Harbinger is the first Star Trek: Vanguard novel, written by David Mack. Harbinger was published by Pocket Books in 2005 and centers around the introduction of Operation Vanguard and its characters.
Description
- Returning from its historic first voyage to the edge of the galaxy, the damaged USS 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 the year 2263, while exploring the Taurus Reach, Matthew 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 later, after the confrontation with Gary Mitchell on Delta Vega, James T. 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 due to the Federation's limited interest in the 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 the supply run has become 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 Diego 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 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 fiancé, he implanted his katra into her mind while he was dying. 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 lover Anna Sandesjo, an attaché in the station's diplomatic office who is actually a Klingon agent named Lurqal.
References
Characters
Vanguard personnel and residents
- al-Jazaar • Raymond Cannella • Charles • Jon Cooper • Rana Desai • Judy Dunbar • Isaiah Farber • Suzie Finneran • Ezekiel Fisher • Geller • Toby Greenfield • Haniff Jackson • Jetanien • Akeylah Karumé • Kulor • Elizabeth Langlois • Peter Liverakos • Lugok • Jabilo M'Benga • Manón • McKee • K. Malik • Israel Medina • Gom glasch Moar • Holly Moyer • Tim Pennington • Pozrene • Zharran sh'Rassa • Diego Reyes • Anna Sandesjo (aka Lurqal) • Sesrene • Sihanouk • Sovik • Sozlok • Adam Stotsky • T'Prynn • Tashrene • Thelex • Turag • Ivan Vumelko • Wallingford • Ming Xiong • unnamed Vanguard personnel
- Referenced only
- Jake Cooper • Jen Cooper • Roderigo Medeira • Rory Meeker • Dietrich Meyer • zh'Shalas
USS Enterprise personnel
- Robert D'Amato • Scott Danes • James T. Kirk • Leslie • Varsha Mahtani • Luke Patterson • Mark Piper • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Daniel Alden • Elizabeth Dehner • Lee Kelso • Gary Mitchell • Lisa Pawlikowski • Christopher Pike
USS Bombay personnel
- Brett Anderson • Daniel Berry • Tory Castellano • Oriana D'Amato • Donna Ford • Hallie Gannon • Stewart Greisman • Jean Guerin • Imelio • Kevin Judge • Steve Kashuk • Hua Sun Lee • Nem chim Loak • McCarthy • Vondas Milonakis • Susan Nave • Donna Robertson • Shal • Vanderhoven
- Referenced only
- Hayes
USS Sagittarius personnel
- Referenced only
- Lisa Babitz
USS Endeavour personnel
- Atish Khatami • Steven John Klisiewicz • Jeanne La Sala • Anthony Leone • Bonnie Malmat • Paul McGibbon • Bersh glov Mog • Zhao Sheng
- Referenced only
- Walter Stutzman
USS Constellation personnel
- Referenced only
- Lawford
Ravanar IV Outpost personnel
- John Ott • Dean Singer • T'Hana • Miguel Velez
Omari-Ekon personnel
- Broon • Ganz • Morikmol • Qoheela • Reke • Zett Nilric • Zulo
Tholian Ruling Conclave
- Azrene • Eskrene • Falstrene • Narskene • Radkene • Velrene • Yazkene
Klingon High Council personnel
- Alakon • Argashek • Duras • Glazya • Gorkon • Grozik • Indizar • Kulok • Molok • Narvak • Sturka • Torr • Veselka
Others
- Lora Brummer • Larskene • Cervantes Quinn
- Referenced only
- Hannah Fisher • Noah Fisher • Stephen Garrovick (I) • Amanda Grayson • L'Nel • Archibald MacLeish • Leonard McCoy • Amy Quinn • Denise Quinn • Molly Quinn • Sarek • Friedl Segfrunsdóttir • Sivok • Sten • Tantalus • Tolrene • Unez • Jeanne Vinueza • Arlys Warfield
Starships and vehicles
- USS Bombay (Miranda-class) • SS Chichén Itzá • USS Constellation (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Discovery-class • DY-500 • USS Endeavour (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Kil'j Tholis • Meriden • Nov'k Tholis • Omari-Ekon • Rocinante (Mancharan starhopper) • USS Sagittarius (Archer-class) • Sek't Tholis • Tas'v Tholis • Tik'r Tholis • Vel'j Tholis
- Referenced only
- USS Dauntless (Pyotr Velikiy-class) • Epimetheus • USS Exeter (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • USS Farragut (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • USS Yorktown (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)
Locations
- Anzarosh • Barolia • Erilon • Gariman sector • Getheon • Jemonon • Kalandra sector • Kessik IV • Kilosa • Ravanar IV • Talagos Prime • Tamaros III • Taurus Reach • Trinay III • Vanguard • Vulcana Regar
- Referenced only
- Beta Lankal • Cait • Deep Space Station K-7 • Delta Vega • Gallonik III • Hall of Ancient Thought • Korinar • Martian Colonies • Mount Seleya • New Berlin • New Jersey• Tycho IV
Races and cultures
- Bolian • Chelon • Deltan • Gallonikan • 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 references
- Battle of Ravanar IV • Brie • Café Romano • chom • cigar • coffee • Conduit • credit chip • Denevan dogwood • dilithium • d'k tahg • duranium • eresh'tha • Feinberger • Fontana Meadow • Gallonikan civil war • ghewpu'tIn • gravitic calipers • green tea • the hub • jasmine • jiQ • kata • Kaferian apple • katra • keesa beetle • koon-ut-kal-if-fee • log buoy • mandisa • Manón's • Meenok's disease • Occam's Razor • peppermint • piano • Pon farr • Reelkot • rugby • scrambled eggs • sensor screen • sodium • sodium lamp • sonic screwdriver • Starfleet Code of Justice • Stars Landing • sultritium • tandoori chicken • Taurus meta-genome • tequila • thracium • throg • Tom Walker's • triceron • tuQloS • ultritium • val'reth • V'Shan • whiskey • yosa blade • The Young Dead Soldiers
Appendices
Related media
- TOS episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"- the novel begins shortly after the events of this episode, and references those events.
| 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 |
Background
- The German translation of the novel was released by Cross Cult in 2008. It was translated by Mark Hillenbrand.
- 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.
Images
Connections
Timeline
The novel's main part is set in November 2265.
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: (first in the series) |
Vanguard novels | Next story: Summon the Thunder |
| Previous novel: Small World |
Novels by: David Mack |
Next novel: Warpath |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Landing Party Sulu flashback Constellations |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: Enterprise Chapters 1–4, and 21 My Brother's Keeper |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2265. The Pocket Books Timeline places events from this story in one other timeframe: | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Ashes of Eden Chapter 35 |
2263 prologue |
Next Adventure: Foundations, Book One Chapters 2-7 |
External links
- Harbinger (novel) article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- David Mack's annotations for Harbinger.