New Frontier

by Peter David

  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. Excalibur who 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. Enterprise 1701-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.

  SECTOR 221-G

  Location of the collapsed Thallonian Empire.

  SELAR, DR.

  Selar is the Vulcan chief medical officer of the U.S.S. Excalibur. A former member of Dr. Beverly Crusher’s medical staff aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, Selar is an accomplished physician but she has been accused of lacking bedside manner.

  One of the most important moments in Selar’s life was the death of her mate, Voltak, during the early moments of Pon Farr. This premature disruption of the Vulcan mating ritual resulted in a delayed-reaction mating urge, which forced Selar to resume Pon Farr less than three years after the death of Voltak.

  Selar’s delicate problem has not escaped the notice of her shipmate Burgoyne 172, who has made hish amorous intentions toward Selar quite clear. Selar has expressed no reciprocal interest in Burgoyne 172, but in truth she is conflicted on the matter.

  SELINIUM

  Capital city of the planet Nelkar.

  SHELBY, COMMANDER ELIZABETH PAULA

  Shelby has survived quite a bit of action in her time in Starfleet; she was part of an elite team assembled to study and find weaknesses in the Borg. That assignment landed her aboard the Enterprise 1701-D during the Battle of Wolf 359. Following the abduction of Captain Picard by the Borg and Commander William Riker’s temporary promotion to acting captain of the Enterprise, Shelby was named Riker’s first officer. After assisting in the rescue of Picard, Shelby graciously vacated the first officer’s post for Riker, who found her to be both exasperating and highly skilled as a first officer.

  Shelby is a tenacious, tough-as-nails officer who makes no secret of her ambitions—which included a desire to serve as captain of the U.S.S. Excalibur until that post was given to Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, who happens to be a former lover of Shelby’s.

  Shelby’s previous intimate association with Calhoun has not interfered with her ability to serve under his command with distinction.

  SIGMA TAU CETI

  Intended destination of the freighter Cambon before it was disabled by cross fire in a region of the Lemax system known as the Gauntlet.

  SIX-CARD WARHOON

  A card game, similar to poker, and very popular on Mojov Station.

  SKARM

  A henchman of Zoran.

  SOLETA, LIEUTENANT

  Science officer aboard the Excalibur. Soleta is extremely good at her job and has previous experience in Thallonian space; she was captured on the planet Thallon while conducting geological research. She was rescued from a Thallonian prison by Spock, who was disguised as a Thallonian; on their way to safety they were intercepted by Thallonian prince Si Cwan—now Ambassador Si Cwan—who chose to facilitate their escape rather than sound the alarm. This was a favor Si Cwan eventually asked her to repay by smuggling him aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.

  Because her mother was Vulcan but her father Romulan, she has occassional difficulty controlling her emotions.

  STAITEIUM

  A really dense, tough metal.

  TEAM ROOM, THE

  The main crew lounge aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur, located on Deck 7 in the rear of the saucer section. Its name was a holdover from a term used in the early days of space exploration.

  THAL

  The capital city of the destroyed planet Thallon.

  THALLON

  A disintegrat
ed pile of rubble that was once the capital planet of the Thallonian Empire. It was never harmless.

  THALLONIAN EMPIRE, THE

  A wide-ranging autocratic empire that controlled most of the star systems in Sector 221-G until the empire’s recent collapse.

  TORELLI, ENGINEER’S MATE

  An engineering crew member, working under Chief Engineer Burgoyne 172, aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.

  TULAAN IV

  Home to an aggressive religious sect known as the Redeemers, who are missionaries intent on spreading the word of the return of their primary deity, Xant.

  TULLEAH, MOUNT

  A high elevation located in the Gondi desert on Vulcan, Selar ascended Mount Tulleah many times during her youth, finding it a source of peace and contemplation. It exists in at least one very accurate holodeck simulation aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.

  VOLTAK

  A Vulcan archaeologist who was the husband and mate of Dr. Selar. He died of a coronary failure while consummating the Pon farr ritual with Selar.

  WATSON, POLLY

  A transporter officer aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.

  XENEX

  A Class-M world located near the border of the Thallonian Empire in Sector 221-G. It is the home-world of the Xenexians and of Starfleet Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, a.k.a. M’k’n’zy of Calhoun, who in his youth led a revolt that ended the 300-year-long occupation and oppression of Xenex by the Danteri.

  XENEXIANS

  Indigenous inhabitants of the planet Xenex.

  YATES, ENSIGN

  An engineering crew member, working under Chief Engineer Burgoyne 172, aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur.

  YOZ, THALLONIAN CHANCELLOR

  A leader of Thallon who attempted to apprehend Soleta for trespassing. Soleta managed to embarrass Yoz while she resisted arrest, trapping him under his own mount. Yoz later helped the people of Thallon overthrow the ruling class, including High Lord Si Cwan and his family.

  YUKKA CHIPS

  Small, greenish, curved, waferlike Thallonian delicacy.

  ZANTOS

  This world produces what is regarded as the best ale in the quadrant, better even than Romulan Ale and twice as difficult to obtain. A Starfleet survey team was captured on Zantos by local inhabitants, and the leader was subjected to harsh punitive measures. Allegedly, Starfleet Captain Mackenzie Calhoun snuck onto the planet’s surface and absconded with a case of ale with the Zantos fleet in hot pursuit.

  ZINA

  An Orion slave girl who belonged to an Orion trader named Krassus. She originally was meant to be sold by Krassus to a buyer named Barsamis, but Krassus reneged on the deal and murdered Barsamis when he filed a protest. Krassus later lost Zina to Mackenzie Calhoun in a game of Six-Card Warhoon, but the loss turned out to be a ruse to allow Zina to distract Calhoun with her feminine charms while Krassus attempted to stab Calhoun from behind. Their plan failed. Miserably.

  ZORAN SI VERDIN

  A Thallonian agitator, a best friend turned worst enemy of deposed prince Si Cwan. Si Cwan described Zoran as being “almost insane in his hatred.” Zoran laid a trap for Si Cwan aboard the science vessel Kayven Ryin by placing the name of Si Cwan’s sister, Kalinda, on the ship’s passenger manifest. Zoran later confessed to having murdered Kalinda, but subsequently recanted the statement.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  New Frontier Book 1 copyright © 1997 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

  New Frontier Book 2 copyright © 1997 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

  New Frontier Book 3 copyright © 1997 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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  ISBN: 0-7434-5577-0

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-5577-0 (eBook)

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