The Transformed 01: To Be, Or Not To Be [Complete]

by Trent Roman

After Dr. Crusher announces that she can reverse their mutations, the Transformed must decide between keeping their new abilities or becoming normal again - but one unfortunate Transfomed finds herself trapped with powers she never wanted. Based on the ST

1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: A large portion of the characters and settings in the Transformed series are based on Michael Jan Friedman's Star Trek: The Next Generation / X-Men crossover novel "Planet X", and are used without permission. This is done solely for entertainment purposes, and is not intended for profit or to undermine the fine work of Friedman, Paramount or Marvel. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Picard and the starship Enterprise belong to Paramount. The X-Men, Shadowcat and Rogue belong to Marvel. The other characters are either original or characters from the novel (and thus Jan Friedman's) that are expanded upon here.

THE TRANSFORMED

Issue I: To Be, Or Not To Be – Part One

Trent Roman

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Lieutenant Relda Sovar (Xhaldian male from Ra'ad Cuhloor)

Erid Sovar (Transformed male from Ra'ad Cuhloor)

Corba Eabi (Transformed female from Shupaar)

Paes Xsuw (Transformed male from Cadriil)

Uives Amall (Transformed female from Cadriil)

Nikti Eilo (Transformed female from Bellos)

Jebo Oaje (Transformed male from Ra'ad Cuhloor)

Umini Otwik (Transformed female from the Nornian Coast)

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Human male from France)

Chancellor Praddis Amon (Xhaldian male from Verdeen)

VERDEEN AUDITORIUM

IMMEDIATELY AFTER "PLANET X"

All around him, Lieutenant Relda Sovar could see people grinning and embracing themselves. Dr. Crusher had dropped quite an emotional bombshell when she announced that the bizarre transformations that had occurred in these twenty-two year old men and women could be reversed by isolating the genomes that caused the mutation and removing them from their genetic makeup. Afterwards, only minor cosmetic surgery would turn the Transformed back into normal Xhaldians. They would never again be plagued by their strange abilities, as the process was irreversible.

And yet, not everybody seemed to be excited about the announcement. Here and there, there was a face that looked grim and thoughtful, rather than open and cheerful. Sovar wondered why. Especially since his brother appeared to be among the unhappy ones.

Gently, Sovar made his way through the crowd in Verdeen Auditorium. As he walked by, he couldn't help but notice the occasional physical change that had overcome the gathered Transformed. Most of them looked like normal Xhaldians, but once in a while he'd spot someone with horns, or fur, or even an extra set of arms. When combined with the normal Xhaldian features like bronze-skin or the blue-black brush on their heads, it made the differences stand out even more. These weren't aliens he was looking at. They were Xhaldians – only different.

Sovar finally reached his brother's height. Erid Sovar was one of the unlucky few when it came to visible transformations. His hair brush had fallen out. The veins and arteries all over his body had become swollen, bulging out from the skin as if someone had slipped thick wiring under Erid's epidermis. The skin itself had turned purple everywhere except for his fingers – and although Erid's fingers retained their original bronze colouring, Sovar had seen for himself the power that was stored within those digits.

When the Draa'kon had attacked the city of Verdeen, looking to collect the Transformed as part of a decades old political strategy, lieutenant Sovar had witnessed his brother turn on one of the invaders, pointing a finger at the reptilian alien. The fingers had glowed white, and a bright beam of energy had lanced out. That particular Draa'kon had been down for the count.

"Erid," Sovar acknowledged, smiling sincerely. "Corba." He gave a gracious nod to his brother's companion.

Ever since he had returned to Xhaldian when the Enterprise had responded to the growing crisis caused by the presence of the Transformed, Sovar had not seen the two separate from each other. Corba seemed to be spending a lot of time around Erid – and he around her. Obviously, some kind of relationship had developed between the two of them. Considering that over the last few days they had undergone incomprehensible changes, been incarcerated by the government (for which Chancellor Amon had personally apologized for) and hunted down by aliens, it was remarkable that they had found the time for any kind of romance.

Corba's only visible sign of her Transformation was that her hair brush had turned white. That was achievable through cosmetics and dyes, of course, so it didn't necessarily imply to a passer-by that she possessed powerful abilities. Sovar wasn't certain what the young lady's powers were, and he felt it would be impolite to ask. However, he could tell from his security training that Corba appeared restless – which was odd considering that she was in a state of near-exhaustion when he'd first seen her the previous day. She was also wearing several layers of clothing.

"You two don't seemed to be thrilled by the good news," Sovar continued.

Erid glanced at Corba as if for encouragement, then turned solemnly towards his older brother. "Relda, we're not going to go through with the operation."

Sovar was baffled. Not going through with the operation? He knew the Sovars lived a very traditional life out in the barren highlands of Ra'ad Cuhloor, and that their parents had generally been sceptical of technology. Erid had embraced in their parents' philosophy, while Relda had felt that it was a backwards way of thinking. That he had felt stifled by the traditional lifestyle of his family was one of the main reasons he had gone against his parents' wishes to become the first Xhaldian in Starfleet. Because of that choice, Erid hadn't spoken to him since – he hadn't even showed up the day he left for Earth. They hadn't heard a word of each other except through their parents until the Draa'kon attack on Xhaldia had brought them together again.

But still, it was disappointing to think that Erid still regarded modern technology with such distrust that he was afraid of an operation.

"Erid, Dr. Crusher is a very able physician. She's been my doctor for two years now, and look at me: I'm perfectly healthy. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm sure she wouldn't have proposed it if it wasn't safe."

Erid shook his head. "It's not about that. I'm sure that Dr. Crusher is very good at what she does. What I'm saying is: I don't want it to be done. I want to stay the way I am. I choose to be Transformed."

It took a few seconds for his brother's words to sink into Sovar's mind. When they did, he reacted with shock.

"What? Why?"

"Why not?" Erid answered with a sigh that seem to say that he felt an argument coming on.

"Well, just look at you!"

"Looks are of no importance. I've been taught that since childhood – and maybe if you weren't so busy thumbing your nose at our beliefs, you would have learned that too."

Sovar didn't respond to the jab. Instead, he softened up a bit. "Erid, I'm sorry. I love you no matter how you look, you know that. It's just that, well… others might not be so accepting."

"I don't care about others. Their short sightedness is not my concern. All that matters to me now is my happiness. Our happiness," Erid amended, hugging Corba closer to him.

"Can you really be happy when you're isolated from anybody else like that?" Sovar asked.

"Whosaidanythingaboutbeingisolated?" Corba asked, speaking so fast that Sovar could barely understand her. "Hehasmewithhim, andIdon'tthinkthatwe'retheonlyoneswhowouldwanttokeepour-abilities."

"Okay, but you could be together even if you got rid of your Transformations. Why keep them at all?"

"These abilities, these powers – they're like gifts. You heard Dr. Crusher: the process is irreversible. If we decide to change back to the way we were, we'll have lost them forever."

"It wasn't a gift. The Draa'kon tampered with your genetic code when you were in the foetal stage because one faction wanted to use you to gain dominance over another."

"It doesn't matter to me how I came to be different. The point is I am different. I am unique. Special."

"You've always been special to me, Erid," Sovar said softly.

This seemed to throw off the younger brother for a second. After the years-long rift that had settled between them, displays of emotion were unusual and a little startling.

"I, uh… what I meant to say is: we Transformed have something to offer to the rest of Xhaldia that is unique, and that will, more likely than not, never be seen again."

Sovar shook his head. "Xhaldia has no need for people with powers."

"I disagree. What if the Draa'kon come back? Have you ever thought of that? Maybe next time there won't be a Sovereign-class starship in the vicinity to help us out. Or maybe the Draa'kon will manage to get all our booster satellites before we can send out a distress call."

Xhaldia's atmosphere was ripe with energy fields that disrupted subspace communications and prevented all but the most localized matter transportation. As a result, Xhaldia employed a series of satellites to boost communications so the planet could stay in touch with the rest of the quadrant. The Draa'kon had destroyed all four when they had attacked – fortunately, the Enterprise had already been on its way towards Xhaldia.

"WewerescaredatfirstwhentheDraa'konattacked," Corba put in. "Buteventuallywestartedusignour-powersagainstthem, andprevioustothatwehadusedthemtobreakoutoftheObrigfortress. We'vebecome-morefamiliarwithourabilitiesandwhattheycando."

"Yes," Erid agreed. "Our powers were instrumental to defeating the invaders. Together with the city guard, your own crewmates and those X-Men, we managed to throw back an alien invasion, Relda. That's nothing to laugh at."

"The X-Men have had considerable more training than you have," Sovar pointed out, recalling Shadowcat, the mutant with whom he'd been teamed up. The young lady had tripped up a whole squad of Draa'kon by slipping under a road and sticking her hands out upwards. It had been quite impressive.

"We'll train. When I first transformed, I couldn't control the blasts that came from my fingers. I had to constantly avoid the sunlight, since my power was activated by photosynthesis. Now, I can not only control when I release my blast, but also their intensity. I'm making progress here. Why would I want to throw it all away?"

"But what about the consequences?" Sovar asked. "I saw you trying to run from the Draa'kon. You looked exhausted, and your friend here even more so."

"IwastiredbecauseI'dovertaxedmyabilities," Corba replied. "Iknownowtobemorecareful."

"Look, Relda, both me and Corba got a trade-off when we Transformed. We got our powers, but we also had other changes. These things," he said, holding up his arms, "are very heavy, and yes, I do have problems running. In life, you have to take the good with the bad."

"I'm still not convinced that you're making the right choice here," Sovar said. "But it is your choice, and I can't stop you two from doing what you want to do."

"Prime Directive?" Erid asked lightly.

Sovar snorted. "I'd respect your choice even if I wasn't Starfleet."

Erid purple's face seemed to light up. "You know, this reminds me a lot of your decision. When you said that you were joining Starfleet, I couldn't understand why you would possibly want to leave our home. I was so angry with you, and I just let that anger fester like an open wound."

"It hurt me when I left," Sovar said softly. "I felt as if I'd let you down somehow when you wouldn't talk to me anymore." Sovar blinked away the memories, and stared at his brother. "I won't make that mistake. I want you to do whatever makes you happy. I'll stand behind whatever decision you make."

Erid and Corba smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

TEMPORARY TRANSFORMED UNIT HOUSING, VERDEEN

SHORTLY THEREAFTER

Paes Xsuw was breaking all of his previous records. It was no surprise, really. He now had an extra set of hands to help him along. At first it had seemed disconcerting to be controlling twenty fingers. But he'd quickly fallen into the habit, and now all four hands were flying over the computer console, the data on the screen scrolling by at break-neck speed.

Paes was what one would call a programmer, if one was polite. Others didn't hesitate to mention names and titles associated with the various computer crimes the young man had committed as a matter of course. Paes prided himself on his abilities to get around encryptions and find hidden data.

He hadn't had the opportunity to try out his new set of hands before now. Shortly after he'd Transformed he was captured by the Security Department and placed at the Obrig fortress along with the rest of the Transformed. Once they had broken out, they had relocated to Verdeen's abandoned Old Quarter, where there were no computer interfaces. In fact, there hadn't even been any electricity.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked besides him.

Paes Xsuw jumped. He could have sworn that he had been alone in his room. Apparently there had been someone with him. He just couldn't see her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Paes admonished.

"Sorry," she replied, though he was certain that Uives Amall was smiling that bitter little grin of hers.

Both Amall and Paes came from the city of Cadriil, a sprawling metropolis that was, for all intents and purposes, the capital of Xhaldia. But like any big city, Cadriil had its share of crime; especially in the area of the city know as "The Barrows". While not actually a barrow, it got its name from a malfunction in the sewer system that had turned the entire Quarter into a swamp. It had taken several months to get the mess cleaned up, and by that time the name "Barrows" had been coined, labelled and adopted.

The Barrows was never an easy place to grow up in, and individuals from that area of Cadriil were renowned for being misanthropic, like Paes, or unusually defensive, like Amall. The two had met when they were teenagers, when Amall had run into a spot of trouble with a local crime magnate, and Paes had helped her out, after which they had maintained their friendship.

When the Transformation had occurred, they'd both wound up at the fortress in the Obrig Mountains. Most of the Transformed there were alone, so they had considered themselves lucky that they knew somebody else in the same position as they were. Especially since given their respective personalities, it was generally hard for them to make new friends fast.

"Would you mind coming back?" Paes requested. "I'd hate for people to think I'm talking to myself."

"You do talk to yourself. And you know that I can't come back now."

"Why not? I promise not to look," Paes said leeringly.

"You're not looking now, and that's the way it stays."

Amall had gained the ability to shift herself out of phase with the rest of the visible spectrum of light when she'd Transformed. Of course, that was limited to only her own molecules, and not anything she was wearing. So clothing ruined the effect of invisibility, which explained her reluctance to phase back into the visible spectrum at this time.

"So what are you doing?" she asked again.

"Just trying these out," he said, wiggling the fingers at the end of the arms that had grown out of his body just below his original set. "You wouldn't believe how fast I can go with four arms."

"Computer users everywhere should be cowering in fear," Amall stated without inflection.

"You bet. Blood of the ancients, can you believe that some people actually want to reverse these Transformations?"

Silence greeted his words, and Paes began to worry that he had just made a faux pas. "Uives? Are you thinking of taking the operation?"

"Hunh? Oh, sorry. I had shaken my head in agreement with you; I forgot that you couldn't see me. My mistake. And to answer your question, no I'm not thinking about that. Why would I? I've got an advantage that nobody else here has. Can you imagine what I could have done with this invisibility back in the Barrows?"

"Are you going back to the Barrows?"

"No, I don't think so. The government has offered to house us here in Verdeen, and I think I'm going to milk that for as long as I can. I really have no motivation to go back to my crummy, gargril-infested apartment."

"Same here," Paes replied. "It's nice to finally be able to sleep at night without having to worry about robbers – or worse. Just a few modifications, and I can have the computers in this place running as fast as mine did."

"And I can pass as a normal Xhaldian when I'm visible. Unlike a certain four-armed freak I know."

Paes scowled in the direction of her voice.

* * *

TEMPORARY TRANSFORMED UNIT HOUSING, VERDEEN

THAT VERY EVENING

Nikti Eilo came out of the sonic shower that evening feeling more relaxed and refreshed than she had since this whole ordeal had begun. It wasn't the shower itself; there had been one in their "quarters" in the Obrig fortress. Rather, it was the knowledge that by this time tomorrow, she'd be truly clean. That she'd be purged of the impurities those alien Draa'kon had seeded into her genetic code.

When she had heard Dr. Crusher announce that she could reverse the mutations, Nikti had been so overjoyed that she had burst into tears. When she'd recovered a semblance of composure, she had been amongst the first to sign up for the operation to remove her faulty genes.

She'd finally be able to go back to her family.

She'd finally be able to hold her children without having to be afraid that she might kill them.

In most cases, the Transformations had arrived without warning. Those who hadn't suffered any physical deformations had no idea what kind of powers they could now wield until those powers activated themselves of their own accord. Nikti had been in her nursery, burping her newborn twins after feeding them their bottle. Suddenly, she had felt as if her hands were getting warmer – or the children were getting colder. Looking at her babies, she had seen odd bluish discolorations begin to spread on their skin.

Nikti had acquired the ability to absorb heat, light, and other forms of energy from her surrounding environment. That included her own children. But because she didn't know this at the time, the young mother scrambled to wipe off or clean the blemishes, which only made things worse.

In all cases, the Transformations had occurred on the day of the individual's twenty-second birthday due to the period in which the Draa'kon had seeded the planet's gene pool. Nikti's mate had arrived home early in order to appropriately celebrate the event, and came upon the tragedy playing itself out in the nursery. Had he not snatched the twins from his mate's grip, they would have died from exposure to Nikti's absorption powers. Afterwards, Nikti had been shipped with the rest of the Transformed to the Obrig fortress. He hadn't contacted her husband yet because she wanted to be pure again before she had any more contact with her family.

Nikti slipped into a soft-hued blue jumpsuit. She felt a slight rumbling in her stomach, and decided to go down to the building's lounge to get a quick bite to eat from the food slots.

Ashamed of it's initial reaction in dealing with the Transformed, the Xhaldian government was now making sure that all their needs were being met, and then some. Almost all the Transformed were being lodged in a specially formatted building in Verdeen's Governmental Quarter. Nikti wasn't sure who the building had been originally designed for, but several levels were off-limits to them. Nikti had no desire to find out what were on those levels; the building had plenty of housing units for now, and soon she would be able to return home.

Despite the late hour, there were two people in the lounge when she got there. One she recognized from the Obrig fortress as the man who could make himself four meters tall. His name was Jebo Oaje, a rather antiquated first name that could only have come from a traditional area like Ra'ad Cuhloor. The other had been captured after the Transformed broke out of the Obrig fortress, so Nikti didn't recognize her. Like Nikti, both the man and the woman bore no exterior signs of their Transformation.

She flashed them a smile, then went over to the slots and ordered herself a pollani sandwich. As she waited, she caught herself humming lightly. Nikti smiled even wider. She couldn't remember the last time when she'd done anything lightly.

Still humming, she set her snack in front of her and sat at the table.

"You look happy," Jebo said, returning her smile. "You had always looked sad before."

"I have good reason to be happy," Nikti answered. "I'm slated for transport to the Enterprise first thing tomorrow morning to have my Transformation reversed."

Jebo exchanged a glance with his companion. The smile fell from his face, and he nodded his head in understanding. "Good for you," he said. "I hope it makes you even happier."

Something about the way he said that sounded odd to Nikti. She swallowed a bite of pollani, then asked: "When are you slated to go under the figurative knife?"

"I'm not taking the operation," he answered.

Nikti stopped chewing, and looked at him hard. "You're not reversing the Transformation?"

"Neither am I," the female said.

Nikti dropped her sandwich into her plate, looking at her two dining companions incredulously. "What possible reason could you have not to take the operation?"

"Why should we?" the woman answered. "It's not like it shows on the outside. We have an advantage that nobody else had. I think its great."

"You're insane." Nikti let out a nervous chuckle. "Both of you."

"That's not fair," the woman said. "It's our choice."

"Aliens have changed your genes!"

"But we got away from them," Jebo pointed out. "There's not reason to change who we are because the people who made us this way weren't very nice."

"How can you possibly expect to live normal lives when you're different from everybody else? When you're… you're… freaks!"

"Somebody is being rather shallow," the woman pointed out. "It doesn't matter whether we're Transformed or not. What matters is who we are."

Nikti reeled back as if stung. She blinked, trying to gather her words. Finally, choking back an unexpected sob, she pointed angrily at the woman. "I love my family. And wanting to get back to them does not make me a bad person." She stormed out of the lounge, her earlier good mood evaporated.

Jebo Oaje shook his head as he watched her stalk away. "That was unpleasant," he said.

"Yeah," Umini Otwik agreed. "What a whiny little thing. I'm glad we won't to deal with any more of those 'Oh, I'm Transformed, poor little me' routines once Dr. Crusher gets through with reversing their mutations."

Jebo nodded. "Hey, look. She forgot her pollani sandwich."

Umini reached across the table and pressed two fingers to the top of the half-eaten snack. Her hand seemed to glow for a moment, then the glow transferred over to the sandwich. It liquefied, turning into a whitish puddle in the plate.

"It's pollani soup now," Umini said with a mischievous smile.

* * *

CAPTAIN'S READY ROOM, U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

AT THE SAME MOMENT

"It's… breathtaking. I mean, I've seen pictures of it from space before, but it simply can't compare to actually being up here."

Captain Jean-Luc Picard smiled at Chancellor Praddis Amon's awe. Having lived amongst the planets and stars for such a long time, it made one become blasé about the ethereal spectacle offered beyond the window of his ready room. Being able to see the wonders of cosmos through a new pair of eyes like Amon's was always a welcome reminder that one was part of something so grand it would be impossible to soak up it's beauty in entire lifetimes of space travel.

"It certainly puts things into perspective, doesn't it?" Picard said, walking over to the replicator. "Would you like anything to drink, Chancellor?"

"No, thank you."

"Tea, Earl Grey, hot," Picard ordered for himself. The replicator hummed softly and produced a steaming cup of tea. He took the saucer in his hands and walked over to Amon's side, taking a tentative sip.

"Hanging there in the firmament, it gives us the impression of eternity," Picard mused, looking out his window. "As if something so mighty could not possibly be affected by anything that's thrown at it. But unfortunately, that is only an illusion. Even entire planets are vulnerable to a species sufficiently advanced."

"You think that the Draa'kon might return, don't you?" Amon asked softly.

"They might. Because we've had no previous contact with this species before, we have no idea how they'll act. It could be that the destruction of the warship they sent to collect the Transformed will frighten them away. One can only hope that they'll think twice in the future before taking any hostile actions. But then again, the loss of their vessel could actually spur them on to attack again, out of a sense of blemished honour, redemption, or plain old vengeance."

"What can we do? Xhaldia is not a warlike world, nor do we have the technological knowledge of either the Federation or the Draa'kon. We don't even have a merchant marine of space-faring vessels, let alone anything than can stand up to a Draa'kon destroyer."

"The Enterprise will remain in orbit until your new booster communication satellites are completed, so you can always call out for help. But eventually, we will have to attend to other duties."

"And what happens to us if the Draa'kon do decide to pay us another visit? The booster satellites might let us communicate with the rest of the galaxy, but that's no help if the nearest starship is a week away."

Picard sighed heavily. "Admiral Kashiwada has been advised of the situation, of course, and will adjust the patrol routes in this area accordingly. But I'm afraid that Starbase 88 cannot realistically maintain a constant presence around Xhaldia while seeing to it's other duties."

"Other duties," Amon repeated. "You mean other, more important locations to protect."

Picard wanted to deny the accusation, but the Chancellor had hit upon the truth of the matter. "Unfortunately, with the new threat of the Draa'kon in this sector of space, the Federation will have to step up security for several of our resources in this area. The New Jakarta mining colony, for instance, which produces deuterium for refinery. Or planet Besedia, a Federation member for almost twenty years now. And Starbase 88 itself, of course. Politically and practically, those facilities will take military precedence over a friendly, though nevertheless non-aligned planet."

"So what are you proposing?"

"Xhaldia has always maintained a friendly relationship with the Federation, and we have a stable base to further that relationship. If you join the Federation, you'll not only be afforded the protection given to any Federation member planet, but we'll also start upgrading your technology so that you wouldn't have to rely on outside help for your protection anymore."

Amon shook his head. "I'm not dismissing the idea outright – it certainly has its merits. We Xhaldians have never been great participants in intergalactic affairs, because the energy fields in our atmosphere have cut us off from many of the usual means of interaction. But even if we did go ahead with this, it can take years for a petition for membership to be reviewed and accepted. We'll still be vulnerable in the intervening period."

"There have been cases where the Federation has extended protection and aid to petitioning planets – Bajor and Zeta Epsilon III, for example. Considering your situation, I'm sure that the Council would agree that any Federation embassy here on Xhaldia would need to have the tools to protect itself – and by association, Xhaldia."

Amon mulled this over. "I'll have to consult the population and the Departmental Chiefs before I can commit the planet to any course of action."

"Of course," Picard nodded. "Due process must be observed. And remember, the Federation will always respond to a cry for help."

Amon turned away from the window. "Thank you, Captain Picard. This has been a most enlightening discussion."

Endnotes: This story introduced you, the reader, to several core characters of the Transformed series; namely Sovar, Erid, Corba, Paes, Amall, Nikti, Jebo and Umini. If you want to learn more about the Draa'kon and their invasion to which the characters keep referring to, I recommend you read "Planet X" by Michael Jan Friedman, on which this series is based. If you'd like to know more about Paes and Amall's dealing with the criminal segment of the Barrows, keep your eyes on this series; I plan to revisit the Barrows and those events in a later instalment. The next part will deal mostly with Nikti's tragic character – she's going to be my Rogue.