Melee Weapons

Despite the advent of modern technologies, the use of short-range, hand-to-hand combat weapons persisted throughout the galaxy. Most pre-industrial societies still relied on the most basic of weaponry, such as the sword, spear, and arrow. In other advanced species, such weapons were just outdated museum pieces that had been long overshadowed by newer, more capable weaponry. Still, there were races such as the Klingons that continued to hold-fast to melee weapons. In these species, melee weapons served as both ceremonial symbols of their culture and vital aspects of their method of combat.

## Klingon

#### Bat'leth

The *bat'leth*, or "sword of honor", was a traditional Klingon blade weapon. It was widely considered the most popular weapon among Klingon warriors.

Resembling a crescent-shaped, two-ended scimitar, the *bat'leth* was wielded using three handholds along the outside edge of the blade. A traditional *bat'leth* was typically approximately 116 centimeters long, with blades of composite baakonite, weighed about five-point-three kilograms, and had an exterior hand grip diameter of five centimeters.

According to Klingon mythology, the first *bat'leth* was forged by Kahless the Unforgettable in the 9th century. Kahless cut a lock of his hair and dropped it into the lava of the Kri'stak volcano, then plunged the burning lock into the Lake of Lusor and twisted it into a blade. After forging the weapon, he used it to fight the tyrant Molor, and then gave it its name. This story was not recorded in public texts, but was passed down verbally by the Klingon clerics as a test of Kahless' return.

The Sword of Kahless was preserved by the Klingons following Kahless' death, until it was stolen by the Hur'q when they plundered Qo'noS about five hundred years after his death.

#### D'k tahg

The *d'k tahg* was the Klingon ceremonial knife. This three-bladed weapon was of great symbolic importance to Klingon warriors and was used both in combat and as the preferred method of ritual suicide.

This Klingon combat dagger had a large central straight blade, with two smaller curved blades that popped out to either side of the main blade at the press of a button. The pommel had small spikes and could function as a fist-load.

#### Mek'leth

A *mek'leth* was a Klingon sword-like blade weapon, approximately half as long as a *bat'leth*, typically used to slash the throat or disembowel.

## Vulcan

#### Ahn-woon

The *ahn-woon* was a Vulcan weapon consisting of a thin leather strip about six feet long. Sometimes it had a small leaden weight at one end. Generally it was used as a noose or in a whip-like manner; some practitioners also knew how to bunch it up for use as a crude flexible club in close-in fighting.

#### Lirpa

The *lirpa* was an ancient Vulcan ritual weapon. It was an unusual weapon. It consisted of a staff-like shaft about 160 cm long with a crescent-shaped blade on one end and a weighted club on the other. Its only common uses were as a martial arts exercise and during during the *pon farr* madness, on those rare occasions when the ancient rites of mating combat were invoked.

## Andorian

#### Chaka

The signature, and probably most lethal, Andorian weapon was the *chaka*, sometimes erroneously called the "Andorian dagger" by other species, although it was closer to the traditional short sword in weight and size. It had an unforgettable three-bladed profile. The fighter held a central haft in his fist. A short blade projects out and up from the fist, while two slender, longer blades protruded to either side.

Dozens of different variations of this basic model exist. Most *chakani* had basket-hiltlike protective coverings over the haft to protect the wielder's fist; others did not, while some adapted the covering into a spiked brass knucklelike punching weapon. Some models lengthened the upward-projecting blade and/or shortened the side blades. Many clans had their own preferred *chaka* designs which other Andorians readily recognized.

A skilled *chaka* fighter (called a *chakashan*) is a dangerous foe. Thier weapon allowed them to punch, slash, chop, and thrust with equal ease, meaning that no angle of attack was denied to them. A fighter had to be skilled indeed to come away from a *chaka* fighter without some sort of inquiry. The weapon's primary drawback was its relatively short reach; an opponent could use a weapon of greater length, such as the *dosalnar* or *kal'hris*, to strike a chakashan first.

#### Dosalnar

The *dosalnar* was a swordlike weapon which many Andorians feared, and justly so, for it could cause horrible jagged wounds which left scars even after modern medical treatment. A heavy, straight blade projected from its grip and hilt. About 18 centimeters above the hilt, the blade curved outward and became saw-toothed. Part of the hilt curved downward to protect the hand, becoming a second, smaller, saw-toothed blade. The razor-sharp teeth of a *dosalnar* could cut through most armor with ease.

#### Kal'hris

The *kal'hris* was a battleaxe-like weapon with a spike projecting backward from the top of the blade, allowing the wielder to make short, jabbing attacks from unusual angles or used the spike to help climb ice cliffs. The variety of different blade shapes available was staggering; similarly, the length of the haft varied tremendously (some versions are so long they are technically pole arms). As its name, "beautiful weapon," indicated, Andorians often elaborately decorated or engraved their *kal'hrisni*.

#### Ushaan-tor

The *ushaan-tor* was an Andorian ice miner's tool that was also used as a weapon in *Ushaan* duels. Andorians played with them as children.

A crucial part of Andorian tradition was the *Ushaan*, a code of honor demanding a duel to the death, with combatants pitted against one another using an *ushaan-tor*. A vast body of regulations – up to 12,000 amendments – bound this code. Such a fight could be called off if one combatant disabled the other enough to prevent its continuance. Though *Ushaan* could be called by someone to avenge a personal loss, there existed a right of substitution wherein each combatant could offer up a replacement; and married combatants could postpone duels indefinitely if they had no children to continue their clans.