Vortex

In the bar, Quark and Odo banter about a Miradorn Raider that has just docked at the station… (Quark saying he doesn’t want anything to do with them, Odo eyeing him off) they notice the new arrival – Croden – who the Klingons brought back from the Gamma Quadrant. He sits at the bar, alone.

As Quark walks off to a meeting with the Miradorn twins (that just arrived and nodded in his direction) in the holosuite, Odo spots Rom prepping a tray to bring up. He sets down four glasses but after grabbing a jar of beverage… he walks away with five glasses.

In the holosuite, Rom enters as Quark looks over an item the Miradorn’s have placed on a table. Quark notes that the buyer has backed out, and the item looks very similiar to one that was stolen in a nearby system. Suddenly Croden enters, aiming a weapon, he demands the item and brief struggle ensues. One of the glasses smashes on the floor and the shards morph into Odo. One of the Miradorn fires at Croden who returns fire and kills one of the twins. Everyone is escorted to security.

In Security, the Miradorn twin explains that they are almost codependant. Odo grills him about the stolen item – but Sisko intervenes and sends the Miradorn back to his ship. Odo curiously notes that Croden held a Ferengi phaser and that Quark was as concerned about the origin of the item as everyone else.

In the holding cell, Sisko tells Croden that he will face trial… but Croden doesn’t seem too phased about this. The visitor notes that Odo is a Shapeshifter – and that he knows where his people are.

Sisko and Dax travel to the Gamma Quadrant to find Croden’s home planet, and when they do a Rakhari official who answers their hail explains Croden is wanted for more crimes and the official insists he be returned at once. Sisko has no alternative, thanks to the Prime Directive, but to agree.

Back at the station, Bashir confirms that the stone Croden gave Odo is very similiar to the Constable and Croden makes a compelling case, but Odo doesn’t buy into it.

Sisko tasks Odo with returning Croden to Rakhar… they getaway from the station without the Miradorn noticing by hiding beneath a freighter. But back at the station the Miradorn notices they’ve gone and he pays a visit to Quark and bullies him into hacking the information out of the computer.

Despite Kira’s best efforts in Ops, the Miradorn raider leaves and pursues the runabout, which they catch surprisingly quickly. Odo relents and uncuffs Croden to allow him to take the controls and head into a nebula (filled with a dangerous gas, just to add to the drama) – the nebula that Croden says hides the Shapeshifters.

They land on a planet, and Croden rushes to a cavern… where the truth finally comes out. Croden is political prisoner, who escaped his planet after his family was slaughtered as punishment for his actions. The stone is actually a key to a stasis pod, which he opens and is reunited with his daughter.

The Miradorn raider fires on the planet which causes a small cave-in, knocking Odo unconcious. Croden carries the shapeshifter back to the runabout, where Odo regains conciousness a short time later while they’re still being pursued by the Miradorn.

With some expert piloting, Odo lures the raider into a pocket of the dangerous gas… which ignites, destroying the Miradorn. As they leave the nebula, a Vulcan ship (just how many Alpha Quadrant ships are in the Gamma Quadrant these days!?) hails. After swallowing his pride, Odo tells a different version of events and requests they transport two “survivors” back to Vulcan.

Odo, now alone on the runabout, plots a course back to the wormhole. Home… where is it? (It’s a shame we never see this “key” again… would’ve been a nice touch to have it in the series finale.)