Children of the Storm (novel)

You may also be looking for the Children of the Storm, the species this novel is named after.

Children of the Storm is a Star Trek: Voyager novel by Kirsten Beyer, published by Pocket Books in 2011. It is the third Voyager novel set after Star Trek: Destiny and the seventh overall set after the series. It centers around the Children of the Storm (seen previously in Mere Mortals), and Voyager's mission to discover what happened to the starships sent to investigate them, the USS Quirinal, USS Demeter, and USS Planck.

Description[]

"You were told not to return to our space."

Little is known about the Children of the Storm—one of the most unique and potentially dangerous species the Federation has ever encountered. Non-corporeal and traveling through space in vessels apparently propelled by thought alone, the Children of the Storm at one time managed to destroy thousands of Borg ships without firing a single conventional weapon.

Now in its current mission to the Delta Quadrant, Captain Chakotay and Fleet Commander Afsarah Eden must unravel why three Federation starships—the USS Quirinal, Planck, and Demeter—have suddenly been targeted without provocation and with extreme prejudice by the powerful Children of the Storm… with thousands of Starfleet lives at stake from an enemy that the Federation can only begin to comprehend…

Summary[]

While the USS Voyager and the rest of the fleet investigate the Indign mystery, the USS Planck, USS Demeter, and USS Quirinal are sent to follow up on a discovery by the USS Aventine during the recent Borg invasion. Over the next two weeks, the three vessels approach the edge of the system inhabited by the reclusive Children of the Storm, a non-corporeal species capable of unparalleled destruction, and gradually attempt to initiate contact.

Against the guidance of Captain Regina Farkas of the Quirinal, the commander of the Planck orders the Demeter, the fleet's food-production vessel, to make a quick run into the system to relieve his crew of the burden of replicated food. The action provokes the Children of the Storm and through a telepathic ensign aboard the Quirinal, they restate their aversion to Federation contact but express foreboding appreciation for the gift of "the life." As Captain Farkas attempts to determine what "the life" refers to, the Children gather around the three vessels. In the resulting struggle, the Planck is destroyed. As Demeter is taken deeper into the system, offering no resistance to avoid Planck's fate, several crewmembers of the Quirinal become possessed by the Children and escort the non-corporeal aliens through the vessel to engineering.

In the resistance, Captain Farkas recruits a junior engineer, Phinn Bryce, to try and bring the slipstream back online and plot an escape. But in the final showdown with the Children, Farkas is critically injured and the Quirinal makes a jump that eventually leads it to crashland on an uninhabited planet tens of thousands of lightyears away.

Meanwhile, once Voyager and the other Project Full Circle fleet vessels conclude their business with the Indign, they receive another visit from Neelix who returns the shuttle stolen by the "possessed" holoprogram Meegan McDonnell. Captain Afsarah Eden seeks out the help of Counselor Hugh Cambridge in the developing mystery of her origins when a gift from an alien race elicits more questions. B'Elanna Torres settles into her new role as fleet engineer while butting heads with Commander Tillum Drafar, a Lendrin male who questions her ability to balance work and motherhood.

Once it becomes apparent that the trio of vessels sent to make contact with the Children of the Storm are behind schedule, Eden and Chakotay debate their next step and decide Voyager will travel to the system alone. Despite the mandatory transfer of telepaths to other vessels, Ensigns Aytar Gwyn, the half-Kriosian helmsman, and Kenth Lasren, the Betazoid ops officer, remain aboard. When Voyager arrives at the system, it becomes apparent that the situation went terribly wrong -- the Planck has been destroyed, Quirinal has barely escaped, and Demeter may be trapped deeper in the system.

Onboard Demeter the unorthodox Captain Liam O'Donnell remains in eccentric seclusion while his XO Atlee Fife seeds mutinous thoughts among the senior staff in a single-minded obsession with escaping the Children. After it becomes obvious that "the life" the Children are so infatuated with are any plant-based organisms, O'Donnell orders the crew to provide round-the-clock planting in the extensive aeroponics network onboard Demeter in order to delay the Children's destruction of the ship.

Despite the danger to Demeter, Eden orders the ship to pursue the Quirinal's last known heading, and the vessel is eventually found crash-landed on an uninhabited world. As Achilles is ordered to rendezvous with Voyager to repair the vessel, Eden and Chakotay learn that the Quirinal managed to trap a handful of the Children onboard. Ensign Lasren is recruited to communicate with the aliens. While Lasren works to open a dialogue with the unique aliens, Seven of Nine and Devi Patel, chief science officer, postulate that the solution to their dilemma may lie in finding the "mother" of the Children of the Storm.

After one failed attempt to provide the Children with perpetual plant lifeforms, and despite Fife's growing impatience with his captain, O'Donnell eventually creates an organism that can be injected directly within the energy shells the Children travel inside.

Voyager eventually embarks to locate the mother, and on a hunch from Aytar, travels to the home of the mother early in their search. At first, the mother, a living planet of gaseous lightning storms, offers few clues to the true nature of the Children. But developments soon lead Seven to theorize that the "Children" may really be more analagous to thoughts issued from the mother. With the combined arguments of Lasren and Eden, the captive Children are released and make contact with their mother. Through Aytar, they express a new understanding of the Federation crew and Eden realizes that their xenophobia was instigated by the Borg devastation witnessed by their mother.

The Children reunited with their mother agree to return to their home system and free the Demeter crew -- provided they are still alive. In the home system, O'Donnell is in space-walk directly injecting the plant lifeform into the Children's energy shell, when an impatient Fife mistakes Voyager's arrival for a rescue attempt and opens fire on the Children. The crew of Demeter disable Fife and Eden assures the Children of the Federation's true intentions.

After O'Donnell and the fleet work to seed the Children's "homeworld" -- now dubbed Persephone -- with the lifeform he specifically bred for it, the Full Circle fleet now reunites at the planet where Quirinal crashed for a memorial of the Planck and Quirinal's lost crew. Afterward, B'Elanna confronts Eden about a discovery she made while working on Achilles -- a fleet of small single-fighter attack craft -- and Eden assures her that the intentions of the fleet are solely peaceful, but cautiously so. Meanwhile, Seven chooses to resume her counseling sessions with Cambridge, only to have them discontinued once she expresses her interest in a romantic relationship with him. As Voyager prepares to resume its mission, Eden chooses to open up with Chakotay about her still-unsolved origins, in hopes of feeling a little less alone in the galaxy.

References[]

Characters[]

USS Voyager personnel[]

B'kar • Hugh Cambridge • Chakotay • Nancy Conlon • Afsarah Eden • Gleez • Aytar Gwyn • Harry Kim • Kula • Kenth Lasren • Miral Paris • Tom Paris • Devi Patel • Seven of Nine • Sharak • B'Elanna Torres • Vanessa Waters

USS Achilles personnel[]

Tillum Drafar

Referenced only: Rich Edmonds • Illo Mirren

USS Curie personnel[]

Xin Chan

USS Demeter personnel[]

Brill • Garvin Elkins • Sten Falto • Atlee Fife • Liam O'Donnell • Url Lask • Thomas Vincent

Referenced only: Bell • Lamoth • Megdal • Bano Peyman • Schiller

USS Esquiline personnel[]

Parimon Dasht

Referenced only: Derek Waverly

Referenced only: Shurl Beldon

USS Quirinal personnel[]

Phinnegan Bryce • Gregor Denisov • Regina Farkas • Preston Ganley • Genevieve • Krim Hoch • Jepel Omar • Sadie Johns • Kogdon • Narv • Nathan • Julian Psilakis • Riggs • Rivin • Malcolm Roach • El'nor Sal • Sanchez • Sienna Kar • Stanton • Ti'Ana • Yuka

Referenced only: Mavila

Other Starfleet personnel[]

Referenced only: Ezri Dax • Icheb • Kathryn Janeway • Ofelia Mavroidis • Kenneth Montgomery • Owen Paris • Jean-Luc Picard • William T. Riker • Tuvok • Naomi Wildman • Lewis Zimmerman

Other characters[]

Neelix

Referenced only: Alana • Valerie Archer • Willem Batiste • Borg Queen • Chaotica • Zefram Cochrane • Dathon • Dexa • Elieth • Genov-see • Yasim Gwyn • Hestax • Hrimshee • Miles Jobin • Hellen Keller • Kes • Aram Khachaturian • John Kim • Mary Kim • Meegan McDonnell • Nacona • Nurel • Julia Paris • Scrall • Seska • William Shakespeare • T'Pel • Carson Tallar • Timmy • John Torres • Miral Torres • Tusk • Libby Webber

Starships and vehicles[]

USS Achilles (Mulciber-class) • Children of the Storm vessel • USS Curie (Merian-class) • USS Demeter (Theophrastus-class) • USS Esquiline (Vesta-class) • USS Galen (Galen-class) • USS Hawking (Merian-class) • USS Planck (Merian-class) • USS Quirinal (Vesta-class) • Tactical Support Flyer • USS Voyager (Intrepid-class)

Referenced only: USS Aventine • Borg cube • Borg supercube • colonization ship • Delta Flyer II • escape pod • USS Hennessy • Nocona's mining vessel • Phoenix • shuttle • USS Titan • Val Jean • work bee

Locations[]

Delta Quadrant • Milky Way Galaxy • Persephone • unnamed planets

Referenced only: Alpha Quadrant • Azure Nebula • Beta Quadrant • Betazed (Muoni Canyon) • Deneva • Earth (Caribbean • San Francisco) • Gamma Quadrant • Fluidic space • Hanara • Heaven • Hell • Indign system • Koa • Kressari (Neshan • Plaro) • New Talax • Occidon (Parush Desert) • Romulus • Sbonfoyjill • Sector 191 • Terrasphere 8 • Urnatal homeworld • Yaris Nebula

Races and cultures[]

Bajoran • Betazoid • Cairn • Children of the Storm • Deltan • Human (Terran) • Kazarite • Klingon • Kressari • Kriosian • Lendrin • Talaxian • Tamarian • Trill • Vulcan

Referenced only: Borg • Caeliar • Changeling • Goldronian • Hirogen • Human (Viking) • Koas • Meguti • Mikhal Traveler • Neyser • Nov • Ocampa • Progenitors • Rurokitan • Seriareen • Sky Spirit • Species 8472 • unnamed Photonic lifeform • Ullian • Urnatal • Veniti

States and organizations[]

Project Full Circle • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets

Referenced only: Borg Collective • Dominion • Federation Research Institute • Indign • Kressari Quorum • Maquis • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Intelligence • Starfleet Medical • Warriors of Gre'thor

Science and classification[]

8472 virus • adrenaline • air processor • animal • antigrav lift • aquiline • archaeology • asteroid • astrometrics array • atmosphere • autopilot • bacteria • beam emitter • benamite • benamite recrystallization matrix • biobed • biology • biometric scan • bioneural gel pack • black hole • blood • bomb • bone • Borg implant • brain • caffeine • cannon • catom • centimeter • chronometer • Class-A magnetar • Class K planet • Class-M planet • clock • coma • combadge • communications relay • communicator • compression rifle • computer • conduit • containment field • control panel • coolant • database • data terminal • Death Ray • deflector array • deflector shield • distress buoy • DNA • drainage system • egg • electrolyte • electromagnetism • electromagnetic spectrum • emergency backup module • Emergency Medical Hologram • emitter • energy • engine • environmental processor • evolution • extensor • feline • fire • forcefield • frequency • G-type star • gas giant • gravimetric field • gravity • hair • heart • holodeck • hologram • holographic generator • hologrid • holosuite • hour • humanoid • humidifier • hydrogen • hydrospanner • hypospray • ice • impulse engine • insomnia • ion storm • kilometer • landing strut • lifeform • light-year • long-range sensor grid • lung • magnetar • magnetic resonator • maneuvering thruster • mathematics • matter/antimatter core • message buoy • metabolism • meter • micro-singularity • microspectrometer • mining • minute • miscarriage • neural monitor • neural scan • neurological scanner • nitrogen • noncorporeal • nuclear warhead • orbit • oxygen • padd • phaser • phaser bank • phaser rifle • photon • plant • planter drone • plasma • portable field emitter • post-traumatic stress disorder • power distribution node • pressure suit • protein • protoplast • psionic force field • PS scale • psionic • quantum slipstream drive • radiation • rebreathing mask • replicator • resonance field • rib cage • robot • root • scanner • second • sedative • seed • self-regenerating cell • sensor • sensor array • sensory perception filter • site-to-site transporter • slipstream corridor • sociology • somaclonal variation • spheroplast • star • stove • subspace • subspace receiver • subtle knife • suppression beam • surgical bandage • tachyon • tachyon pulse • telekinesis • telepathy • thruster • time • torpedo launcher • torpedo tube • tractor beam • transporter • transporter pad • transwarp tunnel • triaxilating containment module • tricorder • tritanium • turbolift • universal translator • viewscreen • virus • vitamin • warp bubble • warp core • warp drive • warp factor • warp nacelle • waste reclamation • water • wavelength • wheel • wristwatch • xenobiology

Ranks and titles[]

admiral • ambassador • archaeologist • botanical geneticist • botanical specialist • botanist • cadet • captain • chef • chief • chief engineer • chief medical officer • chief science officer • commander • commanding officer • counselor • crewman • dabo girl • diplomat • doctor • engineer • ensign • First Minister • first officer • fleet chief engineer • fleet commander • geneticist • helmsman • High Anointed • hunter • instructor • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • lieutenant junior grade • medic • medical technician • minister • morale officer • nurse • officer • pilot • prefect • Quorum Minister • Renaissance man • science officer • scientist • scout • second-in-command • security chief • security officer • senior officer • slave • slipstream specialist • spy • surgeon • tactical officer • teacher • therapist • transport officer • warrior • xenobiologist

Other references[]

2357 • 16th century • The Adventures of Captain Proton • aeroponics bay • almond • astrometrics • banana pudding • Battle of Deneva • Battle of the Azure Nebula • beef • bird • book • boot • Borg Invasion of 2381 • branch • bridge • briefing room • bronze • bug • burled-wood • campfire • candle • Captain Proton and the Mean, Bad, Dirty, Stinking Robot • cargo bay • castle • cat • cave painting • chair • chalk • chicken • chicken kabob • city • coffee • colony • commendation • constellation • court martial • Crateva religiosa • Crateva religiosa-Kressari • day • dedication plaque • detention cell • die • dime • distress call • Dominion War • duty shift • elephant • emotion • empathy • engineering • extinction • Federation Standard • Festuca ovina • fig • first contact • flower • fruit • funeral • ghost • glass • god • Goldroni kurnit • golf • gospel • grape • grass • graveyard • guinea pig • haystack • herb • helm • helmet • hide and seek • history • hobgoblin • hot spring • hull • hydroponics bay • iceberg • jacket • Jefferies tube • July • kala • kiss • knife • klaxon • language • leather • legume • lion • livestock • lizard • log entry • logic • mahogany • map • margarita • marriage • mask • May • memorial • mess hall • metal • mission log • money • monkey • month • moon • mountain • mutiny • mythology • needle • nutrient bar • O'Donnell COS Alpha • operations station • painting • paper • parfait • Paspalidium constrictum • pasta • pea • peat • personal log • pip • plastic • potato • preschool • putting green • quarters • rain • raktajino • ration • ready room • red alert • refresher • rifle • rock • sail • saucer section • school • sculpture • senior staff • sexism • shuttlebay • sickbay • sofa • soup • spa • space walk • spade • spiced ale • Staff of Ren • stardate • Starfleet procedural manual • stew • suicide • sun god • swimming pool • syringe • tactical station • targ • tattoo • tea • textbook • Timmy and the Targ • toast • tomato • toy • transporter room • tree • uniform • vine • vulture • waterfall • weapon • weasel • weather • whipped cream • winter • wood • xenophobia • year • yellow alert

Appendices[]

Background[]

The German translation of the novel was released by Cross Cult in year. It was translated by René Ulmer and featured new cover art by Martin Frei.

Images[]

Connections[]

Star Trek: Voyager novels set after the television series
Homecoming • The Farther Shore • Spirit Walk (Old Wounds • Enemy of My Enemy) • Full Circle • Unworthy • Children of the Storm • The Eternal Tide • Protectors • Acts of Contrition • Atonement • A Pocket Full of Lies • Architects of Infinity • To Lose the Earth

Timeline[]

The novel runs from May through June of 2381, the first two months of the Full Circle Fleets 3-year mission in the Delta Quadrant. It begins three years and six months after the final Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Endgame".

published order
Previous novel: Unworthy	Voyager novels (post-finale)	Next novel: The Eternal Tide
Previous novel: Unworthy	Novels by: Kirsten Beyer	Next novel: The Eternal Tide
chronological order
Previous Adventure: Unworthy	Memory Beta Chronology	Next Adventure: The Persistence of Memory chapter 22

Translations[]

2015: German : Kinder des Sturms, translated by René Ulmer. (Cross Cult)

External link[]

Children of the Storm (novel) article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki