Tales of the Dominion War

Summary

 * From the book jacket
 * For two seasons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine chronicled the intense struggle of the Federation, fighting alongside the Klingons and the Romulans against the overwhelming forces of the Dominion in some of the most exciting hours of television ever produced.


 * Now, for the first time, see how the Dominion War affected the entirety of the Star Trek universe. From the heart of the Federation to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. From the front lines of Klingon space to the darkest recesses of the Romulan Empire. From the heroic members of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to the former crew of the USS Stargazer. From the edge of the New Frontier to the corridors of station Deep Space 9.


 * Some of the finest Star Trek novelists have been gathered to provide a dozen new tales from this seminal period in galactic history. Heroes from three generations – Sisko, Picard, Spock, Kira, Mackenzie Calhoun, Klag, McCoy, Gold, and so many more – brought together in these... Tales of the Dominion War.

What Dreams May Come
by Michael Jan Friedman

In the early days of the war, a planet named Illarh lying within Federation space, but unaligned with the organization, has been occupied by Dominion forces. The Illarhi are a peaceful and unadvanced species. The regiment consists of a small platoon of Jem'Hadar soldiers and a Vorta named Sejeel. The main objective of this unit is to install a defense system and establish a beachhead before the Federation discovers the planet has been occupied.

Sejeel, quartered in the home of a government official, is distracted by the trappings of luxury, including silk sheets, bed clothes, and filling breakfasts. His only concerns are to periodically check on the status of the defense grid being installed. Another amusement he is using is his servant, Draz. The Vorta are unable to dream; the Illarhi are. Sejeel has Draz tell him about his dreams for entertainment.

Today, however, Draz has had a troublesome dream. He feels he is more than what he is. Sejeel mocks him, saying that he has always been a lowly alien. The Vorta's arrogant dismissals fade as Draz continues with what he saw in the dream: that he is actually another person, from another world; that someone has transmitted a message about the events on Illarh; that the Federation knows about the Dominion presence; that the Federation is already dealing with the matter.

Horrified, Sejeel attempts to check on the Jem'Hadar: Static is his answer, followed by the sound of battle outside. Draz suddenly activates a Starfleet-style combadge, which is answered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Mortified that he has been fooled and complacent, Sejeel is taken prisoner as Draz reveals his true identity: the Human Gilaad Ben Zoma, formerly first officer of the USS Stargazer.

Night of the Vulture
by Greg Cox

The Beta XII-A entity is gloating about the maelstrom around it. Deep Space 9 has fallen, reverted to Terok Nor. It is looking forward to a long, violent war that will provide it with much needed anger and hatred to feed off of. However, events in the Sol system may interrupt its feed...

In orbit of Earth, Cardassian operative Zonek Karle, modified to appear human, is awaiting a very important passenger for his ship, the Solanco. That passenger arrives: A Founder, with information important to the Dominion war effort. The information she has retrieved are the codes to bring down the mine grid at the Bajoran wormhole; if the codes are successfully used, reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant could sweep in. The Federation and the Klingon Empire wouldn't stand a chance. With the Founder aboard, as well as the Vorta Methras and a unit of Jem'Hadar, the irritated Karle departs the system for Terok Nor, a five days journey.

Karle, a patriotic Cardassian against his planet's alliance with the Dominion, is all the more irritated by the interference of the Founder. She is constantly calling for a faster route, but Karle insists he knows the way to go. She also gloats about the Obsidian Order's destruction in the Omarion Nebula, further taxing his nerves. Methras is no help to his mood either, too busy daydreaming of a conquered Earth and Betazed to offer any help. Matters are further taxed when the USS Bellingham apperars to perform a routine security check. After being partially satisfied all is well and distracted by events in another sector, the Andorian captain bids them off and leaves.

At this point, the Solanco is nearing the dangerous Hunyadi Rift, a spatial anomaly powerful enough to destroy anything trapped in its reach. Karle, tired of the interference of the Changeling, guns the ship towards the rift. Scared and equally angry, the Changeling attempts to strangle Karle. Just as she is about to do so, a disruptor pistol appears in Karle's hand. He shoots the Changeling in the head, killing her. Karle himself is then quickly vaporized by the Jem'Hadar.

Hovering above, the Beta XII-A entity continues to manipulate events for its feed. The ship's supply of ketracel-white vanishes, and Methras is unable to explain what has happened. The enraged Jem'Hadar brutally murder the defenseless Methras, beating him to death with their weapons after the entity has disabled his termination implant. With no one else left to play with, the entity manipulates the Jem'Hadar into thinking the others are hoarding a supply of white. They turn on each other, the small ship turning into a bloodbath. Again and again, the entity revives the soldiers, and again and again, they murder each other. The entity, having the best feast it has ever had, is too enamored with the brawl to think of escape.

By this time, the Solanco is pulled into the Hunyadi Rift, taking the entity with it. Several thoughts flash through its mind as it falls into the rift; the fact its feeding was over, the thought he wanted another chance...

...and the thought that it, singlehandledly, had saved the Federation and Klingon Empire.

The Ceremony of Innocence is Drowned
by Keith R.A. DeCandido

On Betazed, Lwaxana Troi and Mr. Homn are preparing to receive guests; Elaine and Nathan Gold, family of Captain David Gold of the USS da Vinci. The talk is light: Children, Betazed's architecture, Lwaxana's furnishings, and food. She briefly thinks of the Dominion War, but dismisses the threat. After all, Betazed is of no military importance, and they have a defensive system, although it is in disrepair and fifty years old. A refit had been planned, but Troi herself voted against it mere weeks before.

Suddenly, the battle mantra of the Jem'Hadar slams into Lwaxana's head: It could only be possible if there were thousands upon thousands near the planet; they're coming. Telepathically, she feels the horrifying death of the commander of Betazed's defenses, the fear of all Betazoids, and the deaths of thousands as the Jem'Hadar open fire on the planet. Soon, the invaders target the capital city, including the Troi household. The Troi house collapses, killing the Golds and Mr. Homn. Lwaxana and her young son Barin are the only survivors, shielded by Mr. Homm.

The two are dug up by a rescue party and bundled off to an underground bunker to wait out the attack. En route, Lwaxana sees the capital in flames and virtually leveled. There, after meeting fellow government officials, Lwaxana finds out the Tenth Fleet has been beaten back; Betazed has fallen to the Dominion. Despite the loss of her friends, servant, home, possessions, and planet, Lwaxana resolves herself and her fellow survivors. She tells them to organize resistance, vowing to make occupying Betazed a living hell for the invaders.
 * The events of this story lead directly into the events of The Battle of Betazed.

Blood Sacrifice
by Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz

The Romulan Senate argues whether to ally with the Federation and Klingon Empire or joining the Dominion, but when the Emperor of Romulus is murdered, Vulcan Ambassador Spock and his reunification cell attempt to uncover the who and the why. This story is set immediately before and during .

Mirror Eyes
by Heather Jarman & Jeffrey Lang

Told entirely in the viewpoint of journal entries, an undercover Romulan Tal Shiar agent on Deep Space 9 struggles with her mission until she is forced to assist Starfleet medical forces, including Julian Bashir, Beverly Crusher, and the EMH of the Enterprise in eradicating a Dominion-engineered plague. Admiral Leonard McCoy also appears as Chief of Starfleet Medicine, and a 200-year-old report from a Doctor Phlox proves valuable to the research effort.

This story is set in the three month period between between and .

Twilight's Wrath
by David Mack

Centurion Shinzon and his company of Reman shock troops are given a secret mission: to retake and destroy a secret Tal Shiar research facility on a planet in the former Neutral Zone that has been recently occupied by the Dominion, before a Federation and Klingon task force retakes the planet and discovers the lab, which would be a severe "embarrassment" to the Romulan Empire. If he survives the mission, Shinzon is promised command of his own D'deridex class-warbird.

Knowing full well that the Romulan commander of their ship has orders to destroy the lab from orbit, whether or not Shinzon succeeds, Shinzon and his troops massacre the Romulan crew and commandeer the ship, before attacking. After landing on the planet, Shinzon surprises the enormous Jem'Hadar garrison guarding the facility by having the warbird piloted into the planet's surface in a Kamikaze attack that wipes out half the garrison and creates an EMP that disables both sides' energy weapons. Fighting in hand-to-hand combat into the facility, Shinzon finds an experimental Thalaron radiation generator (which he uses to wipe out the remaining Jem'Hadar and their Vorta overseer) and the android B-4 - both of which play crucial roles in.

His mission accomplished, Shinzon returns to Romulan space to claim his reward.

Eleven Hours Out
by Dave Galanter

Captain Picard and Deanna Troi have returned to Earth to attend the latest Starfleet Academy graduation ceremony. Among the recent graduates is Picard's niece-by-marriage (through his sister-in-law, Marie Picard) Ensign Amarante Lebel. The ceremonies are interrupted by the Breen's attack on San Francisco (as chronicled in ).

Picard rallies the cadets to help evacuate the building into an old bomb shelter built below San Francisco during the Cold War, and to assess their situation. Although there are only three Breen ships (disguised as freighters), Earth is practically defenseless: a Breen agent has taken over its only Orbital weapon platform, and Starbase 1 has been disabled, trapping the starship U.S.S. Columbia inside. Starfleet's communications have been disabled, and only civilian news feeds are getting out. Picking up one of these emergency broadcasts, the Enterprise speeds back to the Sol system, several hours away.

Realizing that the weapons platform will vaporize any incoming ship as soon as it enters the system, Picard daringly boards the platform (only one person can go, because of the concentration of transport inhibitors aboard) and disables the Breen agent. Entering the system, the Enterprise helps free the Columbia from the jammed Starbase doors, and the two ships drive off the Breen invaders together.

While visiting a funeral for some of the many casualties of the attack, Amarante confides to her uncle that she has given up her plans to serve on a starship and will stay on Earth to help coordinate the reconstruction of Starfleet Headquarters. Picard has become very impressed with his niece's abilities, and vice-versa, and the two say an affectionate goodbye before Picard and Troi are beamed up.

Safe Harbors
by Howard Weinstein

When word reaches Admiral Leonard McCoy and Captain Montgomery Scott of the Breen attack on Earth, they must join with another battle-scarred Federation starship and a group of young officers to avoid Breen forces in an unfriendly area.

Field Expediency
by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

In this tale spotlighting the crew from the S.C.E. vessel USS da Vinci, officers Duffy and Stevens come under heavy fire from Breen forces looking to pick them off one by one while the try to capture some newfound technology.

A Song Well Sung
by Robert Greenberger

This story features Captain Klag of the IKS Gorkon, who, armed with only one arm, a bat'leth, and a Klingon disruptor must fight seven Jem'Hadar soldiers on a hot desert on the planet Marcan V.

Stone Cold Truths
by Peter David

A hundred and fifty years after the Dominion War, a now-retired Zak Kebron tells his son of an experience during the war, and teaches him and his teacher a valuable lesson about viewing conflict.

Requital
by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

Simultaneous with the events of the DS9 finale : Reese, who has asked for, and received, permission to serve aboard the Defiant during the Battle of Cardassia, forms an unlikely alliance with Glinn Ekoor after the ceasefire, to assassinate the Female Changeling.

Background Information

 * The book contains a Dominion War timeline, compiled by Keith R.A. DeCandido. It features information from both DS9 and the various novels set during the war.

Canon Characters

 * Jean-Luc Picard
 * The Beta XII-A entity
 * Lwaxana Troi
 * Mr. Homn
 * Spock
 * Neral
 * Julian Bashir
 * Beverly Crusher
 * Leonard McCoy
 * Elim Garak
 * Quark
 * Morn
 * Shinzon
 * Vkruk
 * Tal'aura
 * Deanna Troi
 * Montgomery Scott
 * Klag
 * Ekoor
 * Reese