"I. Hate. Voles"
"They do appear to have become a major nuisance to this station, more so than when I first arrived here and heard about them"
(Sighs) "yeah they've gotten worse since you first arrived, you're lucky you missed a bad period a year ago, it took us almost the entire three months to deal with the infestation, that's when it was decided that Cardassia would be allowed full access to the station during infestations to hopefully eradicate the problem permanently, as you already know no such luck yet"
"I assume that there is hope though that there will be resolution to the problem with the help of the Cardassians?"
"Yes, we're hoping like crazy that eventually they'll be eradicated but for now having Cardassians that know their habits is a big help"
"Indeed"
"We're also lucky that we're on such good terms with them considering everything, one Cardassian actually saved the chief from worse injuries than what she already has"
"According to Doctor Bashir she should be back on duty tomorrow"
"Yeah, it's not that we don't enjoy having you here it's just...the chief is more stability than you are, the only reason the arrangement would have worked well with Odo is that he was our security chief for many, many years before this whole arrangement came up"
"I understand and agree that you need stability and trust to work effectively"
"Indeed"
Fortunately the next day the security chief was back on duty and Data was in Ops. Meanwhile in a completely different section of space the USS Horatio was doing planetary surveys for a potential colony when they detected a life sign, it was faint and as such suggested that the person was either dying or was in a location that obscured life signs
"Right, Commander select an away team and get down there to figure out what's going on, once you give me an update I'll give a report to Starfleet Command so that they can decide if we're continuing our mission or if they need to send someone else to complete what we've started"
"Yes sir"
The team is selected and beams down to the planet where they find that the signature was slightly stronger as they got closer to a rock formation that proved to be a cave system
"Lindsey to Horatio"
"This is the Horatio go ahead"
"It looks like a cave was masking the life sign, we're going to go ahead an proceed with caution, however be advised that there might be loss of communication until we're back on the surface"
"Understood, be careful"
"Will do"
They enter the cave and five feet into the system they see a sight they would never forget, force almost all of the officers to be sick, and amazed them that the person was still alive because they looked like they had half healed burns all over their body, though they weren't sure about that since their recorders were simply registering life signs and not configured to scan the injuries and they didn't dare, instead when they noticed that the person had seen them the Commander followed standard protocol
"I'm Commander Lindsey of the USS Horatio of the United Federation of Planets, can you move?"
They barely heard the response but what was said would shock them once more
"Horatio?...Starfleet...are you...Starfleet?"
"Yes, we're here for planetary survey but when we found your life sign..."
"I...see...need help...hurts to move...what's...Stardate?"
The Stardate is given and there's obvious shock in the person's eyes
"Hang on, we'll see if we can't get in contact with our ship. Lindsey to Horatio come in..."
It's quickly obvious that they had no means of communication in the caves and so the crew helps the mysterious person out of the cave and then makes contact once more
"Lindsey to Horatio"
"Horatio here, go ahead"
"Two to beam directly to sickbay"
"Stand by"
Soon the Commander and the mysterious person was in sickbay and as soon as that happens the person finally passes out and then shocks everyone by turning into a gelatinous state
"Someone get me a container!"
The mysterious person in a different form was soon put into a container where all sorts of tests were done. Two hours later on the bridge
"Sickbay to Bridge"
"Bridge here go ahead"
"Captain I need you down here immediately"
"I'm on my way"
Five minutes later and the Captain was in sickbay
"Alright Doctor, what's going on?"
"What do you know about the mission?"
"Just that my First Officer came back with a medical emergency and the rest of the away team beamed up soon after, other than that I don't know because he said it was up to you to fill me in when you could"
"I see...follow me please"
And so they go to a biobed that had a bucket on it
"What's this about Doctor?"
"That's Odo in there sir"
"Odo?...it can't be, he was declared dead three years ago"
"I know sir but it's him"
"Are you absolutely positive? I mean that as you having conferred with Doctor Bashir or Doctor Crusher regarding your suspicions"
"No sir...but that's because quite frankly I wasn't sure what to do with this information initially, even though I saw him turn into his gelatinous state before my very eyes"
(Sighs) "OK, until we get confirmation from our guest here about their identity this goes no further, once our guest does or does not confirm our suspicions we'll make discreet inquiries to either Doctors Bashir or Crusher asking them to keep it a secret until they themselves not only confirm our suspicions but we also talk to Starfleet Command about all of this"
"Understood sir, I already told my people and Commander Lindsey not to say anything until they get further instructions from you because I understand just how big this could be, after all..."
"Exactly"
"Since I don't know when he'll become solid again do you want to stay?"
"Yes, but not until I get someone to cover the rest of my shift on the Bridge, plus as you know being the Captain means..."
"I know, but I think he might find it comforting to have you here when you wake up...if it is who we suspect it is anyways"
"Good point"
Six hours later the Captain was waking up from a nap when he noticed a change regarding the bucket
"Doctor!"
The doctor comes over just as the mysterious person takes solid shape once more, they still looked like they could use medical attention but they also looked better than their initial arrival and once solid and actually looking at him (the look was initially one of suspicion and disbelief, as if the person didn't think it was actually real) the Captain speaks up
"I'm Captain Ferguson of the USS Horatio, welcome aboard, now then who are you?"
"First I need to know if it's the Stardate that I think I heard on the surface, or close to it at the very least"
"What's the Stardate that you heard last?"
The person says the Stardate that he last heard and then the Captain gives him the Stardate for the next day
"Then it's true, it's been three years, Captain Ferguson I'm Constable Odo of either DS9 or the Enterprise depending on the rotation that I would be on if what had happened in my office hadn't happened. I assume that I have been considered dead for the last three years due to an explosion and just enough of my body left behind to be declared my remains"
"We're going to have to have undeniable proof that it's you, which means either Doctor Bashir or Doctor Crusher needs to confirm that it's you, however I don't exactly know if I want to advertise the possibility of it being you all over subspace before it's actually confirmed"
"Maybe you can see where the Enterprise is and schedule a rendezvous and then request Doctor Crusher to come aboard on her own"
"That would be best since Doctor Bashir is stationary and far enough away that I would have to confine you to empty quarters and a site to site transport to keep your presence a secret until your identity is confirmed"
"That could be the same for the Enterprise as well"
"We'll know once I call the Enterprise, in the meantime we have a secluded area in sickbay that will keep you from being seen until we can decide our next step in confirming who you are"
"Understood sir"
As it turned out the Enterprise was only a day away at warp 4 and not on any urgent mission currently and as such a rendezvous could be arranged, though Picard was a little confused as to why Captain Ferguson needed his Chief Medical Officer when he had a good one of his own, but Ferguson simply said that the matter was temporarily classified by himself and his Chief Medical Officer for unique security reasons, and when they did arrive they arrived just as Odo's "sleep" period had ended