Star Trek: The voyages of the USS Apollo

Chapter Eight: Ada

Ethan, T'Vrell and Voq were standing at the docking port of the Apollo with about a dozen other crewmembers to enact in trade with Captain Dorkon and his crew. It had been a mere half hour since they saved the Azura and it's crew from bloodthirsty pirates and now they would be enacting in trade with them. Ethan was of course hopeful that the Azura Crew would have something, anything, that could help them on their way home. As the docking hatch opened at last, Captain Dorkon and three men stepped out with some crates. Dorkon shook hands with Ethan and said "Good to finally meet you in person Captain. Again, thank you for saving us from those pirates." Voq sounded proud and courageous as he said "It was an honour to help defeat those pirates in the glory of battle." Dorkon looked a little surprised at the sight of Voq and Ethan explained "This is my Chief Tactical Officer and Security Chief, Lieutenant Commander Voq." Dorkon gulped and said "I suppose that security isn't too much of a problem on this ship of yours then." Dorkon then noticed the dilithium containers and said "Now that has to be enough fuel to get us straight to Drakorus in no time. What are you charging?" Ethan explained with a hopeful tone of voice "We are trying to find a wormhole that might shorten our journey home to the Alpha Quadrant. The two ends are about ten thousand lightyears apart and we are hoping that you might know where it could be." Dorkon thought for a moment and said "I'm afraid I have never come across any wormhole before." Ethan's face filled with despair at those words, but then with hope as Dorkon said "However, one passenger we picked up from the outskirts of Reptarian Space did say something about going through a wormhole about two years ago. I shall call her over at once."

Dorkon then pressed on his people's version of a com badge. It was a yellow badge in the shape of a triangle and had a ring going around it. Dorkon said through the com badge "Manifest Officer, I request that you bring the shapeshifter here to meet with the Captain. You know, that blonde haired woman who said she went through a wormhole some years ago?" The manifest officer said through the com badge "Yes Captain, I'll have her over as soon as possible."

When Ethan heard Dorkon mention that this passenger was a shapeshifter with blonde hair he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. There was only one species in the Galaxy with that look and they had once been one of the most dangerous enemies the Federation and Starfleet had ever fought. Ethan's fears and T'Vrell's suspicions were proven true when a smiling Human looking alien walked through the docking port in mechanic's clothing that was not clothing, but a part of her body. Her skin was completely pale white and her hair was in a bun and strawberry blonde. As she approached, she could see Voq's hand hovering over his phaser and looked very disturbed as she asked "Why are you so disturbed by my appearance?" Shocked at who and what this woman was, Ethan said "Are you a Changeling?"

The alien looked confused as she asked "A Changeling? Well I can change my shape if that's what your asking." As the alien made her hand change shape to add some extra fingers and then changed it back she asked "So what is a Changeling? Is that what I am?" The Crewmen, who had all been shocked to see the female Changeling, all now looked confused. This Changeling did not know who her own people were? Wondering what she meant, Ethan asked "Wait a minute. Do you know what the Dominion are?" The female Changeling looked as confused as the Crew as she said "No. Who are they?" Realising what this could mean, T'Vrell asked "Who are you and what is your earliest memory?" The female Changeling only answered the first question as she said "My name is Ada. But why do you want to know my earliest memory?" T'Vrell then answered "If what I suspect you are about to say is true, then I would find it logical to assume that you are one of the Hundred Changelings."

In that moment Ada realised that these people knew something about her people. The people she had never known and knew that this was her chance to finally learn about her people. Ada took a deep breath in and said "Most of my early life is a blur, but what I do remember is my adoptive mother, may she rest in peace, telling me that I was found in a gelatinous form as an infant. While everyone in our village on my home world saw me as a strange creature, she saw the sentience in me and took me in. My earliest memory is her telling me that the day she died from a Brain Disorder and the same day I was sent to the orphanage."