Harbinger (novel)

Introduction (blurb)
Returning from its historic first voyage to the edge of the galaxy, the damaged U.S.S. Enterprise journeys through the Taurus Reach, a vast and little-known region of space in which a new starbase has been unexpectedly established. Puzzled by the Federation's interest in an area so far from its borders and so near the xenophobic Tholian Assembly, Captain James T. Kirk orders the Enterprise to put in for repairs at the new space station: Starbase 47, also known as Vanguard.

As Kirk ponders the mystery of the enormous base, he begins to suspect that there is much more to Vanguard than meets the eye. It's a suspicion shared by the Tholians, the Orions, and the Klingon Empire, each of whom believes that there are less than benign motives behind the Federation's sudden and unexplained desire to explore and colonize the Taurus Reach.

But when a calamity deep within the Reach threatens to compromise Starfleet's continued presence in the region, Kirk, Spock, and several key specialists from the Enterprise must assist Vanguard's crew in investigating the cause of the disaster and containing the damage. In the process, they learn the true purpose behind the creation of Vanguard, and what the outcome of its mission may mean for life throughout that part of the galaxy.

Summary
In 2263, while exploring the Taurus Reach, Matt Decker and the USS Constellation discover a mysterious meta-genome on Ravanar IV, an unexplored planet. Realizing the genetic structure is too complex to study with a starship’s resources, the data is submitted to Starfleet Command for a more thorough analysis.

Two years, after the events with Gary Mitchell on Delta Vega (TOS: Where No Man Has Gone before), Kirk is looking for a port to obtain repairs for the Enterprise. The most accessible location found is Starbase 47, also known as Vanguard, a Watchtower class space station recently completed in the Taurus Reach. Kirk and Spock discuss how strange it is that this giant starbase was built in a remote location so quickly and seems to have facilities beyond what would be useful in the sector with the Federations limited interest in this frontier between Tholian and Klingon territories. Meanwhile on Ravanar IV, Cervantes Quinn, a middle aged alcoholic courier is seeking to steal a sensor screen generator from a mining camp there for his debtor, an Orion merchant-prince named Ganz. He is discovered by the miners and escapes, damaging the generator in the process. The mining colony turns out to be a front for a Starfleet base doing covert research on the planet.

On Vanguard, journalist Timothy Pennington is having an affair with Starfleet officer Oriana D’Amato, helmsman for the Miranda-class USS Bombay. Pennington’s wife is arriving at the station soon as is D’Amato’s husband who is an officer aboard the Enterprise. The Bombay is soon called away to deliver a replacement sensor screen generator to Ravanar IV, leaving Pennington and Oriana’s husband mourning her earlier departure. When the Bombay arrives, it is attacked and disabled by several Tholian vessels who then begin bombarding the base below. Realizing it is a suicide mission, the Bombay attacks to defend the base, destroying a few Tholian vessels before self destructing to destroy another ship. To protect the secrecy of the base, Commodore Reyes of Vanguard covers up that it was destroyed by Tholian vessels.

Grieving yet trying to cover up his affair, Pennington gathers everything of D’Amato’s in his quarters and goes to the base’s storage facility to remove anything of his from D’Amato’s storage unit. While there, he overhears intelligence officer T’Prynn confront Quinn for destroying the sensor screen generator and causing the destruction of the base and the USS Bombay. Wanting the truth of his lover’s death to be known, Pennington leaks the information to the Federation News Service and the story goes viral.

Following the destruction of the Bombay, Reyes dispatches the Enterprise to Ravanar IV with Ming Xiong to recover anything left of the base. All that is left of the site is a crater but Xiong and the Enterprise crew are able to uncover some information that helps them begin unlocking the secrets of the Taurus Reach meta-genome.

Pennington’s story is soon publicly debunked due to false evidence T’Prynn had Quinn plant to undermine Pennington’s credibility. Due to the scandal, FNS fires Pennington. Next, his wife discovers his infidelity and leaves him. Feeling guilty for his role in destroying Pennington’s life, Quinn offers the journalist a job working on his small freighter.

T’Prynn reveals that many years earlier while engaged in kal-if-fee with her psychotic fiancée, he implanted his katra into her mind before he died. Since then, he continually tries to cripple her psyche with mental attacks and cries of “Submit!” Meanwhile, when T’Prynn is in search of relief, she visits her homosexual lover Anna Sandesjo, an attaché in the station’s diplomatic office who is actually a Klingon agent named Lurqal.

Characters

 * Alakon • Alden • al-Jazaar • Brett Anderson • Argashek • Azrene • Lisa Babitz • Daniel Berry • Broon • Lora Brummer • Raymond Cannella • Tory Castellano • Charles • Jen Cooper • Jake Cooper • Jon Cooper • Oriana D'Amato • Robert D'Amato • Scott Danes • Matthew Decker • Rana Desai • Destrene • Judy Dunbar • Duras • Eskrene • Falstrene • Isaiah Farber • Suzie Finneran • Ezekiel Fisher • Donna Ford • Geller • Hallie Gannon • Ganz • Glazya • Gorkon • Toby Greenfield • Stewart Greisman • Grozik • Jean Guerin • Guthrie • Hayes • Mike Ilucci • Imelio • Indizar • Haniff Jackson • Jetanien • Kevin Judge • Akeylah Karumé • Steve Kashuk • James T. Kirk • Atish Khatami • Kenji Khatami • Parveen Khatami • Steven John Klisiewicz • Kulok • Kulor • Elizabeth Langlois • Larskene • Jeanne La Sala • Lawford • Hua Sun Lee • Anthony Leone • Leslie • Peter Liverakos • Nem chim Loak • Lugok • Varsha Mahtani • K. Malik • Bonnie Malmat • Manón • Guillermo Masada • Jabilo M'Benga • McCarthy • Paul McGibbon • McKee • Roderigo Medeira • Israel Medina • Rory Meeker • Dietrich Meyer • Aole Miller • Vondas Milonakis • Gom glasch Moar • Bersh glov Mog • Molok • Morikmol • Holly Moyer • Narskene • Narvak • Adelard Nassir • Susan Nave • John Ott • Luke Patterson • Lisa Pawlikowski • Tim Pennington • Christopher Pike • Mark Piper • Ponor • Pozrene • Pyzstrene • Qoheela • Cervantes Quinn • Radkene • Reke • Diego Reyes • Donna Robertson • Anna Sandesjo (aka Lurqal) • Montgomery Scott • Friedl Segfrundsdóttir • Sesrene • Shal • Zhao Sheng • Sihanouk • Dean Singer • Sovik • Sozlok • Spock • Sten • Adam Stotsky • Sturka • Walter Stutzman • Hikaru Sulu • T'Hana • T'Prynn • Hiromi Takeshewada • Tashrene • Clark Terrell • Thelex • Vanessa Theriault • Tolrene • Torr • Turag • Nyota Uhura • Unez • Vanderhoven • Miguel Velez • Velrene • Veselka • Jeanne Vinueza • Ivan Vumelko • Wallingford • Arlys Warfield • Ming Xiong • Yazkene • Zett Nilric • Zharran sh'Rassa • zh'Shalas • Zulo

Elizabeth Dehner • Hannah Fisher • Noah Fisher • Lee Kelso • L'Nel • Gary Mitchell • Sivok

Starships

 * USS Bombay (Miranda class) • SS • USS Constellation (NCC-1017)  • USS Dauntless (23rd century) • USS Endeavour (NCC-1895)  • USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)  • Epimetheus • USS Exeter (NCC-1672)  • Kil'j Tholis • Meriden • Nov'k Tholis • Omari-Ekon • Rocinante (Mancharan starhopper) • USS Sagittarius (NCC-1894)  • Sek't Tholis • Tas'v Tholis

Locations

 * Anzarosh • Barolia • Cait • Deep Space Station K-7 • Delta Vega • Erilon • Gallonik III • Gariman sector • Getheon • Hall of Ancient Thought • Jemonon • Kalandra sector • Kessik IV • Kilosa • Korinar • Martian Colonies • Mount Seleya • New Berlin • New Jersey • Ravanar IV • Talagos Prime • Tamaros III • Taurus Reach • Trinay III • Vanguard • Vulcana Regar

Races and cultures

 * Bolian • Chelon • Deltan • Human • Klingon • Nalori • Orion • Scoridian • Silgov • Tarascan • Tarmelite • Tellarite • Tholian • Vulcan

States and organizations

 * Federation News Service • First Assembly • Klingon Empire • Klingon High Council • Political Castemoot • Ruling Conclave • Starfleet • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • Starfleet Research and Development • Tholian Assembly • United Federation of Planets

Other

 * Brie • Café Romano • chom • cigar • coffee • Denevan dogwood • dilithium • d'k tahg • duranium • eresh'tha • Feinberger • Fontana Meadow • ghewpu'tIn • gravitic caliper • green tea • jasmine • kata • Kaferian apple • katra • koon-ut-kal-if-fee • log buoy • Manón's • Meenok's disease • peppermint • piano • Pon farr • rugby • Shedai conduit • mandisa • scrambled eggs • sensor screen • sodium • sodium lamp • sonic screwdriver • Stars Landing • sultritium • tandoori chicken • Taurus meta-genome • tequila • thracium • throg • Tom Walker's • triceron • tuQloS • ultritium • val'reth • V'Shan • whiskey • yosa

Information

 * Book includes a four-page color fold-out with diagrams of Vanguard Station.
 * An appendix provides brief character sketches of several series characters introduced in this novel.
 * The title page lists Stars Landing, Vanguard's civilian and commercial district, as a location of one of Pocket Books' offices.

Translations
German:
 * Title: Der Vorbote
 * Publisher: Cross Cult
 * ISBN: ISBN 978-3-936480-91-7
 * Translator: Mike Hillenbrand
 * Published: 2008

Related Stories

 * "Where No Man Has Gone Before" - the novel begins shortly after the events of this episode, and references those events.

Connections

 * David Mack's annotations for Harbinger.