The wind changed; Prynn shivered. Soon, the sun would set, the waves would rise. She gazed out at the horizon, the wash of coral and lavender and blush washing together over a canvas of blue sky.
With her finger, she twisted a tendril of her hair into rope; she removed a pocket knife from her beach bag and cut off a short length. She carefully braided the white with the black and closed the locket.
Someday.
Undoing the catch, she draped the chain around her neck, and fastened it, adjusting the chain until the locket nestled against her skin. Through her shirt, she touched the diamond-shape outline with her fingers, feeling the locket press into her breastbone.
Someday.
Glossary of Andorii Terms
In our interpretation of the Andorians, the species is comprised of four sexes. This is loosely extrapolated from Data’s line in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Data’s Day,” in which he states that Andorians marry in groups of four. While the authors and editors of Star Trek fiction freely acknowledge that “A” doesn’t necessarily equal “B,” we decided to go with that particular interpretation simply because it afforded us what we felt were the most interesting storytelling opportunities.
None of the Andorian sexes is truly male or female as humans might define them. Andorians do, however, accept male or female pronouns in order to simplify their interactions with the various two-sex species that dominate the Star Trek universe, and to avoid unwelcome questions about their biology.
The sexes break down as follows:
zhen (“she”)
shen (“she”)
chan (“he”)
thaan (“he”)
The dominant language on the world of Andor (or Andoria, as it is sometimes called) is known as Andorii. As with many terrestrial languages, certain words in Andorii are gender-specific. What follows is a short list of those words and a few others established in Deep Space Nine fiction set after the TV series.
sex: zhen shen chan thaan
polite form of address: Zha Sha Cha Tha
beloved (bondmate): zh’yi sh’za ch’te th’se
parent: zhavey shreya charan thavan
offspring: zhei shei chei thei
sibling: zhi shi chi thi
parent by marriage: zhadi shidei chada thadu
child by marriage: zhri’za shri’za chri’ze thri’ze
OTHER ANDORII TERMS
ceara: traditional clothing among zhen
challorn: a sweet-smelling flower
eketha: a hardwood tree
elta: a floral tree
grelth: an arachnid
hari: a flatbread
katheka: a stimulant analogous to coffee
kheth: the temporary pouch that grows over and around the lower abdomen of a zhavey for the final phase of Andorian gestation
klazh: an animal known for its careless way of moving
saf: a psychoactive chemical refined from an Andorian plant, used in the shelthreth and generally available only by medical prescription on Andor. Possession of saf is illegal off Andor
shapla: a betrothal symbol; woven locks of hair from bondmates
shax: a poisonous altParasitic insect that nests under the skin of its host
shaysha: an edible beetlelike insect
shelthreth: ritual consummation of marriage for the purpose of conception.
taras: a kind of tree
tezha: sexual union outside the shelthreth
vithi: an edible flower
xixu: a marine plant whose fronds may be mashed and used in baby food
zhiassa: a zhavey’s milk
zletha: a flower
Worlds of Star Trek Deep Space Nine Page 39