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While haggling with a pair of
twinned Miradorns over a valuable goblet for which he had agreed
to provide a buyer — until learning that the artifact in
question may have been acquired illegally — Quark is interrupted
by a newly-arrived alien from the Gamma Quadrant named Croden,
who bursts in on the meeting brandishing a phaser and demanding
the goblet for himself. A battle erupts, and Croden ends up
killing one of the twins. Odo, who observed the exchange in
disguise after becoming suspicious, morphs back into humanoid
form and breaks up the fight, taking Croden into custody and
ordering the others to meet with him and Sisko. The surviving
twin, Ah-Kel, makes it clear that he is determined to get
revenge by killing Croden. Meanwhile, Croden, in a holding cell,
shows little remorse, and little interest in anything but food.
However, he manages to mention during a conversation with Odo
that he has encountered other "Changelings," or shape-shifters,
in the Gamma Quadrant. Odo is suspicious, but intrigued.
Sisko decides the best course of
action is for he and Dax to locate Croden's home planet of
Rakhar and notify the authorities while increasing security to
protect him from Ah-Kel. Odo, already suspecting that Croden
staged the attempted "robbery" with Quark, tries to learn more
about Croden's origins from the Ferengi. Later, Croden tries to
appeal to Odo, offering to take him to a place where other
Changelings may still live, but Odo is still distrustful. Croden
then gives him a locket containing an odd stone that morphs into
an intricate metallic object and back to its original shape. He
tells Odo the stone is from the colony of changelings.
Dax and Sisko make contact with Rakhari officials, who call
Croden a criminal and an "enemy of the people" and demand his
immediate return. Meanwhile, Odo takes the stone to Bashir, who
analyzes it and determines that it is an amalgam of organic
material and some sort of crystal, and that the only life form
bearing even a passing resemblance in structure is Odo. Unable
to help being fascinated, Odo breaks down and asks Croden where
he got the stone. Croden says it came from an asteroid in the
Chamra Vortex, on the other side of the wormhole. Claiming that
he chanced upon a changeling colony on this uncharted asteroid,
Croden offers to take Odo into the dangerous, uncharted
territory. But Odo still cannot trust Croden, and does not
respond to his offer. Sisko, after returning from Rakhar, tells
Odo to escort the prisoner home. Odo and Croden board a Runabout
and set a course through the wormhole for the planet, escaping
the detection of Ah-Kel, who still wants Croden for himself.
En route to what he knows will be his doom, Croden again tries
to win Odo's trust, explaining that he was also an outsider on
his own planet and that the Rakharis killed his family. Back on
the space station, Ah-Kel threatens Quark, who directs Ah-Kel
toward Odo and Croden rather than risk getting caught for his
own part in the Miradorn's death. Now in pursuit, Ah-Kel attacks
Odo's ship, but Odo refuses to surrender his prisoner despite
the fact that he cannot outrun Ah-Kel. With no other choice, he
lets Croden pilot the ship through the Vortex, where the ionized
gasses will hide them from Ah-Kel's sensors. To Odo's surprise,
Croden lands the Runabout on the asteroid where the
shape-shifters supposedly live.
Croden anxiously rushes into a cave, almost losing Odo, who
angrily demands to know what is really going on. Croden finally
admits the truth — the morphing stone is actually a key to a
stasis chamber, inside of which is his peacefully-sleeping
daughter, the only member of his family he could save when the
Rakhari forces attacked them. He introduces Odo to the girl,
Yareth, and tells her Odo will take her to a safe place while
Croden will return to face the authorities on Rakhar. Suddenly,
an explosion rocks the cave. Odo is knocked unconscious, but
rather than using the moment to escape, Croden carries him back
to the ship, saving his life. Odo regains consciousness back on
the Runabout, with Ah-Kel's ship still in pursuit. He takes
control and is able to trick Ah-Kel into destroying his own ship
before leaving the Chamra Vortex for good. Once outside, Odo
surprises Croden by having the alien and his daughter
transported aboard a Vulcan ship, protecting them both from
imprisonment or death on Rakhar. In exchange for his kindness,
Croden gives Odo the changeling stone, a reminder that other
shapeshifters may really exist out there somewhere. |
