Description[]
- Threatened by a deadly famine, the Klingon Empire is on the verge of igniting a mad interplanetary war of conquest.
- When an earthquake destroys a remote Federation research station, Jean Czerny, agricultural scientist, succumbs to amnesia. Stranded on enemy borders, she is imprisoned by Kang, the commander of a Klingon battleship.
Summary[]
The Federation outpost on Sherman's planet is devastated by an earthquake. A Klingon ship commanded by Kang picks up a survivor, Jean Czerny. However, when Kang discovers she has developed a new strain of quadrotriticale, Kang invokes an obscure Klingon tradition whereby, having saved her life, she and her property belong to him and refuses to hand her over to the Enterprise.
Czerny refuses to co-operate until Kang threatens the life of Aernath, a Klingon she has befriended. On learning that Klingons are beset by famine, Czerny willingly helps to counter it. In order to give her a measure of protection, Kang makes her his consort: Mara left him on returning from the Enterprise with pro-Federation sympathies.
The Klingons establish an outpost on Sherman's planet on the grounds the Federation mission failed and unsuccessfully attempt to provoke a Federation attack. The Enterprise also rescues Reena Tertullian, a Romulan, crash survivor, who in a panic fires a missile at the ship. Knowing that if she co-operates with him she will be executed, the crew make it look as though she was tortured into defusing it. Reena forms a relationship with Chekov but has to return to her own people.
Aernath tricks Kang's crew and takes Czerny to Mara, who is attempting to arrange a peace between the Federation and the Klingons. She has secretly born Kang's son, Aethelnor, and intends for Czerny and Aernath to take him into Federation space so Kang will have to follow and negotiate with Kirk. Spock gets Aernath and Aethelnor off the planet with help from Cyrano Jones but Czerny is captured and left behind.
Kang eventually meets Kirk with Mara and Czerny at his side and a number of settlements are reached to prevent a war. It is agreed that the Federation and the Klingons will both establish presences on Sherman's planet, with Czerny, Aernath and Aethelnor remaining there to work on the quadrotriticale strain.
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References[]
Characters[]
- Aernath • Aethelnor • Ahmad • Alden • Banerjee • Pavel Chekov • Jean Czerny • DeCastro • Eknaar • Ekthorn • Barry Giotto • Bill Hadley • Rusty Johnson • Cyrano Jones • Jones • Juliette • Kang • James T. Kirk • Maevlynin • Leonard McCoy • Kevin Riley • Sanders • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Keiko Tamura • Reena Tertullian • Tirax • Nyota Uhura • Willinck
- Referenced only
- Durgath • Kang's father • Koloth • Mara
Starships and vehicles[]
- IKS Devisor • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • IKS Kahless • IKS Klolode II (battleship)
- Referenced only
- USS Hood (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • USS Lexington (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)
Locations[]
Stations and outposts[]
- Sherman's Planet Federation agricultural station • Starbase 10
Shipboard areas[]
- USS Enterprise
- bridge • conference room • corridor • turbolift
- IKS Klolode II
- bridge • laboratory • quarters (Kang's, Czerny's) • sick bay
Planets and planetoids[]
- Peneli • Persephone II • Sherman's Planet • Tahrn
- Referenced only
- Aldebaran Colony • Tarsus IV
Stellar regions[]
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Technology and weapons[]
- agonizer • drivault • hypospray • sodium lamp • starship • turbolift • warp drive
Substances and energies[]
Lifeforms[]
Plants[]
Animals[]
Ranks and titles[]
- captain • commander • commanding officer • communications officer • doctor • ensign • first officer • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • security chief • security • yeoman
Food and drink[]
- ration bar • glory fruit
Anatomy[]
Other references[]
- agriculture • amnesia • anatomy • chess • disease • drink • drugs and treatments • earthquake • empire • energy • food • game • galaxy • government • laboratory • language • lifeform • matter • nation-state • orbit • outpost • planet • races and cultures • rank • red alert • religion • science • space • star • star system • stardate • stim shot • technology • title • universe • yellow alert • war • weapon
Appendices[]
Related stories[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Dwellers in the Crucible |
TOS numbered novels | Next novel: Mindshadow |
| Previous story: earliest work |
Stories by: Majliss Larson |
Next story: most recent work |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: The Tears of the Singers |
Pocket Books Timeline | Next adventure: "The Girl Who Controlled Gene Kelly's Feet" Strange New Worlds I |
| Previous adventure: From the Depths |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: "The Girl Who Controlled Gene Kelly's Feet" Strange New Worlds I |
Translations[]
- 1990
- German : Das Faustpfand der Klingonen, translated by Andreas Brandhorst. (Heyne)
External link[]
- Pawns and Symbols article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.