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NOVEL
The Never-Ending Sacrifice
Cover by Nicolas Bouvier
Attribution

Publisher's description

From the back cover

A boy looks up. He sees a Cardassian's hand on his shoulder and knows that this is usually a prelude to a beating or, if he is fortunate enough, arrest. The boy knows how many disappeared during the Occupation of Bajor. So he does the one thing he can think of: he bites the Cardassian. Then the nightmare begins.

He is ripped from the family that took him in as an orphan, clothed him, fed him, always loved him unconditionally. And no matter how earnest, how caring the commander of Deep Space 9 is, the boy knows this is all a horrible mistake. How can someone from Starfleet judge him by what he looks like, not by what he is? He prays to the Prophets; he is Bajoran. They all keep telling him that the test proves the large Cardassian man is his father, that the other Cardassian -- that oily gul -- took him away from his father. But the boy keeps telling them that he is Bajoran, he only wants to go home with his father. So they send Rugal home -- to Cardassia.

On the homeworld of the Cardassian Union where sacrifice and devotion to the state are surpassed only by the government's need to keep its people in check, one very lonely boy discovers that if he doesn't resist, his life -- like those of so many others -- will be added to the tally of the never-ending sacrifice.

Summary

References

Characters

Maria Alvarez • Arani • Ithas Bamarek • Darrah Bajin • Skrain Dukat • Envek • Ferek • Elim Garak • Teretis Geyl • Alon Ghemor • Tekeny Ghemor • Gheta • Kelat • Colat Khevet • Elinas Khevet • Mikor Khevet • Penelya Khevet • Tret Khevet • Hulja Kiliç • Leirt • Martis Lok • Maleta • Arric Maret • Serna Maret • Tela Maret • Metelek • Metrek • Keiko O'Brien • Miles O'Brien • Molly O'Brien • Geleth Pa'Dar • Kotan Pa'Dar • Rugal Pa'Dar • Proka Etra • Proka Migdal • Gerat Rejal • Meya Rejal • Rantok • Erek Rhemet • Selik • Benjamin Sisko • Ellen Smith • Tekis • Tora Ziyal • Verisel

Referenced only 

Artoc • Ulan Corac • Corat Damar • Darrah Mace • Trekal Darhe'el • Athra Dukat • Iliana Ghemor • Hogue • Keeve Falor • Natima Lang • Arys Pa'Dar • Lim Prekeny • Reco • Rekelen • Enabran Tain • Turrel • Zolan

Locations

Akleen Memorial • Ashalla • Bajor • Barvonok Sector • Cardassia • Cardassia City • Civilian Assembly Hall • Coranum Sector • Coranum tunnel • Deep Space 9 • Demilitarized Zone • Earth • Ithic II • Lorikal • Meritok Square • Munda'ar Sector • Ogyas III • Ostek • Paldar Sector • Paris • Perok • Quark's • State Museum of Natural History • Tarlak Sector • Torr Central Market • Torr Central Station • Torr Sector • Veterans' Bridge • Weibak IV

Referenced only 

Cardassia IV • Culat • Founders' homeworld • Gamma Quadrant • Hagal • Korto City • Lakarian City • Maklar Prison • Lake Masad • Masad • Peyit • Sea Fall • Septimus III • Tozhat • Tozhat Memorial • Valo II

Starships and vehicles

Lotos • Ramaklan • skimmer

Races and cultures

Bajoran • Cardassian • Human • Jem'Hadar • Romulan • Vorta

Referenced only 

Breen • Changeling • Ferengi • Mathenite • Prophets

States and organizations

Cardassian Central Command • Cardassian Intelligence Bureau • Cardassian Justice Ministry • Cardassian Liberation Front • Cardassian Science Ministry • Cardassian Union • Civilian Assembly • Detapa Council • Dominion • Institute for State Policy • Khevet Agricultural Holdings • Klingon Empire • Obsidian Order • Office of Public Order • Romulan Star Empire • Second Order • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets

Referenced only 

Bajoran Resistance • Circle • Council of Ministers • Founder • Eleventh Order • Vedek Assembly

Other

2371 Cardassian coup • Age of Emergence • allied protectorate • alva ice • archon • aytlik broth • Bajoran-Cardassian Treaty • Bajoran religion • bell • black market • canka nut • Cardassian First Republic • Cardassian Second Republic • Cardassian Thid Republic • Castellan of the Cardassian Union • chief archon • dalin • Declaration of the Transference and Assumption of Powers • Deputy Commissioner for Public Health • d'jarra • Dominion War • elta • Emissary of the Prophets • founding settlement • enigma tale • feyt • garresh • gelat • geleta • gil • gul • hasperat • Hebitian • honge • Ih'valla • indika • ithian tree • jumja • kai • kanar • keye • kotra • legate • lek • leya • leya fruit • leya juice • leyik • litik • mekla bush • metric • moba • The Never-Ending Sacrifice • Occupation of Bajor • pagh • perek • petha • raktajino • ratamba stew • regnar • redleaf tea • reta • riding hound • rikot • shri-tal • skimmer • spoonhead • tram • transporter station • Yatik fever • zabu stew

Appendices

Reception

• Robert Lyons of TrekMovie.com described The Never-Ending Sacrifice as "unlike any Star Trek book I have ever read before". [1]
• Jens Deffner of Unreality SF gave The Never-Ending Sacrifice a review score of 90%. He commented "The Never-Ending Sacrifice is not only a very strong Star Trek novel, but simply an outstanding coming-of-age novel, since even if you stripped it of everything Star Trek-related, it would work just as well". [2]

Related stories

• "Cardassians"
• A Stitch in Time
• Star Trek: Terok Nor

Timeline

External link

• The Never-Ending Sacrifice article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.