Summary[]
Lieutenant Commander Bridget McLellan (Bridy Mac) and Cervantes Quinn are sent to steal a Shedai containing artifact from the Klingons. Deeming the theft impossible, Bridy opts to free the entity, who she believes to be the Shedai Warden, and allows it to destroy the base as the duo narrowly escape.
Ganz receives verification that Quinn killed Zett Nilric and has taken his ship. Enraged, he commissions a Nausicaan to kill Quinn but orders that Bridy, a Starfleet officer, not be harmed. Neera warns that this act could jeopardize their position at Vanguard but allows it. Ganz would also like to kill Diego Reyes but Neera prohibits this indefinitely.
Bridy and Quinn’s next mission is to sneak aboard an Orion freighter in Gorn custody which was damaged when it encountered a gravitational anomaly emitting the Jinoteur Pattern signal in an effort to locate the anomaly. Quinn and Bridy, who are 20 years apart in age, are now lovers but keep this relationship secret from their Starfleet superiors. En route to their mission, Quinn tells Bridy he is ready to retire and asks her to settle down with him and start a family but says he will go where she goes. Bridy agrees this will be their final mission and then she will leave Starfleet. Meanwhile, they are being followed by the Nausicaan assassin. Upon finding their target in a hangar on the planet, Bridy and Quinn are discussing how to carry out the heist when the ship explodes and a Klingon flees the scene with the navigational logs.
They follow the agent through the congested streets of a nearby city but their cover is blown when the Nausicaan appears and tries to kill Quinn. Bridy chases the Klingon while Quinn fights the Nausicaan. Quinn gains the upper hand but lets the assassin live to tell Ganz that Zett was killed pursuing a personal vendetta, not on business for Ganz. He orders Ganz to let him go and for the Nausicaan not to bother him again. Meanwhile, Bridy apprehends the Klingon, retrieves the data before it can be transmitted, and escapes. Unknown to her, the agent had already copied the data.
Ganz agrees to let Quinn go. Meanwhile his obsession with Reyes is growing to the point he is considering killing Neera so that he may kill Reyes.
Captain Atish Khatami of the USS Endeavour orders Bridy to go after the Jinoteur Pattern signal source. She also informs her that a 5 megaton bomb was hidden in her ship’s cargo in case it becomes necessary to destroy the source to prevent it from falling into Klingon hands. Khatami tells her the two of them are expendable if it means keeping the source out of Klingon hands. When Bridy and Quinn locate a wormhole at the coordinates, Quinn wants to report to the Endeavour and leave but Bridy orders him through.
When the Endeavour receives word of a Klingon fleet heading for the coordinates, they move to rendezvous as well. Bridy and Quinn emerge in a pocket universe containing the missing Jinoteur system. After a crash landing, they track the signal up a mountain and into a large cave. Bridy falls down a crevasse and breaks her leg.
Deep inside the cave, they locate a crystalline machine and the Shedai Apostate in angelic form. He tells them that he desires to give them the ability to fight the Shedai as he once helped the Tkon. He provides them with a guide/key to a Tkon weapon capable of containing and destroying his kind, but he doesn’t know where it is. The Apostate also tells them that he used the last of his energy to create the pocket universe and speak with Bridy and Quinn. He then shrinks into nothingness, warning them that the pocket universe will soon collapse.
Bridy then sends Quinn to their ship for a tricorder and a medkit. As Quinn reaches the ship, a Klingon fleet lands between him and the cave. Bridy has the bomb with her and decides to use it to stop the Klingons and prevent Quinn from a suicidal rescue attempt. Bridy tells Quinn she loves him and to flee then detonates the bomb. The explosion consumes the Klingon fleet and creates an avalanche that overwhelms Quinn and his ship. The Endeavour arrives and rescues Quinn but his ship is destroyed and he wishes he was dead. Upon his return to Vanguard, Quinn resumes drinking.
References[]
Characters[]
Vanguard personnel and residents[]
- Tom Walker • Ming Xiong
- Referenced only
- Tim Pennington
USS Endeavour personnel[]
- Hector Estrada • Atish Khatami • Stephen Klisiewicz • Anthony Leone • Marielise McCormack • Paul McGibbon • Bersh glov Mog • Neelakanta • Katherine Stano
USS Sagittarius personnel[]
- Lisa Babitz • Karen Cahow • Faro Dastin • Celerasayna zh'Firro • Mike Ilucci • Adelard Nassir • Razka • Sorak • Nguyen Tan Bao • Taryl • Clark Terrell • Vanessa Theriault • Salagho Threx • Torvin
Omari-Ekon personnel[]
- Ganz • Neera • Diego Reyes
- Referenced only
- Zett Nilric
Other characters[]
- Shedai Apostate • Chathani • Geeter • Goloth • Hegron • Kajek • Kresh • Bridget McLellan • Cervantes Quinn • Ragh • Shedai Warden
- Referenced only
- Robin Hood • Indizar • James T. Kirk • Shedai Maker • Denise Quinn
Starships and vehicles[]
- Andorian outrider • Dulcinea (Nalori argosy) • USS Endeavour (Constitution-class) • escape pod • Klingon bird-of-prey • Klingon dropship • Murakami • Omari-Ekon • USS Sagittarius (Archer-class) • Treana • Tyson
- Referenced only
- Rocinante • unnamed Gorn starships
Locations[]
- Seudath (Tzoryp) • Taurus Reach • Vanguard (Stars Landing • Tom Walker's) • Zeta Aurigae system • Zeta Aurigae III • Zeta Aurigae IV
- Referenced only
- Amonash • Chirlow • Deneva • Deskereb • Golmira • Hell • Jinoteur system • Mazur Prime • Pacifica • Q'Tahl • Qo'noS • Rura Penthe • Sto-vo-kor
Races and cultures[]
- Andorian • Antican • Arcturan • Deltan • Denobulan • Gorn • Human • Kaferian • Klingon • Nausicaan • Orion • Saurian • Selay • Shedai • Tellarite • Tholian • Tiburonian • Trill • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Nalori • Tkon
States and organizations[]
- Gorn Hegemony • Klingon 5th Battle Fleet • Klingon Defense Force • Klingon Empire • Imperial Intelligence • Orion Syndicate • Serrataal • Starfleet • Starfleet Intelligence • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Bank of Bolarus • Federation News Service • Klingon High Council • Merry Men • Starfleet Command • Tholian Assembly • Tkon Empire
Science and technology[]
- aileron • annular confinement beam • antimatter • antimatter pod • air purification system • artificial gravity • autopilot • binoculars • bio-signature • black hole • blood • bomb • carbon • carbon dioxide • chronometer • communicator • computer worm • coolant • data card • data slate • deflector shield • disruptor • disruptor pistol • duranium • exoskeleton • F class star • flashlight • force field generator • gravimetric wave • gravitational flux • grenade • harmonic subfrequency • heat stick • hydrogen pod • hypospray • hypothermia • hypoxia • impulse coil • impulse engine • internal combustion engine • inertial dampener • Jinoteur Pattern • kelvin • kilometer • life support • logic processor • magnetic field • magnetic manacles • medkit • meter • mining • navigation computer • nitrogen • obsessive compulsive disorder • optronic cable • oxygen • phaser • plasma conduit • plasma grenade • plasma relay • plasma rifle • power coupler • power generator • public announcement system • radiation • radiation suit • rubindium-transponder transporter recall bracelet • safety restraint • sensor • Shedai Conduit • sniper rifle • snow • sonic hammer • stun pistol • subspace • subspace antenna • subspace communication • subspatial lensing • thermocrete • transient tinnitus • transparent aluminum • transporter • transporter scrambler • tricorder • trilithium • tri-ox compound • universe • warp drive • warp engine • waveform • white dwarf • wormhole
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • ambassador • archaeology and anthropology officer • assassin • bartender • bodyguard • bounty hunter • captain • chief engineer • chief medical officer • civilian • commander • crewman • deputy security chief • director • engineer • engineer's mate • ensign • field medic • field scout • first officer • Gorn Ambassador to the Klingon Empire • Imperator of the Gorn Hegemony • Lead recon scout • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • master chief petty officer • mechanic • medical technician • merchant prince • number one • nurse • paramedic • petty officer first class • petty officer second class • science officer • section chief • security chief • senior chief petty officer • spy • tactical officer
Other references[]
- 23rd century • Anejo Patron • assignment patch • backpack • barbed wire • barrel • beach house • bloodwine • cantina • Captain's log, USS Bombay (NCC-1926) • casino • cloak • concrete • coordinates • court martial • credit • deck plate • dom-jot • Federation Standard • flag • flask • fruit • germophobe • glove • Gorn Standard • jacket • jumpsuit • knife • Kolinahr • limestone • lon • M-Class • maintenance bay • mess hall • music • obsidian • Old Testament • Operation Vanguard • Orion rum • orange juice • Passageway • petaQ • planet • planetoid • poker • popsicle • Priority Victor-Alpha • Qapla' • ration • rope • safe house • saucepan • security clearance • sensor log • seppuku • Seven-Tango-Red • shelter kit • shuttlebay • Sláinte • sofa • sports • stretcher • synthetic-fiber • szeket • tattoo • Telinaruul • tequila • terrestrial enclosure • thermal blanket • tlhIngan Hol • tool belt • Transporter bay • turtle • water • yIntagh
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
| Chronological Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous adventure: Not yet placed |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: The Tholian Web |
Production history[]
| Published Order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Precipice |
Vanguard novels | Next novel: What Judgments Come |
Appendices[]
Background[]
Related stories[]
| 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 |
Images[]
Translations[]
- 2011
- German : Und die Sterne blicken herab. (Cross Cult)