Avatar, Book Two

A devastating attack shatters the peace in the Alpha Quadrant, as religious tensions and political upheavals envelop Bajor.

Summary

 * From the book jacket


 * As the Federation prepares to launch a counterstrike against the Dominion, Colonel Kira Nerys searches for a way to prevent another galactic holocaust. But when a newly discovered prophecy propels Jake Sisko on an impossible quest and threatens to plunge all of Bajor into chaos, Kira is forced to choose between being true to her faith... and being true to herself.


 * Meanwhile, as the combined crews of Deep Space 9 and the Starship Enterprise struggle to stop a terrorist plot to destroy the station and the ship, lives change, new friendships are forged, and the shocking truth behind a grisly murder is revealed.

The story continues the events described in Avatar, Book One.

While Jake Sisko is on the way to the wormhole to go looking for his father, finally entering it, but losing control of his shuttle, the events on Deep Space 9 start to accelerate. Kitana'klan, the Jem'Hadar claiming to be sent by Odo is revealed as an impostor after almost killing Julian Bashir, an event that finally opens the eyes of Ezri Dax about her deep feelings for Julian. With the help of newly-arrived Commander Elias Vaughn, the crew of Deep Space 9 is able to track the renegade Jem'Hadar down; heavily wounded, with the help of Vaughn and another, mysterious Jem'Hadar, Kira Nerys manages to shut the sabotaged core down. The other Jem'Hadar named Taran'atar is the true emissary of Odo; he carries a recorded message from Odo which not only proves this fact, but on which Odo also states that the Dominion has "closed its borders" and will not interfere if any ship goes on to explore the Gamma Quadrant.

Elias Vaughn volunteers for the unoccupied job of second-in-command on Deep Space 9 and manages to convince Starfleet to grant him the job; also Kira is delighted about this choice, especially after she speaks to Elias about the Orb of Memories – which leads to an orb experience of her own. This experience leads to the resolution of another mystery – the one regarding the prophecy in the book recently found by Istani Reyla, the murdered Prylar. After Ro Laren finds out that Istani has been murdered by a vedek, Vedek Yevir does not deny knowledge of this, although he claims that it was not foreseen that Istani should die, only that she should be stopped spreading heretic words. Kira secretly uploads the text of the book into the Bajoran comm systems – something that deeply troubles Kasidy Yates, because the mysterious prophecy is about her unborn child and that 10,000 people must die before it is born. However, the orb experience makes Kira traveling to B'hala – and she takes Kas, Ro and Yevir with her. In the ancient city, the group finds an ancient tomb of about ten thousand Bajorans – guardians of the prophecies.

Yevir publicly announces that the Vedek Assembly will now accept the book's prophecies and seems to be very humble, even admitting his own blindness. However, Quark, watching the speech, has a feeling that the vedek is up to getting to the power. And Kira definitively feels this: She is attainted, meaning that, as a result of acting against a vedek's will when she uploaded the text, she is not allowed into any temples, nor to pray with other Bajorans or to have orb experiences. Ezri and Bashir finally sort their troubles out; Ro is flattered by a diner invitation of Quark, "as friends", as he puts it (but Nog definitively thinks his uncle is in love); Shar finally feels very uncomfortable after it is revealed that his mother actually holds the Andorian seat in the Federation Council, but is calmed down a little after a chat with Nog, who does not care about such relations (after all, Nog's father Rom is now the Grand Nagus). Ro, finally, makes her peace with Jean-Luc Picard and also with Kira, and Ensign Prynn Tenmei feels very bad about having Commander Vaughn on the station – for unknown reasons.

Background Information

 * This is the second installment of DS9's "relaunch". It establishes the new characters and also deals with the relationships among them (new and old).
 * Elias Vaughn is the new second-in-command on Deep Space 9.
 * Odo has sent a Jem'Hadar to Deep Space 9; he is to learn from the Human beings there, and assist colonel Kira.
 * B'hala is listed on the title page as the location of one of Pocket Books' offices.

Characters

 * Kira Nerys : DS9's CO, Bajoran Colonel
 * Starfleet commander, future second-in-command on DS9
 * Ro Laren : Chief of Security on DS9
 * Kasidy Yates : The Emissary's wife, bearing his unborn child (the "Avatar")
 * : Bajoran Vedek
 * : Jem'Hadar, claiming that Odo sent him
 * : A Jem'Hadar and the true "emissary" of Odo
 * Julian Bashir : DS9's medical officer
 * Ezri Dax : Counselor
 * Nog : Technical Chief on DS9
 * Andorian ensign
 * Quark : Bartender
 * Jake Sisko : Ben Sisko's son
 * Jean-Luc Picard : Captain of the Enterprise
 * Deanna Troi : Counselor aboard the Enterprise
 * Beverly Crusher : Chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise
 * Odo : Changeling
 * Laas : Changeling
 * : Ensign

External link


Avatar, Book Two Offenbarung, Buch 2