NOVEL
The Empty Chair
Attribution
Series:	The Original Series
Miniseries:	Rihannsu, No. 5
Author(s):	Diane Duane
Publication information
Published:	eBook - 23 October 2006 Paperback - December 2006
Pages:	352
ISBN:	ISBN 1416508910

Contents 1 Introduction (blurb) 2 Summary 3 Characters 3.1 Supporting 4 References 4.1 Starships 4.1.1 Federation 4.1.2 Romulan 4.1.3 Klingon 4.2 Locations 4.3 Races and cultures 4.4 States and Organisations 4.5 Other 5 Information 5.1 Related stories 6 Connections 6.1 Timeline

Introduction (blurb)Edit

THE CULMINATION OF A SAGA TWENTY-TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING.

They call themselves Rihannsu -- the Declared. To the Federation, they are the Romulans. By any name they are adversaries as formidable as they are inscrutable. Self-exiled from Vulcan in ages past, they retain an ancient martial philosophy and a code of conduct that has sustained them through centuries of hardship, warfare, and thwarted ambition.

Now their empire is gearing for war once again. Armed with the revolutionary Sunseed technology, which can destabilize entire stars, a Romulan vessel is warping toward the heart of the Federation. Its target: Earth's sun.

But this offensive comes at a perilous time, as a growing number of Romulan worlds are joining a revolution -- one led by the renegade Commander Ael t'Rllaillieu of the warbird Bloodwing, with the aid of Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise and the Hamalki physicist K's't'lk, the Federation's foremost authority on Sunseed technology. As the threat to Earth looms ever larger, Bloodwing and Enterprise lead an armada toward the Romulan homeworld for a final reckoning that will decide the future of the Rihannsu people.

SummaryEdit

Enterprise and Bloodwing arrive at Artaleirh, a world that has declared itself a member of the Free Rihannsu. They join with local forces to defend the world from the Romulan Grand Fleet, who are trying to regain control of the planet. Just as the tide of battle is turning in their favor, a group of Klingon ships begin attacking both sides. They are saved by Tyrava, a world ship created by the inhabitants of a disaffected colony.

Kirk is shocked to find himself appointed the head of the Free Rihanssu fleet and decides their next target should be Augo. Meanwhile, Arrhae discovers that the Romulans have launched a Sunseed probe to destroy Earth's sun and warns Kirk and Ael. Her former steward, Ffarl, in reality another Federation agent, warns her Romulan Intelligence are on to her, so she decoys them by informing tr'Anierh that Intelligence plan to blame him for the attack on Earth. As a result, he recalls ships from Augo, tipping the balance in Kirk's favor. The campaign is a success thanks to the intervention of a group of Starfleet vessels, but the USS Ortisei is destroyed in the process, killing Commodore Danilov. Kirk sends Starfleet back to Earth with news of the Sunseed probe, while also having Spock send a message to the Federation President via Sarek.

The Free Rihanssu fleet then descend on ch'Rihan. Thanks to disinformation spread by Gurrhim and a civilian uprising, Grand Fleet HQ and the Imperial city soon fall. The Three launch the probe anyway but Scotty, K's't'lk and tr'Keirianh are able to use Eisn to remotely expel the probe. The Three are taken into custody until their fate can be decided and Ael is hailed as Empress.

CharactersEdit

James T. Kirk • Spock • Ael t'Rllaillieu

SupportingEdit

Dai Mehkan

ReferencesEdit

StarshipsEdit

FederationEdit

USS Enterprise • USS al-Burak • USS Ortisei • USS Speedwell • USS Lake Ponchartrain • USS Lake Onondoga • USS Kilimanjaro • USS Hemalat • USS San Diego • USS Dauntless • USS Marathon

RomulanEdit

ChR Bloodwing • ChR Esemar

KlingonEdit

Melikaphkaz • Tevekh • Kartadza • Zajikh • Pefak

LocationsEdit

Artaleirh • Augo • ch'Rihan • Earth

Races and culturesEdit

Rihannsu • Human • Vulcan • Klingon

States and OrganisationsEdit

United Federation of Planets • Romulan Star Empire • Imperial Ground Forces • Free Rihannsu • Klingon Empire

OtherEdit

Outworlds

InformationEdit

• An excerpt from this novel was published in issue 129 of the Star Trek Magazine.

Related storiesEdit

• Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages
  • My Enemy, My Ally
  • The Romulan Way
  • Swordhunt
  • Honor Blade

• Rihannsu-related
  • Final Frontier
  • The Great Starship Race
  • The Good That Men Do
  • Kobayashi Maru
  • Beneath the Raptor's Wing
  • Taking Wing
  • The Red King

ConnectionsEdit

TimelineEdit

Published Order
Previous novel: Burning Dreams	TOS unnumbered novels	Next novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire
Previous story: Honor Blade	Stories by: Diane Duane	Next story: "The Scaean Gate"
Chronological Order
Previous adventure: Honor Blade	Memory Beta Chronology	Next adventure: "The Blaze of Glory"