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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—Mission Gamma #2
This Gray Spirit
UNSAILED SEAS
The political intrigue aboard Deep Space 9 ™ escalates when Gul Macet's warship arrives at the station with an unexpected passenger. Cardassian Ambassador Natima Lang has returned to the station on a mission of hope, but it's one that will bring back old wounds and old ghosts. As tensions rise on all sides, Colonel Kira Nerys discovers that the line between friend and foe is narrower than she ever imagined.
Elsewhere, the crew of the damaged Starship Defiant forges an uneasy alliance with an unusual alien species -- one whose unique biological makeup is the key to the balance of power in that region of the Gamma Quadrant. As the crew becomes ensnared in a web of deceit, Lieutenant Ezri Dax and Ensign Thirishar ch'Thane struggle to stave off a genocidal civil war.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 3, 2022
Following up David R. George's Massive book "Twilight" would be a challenge for any author, especially to newer authors. Well, this book is Heather Jarman's debut (one of her only books), and it is a killer book! I had read her book "String Theory: Evolution" for Voyager, which I thought was just fine, but not a great book. Here she is obviously much more comfortable writing for Deep Space Nine, and it works in her favor.
The first major point I'll make is that this is an impeccably paced book. It is really strong because of it's longer chapter lengths and its structure. This book alternates between the plotline on DS9 and the Gamma Quadrant plotline with the Defiant. Literally every chapter goes back and forth, and thus I was constantly aware of where I was as a reader and I was always brought into a new aspect, never lingering too long on any one plotline. This kind of mirrors what I liked about Brandon Sanderson's "Elantris", which is evenly divided up between three plotlines.
I don't know why, but I will always be more interested in the DS9 plot more than the Defiant plotline. Julian Bashir, who is on the Defiant, is my favorite Star Trek literary character, and yet his plotlines aren't particularly interesting here. All of the polticial intrigue and familarity of the station plotline is infintely more fascinating to me than the exploration aspect of the Defiant plotline.
Don't get me wrong, the Defiant plotline in this book was really good. What makes this book a slight step up from it's predecessor, "Twilight", is that Jarman's usage of action, politics, and adventure is much more interesting than David R. George's intimate character/exploration focus. The storyline with Shar and Ezri was fun to read, had excellent themes about bigotry and about compromise, and had plenty of well written action. I got a little confused at the Nog/Vaughn plotline, but it made sense in the end.
The plotline on DS9 was just as excellent as David R. George's, but in a different way. David R. George really writes the characters of Kira, Ro Laren, and Quark well, almost as if he had created the characters. Every line of dialgoue from him felt authentic. Where Jarman lacked in authenticity and voice, she definitely nailed their tone and kept the story exciting. There is a big twist in this book that frustrated me when I read it and I HAD to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
Jarman puts focus in this book on the Andorians and their culture, which is a Trek culture I by nature do not enjoy reading about. But she really handles themes about marriage, duty, honor, and responsibility really well. And the tension between the Andorians was really palpable. I can see why Jarman was given the Andor book in the "Worlds of Deep Space Nine" series.
This book has a certain failing in that it doesn't feel like the events of the last book have huge weight in this one. It feels like the authors had a vague connective tissue (probably their editor: Marco Palmieri), but it doesn't feel like they worked as a group on the book. Ironically, Jarman mentions several authors in her acknowledgements, and none of them are her co-authors on the series. That seems to indicate just how much of this book was written in a bubble, which does dampen my view of it, compared to "The Fall", where you can tell all of the authors worked closely together on the story.
Also, I noticed that Ambassador Lang was named after Jeffrey Lang and Ensign Beyer was named after Kirsten Beyer. I think I would have noticed it on my own, but Jarman literally puts their names in the acknowledgements and the characters show up in the first few chapters, so it wasn't as subtle as it should have been.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. No, it's not the absolute best Trek book I've read, but I must admit it is high on my list! I'm interested in reading the rest of the series soon, exactly as I should feel after reading this book. 9.0 out of 10! Way to go Heather Jarman!
The first major point I'll make is that this is an impeccably paced book. It is really strong because of it's longer chapter lengths and its structure. This book alternates between the plotline on DS9 and the Gamma Quadrant plotline with the Defiant. Literally every chapter goes back and forth, and thus I was constantly aware of where I was as a reader and I was always brought into a new aspect, never lingering too long on any one plotline. This kind of mirrors what I liked about Brandon Sanderson's "Elantris", which is evenly divided up between three plotlines.
I don't know why, but I will always be more interested in the DS9 plot more than the Defiant plotline. Julian Bashir, who is on the Defiant, is my favorite Star Trek literary character, and yet his plotlines aren't particularly interesting here. All of the polticial intrigue and familarity of the station plotline is infintely more fascinating to me than the exploration aspect of the Defiant plotline.
Don't get me wrong, the Defiant plotline in this book was really good. What makes this book a slight step up from it's predecessor, "Twilight", is that Jarman's usage of action, politics, and adventure is much more interesting than David R. George's intimate character/exploration focus. The storyline with Shar and Ezri was fun to read, had excellent themes about bigotry and about compromise, and had plenty of well written action. I got a little confused at the Nog/Vaughn plotline, but it made sense in the end.
The plotline on DS9 was just as excellent as David R. George's, but in a different way. David R. George really writes the characters of Kira, Ro Laren, and Quark well, almost as if he had created the characters. Every line of dialgoue from him felt authentic. Where Jarman lacked in authenticity and voice, she definitely nailed their tone and kept the story exciting. There is a big twist in this book that frustrated me when I read it and I HAD to keep reading to find out what would happen next.
Jarman puts focus in this book on the Andorians and their culture, which is a Trek culture I by nature do not enjoy reading about. But she really handles themes about marriage, duty, honor, and responsibility really well. And the tension between the Andorians was really palpable. I can see why Jarman was given the Andor book in the "Worlds of Deep Space Nine" series.
This book has a certain failing in that it doesn't feel like the events of the last book have huge weight in this one. It feels like the authors had a vague connective tissue (probably their editor: Marco Palmieri), but it doesn't feel like they worked as a group on the book. Ironically, Jarman mentions several authors in her acknowledgements, and none of them are her co-authors on the series. That seems to indicate just how much of this book was written in a bubble, which does dampen my view of it, compared to "The Fall", where you can tell all of the authors worked closely together on the story.
Also, I noticed that Ambassador Lang was named after Jeffrey Lang and Ensign Beyer was named after Kirsten Beyer. I think I would have noticed it on my own, but Jarman literally puts their names in the acknowledgements and the characters show up in the first few chapters, so it wasn't as subtle as it should have been.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. No, it's not the absolute best Trek book I've read, but I must admit it is high on my list! I'm interested in reading the rest of the series soon, exactly as I should feel after reading this book. 9.0 out of 10! Way to go Heather Jarman!
November 15, 2018
4 1/2 stars. This novel started off really intriguing with the Defiant being crippled by an unknown weapon and due to this meet a new species. This species, the Yrythny, are on the brink of civil war - all the while being targeted by another species, mind you - since the two casts doesn't get along and the Defiant crew get caught up in the middle of all of this.
I really enjoyed getting to know the Yrythny and the problems their society were facing. Different casts and putting restrictions on people because of which cast they belong to is something that we've had to deal with on this planet, too. That we're still dealing with. It makes you think about how we still have a long way to go. Star Trek is good at providing stories that resonates with our own life and what's going on in the world. The connection Shar feels with the Yrythny and his interest for their special genome, that he think might help his own people, is another layer to this story that I really like.
I've grown to really like the Andorians and their struggles. The situation with Shar and his bondmates has made this come alive for me in a whole new way. Light years apart from him his bondmates are trying to get Thriss under control. Shar leaving for the mission in the Gamma Quadrant has been hard on her, to say the least. It's easy to feel for her and get emotionally attached to her situation. She's one of those characters that grab a hold on you.
With the Cardassians coming to the station for negotiations and trying to improve their relationship with the Bajorans there's a lot going on and emotions are running high. I like that you can think you know pretty well what's going on, and then have the tables turning on you. It's not always easy to tell whose on your side and whose not, which makes for an interesting read.
Last but not least I also want to mention that I really like the new counselor, Phillipa Matthias, replacing Ezri on the station. I'm thinking she might very well turn into one of my favorite characters on DS9.
"Who knows if these strangers have been brought here by the Other? There's no question that we face perilous times. The blockade may turn Houseborn against Wanderer after centuries of relative peace. We have neither the arms or the resources to fight them, but we are being swept by currents that decide our fate, one way or the other. The strangers may be our last chance." Keren spoke as if to Shar directly, as if she sat at his elbow and whispered the words for him alone. He was transfixed.
I really enjoyed getting to know the Yrythny and the problems their society were facing. Different casts and putting restrictions on people because of which cast they belong to is something that we've had to deal with on this planet, too. That we're still dealing with. It makes you think about how we still have a long way to go. Star Trek is good at providing stories that resonates with our own life and what's going on in the world. The connection Shar feels with the Yrythny and his interest for their special genome, that he think might help his own people, is another layer to this story that I really like.
I've grown to really like the Andorians and their struggles. The situation with Shar and his bondmates has made this come alive for me in a whole new way. Light years apart from him his bondmates are trying to get Thriss under control. Shar leaving for the mission in the Gamma Quadrant has been hard on her, to say the least. It's easy to feel for her and get emotionally attached to her situation. She's one of those characters that grab a hold on you.
With the Cardassians coming to the station for negotiations and trying to improve their relationship with the Bajorans there's a lot going on and emotions are running high. I like that you can think you know pretty well what's going on, and then have the tables turning on you. It's not always easy to tell whose on your side and whose not, which makes for an interesting read.
Last but not least I also want to mention that I really like the new counselor, Phillipa Matthias, replacing Ezri on the station. I'm thinking she might very well turn into one of my favorite characters on DS9.
November 21, 2021
Hokay.
So the eugenic frog people are shown by the crew of the Defiant that their bad eugenic practices are in fact bad eugenic practices (spoiler? I guess?). Vaughn continues to non-entity. Ezri continues to Karen. Shar... is a sweetie. I actually really liked the background we get on him and his bondmates in this book, Manic Andorian Dream Girl and all. Bajoran Intrigue at acceptable levels.
There were a bunch of things that rubbed me wrong, however: like, we get it, Gul Macet looks ALOT like Dukat but he's NOT Dukat except maybe he is kind of? Also the attitude towards Ferengi felt a bit... Next Gen. Even Nog. It was very weird to read a continuation of the Ro and Quark romance as written by someone who very clearly did not understand why and how anyone could find Quark attractive. And for fuck's sake leave Ziyal alone, you monsters.
And where's Jake. WHERE'S JAKE.
WHERE
JAKE
So the eugenic frog people are shown by the crew of the Defiant that their bad eugenic practices are in fact bad eugenic practices (spoiler? I guess?). Vaughn continues to non-entity. Ezri continues to Karen. Shar... is a sweetie. I actually really liked the background we get on him and his bondmates in this book, Manic Andorian Dream Girl and all. Bajoran Intrigue at acceptable levels.
There were a bunch of things that rubbed me wrong, however: like, we get it, Gul Macet looks ALOT like Dukat but he's NOT Dukat except maybe he is kind of? Also the attitude towards Ferengi felt a bit... Next Gen. Even Nog. It was very weird to read a continuation of the Ro and Quark romance as written by someone who very clearly did not understand why and how anyone could find Quark attractive. And for fuck's sake leave Ziyal alone, you monsters.
And where's Jake. WHERE'S JAKE.
WHERE
JAKE
March 13, 2017
good continuation of the series! I was more interested in the plots in this one than the last one. I loved the dilemma with the amphibious species, and I appreciate that while the solution was technological, there was some acknowledgement that it's not a cure-all; social reorganization will be challenging. Not sure what to think about Ezri on command track, but I liked how she drew from Dax's experiences and also found a way to use her own training as a counselor. Also putting Kira at the center of Bajoran-Cardassian negotiations always makes for a good story.
September 1, 2017
This Gray Spirit, Heather Jarman's first foray into the world of Star Trek fiction, continues the Mission Gamma DS9 relaunch series which started with Twilight. Jarman's effort is valiant, advancing several key plotlines with surprising grace, yet simultaneously taking the reader through a series of sharp twists and turns that make the ride all the more exciting.
Devastated by damage from an alien minefield, the Defiant encounters friendly assistance from the Yrythny, a Gamma Quadrant species at war with the Magisterial Cheka Kingdom. Ezri and Shar find themselves dragged in to a burgeoning civil war between clashing social castes, while Vaughn and the remaining crew must come up with a way to defend the Defiant against future damage. Meanwhile, Kira and Ro prepare for peace talks with the Cardassians as Bajor enters a new phase in its social development.
Much like the prior installment, This Gray Spirit splits itself between life on DS9 and the Defiant in the Gamma Quadrant, alternating every chapter. As a result, there were times when I felt like I was reading two different books completely - there is little connecting the two settings at this point. Perhaps the unifying feature of both settings is the inconsistency with which they are written. Allow me to explain...
The Defiant's Gamma Quadrant mission has a fascinating premise: social engineering, caste warfare and a genetic timebomb all rolled into one. Despite a very choppy start (Jarman's writing is far too deadpan and unvarnished in the first few chapters for my liking), I enjoyed the worldbuilding that took place here for the Yrythny culture. Commander Vaughn largely takes a backseat here (sometimes to the detriment of his character), allowing Ezri and Shar to shine in their handling of the burgeoning Yrythny civil war. Ezri's arc of dependency on her past hosts is nicely written, and one gets the feeling that she's finally on a solid path to self acceptance and career certainty. Likewise, I enjoyed seeing the lengths that Shar went to in order to pursue his scientific research to foment peace between the Houseborn and the Wanderer Yrythny castes. The author makes a valiant attempt to give life to believable individuals within the Yrythny civilization, however I felt that a number of them became rather bland and unsympathetic as time went by (perhaps with the exception of Keren). The Cheka (This Gray Spirit's bad guys) are largely written as a plot device to involve the Defiant in the Yrythny's affairs. Their presence here is perhaps unnecessary - the Yrythny story is already enough of a hook to sustain the writing.
I'm breaking down the station storyline into two parts: Andorian and Bajoran. Let's start with the Bajoran. The revelation that Gul Macet is transporting dignitaries from Cardassia in the form of none other than Natima Lang (Season 2's "Profit and Loss") clearly has huge ramifications. Any prospect of diplomatic relations between Bajor and Cardassia is clearly something with the potential to stir up dissent on Bajor, and the resulting story doesn't disappoint. Kira's journey here is en par with her personal milestones in episodes such as "Duet", "Sacrifice of Angels" and "The Changing Face of Evil". Jarman writes Kira very well, and takes her on a believable journey to position her as a surprising advocate for the Cardassians. I loved the inclusion of Tora Ziyal's artwork as a framing device for the talks - this lays Kira's emotions bare and pushes her to a level of vulnerability that's (at times) emotionally fraught to read. Without spoiling the outcome, I confess to falling prey to the misdirection on thumbing the person responsible for derailing talks. This whole storyline is progressing in some fascinating directions which will have very real repercussions for Alpha Quadrant politics going forward. Bravo!
On to the Andorians. Oh dear. Try as I might, I just could not get into this storyline. I continue to have zero interest in Shar's bondmates (even his enigmatic mother lost me at this point). Far, far too much time is given over to this soapy storyline, with interminable passages about Thriss' (frankly annoying) childlike qualities and temper tantrums and the staid responses of Anichent and Dizhai. The storyline moved at a snail's pace, failing to ignite any excitement or sympathy in me as a reader. If not for my determination to make it through to the more interesting Bajoran politicking, I'd have given up long ago. Jarman tries to round out the plot with the introduction of Counselor Phillipa Matthias and her family, but her involvement with Thriss taints her as a character and quickly eradicates any desire I may have to find out more about her. I very nearly knocked the whole book down to two stars based on this Andorian storyline, but the meaty Bajoran politics (especially toward the end) saved it that dishonor. The ultimate coda to the Andorian storyline lacked any emotional resonance for me, purely because of a complete disinterest with the characters. It's a shame, because the relaunch has shown us it can craft compelling and believable characters from scratch. Just not in this case, it seems.
The epilogue sows the seeds for more delicious Bajoran drama in Book 3. Let's just hope it's more Andorian lite than this volume.
Devastated by damage from an alien minefield, the Defiant encounters friendly assistance from the Yrythny, a Gamma Quadrant species at war with the Magisterial Cheka Kingdom. Ezri and Shar find themselves dragged in to a burgeoning civil war between clashing social castes, while Vaughn and the remaining crew must come up with a way to defend the Defiant against future damage. Meanwhile, Kira and Ro prepare for peace talks with the Cardassians as Bajor enters a new phase in its social development.
Much like the prior installment, This Gray Spirit splits itself between life on DS9 and the Defiant in the Gamma Quadrant, alternating every chapter. As a result, there were times when I felt like I was reading two different books completely - there is little connecting the two settings at this point. Perhaps the unifying feature of both settings is the inconsistency with which they are written. Allow me to explain...
The Defiant's Gamma Quadrant mission has a fascinating premise: social engineering, caste warfare and a genetic timebomb all rolled into one. Despite a very choppy start (Jarman's writing is far too deadpan and unvarnished in the first few chapters for my liking), I enjoyed the worldbuilding that took place here for the Yrythny culture. Commander Vaughn largely takes a backseat here (sometimes to the detriment of his character), allowing Ezri and Shar to shine in their handling of the burgeoning Yrythny civil war. Ezri's arc of dependency on her past hosts is nicely written, and one gets the feeling that she's finally on a solid path to self acceptance and career certainty. Likewise, I enjoyed seeing the lengths that Shar went to in order to pursue his scientific research to foment peace between the Houseborn and the Wanderer Yrythny castes. The author makes a valiant attempt to give life to believable individuals within the Yrythny civilization, however I felt that a number of them became rather bland and unsympathetic as time went by (perhaps with the exception of Keren). The Cheka (This Gray Spirit's bad guys) are largely written as a plot device to involve the Defiant in the Yrythny's affairs. Their presence here is perhaps unnecessary - the Yrythny story is already enough of a hook to sustain the writing.
I'm breaking down the station storyline into two parts: Andorian and Bajoran. Let's start with the Bajoran. The revelation that Gul Macet is transporting dignitaries from Cardassia in the form of none other than Natima Lang (Season 2's "Profit and Loss") clearly has huge ramifications. Any prospect of diplomatic relations between Bajor and Cardassia is clearly something with the potential to stir up dissent on Bajor, and the resulting story doesn't disappoint. Kira's journey here is en par with her personal milestones in episodes such as "Duet", "Sacrifice of Angels" and "The Changing Face of Evil". Jarman writes Kira very well, and takes her on a believable journey to position her as a surprising advocate for the Cardassians. I loved the inclusion of Tora Ziyal's artwork as a framing device for the talks - this lays Kira's emotions bare and pushes her to a level of vulnerability that's (at times) emotionally fraught to read. Without spoiling the outcome, I confess to falling prey to the misdirection on thumbing the person responsible for derailing talks. This whole storyline is progressing in some fascinating directions which will have very real repercussions for Alpha Quadrant politics going forward. Bravo!
On to the Andorians. Oh dear. Try as I might, I just could not get into this storyline. I continue to have zero interest in Shar's bondmates (even his enigmatic mother lost me at this point). Far, far too much time is given over to this soapy storyline, with interminable passages about Thriss' (frankly annoying) childlike qualities and temper tantrums and the staid responses of Anichent and Dizhai. The storyline moved at a snail's pace, failing to ignite any excitement or sympathy in me as a reader. If not for my determination to make it through to the more interesting Bajoran politicking, I'd have given up long ago. Jarman tries to round out the plot with the introduction of Counselor Phillipa Matthias and her family, but her involvement with Thriss taints her as a character and quickly eradicates any desire I may have to find out more about her. I very nearly knocked the whole book down to two stars based on this Andorian storyline, but the meaty Bajoran politics (especially toward the end) saved it that dishonor. The ultimate coda to the Andorian storyline lacked any emotional resonance for me, purely because of a complete disinterest with the characters. It's a shame, because the relaunch has shown us it can craft compelling and believable characters from scratch. Just not in this case, it seems.
The epilogue sows the seeds for more delicious Bajoran drama in Book 3. Let's just hope it's more Andorian lite than this volume.
December 30, 2021
If you just want the review of the story because you’re up to date on all of the other books that follow the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV series, then skip ahead. However this book will make a lot more sense for those who aren’t up to date if they consider the following.
The book literally follows a number of others that continue after the series ends, so it may help you to remember the events in these episodes -
Star Trek: The next Generation
Series 5
Episode 3- Ensign Ro (Ro Laren is introduced to the Trek universe)
Series 7
Episode 24- Pre-emptive Strike (Ro joins the Marquis)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 7
Episode 8 - The Siege Of AR-558 (Nog loses his leg as a result of a fight with the Jem Hadar)
Episode 24 - The Dogs Of War (Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and leaves with Leeta for Ferenginar)
Episode 25 - What You Leave Behind (Sisko leaves to be with the Prophets/Worf Is appointed Federation Ambassador to Qo’nos/Odo goes to live with the Founders/Chief O’Brien moves back to Earth to teach at the Academy/The end of the war with the Dominion and Nog’s promotion to Lieutenant, while Garak stays on Cardassia to help rebuild after the war and Kai Winn and Dukat are dealt with by the Pah Wraiths).
As a result of all these changes a new crew is introduced in the following books-
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Avatar (1&2) - (Commander Vaughan and Taran ‘atar are brought in and we meet Prynn,. Vaughn’s estranged daughter and Shar, an Andorian. We also find out that Ro Laren has been brought in as Security Chief having survived the Maquis liquidation by the Dominion. Ezri also decides to transfer to command from sciences and Jake ventures in to the Wormhole looking for his Dad. Kira becomes attainted by the Vedeks and may no longer pray in the temples, Etc).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Section 31) Abyss - (We learn that Jake is struggling in the Wormhole and Bashir goes on a mission for Section 31 with Ro and Taran ‘Atar).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Gateways) Demons Of Air And Darkness & What Lay Beyond - Kira and Taran ‘Atar are lost in the Delta Quadrant whilst helping to evacuate a planet in the Alpha Quadrant & Kira spends time in her cultures historical past as a result of the Gateway. It is not really necessary to read any of the other books in the Gateways serial.
The Jaradans from the Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series 1 Episode 11 - The Big Goodbye are featured in this volume and at the beginning of Mission Gamma - Twilight.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rising Son - (This story runs alongside the Gateways and Mission Gamma stories, but doesn’t seem to affect them, however if you’ve read the others, you might want to find out what happens to Jake?)
Star Trek: S.C.E - Indistinguishable From Magic (Nog teams up with Scotty - I haven’t read it yet, but it doesn’t seem to effect things too much here)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Mission Gamma (1) Twilight – Vaughan takes a crew including Ezri, Nog, Prynn and Shar in to the Gamma quadrant. Ezri loses a crew member for the first time in her command role. We also learn what has caused the estrangement between Vaughan and Prynn.
**Please see my reviews for these individual books for other episodes that are necessary to remember certain elements from the series.
On top of these you may want to refresh yourself on these TV episodes too as elements are featured in Mission Gamma – This Gray Spirit -
Star Trek: The Next Generation -
Series 4
Episode 12 - Wounded (Gul Macet, who looks suspiciously like Gul Dukat, works with Picard to stop Ben Maxwell from a murderous rampage. I think they are building up to him being quite prominent in the Mission Gamma series).
Episode 21 - Drumhead (We meet Simon Tarses, a half Romulan Medical Officer who has been transferred to Deep Space Nine before the Avatar storyline)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -
Series 2
Episode 18 – Profit And Loss (Natima Lang is introduced as an old flame of Quark’s and a Cardassian who thinks differently)
Episode 26 – The Jem Hadar (Quark reminisces about the events in this episode) It’s not crucial for the book, but might help.
Series 3
Episode 24 - Shakaar (The First Minister is a key figure in this book)
Series 4
Episode 4 – Indiscretion (Tora Ziyal is introduced as Gul Dukat’s daughter)
Series 5
Episode 9 - The Ascent (Quark reminisces about the events in this episode) It’s not crucial for the book, but might help.
Series 6
Episode 6 – Sacrifice Of Angels (Tora Ziyal Dies)
Episode 17 – Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night (We learn of Dukat’s history with Kira’s mother)
Review:
I am still really enjoying the new crew that has been introduced and now that the publishers/writers have stopped messing around with crossovers to other series it is really getting interesting. I love that Kira is the key focus throughout these books that follow on from the series. She is by far the strongest and best character. Her own issues on the station are probably more interesting than those of Vaughan’s crew in the Gamma Quadrant.
While Ezri is growing on me and actually, she is a key figure here, I wasn’t as keen on her part of the story which is very political and steeped in racism and prejudice. It makes for a slightly harder read and it’s almost as if someone else is writing those chapters.
Vaughan is another great character that is strong and in the right hands he will thrive in this universe. I am glad that his issues with Prynn were resolved in the last book (Twilight) as it enables their interactions to flow more smoothly in this one.
While Shar is also another great new character, I am getting a bit tired of the family issues he is having back home. It doesn’t seem to fit with everything else and is a bit boring, even in this volume where things finally start to happen. Maybe they are building to something much bigger, but it’s hard to see how. I believe the Andorian on the front cover is meant to be Shar.
The relationship between Ro and Quark is growing too and I’m really enjoying it. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
I also like the introduction of another new character Matthias, the new station counsellor. I think that she is going to be one to watch.
The story isn’t the best overall, but it still fits neatly in with the DS9 universe well and knowing what I know from reading the ‘Rising Son’ book about Jake, I am looking forward to what must happen in ‘Unity’, the book that follows the ‘Mission Gamma’ series.
I would have liked a stronger, more affirmative ending to the Gamma Quadrant element of the story. It all just seemed to happen quickly and then it was over. The station based story has been left open ended for further development in books 3 & 4.
Overall, it’s a great book to get used to the characters and see what they can really do, but I would just like something a bit more outstanding as the main adventure.
The book literally follows a number of others that continue after the series ends, so it may help you to remember the events in these episodes -
Star Trek: The next Generation
Series 5
Episode 3- Ensign Ro (Ro Laren is introduced to the Trek universe)
Series 7
Episode 24- Pre-emptive Strike (Ro joins the Marquis)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 7
Episode 8 - The Siege Of AR-558 (Nog loses his leg as a result of a fight with the Jem Hadar)
Episode 24 - The Dogs Of War (Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and leaves with Leeta for Ferenginar)
Episode 25 - What You Leave Behind (Sisko leaves to be with the Prophets/Worf Is appointed Federation Ambassador to Qo’nos/Odo goes to live with the Founders/Chief O’Brien moves back to Earth to teach at the Academy/The end of the war with the Dominion and Nog’s promotion to Lieutenant, while Garak stays on Cardassia to help rebuild after the war and Kai Winn and Dukat are dealt with by the Pah Wraiths).
As a result of all these changes a new crew is introduced in the following books-
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Avatar (1&2) - (Commander Vaughan and Taran ‘atar are brought in and we meet Prynn,. Vaughn’s estranged daughter and Shar, an Andorian. We also find out that Ro Laren has been brought in as Security Chief having survived the Maquis liquidation by the Dominion. Ezri also decides to transfer to command from sciences and Jake ventures in to the Wormhole looking for his Dad. Kira becomes attainted by the Vedeks and may no longer pray in the temples, Etc).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Section 31) Abyss - (We learn that Jake is struggling in the Wormhole and Bashir goes on a mission for Section 31 with Ro and Taran ‘Atar).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Gateways) Demons Of Air And Darkness & What Lay Beyond - Kira and Taran ‘Atar are lost in the Delta Quadrant whilst helping to evacuate a planet in the Alpha Quadrant & Kira spends time in her cultures historical past as a result of the Gateway. It is not really necessary to read any of the other books in the Gateways serial.
The Jaradans from the Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series 1 Episode 11 - The Big Goodbye are featured in this volume and at the beginning of Mission Gamma - Twilight.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rising Son - (This story runs alongside the Gateways and Mission Gamma stories, but doesn’t seem to affect them, however if you’ve read the others, you might want to find out what happens to Jake?)
Star Trek: S.C.E - Indistinguishable From Magic (Nog teams up with Scotty - I haven’t read it yet, but it doesn’t seem to effect things too much here)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Mission Gamma (1) Twilight – Vaughan takes a crew including Ezri, Nog, Prynn and Shar in to the Gamma quadrant. Ezri loses a crew member for the first time in her command role. We also learn what has caused the estrangement between Vaughan and Prynn.
**Please see my reviews for these individual books for other episodes that are necessary to remember certain elements from the series.
On top of these you may want to refresh yourself on these TV episodes too as elements are featured in Mission Gamma – This Gray Spirit -
Star Trek: The Next Generation -
Series 4
Episode 12 - Wounded (Gul Macet, who looks suspiciously like Gul Dukat, works with Picard to stop Ben Maxwell from a murderous rampage. I think they are building up to him being quite prominent in the Mission Gamma series).
Episode 21 - Drumhead (We meet Simon Tarses, a half Romulan Medical Officer who has been transferred to Deep Space Nine before the Avatar storyline)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -
Series 2
Episode 18 – Profit And Loss (Natima Lang is introduced as an old flame of Quark’s and a Cardassian who thinks differently)
Episode 26 – The Jem Hadar (Quark reminisces about the events in this episode) It’s not crucial for the book, but might help.
Series 3
Episode 24 - Shakaar (The First Minister is a key figure in this book)
Series 4
Episode 4 – Indiscretion (Tora Ziyal is introduced as Gul Dukat’s daughter)
Series 5
Episode 9 - The Ascent (Quark reminisces about the events in this episode) It’s not crucial for the book, but might help.
Series 6
Episode 6 – Sacrifice Of Angels (Tora Ziyal Dies)
Episode 17 – Wrongs Darker Than Death Or Night (We learn of Dukat’s history with Kira’s mother)
Review:
I am still really enjoying the new crew that has been introduced and now that the publishers/writers have stopped messing around with crossovers to other series it is really getting interesting. I love that Kira is the key focus throughout these books that follow on from the series. She is by far the strongest and best character. Her own issues on the station are probably more interesting than those of Vaughan’s crew in the Gamma Quadrant.
While Ezri is growing on me and actually, she is a key figure here, I wasn’t as keen on her part of the story which is very political and steeped in racism and prejudice. It makes for a slightly harder read and it’s almost as if someone else is writing those chapters.
Vaughan is another great character that is strong and in the right hands he will thrive in this universe. I am glad that his issues with Prynn were resolved in the last book (Twilight) as it enables their interactions to flow more smoothly in this one.
While Shar is also another great new character, I am getting a bit tired of the family issues he is having back home. It doesn’t seem to fit with everything else and is a bit boring, even in this volume where things finally start to happen. Maybe they are building to something much bigger, but it’s hard to see how. I believe the Andorian on the front cover is meant to be Shar.
The relationship between Ro and Quark is growing too and I’m really enjoying it. It shouldn’t work, but it does.
I also like the introduction of another new character Matthias, the new station counsellor. I think that she is going to be one to watch.
The story isn’t the best overall, but it still fits neatly in with the DS9 universe well and knowing what I know from reading the ‘Rising Son’ book about Jake, I am looking forward to what must happen in ‘Unity’, the book that follows the ‘Mission Gamma’ series.
I would have liked a stronger, more affirmative ending to the Gamma Quadrant element of the story. It all just seemed to happen quickly and then it was over. The station based story has been left open ended for further development in books 3 & 4.
Overall, it’s a great book to get used to the characters and see what they can really do, but I would just like something a bit more outstanding as the main adventure.
April 17, 2023
This is a much more intense book than volume one: characters are put through the wringer, both in the Gamma Quadrant & on the station. The complexity and depth is what I typically expect from DS9, and I wasn't disappointed.
June 5, 2020
Very ssslllllloooooowwww but stick with it!! The last few chapters make up for it!!
September 15, 2023
Summary: The Defiant stumbles into a sensor web and millions of nanobots attack their systems, taking the warpcore offline and crippling the ship. Shortly thereafter, a wheel-like vessel approaches, and 2 hairless, brown humanoids beam into engineering. Unable to decipher their language at first, Nog stuns one of them. When the translator finally catches up, the female Yrythny named Tlaral says they're only there to help, having brought an auxiliary power source. She tells them that the only nearby planet that can help with repairs is their homeworld, Vanimel, which is under siege by the beings who deployed the web. With no other choices, Vaughn accepts their help.
Kira gets a call from Gul Macet who says the Trager will be docking at DS9 shortly, with Ambassador Natima Lang in tow. He asks Kira to put in a word with First Minister Shakaar to meet with Lang. Outside her quarters, she finds Ohalu artifacts that she asks Ro to investigate. When she does get a hold of Shakaar, he tells her to handle the Cardassians herself, and to facilitate their meeting with Admiral Akaar, Counselor ch'Thane, et al. She is taken aback, and decides to delegate to Ro.
Ro reads up on Lang and finds that she and Quark had some sort of relationship.
The Yrythny explain that the Material Cheka Kingdom are the militant species that are attempting to conquer this region of space. They want to create a servitor class to wage their battles, hence their interest in the Yrythny, who were at one time in their history genetically altered. Upon arrival to the Yrythny planet, the Chieftain J'Maah tells Vaughn that they will dine with Assembly Chair Rashoh.
Walking through a crowd on the way there, they are attacked by lynch mob of Wanderers who yell that the away team are Cheka spies. Delegate Keren, a fellow Wanderer, disperses the mob somewhat by warning that the authorities are en route. Vice Chair Jeshoh arrives and takes them to dinner with Rashoh. Ezri asks about the Wanderers and Jeshoh explains that they mostly act as a servant class, since they didn't return to their homes after birth, like the Houseborn. They are looked down upon as having bad instincts, but they want more of a place in the Yrythny society. Dax suggests maybe they need a third-party mediator, and the group goes wild: they decide she was sent by the Other to lead them to peace.
Dax mulls the idea over and decides she's not against facilitating the discussion. Vaughn doesn't want to risk violating the Prime Directive. Bashir agrees with Vaughn, landing him in the doghouse.
Keren visits Shar and asks him to sneak out with her so she can show him how the other half live on Luthia. She takes him to the shopping district, where they disappear into a secret passage in one of the stores. Inside is a meeting with 100s of Wanderers. They discuss how their people have been mutilated, slaughtered, and enslaved by the Houseborn. Keren address them, saying that the outsiders may be their last, best hope of equality.
Councilor zh'Thane puts aside her pride and pleads with Ro to allow her a security exception to quickly depart DS9, in case Thriss needs to be sent back to Andor in a hurry. She explains that Thriss is suffering greatly from Shar's absence, and that his mating group is rapidly running out the clock on their 5 year window to conceive. She says the Andorian race is dying out, and that Shar going to the Gamma Quadrant was selfish. Ro says she'll let Kira decide.
Yrythny soldiers refuse to let Nog into the Defiant. Rashoh says the repairs are too costly, and that they'll need a trade; he suggests taking the Defiant to a trade consortium, in exchange for Vaughn allowing Dax to meditate their affairs. Vaughn had no choice but to acquiesce.
Dax is taken to the Grand Assembly Chamber before nearly 1000 Yrythny, who immediately start talking over one another, then fist fighting. At first intimidated, she calls upon prior Dax hosts and asserts that she's here to broker peace.
Ro is having a drink with Lang at Quark's, delighting in making him anxious, when she sees Councilor zh'Thane and all 3 of Shar's bondmates headed to the holosuite. She tells them the councilor's request for emergency departure without advanced notice was approved; Thriss becomes wildly upset that they planned this without her. She breaks a bottle and accidentally stabs Anichent with it. Thriss attacks Ro, but she takes her down before the other security officers arrives. She is taken to a holding cell.
After dinner, military Chieftain J'Maah strikes one of his servants when they massage his scalp with the wrong type of oil. Vaughn becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
Tlaral joins the Defiant crew for cards, but abruptly passes out; it's her time to return to the waters to mate.
Shar tells Ezri that the Yrythny's caste system may be leading them to a fate similar to that of the Andorians, and wants to study them scientifically instead of just looking at their history. She agrees and tells him to look into it, but during the assembly, tells the members to schedule meetings with her through Shar--meaning he's not going to have much free time.
Vaughn offers up unparalelled star charts of the area for trade to get the ore they need, but the broker turns them down. Minister M'Yeoh says they could try a shadow trader, but that it's dangerous. They bump into a sense artist named Fazzle, who says Prynn is the inspiration he's been searching for for a sculpture requested by the Cheka Master General. Vaughn says they'll come back later if they have time.
Shar tells Keren about his idea to search the Yrythny genetic "turn key" for answers, but says he can't get enough data. She says she can help, then says she needs to show him something. She takes him to a ward filled with disabled Yrythny missing arms, eyes legs, etc. She says the Cheka experimented on them, then cast them aside, and that is why they won't negotiate with the Cheka.
Vaughn gets a message from a Cheka shadow trader named L'Gon, who says to meet him outside the Cheka suite, alone.
Kira asks Lt Commander Philippa Matthias what her assessment of Thriss is. She says Thriss isn't a danger to anyone on the station, but could be a danger to herself. In the brig, she tells Ro that Thriss's bondmates want to welcome her back, and that she's ready to go.
Jeshoh takes Ezri for a swim and they come across the ruins of Tin-Mal, a Wanderer city 500 years old that was destroyed when careless modifications to its energy system caused it to explode, killing all plant and wildlife for 1000 km around it. Ezri feels that the Wanderers were setup to fail without proper teaching, but Jeshoh says they would've just made more mistakes and destroyed Vanimel's fragile ecology anyway.
Vaughn meets with the Cheka L'Gon, who says he'll give him the material he needs in exchange for the specs on the Defiant's cloaking tech. Vaughn says no deal and walks away, wondering how he could've known about the cloak. Later, Nog tells him that he suspected that their bid was actually successful, and there may be foul play here.
While hiking, Keren tells Shar that the male Wanderers are neutered and the females are given chemicals to stop them from reproducing (spaying would be fatal), in addition to being branded. She says Houseborn males still mate with Wanderer women in secret, however. Shar tells her about Andorian society, and she thinks maybe he really was sent by the Other.
When Ezri and Jeshoh return, armed guards are waiting for them; an explosion damaged a village, and all members of the vessel are up be interrogated. Ezri tries to contact Shar but can't reach him.
The Cardassians present a holovid of Tora Ziyal, born of the Cardassian Skrain Dukat and a Bajoran woman named Tora Naprem, talking about how her paintings represent both sides of her heritage. Ambassador Lang then reveals said paintings, and says Alon Ghemor, leader of the Cardassian provisional government, offers them as a token of goodwill. Shakaar tells Kira to display the artwork on DS9. Lang wants Kira to be involved in the peace talks as well, but she senses reluctance from the Bajoran leaders and tries to bow out.
Kira checks the conference room where the talks have been taking place and finds a scorched Cardassian flag with a knife stabbed through it.
Shar and Keren reach the Hebshu Penninsula, and Keren reveals that she brought him there because there are extensive records on Yrythny genetic research hidden there--though they don't have a powerful enough computer to analyze the aggregate data. Shar suggests they take it back to the shuttle to analyze, but on their way, Dax angrily pages him, asking where he's been, and mentions that someone illegally sent a message from the terminal in their office. She tells him to come pick her up.
While the aquaculture continues to burn, Ezri takes umbrage that the military is too busy interrogating Wanderers to help those still caught in the fire and decides to help them herself. Jeshoh tells her the military is often slow to help Wanderer terrorism victims, though he doesn't agree with it. Ezri and Jeshoh steal a boat and start helping survivors. Eventually, Shar shows up with the shuttle and helps as well. Afterwards, she grills Shar about his whereabouts, and he tells her about Keren being a member of the underground. Angrily, she tells him he can conduct his research with the data he obtained, but can't use the underground to collect Houseborn data; the Assembly must agree to provide it. She also tells him he must report any contact with Keren to her from now on.
Vaughn sends Prynn back to the artist Fazzle to plant a worm in his computer terminal. They manage to download tons of data before the Cheka security sweep detects them, and they beam Prynn out just in time. Meanwhile, Nog is caught trying to sneak cloak data out on his tricorder.
Ro's date with Quark ends prematurely when Kira tells her she needs to investigate the incident with the Cardassian flag. Later, Ambassador Lang is begging for medical supplies and Minister Asarem says Bajor won't provide any more because the Cardassians will probably try to make weapons out of it. A tense back and forth ends with Kira chewing out the minster. afterwards, she goes back to get quarters and prays for hours, then goes to finally talk with Gul Macet.
Keren tells Shar that the military has declared martial law on them, and that she needs his help. He says he can't without telling Dax, but eventually caves, though not before sending Dax a message about the crackdown. Keren says there is a splinter faction of her group that wants to use force instead of negotiations, but she isn't sure if they're responsible either. They retrieve the data chips from her apartment, but there's someone waiting in the shadows; they charge Shar and he sees a blue starburst on their hand before they get away. Dax gets the martial law lifted.
The Defiant, finally repaired, gets underway. The security chief tells Vaughn that Nog is missing. Vaughn says he's been released Nog to his quarters; he was only play-acting all along, the cloak specs were bogus. However, the chief says he's no longer aboard. A sensor sweep reveals he's being held aboard the Yrythny ship Avaril--where they just departed from. They cloak and tail the Avaril, and before long a Cheka ship appears on an intercept course with the Yrythny vessel.
Pleased that Ezri averted an even bigger crisis by calling off the martial law, Rashoh agrees to provide DNA samples to Shar, sure they will prove Houseborn superiority. With 3 days until the Defiant arrives, Dax gets to work on the Yrythny Compromise.
Kira asks Gul Macet to go for a walk. He says Lang and he want her to be a mediator for the peace talks, and that Minister Asarem isn't interested in negotiating, she wants revenge. Shortly thereafter, a huge fight breaks out at Quark's between the Bajorans and Cardassians. Kira, Macet, and Ro break it up, but there is lots of damage and quite a few injuries. Afterwards, Kira tells Taran'atar to uncloak, and says he can stop following Macet. They agree that he's not what they expected.
Shar fails to find any significant divergence in Yrythny DNA, to his chagrin. Dax says not to worry, that they seem open to her proposed compromises. They get word of an attack on the mating grounds, so they take the shuttle there. They find raiders stealing eggs, so they disable their vessels and beam the eggs aboard. Jeshoh puts a firearm to Shar's head and tells him to go to warp. Keren says he's going to throw away everything they've worked for, that they can still be together; selling eggs to the Cheka for weapons to use against the Houseborn won't solve their problems.
Shar finishes his calculations on the DNA and determines that mutations in the Wanderer DNA are the next step in Yrythny evolution that will insure their survival; inter-mating between the Houseborn and Wanderers is the only thing that will save their species. Jeshoh doesn't believe him, so Ezri tries to use her counseling background to convince him his scheme isn't going to work. She can tell he is wavering, but they arrive at the rendezvous with the Avaril and Cheka ship.
Kira meets with Shakaar and tells him that Asarem is being unreasonable in the negotiations, that Asarem's not following his initiatives the way she has been. He says he'll look over the transcripts. She gets word later that Asarem plans to resume the talks.
Lang tells Kira the Bajorans have indefinitely suspended negotiations with Cardassia until their Federation probationary period, on the grounds that existing Federation treaties will then apply. Kira is shocked and goes to speak with Asarem, who tells her that they're on the same side: she wants peace with Cardassia, but Shakaar has ordered her to tank the negotiations.
The Avaril's engine is sabotaged and it drops out of warp. A shuttle launches with Nog on board; the Defiant knocks out it's shields, and an away team beams aboard, taking Nog back to the Defiant. It's Tlaral that kidnapped him. The Defiant leads the Cheka warship into one of its own web weapons; the femtobots they developed protect the Defiant, and the Cheka ship is disabled.
During the scuffle, Jeshoh insists on taking the shuttle to the Cheka ship, but they're damaged by a Cheka mine. Keren is injured and has a subdermal hematoma. Ezri says the only way she'll survive is if they take her to see Bashir, and Jeshoh finally surrenders.
Kira tells Shakaar that Ziyal's gallery has been vandalized--some pieces are completely destroyed. She blames him for stoking hatred, and thinks he may even be directly responsible for the vandalization, as he calls Ziyal a bastard.
Thriss nearly assaults a child patient. Phillipa does some research on Shar and Thriss’s history, and finds that when they initiated tezha--a sexual act that creates a biochemical attachment between bondmates--outside the full group, the others cannot equal the emotional connection. She goes to visit Thriss in her quarters, but Anichent won't let her in. He says they're returning to Andor tomorrow. The next morning, Dizhei awakes to find something horrible.
Shar presents his findings to an auditorium of Yrythny and receives a standing ovation. He realizes he's found the path he's been searching for his whole life. Ezri's compromise will be ratified, and some of the inter-caste taboos will be lifted. Ezri tells Bashir that despite her triumphs, she still feels she's pulling too deeply from her past lives and not from her own.
Keren tells Shar that she's been exiled, but otherwise got off easy. Jeshoh is to serve a prison sentence, the time depending on Tlaral's judgment. She gives him an egg pouch that can help him with his genetic research. Afterwards, he gets a message from Councillor zh’Thane who tells him that Thriss stole medication from the infirmary and killed herself.
Epilogue: Kira finally visits Kassidy on Bajor. Vedek Yevir drops in and tells Kassidy he's completely lost; he no longer understands the path the Emissary laid out for him. Kassidy says she can't help him, and when he turns to leave, he sees the Jevonite statue she was gifted from B'hala. His eyes light up, and she tells him to keep it. Kira goes out into the woods for a walk, also feeling lost, and trips on a baseball.
Review: 2.5 stars. This was almost like 2 completely unrelated books mashed into 1; while I enjoyed the DS9 bits, I couldn't have cared less about the Gamma Quadrant half. And even though it was 100 pages shorter than the previous book, it took me about the same amount of time to read, because I was fairly disinterested in it. The middle section felt very drawn out, and then the conclusion was rushed.
I also found it strange that Commander Vaughn takes a backseat for most of the book, considering the whole Gamma Quadrant mission was his pet project, and I expected he was going to be at the forefront of all 4 books.
Kira gets a call from Gul Macet who says the Trager will be docking at DS9 shortly, with Ambassador Natima Lang in tow. He asks Kira to put in a word with First Minister Shakaar to meet with Lang. Outside her quarters, she finds Ohalu artifacts that she asks Ro to investigate. When she does get a hold of Shakaar, he tells her to handle the Cardassians herself, and to facilitate their meeting with Admiral Akaar, Counselor ch'Thane, et al. She is taken aback, and decides to delegate to Ro.
Ro reads up on Lang and finds that she and Quark had some sort of relationship.
The Yrythny explain that the Material Cheka Kingdom are the militant species that are attempting to conquer this region of space. They want to create a servitor class to wage their battles, hence their interest in the Yrythny, who were at one time in their history genetically altered. Upon arrival to the Yrythny planet, the Chieftain J'Maah tells Vaughn that they will dine with Assembly Chair Rashoh.
Walking through a crowd on the way there, they are attacked by lynch mob of Wanderers who yell that the away team are Cheka spies. Delegate Keren, a fellow Wanderer, disperses the mob somewhat by warning that the authorities are en route. Vice Chair Jeshoh arrives and takes them to dinner with Rashoh. Ezri asks about the Wanderers and Jeshoh explains that they mostly act as a servant class, since they didn't return to their homes after birth, like the Houseborn. They are looked down upon as having bad instincts, but they want more of a place in the Yrythny society. Dax suggests maybe they need a third-party mediator, and the group goes wild: they decide she was sent by the Other to lead them to peace.
Dax mulls the idea over and decides she's not against facilitating the discussion. Vaughn doesn't want to risk violating the Prime Directive. Bashir agrees with Vaughn, landing him in the doghouse.
Keren visits Shar and asks him to sneak out with her so she can show him how the other half live on Luthia. She takes him to the shopping district, where they disappear into a secret passage in one of the stores. Inside is a meeting with 100s of Wanderers. They discuss how their people have been mutilated, slaughtered, and enslaved by the Houseborn. Keren address them, saying that the outsiders may be their last, best hope of equality.
Councilor zh'Thane puts aside her pride and pleads with Ro to allow her a security exception to quickly depart DS9, in case Thriss needs to be sent back to Andor in a hurry. She explains that Thriss is suffering greatly from Shar's absence, and that his mating group is rapidly running out the clock on their 5 year window to conceive. She says the Andorian race is dying out, and that Shar going to the Gamma Quadrant was selfish. Ro says she'll let Kira decide.
Yrythny soldiers refuse to let Nog into the Defiant. Rashoh says the repairs are too costly, and that they'll need a trade; he suggests taking the Defiant to a trade consortium, in exchange for Vaughn allowing Dax to meditate their affairs. Vaughn had no choice but to acquiesce.
Dax is taken to the Grand Assembly Chamber before nearly 1000 Yrythny, who immediately start talking over one another, then fist fighting. At first intimidated, she calls upon prior Dax hosts and asserts that she's here to broker peace.
Ro is having a drink with Lang at Quark's, delighting in making him anxious, when she sees Councilor zh'Thane and all 3 of Shar's bondmates headed to the holosuite. She tells them the councilor's request for emergency departure without advanced notice was approved; Thriss becomes wildly upset that they planned this without her. She breaks a bottle and accidentally stabs Anichent with it. Thriss attacks Ro, but she takes her down before the other security officers arrives. She is taken to a holding cell.
After dinner, military Chieftain J'Maah strikes one of his servants when they massage his scalp with the wrong type of oil. Vaughn becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
Tlaral joins the Defiant crew for cards, but abruptly passes out; it's her time to return to the waters to mate.
Shar tells Ezri that the Yrythny's caste system may be leading them to a fate similar to that of the Andorians, and wants to study them scientifically instead of just looking at their history. She agrees and tells him to look into it, but during the assembly, tells the members to schedule meetings with her through Shar--meaning he's not going to have much free time.
Vaughn offers up unparalelled star charts of the area for trade to get the ore they need, but the broker turns them down. Minister M'Yeoh says they could try a shadow trader, but that it's dangerous. They bump into a sense artist named Fazzle, who says Prynn is the inspiration he's been searching for for a sculpture requested by the Cheka Master General. Vaughn says they'll come back later if they have time.
Shar tells Keren about his idea to search the Yrythny genetic "turn key" for answers, but says he can't get enough data. She says she can help, then says she needs to show him something. She takes him to a ward filled with disabled Yrythny missing arms, eyes legs, etc. She says the Cheka experimented on them, then cast them aside, and that is why they won't negotiate with the Cheka.
Vaughn gets a message from a Cheka shadow trader named L'Gon, who says to meet him outside the Cheka suite, alone.
Kira asks Lt Commander Philippa Matthias what her assessment of Thriss is. She says Thriss isn't a danger to anyone on the station, but could be a danger to herself. In the brig, she tells Ro that Thriss's bondmates want to welcome her back, and that she's ready to go.
Jeshoh takes Ezri for a swim and they come across the ruins of Tin-Mal, a Wanderer city 500 years old that was destroyed when careless modifications to its energy system caused it to explode, killing all plant and wildlife for 1000 km around it. Ezri feels that the Wanderers were setup to fail without proper teaching, but Jeshoh says they would've just made more mistakes and destroyed Vanimel's fragile ecology anyway.
Vaughn meets with the Cheka L'Gon, who says he'll give him the material he needs in exchange for the specs on the Defiant's cloaking tech. Vaughn says no deal and walks away, wondering how he could've known about the cloak. Later, Nog tells him that he suspected that their bid was actually successful, and there may be foul play here.
While hiking, Keren tells Shar that the male Wanderers are neutered and the females are given chemicals to stop them from reproducing (spaying would be fatal), in addition to being branded. She says Houseborn males still mate with Wanderer women in secret, however. Shar tells her about Andorian society, and she thinks maybe he really was sent by the Other.
When Ezri and Jeshoh return, armed guards are waiting for them; an explosion damaged a village, and all members of the vessel are up be interrogated. Ezri tries to contact Shar but can't reach him.
The Cardassians present a holovid of Tora Ziyal, born of the Cardassian Skrain Dukat and a Bajoran woman named Tora Naprem, talking about how her paintings represent both sides of her heritage. Ambassador Lang then reveals said paintings, and says Alon Ghemor, leader of the Cardassian provisional government, offers them as a token of goodwill. Shakaar tells Kira to display the artwork on DS9. Lang wants Kira to be involved in the peace talks as well, but she senses reluctance from the Bajoran leaders and tries to bow out.
Kira checks the conference room where the talks have been taking place and finds a scorched Cardassian flag with a knife stabbed through it.
Shar and Keren reach the Hebshu Penninsula, and Keren reveals that she brought him there because there are extensive records on Yrythny genetic research hidden there--though they don't have a powerful enough computer to analyze the aggregate data. Shar suggests they take it back to the shuttle to analyze, but on their way, Dax angrily pages him, asking where he's been, and mentions that someone illegally sent a message from the terminal in their office. She tells him to come pick her up.
While the aquaculture continues to burn, Ezri takes umbrage that the military is too busy interrogating Wanderers to help those still caught in the fire and decides to help them herself. Jeshoh tells her the military is often slow to help Wanderer terrorism victims, though he doesn't agree with it. Ezri and Jeshoh steal a boat and start helping survivors. Eventually, Shar shows up with the shuttle and helps as well. Afterwards, she grills Shar about his whereabouts, and he tells her about Keren being a member of the underground. Angrily, she tells him he can conduct his research with the data he obtained, but can't use the underground to collect Houseborn data; the Assembly must agree to provide it. She also tells him he must report any contact with Keren to her from now on.
Vaughn sends Prynn back to the artist Fazzle to plant a worm in his computer terminal. They manage to download tons of data before the Cheka security sweep detects them, and they beam Prynn out just in time. Meanwhile, Nog is caught trying to sneak cloak data out on his tricorder.
Ro's date with Quark ends prematurely when Kira tells her she needs to investigate the incident with the Cardassian flag. Later, Ambassador Lang is begging for medical supplies and Minister Asarem says Bajor won't provide any more because the Cardassians will probably try to make weapons out of it. A tense back and forth ends with Kira chewing out the minster. afterwards, she goes back to get quarters and prays for hours, then goes to finally talk with Gul Macet.
Keren tells Shar that the military has declared martial law on them, and that she needs his help. He says he can't without telling Dax, but eventually caves, though not before sending Dax a message about the crackdown. Keren says there is a splinter faction of her group that wants to use force instead of negotiations, but she isn't sure if they're responsible either. They retrieve the data chips from her apartment, but there's someone waiting in the shadows; they charge Shar and he sees a blue starburst on their hand before they get away. Dax gets the martial law lifted.
The Defiant, finally repaired, gets underway. The security chief tells Vaughn that Nog is missing. Vaughn says he's been released Nog to his quarters; he was only play-acting all along, the cloak specs were bogus. However, the chief says he's no longer aboard. A sensor sweep reveals he's being held aboard the Yrythny ship Avaril--where they just departed from. They cloak and tail the Avaril, and before long a Cheka ship appears on an intercept course with the Yrythny vessel.
Pleased that Ezri averted an even bigger crisis by calling off the martial law, Rashoh agrees to provide DNA samples to Shar, sure they will prove Houseborn superiority. With 3 days until the Defiant arrives, Dax gets to work on the Yrythny Compromise.
Kira asks Gul Macet to go for a walk. He says Lang and he want her to be a mediator for the peace talks, and that Minister Asarem isn't interested in negotiating, she wants revenge. Shortly thereafter, a huge fight breaks out at Quark's between the Bajorans and Cardassians. Kira, Macet, and Ro break it up, but there is lots of damage and quite a few injuries. Afterwards, Kira tells Taran'atar to uncloak, and says he can stop following Macet. They agree that he's not what they expected.
Shar fails to find any significant divergence in Yrythny DNA, to his chagrin. Dax says not to worry, that they seem open to her proposed compromises. They get word of an attack on the mating grounds, so they take the shuttle there. They find raiders stealing eggs, so they disable their vessels and beam the eggs aboard. Jeshoh puts a firearm to Shar's head and tells him to go to warp. Keren says he's going to throw away everything they've worked for, that they can still be together; selling eggs to the Cheka for weapons to use against the Houseborn won't solve their problems.
Shar finishes his calculations on the DNA and determines that mutations in the Wanderer DNA are the next step in Yrythny evolution that will insure their survival; inter-mating between the Houseborn and Wanderers is the only thing that will save their species. Jeshoh doesn't believe him, so Ezri tries to use her counseling background to convince him his scheme isn't going to work. She can tell he is wavering, but they arrive at the rendezvous with the Avaril and Cheka ship.
Kira meets with Shakaar and tells him that Asarem is being unreasonable in the negotiations, that Asarem's not following his initiatives the way she has been. He says he'll look over the transcripts. She gets word later that Asarem plans to resume the talks.
Lang tells Kira the Bajorans have indefinitely suspended negotiations with Cardassia until their Federation probationary period, on the grounds that existing Federation treaties will then apply. Kira is shocked and goes to speak with Asarem, who tells her that they're on the same side: she wants peace with Cardassia, but Shakaar has ordered her to tank the negotiations.
The Avaril's engine is sabotaged and it drops out of warp. A shuttle launches with Nog on board; the Defiant knocks out it's shields, and an away team beams aboard, taking Nog back to the Defiant. It's Tlaral that kidnapped him. The Defiant leads the Cheka warship into one of its own web weapons; the femtobots they developed protect the Defiant, and the Cheka ship is disabled.
During the scuffle, Jeshoh insists on taking the shuttle to the Cheka ship, but they're damaged by a Cheka mine. Keren is injured and has a subdermal hematoma. Ezri says the only way she'll survive is if they take her to see Bashir, and Jeshoh finally surrenders.
Kira tells Shakaar that Ziyal's gallery has been vandalized--some pieces are completely destroyed. She blames him for stoking hatred, and thinks he may even be directly responsible for the vandalization, as he calls Ziyal a bastard.
Thriss nearly assaults a child patient. Phillipa does some research on Shar and Thriss’s history, and finds that when they initiated tezha--a sexual act that creates a biochemical attachment between bondmates--outside the full group, the others cannot equal the emotional connection. She goes to visit Thriss in her quarters, but Anichent won't let her in. He says they're returning to Andor tomorrow. The next morning, Dizhei awakes to find something horrible.
Shar presents his findings to an auditorium of Yrythny and receives a standing ovation. He realizes he's found the path he's been searching for his whole life. Ezri's compromise will be ratified, and some of the inter-caste taboos will be lifted. Ezri tells Bashir that despite her triumphs, she still feels she's pulling too deeply from her past lives and not from her own.
Keren tells Shar that she's been exiled, but otherwise got off easy. Jeshoh is to serve a prison sentence, the time depending on Tlaral's judgment. She gives him an egg pouch that can help him with his genetic research. Afterwards, he gets a message from Councillor zh’Thane who tells him that Thriss stole medication from the infirmary and killed herself.
Epilogue: Kira finally visits Kassidy on Bajor. Vedek Yevir drops in and tells Kassidy he's completely lost; he no longer understands the path the Emissary laid out for him. Kassidy says she can't help him, and when he turns to leave, he sees the Jevonite statue she was gifted from B'hala. His eyes light up, and she tells him to keep it. Kira goes out into the woods for a walk, also feeling lost, and trips on a baseball.
Review: 2.5 stars. This was almost like 2 completely unrelated books mashed into 1; while I enjoyed the DS9 bits, I couldn't have cared less about the Gamma Quadrant half. And even though it was 100 pages shorter than the previous book, it took me about the same amount of time to read, because I was fairly disinterested in it. The middle section felt very drawn out, and then the conclusion was rushed.
I also found it strange that Commander Vaughn takes a backseat for most of the book, considering the whole Gamma Quadrant mission was his pet project, and I expected he was going to be at the forefront of all 4 books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2023
It's summer, which means I'm tearing through a bunch of summer reads these days, purposely easier reads that are often also called "beach and airport novels," which I've been deliberately doing for the last several years now as a nostalgic homage to my '70s childhood, when I would participate in my public library's summer reading challenge and tear through a bunch of easy reads in exactly this same spirit. And man, it doesn't get much more summery and easy than Star Trek novels, which longtime readers will remember is something fairly new to my life that I've gone back and forth about many times, regarding their relative cheesiness versus the relative enjoyment I get out of their cheesiness.
Thankfully I've had a chance to steer towards the higher end of these 800+ books, by concentrating on an astounding 100-book series called the "Relaunch Novels" that one can realistically call "semi-canon" books, in that soon after the end of the television run of the highly serialized Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Simon & Schuster asked for and remarkably received from Paramount permission to do a series of DS9 books that actually maintain a consistency to character and plot developments from one book to the next. This allows major characters to die and never come back, or new complications to be added to their milieu that are still there 20 books later, essentially turning these books into an unofficial "eighth season" of the show (or I suppose more like an unofficial eighth through twelfth seasons by this point, although the run was officially finally ended in 2021 with the three-book "Coda," so that the running storyline wouldn't clash with the just-released new TV show Star Trek: Picard).
That's amazing, because usually non-canon genre novels (no matter what TV or movie series you're talking about, whether Star Trek or Star Wars, Buffy or Supernatural) are deliberately meant to be disposable, meaning that they have to be written in a way so that you can pick up any random one at any random time at any random yard sale without needing to know even a single thing about what came before in the book series and what came after; that essentially traps most non-canon genre novels in amber like a fossil, where nothing of importance or permanence ever happens to the characters or their situations, which is a huge aspect of why so many people look at non-canon genre novels with disdain. So I'm glad to be reading these Relaunch novels, and was especially excited to get to the books I just recently completed, the four-book miniseries "Mission Gamma" that tells one big unified story over the course of 1,600 freaking pages, which I read right in a freaking row over the last six freaking weeks of my life without taking even a slight freaking pause between each of them, aaaaahhhhhhhh yiiiiiiiiisssss.
That's the best way to approach these four novels, to just read them all in a row without stopping, because they're all thematically connected through a fascinating turn of events: basically, now that the Dominion War is over, Starfleet decides to convert the DS9 warship Defiant into a science and exploration vehicle like the Enterprise, and then sends a collection of our cast members out through the wormhole and into the Gamma Quadrant to do the Federation's first-ever outreach to "new civilizations" and "strange new worlds" in this vastly distant section of the Milky Way Galaxy, one that's suddenly now within a moment's reach because of this cosmic hiccup known as the wormhole that played such a large role on the original television show. And that's basically why I wanted to do one long write-up for all four of these novels as well, because they're essentially like watching four episodes in a row of the TV show, with a familiar formula that doesn't really change from one to the next (basically -- discover new civilization, something about new civilization gets all fucked up, crew spends the rest of the book trying to fix the fuckup).
There isn't a lot to say about each individual "crisis of the week" here, but collectively they were exactly what I wanted from a summer reading project like this -- something exciting yet intelligent, something well-written but not too complex, something I can read on my front porch on a summer Sunday and perhaps fall asleep in the middle of but don't need to feel guilty about doing. That said, easily the most interesting crisis of the week here is in book #3, Cathedral, in which the Defiant crew stumbles across a doomsday weapon from a highly advanced civilization that destroyed itself more than half a billion years ago, basically a "quantum bomb" that takes any living creature that gets close to it and then tries to mesh that creature with the untold trillions of other versions of that creature that exist in the infinite alternative realities of the quantum multiverse, essentially the entire climax of Everything Everywhere All At Once but compressed down into a millisecond.
But don't worry, we still keep checking in on things back at the station during these four novels too! Among those developments is one of the more intriguing ones I've seen so far in these Relaunch novels, which is basically that it's looking more and more likely that there's going to be a Protestant Reformation soon on the deeply religious planet Bajor which serves as the space station's "home base" both on the show and in these books. In an earlier novel, series regular Kira Nerys had an opportunity to release a recently discovered holy book to the general population of her home planet, after their religious elite tried to hide the book's existence because of it seemingly teaching moral lessons that don't jibe with the traditional ethical rules their religion teaches. That essentially has started turning Nerys in the last couple of books into a sort of Martin Luther figure among her people; and one of the major "domestic" developments of this four-book series is a growing amount of Bajorans actually starting a brand-new sect of their religion, which may or may not eventually turn into a bloody civil war just like the real Protestant Reformation did in Europe back in the 1500s.
I have to admit, I've been eating this stuff up with a spoon, along with such other developments as the growing unlikely romance between slimy bar owner Quark and tough-as-fuck Bajoran security specialist Ro Lauren (an interesting addition to the novel series, in that in real life, Michelle Forbes' Ro from The Next Generation was actually meant to fill the role Kira eventually did on Deep Space Nine, but then the actress got cold feet right before making the seven-year commitment), or the growing embrace of humanity by the rogue Jem'Hadar named Taran'atar who now lives on the station, a race that was barely explored during the original TV run (they were essentially the Dominion's hired muscle) and that the novel authors are doing a great job expanding and complexifying here in the books. I'm finding this all very satisfying, and right now these books continue to deliver exactly what I want from them; so I'm looking highly forward to launching myself into yet more of them later this year, starting next with SD Perry's Rising Son, in which we FINALLY learn what Ben Sisko's son Jake has been doing the entire time he's been plunged into the wormhole in an attempt to track down his missing, ethereal father, which happened way back like six books ago. This is actually considered by many to be in the top 10 Star Trek novels in quality out of all 800 of them, so I suspect I'll be getting to this one soon!
Thankfully I've had a chance to steer towards the higher end of these 800+ books, by concentrating on an astounding 100-book series called the "Relaunch Novels" that one can realistically call "semi-canon" books, in that soon after the end of the television run of the highly serialized Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Simon & Schuster asked for and remarkably received from Paramount permission to do a series of DS9 books that actually maintain a consistency to character and plot developments from one book to the next. This allows major characters to die and never come back, or new complications to be added to their milieu that are still there 20 books later, essentially turning these books into an unofficial "eighth season" of the show (or I suppose more like an unofficial eighth through twelfth seasons by this point, although the run was officially finally ended in 2021 with the three-book "Coda," so that the running storyline wouldn't clash with the just-released new TV show Star Trek: Picard).
That's amazing, because usually non-canon genre novels (no matter what TV or movie series you're talking about, whether Star Trek or Star Wars, Buffy or Supernatural) are deliberately meant to be disposable, meaning that they have to be written in a way so that you can pick up any random one at any random time at any random yard sale without needing to know even a single thing about what came before in the book series and what came after; that essentially traps most non-canon genre novels in amber like a fossil, where nothing of importance or permanence ever happens to the characters or their situations, which is a huge aspect of why so many people look at non-canon genre novels with disdain. So I'm glad to be reading these Relaunch novels, and was especially excited to get to the books I just recently completed, the four-book miniseries "Mission Gamma" that tells one big unified story over the course of 1,600 freaking pages, which I read right in a freaking row over the last six freaking weeks of my life without taking even a slight freaking pause between each of them, aaaaahhhhhhhh yiiiiiiiiisssss.
That's the best way to approach these four novels, to just read them all in a row without stopping, because they're all thematically connected through a fascinating turn of events: basically, now that the Dominion War is over, Starfleet decides to convert the DS9 warship Defiant into a science and exploration vehicle like the Enterprise, and then sends a collection of our cast members out through the wormhole and into the Gamma Quadrant to do the Federation's first-ever outreach to "new civilizations" and "strange new worlds" in this vastly distant section of the Milky Way Galaxy, one that's suddenly now within a moment's reach because of this cosmic hiccup known as the wormhole that played such a large role on the original television show. And that's basically why I wanted to do one long write-up for all four of these novels as well, because they're essentially like watching four episodes in a row of the TV show, with a familiar formula that doesn't really change from one to the next (basically -- discover new civilization, something about new civilization gets all fucked up, crew spends the rest of the book trying to fix the fuckup).
There isn't a lot to say about each individual "crisis of the week" here, but collectively they were exactly what I wanted from a summer reading project like this -- something exciting yet intelligent, something well-written but not too complex, something I can read on my front porch on a summer Sunday and perhaps fall asleep in the middle of but don't need to feel guilty about doing. That said, easily the most interesting crisis of the week here is in book #3, Cathedral, in which the Defiant crew stumbles across a doomsday weapon from a highly advanced civilization that destroyed itself more than half a billion years ago, basically a "quantum bomb" that takes any living creature that gets close to it and then tries to mesh that creature with the untold trillions of other versions of that creature that exist in the infinite alternative realities of the quantum multiverse, essentially the entire climax of Everything Everywhere All At Once but compressed down into a millisecond.
But don't worry, we still keep checking in on things back at the station during these four novels too! Among those developments is one of the more intriguing ones I've seen so far in these Relaunch novels, which is basically that it's looking more and more likely that there's going to be a Protestant Reformation soon on the deeply religious planet Bajor which serves as the space station's "home base" both on the show and in these books. In an earlier novel, series regular Kira Nerys had an opportunity to release a recently discovered holy book to the general population of her home planet, after their religious elite tried to hide the book's existence because of it seemingly teaching moral lessons that don't jibe with the traditional ethical rules their religion teaches. That essentially has started turning Nerys in the last couple of books into a sort of Martin Luther figure among her people; and one of the major "domestic" developments of this four-book series is a growing amount of Bajorans actually starting a brand-new sect of their religion, which may or may not eventually turn into a bloody civil war just like the real Protestant Reformation did in Europe back in the 1500s.
I have to admit, I've been eating this stuff up with a spoon, along with such other developments as the growing unlikely romance between slimy bar owner Quark and tough-as-fuck Bajoran security specialist Ro Lauren (an interesting addition to the novel series, in that in real life, Michelle Forbes' Ro from The Next Generation was actually meant to fill the role Kira eventually did on Deep Space Nine, but then the actress got cold feet right before making the seven-year commitment), or the growing embrace of humanity by the rogue Jem'Hadar named Taran'atar who now lives on the station, a race that was barely explored during the original TV run (they were essentially the Dominion's hired muscle) and that the novel authors are doing a great job expanding and complexifying here in the books. I'm finding this all very satisfying, and right now these books continue to deliver exactly what I want from them; so I'm looking highly forward to launching myself into yet more of them later this year, starting next with SD Perry's Rising Son, in which we FINALLY learn what Ben Sisko's son Jake has been doing the entire time he's been plunged into the wormhole in an attempt to track down his missing, ethereal father, which happened way back like six books ago. This is actually considered by many to be in the top 10 Star Trek novels in quality out of all 800 of them, so I suspect I'll be getting to this one soon!
December 26, 2015
Another interesting DS9 relaunch novel!
July 4, 2024
Star Trek: DS9 Post-Nemesis - Mission Gamma: This Gray Spirit by Heather Jarman - Book Two
Challenging, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I enjoyed this story a little better than the first entry in this quartet of books. The Gamma Mission is an interesting foray into the Gamma Quadrant.
In this book, we are dealing with an idea of whether or not Starfleet, and more expressly, one its leaders gets involved with the internal workings of a culture. You'd think that it would smack against the Prime Directive, but the way it works out...shows the strengths and weaknesses of the Prime Directive and how each captain, or officer needs to read/execute it to the best of their ability. This time, it is up to Ezri Dax...to find the best solution to the problems within the Householders and the Wanderers within the Yrythny society.
The struggles of Shar and the bondmates that are at DS9.
The storyline with Colonel Kira Nerys was hard to read, for her faith is SO important to who she is and how much she loves her people and has dedicated her life to them (even sacrificing her own comfort, for the betterment of the Bajoran people).
I also enjoyed the story with Kasidy. I'm not sure where they are going with her character, but I do hope that they give her more to do...than JUST be pregnant. Ugh.
Great scenes with the USS Defiant and the ships within their service, and how they dealt with the issues they're having in the Gamma Quadrant (the very reason for being at THIS planet, and being embroiled in this political nightmare).
The story was well written, though I do feel that the pacing was uneven, but the story being told overcame that weakness IMO.
4.25 Stars #StarTrek #DS9 Post-#Nemesis #TheGraySpirit by Heather Jarman
I enjoyed this book, better than the previous one (in this quartet).
Loved the characters and their arcs. The plot was intriguing and got me to think about the Prime Directive.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...
Challenging, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I enjoyed this story a little better than the first entry in this quartet of books. The Gamma Mission is an interesting foray into the Gamma Quadrant.
In this book, we are dealing with an idea of whether or not Starfleet, and more expressly, one its leaders gets involved with the internal workings of a culture. You'd think that it would smack against the Prime Directive, but the way it works out...shows the strengths and weaknesses of the Prime Directive and how each captain, or officer needs to read/execute it to the best of their ability. This time, it is up to Ezri Dax...to find the best solution to the problems within the Householders and the Wanderers within the Yrythny society.
The struggles of Shar and the bondmates that are at DS9.
The storyline with Colonel Kira Nerys was hard to read, for her faith is SO important to who she is and how much she loves her people and has dedicated her life to them (even sacrificing her own comfort, for the betterment of the Bajoran people).
I also enjoyed the story with Kasidy. I'm not sure where they are going with her character, but I do hope that they give her more to do...than JUST be pregnant. Ugh.
Great scenes with the USS Defiant and the ships within their service, and how they dealt with the issues they're having in the Gamma Quadrant (the very reason for being at THIS planet, and being embroiled in this political nightmare).
The story was well written, though I do feel that the pacing was uneven, but the story being told overcame that weakness IMO.
4.25 Stars #StarTrek #DS9 Post-#Nemesis #TheGraySpirit by Heather Jarman
I enjoyed this book, better than the previous one (in this quartet).
Loved the characters and their arcs. The plot was intriguing and got me to think about the Prime Directive.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...
January 22, 2024
DS9: Mission Gamma #2: This Gray Spirit by Heather Jarman
Continuing my way through the DS9 relaunch, I come to the second Mission Gamma book by Heather Jarman. I enjoyed this book more the first as it wasn’t as long and didn’t take as long to set up the plot. The first one was a decent book but it too way long to get moving, as only within the last 150 pages, it got really good.
I enjoyed the stuff taking place at DS9 better than the Gamma Quadrant. The stuff with Bajor trying to normalize relations with Cardassia was really interesting and had a lot of the great political hallmarks that have defined DS9 in the past. I particularly enjoyed the stuff with Kira and Gul Macet.
Coincidentally I also had read the story in Prophecy and Change about Ziyal and it was a pleasant surprise to receive some form of sequel with that story. Overall, it was really great stuff and the politics were very interesting to read.
The stuff with Shar’s bond mates got to be a little too much. Jesus, they all need therapy, that’s all I gonna say.
The Gamma Quadrant part of the book was still pretty good and it was great to have it focus on Ezri and Shar. Ezri meditating a conflict was great. Shar’s motives and his bond mates’ motives was understandable and his desire to help his species and their desire to adhere to tradition was understandable. Overall, this was a really good book and an improvement over the previous one.
8/10
Continuing my way through the DS9 relaunch, I come to the second Mission Gamma book by Heather Jarman. I enjoyed this book more the first as it wasn’t as long and didn’t take as long to set up the plot. The first one was a decent book but it too way long to get moving, as only within the last 150 pages, it got really good.
I enjoyed the stuff taking place at DS9 better than the Gamma Quadrant. The stuff with Bajor trying to normalize relations with Cardassia was really interesting and had a lot of the great political hallmarks that have defined DS9 in the past. I particularly enjoyed the stuff with Kira and Gul Macet.
Coincidentally I also had read the story in Prophecy and Change about Ziyal and it was a pleasant surprise to receive some form of sequel with that story. Overall, it was really great stuff and the politics were very interesting to read.
The stuff with Shar’s bond mates got to be a little too much. Jesus, they all need therapy, that’s all I gonna say.
The Gamma Quadrant part of the book was still pretty good and it was great to have it focus on Ezri and Shar. Ezri meditating a conflict was great. Shar’s motives and his bond mates’ motives was understandable and his desire to help his species and their desire to adhere to tradition was understandable. Overall, this was a really good book and an improvement over the previous one.
8/10
November 22, 2024
This is a valiant effort by a rookie writer to continue the Deep Space 9 continuity, but it falls short in several ways. Firstly, it's a lot of talk-talk and only a little action. Political negotiations are not really terribly interesting, although it must be said that that is a big part of the original series. Secondly, Jarman doesn't capture the voices of the characters as well as previous writers. Some of their motivations are murky, let's say. Thirdly, the text comes in at 390 pages, but it seems like much of that is padding, yet at least two crucial events near the end of the book went by so fast I didn't quite understand what happened. And, most of the major plot points are not resolved by the end, to be continued in the next book. There are a couple of things I really like about the book, though, mainly how two different alien species are shown. On DS9, the Andorians struggle with questions related to gender identity and fluidity, a topic that wasn't in the forefront in 2002 when the book was published. The Defiant crew's interactions with an unusual aquatic species is interesting because we rarely see water-based aliens in Star Trek. Their genetic heritage that contribute to an oppressive caste system is a nice stand-in for racial discussions. Overall, it's fun to revisit the DS9 universe, and see what might have been if the series had continued; a nice piece of space opera to take our minds off the real world.
January 13, 2025
Well all the plot points foundations that were established in the first book are continued on here and I think presented in a better way - although this one had a more straight-forward Deep Space Nine plot in the Gamma quadrant than the first one did and that plays to its advantage. I was still not completely convinced to why Shar has left his bondmates and it seems that he will now have to face the consequences of what seems like a very selfish decision in the next book or the follow-up. Here we have Vaughn, Dax and the Defiant crew trying to help a planet solve their own issues and also receive assistance for their own. Back on Deep Space Nine it's a myriad of issues for Kira, Ro and Matthias to deal with in regards to crazy Andorians and the resolving the post-war Bajor/Cardassian struggle and both sides coming to terms with each other. This book oozes with Deep Space Nine-ety and I really liked it. I think the main issues arise from the Yrythny and the elements of deception there just not seeming to click for me. Despite a good portion of the book taking place on their planet, I think I could never really find a connection there but that's a minor gripe as I enjoyed so much else with the book.
December 4, 2022
This second book in the Mission Gamma had some interesting bits but also felt a little underwhelming. There were key story beats that we had to hit and I'm sure we hit them. But how the different characters dealt with their threats didn't quite feel as awesome as they could have been - or at least didn't feel like they were written with consistency with other titles.
Great insights into the Andorians - whether you consider any of this canon, it's still fascinating stuff.
The adventure in the Gamma quadrant is very involved...but it also feels like it won't necessarily have a long-term impact.
The talks on Deep Space Nine have some major implications for the future of Bajor for sure. However, many of the mysteries introduced in this book go unresolved and I guess we'll just have to wait for a proper resolution further along in this 4-novel arc.
Great insights into the Andorians - whether you consider any of this canon, it's still fascinating stuff.
The adventure in the Gamma quadrant is very involved...but it also feels like it won't necessarily have a long-term impact.
The talks on Deep Space Nine have some major implications for the future of Bajor for sure. However, many of the mysteries introduced in this book go unresolved and I guess we'll just have to wait for a proper resolution further along in this 4-novel arc.
September 2, 2024
Weiter in Staffel 8 von „DEEP SPACE NINE“ in der Buchfortsetzung: Der zweite Teil des vierbändigen MISSION GAMMA-Mehrteilers „Dieser graue Geist“ (Autorin: Heather Jarman / Übersetzer: Christian Humberg / Verlag: CrossCult) markiert den sechsten Band der Serie und ist mit rund 500 Seiten nur wenig kürzer als der Klopper-Vorgänger „Zwielicht“, braucht aber im Gegensatz zu diesem ganz schön Anlaufzeit, um in die Gänge zu kommen und las sich ungleich zäher. Ein schönes Einzelabenteuer im Gamma-Quadranten für die „Defiant“, Politik und Persönliches auf der Station selbst ... Alles ganz nett, aber spannend wird es erst am Ende des zweiten Aktes nach rund 300 Seiten – das ist schon ein bisschen spät. Na, mal sehen, Buch 3 (kürzer) und Buch 4 (wesentlich kürzer, nicht mal die Hälfte von Buch 2) versprechen ja erst einmal schon rein quantitativ eine Straffung. Warten wir’s ab ...
May 7, 2021
Meh. Definitely my least favorite of the DS9 Relaunch novels thus far. “Mission: Gamma” has proven thus far to be difficult to get through, and this novel was no different.
Our A plot involved Vaughn and the crew of the Defiant dealing with two peoples divided by a caste system. In general, it was dull and uninspired.
The B plot was much better and involved Colonel Kira’s dealings with the Cardassians as the Bajorans attempt to join the Federation.
In general, it was a meandering novel that reminded me of the less-than-great episodes of the tv show. Whose idea was it to split this part of the Relaunch into 4 novels? This is getting to be a struggle.
Our A plot involved Vaughn and the crew of the Defiant dealing with two peoples divided by a caste system. In general, it was dull and uninspired.
The B plot was much better and involved Colonel Kira’s dealings with the Cardassians as the Bajorans attempt to join the Federation.
In general, it was a meandering novel that reminded me of the less-than-great episodes of the tv show. Whose idea was it to split this part of the Relaunch into 4 novels? This is getting to be a struggle.
February 25, 2022
I am still loving the way the DS9 relaunch has recreated the characters and difficult moral & spiritual quandaries of the original series. This book especially with the activities back at the station was excellent - Kira navigating the treaty between Bajor and Cardassia, Ziyal's art, and Gul Macet were all fascinating. I even liked the Gamma Quadrant adventures - especially spending more time with Shar who I think still suffers from a lack of characterisation.
Ezri did get a little annoying in this book and it definitely didn't have enough Bashir page time, but the rest was great.
Looking forward to more!
Ezri did get a little annoying in this book and it definitely didn't have enough Bashir page time, but the rest was great.
Looking forward to more!
May 10, 2024
Invested again!
Considering it was the authors first work of professional fiction it was very well crafted. There was the perfunctory action story as in book 1 but the character development & where it led to was much more astute.
*SPOILER ALERT*
The almost simultaneous loss Keren & Shar both suffered whilst trying to make a difference had impact. I liked Kira's run a lot too at the very end & the comparison with her knitting just before it.
Whether it's sci-fi or any genre what motivates us to go on is such an important subtext, the moments & ways it's delivered in the storyline.
Thanks Heather for reviving mission gamma!
Considering it was the authors first work of professional fiction it was very well crafted. There was the perfunctory action story as in book 1 but the character development & where it led to was much more astute.
*SPOILER ALERT*
The almost simultaneous loss Keren & Shar both suffered whilst trying to make a difference had impact. I liked Kira's run a lot too at the very end & the comparison with her knitting just before it.
Whether it's sci-fi or any genre what motivates us to go on is such an important subtext, the moments & ways it's delivered in the storyline.
Thanks Heather for reviving mission gamma!
March 28, 2020
These books are half about the Defiant's mission tot he gamma quadrant and half life on DS9. While the Gamma story is overall well done with pretty interesting new aquatic alien race that's discovered the DS9 part is frankly just dull most of the time with a Androrian love "quadrangle" love story that reads like a cheap romance novel. If your going to have half of a 400+ page book be on one place that's not what the book is sold as then make it worthwhile and not just fell like filler. Only for the most die hard Star Trek fans.
April 9, 2022
While the bulk of the story is interesting and continues the story in the previous book, this was much more of a slog to read.
It was jarring to go from the previous book where the chapters were more numerous but shorter to this book where each chapter is at least twice as long as those in the previous book.
The author does a decent job with the known characters but the new races aren't really described enough to visualize them properly. The multiple "surprises" or "twists" are decently executed but not as powerful as they would have been with a more seasoned writer.
It was jarring to go from the previous book where the chapters were more numerous but shorter to this book where each chapter is at least twice as long as those in the previous book.
The author does a decent job with the known characters but the new races aren't really described enough to visualize them properly. The multiple "surprises" or "twists" are decently executed but not as powerful as they would have been with a more seasoned writer.
September 13, 2022
Much like Twilight, this series moves at a glacial pace. I would be unsurprised if I found myself watching the characters stop by the supply room. Many plot lines were wonderful, particular the character based stuff with Kira, Vaughn, Ro, Quark and Cassidy. Shar had a lot of screen time here, packed with his mates and his mother and their drama and it was a lot, as was the palace intrigue in the Gamma Quadrant. I admittedly loved the small character beats the most, and while this book was overall strongly written, I would have preferred a lot fewer pages and a more concise plot.
September 10, 2024
I want to love every DS9 book. It’s a struggle to not enjoy them. But there’s a trend here in the Mission Gamma series of trying to do Too Much. The last book was very long, but also very focused, and the premise of taking the Defiant out into the Gamma quadrant sounds fine until they do it again… and again… and again. And it gets to the point where I just don’t care what they’re doing. I want DS9–the setting–and its beloved cast of characters to do their thing there. I’ll read on but this one really should have been two books instead of this A plot-B plot structure.
June 9, 2025
Es hat echt lang gedauert dieses Buch zu lesen.
Den ganzen Storystrang im Gamma Quadranten fand ich, wieder erwarten, total langweilig und die persönlichen Dramen der Andorianer fand ich auch nicht so interessant.
Für mich persönlich eins der schlechtesten Bücher der DS9 Buchreihe, ich hab sogar überlegt, das Buch abzubrechen.
Hoffe das das nächste Buch wieder etwas an Fahrt aufnimmt und wieder mehr mysteriöse Aliens vorkommen.
Auch würde ich mir wünschen, das die Story um Jake Sisko weitergeht.
Den ganzen Storystrang im Gamma Quadranten fand ich, wieder erwarten, total langweilig und die persönlichen Dramen der Andorianer fand ich auch nicht so interessant.
Für mich persönlich eins der schlechtesten Bücher der DS9 Buchreihe, ich hab sogar überlegt, das Buch abzubrechen.
Hoffe das das nächste Buch wieder etwas an Fahrt aufnimmt und wieder mehr mysteriöse Aliens vorkommen.
Auch würde ich mir wünschen, das die Story um Jake Sisko weitergeht.
July 11, 2025
Wie auch der erste Teil der Mission Gamma Reihe leidet This Gray Spirit darunter, dass der Editor seinen Job nicht richtig gemacht hat. Einige der Handlungsstränge ziehen sich wie Kaugummi. Vor allem die Handlung rund um die Andorianer wird so dermaßen in die Länge gezogen, dass man fast schon versucht ist, die Kapitel zu überspringen. Insgesamt hat mir der zweite Teil aber noch einen Tick besser gefallen, als sein Vorgänger. Dies lag vorwiegend an dem sehr gefälligen Schreibstil der Autorin und daran, dass das Buch nicht ganz so arg gestreckt wirkt wie das vorherige.
October 28, 2024
not great
The book could have been 30% shorter if you cut out the fluff. It’s boring, poorly written and was full of spelling errors. The author spent too much time describing the same situations multiple times. I didn’t get a chance to care about the characters because the development was too boring to pay attention to. The chapters and scenes meandered from on sentence to another. I don’t recommend.
The book could have been 30% shorter if you cut out the fluff. It’s boring, poorly written and was full of spelling errors. The author spent too much time describing the same situations multiple times. I didn’t get a chance to care about the characters because the development was too boring to pay attention to. The chapters and scenes meandered from on sentence to another. I don’t recommend.
September 22, 2019
The Gamma Quadrant part dragged on 3 chapters too long but I like Shar too much to rouse a louder complaint. As for the Alpha Quadrant half of things, I'm LOVING the developing tensions on Bajor, not to mention the unexpected alliances cropping up between Cardassia and Bajor.
June 19, 2020
It was grueling to get through at times. I really wanted to like this book, but it just never managed to grab me. The conclusion was underwhelming and unsatisfying - the few things I did enjoy were taken away at the end.
May 27, 2021
En mycket spännande bok där man inte vet vem som är fiende och vem som är vän, oavsett om man befinner sig i alfa- eller gammakvadranten. Man fick också en god inblick i andorianernas fysiologi och hemligheter. Betyget är 7/10.
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