Though they hail from different worlds, two starships share bonds of sisterhood against the coldness of space that would shock their opposed crews.
(Based on Star Trek: Sigils and Unions, but not Sigils canon.)
Twenty-year-old Skrain Dukat has prayed hard and worked hard to bring himself to this place, but now that he's here at Yavenn Pretam University in his home city of Culat, there's tension in the air: the forces of Bajor are pressing closer and closer to the Cardassia system and there's been no stopping them yet.
He believed he was destined for the art of the courtroom. But now--might justice for an entire world someday rest in his hands?
In a galaxy of many great wonders and greater powers, faith has sometimes been dismissed as the province of children and fools. How might rational individuals like Mike Spirodopoulos and SigCat AU residents Skrain Dukat and Hirhul Mendral maintain their belief when faced with all of the various powers and principalities of the Trekiverse?<p>
This is one exploration of how it could be, as seen through the lens of the Sigils and Unions universes.</p>
2371--Volan III. This is the time and the place where two lives are changed forever.
In an apocalyptic alternate universe, the Collective has overcome the Union, and Gul Arvon Nvrell mourns for all that was lost, and all that was squandered.
(This story is a response to the Borrowed Toys Challenge. With the kind permission of trekfan, I have written this moment of reflection within his Paths Not Taken universe. I hope that in doing this, I have respected the integrity of that universe. Thanks also to Andrew J. Robinson for the phrase in A Stitch in Time that inspired the title and theme of this story.)
The Dominion has won the war. Some species have paid with their lives--humanity has paid its price in another coin.
But the Dominion has underestimated the children of Earth and Cardassia Prime...
This is a Sigils and Unions main universe-based AU.
Drawing a Cardassian can look like a daunting task--well, worry no more!
Learn why Cardassians have the features they do, and take a step-by-step approach to drawing them, and you'll discover there's nothing to fear...you're really a much better artist than you thought!
2375--The Septimus Massacre.
They were the enemy. It was deserved.
Or was it?
Hear the voice of Massacre survivor, Gul Zejil Rebek, and remember and reflect--for "this, but for the hand of grace, could have been you."
Sometimes the eidetic Cardassian memory is the most dreadful burden of all.
Glinn Tayben Berat knows he wants to survive. But how?
Written for the July 2009 TrekBBS Writing Challenge.
(This story takes place in 2369, just a week after the events of Lois Tilton's novel Betrayal, and almost six years before "Let He Who Has Eyes See," so be aware there are extensive spoilers for her book.)
Winner:
Haunted ChallengeGo beyond the Universal Translator to read--and hear--about the Cardassian language designed by Nerys Ghemor for Sigils and Unions and its subseries, Catacombs of Oralius.
Written from a largely in-universe perspective, lessons will be added as I find time to write explanations and record the accompanying audio (which is hosted here on the Ad Astra forum--please note that you must be a registered member of the forum in good standing to hear the audio!).
And your first lesson: Kiba'avzayn ta'aboun-cor means "good tidings from friends" in Federation Standard.
Publicly-available grammatical work has ENDED. While I will continue to leave the existing material available, the fact that the language is now being adopted by others outside the Sigils and Unions universe has led me to keep all actual grammatical information to myself so that I am the only one who can generate authentic words and phrases.
Like ripples in a pond, even a year after the attack on the Kelvin, the changes to this wounded timeline have already begun to spread beyond the Federation's borders.
See through the eyes of a Vulcan, a human, and a Cardassian as dreadful circumstances force two powers into much closer contact much sooner than they ever would have had otherwise...
Five hundred years ago, the Cataclysm comes upon the world you call Cardăsa Terăm. But how shall history tell it? This is your adventure, and your choice shall decide what is remembered for posterity.
(Written for the May 2009 TrekBBS Writing Challenge)
Giving Garak an insulting nametag was hardly polite; any being should know that. But what about those less obvious signs of respect or disrespect? If you're interested in putting the right foot forward in your dealings with Cardassians, what are some of the most important do's and don'ts?
(Most information here is Sigils and Unions-specific, and written from an in-universe perspective, as if for a student preparing to study the Cardăsda language. Other material may be added eventually, but for now, this can be read as a complete work.)
From strict discipline in military formations to intense, deeply emotional interactions with friends and family--interactions with and among Cardassians can sometimes seem contradictory to other species with different upbringings and instinctive drives. Here's a bit of insight for non-Cardassians that might explain some of the unusual thoughts and reactions they might observe when dealing with Cardassians...
Fifteen-year-old Cardassian refugee Hirhul Mendral tries to settle into the social life of his Phoenix high school--only to discover that after a year on Earth, he's still not through with culture shock...
(Written for the April TrekBBS Writing Contest. Thanks to Mistral for expressing an interest in Mendral's high-school days!)
In the real world, it has the force of scientific law: only the most similar species within a genus can successfully mate, and even then the offspring will almost always be sterile.
Yet in Star Trek, hybrids have been with us from the very beginning.
So how is it that beings that evolved on completely different worlds, some of them with physiology fundamentally different from Earth humanity, manage to have healthy children together? And how is it their children seem to expect the same?
Here's how it's done in Sigils and Unions...
(Written from an out-of-universe perspective, but with references to Sigils and Unions/SigCat events. Please note that the PCE theory is likely unknown to the public due to the political implications seen in "The Chase"; however, its consequences on domestic life are well known.)
The Federation has done nothing to help his people. So why would Cardassian ensign Hirhul Mendral join the very Starfleet that watched as his people fell to Bajoran occupation?
Learn about the neurological condition that has afficted Gul Tayben Berat since the Volan III incident, and many individuals of other species in the dark days of the Dominion War.
(Written from an in-universe perspective.)
Tayben Berat is a rarity in any galactic power's military--let alone the Cardassian Guard. Continuing his service in the face of his neurological impairment is tough enough as it is without an insufferable Vorta coming aboard his ship in 2374 determined to twist the knife as deep as possible.
But Dasreen is about to pay dearly for taking one look at Gul Berat and counting him out of the fight...
(Spoilers for Prologue-Chapter 6 of The Thirteenth Order)
Winner:
Underdog Challenge
It's easy to assume that the Cardassians themselves are as uniform as the armor worn by their military...but to do so is to ignore the diversity that still manages to thrive even under one of the most repressive Alpha Quadrant regimes.
Explore the regions of Cardassia Prime and learn about the people who call it home...
Having trouble telling a gul from a gor? Wondering why you've encountered so few rank titles? And just how far does a glinn's authority really stretch?
If you've wondered about any of this as you've read Star Trek: Sigils and Unions, this guide is for you!
A young Cardassian with a difficult spiritual gift must bear the burdens of his double life as well as those of a wounded hero and friend.
(Written for the February 2009 TrekBBS Writing Challenge)
A prominent Cardassian rebel has been imprisoned on Bajor by a vedek of the “True Prophets,” and subjected to an awful degradation. Yet sometimes it is in weakness when one becomes strong...it all comes down to the choices that you make.
(January 2009 TrekBBS Writing Contest Runner-Up. “Exits in the Haze” takes place 18 years prior to “Sacrifice,” almost 19 years before "Captives' Ransom.”)
Aboard the Enterprise-D, Ensign Sam Lavelle prepares his heart for the Christmas season...and learns a lesson from his best friend, a Cardassian refugee who knows what it is to watch and wait...
(December 2008 TrekBBS Writing Contest winning entry)