Текст книги "New Frontier Omnibus (Books 1-4: "House of Cards", "Into the Void", "The Two Front War", "End Game")"

Автор книги: Peter David

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"What is it, Burgy?" asked Shelby, who was as riveted to the screen as any of them.

"It's . . . it's the Great Bird of the Galaxy."

THE GREAT BIRD OF THE GALAXY

XI.

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!" said Shelby. "That's . . . that's a myth!"

"Once upon a time, so was the idea of life on other planets," commented Zak Kebron.

The Great Bird, in the airlessness of space, continued to move its wings. It crackled with power. Extending its jaws, it gobbled up floating chunks left over from Thallon . . .

. . . and then it seemed to turn its attention to the Starship Excalibur.

"Uh-oh," said Shelby.

"I do notlike the looks of this," Calhoun agreed. "Aren't baby birds hungry first thing after they're born?"

"Customarily," Soleta said.

"What if it moves to attack the other ships?'"

"It doesn't seem interested in anyone else but us, Shelby," said Calhoun. "Probably because we're the biggest."

"Shall we prepare to fight it, sir?" asked Kebron, fingers already moving to the tactical station.

"Fight the Great Bird of the Galaxy?" said Calhoun. "Even we have to know our limitations."

The creature moved toward them, and Shelby said, "It seems to have a bead on us."

"I think you're right. Okay . . . move us out at warp factor one. Let's draw it away from the area and give everyone a chance to clear out."

"Incoming message from one of the vessels, sir," Kebron announced.

"Save it. Now isn't the time. Mr. McHenry, get us out of here."

The Excaliburwent into reverse thrust, pivoted, and moved away from the shattered remains of Thai-Ion, with the Great Bird of the Galaxy, or whatever it was, in hot pursuit.

"It's picking up speed," said Lefler.

"Jump us to warp four," Calhoun ordered, sitting calmly with his fingers steepled.

With a thrust from its mighty warp engines, the Excaliburleaped forward. The Great Bird, if such it was, flapped its wings and kept moving, pacing them.

"According to legend," Burgoyne was saying, "there can only be one Great Bird at a time. And when it senses its end is near, the Great Bird imparts its essence into a world, gestates over centuries, and is then reborn. I guess that's why it was

'mythological ' . . . it takes centuries for the 'egg,' if you will, to hatch."

"But you told me 'May the Great Bird of the Galaxy roost on your planet' was a blessing," Calhoun pointed out.

"Obviously it was. Look at the prosperity that Thallon saw during the time of the roosting."

"But when it hatches, the planet is destroyed! What kind of blessing is that?"

"It's oral tradition, not an exact science, sir," McHenry commented.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Burgoyne said.

"Sir, it's catching up."

"Pull out the stops, Mr. McHenry. Warp nine."

The Excaliburraced away, and this time the creature seemed to let out another squawk before the Excaliburleft it far behind. It dwindled, further and further, to the farthest reaches of the ship's sensor, and then was gone.

There was a slow sigh of relief let out on the bridge. "Well," said Shelby brightly, "that wasn't too much of a chore."

"Collision course!"shouted McHenry.

The Great Bird was directly in front of them, its mouth open wide. Faster than anyone would have thought possible, McHenry course-corrected and tried to send the ship angling out of the way of the creature's maw.

No good. The Excaliburflew straight into the Great Bird's mouth . . .

. . . and out the other side of its head.

The ship was jolted, shaken throughout, and it was all that the bridge crew could do to keep its seats. "Damage report!" shouted Calhoun.

"Slight dip in deflector shields! Otherwise we're clear!" called Lefler.

The creature appeared on their rear monitors. It appeared to be watching them go with great curiosity. Indeed, if any of the crew were given to fanciful interpretations of events, they would have said that the creature seemed just as curious about this new life-form that it had encountered as the new life-form was about them.

And then, with a twist of its powerful wings, the Great Bird seemed to warp through the very fabric of space . . .

. . and disappeared without a trace.

This time there was a long pause before anyone took it for granted that they were safe. And then Shelby said, "Where do you think it went?"

"Anywhere it wanted to," McHenry commented, and no one disagreed.

"Captain . . . I suggest you get yourself down to sickbay. You need to be patched up," said Shelby.

"Good advice, Commander." He rose unsteadily from his chair, and found himself leaning on Kebron. "Ah. You wouldn't mind escorting me down there, would you, Lieutenant?"

But Shelby stepped in and said, "Don't worry, Kebron. I'll handle this. After all . . . if you can't lean on your second-in-command, whom can you lean on?"

"Good point," said Calhoun wearily.

"And a word of advice: Don't keep the second scar on your face. The one is enough."

"Sound suggestion, as always."

As they headed to the turbolift, he paused and said, "Oh . . . we had an incoming message? What was that about?"

"Audio only, sir. I'll put it on." Kebfon tapped his comm board and a voice filled the bridge. A voice that was instantly recognizable as Zoran's.

And Zoran said, "Si Cwan . . . I just wanted you to know . . . I lied before. Your sister is alive. Try and find her, O Prince."

And his chilling laughter continued in Si Cwan's memory long after the message had ended.

U.S.S. EXCALIBUR

XII.

IT WAS EVENINGon the Excalibur. . . evening being a relative term, of course.

Selar was in her off-duty clothes, and she looked at herself in the mirror. For the first time in a long time, she liked what she saw in there.

She was nervous, so nervous that she could feel trembling throughout her body. For a moment she considered turning away from her intended course, but she had made a decision, dammit, and she was going to see it through.

She smoothed out her clothes for the umpteenth time and headed toward Burgoyne's quarters. On the way she rehearsed for herself everything she was going to say. The ground rules she was going to set. The hopes that she had for this potential relationship. She would never have considered Burgoyne her type, but there was something about hir that was so . . . so offbeat. So different. Perhaps that was what Selar needed. Someone to whom questions such as sex and relationships and interaction were nothing but matters to be joyously explored rather than tentatively entered into.

That, Selar realized, was what she needed. Whatever this residual urge was within her, driving her forward, it was something that needed a radical spirit to respond to. Someone offbeat, someone aggressive, someone . . .

. . . someone . . .

. . . someone was with Burgoyne.

Selar slowed to a halt as she neared Burgoyne's quarters, her sharp ears detecting the laughter from around the corner.

And then they moved around the corner into view: Burgoyne 172, leaning on the shoulder of Mark McHenry. They seemed hysterically amused by something; Selar had no idea what. Just before they stumbled into Burgoyne's quarters, Burgoyne planted a fierce kiss on McHenry's mouth, to which he readily responded. Then he popped what appeared to be some sort of chips into hish mouth, which Burgoyne crunched joyously. They side-stepped into Burgoyne's quarters, and the door slid shut behind them.

Selar stood there for a long moment. This was going to be a problem. She had counted on Burgoyne to resolve her . . . difficulty with her mating drive. Perhaps a return to Vulcan was in order. Or perhaps there was another solution, closer to hand.

Selar returned to her quarters, changed into her nightclothes, and stood before the memorial lamp which burned so that she would remember Voltak.

She reached over, extinguished the light for the first time in two years—never to light it again—and fell into a fitful sleep.

In his ready room, Calhoun had just finished mounting the sword back onto the wall. He heard a chime at the door and said, "Come."

Shelby entered, and stood just inside the doorway. "I was wondering . . . I was about to head down to the Team Room and have a drink. Thought you might like to come along."

"That sounds great." He regarded the sword for a moment and said, "You know what was interesting?"

"No, Mac. What was interesting?"

"When I tried to save Ryjaan . . . I did so without even thinking about it. It was . . . instinctive."

"That's good."

"Is it?" he asked. "I've always felt my instincts were based in pure savagery."

"Your survival instincts were, sure. Because they're what you needed in order to get through your life. To do what needed to be done. But even basic instincts can change, and that's not automatically a terrible thing. Being a starship commander isn't just about survival. There's much, much more to it than that."

"And I suppose that you're prepared to tell me what that is."

"Of course. Chapter and verse."

"Well, Eppy . . . maybe—just maybe now—I'm prepared to listen."

"And I'm prepared to tell you, if you'd just stop calling me by that stupid nickname."

He laughed softly and came around the desk. As they headed for the door, she said, "One quick question: You told me that you had a 'vision' of me, long ago."

"That's right, yes."

"Just out of morbid curiosity . . . was I wearing any clothes in that vision?"

"Nope. Stark naked."

"Yeah, well," she sighed, as he draped an arm around her shoulder, "it's comforting to know that some instincts never change, I guess."

And they headed to the Team Room for a drink.

THE STAR TREK: NEW FRONTIER MINIPEDIA

A guide to the people, places and things in Thallonian spaceby

David Mack

ALDRIN, U.S.S.

A Starfleet vessel, registry number not established. It put an end to the piracy and smuggling of a Romulan fugitive who was later determined to be the natural father of Starfleet Lieutenant Soleta.

ATOL

A henchman of Zoran.

AYRE, LIEUTENANT KRISTIAN

A conn officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise1701-E.

AZIZI

Replaced Celter as provisional governor of Nelkar, following a popular uprising sparked by the heavyhanded tactics of Laheera.

BARSAMIS

A friend of Mackenzie Calhoun who was murdered by an Orion trader named Krassus. Barsamis's death was avenged by Calhoun.

BATTLE OF CONDACIN

A conflict the Danteri high command assumed would be the "preeminent military strike of the century" against the Xenexians, but which ended with a Danteri defeat at the hands of rebels led by M'k'n'zy of Calhoun. The brother of Danteri officer Delina was killed in this battle.

BETH, ENSIGN RONNI

A member of Burgoyne 172's engineering crew aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.

BLACK MASS, THE

No one is quite sure whether the Black Mass is composed of animals or sentient beings. Looking like vaguely humanoid slugs, they move in ships, but are capable of existing in space or in any environment.

The Black Mass swarms out of the Hunger Zone once every Thallonian year, targets a single world, devastates it, and then moves back into the Zone. No one knows any way of stopping the Black Mass once it's on the move.

BORAGI 3

The residents of Boragi 3 are aggressively neutral but are noted for their ability to stir up all manner of problems without becoming specifically involved themselves. Then, when things fall apart, the Boragi come in to pick up the pieces.

BORETSKEE & GARY

A husband-and-wife pair of representatives for a group of Thallonian refugees rescued by Captain Hufmin and, in turn, the U.S.S. Excalibur.They were called upon to attest to Laheera of Nelkar that they had been treated well by the Excaliburcrew, and that the Starfleet ship was not, in fact, an agressor, but rather a rescuer.

BOYAJIAN, MR.

U.S.S. Excaliburofficer who filled in for Zak Kebron while the security chief was off-ship with Si Cwan, searching for Si Cwan's sister, Kalinda, and also for ops officer Robin Lefler, while she was on an away mission to the planet Nelkar. He is a tall, dark-haired tactical specialist.

BRAGONIER

A member of the Royal House of Danteri who participated in negotiations with the Xenexians that were moderated by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Stargazer.

BRIKAR

A high-density species with dark-bronze colored skin, three-fingered hands and thick, tough hides. They possess only small earholes and vertical slits for noses. They can withstand phaser blasts that might kill several humans. In order to function in Earthnormal gravity, they require special small gravity compensators. Once so equipped, they are extremely strong and surprisingly nimble for their size.

BURGOYNE 172, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER

Burgoyne 172 is a Hermat. Hermats, possessing both male and female characteristics, are renowned for their versatility and ingenuity. Unlike the rest of his notoriously misanthropic people, Burgoyne is extremely outgoing, extremely playful, and extremely pleased with hishself whenever s/he manages to solve some sort of problem.

CALHOUN, CAPTAIN MACKENZIE

Captain Mackenzie Calhoun was well known as the leader of the planetary revolution that freed the planet Xenex from Danteri control before he entered Starfleet Academy.

During Calhoun's tenure in the academy, he earned a reputation for being high-energy and quick with his fists, and for never backing down from any confrontation.

Calhoun is never afraid to say precisely what's on his mind; nor does he suffer fools gladly. Although he understands and appreciates the chain of command, respect and loyalty are not commodities he gives to superior officers simply because they are of higher rank. He feels those privileges must be earned.

Captain Calhoun's given name on his homeworld of Xenex was M'k'n'zy. When he joined Starfleet he changed it to Mackenzie, the closest Terran equivalent, and adopted the name of his home city, Calhoun, as his surname.

Calhoun has an older brother, D'ndai, who conspired with Thallonian Chancellor Yoz to overthrow the Thallonian royal family.

CALHOUN, CITY OF

A city on the planet Xenex. This was the home of rebellion leader M'k'n'zy, who later became known as Starfleet Captain Mackenzie Calhoun.

CAMBON,THE

A freighter ship piloted by a man named Hufmin. The Cambon'scomfortable passenger complement was 29, but when it was rescued by the U.S.S. Excaliburit was carrying 47 refugee passengers.

CELTER

Governor of the city of Selinium on Nelkar. Celter extended asylum to the Thallonian refugees rescued by Hufmin and the U.S.S. Excalibur.

COMAR IV

A planet on the outer rim of the former Thallonian Empire.

CWAN, AMBASSADOR SI

Formerly a popular prince of a royal family in the Thallonian Empire, whose family was overthrown. Si Cwan was actually liked by the people; nonetheless, those around him were hated and reviled, and that was one of the reasons that the Thallonian Empire crumbled. Si Cwan and the survivors of the takeover sought refuge in the Federation. Cwan, however, returned to the Thallonian Empire aboard the Excaliburto prove that the family was willing to work with the Federation and—by extension—the people of Sector 221-G in order to achieve peace. He is searching for his sister, Kalinda, who was lost during the empire's collapse.

D'NDAI

Mackenzie Calhoun's older brother, who conspired with Thallonian Chancellor Yoz to overthrow the Thallonian royal family and participate in the plot to assassinate deposed prince Si Cwan.

DACKOW

A henchman of Zoran, Dackow was an irrepressible "yes-man."

DANTER

Homeworld of the Danteri, in Sector 221-H.

DANTERI

A humanoid species with dark bronze skin who pride themselves on being prepared for all situations. They occupied the planet Xenex for more than 300 years until they were overthrown by a grassroots rebellion led by M'k'n'zy of Calhoun.

DANTERI EMPIRE, THE

A strategically situated group of worlds located in Sector 221-H that became members of the Federation following their ouster from the planet Xenex. The Danteri Empire is located in close proximity to the fallen Thallonian Empire and may have been involved in that government's collapse. Regardless, the Danteri have designs on the acquisition of former Thallonian territories.

DARKSHADE

The most mysterious sector of Thallonian space. No ship that has ventured into the area has ever returned. The more scientifically minded believe that it is some sort of gateway—possibly to another time, possibly to another dimension. It is believed by some of the more fanciful that it is the source of all evil.

DELINA

Aide to Falkar. Delina sacrificed his life to save Falkar from a falling boulder pushed by M'k'n'zy of Calhoun.

DOGS OF WAR, THE

The Dogs of War are one of the few groups from Thallonian space who have actually made incursions into Federation space. There are only about a hundred of them, and their origins are shrouded in mystery. They are vicious, feral, and extremely devastating fighters, with thick fur, claws, and teeth. After they were defeated in a battle with the Brikar ten years ago, the Dogs retreated to their home system to lick their wounds, but since the fall of the Thallonian Empire there have been several reported sightings of them.

EXCALIBUR, U.S.S.

Starfleet registry number NCC-26517. The Starship Excaliburis a newly refitted Ambassador-classstarship under the command of Captain Calhoun. Her current assignment is to monitor the collapse of the Thallonian Empire in Sector 221-G, render aid, and keep the peace when necessary.

FALKAR

A Danteri commander of the House of Edins who pursued the teenage Xenexian M'k'n'zy of Calhoun during the Danterian occupation of the planet Xenex. Falkar and a squad of troops under his command, including his second-in-command, Delina, were killed by M'k'n'zy when they pursued him into a region of Xenex known as the Pit. Falkar's son, Ryjaan, would later grow up to become a Danteri representative.

FINAL CHALLENGE

Under Danteri Law, the family of a murder victim can opt for a Final Challenge, in which a family member fights the accused to the death. If the accused wins the conflict, he is allowed to go free. If he loses, however, death can be drawn out over any period desired. Any manner of killing one's opponent in a Final Challenge is considered acceptable.

FINNEGAN, CADET

A rambunctious Starfleet cadet who pushed the young Cadet Selar into the academy pool when she showed reluctance to dive in. This cadet is not to be confused with the Cadet Finnegan who tormented a young James T. Kirk many decades before, although the two cadets' behaviors show a definite resemblance.

FIREWORLD

One of themajor tourist attractions of Thallonian space, the Fireworld remains a major mystery. It has a surface of constant, unending fire that burns and burns without apparently having any source. No one is certain whether the fire is limited to the surface, or whether the entire planet, right down to its core, is one gigantic ball of flame.

FLAMEBIRD OF RICCA 4

A beast to which Soleta compared the Great Bird of the Galaxy.

GAUNTLET, THE

A region in the Lemax system, between two warring planets in the former Thallonian Empire. The area was infamous as a battlefield, but was silent for centuries after the Thallonians ended the conflict. After the fall of the Thallonian Empire, fighting resumed almost immediately, and the Cambon,a noncombatant vessel transporting Thallonian refugees, became caught in the cross fire.

GINIV

An old friend of Dr. Selar's on Vulcan.

GODDARD, COMMANDER SETH

An officer at Starfleet Command who reactivated Lieutenant Soleta's commission to active duty and posted her to serve as science officer aboard the U.S.S. Excaliburunder Captain Calhoun.

GREAT BIRD OF THE GALAXY

A creature once considered mythological, its existence was finally confirmed when it "hatched" from the planet Thallon, destroying that world entirely. Subsequent investigation was correlated with the beast's mythology to conclude that when it ended its last life cycle it imparted its "essence" to the world of Thallon, which accounted for the unique attributes of that world's energy-rich surface. After a period of many centuries that mineral bounty was reabsorbed as the creature's new incarnation gestated, and the beast was then reborn, destroying its temporary planetary "nest."

GREAT MACHINES, THE

Devices used by the Thallonians to tap into the vast energy-rich mineral wealth of their planet's surface.

GREAT SQUARE

A public square in the city of Thal on the planet Thallon, disintegrated when the Great Bird of the Galaxy hatched.

GRISSOM, U.S.S.

Federation Starship, ExcelsiorClass, Starfleet registry number NCC-42857. Captain Calhoun served as first officer of this ship under Captain Korsmo.

HERMAT

An hermaphroditic species, i.e., one that possesses fully functional sexual organs, both male and female. In addition, the Hermats possess razor-sharp canine teeth. They have developed a unique set of pronouns to accommodate their dual-sex status—"Hir" rather than "him" or "her" . . . "hish" for the possessive forms of "his" and "hers" . . . "s/he" (with a separately accented H)rather than "she" or "he"—to simplify communication with divided-sex species and preserve their uniqueness.

Hermats as a race tend to keep to themselves. Their tendency toward segregation from the rest of the Federation is well known. While Hermats are not necessarily xenophobic, most of them have some difficulty relating effectively to members of other species.

HERZ

A Thallonian guard who was dismissed from the royal service for allowing Soleta and Ambassador Spock to escape Thallonian custody. He later allied himself with the rebellion and took pleasure in lording over the deposed prince Si Cwan when the former royal was returned to Thallon to face "justice."

HUFMIN, CAPTAIN

Captain of the freighter Cambon,veteran star pilot and occasional smuggler from Comar IV. His ship was disabled in the Gauntlet while transporting Thallonian refugees to Sigma Tau Ceti, and was later rescued by the U.S.S. Excalibur.He was killed by Laheera of Nelkar.

HUNGER ZONE, THE

Origin point of the Black Mass.

JELLICO, ADMIRAL EDWARD

Currently the supervising officer of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, Jellico has a well-deserved reputation as a stickler for formal military protocol and procedure. His rigid style of command led to some memorable personality clashes during his brief stint as captain of the Enterprise 1701-Dwhile Captain Picard was temporarily reassigned on a special mission. This pattern of conflict with his subordinates did not, however, prevent him from being promoted to the rank of admiral, thus allowing him to perpetuate it—to the occasional chagrin of Calhoun and his crew.

Jellico opposed the captaincy of Mackenzie Calhoun, and Jellico's decision to appoint Commander Elizabeth Shelby as Calhoun's first officer was actually an attempt to keep tabs on the maverick captain—an effort that did not work out as well as Jellico expected.

JOINING PLACE, THE

A special room held for generations by the family of Voltak of Vulcan, reserved for the formal Joining ceremony of mates and the consummation of the Pon fanritual.

JUIF

A henchman of Zoran.

KALINDA

Former princess of Thallon and sister of deposed Thallonian prince Si Cwan, who calls her by her nickname, "Kally." She has been missing since the insurrection on Thallon, and Si Cwan continues to search for her.

KAYVENRYIN

A science and research vessel named for a famous Thallonian writer and editor. The Kayven Ryinsent the U.S.S. Excaliburan S.O.S. and a passenger manifest, which included the name of Si Cwan's missing sister, Kalinda. The listing of Kalinda later proved to be a ruse by Zoran to lure Si Cwan into a trap.

KEBRON, LIEUTENANT ZAK

The security chief of the U.S.S. Excalibur.A member of the high-density race called the Brikar, he must wear a small gravity compensator on his belt at all times. If he does not, his more-than-earth-normal mass makes it impossible for him to move.

KORSMO, CAPTAIN

The now-deceased and highly regarded former captain of the Starfleet vessel U.S.S. Excalibur.He was Captain Mackenzie Calhoun's immediate predecessor, and was killed during the second Borg assault on Earth. His final actions as captain preserved the ship and saved many members of his crew.

KRASSUS

An Orion slave trader who murdered Barsamis, a friend of Mackenzie Calhoun, over a commercial dispute regarding an Orion slave girl named Zina, who subsequently became Krassus's mate. Krassus was killed when he foolishly attempted to ambush Calhoun with a knife.

LAHEERA OF NELKAR

Female commanding officer of an unnamed Nelkarite starship that attacked the U.S.S. Excalibur.She killed Captain Hufmin as part of her threat to extort technology from the Excalibur,but her ploy failed, and Captain Calhoun later exposed her actions to her people, who turned on her.

LEFLER, ENSIGN ROBIN

Previously part of the engineering staff of the Enterprise1701-D, Lefler was put in charge of ops on the bridge of the U.S.S. Excalibur.She is renowned for her off-the-cuff recitation of "Lefler's Laws," pithy observations and comments that mysteriously seem to suit whatever occasion is presented.

M'K'N'ZY OF CALHOUN

The original, Xenexian, name of Mackenzie Calhoun, captain of the Federation Starship Excalibur.

MANDYLOR 5

A planet of the Thallonian Empire on which a rebellion against the ruling class was suppressed.

MARQUAND, RUNABOUT

A runabout assigned to the U.S.S. Excalibur.Si Cwan and Zak Kebron traveled aboard the Marquandto a rendezvous with the Kayven Ryinwhile the Excaliburwas busy with another rescue. The call from the Kayven Ryinturned out to be a trap, and the Marquandwas destroyed by Zoran, an enemy of Si Cwan. Si Cwan and Zak Kebron escaped by transporting to the Kayven Ryin.

MAXWELL, DR.

A physician on the staff of Dr. Selar, aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.Maxwell's passing resemblance to Dr. Selar's late husband, Voltak, initially led Selar to dislike him, but the difficulties were quickly resolved.

McHENRY, LIEUTENANT MARK

Navigator aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.McHenry is capable of performing course calculations faster than the ship's computer. And while he's doing that, he can also be determining pi to the 50th decimal place.

MEGGAN

A young girl, one of the refugees rescued by Captain Hufmin and later held hostage by Laheera of Nelkar. Meggan was rescued from captivity by the timely action of the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur.

MEYER, SECURITY OFFICER

A security officer aboard the U.S.S. Excaliburwho beamed down to the planet Nelkar with the ship's ops officer, Lieutenant Robin Lefler. Meyer is a slim and wiry man with blue eyes, and has a reputation as having the fastest quick-draw with a phaser on the ship.

MOJOV STATION

An independent starport facility that serves as a convenient way station to several nearby frontiers and borders.

NALDACOR

Refuge of the Dogs of War.

NELKAR

Homeworld of the Nelkarites, located within the former Thallonian Empire.

NELKARITES

The Nelkarites are a humanoid species with golden skin and no apparent hair. Their voices have a musical sort of vibrato, and some consider their appearance "angelic."

As a species, they generally are regarded as fairly harmless, having never started any conflicts and willingly submitted to Thallonian rule. However, the Nelkarites are a scavenger race, pilfering abandoned alien technology and cobbling together their space vessels from various foreign parts, even though they don't always understand those technologies.

OKUR

One of two guards who protected Laheera of Nelkar. Okur also was Laheera's lover. He died defending her during a popular uprising.

PAIGE, LIEUTENANT

A tactical officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise1701-E.

PEOPLE'S MEETING HALL, THE

The new name of the Thallonian throne room, following the popular uprising and ouster of the royal family.

PIT, THE

An area of Xenex roughly 30 miles across, known for its inhospitable clime—unpredictable weather, dust storms, and torrential rain followed by scorching drought, among other horrors—and its vicious local fauna. The Pit also is regarded by some local dwellers to have supernatural overtones, and it sometimes is referred to as a rift in reality or as a nexus for multiple realities. Until recently, it was the destination for a Xenexian coming-of-age ritual known as the "Search for Allways."

PLAINS OF SEANWIN

Site of a battle on Xenex in which rebel forces led by M'k'n'zy of Calhoun defeated a Danteri force led by Falkar.

PROMETHEAN SPACE

Populated by a mysterious and advanced race who have a variety of names, depending upon what race you're speaking to. Large and powerfully built, the members of that race are extremely advanced and have a philosophy that is the opposite of the Prime Directive. Namely, they believe that it is their obligation to impart knowledge to various races who pass through their section of space. Unfortunately, there is a significant downside to this practice: Thus far, the vast majority of races who have made use of the Promethean knowledge have come to an untimely and fairly ugly end.

QUIET PLACE, THE

Unlike visitors to Darkshade, pilgrims have returned from the Quiet Place, a system that consists of a single world. They are inevitably transformed in some way, although whether it is for good or ill is not always easy to discern at first. Some return claiming to have seen the dead, or being able to predict the future, or possessing arcane knowledge that they'd never had before. Some claim to have looked upon the face of God, or gods. Others come back as pale and wretched things, shadows of their former selves who can barely string two sentences together.

RESPLER 4-A

A world of the Thallonian Empire on which dissidents who opposed the royal family were executed.

ROJAM

A henchman of Zoran.

RYJAAN

A Danterian representative who opposed direct Federation involvement in Sector 221-G following the collapse of the Thallonian Empire. His father, Falkar of the House of Edins, was a Danteri military commander who was killed while attempting to hunt down M'k'n'zy of Calhoun.

SEARCH FOR ALLWAYS, THE

A coming-of-age ritual for adolescent Xenexians that entails traveling into the dangerous region of Xenex known as the Pit and wandering its wastes until one experiences visions of one's future and discerns one's true purpose in life. The ritual of the Search vanished from modern Xenexian traditions as its death toll mounted, but it continues as an underground challenge or dare, a test of bravery and ego.