Captain's log, stardate 2346.67. We have welcomed a new race to the station- the Snuzzelbians. First contact is going well, and they have been making quite an impact here with all of their interesting traditions. I'm hopeful that they will become our allies.
The Snuzzelbians were an interesting people. They got excited very easily, and when they did, they would let out a loud and grating shrieking noise and grip their large, bright red faces. There had been several complaints about it already, but it was apparently an involuntary reaction, so there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Jazi, a Snuzzelbian diplomat, sat across from major Kira at the replimat, perching on the table rather than sitting on a chair.
"What a gorgeous perfect space queen," Jazi trilled in her high-pitched voice. "I would die for this rage angel. Angel of rage but also of love. My waifu."
"Th-thank you…" Kira shifted uneasily. She wasn't sure what to think about the Snuzzelbians just yet. "So, um, why don't you sit in a chair?"
"I don't need a chair," said Jazi. "It's better to be higher up. But I could never be as radiant as you no matter where I sat!"
Then the excitable creature swung her neck around.
"It's the goo man!" she squealed. "Oatmeal man, come over here!"
Jazi was pointing at Odo. He hesitated before heading over.
"How's my favourite grumpy beige boy?" Jazi purred.
"I'm doing quite well, madam." Odo nodded to Kira. "I see the negotiations are going well."
Just then Snuzhi, the leader of the Snuzzelbians, jumped out from under the table. She held a hypospray in her mouth. Before Odo could react, Snuzhi jabbed it into his arm and extracted a part of his body. It reverted to its natural liquid state the moment it was separated from the rest of him, and Snuzhi grinned, showing off her stubby, round teeth.
"What was that for?!"
"I just needed to have a piece of this wonderful goo man for myself," Snuzhi said innocently. Then she ran off, clutching the hypo to her chest for a second before dumping the contents into a small container.
"Are you going to apprehend her?" Kira asked.
"No. What's the point?" Odo said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go check on Quark to make sure he's doing all right… I mean, to make sure he's not up to anything."
Quark stared at the container that the Snuzzelbian held out cautiously.
"Why do you want a sample of my blood again?" he asked.
"It is tradition for one to give a sample of their blood upon the first meeting with the Shaimbarog." That was the title that Snuzhi held as leader, and why she was the one to bear the name of the people. "Even this lovely horrible trash goblin must comply."
It seemed odd, but Quark held out his hand and Snuzhi dug her fingernails into it. Blood welled up, and she cackled. The drops of blood rolled off Quark's hand into the container she held out and landed. The container began to glow softly- first a sparkly beige, and then rainbow, flashing in conflicting patterns. Finally, a faint white shimmer surrounded the container, and when it stopped, sounds started coming from inside the container.
"This is now yours," Snuzhi said quickly, handing the container to Quark. "You need not give anything in return. When the grumpy goo man comes, tell him you saw nothing. Remember that, you lovably awful egg! Eheheh…"
Then she turned and hopped on the barstool she had been perched on and went over to Aerri, another one of her people. They started talking in shrill tones and then burst out in a simultaneous squeal. Quark wished they wouldn't do that in his bar. It disturbed the customers.
But as he would soon find out, he was about to have a lot more to worry about than customers.
The container resembled the bucket that Odo used to use, but it was adorned with all sorts of tacky gems and rhinestones. It was exactly the kind of aesthetics that Quark appreciated. But why would he need a bucket? He wasn't a changeling.
Well, it was probably not worth much, but it would be easy enough to pawn off to someone for more latinum than it was really worth. He stuffed it onto a shelf and went back to attending his bar.
Odo walked into Quark's at a leisurely pace. He would never admit it to anyone, of course, but investigating the criminal wasn't always the real reason he wanted to spend so much time with him. Besides, he had to make sure the weak little Ferengi wasn't busy getting himself killed every two seconds.
Of course, investigating illegal activity was still the main reason. And Odo was reminded of this when he sidled up to the bar where Quark was working and was surprised to hear a faint rattling sound coming from the shelf.
"What is that?" He pointed to a container that reminded him of his old bucket, but adorned with blingy garbage that was rattling back and forth.
Quark glanced at the container, and his eyes widened.
"I-I have no idea," he said. "It's something I picked up- legally, of course- and I have no idea what it does, but it looks nice."
"That depends on what you consider looking nice to mean," Odo grumbled.
"Well, I can tell you one thing for certain: I don't know why it's rattling like that," Quark said. It sounded like he actually meant it, too; he looked just as confused as Odo. "Let me take a lot at what's inside…"
He lifted the container off the shelf and peered inside. When he did, he inhaled sharply and almost dropped it. He held the container with shaking hands, staring down at its contents in disbelief. Then he slowly raised his gaze back up to Odo, who had no time for guessing games and wanted to know what was in the container right now.
He told Quark this, grabbing the container away and looking into it for himself. What he saw was a tiny, quivering lump of goo. It looked almost like a baby Changeling, but it looked wrong. It was sort of an orangey brown colour, and it was oddly lumpy. The blob wiggled around, and a small appendage rose up and wrapped itself around Odo's finger. It wants me to link with it, he realized, so he did and was overcome with a wave of utter confusion and wrongness. Once the feeling of overwhelming confusion ebbed away, a single thought began to grow louder and louder within Odo's mind.
It is you.
What is me?
It is you… that made me.
Startled, Odo ended the link and pulled away. He turned to Quark, certain that he had something to do with this but not sure how.
"It says I made it," he told him. "Care to explain?"
"Well, if that's the case, I couldn't have had anything to do with it," Quark said nervously. "So, you'll be going now, right?"
"Hmmph." Odo grabbed Quark's arm and dragged him out from behind the bar counter. "I'm going, all right, but you're coming with me."
He is me. Is he not? He is different from me. But there is somebody else. I can feel them. They are me? But also different. I am… both of them? But different.