DS9 Stories/News: Bajoran Life Part (4)

Bajorans are a humanoid race from the planet Bajor. Bajorans are a very spiritual people, and their history has produced many great architects, artists, builders and philosophers.

Bajoran civilization has existed for over a half-million years. A contemplative and spiritual people, the early Bajorans saw little need in reaching to the stars. It is known, however, that the Bajoran people held limited interstellar abilities via primitive solar sail space craft.

Site: http://www.ussgalaxy.net/database/species/members/bajoran.htm

Bajoran culture declined greatly during the Cardassian Occupation, from 2328 to 2369 (was formally annexed in 2339), during which time the Cardassian Union dominated the Bajoran people. 10 million Bajorans were killed, but despite the brutality of the government implemented massacres, freedom fighters in the mountains of Bajor never ceased their struggle for independence. The Cardassians made heavy use of forced labor camps and attempted to strip the Bajorans of their cultural identity. Cardassian strip mining of Bajor lead to planet-wide ecological devastation. It was the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor that forced the Bajoran people to throw off their strict caste based culture and actively fight against their oppressors. They have only recently been allowed to rebuild their culture.

The Bajoran people successfully repelled the Cardassians from their world in 2369 and a provisional government was established. The United Federation of Planets was called upon to provide assistance during this time of chaos and turbulence. The Federation assumed control of the abandoned Cardassian mining station Terok Nor (which the Federation renamed Deep Space Nine) and acted as a deterrent to future Cardassian reprisals against the Bajoran people.

The discovery of the Bajoran wormhole (which the Bajorans called the “Celestial Temple”) made Bajor a site of scientific importance. Later, Bajor became a strategically important location when the Dominion began their invasion of the Alpha Quadrant.

Bajorans developed an intolerance of Cardassians due to the recent Cardassian occupation of Bajor. The Bajoran sense of spirituality is so strong that they have developed a very strong will due to their faith. Most Bajorans have studied their religion fairly extensively. Also, most Bajorans with a highly-developed faith are also devoted to the rebuilding of their world.

Bajor

The entire planet, or at least its largest continent, is known by geographic areas such as the Northwestern District, Northeastern District, etc. Those in turn, are divided into provinces such as Tozhat, Dahkur and Hedrickspool, each having its own administrative centre and council of Vedeks but both as subservient to the Capitol. The planet is larger than Terra and so its gravity is about 1.4g. A classical model of a Class M system, the planet has a number of large oceans breaking up the land mass, the water is said by many to be unusually green, probably due to a high concentration of microscopic plant life. The weather on Bajor is tropical over most of the planet, with periods of storms during certain seasons of the year. There are a number of desert areas, although most of the barren wasteland left by Cardassian mining has been reclaimed.

A massive system of aqueducts over the land mass provides both irrigation and an established transit system. Transport centres in major urban settlements often combine water and air transport, to the amusement of many off-world visitors.

The Capitol City is the center of Government, Military and Religion on Bajor. Most of the other settlements have now been fully rebuilt after the destruction of the Cardassian Withdrawal. There are few other large cities as Bajorans prefer small communities to large Urban sprawl.

DS9 Stories/News: Bajoran Life Part (2)

BAJORAN LANGUAGE

Established words and phrases 

Site: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Bajoran_language

Religious terms Edit

Measurements

DS9 Stories/News: DS9 Novels 02 The Siege

Chapter 3

Bashir, of course, had only known Dax since she arrived on the station. Having no preconceived notion of her, he was reacting purely to what he saw. And what he saw, he liked. A lot. He slid a chair over for her. Dax, who had not been a female for over eighty years, smiled that killer smile of hers and said, “Thank you, Julian,” as she sat. “So,” she looked from one man to the other. “What are you two gentlemen up to?” “We were discussing the commander’s trouble with his son.” “Oh, ‘trouble’ is too strong a word,” said Sisko.

Quark immediately drifted over, ogling Dax as he purred, “Ah! More arrivals from the command crew. We’re honored by your presence. Can I get you anything? Another double-whipped I’danian spice pudding, perhaps? You devoured the one you had the other day.” “I know,” Dax said ruefully, and patted her hips. “And it’s still with me. For some reason, ever since I became a woman again, I feel this tremendous impulse to watch my figure.”

“I share the same interest,” Quark replied. By Ferengi standards, his behavior was rather suave. By human—and, for that matter, Trill—standards, he was practically slobbering. “Thank you, Quark,” Sisko said firmly. “She doesn’t want anything. That will be all.” Quark frowned and muttered a Ferengi oath as he shambled away. “What’s the problem with Jake?” Dax asked, turning her attention away from the departing Ferengi. “Same as usual, Benjamin?” “Yes,” he said, sighing. “Same as usual. These things don’t go away overnight.” “That’s for certain,” said Bashir.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Benjamin. Teenagers have tremendous difficulty adjusting to even the best of circumstances. And this”—she gestured in a manner that took in the entire space station—“is hardly the best.” “I know, I know,” said Sisko in frustration. He was nursing a glass of synthale. “And why shouldn’t he miss his mother? I miss Jennifer pretty badly myself. It has been easier for me, I’ll admit. When I went through the wormhole the first time, I had the opportunity to work out a lot of the frustration and anger that I was experiencing. I had a chance, in essence, to come to terms with the loss.” He took an unenthusiastic sip of his drink. “Unfortunately,” he continued, “Jake hasn’t had that opportunity. He has a lot of anger toward the universe in general and me in particular.”

“Why you?” asked Bashir.

“Who better?” said Sisko reasonably. “Jennifer would have been perfectly content to live on Earth. Hell, Jake would prefer it. If I told him we were going back, he’d be halfway there before I even finished the sentence. And he wouldn’t even need a ship. He’d just run. “But they followedme. It was my career that decided in what direction our lives went. I brought us out
into space. If it hadn’t been for me, we wouldn’t have been aboard theSaratoga, and Jennifer wouldn’t have died. We’d have been on Earth . . . ”

Bashir laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sort of laugh.

“Iwas on Earth,” the handsome young doctor said. “The Borg were heading our way, remember? The news was all over the internet. The entire planet was going berserk.” He took a swig of his own drink as if to steel himself against the memories. “It wasn’t pretty, Commander. Citizens of Earth didn’t exactly take it well when the end of everything they knew was barreling at light-speed right toward them. If the Enterprise crew members hadn’t pulled a last-minute miracle out of their hats, I might be sitting here pasty white with a gun instead of an arm, saying ‘Drinks are irrelevant.’”

“He’s right, Benjamin,” said Dax. “The fact is, no place in this galaxy is one hundred percent safe.” “Perfect,” Sisko said mirthlessly. “I’ll go back to Jake and say, ‘Don’t feel bad, son. The fact is, there are no guarantees. No matter where you are, you could still be alive one minute and dead the next.’ That will doubtless assuage his concerns.” Dax shrugged. “We’re all of us alive one minute and dead the next, Commander. It’s just a matter of when and how.”

“Dax is right,” said Bashir, who would have found a way to agree with Dax even if she’d been flat-out wrong. “All we can do is try to live the best life we can and accept the restrictions that are placed on us. One of the harsh realities of medicine is that we can’t save every patient. Our primary rule is that, as people of medicine, we shall do no harm.” “Do no harm to your son, Benjamin,” said Dax. “Let the rest of it play out as it will. He’s a good kid. He’ll come around.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m sure she is,” said Bashir, and he smiled at Dax. Sisko rolled his eyes.

DS9 Stories/News: DS9 Novels 02 The Siege

Chapter 3

How fortunate that my lack of internal organs makes that unlikely.” He paused a moment, studying her. “Major . . . your company is always welcome. Certainly our shared contempt for authority figures has always given us common ground. But Iam curious. Did you stop by for a reason?” “Well . . . ” She shifted in her seat. “It’s just that . . . I noticed while we were in Ops during the emergency . . . you seemed rather upset.

An unknown vessel had been pulverized by the wormhole,” said Odo. “If you did not find that upsetting, Major, I think you should be concerned about yourself rather than me.” “Now, come on, Odo,” she said in a don’t-kid-a-kidder tone. “There’s more to it than that.” He sighed and then leaned forward, interlacing his fingers. “It’s nothing extraordinary, really.” She waited for him to continue. “Look . . . Kira,” he said, dropping the formality, “you know what it’s been like for me. I’ve lived among Bajorans for half a century now, ever since I was found floating about in the Denorios Asteroid Belt with no clue as to my identity.

He rose from behind the desk, as if the additional height made him more comfortable with the situation. “They thought I was a freak . . . and they were right. They were right,” he said quietly. “Even after I learned to imitate humanoid appearance, after a fashion,” he said, touching his unformed nose in wry acknowledgment of his limitations, “even after I worked my way into a position of—dare I say the word?—authority . . . ” Kira gasped in mock horror.

Even then,” continued Odo, “even now, I still hear the word ‘freak’ echoing in my head, no matter how hard I try to tell myself that I don’t. And I’m always hoping that somehow, in some manner, I’ll find some of the answers I’ve been looking for.” “And you think the wormhole might provide them.” “It makes sense,” he acknowledged. “The ship I was found in might very well have passed through the wormhole. And that means that, sooner or later . . .

Another one might come through as well.” “Precisely. Don’t you see, Kira? Every single time that wormhole flares into existence and the neutrino levels kick up, every single time something starts to come through, I can’t help but think, This might be it. This time it might be the answers I’ve been waiting for.” “So when you saw that ship get demolished, you thought . . . ” “I thought, Just my luck that others of my race finally come through, and they’re destroyed. Imagine my
relief when I learned otherwise.” “Indeed.” She studied him a moment. “You know, Odo . . . not that I’m trying to get rid of you or anything, but . . .

But why don’t I leave Deep Space Nine and go through the wormhole? Try to find the answers myself?” He smiled gamely. “Now, Major, this station would fall apart without me.” “I don’t know about that.” “I do,” he said flatly. “Besides, there is no way on Bajor that I would give Quark the satisfaction of watching me leave.” “You make it sound personal.” “It is, in a way. I cannot find it in myself simply to walk away from the unjust and let them go on about their business. Besides, I’ll outlast him. I’m not certain what my life span is, but I haven’t really detected any measurable deterioration of my physical body over the past fifty years. However long I do live, I’m reasonably certain it’ll be longer than Quark. Maybe when he’s dust . . . Ah, but there’ll probably be someone just as bad to take his place. So much injustice.

It’s not just here, Odo,” she pointed out. “There’s injustice throughout the universe.” “No!” he said, acting as if the notion came as a shock to him. “Yes. And you can’t eliminate all of it.” “Not all at once, certainly. But,” he said, pointing at her, “I’ll tell you, Major . . . I’ve never been the sort who would walk away from a job that’s half finished. I suppose I’ll just have to stay here until my job is completed. And once that happens, then I’ll move on. Until that time . . . ” He stopped, his voice trailing off. He was looking at one of the monitors in surprise. “Well, nowthere’s something you don’t see every day.” “What?” She looked at the display he was indicating.

There. Sisko, stopping by Quark’s.” Sure enough, there was the commanding officer of Deep Space Nine. He had just sat down, and an obsequious Quark was running over to him, asking him what he could provide. “You’re right,” she said. “That is rather unusual. Think we should check it out?” “I don’t see why,” he replied easily. “First off, it’s none of our business. And second, I can always pump Bashir for information later.

Bashir?

And there was Dr. Julian Bashir, walking up to the table where Sisko was seated. He was pointing at the empty chair, clearly asking whether anyone was sitting there. Sisko gestured that he was dining alone and that Bashir was welcome to join him.
Well, Odo . . . I don’t really think you have to do that. Talk to Bashir, I mean.” “No?

No.” She smiled thinly. “I’ll ask Dax to do it. He’s hot for her. Short of breaching medical confidences, he’ll tell her anything.” “This isn’t right, you know,” said Odo. “The two of us sitting here, hatching nefarious little plots so that we can keep abreast of all the gossip and stick our noses into the business of Starfleet personnel.” “Oh, absolutely. It’s not right at all.” “Terrible.” “Monstrous.” “A lot of fun, though.

Hell, yes.

Odo looked down at his hand and frowned. And now Kira saw that his hand was starting to smooth out. She knew from long association that it was going to dissolve into a puddle of goo any minute. “Looks like I’m more tired than I thought,” said Odo dryly. “Major . . . I’ll have to bid you good night.” She rose from her chair. “Good night, Odo.” As she headed for the door, he called to her, “And please keep an eye on Quark, if you wouldn’t mind.” “Not at all,” she said. As she headed out the door, she heard a thick, slurpy splash behind her. But she was too polite to look.

May I join you gentlemen?” Bashir and Sisko looked up to see Dax standing just behind them. “By all means!” said Bashir, just a bit too quickly. Immediately he stood, out of a sense of chivalry. Sisko remained where he was, laughing inwardly despite his glum mood. Numerous men on the station were attracted to Dax, and whenever Sisko saw one of them using the typical considerate behavior that males used toward females, all he could see in his mind’s eye was them fawning over an elderly, somewhat amused man.