Star Trek The Next Generation

23

I heard the door to my quarters open and turned to see Odo.

"Something wrong?" I asked as I turned to look at him.

"Dr. Mora is here." He said as he set down.

"The Dr. Mora? As in your Dr. Mora?"

"The very same." He said with a frown.

I crawled up behind him and gently wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Why is he here?" I asked softly.

"He thinks he found something... about where I come from."

"That's good news." I said as I stood up and set on his lap.

"I... this is probably just nothing."

"Odo, it's worth the look." I said with a gentle smile.

"Come with me?" He asked softly.

"Always." I said as I leaned up and kissed him.

He let out a sigh and pulled me closer. He deepened the kiss and placed his hands on my back.

"I love you." I whispered against his lips.

He sent me a smile and kissed the top of my head. It wasn't long before it was time to get on the ship and I rolled my eyes as I saw a pillow in my seat. I set down and smiled as Odo got on with Dr. Mora.

"Doctor, meet Commander Maria, our Science Officer." Odo said softly.

"A pleasure." He said as he held his hand out.

"The pleasure is all mine. It's an honor to meet the man who helped Odo." I said as I shook his hand.

"He didn't really help me." Odo mumbled as he set down beside me.

"We are all ready to take off if you are ready to go."

"I am." He said as he set down.

I looked at Dax and she ordered for us to take off. I looked at my readings while Odo leaned back in his chair.

"It would seem to me that being a scientist yourself, Lieutenant, you can appreciate the difficulty of our dilemma, and the elegance of the solution. When Odo was first found, nobody knew who, or indeed, what it was we were dealing with. A shapeless, viscous mass of fluid, a veritable organic broth. That was our Odo in the beginning." Mora said with a chuckle.

"When did you realise you were dealing with a sentient lifeform?" Dax asked softly.

"He didn't. I had to teach him that myself." Odo said with a frown.

"It's true. It's very true. Tell her." Dr. Mora said with a smile.

"It was a dilemma for me. I had never seen anything like these creatures either."

"Seen isn't really an appropriate description. He had no eyes per se."

"I was just trying to describe it in simple terms." Odo said as I cleared my throat.

"Be nice." I mouthed.

He threw his hands up and I held back a light laugh.

"He had never perceived anything like us before. Go on. " Mora said calmly.

"I knew I had to find some way to communicate with them. So I transformed myself into-"

"It was remarkable. Every morning I would come into the lab, and every morning Odo would be there resting in his liquid form in a Krokan petri beaker. One morning I walked in and Odo was gone. The beaker was empty, but next to it was an identical beaker that had not been there before. A perfect replica in every way. It was amazing. It hasn't been the same since you've gone, Odo. Working with you has been the most rewarding part of my career." Mora said cutting Odo off.

"That is amazing, wait do you always transform into an object to tell someone something?" I asked as I looked at Odo.

"No, I just like to shift."

"Of course you do."

"We're approaching the planet. Prepare to enter standard orbit. Planet designated L S Six." Dax said calmly.

"Initiating scans." I said softly.

"There's a lot of seismic activity down there, possibly volcanic in origin. Moving into synchronous orbit." Dax said calmly.

We soon landed and I followed Odo to a stone.

"Do the letters mean anything to you?" Mora asked calmly.

"No. I don't think so." Odo said softly.

"Judging by its position in the ruins, I think it's fair to say that this pillar represented something important to the people who lived here."

"Why don't we take it with us. Our computers back on the station might be able to decipher the inscriptions." I said softly.

"Where is Doctor Weld? Doctor Weld?" Mora asked as he looked around.

"Over here. I think I may have found what we're looking for." Weld said as he held a case.

I decided to look around and frowned as I felt a small shake.

"Guys Something is wrong." I said as I turned to look at Odo.

"What is it?" Odo asked as he walked towards me.

The stele was beamed aboard the ship and then I felt a violent shake. Odo quickly grabbed me to steady me.

"Computer, realign transporter. Lock on to our comm. badges." Dax said as we started to cough.

"Stand by." The Computer said.

Gas started to come from a hole and Odo quickly covered my mouth with his hand and shifted a rebreather.

"Ready for transport." The Computer said.

"Computer, energise!" Odo ordered.

We made it back to the ship and I went to the controls. I went to push a button but fell backwards. Odo quickly caught me and pulled me to his chest as I passed out.