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Cover image
Author: William Shatner, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Illustrator: Unknown
Publisher: Pocket Books
Series: TOS
Published: April 1996
Pages: 371
Year: 2371
Stardate: XXXX.X
Reference #: ISBN 0671526103 (hardcover)
ISBN 067152609X (paperback)
ISBN 1568953593 (large print)
ISBN 0671856359 (UK audio cassette)
ISBN 0671856359 (audio cassette)
ASIN B00005QK7K (audio CD)

After his death at Veridian III, Captain James T. Kirk is brought back to life by an alliance of Borg and renegade Romulans who hope to use him for their own ends.

Part of a trilogy beginning with The Ashes of Eden.

Summary

From the book jacket
Veridian III: A world has been saved, the USS Enterprise 1701-D lies in ruins, and one of the galaxy's greatest heroes rests beneath a simple cairn of rocks on a lonely hillside. But as a legendary Vulcan ambassador comes at last to the grave of his best and dearest friend, the adventure is only beginning.
The Borg and the Romulan Empire have joined forces against the Federation, and their ultimate weapon is none other than James T. Kirk, resurrected by alien science to destroy the Borg's most formidable enemy: Jean-Luc Picard.

Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.
Spoilers

Commander Riker and a group of security officers are preparing to meet Ambassador Spock so that he may come to give his final respects to James Kirk on his final resting spot. But they are halted by messages of attacks on the Federation base. The team beams over leaving Spock to sit and wait for their return.

Riker and his team beam into a warzone, as several small fighter craft are firing at the off guard Starfleet personnel. He and another officer manage to get a small shuttle and fire on the craft, but as they are taking off, they firing one last blast into the crowd, wounding Riker and killing his counterpart. The officers and crewmen are confused as to who would want to attack Veridian. Meanwhile in orbit, the shattered hulk of the USS Farragut floats dead, the victim of a Romulan disruptor. The Romulans turn and enter warp, having captured their prize: Kirk.

End Spoilers

Background Information


Characters

James T. Kirk
Resurrected by Borg and Romulan technology. Kirk is programmed with memories of a happy life among the Romulans, as well as a remembrance of his colony's destruction at the hands of Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard
File:Spock2368.jpg

Spock

Spock
Unofficial ambassador to Romulus's reunificationists. Spock left Romulus when he became aware of Kirk's death on Veridian III. On that world he witnessed the Romulan theft of Kirk's remains, and subsequently investigated recent goings-on on Romulus to try and track down Kirk's body
Jean-Luc Picard
Awaiting reassignment after the destruction of Enterprise-D, Picard has been sent, along with Doctor Crusher, on a mission to investigate rumours of a Borg presence
Data
Awaiting reassignment after the destruction of Enterprise-D, Data joined Geordi for an archaeological dig investigating a planet that is rumoured to have destroyed itself when its artificial life-forms rebelled against their creators
Leonard McCoy
McCoy is called in to act as an advisor when an implant in Kirk's brain must be removed
Worf
Worf has gone on the Klingon equivalent of a spiritual retreat following the destruction of the Enterprise
William Riker
Riker is supervising the excavation of the saucer section of the Enterprise, and subsequently investigates the assailant (Really Kirk) who has gone after Worf, La Forge and Data
Beverly Crusher
Beverly Crusher has accompanied Picard to investigate rumours of a Borg presence
Geordi La Forge
La Forge and Data are on an archaeological dig investigating a planet that is rumoured to have destroyed itself when its artificial life-forms rebelled against their creators
Julian Bashir
Bashir analyses Kirk's DNA to confirm that he actually is James T. Kirk, rather than a clone, and subsequently operates on Kirk (Aided by McCoy) to remove an implant that has been planted by the Borg/Romulan alliance to control Kirk
Simm
Captain of USS Challenger, a Galaxy-class starship
Salatrel
Commander of the warbird Avatar of Tomed, and granddaughter of the Romulan commander whose ship was destroyed by Kirk during the events of TOS: "Balance of Terror"
John Lewinski
Captain of USS Monitor, a Defiant-class starship; the ship is given to Kirk and Picard's joint crews and renamed Enterprise for the attack at the heart of the Borg/Romulan alliance
Vox
Borg speaker to the Romulan worlds (as Locutus was the Borg speaker to humanity), Salatrel's former lover.

References

Alex Raymond
Starship
Avatar of Tomed
Romulan warbird commanded by Salatrel.
Named for the Tomed Incident.
USS Bozeman (NCC-1941)
File:Uss challenger (ncc-71099).jpg

USS Challenger (VOY: "Timeless")

USS Challenger
Galaxy-class Federation starship. In 2371, under command of Captain Simm, the Challenger was docked at Deep Space 9.
This appears to be the same vessel that later appears in VOY: "Timeless", since that episode depicted a Galaxy-class Challenger with the registry NCC-71099, indicating that ship was likely commissioned before the time of this novel.
Claw That Rends Our Enemies' Flesh
Assimilated Romulan vessel.
USS Cydonia
Federation starship formerly commanded by Pavel Chekov
USS Farragut (NCC-60597)
Nebula-class Federation starship
USS Hoagland
Miranda-class Federation starship lost in 2367 at the Battle of Wolf 359. Part of this ship's hull structure was used in the construction of a Borg unicomplex in a transwarp conduit.
USS Monitor
Defiant-class Federation starship of Captain John Lewinski, temporarily renamed USS Enterprise
Talon of Peace
Fictional Romulan colony ship, a warbird supposedly commanded by James T. Kirk
USS Potemkin
Excelsior-class Federation starship formerly commanded by Pavel Chekov


Previous novel:
The Ashes of Eden
Novels
Star Trek (Pocket)
Pocket TOS
Next novel:
Avenger
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