- This article is about the TNG novel. You may be looking for STO - The Delta Quadrant mission: "Takedown" or the weapon known as Takedown.
Takedown is a 2015 Star Trek: The Next Generation novel by author John Jackson Miller.
Publisher's description
- When renegade starships wreak destruction across the quadrant, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are shocked to discover the mastermind behind this sudden threat: none other than Picard’s protégé and friend, Admiral William T. Riker. The newly minted admiral is on special assignment aboard the U.S.S. Aventine, helmed by Captain Ezri Dax—someone who is no stranger to breaking Starfleet regulations. Her starship is by far the faster vessel…and Riker cannot yield, even to his former mentor. It’s a battle of tactical geniuses and a race against time as Picard struggles to find answers before the quadrant’s great powers violently plunge into total war…
Summary
Riker attends a conference on the mysterious Far Embassy, to which one representative from the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, Ferengi, Tzenkethi, Gorn and Tholians have been summoned. No-one seems to know who called the conference or have anything to discuss and Riker returns to the Titan after a few hours, saying nothing happened.
However, Riker then transfers over to the Aventine and tells the crew he has learned of a computer weapon called Takedown that has been developed by the Kinshaya. The crew join him in disabling, without casualties, Kinshaya and Breen stations that he claims were about to deploy the weapon but baulk at his orders to attack a Ferengi station he claims is compromised. However, after Riker locks himself away in the holodeck, the Aventine attacks the Ferengi station without any action from the crew, causing them to believe they have been infected with Takedown.
Meanwhile, Bretorius, the Romulan senator who attended the conference, commandeers a warbird, D'varian, and attacks a Federation communications station. The Enterprise comes to its rescue and Picard is informed by Akaar that not only is Riker acting without authorisation but that everyone else at the conference is also attacking enemies and allies, disabling communication without killing anyone.
Ezri and her crew have worked out Riker has commandeered the ship but are unable to breach the holodeck. Working with the Enterprise crew, they find a way to disable the Aventine's power systems by detonating a photon torpedo in its tractor beam. Picard beams aboard and finds Riker hooked up to a Cytherian control system: He and the others at the conference were converted and have been forced to carry out the attacks. He is supposed to meet a rendezvous but using the faster Aventine means he has completed his mission ahead of schedule and is able to spend time planning with Picard and Ezri.
Riker takes the Aventine to the rendezvous with the other ships, whose commanders are seeking ways to use their Cytherian abilities to gain power. They are interrupted by a communication from Picard, Worf and Dygan, who pretend to have gained control of the Far Embassy and converted themselves with the Cytherian technology. The ships all head to Far Embassy, which Picard and a hologram of Riker manage to board while the Enterprise, Titan and Aventine defend the station.
Picard and Riker learn the Cytherian they met before, Caster, called the conference to make peaceful contact but it was hijacked by another of his race, Proctor, who is opposed to contact and intended for the Cytherians to be blamed for the attacks, souring relations and making it harder for alien races to detect them. However, on realising she has actually brought the region to the brink of war, she removes the Cytherian abilities from all except Riker. Bretorius is handed over to the Tal Shiar and will be sent to a Reman mine (if he survives interrogation), while Riker is returned to normal after helping the Cytherians work out how to conduct future relations with other species.
References
Characters
- Leonard James Akaar • Sam Bowers • Bretorius • Caster • Charlak • Ezri Dax • Ravel Dygan • Wilson Englehorn • Joanna Faur • Hegol Den • Gruhn Helkara • Susan Hyatt • Igel • Irliss • Gell Kamemor • Lonnoc Kedair • Kersh, daughter of Dakh • Kwelm • Geordi La Forge • Aili Lavena • Mikaela Leishman • Oliana Mirren • Nerla • Jean-Luc Picard • Pikatha Tor Nim Gar-C • Proctor • Quarlis • Xin Ra-Havreii • William T. Riker • Natasha Miana Riker-Troi • Nevin Riordan • Rodrek • Simus • Aneta Šmrhová • Sovak • Simon Tarses • Tharp • Deanna Troi • Tuvok • Christine Vale • Vekt • Worf, son of Mogh • Yalok • Zyene
- Referenced only
- Altoss • Arithon • Nanietta Bacco • Barash • Reginald Barclay • Julian Bashir • Alexander Graham Bell • Borg Queen • Zefram Cochrane • Beverly Crusher • Data • Dathon • Curzon Dax • Jadzia Dax • The Doctor • Skrain Dukat • Elim Garak • Dizzy Gillespie • Gorkon • Ishan Anjar • Ranul Keru • James T. Kirk • Locutus • Ferdinand Magellan • Gustav Mahler • Benjamin Maxwell • Catherine de' Medici • Cosimo de' Medici • Lorenzo de' Medici • James Moriarty • Miles O'Brien • Rene Jacques Robert Francois Picard • Sonek Pran • Prometheus • Mira Romaine • Montgomery Scott • Artie Shaw • Shinzon • Benjamin Sisko • Jennifer Sisko • Fabian Stevens • Taibak • Voltaire • Zeus
Locations
- Adelphous • Adelphous Array • Adelphous IV • Annunciator • Betazed • Betazed Station 4 (Mira Romaine Center for Rehabilitation and Reintegration) • Breen Array Alpha • Corvus Beacon • Epsilon 11 • Far Embassy • Ferengi Station 71 • Jouret • Kalpaius • No'Var Outpost • Paulson Nebula • Romulan Neutral Zone • Romulus (Citadel Var'Theldun • Ki Baratan) • Thenta Karos
- Referenced only
- Algol • Argus Array • Azure Nebula • Beraldak Bay • Deep Space 9 • Earth • El-Adrel IV • Expanded Very Large Array • Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone • Ferenginar • Garadius IV • Genovous Pulsar • H'atoria • Jaros II • Kalpaius I • Kalpaius III • Kalpaius IV • Kataan • Krios • Mab-Bu VI • Medara • Memory Alpha • New Mexico • Remus • Risa • Seville • Starbase 23 • Starbase 157 • Starbase 234 • Starbase 343 • Zellman's Find
Starships and vehicles
- RIS Accipiter (Lanora-class) • Armstrong • USS Aventine (Vesta-class) • IRW D'varian (D'deridex-class) • USS Enterprise-E (Sovereign-class) • GCS Glavakh (MA12-class) • USS Laplace (Saber-class) • Meuse (Federation shuttlecraft) • USS Titan (Luna-class) • unnamed Cardassian starships • unnamed Ferengi starships (1x D'Kora-class) • Zyene's unnamed juggernaut (Emerald-class) • unnamed Tzenkethi starships • 3 unnamed Klingon starships (2x Vor'cha-class)
- Referenced only
- USS Defiant (Defiant-class) • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • USS Enterprise-A (Constitution-class) • USS Enterprise-D (Galaxy-class) • Feynman (Type-7 shuttlecraft) • USS Phoenix (Nebula-class) • CDS Prakesh (Galor-class) • USS Seine (Danube-class) • IGW Tuonetar (Shran-class) • USS Voyager (Intrepid-class)
Races and cultures
- Bajoran • Betazoid • Bolian • Breen • Capellan • Cardassian • Cytherian • Efrosian • Ferengi • Gorn • Human • Kinshaya • Klingon • Romulan • Takaran • Tellarite • Tholian • Trill • Tzenkethi • Vulcan • Zakdorn
- Referenced only
- Adelphousian • Andorian • Borg • Caeliar • Orion • Talarian • Tamarian • Ux-Mal entity • Zetarian
States and organizations
- Borg Collective • Breen Confederacy • Cardassian Union • Detapa Council • Dominion • Federation Council • Ferengi Alliance • Gorn Hegemony • Holy Order of the Kinshaya • Imperial Romulan State • Imperial Senate of the Romulan Star Empire • Judge Advocate General • Klingon Empire • Office of Internal Security • Romulan Imperial Fleet • Romulan Military Affairs Division • Romulan Research and Development • Romulan Special Operations • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Communications • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • Starfleet Intelligence • Starfleet Medical • Starfleet Research and Development • Talarian Republic • Tal Shiar • Tholian Assembly • Typhon Pact • Tzenkethi Coalition • United Federation of Planets
Science and technology
- airlock • antimatter • array • artificial gravity • cloaking device • combadge • communicator • computer • Cytherian probe • deflector shield • disruptor pistol • disruptor cannon • dwarf star • Emergency Medical Hologram • EPS conduit • force field • free-space optical communication • gravity boots • gyroscope • holodeck • hypospray • interlink chair • laser torch • matter • mobile emitter • mollusk collector drone • morse code • nanite • night vision • Optical data network relay • oxygen • padd • paralytic gas dispenser • phaser • phaser array • photon torpedo • plasma storm • quantum slipstream drive • radio • registry light • replicator • robot • running light • satellite • SIMs beacon • spotlight • subspace • subspace telescope • subspace transceiver • synthetic ocular implants • Taibak Indoctrinator • telegraph • tractor beam • transport inhibitor • transporter • tricorder • turbolift • universal translator • warp core • warp drive
Ranks and titles
- admiral • ambassador • cadet • captain • castellan • Chancellor of the High Council of the Klingon Empire • commander • commodore • counselor • doctor • emperor • ensign • fleet admiral • general • glinn • gul • king • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • mathematician • number one • praetor • Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire • proconsul • rear admiral • senator • subcommander
Other references
- arboretum • Barclay Battery • Battle of Wolf 359 • bear • biology • boatswain's whistle • Borg Invasion of 2381 • brig • bulkhead • camera • cane • corridor • dabo • Dominion War • dunsel • dwarf star • environmental suit • field ration • flask • gnat • gold • holonovel • "Honeysuckle Jump" • hurricane • Imperial Senate Emergency Reestablishment Act • interferometry • jackal mastiff • jazz • Jefferies tube • kayaking • Khitomer Accords • Khitomer Conference• latinum • marriage • Medaran rug • mind meld • mining • mollusk • mudcrawler • objet d'art • Operation Shutdown • parrises squares • piracy • Prime Directive • Project Voyager • quarters • Romulan language • rowing • ruby • shuttlebay • St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre • stellar cartography • stew • Stratagema • Summit of Eight • Takedown • targ • Ter'ak Pen • trumpet • tsunami
Appendices
Timeline
- The events of this story occur in November 2385, concurrent to the events of the DS9 novel: The Missing.
Related stories
- TTN eBook: Absent Enemies
- TNG episode: "The Nth Degree"
- DS9 episode: "The Way of the Warrior" - The evacuation of the Detapa Council is from this episode.
- TNG episode: "The Mind's Eye" - Chapter 37's reference to Taibak and his brainwashing of Geordi LaForge is from this episode.
| Media featuring the USS Aventine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novels | Star Trek: Destiny | Gods of Night • Mere Mortals • Lost Souls • A Singular Destiny | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| others | Zero Sum Game • Brinkmanship • A Ceremony of Losses • Takedown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Novellas | Absent Enemies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Characters | Ezri Dax • Sam Bowers • Gruhn Helkara • Mikaela Leishman • Simon Tarses • Oliana Mirren • Lonnoc Kedair | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
External link
- Takedown article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.