Summary[]
Station crew are rebuilding after the attack by the Shedai Wanderer as Desai tries to come to terms with Reyes being alive. She reasons that their relationship cannot resume since he is a convict who has collaborated with the enemy.
Having no one to share his joy of Reyes being alive with, Ezekiel Fisher shares this knowledge with a tree memorializing Hallie Gannon and the crew of the USS Bombay. A plaque beside the tree reads, "Our deaths are not ours, they are yours; they will mean what you make them" and lists the 224 crew manifest. Fisher's thoughts turn to the friends they've both lost over the years, and he starts to dwell on a mission while serving aboard the USS Dauntless nine years earlier.
Admiral Heihachiro Nogura sends Desai and Fisher to encourage colonists on Kadru to evacuate since Starfleet cannot defend it as well as to investigate the death of a friend and officer, Commander Aole Miller, who was sent there with the same assignment. Desai challenges that they are being sent away because of their closeness to Reyes, believing that Nogura is planning to extract him. Nogura sharply forgives the insubordination and dismisses the duo for their mission.
En route, Desai and Captain Khatami of the Endeavor get into a heated discussion over General Order 24 when Desai mentions that the colonists don’t trust Starfleet after ships (including the Endeavor) assaulted Gamma Tauri IV. Khatami is offended when Desai asks her how she would feel if Kirk had exercised General Order 24 on Deneva where Khatami’s family live. Desai is becoming uncomfortable with the moral conundrums Operation Vanguard has put her in.
When Desai and Fisher arrive at their assignment, they encounter apathy and aggression from the colonists who refuse to leave the planet because they find the Federation oppressive and don’t trust Starfleet but they are clearly hiding something. The two uncover that the colonists are being secretive and seclusive to protect a local creature whose blood has miraculous medicinal uses. They are afraid if knowledge of this creature becomes public it will be hunted to extinction. The Miller's death is discovered to have been accidental.
Desai finds herself more at odds with Nogura after helping the colonists draft legal documents allowing them to stay. Desai requests a transfer to Earth which Nogura gladly makes happen. Desai confesses to Fisher that her reason for leaving is that she loves Reyes but doesn’t want to watch his story unfold while being powerless to help him.
Aboard the Omari-Ekon, Reyes is angered when Ganz sends a servant girl with features similar to Desai’s to seduce him. He gazes through a window at the station hoping Desai is somewhere gazing back at him.
References[]
Characters[]
Vanguard personnel and residents[]
- Referenced only
- Ahmed Farahani • Isaiah Farber • Tziporah Goldrosen • Aole Miller
USS Endeavour personnel[]
- Referenced only
- Mary-Anne Rice • Zhao Sheng
USS Dauntless personnel[]
- Anya Brzezinski • Hallie Gannon • Jordan • Lloyd Kendrick • Kunimitsu Okano • Diego Reyes • Terence Sadler • Shey • Soledad Valdez
- Referenced only
- Rajiv Mehta
IKS Chech'Iw personnel[]
- Dravak • Gorkon, son of Toq • Mazhtog
New Anglese[]
- Octavia Dawes • Anatoly Dolnikov • Helen Sgouros • Ying Mei-Hua
Other characters[]
- Duvadi • Kintazh, son of Gorkon • Philippe Latour • Telles Vindeilin
- Referenced only
- Azetbur, daughter of Gorkon • Ganz • Jetanien • Karel, son of Gorkon • Kavau • Kell, son of Gorkon • Kenji Khatami • Parveen Khatami • Sturka • Emanuel Tagore
Starships and vehicles[]
- cargo sled • IKS Chech'Iw (D7-class) • USS Dauntless (Pyotr Velikiy-class) • USS Endeavour (Constitution-class) • Guo Shoujing (Class F shuttlecraft) • Omari-Ekon • skimmer • workbee
- Referenced only
- USS Artemis • USS Bombay (Miranda-class) • colony transport • USS Enterprise • USS Nolan • IKS Qul qemwI'
Locations[]
- Azha (Azha-R7a) • HD-24040 • Kadru (New Anglesey) • Vanguard (Watchtower-class) (Fontana Meadow • Manón's • Quartermaster's office • Stars Landing) • Taurus Reach
- Referenced only
- Cestus III • Deneva • Gamma Tauri IV (New Boulder) • Ingraham B • Janus VI • New Paris • Omicron Ceti III • Qo'noS • Starbase 7 • Tarsus IV • Xarant
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Arkenite Resources Administration • House of Makok • Judge Advocate General • Klingon Defense Force • Klingon Empire • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Federation Council • Federation Science Council • Klingon High Council • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Tholian Assembly
Science and technology[]
- anemia • anesthetic • asteroid • communicator • copper • data card • data slate • deflector shield • defibrillator • disruptor • DNA • environmental-control • environmental suit • food slot • hypospray • iron • laser • laser scalpel • library computer • medical tricorder • panacea • photon torpedo • plasma • power distribution node • stasis chamber • stun pistol • subspace • Taurus meta-genome • theragen • thermoconcrete • topaline • transporter • tricorder • universal translator • uridium • warp nacelle • zenith • zinc
Ranks and titles[]
- administrator • admiral • ambassador • captain • Chancellor of the High Council of the Klingon Empire • chef • chief engineer • chief medical officer • commander • councilor • counselor • deputy administrator • doctor • engineer • ensign • first officer • general • governor • Klingon Ambassador to the United Federation of Planets • lawyer • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • merchant prince • quartermaster • rear admiral • science officer • security chief • structural engineering specialist • xenobiologist • yeoman
Other references[]
- 2207 • 2253 • archery • Arkenzu • Astronomical unit • basketball • bIH vISam • Blastoneuron • bowling alley • Brunello Riserva • caramel • Captain's log, USS Bombay (NCC-1926) • clotted cream • coffee • coolant • cucumber • d'k tahg • Darjeeling tea • distress call • Docking Bay • elephant • Evacuation Protocol Alpha • fog • General Order 24 • Ha'DIbaH • Herbert • iced tea • lemonade • Manón's • Mauk-to'Vor • medkit • nagai • Neural parasite • Operation Vanguard • Operations center • pear • racquetball • salad • salmon • Saurian brandy • scone • Seventh Guarantee • sexuality • strawberry jam • targ • tennis court • tlhIngan Hol
Appendices[]
Related stories[]
Stories featuring Starbase Vanguard | |
---|---|
Star Trek: Vanguard novels | Harbinger • Summon the Thunder • Reap the Whirlwind • Open Secrets • Precipice • What Judgments Come • Storming Heaven |
Short stories and novellas | Distant Early Warning • The Black Flag • Declassified (Almost Tomorrow • Hard News • The Ruins of Noble Men • The Stars Look Down) • In Tempest's Wake |
Connections[]
Chronological Order | ||
---|---|---|
Previous adventure: Precipice |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Not yet placed |
Published Order | ||
---|---|---|
Previous novel: Precipice |
Vanguard novels | Next novel: What Judgments Come |
Translations[]
- 2011
- German : Die letzten edlen Männer. (Cross Cult)