I have a few that come to mind.
It's just a beautifully-written scene with such a sense of hope and potential, of liberation and resolution to meet a new and better future. Every time I read it, it reminds me of "The Song of Purple Summer" from the musical "Spring Awakening."
In looking at it, though, I notice that that sequence in Lost Souls is something of an outlier for me. A lot of my favorite scenes involve character being forced to confront some horrible, uncomfortable issue they've been avoiding or ignoring.
One scene that I've been thinking about a lot lately is the finale to Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow.
The last sentence, in particular, is beautifully haunting:
In the isolation of his private sanctum, he drowned himself in the black and terrible truth.
Several of my favorites can be found in Part III of Reap the Whirlwind by David Mack, "Instruments of Darkness."
The line "How many lives are we supposed to sacrifice on the alter of security?" has stuck with me ever since I read that book in the Summer of 2007.
Other mentions...
The entire sequence with Surak encountering the Underliers in Spock's World and his subsequent founding of cthia.
Nanietta Bacco making a Federation Councillor who had imprisoned a man without due process of the law resign in Articles of the Federation.
The final chapters of Vendetta by Peter David. "Sweet Picard was gone..."
The final transformation and redemption of the Borg in "Lost Souls" comes to mind.
It's just a beautifully-written scene with such a sense of hope and potential, of liberation and resolution to meet a new and better future. Every time I read it, it reminds me of "The Song of Purple Summer" from the musical "Spring Awakening."
In looking at it, though, I notice that that sequence in Lost Souls is something of an outlier for me. A lot of my favorite scenes involve character being forced to confront some horrible, uncomfortable issue they've been avoiding or ignoring.
One scene that I've been thinking about a lot lately is the finale to Seeds of Dissent by James Swallow.
Princeps Julian Bashir has been forced to confront the fact that the history was raised with, his entire worldview, is a lie, and that his society is built on tyranny.
In the isolation of his private sanctum, he drowned himself in the black and terrible truth.
Several of my favorites can be found in Part III of Reap the Whirlwind by David Mack, "Instruments of Darkness."
Diego Reyes and several other characters are forced to confront the fact that they have been utterly complicit in the mass murder of thousands of people in their obsessive quest to wring the secrets of the Shedai from the Taurus Reach.
In particular, two sequences stand out (though the entire third part is excellent). The first is T'Prynn reacting to the death of her lover, Anna.
"T'Prynn watched her lies and evasions burn away in the crucible of fire outside the window, leaving only the awful truth.
"...For the sake of duty, T'Prynn had forfeited Anna's life. She had not done the deed, but she had forced the Klingons' hand. Anna's life had been imperiled for the sake of many. It was logical...
"There was no longer any reason for T'Prynn to lie--to Starfleet or to herself. Love--a taboo of unrivaled power in Vulcan culture, revered and reviled in equal measure--had been driving her mad, clouding her logic, feeding her passions, eroding her control. Anna had declared her own love openly several times, but only now could T'Prynn let herself realize that her lover had spoken the truth. A woman with two faces and two names, a Klingon in human guise, a spy turned traitor, had been the only honest thing in T'Prynn's life.
"She loved me.
"... The truth looked back at her through the flames, it morbid grin a momento mori, its brilliant silence a scathing reproach. Love was lost, betrayed in the name of of country. Hope was gone. All that remained was the fire.
"She burns for me."
The other sequence that stands out in particular is Reyes choosing to leak the info on the Shedai to Tim Pennington.
" 'More than thirteen thousand people died on Gamma Tauri IV,' he said. As he continued, his sorrow slowly transmuted to quiet anger. 'But that's nothing compared to how many would die if that enemy ever reaches a fully populated planet. We woke this nightmare, and now it's loose, God knows where, running amok. And nobody knows about it, Tim. Nobody knows because we keep hiding the truth, hoping we can steal another handful of ancient secrets from these creatures before all hell breaks loose.' His anger abated, leaving only his somber tone of grief. 'The crew of the Bombay died for this secret, along with a dozen men and women from the Endeavour and the Lovell. Now it's claimed thirteen thousand souls on Gamma Tauri IV, including a woman who used to be my wife.' He sighed heavily. 'How many have to die? How many lives are we supposed to sacrifice on the alter of security? When does this madness stop?' "
In particular, two sequences stand out (though the entire third part is excellent). The first is T'Prynn reacting to the death of her lover, Anna.
"T'Prynn watched her lies and evasions burn away in the crucible of fire outside the window, leaving only the awful truth.
"...For the sake of duty, T'Prynn had forfeited Anna's life. She had not done the deed, but she had forced the Klingons' hand. Anna's life had been imperiled for the sake of many. It was logical...
"There was no longer any reason for T'Prynn to lie--to Starfleet or to herself. Love--a taboo of unrivaled power in Vulcan culture, revered and reviled in equal measure--had been driving her mad, clouding her logic, feeding her passions, eroding her control. Anna had declared her own love openly several times, but only now could T'Prynn let herself realize that her lover had spoken the truth. A woman with two faces and two names, a Klingon in human guise, a spy turned traitor, had been the only honest thing in T'Prynn's life.
"She loved me.
"... The truth looked back at her through the flames, it morbid grin a momento mori, its brilliant silence a scathing reproach. Love was lost, betrayed in the name of of country. Hope was gone. All that remained was the fire.
"She burns for me."
The other sequence that stands out in particular is Reyes choosing to leak the info on the Shedai to Tim Pennington.
" 'More than thirteen thousand people died on Gamma Tauri IV,' he said. As he continued, his sorrow slowly transmuted to quiet anger. 'But that's nothing compared to how many would die if that enemy ever reaches a fully populated planet. We woke this nightmare, and now it's loose, God knows where, running amok. And nobody knows about it, Tim. Nobody knows because we keep hiding the truth, hoping we can steal another handful of ancient secrets from these creatures before all hell breaks loose.' His anger abated, leaving only his somber tone of grief. 'The crew of the Bombay died for this secret, along with a dozen men and women from the Endeavour and the Lovell. Now it's claimed thirteen thousand souls on Gamma Tauri IV, including a woman who used to be my wife.' He sighed heavily. 'How many have to die? How many lives are we supposed to sacrifice on the alter of security? When does this madness stop?' "
The line "How many lives are we supposed to sacrifice on the alter of security?" has stuck with me ever since I read that book in the Summer of 2007.
Other mentions...
The entire sequence with Surak encountering the Underliers in Spock's World and his subsequent founding of cthia.
Nanietta Bacco making a Federation Councillor who had imprisoned a man without due process of the law resign in Articles of the Federation.
The assassination of Min Zife and Koll Azernal. "He walked beside his president, prepared to meet his fate at the merciless hands of Section 31" was CHILLING.
The final chapters of Vendetta by Peter David. "Sweet Picard was gone..."
