Star Trek: Vulcan Read online

  Not all of these encounters were pleasant, of course. For example, Vulcan’s initial interactions with Andor were quite adversarial and included a series of confrontations along their shared territorial boundary. Even after formal hostilities ended and a truce was declared, elements of the Vulcan government, space service, and intelligence community continued to be suspicious of the Andorians. This eventually resulted in a rather embarrassing incident in the twenty-second century when Starfleet inadvertently discovered that the Vulcan government was covertly monitoring Andorian activity along their shared border.

  This was but one of several incidents that led to resistance from a group of Vulcans known as the “Syrrannites.” Named for the movement’s founder, Syrran, this group carried out a prolonged protest against the Vulcan High Command, which they felt was moving away from Surak’s philosophies and becoming increasingly militaristic. After a bombing at the Earth embassy on Vulcan was blamed on the Syrrannites, Starfleet officers assisted in the investigation and discovered leaders within High Command had orchestrated the attack. With Starfleet’s help, the rebels ultimately succeeded in removing the corrupt leadership and installing a civilian government overseen by T’Pau, a prominent Syrrannite leader who would go on to become one of Vulcan’s most renowned leaders.

  In 2155, Vulcan entered into the Coalition of Planets, a formal alliance with Andor, Earth, and Tellar Prime. It was this collective that would eventually stand against the Romulan Star Empire. Following the bitter four-year conflict known as the Earth-Romulan War, the Coalition gave way to what we now know as the United Federation of Planets (UFP). Beginning in 2161 with just the original four signatory species, the Federation has since grown to include billions of beings representing more than 150 different worlds. Vulcan itself provides a key voice in interstellar relations and politics both within and beyond the Federation’s borders.

  VULCAN: A LANGUAGE PRIMER

  * * *

  IN AN AGE OF UNIVERSAL TRANSLATORS, and with most UFP member worlds having adopted Federation Standard as the official spoken language, communicating with the locals has never been easier. On Vulcan, Standard is the common language in the public spaces of the major cities, though you may encounter occasional reticence or outright refusal by some locals to speak in anything other than their native dialect. A universal translator will see you through most of these situations, assuming the area you’re visiting allows such modern technology. In places where universal translators are prohibited, try to travel with a tour guide—they should be able to help navigate the less friendly encounters. While we obviously can’t include a comprehensive Vulcan language guide here, we can at least provide you with some of the most common terms and phrases you should know.

  Chaya t’not:

  Thank you.

  Nam-tor puyan-tvi-shal wilat:

  Where is your restroom?

  Nam-tor rom-yokul-mahr-kel wilat:

  Where is a good restaurant?

  Nam-tor wak ra:

  What time is it?

  Ni’droi’ik nar-tor:

  I am sorry.

  Sochya eh dif:

  Peace and long life.

  Dif-tor heh smusma:

  Live long and prosper.

  Additionally, you will find that most Vulcans employ elements of their own language in everyday Standard speech. This can be for several reasons, such as a desire to observe tradition. You’ll likely hear at least a few of these key terms during your visit:

  Ahn-woon: The oldest of traditional Vulcan combat weapons, which resembles an Earth sling. In modern times, it is often used during various rituals and ceremonies.

  Fal-tor-pan: Also called “the refusion.” An ancient ritual used to reunite a Vulcan’s katra—a Vulcan’s living spirit—with their physical body. Do not try this at home.

  Kahs-wan: A ten-day test of survival, courage, and maturity undertaken by Vulcan children and conducted in the unforgiving climate of Vulcan’s Forge.

  Katra: A “living spirit,” or the essence of a Vulcan’s intellect. When death is near, some Vulcans are able to transfer their katra into the mind of another living being.

  Kolinahr: The purging of all emotions and the embracing of total, pure logic.

  Kol-Ut-Shan: The Vulcan philosophy of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.”

  Koon-ut-kal-if-fee: An ancient ritual that translates to “marriage or challenge.” In the event that a female Vulcan does not wish to be married to the male partner arranged for her during childhood, she can choose a defender to challenge her betrothed. The actual challenge part of the ritual is known as the kal-if-fee, or “passion fight,” during which a Vulcan can confront another to win the hand of a prospective wedding partner. Tourists are encouraged to avoid such ceremonies, as participants fight to the death, and spectators have been known to find themselves drawn into these skirmishes.

  Lirpa: A traditional Vulcan combat weapon that consists of a staff with a fan-shaped blade at one end and a bludgeon at the other. Today, it is one of the weapons used during ceremonial proceedings such as the kal-if-fee. Nonlethal versions can be found in many gift shops.

  Pon farr: The Vulcan “time of mating,” which affects Vulcans approximately every seven years of their adult life. This aspect of the Vulcan reproductive process is dominated by a neurochemical imbalance that impedes logic and rational thought and is often likened to a period of “madness.” Left untreated, the condition can prove fatal. As the imbalance worsens, the afflicted Vulcan will enter a state of plak tow, or “blood fever.” While the condition can be treated through meditation, it can only be truly remedied by successful mating with a bonded partner or through a similarly intense emotional experience, such as undergoing the kal-if-fee combat ritual.

  Suus-mahna: A defensive martial art. Unarmed combat experts often compare it to such Earth disciplines as aikido and jujitsu.

  T’hy’la: A term of endearment, loosely translated as “friend,” “brother,” or “lover.”

  SHIKAHR

  * * *

  MAP OF SHIKAHR

  GETTING AROUND

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  Cultural Exchange Performing Arts Center

  Embassies

  Hall of Voices

  Surak Memorial Garden

  Interplanetary Wildlife Preserve

  T’Plana-Hath Historical Museum

  Vulcan Science Academy

  SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

  Multicultural Mercantile District

  Subspace

  ShiKahr Interplanetary Arts Festival

  DINING AND NIGHTLIFE

  T’vela Sochya

  Edrann

  Quark’s Bar, Grill, Gaming House, and Holosuite Arcade

  LODGING

  Firr’creeta ShiKahr

  ShiKahr Pinnacle Downtown Hotel

  Lucky Latinum Lagoon Resort

  VULCAN’S CAPITAL CITY, while not the largest in terms of geography, is still the busiest population center on the planet. A model of modern engineering and technical achievement, ShiKahr is also steeped in history. According to those few records that still survive as well as countless hours of archaeological research, the city is believed to be the focal point for nearly every major societal and cultural turning point in Vulcan civilization. Ancient buildings and monuments still bear the scars of numerous invasions that occurred long before the Time of Awakening, and stories of the heroic sacrifices made to preserve these timeless treasures are well chronicled in Vulcan literature as well as those historical accounts that still exist. These same ruins now stand side by side with contemporary, towering edifices that—much like the Vulcan people—continually reach for the skies and the stars beyond.

  Museums and libraries abound in ShiKahr, showcasing the work of Vulcan artists in addition to those from other worlds. Thanks to ShiKahr’s many embassies representing other Federation member worlds, the city has become a melting pot, boasting a richly diverse population. Much like Tokyo, San Francisco, or N
ew York City on Earth, ShiKahr is an effervescent metropolis that never seems to rest, and visitors can find something of interest at any time of day or night.

  GETTING AROUND

  * * *

  Public transportation is the norm in ShiKahr. Airborne vehicles as well as mass transit above and below ground connect each of the city’s major sections and operate around the clock. Additional transportation options can take you from ShiKahr to every other major city or point of interest on the planet. You’ll find that ShiKahr is a healthy city, where various forms of self-propelled transportation are promoted, particularly with regard to tourists.

  SHIKAHR: CRADLE OF INFINITE DIVERSITY IN INFINITE COMBINATIONS (IDIC)

  * * *

  It is said that the city of my birth is the epitome of Vulcan society. While I consider such observations to be reasonably accurate if somewhat simplified, I also believe that these descriptions fail to recognize one of the capital city’s greatest strengths. ShiKahr is nothing less than a living, breathing example of what it means to embrace one of our guiding principles, “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.”

  Despite our well-earned reputation for observing tradition and our many formal, even ritualistic, procedures and protocols, my people welcome a vast tapestry of cultures. Since joining the Federation more than two centuries ago, Vulcan has played host to immigrants from numerous worlds, and several of our cities have grown to become thriving cosmopolitan centers, each showcasing a vibrant mixture of cultures. There is much to experience here, and I hope you find your visit worthwhile, enlightening, and memorable.

  —Ambassador Spock, 2387

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  * * *

  Due to the multicultural impact of Federation membership, ShiKahr can look and feel as much like a collection of smaller cities as it does a single thriving megalopolis. Ancient stone streets and buildings intermingle with state-of-the-art infrastructure and architecture. Nowhere is the Vulcan IDIC philosophy more evident than in ShiKahr, where you’ll find no end of shops, restaurants, gardens, museums, and art galleries representing dozens of worlds.

  Cultural Exchange Performing Arts Center

  The city’s largest entertainment venue stands at the center of the Multicultural Mercantile District and plays host to a seemingly unending series of musical concerts, stage productions, athletic competitions, and even political rallies. Though Vulcan culture and performing arts are a cornerstone of the activities taking place here, the center’s advertised goal is “to celebrate the arts in all their infinite forms.” To that end, it hosts an eclectic range of programs. Musical and theater festivals dominate seasonal schedules, and the center is the anchor point for the annual ShiKahr Fringe Theatre Festival. Though the venue is quite popular for private gatherings, most events are open to the public. You probably won’t get to crash a wedding, but as tourism has expanded here, Vulcans have increasingly welcomed visitors to participate in holiday observances and other celebrations that at one time would have been all but forbidden to outworlders. Be sure to take advantage of these opportunities if your trip coincides with such an occasion.

  Embassies

  ShiKahr is home to more than 150 embassies of varying size and appointment, representing each of the Federation’s member worlds, with most of them located at points along or near the perimeter of the Multicultural Mercantile District. More embassies are in the planning stage or in the first stages of construction, slated to host diplomats from new or more recent member planets. Most of the embassies have areas open to the public, and many even have their own small museums, art galleries, and other points of interest, each chronicling their respective world’s relationship with Vulcan and the period leading up to the Federation’s founding.

  Hall of Voices

  Some of Vulcan’s most celebrated philosophers, diplomats, and pundits have stood at the center of this hallowed chamber. Located in a subterranean amphitheater near the grounds of the Vulcan Science Academy, the Hall has borne witness to some of the greatest debates over centuries of Vulcan civilization. The sessions are open to all, and, in traditional fashion, speakers present their positions on their chosen topic and then invite discussion and rebuttal from other speakers as well as the audience. It was here that Vulcan officials debated joining Earth, Andor, Tellar Prime, and Alpha Centauri to form what would become the United Federation of Planets.

  Surak Memorial Garden

  Reflecting pools and gardens are everywhere in ShiKahr, but none are as breathtaking as this one at the city’s center, which stands in eternal tribute to Surak, considered by many to be the father of modern Vulcan civilization. The life-size bronze statue bearing his likeness stands before a stone representation of the Vulcan symbol for Kol-Ut-Shan, or “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” The memorial and the surrounding garden are open to the public and are illuminated at night by torches. Many Vulcans use the park for meditation or silent contemplation at all hours of the day and night, and visitors are asked to observe proper decorum at all times.

  Interplanetary Wildlife Preserve

  For centuries, Vulcans have abstained from the exploitation of animals, and the Vulcan Science Academy has been a prime mover in the identification and preservation of endangered species and ecosystems on numerous Federation worlds. Advances in terraforming and genetic modification have assisted these efforts, and the Academy is at the forefront of such initiatives. Situated on a parcel of land south of the city that encompasses 57 square kilometers and features its own lake as well as climate-controlled habitats, the Academy’s preserve annex provides visitors with a close look at wildlife from dozens of planets. The preserve is one of only two facilities on Vulcan where you can see everything from graceful yet fierce shavokh birds to small, adorable aylakim, which seem to thrive on the attention of observers. You can even venture into a cave that’s home to a family of lanka-gar, the nocturnal predatory birds that live and hunt in the wastelands of Vulcan’s Forge. Don’t miss the frigid environs of the zabathu enclosure, which provides a suitable climate for these beautiful horse-like creatures hailing from Andor. Along with tending to the wildlife sanctuary, the staff here assist in ongoing research efforts to reclaim and restore the natural habitats of endangered animals on numerous worlds. Currently, the facility houses the only known living specimens of Polygeminus grex, which was believed to have been rendered extinct at the end of the previous century when the Klingon Empire destroyed its home planet, Iota Geminorum IV. Discovered by a Starfleet vessel in 2373, these “tribbles” were brought to the conservatory and genetically modified in order to curtail their extraordinary breeding tendencies. Efforts are still under way to find a world suitable for this species before restoring their prodigious reproductive properties.

  T’Plana-Hath Historical Museum

  Named for one of Vulcan’s principal philosophers, this is perhaps the city’s most visited museum and the closest counterpart to Earth’s Smithsonian Institution. The five-story archive contains artifacts, documents, and other items tracing Vulcan’s long, often conflicted history, beginning thousands of years ago and progressing to noteworthy events of recent decades. Within, housed in its own gallery, is the spacecraft named for T’Plana-Hath, which carried Vulcans to Earth more than three centuries ago in order to make first contact with humanity. Holographic re-creations of this milestone and other historical events add to the immersive nature of the museum’s exhibits. Guided tours reach capacity early, so plan accordingly.

  Vulcan Science Academy

  Known throughout the Galaxy as one of the Federation’s premiere learning institutions, the Vulcan Science Academy has stood as a bastion of knowledge for nearly two millennia. Repurposed from the abandoned ruins of a once mighty fortress, the academy began as a refuge for the first Vulcan high masters as they sought to spread the philosophy of embracing logic over emotion. Today, it boasts one of the Federation’s most demanding university curriculums and is a preeminent research center. Visitors
are welcome, and guided tours are available during daylight hours. If kal-toh’s your game, you’ll want to plan your visit to coincide with the Academy’s annual tournament, which attracts competitors at all levels from worlds throughout the Federation and beyond.

  SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

  * * *

  ShiKahr boasts several popular shopping areas. While the Multicultural Mercantile District is a prime destination, don’t let that keep you from the host of smaller, less trafficked marketplaces to be found throughout the city.

  Local eateries are interspersed with an expansive assortment of culinary and artistic fare from dozens of worlds, making the district one of the city’s premier dining and nightlife destinations. There are even several restaurants offering fusion cuisine, combining distinctly Vulcan offerings with dishes and ingredients from several of the other planets represented in the district.

  After dinner, take a stroll through the entertainment quarter and get your fill of live music and street theater. Like everything else in the district, these offerings feature local and outworlder performers, though even the term “local” gets blurred here when we’re talking about the third- and fourth-generation non-Vulcans who call ShiKahr home.