Star Trek: The Next Generation: Triangle: Imzadi II
by Peter David



p.3 Once upon a time, the Klingons had had gods. But then they had killed the gods because they were too much trouble. As a result, Klingons knew that once one was put into the universe, one was on one's own. There was no looking to a god or gods for answers, for none were ever going to be forthcoming. There was no court of higher appeal for the unfairness of life, there were no prayers to be served up asking for personal gain, support, or understanding.

p.34 "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well if a promontory were, as well as if a manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for the." --John Donne, quoted by Deanna Troi

p.44-45 "I have a sense of humor," Worf told her. "It is simply...dissimilar from yours."
     "Really. How dissimilar?"
     "Well..." He gave it a moment's thought. "There was a time I attended an exhibition of proficiency with the bat'leth," he said, referring to the curved, formidable Klingon sword, "being given by K'Plok, one of the foremost bat'leth experts in the Klingon Empire. Unfortunately, K'Plok had a cold on the scheduled day, but no self-respecting Klingon would cancel an obligation simply over a minor illness. In any event, as he was demonstrating the famed overhead reverse thrust, he sneezed and accidentally cut off his own head."
     "Oh, my God," gasped Deanna. "What did you do?"
     "We laughed. It was the single longest, most sustained laughter in the history of the empire. K'Plok was immortalized as the greatest comedian ever known to Klingons. In fact, his name was officially changed to K'Plop in our annals, in commemoration of the sound his head made when it struck the--"
     She held up her hand. "I... get the picture, Worf. And did you truly think it was...funny?"
     "If I did not think that, would I have kept the head when it ricocheted and flew into my lap?"
     At that, Deanna visibly blanched. "You... you didn't..."
     He paused for only a moment, and then said, "That was a joke, Deanna."
     She let out a sigh of relief that even resulted in a small chuckle at the realization that he'd fooled her.
     "You see?" he pointed out triumphantly. "I do have a sense of humor. I made you laugh."
     ::: a few paragraphs later :::
     Worf headed toward Alexander and, as he did so, made a mental note to send word to the Klingon homeworld, where many of his most treasured effects were in storage, and arrange for the prompt disposal of the head of K'Plop before Deanna found out. The Klingon Comedy Museum had been after him for years to donate it anyway, since they had an understandable dearth of displays.

p.46 He [Worf] called out, "Data..."
     "Yes?" Data turned his attention to Worf as Beverly glanced over her shoulder at him.
     "Remember the other day? When you pushed the doctor into the water?"
     "Yes."
     He stabbed a finger at Data. "That was funny. Damned funny. And do not let anyone else tell you otherwise." With that, he walked off, leaving a slightly confused Data and a rather teed-off Beverly Crusher.

p.60-61 I suggest you read the works of Shakespeare...preferably in the original Klingon. You will find Romeo and Juliet, in particular, most instructive. Warring houses, murder, suicide... I tell you, Alexander... it makes you proud to be a Klingon." --Worf

p.171 ronin = masterless samurai

p.174 "Was it not a Terran... Santa Claus, I believe his name was... who said that those who do not listen to history are doomed to repeat it?"
     Riker tried to cover his mouth and stifle a laugh. He was no one hundred percent successful. "I... I think you meant Santayana."
     "Oh." Sela looked momentarily thrown, but then seemed to shrug it off mentally. "Well... the names are similar. I was close."
     "Oh, definitely. They're practically interchangeable."

p.188 Had Worf been a Delian Opistalk, his eyes would have lunged out of his head.

p.192-193 "So, how did it go?" asked Deanna when Worf returned to the inn.
     He considered the fact that he had battled hand to hand with Lwaxana, knocked her cold, had his entire system of honor brought into question, was manhandled with frightening ease by Mr. Homm, and offered a big handful of nothing as a parting gift.
     "Actually," he said thoughtfully, "it went more or less as I expected."

p.258 Tom Riker served on the Gandhi before he joined the Maquis

p.300 "'You will follow your heart... through space... and if it be ripped from your chest, you would follow the trail of blood..."
     Will turned and gaped at Worf. "Mr. Worf... that was borderline poetic."
     "It is actually a poem. It is from The Klingon Book of 300 Love Poems."

p.329-330 Riker hit him.
     It was not one of the smarter moves Riker had ever made.
     He hit him bone on bone, which was never a good move to begin with. He caught Worf squarely on the chin, promptly breaking one of Riker's knuckles. It landed with enough impact to knock Worf to the floor, and the combination of surprise and power behind the punch was enough to keep Worf down for a whole three seconds.
     At which point Worf came up swinging.
     Will backed up quickly, as Worf's first two roundhouses--driven more by fury than technique--missed him clean. While Worf was off-balance on the second one, Worf drove a knee up into Worf's gut. It doubled the Klingon over long enough for Riker to bring his hands together and double-slam a blow to the thick set of muscles in the base of Worf's neck. It was a move that Riker had used before, when he had been assigned to a Klingon vessel as part of an exchange program. It had worked rather well at the time against that particular opponent.
     In this case, it didn't slow Worf down at all. It did succeed, however, in ticking him off.
     Will Riker was suddenly airborne. Worf had grabbed his leg in one hand and his arm in the other, and when he straightened up, Riker was over his head and helpless. For one hideous moment Riker thought that Worf was going to make a wish and use Riker as the wishbone. Instead Worf pivoted and threw Riker. Riker meteored across the room and slammed into the fall with the sounds of a wet sack of potatoes. He slid to the ground, momentarily stunned, and then saw Worf charging toward him. He tried to muster the strength to get out of his way, but all he could manage was to try and crawl away, and then Worf hauled him off his feet, his arm across Riker's throat, snarling fury into his ear.

 

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