^ We all do it at one time or another. Apology accepted. You're still okay by us.
And now, my compiled "Say What?" concerning Warpath. Hope you all like it.
The Deep Space Nine novel Warpath takes place immediately following the attack on Captain Kira Nerys and Lieutenant Ro Laren depicted in the story Olympus Descending, the Dominion entry in Worlds of Deep Space Nine. The ending of Olympus Descending happens concurrently with the attack and spills over into Warpath (although you don’t see it in the latter)
As for the various narratives in Warpath, see below for there are many
Simply put, it’s like this: Taran’atar, after having successfully neutralizing Kira and Ro, escapes onboard the Runabout Euphrates and takes Prynn Tenmei hostage. Vaughn, Bowers and company follow in hot pursuit on the Defiant. Bashir rushes to save Kira’s life while also having his staff attend to Ro, who was the luckier of the two. Kira’s heart has been trashed, so Bashir puts an artificial heart in her (akin to Picard’s situation seen in TNG’s Tapestry). While being pursued, Taran’atar comes up with an idea to take Vaughn out of the picture, and he makes Vaughn believe that he’s killed his own daughter in a freak accident that does neutralize the Defiant for a few hours. The ship picks up Taran’atar’s route again, but now Vaughn’s bent on revenge. On the station, Sisko arrives and tends to Kira while Quark holds a vigil for Ro. Quark and Ro learn that Ro’s paralyzed and that it will be some time before she’s fully able to walk, but she will make a recovery. Sisko’s concerned for Kira, and it’s more than just a friendly concern. When Dax comes to the infirmary, Sisko tells her about how uneasy he’s felt since the Sidau Massacre on Bajor (see Fragments and Omens in the Bajor entry of Worlds of Deep Space Nine). Sisko tells Dax about something he experienced during the Dominion War while Sisko parleyed with the Prophets to neutralize the Dominion ships in the wormhole (the same ones seen briefly in Unity) Sisko knows he’s on borrowed time, and that something’s brewing on the horizon, but knows he needs Kira’s help.
Vaughn and company follow Taran’atar to a Cardassian prison world called Harkoum, and storm the Grennokar prison facility to find him. Vaughn breaks off from his main unit, and goes after the Jem’Hadar alone, who makes short work of him. However, before Taran’atar can deliver the final blow, Prynn stops him. Vaughn realizes his daughter was never killed, and before anything else happens, a voice instructs Taran’atar to leave, which he does. Then, the voice informs Vaughn and Prynn that Grennokar is about to be destroyed. Vaughn and Prynn attempt to escape, but Vaughn’s condition prevents him from keeping up with his daughter. He implores Prynn to escape, and then falls, supposedly to his death. Prynn, not being able to accept this, tries to rescue her father, and falls with him, but are rescued at the last second by a Klingon scout ship that Taran’atar had been able to capture while en route to Grennokar. Vaughn and Prynn are reunited with their team, and meet a Cardassian woman who tells them that Kira’s in grave danger. Prynn tells her that Taran’atar already made his hit on her, and this distresses her.Vaughn also tells the Cardassian woman of Taran’atar’s alliance with Intendant Kira of the Mirror Universe (will discuss this later). The Cardassian woman gets angry and tells Vaughn he has no clue what’s going on. She explains that Taran’atar’s working with a woman named Iliana Ghemor, a Cardassian sleeper agent who was surgically altered once to look like Kira Nerys. Before Kira and Ghemor could be swapped, the op fell apart, apparently betrayed by within. Ghemor disappeared, and nobody say the man who betrayed her knew where she was. The man who betrayed the op was Gul Dukat. Vaughn asks how this can be possible, and the woman simply replies, “Because, my name is also Iliana Ghemor.” On the station, Kira recovers in the Infirmary and is met by Sisko as she wakes up. Sisko tells Kira about her artificial heart, and when Kira’s overwhelmed that Sisko would take time just to see her, Sisko shakes his head, telling her that Kasidy insisted he come and that he’d be more useful on the station then on Bajor, and then Sisko tells Kira what good he’d be without his right hand.
In the Mirror Universe, Taran’atar presents himself before Intendant Kira Nerys, who believes she has him as a servant, but soon realizes she’s made a fatal mistake when he attacks her. A transporter beam is seen and “Kira” materializes in the Intendant’s quarters. The Intendant applauds ‘Kira’ for her well played plan, but ‘Kira’ smugly tells the Intendant she has no clue who she is, and slits her throat. The Intendant is killed, and ‘Kira’ takes her place. She soon is assisted by the Intendant’s servants in fitting her in one of the Intendant’s outfits and tells them and Taran’atar that they’re on the verge of a huge breakthrough, and that they have the key in their hand to unlocking endless possibilities. This key is the Orb fragment that was worn on a bracelet by Ke Hovath, the sirah (storyteller) of the Sidau village on Bajor (again, see Fragments and Omens). ‘Kira’ laments on her years of exile, but swears revenge, saying that the universes may be infinite, but there’s room for only one Kira Nerys. It should be obvious that this is NOT Kira, but in fact, Iliana Ghemor.
So that’s the main plot. Now what ELSE happens?
In the Mirror Universe, Intendant Kira Nerys has convened with Captain Kurn and Gul Macet and are planning a major offensive (presumably against Terok Nor...this information is validated in the Mirror Universe DS9 novella Saturn’s Children). However, this major offensive is not Intendant Kira’s endgame. Working alongside the Mirror Universe counterpart of Ke Hovath, the Intendant comes into possession of a device that Hovath created that could unlock access to not just the ONE universe, but ALL of them. It’d be a tool that would preserve the Alliance, and keep it going forever. Unfortunately, Hovath doesn’t live too long to bask in this glory as he dies by poisoning. (How evil of the Intendant) The Intendant, having the I.K.S Negh’Var as her personal flagship, sends the ship to THEIR Harkoum and puts them into a geostationary orbit over Grennokar to receive Taran’atar, having believed that she had control of him from the beginning. We then witness the Intendant’s fate. (Do make sure you read David Mack’s annotations for Warpath...in particular, the note for Page 337...things start making a whole lot of sense when you do)
As for Taran’atar, he’s just plain and simply screwed up. (that’s putting it mildly and very superficial) The jist of what’s happening with him is he’s being manipulated and exploited, and unable to break free of such a condition. However, he’s been dealing with this facet of himself for some time now. Taran’atar knows that the Jem’Hadar were meant to serve the Founders in all things, and at the conclusion of the Dominion War, Odo sent Taran’atar to the Alpha Quadrant to learn coexistence with the people there, and to follow Kira’s instructions. For months he did that, but in recent weeks, he’d been experiencing strange symptoms, and one of those were dreams. In Olympus Descending, we see some of these dreams that Taran’atar had been having, and he had no idea why they were happening. The other thing happening at the same time as these dreams was a visit sanctioned by Starfleet that permitted Taran’atar to visit the Female Founder at the prison of Ananke Alpha (again, see Olympus Descending). Taran’atar was seeking guidance and a release from his service, not understanding Odo’s mission. Instead of getting answers, the Female Founder rebukes him, and simply tells him that the Founders are not gods, and that when Odo fails in his efforts to change the way the Great Link thinks and operates, he’ll return to Kira for as long as she lives. (this is what Vaughn first believed drove Taran’atar to attack her) However, his dreams continue and in one, he pictures killing Kira. Back at the station, he unleashes his rage and makes an attempt at Kira’s life in an effort to follow the instructions of someone that’s constantly referred to as that face. (That face, being none other than Iliana Ghemor, but it’s Kira’s face he sees) We know Taran’atar stole the runabout, kidnapped Prynn and flew to Harkoum to follow his new god’s instructions, but even in such servitutde, he pictured killing his new god and breaking her to pieces, but couldn’t as he’s submitted himself to a life of a slave.
So what about his dreams? They could be just dreams, but Doctor Bashir and Lieutenant Nog find out that Taran’atar’s condition had been forced upon him. Nog finds inside a comm signal nerve patterns that looked familiar enough to him. When Bashir looks at the data, he confirms Nog’s theory and deduces that whoever’s controlling Taran’atar is doing it by sending synaptic pulses via remote that are meant specificially for him. They essentially overwrote the genetic programming that the Founders had put in place and turned Taran’atar to them. Uncovering information about the source of the pulses and the one behind them leads Vaughn to falsely implicate the Intendant, although that’s the face seen. (Note: Nobody has even considered Iliana at this point) When Vaughn and his team arrive at Grennokar, Vaughn finds a horrifying sight: Jem’Hadar in test tubes. These soldiers had all been manipulate in some form or another, with the intention of figuring out how to override the genetic programming and reconfiguring it. They also find in Taran’atar’s files information about the Celestial Temple, the Orbs of the Prophets, the Sidau village, and the Prophets themselves. As well, the information that’s more dangerous is the information about the mirror universe. It hasn’t been 100% confirmed but it’s plausible that when Taran’atar had found this information about the MU and sent it to Iliana, Ghemor came up with a plan to replace the Intendant with herself, and fool Intendant Kira into thinking that she had control by giving her supposed ‘control’ over this one Jem’Hadar. (I.E: Ghemor knowing Kira, set a trap for her and used her own ambition and a rogue Jem’Hadar as bait). This is also furthered by the aforementioned annotation on David Mack’s website (Pg 337) This links the massacre at the Sidau village and the attempt on Kira and Ro in a way that nobody thought possible.
As for Kira, she experiences a vision from the Prophets that is profound and prophetic...in a story reminiscent of Horn and Ivory, Kira becomes an antiquated version of herself and she leads the Bajora forces to the legendary keep of Parek Tonn to celebrate. However, at the arrival at Parek Tonn, they’re met by the Eav’Oq, who reject Kira’s claims. Not really getting anywhere with it, Kira seeks to negotiate, and she’s met by a vision of Opaka Sulan who speaks for the Eav’Oq. (Remember, the Eav’Oq and their relation to Opaka are explored in the novel Rising Son, the precursor to Unity. Opaka talks of the claim the Eav’Oq have to the fortress, and speak of another approaching army: that of the Ascendants. Opaka tells Kira that the Eav’Oq have defended their fortress for years against the Ascendants, despite being pacifists. Kira asks how this is possible, and Opaka replies that the road had been sealed, but it was now open and the Asecendants were coming to claim the castle. Kira decides to parley with the Ascendants, and a good chunk of her forces are wiped out in the process. The Prophets interject themselves in this vision, and Kira starts putting things together: Parek Tonn is a representation of faith, and more importantly, the Celestial Temple. A remnant of Captain Sisko (think of what happened to Guinan in Generations and this makes sense) tells Kira that the message of the Prophets has not been interpreted the same way, although it’s the same message. The Eav’Oq turned it into a lifestyle, the Bajorans turned it into a faith and theology, and the Ascendants turned it into a jihad-esque crusade. In the vision, Kira takes her hand out in friendship and tells the Eav’Oq that regardless of what they may think, the Bajorans will defend their fortress. Opaka welcomes them to the fortress of Idran (ah, key distinction here), and their battle is a futile one. The Eav’Oq are wiped out, as are the Bajorans, including Kira, who is piereced with a blade in her heart, akin to her real life experience. Jamin, a representation of Sisko tells Kira as he dies, “should have had allies”. This is probably a direct link to what happened in Olympus Descending when Odo learns that the Ascendants destroyed the Progenitor, the creator of the Founders, and that himself and Laas become the Dominion. The theory is that these allies spoken of are the soldiers of the Dominion, under Odo’s leadership. Another theory is that it could be the ‘lost children of the Prophets’, which we speculate are the Cardassians, considering the strong links between the Bajorans and the relgion of Oralius, or the Oralian Way. (See Terok Nor: Day Of The Vipers for a further breakdown...as well, read The Lotus Flower, Well of Souls, A Stitch In Time, Mission Gamma: Cathedral) Various DS9 characters are present in Kira’s vision, which indicates more than likely that they’ll all play in a role in what’s to come. Here’s the list of who’s there:
Kira (as herself)
Jamin (Sisko)
Ghavun (Vaughn)
Zeir (Ezri)
Shirab (Bashir)
Nathech (Ch’Thane aka Shar)
Jayol (Kira’s zhom, named for the Runabout Yolja)
Denigarro (Sisko’s zhom, named for the Runabout Rio Grande)
Renla (Laren aka Ro)
Opaka Sulan
The Prophets are concerned for the coming events, and the consistently refer to Kira as their “hand”...and in the vision, the ‘hand’ is mentioned to do more than hold a weapon...it can be extended in friendship as well, and that Kira was the ‘vessel’...this was established in the Season Six episode The Reckoning when the Prophets chose her to fight the Pah-Wraiths, who had taken over the body of Jake Sisko.
Now we come to Iliana Ghemor....here’s the scoop on her. (We’ll also mention Kira because this makes sense)
1. Captain Kira Nerys - onboard Deep Space Nine, recovering from her attack
2. Intendant Kira Nerys - Dead.
3. Iliana Ghemor (as Kira Nerys) - This Iliana Ghemor is surgically altered to look like Kira, as mentioned before. She’s the daughter of Tekeny Ghemor and a relative of Alon Ghemor, the current head of the Cardassian government. She was surgically altered to infiltrate the Bajoran Resistance under the orders of Gul Dukat. However, Dukat betrayed Ghemor and she was sent into exile. Nobody knew where she was except for him. Now, she’s pissed off, and blames Captain Kira for it. She orchestrated the massacre at Sidau, and had Ke Hovath captured...he revealed his theories about the Celestial Temple, and in particular how he believes that the Alpha and Gamma Quadrant terminuses of the wormhole are only but two possible exit points, that the rest are locked. He also believes that the key for unlocking them is a charm he had, which contained a piece of an Orb. Iliana took this for herself, and it’s the green stone mentioned at the end of Warpath. What shocked Hovath more than anything is that he recognized Ghemor’s face as being Kira’s, however it wasn’t mentioned. (This all took place in Fragments and Omens)
4. Iliana Ghemor (as The Cardassian Woman) - This Iliana Ghemor spent most of the novel on Harkoum trying to get to the other Iliana before it was too late, but the other Iliana had hired people to take her out, and all of them failed. This Iliana rescued Vaughn and Prynn and told them about the nature of who Taran’atar was dealing with.
So, which Iliana is the one mentioned in the episode Second Skin? It’s the one who’s posing as Kira Nerys. People believe that the Ghemor who rescued Vaughn and Prynn is our Iliana...this is 99.99% false as I understand it because that doesn’t make sense. In particular, the obvious reason is that Ghemor was surgically altered to look like Kira. The other reason is in the Mirror Universe, the Cardassians and Bajorans are allies, and we don’t even see the Mirror Dukat in any established episode of DS9. It would make almost no sense to make note of this in the last seconds of the book and expect people to believe it. The counter-argument is why would the Mirror Iliana be willing to help Terrans because in the MU, the Cardassians have conquered the Terrans? Hypothesis is this: despite what the MU Iliana may believe politically, she’s a pragmatist and knows that there’s more at stake and that by not intervening, there are much deadlier consequences for both universes. A rogue agent that has snapped is more of a liability than an asset. This I’m expecting will be resolved in Fearful Symmetry.
Then as well, there are the various other points mentioned in this thread already. Hopefully this will help your reading of Warpath. If there’s anything else that nees to be mentioned, feel free to add it.
