Kalevian Montar

Star Trek DS9 Fanfiction
Title:	Kalevian Montar
Author(s):	Marlissa Campbell
Date(s):	1997
Length:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
External Links:	online here
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Kalevian Montar is an Star Trek: DS9 story by Marlissa Campbell.

It was posted at alt.startrek.creative and was the winner of the 1997 ASC Award for Best DS9 Gen Story.

This story is a novella in which Kira Nerys investigates Tora Naprem's life with Dukat.

Reactions and Reviews

In order to write a character well, a writer must try to get inside the character's skin (or scales, as the case may be), to become familiar with all aspects, good and bad alike, of that character. It's not an easy job, especially with a character you love, and it's even more difficult with a character you hate. And, when it's a character as complex and opaque as Gul Dukat, 'capturing' his essence on paper (or screen) is even more difficult.

There seem to be two prevailing attitudes towards Dukat: people either love him or they hate him. As a result, he tends to come across in fanfic as either an overly idealized romantic hero (something of which I am more than guilty) or a reprehensible slimebag.

Marlissa has, more than any other Dukat writer I've come across, accurately and, more importantly, *respectfully* captured the full spectrum that is Dukat, and she has done so by presenting a view of him primarily through the eyes of two women who have every reason in the world to despise him, yet, somehow, find it in themselves to see beyond their own hatred and not only accept him for those flaws, but learn to feel affection for him.

"Kalevian Montar" is not an easy story to read. It deals with unpleasant subject matters such as rape/coercion without rose-tinted glasses, yet doesn't smack you upside the head with proclamations of 'this behavior is *wrong*'. It is honest without being brutal, yet at the same time it is tender without being overly sentimental.

The reader gets to see Dukat from multiple angles, which expertly evokes his complexity. Ziyal, Odo, and Quark all have different perspectives on Dukat's behavior during the Occupation, but the two perspectives that matter most in this story are those of Kira and Tora Naprem. The story is about Kira's efforts, at Ziyal's request, to learn more about Naprem, and what she learns about Naprem's relationship with Dukat after the discovery of Naprem's old diaries. The use of the diary entries to paint a picture of a character who has been in DS9's background, yet never seen, for 2 years, is superb. Not only does the reader learn about Naprem, but also about Dukat as seen through Naprem's eyes, and then, to sweeten it even more, about Kira as she reads, and comments on, the entries. And if that's not enough, after reading through these painful entries, and seeing Kira's reaction to them, the reader then learns that Dukat has known all along about the supposedly secret diaries. That was such a wonderful twist that it *still* leaves me shaking my head in wonder.

To be honest, "Kalevian Montar" is not my favorite of Marlissa's stories; I much prefer "Skin Deep". But for a first outing, this is one that just knocks your socks off. I could die a happy woman if I could ever, *ever*, write a Dukat as marvelously complex as what Marlissa has written. She has not only accurately captured him in all his shades of gray, but she has also crafted a wonderful story that is loaded with multiple layers of subtext and profound emotional depth. This is a Dukat who can be *both* loved *and* hated, and that is a feat worthy of admiration.

I read "Kalevian Montar" fairly recently and was riveted, so wonderful did Marlissa create the mood for me. She continues to create this mood every time she writes. Her dialogue is realistic, the situations she writes stay in the mind long after the story is finished, and best of all, she LOVES the characters, and it shows. I read and re-read her work, and only wish she'd write more frequently.

Marlissa started off her ASC career with a bang with the highly original "Kalevian Montar" and confirmed that promise with "Skin Deep" - which features an astonishingly brilliant premise, excellently executed. The only thing I would have to say against Marlissa is that she's a slow writer - I *know* she has a life <g>, but one can only regret that she can't give us more of her well-crafted tales. On the other hand, when she does finish a story, it is always a treat, and makes the wait well worthwhile. ;)

The premise: Ziyal asks Kira to find more about her mom. Kira ends up with Naprem's diary. Dukat and Naprem. One of the oddities that TPTB have given DS9 fans is the fact that Dukat had a Bajoran mistress whom he cared for very much. Marlissa explores the facets of this unusual pairing, giving us insight on just how the couple interacted. Naprem's characterization is solid, well thought out and, best of all, Marlissa allows the character of Naprem to tell her story on a very personal level -- via Naprem's diary. Intensely personal and heart-wrenching, the story draws you in, takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, and at the end, it makes you want to say, "That was one heck of a ride!"

I just finished re-reading this a few days ago, and I'm glad I did because the first time around I had not picked up on its subtle complexity. Because Tora Naprem has only been introduced through secondhand reports, what sort of woman she might have been is up to interpretation. This is just one interpretation, and it's solid, consistent, and believable characterization that reveals as much about Dukat and Ziyal as it does about the Occupation itself. Marlissa's decision to reveal Naprem through the use of her own diaries was excellent, and the oh-so-slight shift in tone from one entry to the next is rich with detail. IIRC, this was Marlissa's first contribution to ASC, and it was absolutely marvelous.

Wonderful!! Deep and complicated, defying easy analysis - I never really thought of the Dukat/Naprem pairing in just this way, and now that I've read the story, it's hard to get the relationship out of my mind. There was something very moving, too, about Dukat's "real" entrance at the end of the story, after Kira had spent so much time reading and hearing about him secondhand. I can't believe how long I saved this one without reading it - totally inadvertant, as I've now been pleading with Marlissa for more Dukat stories just like this.

This is one of the best DS9 stories I have read so far. It has an interesting plot and digs nicely into the Du/TN relationship. I liked how Kira reads the entries in Naprems Diary and how she reacts to them. I always like stories that are unconventional, ideas that have not or very seldom been used before. "Kalevian Montar" at least in two points falls in the category of unconventional. For one, the idea of letting a character tell her story through her diary was a very good one and as far as I know not used very often. The other is the idea of telling the story of Torra Naprem. Marlissa invented a very interesting background for this character the canonical universe only mentioned a few times. Kira and Dukat are also portrayed true to character. And on top of everything else this was the first fanfiction Marlissa wrote. Congratulations!

Ziyal asks Kira to find more about her mom. Kira ends up with Naprem's diary. Revelations about the Occupation and the insight into Dukat's "glory days" give this story a particular punch as Kira find out more about Naprem than she ever expected and a different side of Dukat is uncovered. Moving and powerfully written, Marlissa gives us a believeable Naprem and consistent characterization and a strong story to reinforce it.

...And what would one expect to find in Tora Naprem's diaries? A well-crafted journey into the mind and heart of Dukat's Occupation-era mistress... the one he came to truly love... Marlissa's (first?!!!) tale is utterly believable, and Naprem, Dukat, and Kira are all utterly ...themselves. The image, too, of Dukat and Kira reading the sections aloud -- oh, that was worth *anything*!

I've read other stories and books that use the "diary" theme, but seldom to better effect. Naprem is SO mysterious and SO nebulous that it almost gave me a chill, hearing from the actual person at last. And Dukat was certainly not turned into a saint - neither was he the villain of "Waltz," either.

Who WAS Tora Naprem, really? A nice backstory of a character that the canon storylines neglected.