The Chalchaj 'qmey (translated from tlhIngan Hol as "children of heaven" ), or simply the Chal, were a genetically-engineered hybrid subspecies of Klingons and Romulans. Their homeworld was the planet Chal, formerly a joint colony between their two parent empires. (TOS novel: The Ashes of Eden)
History[]
During the early 23rd century, the Klngons and Romulans saw war all-out war with the Federation as an inevitability, and mistook the UFP's expansionism for conquest that would consume both their Empires. Factions from each side joined together to create a "worst case scenario" plan, a joint colony that would not only serve as a secret supply depot, staging area and fallback position, but produce a generation of children that would thrive in environments devastated by orbital bombardment, toxic radiation, and biological warfare; all things the Romulans and Klingons feared the Federation would use to annihilate them.
The first generation of Chal were primarily conceived through natural means, but underwent extensive genetic modification in utero, their DNA spliced and re-encoded many times in order to achieve the desired goal. Among the modifications were grafts of human genetic material, harvested from prisoners who were butchered and vivisected. The combination of Klingon and Romulan genetics and human tissue resulted in, for all practical purposes, a fountain of "eternal youth" within Chal DNA. (TOS novel: The Ashes of Eden)
- Research and possibly DNA from the Klingon augment experiments that led to the Qu'Vat virus was likely also involved.
When the colony was abandoned in the mid-23rd century, the first generation of children chose to stay behind on the only home they'd ever known, rather than follow their parents. As final gift to their children, the departing colonists purged all records of Chal's location from the Empires' databanks, so the colony and its inhabitants would remain hidden, nothing more than a legend.
For some forty years, the Chal remained undisturbed. Eventually the elder Chal entered the Armory and learned the terrible secrets of their creation. They also realized that if outsiders learned of what had been done -- of what the Chal were -- they would become the ultimate commodity. Their very organs and DNA would be harvested and transplanted into humans and compatible species who longed for the same "eternal youth" the Chal possessed. However, the Chal parents kept this knowledge from their children to protect them from the truth.
Things remained largely unchanged on Chal until the Praxis incident, and the resulting peace process that began. With the barriers between the Federation and the Empire falling, the Chal elders knew the lost knowledge of the Chalchaj 'qmey was bound to get out. They believed that their exploitation would be inevitable, unless the world of Chal was to die and take its secrets with it. This led to an inter-generational conflict between the elder Chal and their children, who did not understand their parents' motives.
In late 2293, the younger Chal sent a delegation to the Federation, petitioning for recognition as an independent, sovereign world. A chain of events began then which led to the full revelation of the Armory's secrets to the Chal. In the aftermath, they became a Federation protectorate; within five years, circa 2298, Chal became a Federation member, while the whole truth remained secret. (TOS novel: The Ashes of Eden)
Biology and characteristics[]
They shared many similar physical traits with their genetic forebears, including the distinctive Klingon forehead ridges and the pointed ears of the Romulans. As augments, they possessed enhanced strength and agility, were highly resilient and resistant to injury. They healed quickly from wounds, were almost immune to disease, and remained "young" and in their physical prime much longer than their genetic forebears. (TOS novel: The Ashes of Eden, ST novel: Dark Victory)
However, their healing factor and many immunities came with a downside. When the Chal were struck by the Symmetrists' virogen in 2372, their bodies were resistant to protoplasers and stasis fields, and would metabolize any drugs before they could take effect, rendering almost any treatment ineffective. In essence, their own immune systems fought anything that might have helped against the disease ravaging their bodies. (ST novel: Avenger)
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Background[]
- The timeframe of "forty years" repeated in The Ashes of Eden indicates that the colony was founded circa 2253. Torl's given age of forty-two would put it no later than 2251. Chal was apparently abandoned shortly thereafter, or at least by the easing of tensions between the three powers in the mid-to-late 2260s. It is possible that T'Kuvma's War was one of the factors that led to the change in plans. However, the colony had to have been in operation long enough that the first generation of children had reached maturity and could sustain their society without their parents.
External links[]
- Chalchaj 'qmey article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.
- Chalchaj 'qmey article at Star Trek Expanded Universe, the fanon and fanworks Star Trek wiki.