Saturn's Children

Saturn's Children
Attribution
Series:	Deep Space Nine
Miniseries:	Mirror Universe
Author(s):	David Mack (as Sarah Shaw)
Publication information
Printed:	Obsidian Alliances

Saturn's Children is a 2007 Star Trek: Mirror Universe novel by author David Mack.

As the Rebellion plans to strike the Alliance with a newly constructed fleet, Intendant Kira plots to take back Bajor - and more.

Publisher's description

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: One fallen dictator's struggle to regain her power leads to the discovery of a bold rebel plan for a decisive military strike that will bring down the Alliance, once and for all. But while Kira Nerys navigates the tangle of politics, sex, and military intrigue that she believes will allow her to reclaim her station, cracks form in the rebel leadership, leading to a showdown that will change the course of the mirror universe.

Summary

When the rebels capture Regent Worf, Intendant Kira escapes. Unfortunately for her, she is delivered to the new Regent, Martok, who uses and abuses her before passing her on to Bajor’s new Intendant and Kira’s old adversary, Ro Laren. An ally of Dukat and a proponent of Cardassian supremacy, Ro makes Kira no better than a slave, assigning her loads of menial administrative duties. However, these tasks allow Kira to notice a previously unseen pattern in the local crime reports, which she builds into a theory about a massive rebel undertaking.

O’Brien grows weary of war and feels guilt over the enemy soldiers he is murdering, though he can’t adopt less brutal tactics without appearing weak to his own army. He faces additional opposition from Bashir and Zek, who have allied to promote even more vicious attacks and to question O’Brien’s open door recruitment policy that could easily allow Alliance agents into their midst. The pair have also laid claim to the abandoned station Empok Nor, which they have turned into a new stronghold where they are building a whole fleet of Defiant¬-class warships. O’Brien retorts argue that their brazen raids in systems near Empok Nor and their reckless plans concentrate all their resources in one easy target. Zek and Bashir retort that O’Brien is unwilling to fight the Alliance, and reveal that Zek’s ship, the Capital Gain, is already operational, with eleven other ships nearly complete. They have shielded Empok Nor’s fusion core with the stolen kelbonite to mask its power signature from long-range scans.

The Defiant and Capital Gain execute a coordinated attack on the “Watchtower,” a long-range Cardassian sensor outpost that limits the rebels’ movements. When Zek wants to follow up by eradicating a nearby Cardassian farming colony, O’Brien refuses, threatening to target Zek himself if he attacks the unarmed civilians. To protect himself and his people from the coup he knows Zek is planning, O’Brien reluctantly spies on his crew to ensure that they can all be trusted. He learns about Leeta’s estranged relationship with her parents, Tigan’s desire to keep track of her family (until her mother and brother Janel are killed as rebel sympathizers), Muñiz’s exchanges of personal video shows with a long-distance girlfriend, and Sito’s unsent letter to her family, which reveals that she is pregnant. O’Brien is reluctant to send the pregnant young woman into battle but unable to relieve her of duty without revealing his spying. Keiko suggests medical screenings that will legitimately reveal Sito’s condition. On Terok Nor, Zek and Bashir gain more control over the rebel leadership, promising them their own Defiant-class ships if they’ll join his attack on Cardassia Prime itself. Most of them join Zek and depart for Empok Nor; only Eddington remains at O’Brien’s side.

Kira allies with Kurn, sharing her Empok Nor theory and offering him restored honor (and much more when she returns to power). Kurn tells Duras and Ro that he wants to restore his family honor by taking Kira to perform Mauk-to’Vor on the captured Worf at Terok Nor, obfuscating his true mission. Ro refuses to release Kira but is overruled by Duras, and Kira and Kurn head off aboard the Ya’Vang. They hold off attacking the station when they intercept Zek’s transmission to Empok Nor, realizing that they can deal a crippling blow to the rebel leadership if they lie in wait until the Capital Gain arrives. It is only later that Ro realizes that Kira orchestrated the whole thing, and she sends a message warning the rebels on Terok Nor of Kurn’s coming attack, hoping to eliminate her political rivals.

Eddington and O’Brien receive Ro’s message, but scans reveal no enemy ships nearby, and they believe the tip is actually an effort to pull rebel defenses back to Terok Nor and away from other assets… namely Empok Nor. They hail Zek and urge him to turn back from the trap, but he refuses, even after they discover the Ya’Vang lying in wait. He beams the newly appointed captains to their ships, though it’s too late. The Ya’Vang destroys Empok Nor’s fusion core with a single volley, obliterating the station and the eleven ships docked there. Kasidy Yates, Calvin Hudson, Tahna Los, Sarina Douglas, Sakonna, and hundreds of others are killed. The Capital Gain is disabled and Kurn’s XO, Krona secures the rebel crew and the cloaking device. Kira executes Zek (and soon after, most of the crew), keeping only Bashir alive to personally torture and interrogate.

As the entire Alliance celebrates the glorious victory, Ro is arrested for her treasonous message to the rebels and is tortured for the rest of her life. Kira is restored as Intendant of Bajor and Kurn is promoted to general, replacing Duras as commander of the Negh’Var. Duras is relegated to a much less prestigious post by his enemies. O’Brien, Eddington, and Keiko meet with Sito, confronting her about her medical test—she’s never been pregnant; she’s an undercover operative and the letter to her sister has been decoded as intel to her Alliance handler, revealing the distress among the rebel hierarchy and their construction of a new fleet. Cornered, she attacks the men, but is killed by Keiko before she can do any (more) harm. O’Brien then speaks to his troops, rallying them to fight for a brighter future, though he has no plan to bring about victory.

References

Characters

Julian Bashir • Beqar • Zim Brott • Skrain Dukat • Sarina Douglas • Duras • Michael Eddington • Garvig • Cal Hudson • Keiko Ishikawa • Kira Nerys • Krona • Kurn • Leeta • Li Nalas • Martok • Enrique Muñiz • Lisa Neeley • Miles O'Brien • Qeyhnor • Reese • Ronak • Ro Laren • Sakonna • Sito Jaxa • Luther Sloan • Tahna Los • Ezri Tigan • Kasidy Yates • Zek

Referenced only

Bareil Antos • Jadzia Dax • Demrik • Yeroff Fuchida • Hervog • Kira Meru • Mogh • George Primmin • Hoshi Sato III • Lenaris Holem • Sirella • Benjamin Sisko • Spock • Stevens • Janel Tigan • Norvo Tigan • Yanas Tigan • T'Lara • Worf

Primary universe references

Julian Bashir • Kira Nerys • Keiko O'Brien • Miles O'Brien • Benjamin Sisko • Zek

Locations

First City • Terok Nor • Empok Nor • Qo'noS • Trivas • Vareth Dar

Referenced only

Ajilon • Algira • Almatha • Amleth IV • Amleth Nebula • Badlands • Bajor • Bajor VII • Bajor VIII • Bardeezi Prime • Betreka Nebula • Bynaus • Cardassia • Coranum • Cuellar• Cuellar IV • Ferenginar • Goralis • Korma II • Korvat • Loval • Mount Kola • New Sydney • Parek Tonn • Rakal system • Sappora • Sappora VII • Torr

Starships and vehicles

Capital Gain (Defiant-class) • Defiant (Defiant class) • Jadzia (Defiant class) • IKS Negh'Var • (Negh'Var-class) • Terra Victor (Defiant class) • IKS Ya'Vang (Vor'cha-class)

Referenced only

Vesuvius

Races and cultures

Bajoran • Bolian • Cardassian • Ferengi • Human • Klingon • Trill • Vulcan

Referenced only

Andorian • Denobulan • Orion • Romulan • Tellarite

States and organizations

Alliance Council • Alliance News Network • Bajoran Parliament • House of Mogh • Klingon-Cardassian Alliance • Klingon Ninth Fleet • Terran Rebellion

Referenced only

Breen Confederacy • Cardassian Union • Detapa Council • Imperial Intelligence • Klingon Defense Force • Klingon High Council • New Sydney Security • Obsidian Order • Orion Syndicate • Talarian Republic • Terran Empire • Tholian Assembly • Tigan Mining Consortium • Tzenkethi Coalition

Other references

ablative armor • Alvanian brandy • antimatter • astronomical unit • Blessed Exchequer • Circassian fig • cloaking device • deuterium • dilithium • Divine Treasury • d'k tahg • duranium • escape pod • Fek'lhr • fusion core • fusion reactor • Grand Nagus • Gre'thor • He'mesh • holovid • industrial replicator • intendant • Intendant of Bajor • jossa flower • kelbonite • Klingonese • light year • mauk-to'Vor • mevak • Rakantha marbled cheese • Pel'hath • petaQ • pergium • phaser • pressure door • qapla' • qelI'qam • quadrotriticale • quantum torpedo • raktajino • regent • Rhombolian butter • springwine • taHqeq • Tera • Terran • Tholian silk • ToDSaH • Treaty of Regulon • turbolift • uridium • Vulcan mollusk • warnog • warp drive • yIntagh • Yolava

Appendices

Background information

• David Mack chose to be credited as Sarah Shaw as he had already written The Sorrows of Empire. [1]

Related stories

• Saturn's Children begins shortly after the DS9 episode: "The Emperor's New Cloak" and runs to around the same time as "What You Leave Behind". Later stories include Rise Like Lions.

External links

• Saturn's Children article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.

Connections

published order
Previous novel: Cutting Ties	Mirror Universe	Next novel: Fearful Symmetry
Previous novel: Warpath	DS9 novels	Next novel: Fearful Symmetry
chronological order
Previous Adventure: A Terrible Beauty	Memory Beta Chronology	Next Adventure: Fearful Symmetry