DEEP SPACE NINE: "Inquisition" - REV. 1/29/98 - ACT THREE     35.

27   CONTINUED:	(5)

					SISKO (Cont 'd) 
			So far, your case is based on 
			circumstantial evidence and 
			speculation.

					SLOAN 
			What other kind of case can I make 
			against a man who's covered his 
			tracks so well?

					SISKO
			That's a circular argument and you 
			know it.

					SLOAN 
			Captain, if Doctor Bashir had been 
			involved in one or two 
			questionable incidents, I can 
			understand how you might be able 
			to dismiss them. But the sheer 
			number of incidents form a pattern 
			of behavior that can't be ignored.

	Sloan turns to face Sisko, and suddenly softens to a 
	warm and sympathetic tone.

					SLOAN 
			I understand that you want to be 
			loyal to a man who's served under 
			you for so long. I understand 
			that you're inclined to take his 
			word over that of an outsider. 
			But step back for a moment and 
			think about it. This man 
			concealed the truth about his 
			illegal genetic enhancement for 
			over thirty years. He lied to get 
			his medical license. He lied to 
			get into Starfleet. He lied to 
			you when he came aboard this 
			station and he's lied to you ever 
			since.

	This last salvo strikes Sisko personally -- in an area 
	where he still holds resentments he's barely conscious 
	of. But his sense of honor forces him to continue to 
	defend Bashir, as much for his own sake as for the 
	Doctor's.

					SISKO 
			He did eventually come forward and 
			tell the truth.