The Buried Age

Publisher's description
Jean-Luc Picard. His name has gone down in legend as the captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer and two starships Enterprise. But the nine years of his life leading up to the inaugural mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise to Farpoint Station have remained a mystery -- until now, as Picard's lost era is finally unearthed.

Following the loss of the Stargazer and the brutal court-martial that resulted, Picard no longer sees a future for himself in Starfleet. Turning to his other love, archaeology, he embarks on a quest to rediscover a buried age of ancient galactic history...and awakens a living survivor of that era: a striking, mysterious woman frozen in time since before the rise of Earth's dinosaurs. But this powerful immortal has a secret of cataclysmic proportions, and her plans will take Picard -- aided along the way by a brilliant but naive android, an insightful Betazoid, and an enigmatic El-Aurian -- to the heights of passion, the depths of betrayal, and the farthest reaches of explored space.

Summary
This novel covers the 9 years between Jean-Luc Picard's command of the USS Stargazer and his command of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), beginning with a detailed account of the loss of the Stargazer, and the ensuing court martial.

Part I - The Quality of Mercy (2355) (Chapters 1 - 4)
The USS Stargazer and the Seventy-Fifth Rule are destroyed at the Battle of Maxia, leading to a court martial for Captain Picard. All charges are dismissed, but the loss of his ship and the betrayal of Phillipa Louvois, his lover, leaves Picard uncertain about his future.

Main Characters
Giriaenn; Guinan; Jean-Luc Picard

USS Stargazer crew
Idun Asmund; Gilaad Ben Zoma; Tricia Cadwallader; Carter Greyhorse; Schuster; Phigus Simenon; Vigo; Yojaleya Jack Crusher; "Pug" Joseph; Ki'hiut; Suranyi; T'Moni; Elizabeth Wu

Ferengi
Bok; Flax; Gorp; Skwart; Zek

Starbase 32 Court-martial
Grev; Naomi Jerusalmi; Phillipa Louvois; Lun Minsal; Thomas Salisbury Sartak; T'Lara Gof; R'Miia; Sudarmono

Cleopatra's Needle crew''
Bazyli Janasz; Jameela Janasz; Stefcia Janasz; Miliani Langford; Rosa Payne; Ruyao; Sorma; Xian Chuanli; Xian Yanmei

USS May Kingsley crew
Kathryn Janeway; Onna Karapleedeez; Dan Legato; Lenama; Sabar; Subramaniam; Wright

Mabrae
Bilan; Coray; Nibro

USS Portia crew
Ryallen Colla; Kilif; Johanna Kolbe; Shawn Rider; Quetzalxochitl "Sally" Vejar;

USS Enterprise-D crew
Data; Guinan; Sarah MacDougal; Deanna Troi; Worf; Tasha Yar Beverly Crusher; Wesley Crusher

Others
Q; Donald Varley Allis; Marta Batanides; Zefram Cochrane; Robert DeSoto; Richard Galen; David Gold; Edward Janeway; Walker Keel; Lisuni; Mench; Marie Picard; Prospero; Riva; Sarek; Strowman; Elias Vaughn; Juanita Valderrama; Miranda Vigo; Cortin Zweller Not yet placed Questor Deb'ni; Durand; Grev; J.P. Hanson; Kimiko Jones; Angus McCarthy; Gregory Quinn; George Sanders;

Starships and vehicles
USS Albany; USS Ceres (NCC-2513); Cleopatra's Needle; USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) (Galaxy class); USS Galaxy; USS Lexington (NCC-61832); USS Mary Kingsley ( Hokule'a  class); USS Portia (Miranda class frigate); Selbos; Seventy-Fifth Rule (Raider class); USS Stargazer (NCC-2893) (Constellation class); USS Yamato (NCC-71807)

Locations
Adonis system; Adonis II; Albireo; Aldea; Algolia; Alpha Centauri III; Alpha Centauri VII; Alpha Centauri A; Alpha Centauri B; Bajor; Berengaria; Beta Quadrant; Betazed sector; Camus II; Cheron; Darwin Research Station; Earth; El-Auria; Enceladus; England; Eris Alpha; Europa; Ferenginar; Galos Sigma; Iconia; Kandoge; Kitalpha; Kurl; Lambda Scorpii; Ligillium; Ma-aira Thenn; Mars; Maxia; Maxia Zeta; Maxia Zeta III; Maxia Zeta IV; Maxia Zeta V; Naiad; Neptune; New Samarkand; Organia; Pacifica; Paris; Perseus Arm; Polynesia; Proserpina; Proxima Centauri; Questar M17; Sargonian Diaspora; Scorpius Reach; Starbase 20; Starbase 32; Starbase G-6; Tagus III; Talos IV; Tanebor; Taredin; Tau Ceti Prime; Tellar; Timur's Peak; Trans-Scorpian region; Trelka; Upper Scorpius OB association; Utopia Planitia; Vanlac V

Species
Acamarian; Andorian; Argelian; Atrean; B'nurlac; Bajoran; Betazoid; Bolian; Breen; Caitian; Caldonian; Cardassian; Centaurian; Clan Ru; El-Aurian; Fabrini; Ferengi; Gnalish; Gorn; Grazerite; Human; Kalandan; Klingon; Kobheerian; Kreetassian; Ky'rha; Ligillian; Lorini; Mabrae; Manraloth; Menthar; Metron; Molherian Firesoul; Mro; Mulzirak; Napean; Organian; Pandrilite; Peliar; "Polyphemian"; Promellian; Sargonian; Shedai; Sheliak; Taguan; Talarian; Tellarite; Thasian; Tholian; Toraak; Tzenkethi; Vanlaca; Vormoresh; Vulcan

States and organizations
Breen Confederacy; Department of Temporal Investigations; Federation Diplomatic Corps; Ferengi Alliance; Gatherers; Iconian Empire; Regnancy of the Carnelian Throne; Sheliak Corporate; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; Starfleet Corps of Engineers; Starfleet Headquarters; Starfleet Medical; Tanebor Orbital Guard; United Federation of Planets; University of Alpha Centauri; Vormoresh Imperium

Others
2200; 2339; 2341; 2345; 2348; 2354; 2355; 2358; 2359; admiral; annular confinement beam; asteroid; Augment; "Beyond Antares"; binary star; black hole archive; bodyplant; bolus; bread; breakfast; bridge; bridge log; captain; captain's log; carbon dioxide; Carl Blegen Hall; Ceres; city; Class M; combadge; commander; communicator; computer rating; consciousness-transfer device; corporeal; counselor; cryvolcano; DaiMon; dilithium; dinosaur; distress beacon; DNA; dynoscanner; Dyrad; duranium; engineering; ensign; escape pod; EVA suit; event horizon; Fer-Gruacch Library; Ferengi Rules of Acquisition; fire-suppression field; first contact; forcefield; fusion generator; G4 star; G7 star; Galen border conflict; gamma radiation; gas giant; genetic engineering; geology; Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance; Grankite Order of Tactics; gravity well; Great Dying; Great River; GuiMon in Chief; Hamlet; Heisenberg compensator; Heritage Banks of Vormoreshinak; humanoid; incorporeal; introdus; hydrogen; hyponeutronium; ice giant; impulse engine; Jacinnan racing cat; JAG officer; Jovian; K6 star; kelbonite; "khrught"; latinum; lieutenant; log entry; logopath; magnetic field; megayear; Menthar-Promellian War; metamaterial; methane; mining phaser; Miranda Vigo; moon; mosaic; Mozart; Nahuatle; nanotechnology; Narj; navigational deflector; navigator; neutron; neutronium; nitrogen; nucleonic radiation; Number One; oxygen; parsec; pattern enhancer; Permian-Triassic Extinction Event; phaser; photon torpedo; Picard Maneuver; planet; plutonium; potassium; Prime Directive; probe; Proserpina (goddess); quantum degradation; quantum singularity; Queen Gertrude; red dwarf; red giant; Scalos water; science officer; sensor; sensor drone; sensor log; William Shakespeare; shield; shipyard; shuttlebay; shuttlecraft; sickbay; stardate; Starfleet General Orders and Regulations; stasis field; stellar wind; subspace; supernova; Swiss cheese; tactical officer; terraform; tetryon; thermal vent; Tomb of Zaterl; thruster; topaline; transporter; Treaty of Armens; tricorder; tritanium; verterium; uranium; viewscreen; x-ray flare; xenoanthropology; warp core; warp engine; warp factor; warp nacelle; water; wine

Information
When author Christopher L. Bennett posted the cover on the Trek BBS he stated that the cover art had been an inspiration:
 * "The scene on the cover is in the novel. As it happened, I wrote it just a couple of days before I was shown the preliminary artwork, and what I described scenery-wise was very different from this, and much more bland. But I was able to rework things to fit the image, and it greatly enhanced the detail and mood of this pivotal scene."


 * An excerpt from this novel was published in issue 133 of the Star Trek Magazine.

Log entries

 * Captain's log, USS Stargazer

Connections

 * Author's annotations