Star Trek Terok Nor 01: Day of the Vipers

by James Swallow

  Korto City: major metropolis on the northern continent of Bajor, situated in the Korto District of Kendra Province on the banks of the Tecyr River, in the plainslands between the Kendra Valley to the northwest and the Sahving Valley to the southeast. Other locations in the city include the Naghai Keep and its ornamental gardens, the Night Market and the Night Market Temple, the precinct house (headquarters of the city police department), the Edar Bridge, the City Oval (where the city’s bantaca spire is located), the Hill District, the Low-Caste District, the river docks, and the starport. Public transport around the city is by tram.

  Naghai Keep: An ancient castle several thousand years old in the Korto City. Ancestral home of the Jas clan, seat of local government for Korto District. The keep is on a hilltop overlooking the city, set in a series of ornamental gardens, with a ring wall surrounding a central cylindrical tower.

  Qui’al: city on the northern continent of Bajor, governed by Minister Kubus Oak (The Qui’al Dam is mentioned in DS9/“Destiny.”)

  Tecyr River: waterway that flows west from the Perikian Mountains toward the sea. Korto City sits on the river a few miles inland. (The Perikian Peninsula was first mentioned in DS9/“The Circle.”)

  Tilar: Bajoran peninsula (DS9: Unity)

  Ships

  Clarion: Militia Space Guard heavy assault vessel, commanded by Colonel Li Tarka

  Eleda: civilian scoutship belonging to the Jas clan, lost in Cardassian space

  Glyhrond: Space Guard heavy assault vessel (named after the Bajoran river)

  Kaska: civilian light courier belonging to Jekko Tybe

  Kylen: civilian scoutship belonging to the Jas clan, part of reprisal fleet

  Pajul: civilian scoutship belonging to the Jas clan, part of reprisal fleet

  Food & Drink

  cela tea: hot brewed beverage (Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume Two—Fragments and Omens)

  copal: ciderlike beverage

  deka tea: hot brewed beverage (DS9/“Wrons Darker than Death or Night”)

  hasperat: spicy Bajoran dish, wrapped in a flatbread (TNG/ “Preemptive Strike”)

  jumja: confection made from the sap of the jumja tree (DS9/” In the Hands of the Prophets”)

  Other

  Age of Enlightenment: Bajoran equivalent of the Rennaisance era

  bell: a benchmark of time, similar to “o’clock,” as in two-bells, ten-bells, etc.

  Chamber of Ministers (aka Council of Ministers): representational body overseeing the governance of Bajor (DS9/“The Homecoming”)

  City Watch (aka the Watch): metropolitan police force, a division of the Militia. Ranks in the Watch include watchman, constable, senior constable, inspector, chief inspector, captain, and major.

  Dakeeni manta: sea creature common to the Dakeen coastal region (Dakeen Monastery was first mentioned in DS9/“The Collaborator”)

  First Minister: elected political world leader of Bajor (DS9/“Shakaar”)

  fusionstone: ancient building material (Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume Two—Fragments and Omens)

  grass vipers: gray-skinned snakes

  hiuna leaf: Bajoran tobacco

  kellipate: unit of distance, to linnipates (DS9/” Progress”)

  kosst: A swearword or curse derived from Kosst Amojan. (DS9/“The Reckoning”) However, the words’ original meaning was simply “to be.” (DS9/“The Assignment”)

  linnipate: unit of distance, roughly two or three meters

  lugfish: large, slow, and ugly fish

  Lupar’s Summer Tales: a series of popular folk fables

  nyawood: type of wood, similar to mahogany

  Orb of Truth: one of the Tears of the Prophets, the first Orb taken by the Cardassians. (DS9/Mission: Gamma, Book Three—Cathedral )

  porli fowl: a chickenlike food animal

  Space Guard: space naval forces, a division of the Militia

  Tears of the Prophets (aka Orbs): mysterious objects that sometimes impart visions or insights upon those who gaze into them (DS9/“Emissary”)

  tessipate: unit of area, (DS9/“Progress”)

  Tilar’s New Insights: a volume of religious tracts regarding the worship of the Prophets

  tyrfox: wily canine predator

  Vedek Assembly: council of religious leaders (DS9/“In the Hands of the Prophets”)

  Yerrin syndrome: an incurable genetic blood disorder

  Religious Ranks

  The following is a breakdown of known ranks in the Bajoran religion, as established in various episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in ascending order.

  prylar: a monk

  ranjen: a monk specializing in theological study

  vedek: a high-ranking priest, typically a regional spiritual leader

  kai: the world leader of the Bajoran religion

  D’jarra Caste System

  Until recent times the Bajorans had a series of castes called D’jarras. This is a rough order of ranking for the ones that have been established so far.

  Ih’valla: artists (above Te’nari) (DS9/“Accession”)

  Te’nari: unknown, but below Ih’valla (DS9/“Accession”)

  Mi’tino: low-ranked merchants and landowners

  Va’telo: pilot, sailor, driver, and similar professions

  Ke’lora: laborers and lawmen

  Imutta: Those who deal with the dead, the “unclean” and lowest-ranking D’jarra (DS9/“Accession”)

  APPENDIX II: CARDASSIA

  Characters

  Dukat, Athra (female) wife of Skrain Dukat

  Dukat, Procal (male) an archon in the Cardassian military justice system; the father of Skrain Dukat. (Note: The elder Dukat is listed in some sources as being a military officer, and in others as a justice of the court. Day of the Vipers splits the difference and describes him as a military judge in the Central Command’s equivalent of the JAG office. He was first referred to as “the late Justice Procal” in DS9/“The Die Is Cast”.)

  Dukat, Skrain (male) Cardassian military officer who served under Danig Kell during the formal first contact with Bajor, and eventually became prefect of Bajor during the occupation (DS9/“Emissary”; Dukat’s given name was first established in the DS9 novel A Stitch in Time.)

  Hadlo (male) a senior priest of the Oralian Way

  Hekit (male) a jagul in the Cardassian military

  Ico, Rhan (female) non-military xenologist

  Kell, Danig (male) commander of the starship Kornaire in 2318, later promoted to jagul and placed in charge of Bajoran affairs by Central Command. (DS9/“Civil

  Defense”)

  Letin, Pasir (male) priest of the Oralian Way

  Matrik (male) a glinn serving aboard the Kornaire in 2318

  Orloc (male) a glinn under Dukat serving aboard the Vandir in 2328

  Pa’Dar, Kotan (male) non-military scientist assigned to the first contact mission to Bajor. The Pa’Dar family are all politicians and they disapprove of Kotan’s dalliance with the sciences. (DS9/“Cardassians”)

  Seren (female) a follower of the Oralian Way, a former nurse

  Tunol (female) Dukat’s second-in-command aboard the Kashai and later aboard the Vandir

  Urad (male) a young follower of the Oralian Way

  Places

  Corvon: a population center on Cardassia Prime

  Ingav: a planet annexed by the Cardassian Union in 2301 (DS9/Section 31: Abyss)

  Tellel Basin: population center on cardassia Prime

  Terok: military locational/strategic designation code for the planet Bajor (Terok Nor was established in the DS9 episode “Cardassians” as the original name of the space station that later became Deep Space 9.)

  Senmir: population center on Cardassia Prime

  Ships

  Daikon: starship in service with the Union navy in 2323

  Kashai: starship commanded by Skrain Dukat in 2323

  Kornaire: Selek-class ship commanded by Danig Kell in 2318 (DS9/“Waltz”)

  Selek class:
starship in service with the Union navy, an older-model vessel, not as new as the larger Galor class

  Vandir: Galor-class ship commanded by Skrain Dukat in 2328

  Food & Drink

  rokat: dried, salted fish jerky; an unpopular dish among naval crews

  seafruit: marine animal, analogous to a sea cucumber

  taspar

  eggs: tasty when they are boiled, fried, or scrambled; eating them raw is not recommended (TNG/“Chain of Command, Part II”)

  tefla broth: soup of shellfish and vegetables

  Other

  deca: a measurement of distance, roughly equivalent to a meter

  Faces of the Fates: a term for the recitation masks used by the Oralian Way

  Galor Banner: the symbol of the Cardasssian Union

  Janad-class tank: military urban assault vehicle

  jevonite: precious stone (TNG/“Chain of Command, Part II”)

  metric: a measurement of time, roughly equivalent to a minute

  Oralian Way: religion dating back to the First Hebitian civilization on Cardassia Prime, the followers of the Way wear hooded, pastel-colored robes with lines of ornamental beads denoting “rank” within the religion. There are at least four books (or codexes) in the Oralian texts known as the Recitations. (The Hebitian civilization was first mentioned in TNG/“Chain of Command, Part II”; the Oralian Way was established in the DS9 novel A Stitch in Time.)

  Tethen: a figure from the Oralian religious texts, “the proud man” from the fourth codex of the Recitations.

  Military Ranks

  The following is a list of Cardassian ranks and their Starfleet analogs. This system borrows from the work of Steven Kenson’s unpublished Iron & Ash supplement for the Star Trek Roleplaying Game from Last Unicorn Games.

  garresh: noncommissioned officer

  gil: ensign (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual)

  glinn: lieutenant (TNG/“The Wounded”)

  dalin: lieutenant commander

  dal: commander

  gul: captain (TNG/“The Wounded”)

  jagul: commodore or rear admiral

  legate: admiral (DS9/“The Maquis, Part II”)

  APPENDIX III: MISCELLANEOUS

  Characters

  Foroe (Xepolite male) owner/operator, or “hetman,” of a tramp freighter

  Gold, David (human male) Starfleet lieutenant and senior officer on the U.S.S. Gettysburg (Corps of Engineers #1: The Belly of the Beast)

  Grek (Ferengi male) trader and associate of Syjin

  Jameson, Mark (human male) captain of the Federation starship Gettysburg (TNG/“Too Short a Season”)

  Jones, Gwen (human female) Starfleet lieutenant junior grade; specialist in Bajoran culture and language

  Muhle (Tiburonian male), Starfleet ensign serving as communications officer aboard the U.S.S. Gettysburg

  Nechayev, Alyanna (human female), Starfleet lieutenant; intelligence operative (TNG/“Chain of Command, Part I”)

  sh’Sena, Dilat (Andoran shen) Starfleet lieutenant, chief of security on the U.S.S. Gettysburg (Corps of Engineers: Turn the Page. Note: sh’Sena was erroneously named th’Sena in her first appearance.)

  T’Vel (Vulcan female) Starfleet commander; executive officer of the U.S.S. Gettysburg (Corps of Engineers: Turn the Page)

  Tepper (human female) Starfleet officer serving as a nurse aboard the U.S.S. Gettysburg

  Places

  Ab-Tzenketh: homeworld of the Tzenkethi Coalition (The Tzenkethi were first mentioned in DS9/“The Adversary”)

  Delavi III: location of a covert Cardassian listening post (Corps of Engineers: Turn the Page)

  Talaria: homeworld of the Talarian Republic (TNG/ “Suddenly Human”)

  Starships & Technology

  flyer: generic term for a small aircraft

  U.S.S. Gettysburg: Federation starship, Constellation class, commanded by Captain Mark Jameson (TNG/“Too

  Short a Season”; the Gettysburg’s class was first suggested in the Star Trek Encyclopedia.)

  marauder: generic term for a Tzenkethi cruiser

  shimmerknife: a small edged weapon with a vibrating blade

  skimmer: generic term for a near-ground hovercraft

  Food & Drink

  agnam loaf: fungal foodstuff that requires several years to mature for the best taste

  methrin eggs: tasty when they are boiled, fried, or scrambled

  porwiggies: porcine creatures used as food animals

  tranya: a beverage originating in the First Federation (TOS/“The Corbomite Maneuver”)

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to express my gratitude to the people who helped me find my way across the Final Frontier; top of that list must be Lolita Fatjo, who, in addition to becoming a good friend in later years, saw the determination in me and held open the door to the Star Trek universe.

  Respect is also due to Michael Piller and Ron Moore, whose generosity and honesty first convinced me I had a shot at becoming a professional writer; to Joe Menosky, Bryan Fuller, Andre Bormanis, and Michael Taylor, who all gave me sterling advice; and to Brannon Braga, Jeri Taylor, and Robin Burger, who made me look great.

  Thanks to Marco Palmieri for bringing me into the prose Trek fold, to Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Andrew Robinson, Una McCormack, John M. Ford, and all those who set the bar.

  And for all the support—both moral and technical—I’d like to thank the following people: Ben Aaronovich, Karen McCreedy, Peter J. Evans, and Jon Chapman, each of whom helped me mold this story in one way or another; Geoff Mandel, for his Star Charts and for my nebula; Steve Kenson, for his work on the unpublished Iron & Ash source-book; Alan Kobayashi, Terry Erdmann, Paula M. Block, Michael and Denise Okuda, Debbie Mirek, Dayton Ward, and Kevin Dilmore for their works of reference; my friends among the crews of the good (and bad!) ships Endeavour, Genesis II, Intrepid, and Bargazer for journeys into and out of adversity; the Friday Nighters, the Enfield Suicide Squad, the Chappa’ai gang, the Starfury mob, the Tech Crew, and the Novelscribes.

  And last, but never least, much love to Mandy Mills—half-Vulcan, half-Romulan, all gorgeous.

  About the Author

  James Swallow is proud to be the only British writer to have worked on a Star Trek television series, creating the original story concepts for the Star Trek Voyager episodes “One” and “Memorial.” His other associations with the Star Trek saga include the short stories “Closure,” “Ordinary Days,” and “The Black Flag” for the anthologies Distant Shores, The Sky’s the Limit, and Shards and Shadows, the script for the video game Star Trek Invasion, and over four hundred articles in thirteen different Star Trek magazines around the world.