Section 31: Abyss is a Star Trek DS9 novel by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang. Weddle helped write the DS9 episode “Inquisition,” which introduced Section 31. Now there is a series of novels involving the super-secret organization that hardly anybody in the Federation believes exists. I haven’t read the others, so I don’t know if they are connected in any way except by theme, but I do know that this novel is outstanding. Is it because Weddle was involved with the creation of Section 31? Who knows? Whatever it is, it’s the perfect combination of the old and the new that I love in a good Trek novel.
The Story
Days after the harrowing events in Avatar, space station Deep Space 9 is still massively wounded. Power is fleeting and the dumping of the main power core means that they need to replace it with the core from its sister station, Empok Nor. The whole procedure is quite complex and dangerous, so Colonel Kira has decided there should be as few people on board as possible. Dr. Julian Bashir and his new love, Counselor Ezri Dax, have decided to head back to Earth so Julian can show off the old homestead to Dax. But Julian’s packing is interrupted by a visit from Cole, an agent of Section 31. Section 31 is an organization that is so deep under cover within the Federation that hardly anybody knows of its existence. Its duty is to keep the Federation safe from enemies that politics and military strength won’t necessarily counteract. Cole has a mission for Dr. Bashir, whom Cole’s predecessor had originally tried to recruit into the organization.
Dr. Bashir was genetically enhanced as a child because his physical development was sub-par. Due to the Eugenics Wars in the late 20th century, genetic enhancement is illegal in the Federation and Bashir hid his enhancement for years until it was discovered a couple of years ago. He was allowed to remain in Starfleet as his father was imprisoned for the act. Now, another genetically enhanced man is running loose. Dr. Locken was sent by Section 31 to take control of a hatchery of Jem’Hadar troopers abandoned by the Dominion in the recent war. But Dr. Locken betrayed his Section 31 colleagues and appears to be using the hatchery for his own purposes. Bashir has to stop him before Locken realizes his plan to change the Federation into his own image, and plunge the rest of the galaxy into war. Will Bashir be able to withstand the seemingly irresistible pull of Locken’s words in order to get the job done? Or will the rest of his friends, including Dax, suffer the fate of his betrayal? And what does Section 31 really want out of all this?
What Did I Think?
After reading this book, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. This is the Trek novel I’ve been waiting for. It has wonderful character examinations, a very interesting plot, and best of all, consequences. The Deep Space Nine novels take place after the end of the television series, so things can happen to the characters. You don’t necessarily know if everything is going to turn out all right. And even when they do, characters can be irreversibly changed by the events in them. Weddle and Lang have crafted together what I would call a masterpiece of Trek novels.
One major thing I have to mention right off the bat is the use of continuity. If you’re familiar with my Trek novel reviews, you know that heavy continuity references are not my favourite thing. So many times, a book has been weighted down with reference after reference, with the explanations of these references taking up way too much room and killing the pace of the book. This time, though, we are completely spared that problem. To my recollection, there is not one continuity reference in this book that slows the pace of the book. Usually, if a reference is made, it’s just left there. If you are familiar with the events in question, then you understand it totally. If you’re not, then there is just enough information so that you get the feel for what the reference means in the scheme of this plot. For example, Bashir talks about his experiences raising a Jem’Hadar child to maturity, and the troubles that Odo (the shape-shifting security chief at the time) had controlling it. However, Weddle and Lang do not go on for paragraphs afterward explaining the entire plot of the episode in which this occurred. I almost screamed in joy when I read my first one.
This book is mainly a character study of Bashir, and as such it works wonders. Bashir has always been one of the more interesting characters on the show, and I found this analysis of his character very interesting. He’s always been on the outside looking in, especially once his enhancement became public and people looked at him differently. None of that seemed to happen in the series itself, but you can understand that people would start treating him differently and that he would start to resent it. In this book, that resentment explodes as Locken tries to convince Bashir that they should work together for the betterment of the entire Federation. They are almost perfect people. Why shouldn’t they try to shape the galaxy into what they think is best? But the key word is “almost,” and that word becomes very important as Locken starts to go increasingly insane. You do start to wonder, however, whether Bashir will come to his senses in time, and the suspense is palpable.
Dax makes a good sounding board for Bashir in the book, but she also has other things to do that have to do with the series as a whole. Dax is still coming into her own as she is getting used to having the symbiote inside her. She is a Trill, a joined species, with the symbiote creature living inside her having lived in numerous bodies before her. She is just getting used to being able to access the memories and, at times, skills of her predecessors. She learns some more in this novel, and it’s the continuation of character development for her that I’m sure will continue in subsequent novels. It’s part of what brings the series closer together, but casual readers who pick up this book will not be mystified by what is going on with her.
The other characters are good as well. Ro and Taran’atar have a lot to do as they try to get access to the base where Bashir and Dax are being held captive. They get some solid character development as well. The characters back at the station get less, and they probably could have been left out of the book entirely, except at the beginning. There is some development that, again, is geared more toward future books. Commander Vaughn, the new first officer of the station, gets some more mystery added on to his past. I find him an interesting character but I wish they would finally do something with him. I think that in the next series of books he does get some character development, so the little teases in this book do their job well. We’ll have to see if it continues.
The plot is very tension-filled, with some action in the parts with Ro and Taran’atar, and a lot of philosophical discussion in the parts with Bashir and Locken. Weddle and Lang to a wonderful job of juggling the two plot lines, always leaving one at an interesting turning point when they go to the other. As I said above, though, I could have done without the side-trips to the station. But they weren’t too bad and I find those characters interesting, so I didn’t mind too much. If you’re not a Trek fan, these side-trips might be more annoying. The dialogue between Bashir and Locken is outstanding, with both sides doing their utmost to convince the other of the rightness of his position. Dax is suitably skeptical of Locken’s, and the tension in the room is palpable.
This novel is a must-have if you’re a DS9 fan. Section 31 is an interesting concept, and you’re always wondering about ulterior motives. I haven’t read (and don’t plan to unless they come to me) the other Section 31 books, so I don’t know if there is an over-arching plot. I do know that this book sits by itself very well. If you like DS9, you owe it to yourself to follow the series of post-television novels. If you don’t feel like doing that, you still must check this one out. It’s a keeper.
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