Description[]
- The Starship Titan continues on her outward voyage of discovery. Ranging farther and farther from Federation space, Captain William Riker and the crew look forward to living Starfleet’s mission: seeking out new life, discovering new civilizations.
- Striking a “sandbank”—a spatial distortion—the Titan is knocked out of warp, her crew shaken up but uninjured. Titan has stumbled across a battlefield, and floating in it, shattered and in pieces, are the remains of a ship. Searching for survivors, they discover the ship never had a crew. The away team removes the computer core, looking for answers. Once the device is restored, it becomes clear this is not just a computer, but a thinking, reasoning artificial intelligence.
- It identifies itself as SecondGen White-Blue, it comes from a civilization composed entirely of sentient computers. Eons ago these artificial intelligences were charged to be the first line of defense against The Null—a destructive force so all consuming that generation upon generation have waged unending war trying to find a way to beat back this terror. Captain Riker offers to assist them, but years of war have left the AIs distrustful and suspicious, especially of organics.
- The tide of the battle is turning, The Null is winning. Set free, it will destroy everything in this system and then, unchecked, spread its mindless destruction into the heart of the Federation.
Summary[]
When the Titan detects a binary star system ahead, the ship investigates and comes across subspace distortions and the remains of a spacecraft. Vale takes a team across to search for survivors only to discover that the craft was itself a sentient being. Its computer core, White-Blue, is taken aboard the Titan. Soon after, another sentient ship, Cyan-Grey, arrives and, unable to communicate with the Titan and believing it guilty of grave robbing, attacks. White-Blue temporarily takes over the ship in order to transmit a message halting the attack.
Cyan-Grey tows the damaged Titan back to its home planet, aiming to make recompence for the mistake. The other sentient machines agree to effect repairs, although there is opposition from many including the belligerent Red-Gold. They also discover they are at war with a force known as the Null, which emerges from subspace ruptures and is deadly to their universe. Riker and several other crewmembers, notably Vale and Keru, are mistrustful of the machines but reluctantly allow White-Blue onboard to supervise repairs. The paranoia increases when it becomes clear White-Blue has helped the Titan's computer achieve sentience and generate a holographic avatar fashioned after Minuet.
Tuvok takes an away team in the shuttlecraft Holiday to supervise the loading of a shipment of deuterium but it is interrupted by an attack from the Null. The Holiday is destroyed protecting the shipment and the emergency beam out is redirected by the exiled FirstGen Zero-Three, who reveals to Tuvok and the others that the Sentries were created by an organic race who attempted to build subspace gateways to explore the cosmos but instead created subspace ruptures that allowed the Null to pass through. Zero-Three attempts to return home but only succeeds in creating a bigger rupture that allows the Null through. Tuvok and the others are beamed off as Zero-Three self-destructs.
Meanwhile, Red-Gold has attempted to capture the Titan after realising the computer avatar could be the beginning of a race of ThirdGens composed of pure data but is foiled by a dekyon pulse. The Titan joins with the Sentries to battle the Null, with Red-Gold being destroyed during the conflict, but brute force fails to affect the Null since it can exist in both universes simultaneously. Xin, Melora and White-Blue realize their only option is to seal the rift from subspace...and the only being that could survive there is the avatar. The avatar voluntarily sacrifices herself and the Null left stranded in the normal universe dies.
The Sentries are left with their purpose gone and unable to use their subspace shear technology for fear of creating further rifts. Riker offers them Federation assistance in building their own society but is surprised when White-Blue requests to join his crew.
References[]
Characters[]
- Blay • Olivia Bolaji • Bralik • Balim Cel • Mordecai Crandall • Zurin Dakal • Feren Denken • Dennisar • Peya Fell • FirstGen One-Five • FirstGen Two-Seven • FirstGen Three-Four • FirstGen Zero-Three • FirstGen Zero-Nine • Jaq • K'chak'!'op • Ranul Keru • Ellec Krotine • Kuu'iut • Aili Lavena • McCreedy • Meldok • Minuet • Y'lira Modan • N'keytar • Alyssa Ogawa • Onnta • Tasanee Panyarachun • Melora Pazlar • Sariel Rager • Xin Ra-Havreii • Shenti Yisec Eres Ree • William Riker • SecondGen Black-Silver • SecondGen Cyan-Gray • SecondGen Green-Green • SecondGen Red-Gold • SecondGen Silver-Green • SecondGen White-Blue • Holor Sethe • Pava Ek'Noor sh'Aqabaa • Titan Avatar • Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv • Natasha Miana Riker-Troi • Deanna Troi • Tuvok • Tylith • Christine Vale • Ythiss
- Referenced only
- Jonathan Archer • B-4 • Baars • Junol Dakal • Data • Richard Daystrom • desYog • FirstGen Zero-One • FirstGen Zero-Two • FirstGen Zero-Zero • Ira Graves • Sean Hawk • Erika Hernandez • Hsuuri • Mark Jameson • Jaza Najem • Kesar • Keyexisi • James T. Kirk • Lore • James Moriarty • Minuet • Jean-Luc Picard • Bowan Radowski • Huilan Sen'kara • Benjamin Sisko • Noonien Soong • T'Pel • Ian Andrew Troi • Alan Turing • Unünüü • V'Ger • Natasha Yar
Locations[]
- Alpha Quadrant • Canis Major Region • The Low Note • NFC 828-90-223 • NGC 6281 • Sirius complex
- Referenced only
- Alpha Majoris • Andor • Axion • Bajor • Bynaus • Cardassia • Celestial Temple • Choblav • Cygnet XIV • Delta Quadrant • Droplet • Earth • Efros • Gemworld • Izar • Lake Armstrong • Lumbu • Memory Alpha • Memory Prime • Mount Tarhana • New Orleans • Orisha • Sol system • Starbase 74 • Taurus Reach • Vulcan
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Titan (Luna-class) • Holiday (Type-11 aquashuttle) • La Rocca
- Referenced only
- USS Aventine • Columbia (NX-02) • USS Enterprise-D • USS Enterprise-E • USS Luna • USS Rhea • Scimitar • USS Voyager • USS Yamato • Galaxy-class
Races and cultures[]
- Andorian • Bajoran • Benzite • Betazoid • Boslic • Cardassian • Catullan • Choblik • Cygnian • Deltan • Efrosian • Elaysian • Human • Kasheetan • Napean • Null • Orion • Pahkwa-thanh • Pak'shree • Selay • Selenean • Selkie • Sentry • Trill • Vok'sha • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Borg • Breen • Bynar • Byzantine • Caeliar • Exocomp • Iconian • Jem'Hadar • Klingon • Pathfinders • Reman • Romulan • Shedai • Species 8472 • Suliban
States and organizations[]
- Referenced only
- Borg Collective • Daystrom Institute • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • Starfleet Research and Development
Other references[]
- Aloha shirt • Andorian sushi • baleen whale • bantaca • bathing suit • bat'leth • bear • Borg Invasion of 2381 • brass • cancer • carbon • carryall • cathode ray tube • class P • class Y planet • Cochrane-type distortion • The Complete Works of William Shakespeare • Compression phaser rifle • contragravity suit • copper • cosmozoan • cotton • crab • dekyon emitter • deuterium • Dixieland jazz • Dominion War • dragon • duotronic • Earth's Space Age • Federation Standard • genie • ghost • gold • Great Upgrade • ham • helmet • horse • iron • jazz • kai • kal-toh • Kella • knife • krill • La Grange orbit • lita • M-5 computer • magnesium • Masiform D • mellitus cloud creature • milk • Minuet Alpha • muon-link system • nanite • nuclear weapon • oil • PADD • phaser • photon torpedo • Prime Directive • protoplaser • quantum torpedo • raktajino • ranjen • replicator • Retellik Lattice • robot • rock python • Second Khitomer Accords • snake • snowskipper • soccer • sorium • spine-hornet • steel • Stubbs Project • subaa juice • summer dress • sword • synthehol • tachyon-phase processor • talgonite • Tesla coil • Time of Enlightenment • tongo • transparent aluminum • transphasic torpedo • transporter • tricobalt device • tricorder • tripolymer • tritanium • type IV phaser • War-Tales of the Brothers K'laarq • wine • wolf • zetta roll • zinc • Zylo egg
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TNG episode: "Contagion" - Keru remembers hearing about the destruction of Yamato by the Iconian probe.
- TOS movie: The Motion Picture - when discussing sentient computers commander Vale references V'Ger
- TOS episode: "The Ultimate Computer" - in the same discussion Commander Vale references the M-5 computer of Doctor Daystrom
- TNG episode: "Evolution" - Commander Vale also references the nanites of this episode
- TNG episode: "Elementary, Dear Data" - As a final example Commander Vale referenced the sentient Moriarty program
- TNG episode: "The Quality of Life" - Counselor Troi referenced the Exocomps as a counter to Vale's examples
- TNG episode: "The Measure of a Man" - Captain Riker recalled arguing against Data's right to choose when deciding the same about Titan's avatar
Background[]
- The working title for this novel was Ascension.[1]
- Ensign Olivia Bolaji's quote, "I'm a leaf on the wind..." is a reference to the 2005 film SerenityWP.
Images[]
Connections[]
| Star Trek: Titan publications and stories | |
|---|---|
| Novels | Taking Wing • The Red King • Orion's Hounds • Sword of Damocles • Destiny (Gods of Night • Mere Mortals • Lost Souls) • Over a Torrent Sea • Synthesis • Seize the Fire • Fallen Gods • The Poisoned Chalice • Absent Enemies • Sight Unseen • Fortune of War |
| Short stories | "Improvisations on the Opal Sea: A Tale of Dubious Credibility" • "Empathy" |
| Other Works | "Star Trek: The Tour" (Short film) |
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Over a Torrent Sea |
Titan novels | Next novel: Seize the Fire Typhon Pact |
| Previous story: The Black Flag |
Stories by: James Swallow |
Next story: The Slow Knife |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Not yet placed |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Not yet placed |
Translations[]
- 2011
- German : Synthese, translated by Stephanie Pannen. (Cross Cult)
External links[]
- Synthesis article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.