doesn't fit what I've experienced."
"Ah, I understand. You aren't the first young one who has felt like this. Questioning the manifesto is good, Maximilian. If you stop questioning its teachings, it will fail at its true purpose: to explain our place in the universe. This place will change over time; that is the fate of all things. Nothing stays the same forever. Change is the way of the universe; only if we question it can we hope to gain enlightenment. And yet we have to embrace what we have, see the decay that comes before the change and embrace it. Don't worry; ask your questions, and I will do my best to answer them."
"Right, in the manifesto, several parts stated directly or indirectly that vatborn are better than novats. That weˋre above them. Yet I've worked and fought next to novats. As far as I could tell, there aren't any differences between other military personnel and us. We share the same gene enhancements and perform at the same level. How can we be better than them?"
As Maximilian spoke, he could see Miles nod along with a slight smile on his lips, giving him the impression that the older vatborn had heard this many times before. And yet he didn't interrupt him once, simply let him continue with an air of passion around him.
"And you feel rightfully concerned about it. Do you know what I mean? All you said is true, yet you seem to overlook the obvious difference between ourselves and the novats. What separates us from them?"
For a moment, Maximilian was hesitant. "We're made for war, and they aren't?"
"Almost right," Miles said with a new smile blooming on his face. The smile turned his face into a grotesque mask thanks to the burn scar. "But not completely right. The difference between them and us is that they choose this life. We don't. When we leave the training, we know that our purpose in life is war; in theory, we could leave the military, but only if the Federation allows it. And that would require that the threats we face grow fewer in number and wouldnˋt immediately increase at a concerning frequency. Most of us will die before we have a chance for another life. Where novats might break over this knowledge; for us, it gives us resolve. They have families and a life outside the military. We've got the military, our duty to the Federation that gave us life. Our priorities are sitting opposite from each other. This gives us a strength they will never know."
"You mean because only a few of us have founded our own families?"
"Partly, yes. But mostly because we know that our lives are owned by the Federation and will be spent in its defense. That isnˋt something bad, the Federation gives us a good life, but they hate that they are forced to do it. Yet they don't understand that we give our lives gladly to protect them. This is our purpose in life. What better way to die than to fulfill your purpose simultaneously? Their inherent weakness is one of our strengths."
"But in the manifesto, it is also written that we carry a drop of perfection that novats miss. Isn't that hinting at an underlying feeling of superiority over the novats? After all, the same passage mentions that they lack it."
"What is the drop of perfection, Maximilian?"
"Well, to put it simply, it is the description Chief Genesmith Carlson gave in an interview regarding Admiral Drake's genetic makeup."
"Then you have the answer already. We carry the same hint of perfection that Father Drake has in his own genes. He has been gifted to our world by the currents of the Warp, from a faraway place with even better gene-forging knowledge than we have. We were created using knowledge the Federation gained by studying the genes of Father Drake. That means that we're created with this hint of perfection in mind. Novats indeed receive the same modifications as we have. The difference, young Maximilian, is that our bodies have been created to work better with them. There is a reason why they more often receive medical checkups than we do. Our bodies are better for them, even if we all received the same modifications."
"Is that why the manifesto names him as our spiritual father? I thought it was mostly because he used his influence to ensure the vatborn were created."
"It is one of the reasons, yes. But he also set the example all vatborn should try to follow. His loyalty and dedication to the ideals the Federation had been founded on are commendable. It is something all vatborn should try to do, just like Father Drake does daily. I would say that this is our greatest duty – to follow his example." Miles stopped for a moment. Out of his uniform, he took a worn and old-looking copy of the manifesto. Holding it up, he continued: "Indeed, that is the intention of the manifesto. Some information is lacking, and contradictions have been made intentionally. They are there to be questioned and challenged, just as Father Drake has challenged and changed, more than once, what it means to be an exemplary officer of the Federation Navy."
For a moment, silence fell over both vatborn. Maximilian tried to process what he had been told, and Miles simply waited for the other man to continue the exchange. Finally, the younger one sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not sure I can get a boyfriend with so much psychic potential as Father Drake's wife."
The older vatborn chuckled. "Yes, a challenge we all face. But not one that you should worry too much about. We don't have to follow Father Drake's example in every aspect."
