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Description[]

From the book jacket
When the planet Empyrea, a colony of genetically perfected human beings, demands that the Federation remove a science station which has been in place for nearly twenty years, the starship Enterprise is assigned to transport to the planet the Federation ambassador who negotiated with the Empyreans long ago - an ambassador who was once Dr. McCoy's closest friend, but is now a bitter rival.
On Empyrea, McCoy discovers Anna, a daughter he never knew he had. McCoy soon realizes that the isolationalist Empyreans must not learn her father is an off-worlder, and that her genes are less than "perfect". As relations with the Empyreans collapse around him, McCoy must find a way to save his newfound daughter from the harshest penalty her planet can impose!

Summary[]

The Enterprise has been placed at the disposal of Ambassador Mark Rousseau, a former friend of McCoy's. When Rousseau was captain of the USS Feynman and McCoy his chief medical officer, they made contact with a human colony on Nova Empyrea that had deliberately isolated itself a hundred and fifty years earlier to practise genetic engineering. The Empyreans agreed to the Federation establishing an observatory on the planet to study its unusual star system but now many want it removed. They have agreed to let the Federation negotiate a renewal of the treaty on condition McCoy and Rousseau are the negotiators.

The two men meet with the planet's president, Elizabeth March, an old acquaintance. Privately, she tells McCoy that he is the father of her daughter Anna. When Anna turns eighteen, she will be expected to undergo a medical for a reproduction license, which will expose the genetic fraud. Elizabeth wants McCoy to take her away from the planet but Anna wants to remain so he instead works on a way to fool the genetic test. In the process, he learns that he is not her father: Rousseau is.

Anna chooses to undergo the risky medical procedure over her mother's objections. However, Ethan, a youth in love with Anna, takes McCoy hostage to try and force the Enterprise to take him and Anna and others who oppose their world's isolation off planet. In their absence, Anna's treatment starts to fail and Ethan releases McCoy in order to save her.

Meanwhile, Spock and Scotty have been working with Doctor Ortega, an Empyrean scientist who approves of strict segregation, to keep the observatory in working order. They eventually realise that someone has sabotaged the facility, creating a series of failures that threaten to release radiation. Spock and Scotty manage to beam the reactor core aboard the Enterprise, safely shutting it down.

With Ortega now speaking in favour of contact with the outside universe, the Empyreans narrowly vote in favour of renewing the treaty. It is hoped this will be the first step in establishing further involvement in galactic affairs, with Anna volunteered to travel to Earth aboard the Enterprise.

References[]

Characters[]

AlexeiCalvinChristine ChapelPavel ChekovKara ChoudhuryClementsEleniEthanJames T. KirkLiftigAnna MarchElizabeth MarchLeonard McCoyKatrina OrtegaRamon OrtegaPaoloLisa PutmanErica RousseauMark RousseauMontgomery ScottJacob SimonLinden SkloffSpockIbrahim TamiyaNyota Uhura
Referenced only
DevilGodSherlock HolmesGeorge Samuel Kirk Sr.Joanna McCoyJocelyn McCoyGregor MendelWolfgang Amadeus MozartChristopher PikeChristopher RousseauKhan Noonien SinghV'Ger

Starships and vehicles[]

Areian freighterSS Botany BayUSS EnterpriseUSS HoodUSS KoopUSS LexingtonUSS ManhattanUSS RepublicUSS Richard Feynman

Locations[]

Stellar locations
Alpha Kratonii systemCampan sectorMutara sector
Planetary bodies
Donatu 5EarthNova Empyrea
Planetary locations
GeorgiaGreat Wall of ChinaIowaIsolation CenterMount PlacidusSavannah
Facilities
Starbase 86

Races and cultures[]

Human (AfricanAugmentEmpyreanGreekLudditeRussian) • KlingonVulcan

States and organizations[]

Boy Scouts of AmericaEmpyrean CouncilEmpyrean Liberation FrontFrench Foreign LegionNazi

United Federation of Planets[]

Federation Diplomatic CorpsStarfleetStarfleet AcademyStarfleet Cosmology and AstrophisicsStarfleet Science Academy

Other references[]

alligatorbairnbearbeebirth controlbreadcanarycancercellochickencorncowdogdollardoughnutduckEnglishEugenics WarsfrogGaelicgoosegothicGreat Empyrean ExperimentguitarhaggishorsehyposprayjazzleechnickelPADDphantompianopistolPlomeek souppokerpon farrPrime DirectivescotchsnakeStarfleet uniformSternn Fusion CoreswordSword of DamoclesSyringe 112-BteaTen Commandmentswine

Timeline[]

Appendices[]

Related stories[]

  • TOS episode: "Amok Time"-Spock's plomeek soup throwing incident is referenced by both Kirk and McCoy.

Images[]

Timeline[]

published order
Previous novel:
Crossroad
TOS numbered novels Next novel:
Recovery
chronological order
Previous Adventure:
Spock's World
Pocket Next Adventure:
The Covenant of the Crown
The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2275.
The Pocket Books Timeline places events from this story in four other timeframes:
Previous Adventure:
Burning Dreams
2236
2236
Chapter 1, Section 4
Next Adventure:
Yesteryear
2237
Previous Adventure:
The Counter-Clock Incident
Chapter 1, Section 1
2244
Chapter 1, Section 6
Next Adventure:
The Kobayashi Maru
Chapter 8
Previous Adventure:
Where Sea Meets Sky (Backstory)
2254 Next Adventure:
A Test of Character
Previous Adventure:
Summon the Thunder
2265
Chapter 7, Section 2
Next Adventure:
The Kobayashi Maru
Chapter 4


Translations[]
1998
German : McCoys Tochter, translated by Ronald M. Hahn. (Heyne)
1999
French : L'Homme parfait. (Fleuve Noir)
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