Introduction (blurb)[]
The Tellarite colony world of Kharzh'ulla is a planet of many wonders, but its greatest feature is the Ring, a massive orbital construction, serviced by a series of "space elevators." During the Dominion War, the elevators were damaged by a Jem'Hadar attack. Now, a year and a half later, the elevators have weakened to the point that the entire Ring may collapse, endangering the planet's population -- unless the crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci can save them.
But Kharzh'ulla also contains several deadly secrets from Lieutenant Commander Tev's youth. In order for the S.C.E. to save the planet, Tev must face more than one demon from his past...
Summary[]
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The Tellarite colony of Karzuh'ulla was the home of USS da Vinci engineer Mor glasch Tev for much of his youth, until he went to Starfleet Academy. The planet, not a member of the Federation, is home to the second largest artificial construct in known space, after the Dyson Sphere, a giant space station encircling the planet's equator called The Ring, held in place by space elevators originally built by the Furies. During the Dominion War, The Ring was used as a fleet yard, until one month before the end of the war, the planet was attacked by the Jem'Hadar. In the battle, a 400km long section of the Ring was destroyed, and a space elevator damaged. The Karzh'ullans called in the SCE to assess the damage done to the Ring so that they can fix it.
After meeting with the Karzh'ullan transport minister, Eevraith, and first minister, Grevesh - both of whom Tev knew - the SCE contingent assess the damage to the space elevator. They determine that the structural integrity field the Karzh'ullans erected to keep the elevator stable has caused more damage than was previously thought, as it kept the Ring too stiff. It is determined that the damage cannot be repaired, and that the elevator will collapse, causing a domino effect which will collapse all the other elevators, within a few years, causing complete devastation of the planet.
The SCE crew come up with a plan to save the planet, but they know that the Tellarites will not accept a plan from outsiders, so they send a secret message to Eevraith, who presents the plan to save the planet as his own. The SCE crew agree to go along with "his" plan - collapsing the elevator in a controlled way. Unfortunately, decompressing the elevator when it is detached from the Ring leads to premature detonation of the explosives that were to be used to separate the top section of the elevator. However, the da Vinci is able to catch the section and tow it out to space. After Grevesh leaves, Captain Gold confronts Eevraith about the genesis of the plan, but Eevraith denies all knowledge of any conspiracy. Later, Eevraith apologises to Tev over the comm.
It is learned that Eevraith has more to apologise for than was previously thought - Bart Faulwell listens to Eevraith's thesis on the Ring, and finds that it is littered with Romulan curses which have been turned into Tellarite phrases. He thus deduces that Tev was the author of the thesis, as Tev swears in Romulan.
References[]
Characters[]
- Carol Abramowitz • Martina Barre • P8 Blue • Domenica Corsi • Eevraith • Bart Faulwell • Grevesh • David Gold • Sonya Gomez • Susan Haznedl • Alexandre Lambdin • Elizabeth Lense • Anthony Shabalala • Fabian Stevens • Mor glasch Tev • Winn Mara • Songmin Wong
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Brundage Point • Kharzh'ulla
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
- Dominion War • Gormenghast • The Lord of the Rings • The Swords of Lankhmar • Thieves' World
Appendices[]
The cover of the omnibus Grand Designs.
- The colony of Kharzh'ulla is also depicted on the cover the omnibus Grand Designs which includes this novella.
Related stories[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous eBook: The Demon, Book 2 |
SCE eBooks | Next eBook: Orphans |
| Previous story: Performance Appraisal |
Stories by: Allyn Gibson |
Next story: Make-Believe |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Demon, Book 2 |
Next Adventure: Orphans | |
| Previous Adventure: The Demon, Book 2 |
Voyages of the USS da Vinci |
Next Adventure: Orphans |