The Eternal Tide is a Star Trek: Voyager novel by Kirsten Beyer published by Pocket Books in August 2012. It is the fourth novel in the Voyager relaunch after Destiny and the eighth overall. It centers around the search for Afsarah Eden's origin and a mysterious space-anomaly.
Description[]
From the back cover
An all-new novel that continues the epic saga of the starship Voyager!
As the Voyager fleet continues its exploration of the Delta Quadrant, investigating the current status of sectors formerly controlled by the Borg becomes the fleet's priority. Two of the fleet's special mission vessels, Galen and Demeter are left at New Talax to aid Neelix's people while Voyager, Quirinal, Esquiline, Hawking, and Curie move out to do a systematic search for any remnants of the Borg or Caeliar. As this mission begins, Fleet Commander Afsarah Eden, who has shared what little she knows of her mysterious past with Captain Chakotay, begins to experience several more "awakenings" as she encounters artifacts, people, and places that make her feel connected to her long lost home. She is reluctant to allow these to overshadow her mission, but this becomes increasingly difficult as time passes...
Summary[]
The Doctor makes a discovery about Eden's genetic structure: She only has genes from a single, male parent. Eden, the Doctor and Cambridge leave Voyager to investigate a possible connection with the Mikhal Travellers, while Voyager investigates the planet where Riley Frazier's collective of former Borg drones were left. They discover that most of the drones joined the Caeliar but a few dozen, led by Riley, stayed behind to care for their children, only to be forced underground when the Tarkons colonised the planet. While help from the USS Achilles, Voyager is able to rescue Riley's people and relocate them on Arehaz, the planet where the Borg originated.
At the same time, Eden's group learn of the Anschlasom, an ancient race who discovered a gateway to another dimension and caused a breach between the two realities. She realises her "uncles", Jobin and Taller, entered one of the breaches and found her but are now trapped in it, having re-entered a breach in the Beta Quadrant.
Q Junior and Amanda Rogers learn that Janeway's death has become a fixed point in time, existing in all multiverses. Q Junior convinces his mother to bring Janeway to him from a point just before her death, where he manages to direct her and Kes to restore her to life. Amanda tries to investigate the original timeline before Janeway's future self helped Voyager return home and finds at that moment they were involved in the incident where Seven was killed. She finds an area of blank space but when she enters it she ceases to exist and no-one in the Continuum except Q Junior can remember her. Q Junior sends Janeway to the Achilles.
Four vessels from the fleet stumble across a similar blank area of space. Their attempts to probe it fracture the anomaly, causing parts of the ship to be swallowed up. The crewmembers in those parts of the ship encounter Taller and decide they must sacrifice themselves and remove all contamination to repair the anomaly. The Achilles beams aboard the crewmembers from the unaffected areas of the ships shortly before they are destroyed but Taller refuses to follow suit and the anomaly is merely returned to how it was before Starfleet arrived. Eden orders the ship to return to the Alpha Quadrant while her group and Janeway return to Voyager.
Jobin contacts Voyager, admitting Eden was created by something inside the anomaly to fulfill Taller's wish for a daughter. Eden slowly realises the truth: The anomaly contains a pure Omega molecule which, if it becomes stable, will destroy the multiverse. The anomaly is the Omega Continuum, a polar opposite of the Q Continuum. The Anschalom's initial encounter with it granted both continuums sentience and brought the Q into being. It also accelerated the universe's natural life cycle and every other encounter with it has accelerated things still further. In the original timeline, Janeway erased it and thus destroyed the Q. Q appears, believing killing Eden will resolve things, but she strips him of his powers.
Torres and Seven work out a way to seal the anomaly by Chakotay piloting a shuttle inside on a suicide mission and Voyager and the shuttle firing pulses simultaneously. However, the attempt fails. The Continuum appear to confront Eden but she absorbs their powers and, heavily under the influence of Omega, prepares to take them into the anomaly, destroying the Q. Janeway attempts to dissuade her before Q Junior appears, revealing he carries all the power of the Q and will serve as a sacrifice in their place. He and Eden enter the anomaly together, collapsing it, and return Chakotay, Jobin and Taller to their original locations in space as they do so.
References[]
Characters[]
USS Voyager personnel[]
- Hugh Cambridge • Chakotay • Nancy Conlon • Donner • Afsarah Eden • Aytar Gwyn • Harry Kim • Kula • Kenth Lasren • Miral Paris • Thomas Paris • Devi Patel • Rosio • Seven of Nine • Sharak • B'Elanna Torres • Vanessa Waters
- Referenced only
- Marie Kaplan
USS Achilles personnel[]
- Cates • Chase • Tillum Drafar • Liddy • Illo Mirren • Mischa • Purifoy • Rosati • Zabetha
USS Curie personnel[]
- Xin Chan • Juana
USS Demeter personnel[]
USS Esquiline personnel[]
- Parimon Dasht • Livermore • Derek Waverly
USS Galen personnel[]
USS Hawking personnel[]
USS Quirinal personnel[]
- Phinnegan Bryce • Gregor Denisov • Regina Farkas • Krim Hoch • Tonil Hornung • Jepel Omar • Sadie Johns • Julian Psilakis • Malcolm Roach • El'nor Sal • Sienna Kar
- Referenced only
- Costa • Fredericks • Miller
Other Starfleet personnel[]
- Referenced only
- Lukas Dasht • Erika Hernandez • Edward Janeway • Kenneth Montgomery • Owen Paris • Naomi Wildman • Lewis Zimmerman
Q Continuum[]
- Female Q • Q • Q (Junior) • Amanda Rogers
- Referenced only
- Quinn
Others[]
- Borg Queen • Culbret • Riley Frazier • Miles Jobin • Kes • Neelix • Carson Taller
- Referenced only
- Alana • Dante Alighieri • Avery • Nanietta Bacco • Willem Batiste • Captain Proton • Caretaker • Chaotica • Leonardo da Vinci • Lilia Dasht • Merilee Dasht • Rowena Dasht • Selena Royer Dasht • Ghert • Hestax • Mark Johnson • Kahless, son of Kahless • Buster Kincaid • Kol • Leucon • Lia • Meegan McDonnell • Nocona • Osterna • Ruri • Sekaya • Shon • Thoreck • Yifay • Zahir
Starships and vehicles[]
- TSV Abracus (Tarkon sentry vessel) • USS Achilles (Mulciber-class) • Borg cube • Borg supercube • USS Curie (Merian-class) • USS Enterprise-E (Sovereign-class) • USS Esquiline (Vesta-class) • USS Galen (Galen-class) • USS Hawking (Merian-class) • USS Quirinal (Vesta-class) • TS Flyer 1 (Tactical Support Flyer) • TS Flyer 6 • TS Flyer 11 • TS Flyer 12 • TS Flyer 13 • TS Flyer 19 • USS Voyager (Intrepid-class)
- Referenced only
- USS da Vinci (Saber-class) • Delta Flyer • Delta Flyer II • USS Demeter (Theophrastus-class) • escape pod • Home Free • USS Planck (Merian-class) • Type-7 shuttlecraft • Van Cise
Locations[]
- Alpha Quadrant • Arehaz • Beta Quadrant • Delta Quadrant • Earth (San Francisco) • Eris (Eridian Vault) • Mikhal Outpost (Midrin) • Milky Way • Nekrit Expanse • New Talax • Ocampa V • Omega Continuum • Q Continuum • Riley's Planet
- Referenced only
- Andor • Azure Nebula • Cygnus Arm • Earth (France • Starfleet Headquarters • Venice) • Fluidic space • Gamma Quadrant • Hanara (Altreen • Betsila • Illiara • Kehlia • Lazria • Oskria • Pesh • Shrask • Som • Unasala • Vesra) • Jupiter Station • Lantaru sector • New Erigol (Axion) • Persephone • Proxima Station • Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy • Sbonfoyjill • Septurnal Prime • Tendara • transwarp hub • Troyius • Yaris Nebula
Races and cultures[]
- Betazoid • Borg • Brunali • Deltan • Human • Klingon • Kriosian • Lendrin • Ocampa • Q • Talaxian • Tamarian • Tarkon • Trill • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Anschlasom • Caeliar • Cardassian • Children of the Storm • Devore • Elasian • Kindir • Ktarian • Malon • Mikhal Traveler • Nacene • Nekisti • Neyser • Seriareen • Species 8472
States and organizations[]
- Borg Collective • Project Full Circle • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Borg Cooperative • Caeliar gestalt • Department of Temporal Investigations • Dominion • Indign • Maquis • Starfleet Command • Tarkon Board • Typhon Pact • Warriors of Gre'thor
Science and technology[]
- annular confinement beam • antichroniton • artificial gravity • astral eddy • astrometric array • benomite • bioneural gel pack • biobed • black hole • boronite • botanical genetics • breathing apparatus • catom • causality • chromosome • chroniton • chronometer • class-9 nebula • collapsed star • computer • dark matter • deflector array • dimension • electrokinetic storm • Emergency Medical Hologram • environmental suit • event horizon • Fibonacci sequence • folded space-time • fossil • genome • gravimetric distortion • gravity • harmonic resonance chamber • holodeck • hologram • humanoid • hydroponics • hypospray • impulse engine • inertial dampener • interdimendional rift • interphasic disruption • interspatial phenomenon • matter • microfilament • mobile emitter • molecular cohesion • multiverse • nanoprobe • neuroelectric generator • omega molecule • ODN • padd • particle • pattern buffer • pattern enhancer • phaser • phaser array • phaser bank • photon torpedo • physics • planet • post-traumatic stress disorder • prism • quantum phase shifting • quantum scan • quantum slipstream drive • ratio • replicator • resistor coil • sensor • soliton pulse • space • subspace • supernova • tachyon • thruster • time • topography • tractor beam • transparent aluminum • transporter • tricorder • warning buoy • warp core • warp drive • warp field • warp nacelle • wrist beacon • zero gravity • zygote
Ranks and titles[]
- acquisition specialist • admiral • ambassador • cadet • captain • chef • chief engineer • chief medical officer • chief science officer • commander • crewman • doctor • ensign • fleet chief engineer • fleet commander • flight specialist • grave robber • helmsman • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • medic • morale officer • pilot • security chief • Senior Acquisitions Executive • tactical officer • teacher • vice admiral
Other references[]
- astrometrics • battle bridge • Battle of the Azure Nebula • Beyond Temporal Mechanics • blanket • Borg drone • Borg Invasion of 2381 • cargo bay • cave • coffee • convoy • cot • cycle • desert • distress call • dog • duty shift • engineering • evergreen • genocide • golden ratio • guerno • guinea pig • Holy Rings of Betazed • honeycomb • Jefferies tube • La Vita Nuova • magazine • orange juice • park • pickle • pillow • pine cone • piracy • Prime Directive • raktajino • rucksack • salad • sandwich • saucer separation • Secasian serpent • sector • sexuality • shuttlebay • skeletal lock • Staff of Ren • starscape • sunflower • Tarkon Commercial Charter • tavern • tea • tea kettle • Timmy and the Targ • toast • water • wedding • The Wizard of Oz • yellow alert
Tamarian language references[]
- Delmos • Initra
Appendices[]
Background information[]
- The German translation of the novel was released by Cross Cult in 2016. It was translated by René Ulmer and featured new cover art by Martin Frei.
Related stories[]
- TNG novel: Before Dishonor
- Star Trek: Destiny
- VOY novels: Full Circle, Unworthy, Children of the Storm
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
The novel runs from August through September of 2381, the third and fourth month of the Full Circle Fleets 3-year-mission in the Delta Quadrant. It begins three years and seven months after the final Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Endgame".
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Children of the Storm |
Voyager novels (post-finale) |
Next novel: Protectors |
| Previous novel: Children of the Storm |
Novels by: Kirsten Beyer |
Next novel: Protectors |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Over a Torrent Sea |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next Adventure: Watching the Clock Chapters 5-6 |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in {{{primary}}}. The Pocket Books Timeline places events from this story in three other timeframes: | ||
| Previous Adventure: Before Dishonor Chapters 48 |
June 2380 Chapter 8 section 3, chapter 11 |
Next Adventure: Before Dishonor Chapters 49-50 |
| Previous Adventure: Lost Souls Chapters 1,3-7,9-13,15-19,21-29 sections 1-9 |
February 2381 Chapters 3 section 2 |
Next Adventure: Lost Souls Chapter 29 sections 10-12, chapte 30 |
| Previous Adventure: Watching the Clock Chapters 5-6 |
September 2381 Chapters 17-36, epilogue |
Next Adventure: Synthesis |
Translations[]
- 2016
- German : Ewige Gezeiten, translated by René Ulmer. (Cross Cult)
External link[]
- The Eternal Tide article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.