bekk (beq)
A rank given to enlisted personnel in the Defense Force. [First referenced in “Sons and Daughters” (DS9).]
bok-rat liver, stewed (boqrat chej)
Food made from the liver of a bok-rat, apparently cooked to some degree, making it unusual among Klingon foods. [First seen in “Soldiers of the Empire” (DS9).]
bolmaq
An animal native to the planet Boreth that makes a bleating sound and tends to run around in circles a lot.
d’k tahg (Daqtagh)
Personal dagger. Most Defense Force warriors carry their own d’k tahg; higher-born Klingons often have them personalized with their name and House. [First seen in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.]
gIntaq
A type of spear with a wooden haft and a curved, two-bladed metal point. Also the name given to a person who serves as a close and trusted advisor to a House. It is possible that the latter usage evolved from the first, with the advisor being analogized to a House Head’s trusted weapon. Sometimes Anglicized as gin’tak.[Spear first seen in “Birthright Part 2” (TNG); advisor first referenced in “Firstborn” (TNG).]
glob fly (ghIlab ghew)
Small, irritating insect with no sting and which makes a slight buzzing sound. [First referenced in “The Outrageous Okona” (TNG).]
Gre’thor (ghe’tor)
The afterlife for the dishonored dead—the closest Klingon equivalent to hell. Those who are unworthy spend eternity riding the Barge of the Dead to Gre’thor. [First mentioned in “Devil’s Due” (TNG).]
grinnak (ghInaq)
A game.
grishnar cat (ghISnar)
Small animal, apparently not a very vicious one, though with perhaps a predilection for trying to sound fiercer than it actually is. [First referenced in “The Way of the Warrior” (DS9).]
Hem
Pride, to be proud.
jatyIn
According to legend, spirits of the dead that possess the living. [First mentioned in “Power Play” (TNG).]
jeghpu’wI’
Conquered people—more than slaves, less than citizens, this status is given to the natives of worlds conquered by the Klingon Empire. [First used in Diplomatic Implausibility.]
klongat (tlhongaD)
A beast native to Qo’noS that is much larger than a targ and more difficult to subdue.
loSmaH Soch
The number forty-seven.
Mauk-to’Vor (ma’ to’vor)
A death ritual that allows one who has lost honor to die well and go to Sto-Vo-Kor by being honorably killed by a Housemate or someone equally close. [First seen in “Sons of Mogh” (DS9).]
mek’leth (meqleH)
A swordlike one-handed weapon about half the size of a bat’leth. [First seen in “Sons of Mogh” (DS9).]
mok’bara (moqbara)
Martial art that focuses both the body and the spirit. [First seen in “Man of the People” (TNG).]
ngIS
Lubricant used on disruptor cannons.
petaQ
Insult with no direct translation. Sometimes anglicized as pahtk. [First used in “The Defector” (TNG).]
Qapla’
Ritual greeting that literally means “success.” [First used in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.]
QaS DevwI’
Troop commander on a Defense Force vessel, generally in charge of several dozen soldiers. Roughly analogous to a sergeant in the modern-day army. [First used in The Brave & the Bold Book 2.]
qelI’qam
Unit of measurement roughly akin to two kilometers. Sometimes anglicized as kellicam.[First used in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.]
QI’yaH
Interjection with no direct translation. [First used in “Sins of the Father” (TNG).]
qutluch
A weapon favored by assassins, one that leaves a particularly vicious wound. [First seen in “Sins of the Father” (TNG).]
Qu’vatlh
Interjection with no direct translation.
racht (raHta’)
Food made from live serpent worms (not to be confused with gagh). [First seen in “Melora” (DS9).]
raktajino (ra’taj)
Coffee, Klingon style. [First seen in “The Passenger” (DS9).]
ramjep bird
Avian life-form indigenous to Qo’noS that comes out only in the dark, and is sometimes served as food. Name literally means “midnight.” [First referenced in Diplomatic Implausibility.]
Sto-Vo-Kor (Suto’vo’qor)
The afterlife for the honored dead, where all true warriors go, crossing the River of Blood after they die to fight an eternal battle. The closest Klingon equivalent to heaven. [First mentioned by name in “Rightful Heir” (TNG).]
taknar (taqnar)
An animal, the gizzards of which are sometimes served as food. [First referenced in A Good Day to Die.]
targ (targh)
Animal that is popular as a pet, but the heart of which is also considered a delicacy. [First seen as a pet in “Where No One Has Gone Before” (TNG) and as a food in “A Matter of Honor” (TNG).]
tik’leth (tIqleH)
An edged weapon, similar to an Earth longsword. [First seen in “Reunion” (TNG).]
toDSaH
Insult with no direct translation. Sometimes anglicized as tohzah. [First used in “The Defector” (TNG).]
trigak (tlhIghaq)
A predatory animal with sharp teeth that it bares before attacking.
vagh
The number five.
vIHbe’
A paralyzing poison that leaves no trace. Word literally means “not move.”
wej
The number three.
yIntagh
Epithet with no direct translation. [First used in A Good Day to Die.]
Acknowledgments
The sheer tonnage of people who need to be thanked for the existence of these two books (and this series) is vast enough to challenge the cargo capacity of the Gorkon itself, so let’s get started….
First of all, John J. Ordover of Pocket Books, who first said, “Okay” to the idea of creating a Klingon crew for Diplomatic Implausibility, then said, “Why don’t we do a series of Gorkon books?” after DI came out. Thanks also to Carol Greenburg, line editor extraordinaire; Paula M. Block, licensing goddess; John Van Citters, licensing god; and the other Pocket Books folks: Marco Palmieri, Jessica McGivney, Scott Shannon, Margaret Clark, John Perrella, and Elisa Kassin.
Any book based on a TV show takes its cues from the actors who played the roles. They’re the ones who provide the voices you use to write the dialogue. With that in mind, loud kudos to Brian Thompson (who played Klag in TNG’s “A Matter of Honor”), Rick Worthy (Kornan in DS9’s “Soldiers of the Empire”), Sterling Macer Jr. (Toq in TNG’s “Birthright Part 2”), Tony Todd (Rodek in DS9’s “Sons of Mogh”), the late David Graf (Leskit in “Soldiers of the Empire”), Tricia O’Neill (Kurak in TNG’s “Suspicions”), Stephen Root (K’Vada in TNG’s “Unification Parts 1–2”), Laura Drake (Vekma in “A Matter of Honor”), and, of course, J.G. Hertzler (Martok) and Michael Dorn (Worf). Additional thanks to Keith Hamilton Cobb (best known as Tyr Anasazi on Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda), who served as the template for Lokor, and the late André the Giant, whose portrayal of Fezzick in The Princess Bride was the primary inspiration for Goran.
I must also profusely thank Wanda M. Haight, Gregory Amos, and Burton Armus, who wrote “A Matter of Honor,” which not only was the debut of the character of Klag, but which also provided the background with his father, which has been such an important part of the character as he’s evolved over the course of four books.
It is possible to write a Star Trek novel without consulting any reference material, but it isn’t advised. The Star Trek Encyclopedia by Mike & Denise Okuda, with Debbie Mirek, the Okudas’ Star Trek Chronology, Star Charts by Geoffrey Mandel, The Starfleet Survival Guide by David Mack, and the Star Trek: The Next
Generation Companion and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion CD-ROMs were all invaluable tools, as was The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion book by Terry J. Erdmann & Paula M. Block (unrelated to the CD). Man-Fai Wan’s Ships of the Starfleet Web site (manfai.wan.users.btopenworld.com) was inordinately helpful. And, of course, one cannot forget The Klingon Dictionary by Marc Okrand, as well as all the supplemental help from Marc and Dr. Lawrence Schoen of the Klingon Language Institute (www.kli.org).
Huge dollops of thanks go to Dayton Ward, who is both an ex-Marine and a fine science fiction author in his own right, and who helped me keep my military strategy straight. Any screwups of same are entirely the fault of the civilian author.
Tammy Love Larrabee took the vague idea of what the Qang-class (Chancellor-class) ships in general and the Gorkon in particular looked like in my head and created a wonderful set of specs for them, which can be found in the back of The Brave and the Bold Book 2 (and which also served as the basis for the rendering of the Gorkon on the cover of A Good Day to Die). Tammy also wrote the House of Jakvi epigraph used in A Good Day to Die.
The late Hilary J. Bader wrote the “Warrior’s Anthem,” and was responsible for some damn fine genre television before ovarian cancer took her away far far too young. She passed away while I was writing Book 1, and she is sorely missed. Thanks also to René Echevarria, who wrote the victory song “Don’t Speak,” used in Chapter 12 of A Good Day to Die, for the episode “Birthright Part 2,” and to Heather Jarman for writing the Burning Hearts of Qo’noS excerpt in Chapter 9 of Honor Bound for the novel This Gray Spirit (an excellent book that you should all go out and buy right now).
In addition to the previous two appearances of the I.K.S. Gorkon in Diplomatic Implausibility and The Brave and the Bold Book 2, this book also builds on the excellent story told by J.G. Hertzler and Jeffrey Lang in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine duology The Left Hand of Destiny, and if you haven’t picked them up yet, I strongly recommend you do so. They aren’t necessary to follow the action of these two books, but they add to the experience, and besides, they’re damn fine books that anyone who likes Klingons (or just generally a good epic yarn) will enjoy immensely.
Thanks also to: CITH, the best writers group in the whole history of the whole history, who again reached into my brain and yanked a better piece of fiction out of it than what I would’ve written on my own; GraceAnne Andreassi DeCandido, a.k.a. The Mom, for her usual editorial niftiness; the usual gang of idiots in the Geek Patrol and the Malibu crowd (you know who you are); the Magical Starbucks of Good Writing in midtown Manhattan (the staff of which has come to know me as “the root beer guy”); and the ever-supportive posters at various places online: Psi Phi’s Star Trek Books BBS (www.psiphi.org), the Trek Literature Board at the Trek BBS (www.trekbbs.com), the Star Trek Books Board at SimonSays.com (www.startrekbooks.com), the “Divine Treasury” board at Trek Web (www.trekweb.com), the Federation Library at Star Trek Now! (www.startreknow.com), and the Star Trek Books YahooGroup (groups.yahoo.com).
As always, though, the biggest thanks go to my par’machkai Terri Osborne, as well as to our cats, Mittens and Marcus, who have never failed to provide me with large amounts of love, affection, and support.
About the Author
Keith R.A. DeCandido has written a wide variety of Star Trek material in an equally wide variety of media: novels, short fiction, comic books, and eBooks. That material includes the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel Diplomatic Implausibility (which introduced the I.K.S. Gorkon), the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel Demons of Air and Darkness and the followup novella “Horn and Ivory” in What Lay Beyond (both part of the ongoing series of post-finale DS9 stories), Star Trek: The Brave & the Bold (a two-book series that covered all five TV shows and also included Captain Klag and the Gorkon), the TNG comic book Perchance to Dream, the novel The Art of the Impossible (part of the Star Trek The Lost Era miniseries), the DS9 short story “Broken Oaths” in the Prophecy and Change anthology, the Star Trek: New Frontier short story “Revelations” in the No Limits anthology, and several Star Trek: S.C.E. eBooks (a monthly series co-developed by Keith of adventures featuring the Starfleet Corps of Engineers; the first sixteen have been reprinted in the volumes Have Tech, Will Travel; Miracle Workers; Some Assembly Required; and No Surrender). Forthcoming forays into the Star Trek universe include Tales of the Dominion War (an anthology of short stories edited by Keith, due in the summer of 2004), a two-book Star Trek: The Next Generation story focusing on Ambassador Worf in the time leading up to Star Trek Nemesis, further adventures in the worlds of Deep Space Nine, and more tales of the I.K.S. Gorkon.
Keith—whose work has been praised by Entertainment Weekly, TrekNation.com, TV Zone, Cinescape.com, Dreamwatch, and Publishers Weekly, among others—has also written novels, short stories, and nonfiction books in the universes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, Farscape, Doctor Who, Xena, Marvel Comics, and more. He is the editor of the groundbreaking Imaginings: An Anthology of Long Short Fiction, his original novel, Dragon Precinct, will be published in 2004, and his original short fiction can be found in Murder by Magick, Urban Nightmares, and Did You Say Chicks!? Keith, who is also a musician and an avid New York Yankees fan, lives in the Bronx with his girlfriend and the world’s two goofiest cats. Learn too much about Keith at his official Web site at DeCandido.net, join his fan club at KRADfanclub.com, or just send him silly e-mails at keith@decandido. net.
Look for STAR TREK fiction from Pocket Books
Star Trek®
Enterprise: The First Adventure • Vonda N. McIntyre
Strangers From the Sky • Margaret Wander Bonanno
Final Frontier • Diane Carey
Spock’s World • Diane Duane
The Lost Years• J.M. Dillard
Prime Directive • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Probe • Margaret Wander Bonanno
Best Destiny • Diane Carey
Shadows on the Sun • Michael Jan Friedman
Sarek • A.C. Crispin
Federation • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Vulcan’s Forge • Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz
Mission to Horatius • Mack Reynolds
Vulcan’s Heart • Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz
The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Books One and Two • Greg Cox
The Last Roundup • Christie Golden
Gemini • Mike W. Barr
Garth of Izar • Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski
Novelizations
Star Trek: The Motion Picture • Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier • J.M. Dillard
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country • J.M. Dillard
Star Trek Generations • J.M. Dillard
Starfleet Academy • Diane Carey
Star Trek books by William Shatner with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
The Ashes of Eden
The Return
Avenger
Star Trek: Odyssey (contains The Ashes of Eden, The Return, and Avenger)
Spectre
Dark Victory
Preserver
The Captain’s Peril
#1 • Star Trek: The Motion Picture • Gene Roddenberry
#2 • The Entropy Effect • Vonda N. McIntyre
#3 • The Klingon Gambit • Robert E. Vardeman
#4 • The Covenant of the Crown • Howard Weinstein
#5 • The Prometheus Design • Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath
#6 • The Abode of Life • Lee Correy
#7 • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan • Vonda N. McIntyre
#8 • Black Fire • Sonni Cooper
#9 • Triangle • Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath
#10 �
� Web of the Romulans • M.S. Murdock
#11 • Yesterday’s Son • A.C. Crispin
#12 • Mutiny on the Enterprise • Robert E. Vardeman
#13 • The Wounded Sky • Diane Duane
#14 • The Trellisane Confrontation • David Dvorkin
#15 • Corona • Greg Bear
#16 • The Final Reflection • John M. Ford
#17 • Star Trek III: The Search for Spock • Vonda N. McIntyre
#18 • My Enemy, My Ally • Diane Duane
#19 • The Tears of the Singers • Melinda Snodgrass
#20 • The Vulcan Academy Murders • Jean Lorrah
#21 • Uhura’s Song • Janet Kagan
#22 • Shadow Lord • Laurence Yep
#23 • Ishmael • Barbara Hambly
#24 • Killing Time • Della Van Hise
#25 • Dwellers in the Crucible • Margaret Wander Bonanno
#26 • Pawns and Symbols • Majliss Larson
#27 • Mindshadow • J.M. Dillard
#28 • Crisis on Centaurus • Brad Ferguson
#29 • Dreadnought! • Diane Carey
#30 • Demons • J.M. Dillard
#31 • Battlestations! • Diane Carey
#32 • Chain of Attack • Gene DeWeese
#33 • Deep Domain • Howard Weinstein
#34 • Dreams of the Raven • Carmen Carter
#35 • The Romulan Way • Diane Duane & Peter Morwood
#36 • How Much for Just the Planet? • John M. Ford
#37 • Bloodthirst • J.M. Dillard
38 • The IDIC Epidemic • Jean Lorrah
#39 • Time for Yesterday • A.C. Crispin
#40 • Timetrap • David Dvorkin
#41 • The Three-Minute Universe • Barbara Paul
#42 • Memory Prime • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
#43 • The Final Nexus • Gene DeWeese
#44 • Vulcan’s Glory • D.C. Fontana
#45 • Double, Double • Michael Jan Friedman
#46 • The Cry of the Onlies • Judy Klass
#47 • The Kobayashi Maru • Julia Ecklar
#48 • Rules of Engagement • Peter Morwood
Honor Bound Page 19