Lamikorda
Lamikorda is a science fiction novel by D. R. Merrill. It focuses on the avianoid Alplai species, and the arrival of Terran settlers from a devastated Earth to their solar system.
Plot
The Alplai are a peaceful and advanced avianoid species, native to the planet Alplaa; they abandoned warfare a millennia ago, built a prosperous society, and established colonies on other planets and moons in their solar system; their use of the slipstream field generator allows them to "jump" from one gravity well to another, making interplanetary travel routine and connecting their colonies on Totrana and Rekar's moons to the homeworld.
Ganak, the recently appointed Commissioner for Space Exploration, leads a delegation of Commission staff to visit the settlement on Rekar Three. The space observatory there reports that an asteroid from outside their solar system has been discovered, and is due to pass Rekar. The asteroid is given the name Lamikorda - an ancient word from the Saakh language meaning: "unexpected but welcome visitor." Later on, the observatory reports that the asteroid is changing course, now heading into the heart of their solar system; astronomers calculate that it will approach Totrana in a matter of months, possibly causing seismic and tidal activities. The Space Exploration Commission now begins to organize a survey mission, using Rekar Three as its base, to reach the asteroid-ship and attempt to change its course.
The survey manages to establish contact and land a shuttle inside one of its hangar bays. The shuttle crew, led by its pilot Toralok, discover that the asteroid-ship is an automated colony vessel, its passengers in suspended animation, and witness the revival of one of the mammalian aliens. Marok, the Commission's Director of Scientific Programs, finds a linguist to travel to the vessel and establish communication with the aliens. The linguist Fajrok succeeds in convincing the aliens to change course, and begins the process of teaching them the Kiitra language and exchanging information.
The Alplai learn that the aliens have left their world "Teraa" after a series of asteroid collisions, hoping to find a new world for the 1.2 million colonists to rebuild their civilization. The "Terai" request help refueling their vessel and finding another solar system, but Ganak and other Commission leaders propose that they settle in the newly prepared but vacant "Eastern Sector" of Totrana. The Terai leaders accept, and Ganak helps to persuade the Totrana government to approve the plan.
The colonists are revived in groups, vaccinated to protect them from Alplai pathogens, and transported to an orientation center on Totrana for intense language and cultural instruction, after which they travel to their new homes in the Eastern Sector. When the colony ship's nuclear reactors show signs of losing containment, the settlement plans are accelerated, with a larger facility being built in the Eastern Sector, and Terai pilots being trained to fly Alplai shuttles.
Things appear to be going well, aside from some cultural clashes, when a new disease erupts among the Alplai living on Totrana. As the disease spreads to Alplaa and the Rekar colonies, a new anti-Terai political movement is formed. The Terai continue to face discrimination and occasional violence, but create new political organizations to represent their interests and form alliances with Alplai supporters. The novel ends several decades later, when the elderly Terai pilot Sergey Rudov attends a ceremony to launch the first interstellar exploration vessel; Rudov's granddaughter serves on the crew, and one of the speakers is the son of a young settler who now serves as Co-President of the system-wide government.
Kiitra language
Merrill also created the Kiitra language, and incorporated it into the narrative and dialogue, often with "subtitles" following in brackets. The language not only provides a sense of realism, but also shows the difficulty of translating certain cultural concepts. Differences in Alplai and Terran politics, for example, revolve around different questions; while the Alplai embrace a mixed economy similar to Earth's "Nordic model," they continue to debate whether the balance of power should belong with the legislative or executive branches; thus with economics a "settled question," the Alplai do not have words for the concepts of "capitalism" or "socialism", yet they must explain the historical context behind the names and ideologies of their major parties (Conversionist/gajanaat, Traditionalist/diirdeznaat, Pragmatist/beluugaat).
Reader reviews and awards
The novel has been discussed on the Goodreads site, with an average review of 4 stars out of 5, and chosen as a "book of the month" by one of its science-fiction fan groups. It was also selected as a 2014 Book of the Year by the fansite SciFi365.net, citing its richly detailed description of the Alplai and their world.