Star Trek Universe: Whats happening there 'now'?

[sithspawn4]

p.1

 

[The Rock]

Ha, the Borg will rise again to conquer the Federation, just you wait! Next time, they will send TWO Borg cubes instead of just one!

 

[Sci]

Austin 3:16 said:
Ha, the Borg will rise again to conquer the Federation, just you wait! Next time, they will send TWO Borg cubes instead of just one!

That depends upon whether or not the virus that Future!Janeway gave the Collective in "Endgame" destroyed the Collective for good or not.

For what it's worth, it's been revealed that Peter David is writing a post-NEM TNG novel that will deal with the Borg in some way, but that's all we know of it.

 

[WalkinMan]

Wow, what an ending to a "Time to Heal"

Thx for that.

Although

Spoiler: Time to Heal

I agree with you that the 'Secret Service' would never do that in real life, abandon the POTUFP. I also question how one could assassinate the UFP prez and not get any media coverage of his 'disappearance.' Plus it seems rather strange to have to kill off Zife and his cohorts for their role in the Tezwa debacle. Why not spirit them away to some prison or 'private Hague' or something?

Thx for the info, I'll have to look out for that book sometime. These stories are so fascinating, it's too bad we don't have an ongoing TV show to get into them. And a ST 'West Wing' or episodic 'UFP planet of the week' series could have covered some of this quite well.

 

[Deckerd]

kirk40 said:
In reference to the earlier post by sci.

Dang, theres a lot of Trek novels I still need to read. Is something to look forward to I suppose.

Am I alone in never having had the desire to open a Trek novel? If it isn't on a screen of some sort it isn't Trek to me.

 

[Sci]

Spoiler: Time to Heal

WalkinBomb said:
Wow, what an ending to a "Time to Heal" Thx for that. Although I agree with you that the 'Secret Service' would never do that in real life, abandon the POTUFP. END QUOTE The disadvantage of putting it all under one organization's umbrella -- it leaves things open to corruption. WalkinBomb said: I also question how one could assassinate the UFP prez and not get any media coverage of his 'disappearance.'END QUOTE :grins: Read "Articles of the Federation." WalkinBomb said:Plus it seems rather strange to have to kill off Zife and his cohorts for their role in the Tezwa debacle. Why not spirit them away to some prison or 'private Hague' or something?END QUOTE That's what Ross, Nechayev, Paris, Jellico, Nakamura, Picard, and Ambassador Lagan wanted. But Section 31 was more vindictive than that, and far less merciful.

Thx for the info, I'll have to look out for that book sometime.

No prob.

These stories are so fascinating, it's too bad we don't have an ongoing TV show to get into them.

I'm perfectly happy with the novels, which are able to take more creative risks and do stories in more depth than television allows for.

And a ST 'West Wing' or episodic 'UFP planet of the week' series could have covered some of this quite well.

I keep saying that Pocket ought to publish a new ebook or paperback series: Star Trek: The West Palais.

Deckerd said:
Am I alone in never having had the desire to open a Trek novel?

No. It's a niche market, definitely. But you might want to give some books a try at some point, just to see if you'd like 'em or not.

If it isn't on a screen of some sort it isn't Trek to me.

I think that's unfortunately closed-minded. Trek isn't about the medium, and Trek novels have been published for decades, exploring the Trekverse in greater depth than the canon allows for. Many are truly wonderful, and many are decent, and many are crap, but most of the novels being published in the last five, six years have been truly amazing.

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Recommend some books then Sci, are Articles of the Federation and the Titan novels a good place to start?

 

[Sci]

Grand Admiral Thrawn said:
Recommend some books then Sci, are Articles of the Federation and the Titan novels a good place to start?

Well, it depends on what kind of Trek stories you like. Given your fascination with Romulan politics, for instance, I'd recommend for you:

- The Rihannsu novels by Diane Duane
- My Enemy, My Ally
- The Romulan Way (w/ Peter Morwood)
- Honor Blade
- Swordhunt
- The Empty Chair (forthcoming)

Books one through four are being republished as an omnibus this year, and the finale is going to be pusblished around the same time. The Rihannsu novels were begun way back in the early 80s before TNG took the Romulans and Trekverse in a different direction, so they're very different from the canonical Romulans, but still great reads.

Alternately, you'd likely also enjoy the Vulcan's Noun novels by Susan Schwartz and Josepha Sherman, which deal with Spock's life after Star Trek VI and his relationship with the Romulan Star Empire. This series was started in around 1997 or so, so it's a bit closer to the canon. It consists of:

- Vulcan's Forge
- Vulcan's Heart - deals extensively with Romulus during the mid-2300s
- Tales of the Dominion War: "Blood and Sacrifice" - Spock on Romulus during the Dominion War
- Vulcan's Soul trilogy
- Book I: Exodus

Books II and III in Soul will be released; Soul deals with the origins of the Romulan Star Empire 2000 years ago and the immediate aftermath of the Dominion War for the Romulans, including the rise of the Remans and Shinzon and the sundering of the Federation/Romulan alliance.

You seem to enjoy politics in general, so I'd also recommend for you:

A Time to Kill by David Mack - The Federation must invade Tezwa to stop the Klingons from discovering their dirty secret
A Time to Heal by David Mack - The Enterprise occupies Tezwa while facing down a deadly insurgency, and discovers evidence of treason by the Federation President
A Time For War, A Time For Peace by Keith RA DeCandido - Ambassador Worf tries to keep the Federation/Klingon alliance alive in the wake of the Tezwa debacle while Governor Nan Bacco runs against Special Emissary Fel Pagro for the presidency
Articles of the Federation by Keith RA DeCandido - A year in the life of the newly elected President Nan Bacco, a la The West Wing.

 

[MyCylon]

It's kind of strange. I just can't get into the books the way I could into the tv show. Granted, quite some time has passed since DS9 (on tv ended) and, as they say, people change. Still, there's just something that doesn't come off quite as 'real' for me in the books.
I notice this also because I'm not at all bothered with spoilers the way I was with DS9 or am with nuBSG right now.

As a sidenote, I've read Robinson's Stitch in Time as well as Avatar Pts. 1 and 2. I might at some stage pick up the next book in the relaunch series sometime but I'm not really in a hurry.

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Sci said:

Grand Admiral Thrawn said:
Recommend some books then Sci, are Articles of the Federation and the Titan novels a good place to start?

Well, it depends on what kind of Trek stories you like. Given your fascination with Romulan politics, for instance, I'd recommend for you:

- The Rihannsu novels by Diane Duane
- My Enemy, My Ally
- The Romulan Way (w/ Peter Morwood)
- Honor Blade
- Swordhunt
- The Empty Chair (forthcoming)

Books one through four are being republished as an omnibus this year, and the finale is going to be pusblished around the same time. The Rihannsu novels were begun way back in the early 80s before TNG took the Romulans and Trekverse in a different direction, so they're very different from the canonical Romulans, but still great reads.

Alternately, you'd likely also enjoy the Vulcan's Noun novels by Susan Schwartz and Josepha Sherman, which deal with Spock's life after Star Trek VI and his relationship with the Romulan Star Empire. This series was started in around 1997 or so, so it's a bit closer to the canon. It consists of:

- Vulcan's Forge
- Vulcan's Heart - deals extensively with Romulus during the mid-2300s
- Tales of the Dominion War: "Blood and Sacrifice" - Spock on Romulus during the Dominion War
- Vulcan's Soul trilogy
- Book I: Exodus

Books II and III in Soul will be released; Soul deals with the origins of the Romulan Star Empire 2000 years ago and the immediate aftermath of the Dominion War for the Romulans, including the rise of the Remans and Shinzon and the sundering of the Federation/Romulan alliance.

You seem to enjoy politics in general, so I'd also recommend for you:

A Time to Kill by David Mack - The Federation must invade Tezwa to stop the Klingons from discovering their dirty secret
A Time to Heal by David Mack - The Enterprise occupies Tezwa while facing down a deadly insurgency, and discovers evidence of treason by the Federation President
A Time For War, A Time For Peace by Keith RA DeCandido - Ambassador Worf tries to keep the Federation/Klingon alliance alive in the wake of the Tezwa debacle while Governor Nan Bacco runs against Special Emissary Fel Pagro for the presidency
Articles of the Federation by Keith RA DeCandido - A year in the life of the newly elected President Nan Bacco, a la The West Wing.

Yet again - a quality post sci thanks for the recommendations!
Some novels are definately on the agenda now Star Trek is off screen, think i'll plump for Articles of the Federation first off, heard allot of good reports on it. Someone even said the author posts on here sometimes (think it was in the star trek technology forum)

 

[Sci]

Grand Admiral Thrawn said:
Yet again - a quality post sci thanks for the recommendations!

Many thanks, and no problem.

Some novels are definately on the agenda now Star Trek is off screen, think i'll plump for Articles of the Federation first off, heard allot of good reports on it.

Articles is an excellent novel and you can certainly start with that as an introduction to the literary Trekverse, since it mentions damn near everything that's happened in the TrekLitverse over the years. However, if you're going for Federation politics to start with, I'd have to recommend reading A Time to Kill, A Time to Heal, and A Time For War, A Time For Peace first; you don't need to read anything first, but I think that it would enhance your reading experience if you did so. President Bacco is supposed to be that most fantastical of Trek conceits, an honest and honorable politician, but it enhances the experience to read about President Min Zife, who is most definitely NOT an honorable leader, first. Again, just a recommendation, not a necessity, and Articles IS a good place to start.

BTW, this isn't a necessity, but Titan: Taking Wing, the first novel in the Star Trek: Titan series, takes place between A Time For War, A Time For Peace and Articles, and covers Romulan politics in the wake of NEM and Riker's attempts to broker a deal for a stabilized Romulan government. You don't need to read it first, but Articles follows up on part of what happens in this novel, which is why it's listed on the "Before Articles..." list on the inside cover of Articles. I suspect you'd enjoy Taking Wing.

Someone even said the author posts on here sometimes (think it was in the star trek technology forum)

Keith RA DeCandido posts here at the TrekBBS quite often, actually, under the username of KRAD. In fact, several Trek authors do, including David Mack, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, Terri Osbourne, and editors Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clarke.

 

[Defcon]

Sci said:
Keith RA DeCandido posts here at the TrekBBS quite often, actually, under the username of KRAD. In fact, several Trek authors do, including David Mack, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, Terri Osbourne, and editors Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clarke.

That's Terri Osborne (no u) and Margaret Clark (no e).

Christopher L. Bennett, David R. George III, Michael Jan Friedman, Heather Jarman, Margaret Wander Bonanno, and a whole lot more (especially S.C.E. and SNW authors ) are members of the board, too.

 

[Sci]

Defcon said:

Sci said:
Keith RA DeCandido posts here at the TrekBBS quite often, actually, under the username of KRAD. In fact, several Trek authors do, including David Mack, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, Terri Osbourne, and editors Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clarke.

That's Terri Osborne (no u) and Margaret Clark (no e).

Christopher L. Bennett, David R. George III, Michael Jan Friedman, Heather Jarman, Margaret Wander Bonanno, and a whole lot more (especially S.C.E. and SNW authors ) are members of the board, too.

Yis -- too many post here, in fact, for me to bother trying to do a comprehensive list off the top of the bat!

 

[T'Cal]

Will Riker has been captain of Titan for a few years now. His wife and ship's counselor, Deanna, has become quite a successful ambassador as well, assisting with the Romulan Peace Accord. The Remans, however, are none too pleased with this new cozy Romulan/Federation relationship. In addition, they still hold a serious grudge against the Federation in general and Will in particular for the death of Shinzon.

At a peace conference located in the Romulan Neutral Zone and hosted by Titan's crew, Reman terrorists conduct a suicide bombing killing dozens of dellegates and ambassadors. Will is unharmed but his Imzadi does not fair as well: she is killed in the intense and sudden explosion, which vaporizes her body and those of others near her. In horror, Will senses the loss of his wife immediately. Ever the Starfleet officer, he returns to his post on the ship in an attempt to retalliate, but the incident is too quick. None of terrorists survived and there is not enough evidence to tie them to any particular group or faction. Will isn't even able to recover Deanna's remains. He tries all avenues to try to capture the animals that are responsible, but months soon become years. He becomes deeply depressed, emotionally distraught, and physically drained. Desparate, he enlists the aid of some of his new Romulan friends and quietly commandeers a Romulan shuttle. Under cloak, he travels at high warp to Foreverworld, the home of The Guardian of Forever. There, he plans to travel years back to a time just prior to the attack to prevent it and the death of his Imzadi, too fix everything. But, time is fragile. Will he "correct" history or cause a ripple effect that will devastate the Federation? Picard, now an admiral and in charge of Temporal Investigations, heads a team of temporal investigators who will try to track Will down and prevent him from making changes to the continuum.

Roles have reversed: at one time Riker had to hunt down and stop (perhaps kill) his closest friend Picard, who was twisted by the Borg into an emotionless monster known as Locutus. Now, pain and loss have twisted Riker into madman obsessed with vengeance and unconcerned with the consequences that will affect the galaxy, and Picard must use all that he knows about Will to stop him at all costs.

 

[Sci]

^^ For the record, none of that's from any of the novels.

Oh, and Picard can't be an admiral and in charge of Temporal Investigations. The Department of Temporal Investigations is a civilian agency, a division of the Federation government, not a part of Starfleet.

 

[Defcon]

^ Well, most of it is an obvious rip off of "Imzadi" by Peter David.

 

[T'Cal]

For the record, I blatently and unashamedly stole the premise from STNG: Imzadi (best...novel...ever). I just updated it a bit. Also, Picard can do whatever he wants. He's Picard, dammit!!! ...or, he's put in charge of Stafleet Intelligence. It doesn't become a matter for Temporal Investigations until after the fact. Until then, SFI has jurisdiction. The civilians can piss off.

 

[Sci]

T'Cal said:
It doesn't become a matter for Temporal Investigations until after the fact. Until then, SFI has jurisdiction. The civilians can piss off.

Sorry, government doesn't work that way. The military can't just arbitrarilly declare jurisdiction over an area where another agency has clear jurisdiction in a liberal democracy (irrelevent of what George W. Bush would have you think). Starfleet is accountable to the civilians, not the other way around.

 

[The Rock]

Sci said:

T'Cal said:
It doesn't become a matter for Temporal Investigations until after the fact. Until then, SFI has jurisdiction. The civilians can piss off.

Sorry, government doesn't work that way. The military can't just arbitrarilly declare jurisdiction over an area where another agency has clear jurisdiction in a liberal democracy (irrelevent of what George W. Bush would have you think). Starfleet is accountable to the civilians, not the other way around.

Wait, since when was Iraq under Saddam a "liberal democracy"?

 

[KRAD]

In the interests of being complete (or pedantic), here's a bibliography for Sci's lengthy post:

As Sci said: SPOILERS FOR EVERY DAMN NOVEL I KNOW OF SET AFTER DS9'S END AHEAD

Almost as soon as the war ended, Chancellor Martok and Ambassador Worf seek to return to Qo'noS. Unfortunately for them, a Klingon named Morjod launches a major coup d'etat at this point, destroying the Great Hall, killing almost the entire High Council, and declaring Martok a traitor and Federation puppet. Martok is eventually able to take back the empire and kill Morjod, but it nontheless exposing the major rifts still existing in Klingon society over the source of Martok's claim to power and his status as a commoner.

The Left Hand of Destiny Books 1-2 by J.G. Hertzler & Jeffrey Lang (2003).

Over the next four years, the Klingons start expanding again, conquoring several races on the other side of the Empire away from the Federation and rebuilding the Klingon Defense Force much quicker than Sloan seems to have assumed they'd be able to.

I.K.S. Gorkon Books 1-2: A Good Day to Die and Honor Bound (2003) and Book 3: Enemy Territory (2005), all by Keith R.A. DeCandido.

In the immediate year after the war, the Federation faced a number of major crises. First off, the war almost reignited when a rogue Jem'Hadar starship attacked DS9.

Avatar Books 1-2 by S.D. Perry (2001).

Soon after, another major crisis occured when the ancient Iconian Gateways were reopened all across the galaxy by a species that was impersonating the thought-to-be-extinct Iconians and were trying to sell the Gateway system to the highest bidder, causing ships to end up in all sorts of places when they'd fly into one of the space-borne gateways. Starfleet eventually shut that down, but it certainly screwed a lot of folks over.

Gateways Book 3: Doors Into Chaos by Robert Greenberger, Book 4: Demons of Air and Darkness by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Book 5: No Man's Land by Christie Golden, Book 6: Cold Wars by Peter David; "Horn and Ivory" by Keith R.A. DeCandido, "Into the Queue" by Christie Golden, "Death After Life" by Peter David, and "The Other Side" by Robert Greenberger, all in Gateways Book 7: What Lay Beyond; and S.C.E. #10: Here There Be Monsters by Keith R.A. DeCandido (all 2001).

Around that same time, several sectors of space were severely damaged by the Genesis Wave, which was a weaponized version of the Genesis Device that destroyed a number of planets.

The Genesis Wave Books 1-3 by John Vornholt (2000-2002) and Genesis Force by John Vornholt (2003).

There was also a crisis involving warp drive or some such, but I missed those books and can't tell ya much about 'em.

Actually, it involved power outages of epic proportions throughout the galaxy. Maximum Warp Books 1-2 by Dave Galanter & Greg Brodeur (2001).

Anywhos. Bajor joined the Federation in late 2376, but just as they were about to sign the documents inducting them in at the ceremony on DS9, First Minister Shakaar Edon was assassinated by a Trill. Turns out that Shakaar had been infested by one of the Parasites from TNG's "Conspiracy," and that these Parasites were intending to use Bajor as their new staging ground for taking over the Federation.

Mission: Gamma Book 3: Cathedral by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels and Book 4: Lesser Evil by Robert Simpson (2002).

Also, it turns out that the Parasites are actually a mutated offshoot of the Trill Symbionts, a fact that the Trill government had been keeping secret from the rest of the Federation. The Parasite crisis on Bajor was thwarted, but the revelation of the Parasites' true origin and of the subterfuge ignited pre-existing social unrest on Trill about the unofficial and unacknowledged discrimination faced by Unjoined Trills. This culminated in a major terrorist attack by an extremist Unjoined faction that used an EM weapon to kill the majority of Trill Symbionts -- something like 60 to seventy percent, IIRC, were killed, including most of the Trill government. The President of Trill then ordered all new joinings to be cancelled and that all surviving Symbionts be returned to the Symbiont Pools to replenish their numbers, effectively ending the practice of joining for decades to come.

Unity by S.D. Perry (2003) and Trill: Unjoined by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin in Worlds of DS9 Volume 2 (2005).

Meanwhile, word finally got out that the Andorian species, due to its unique four-sexed reproductive system, was facing a major genetic crisis and was expected to go extinct within two hundred years unless a way could be found to increase Andorian fertility, a task made excedingly difficult because of the four-sex paradigm and because of conservative Andorian cultural notions about reproduction.

Mission: Gamma Book 2: This Gray Spirit by Heather Jarman (2002) and Andor: Paradigm by Heather Jarman in Worlds of DS9 Book 1 (2004).

On Cardassia, a civilian government, a democracy led by Alon Ghemor, nephew of Tekeny, had taken hold, but was facing stiff opposition from former Central Command hardliners. On top of that, Cardassia is still in ruins and rebuilding, dependent upon Federation aide (which Bajor is the major staging ground for), and combating major diseases that were killing thousands.

A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson (2000), Cardassia: The Lotus Flower by Una McCormack in Worlds of DS9 Book 1 (2004).

Over in the Gamma Quadrant, the Dominion's Great Link was resisting the changes suggested to it by Odo... until Odo discovered that the true reason that the Hundred were sent out was to attempt to lure the Progenitor, an entity that the Founders regard as being their god and creator, back to the Founder Homeworld. It worked -- but it also turns out that the Progenitor died upon being exposed to radiation from a star going supernova near the Homeworld. The Founders, in mourning because their actions caused their god's death and because they are unable to reproduce themselves, disbanded the Great Link, leaving the Dominion... and leaving Odo and Laas as the last two Founders in charge of their empire.

The Dominion: Olympus Descending by David R. George III in Worlds of DS9 Book 3 (2005).

Meanwhile, an ancient race whose name I can't recall from the Gamma Quadrant was rescued from an alternate dimension. This race also worships the Prophets/Wormhole Aliens... and their reemergence caused the Bajoran Wormhole's Gamma Quadrant terminus to move, opening in the Idran system. Their emergence has also coincided with the arrival of a new Gamma Qaudrant threat known as the Ascendents, but little else is known about them.

Rising Son by S.D. Perry and Unity by S.D. Perry (all 2003).

In early 2377, a new species known as the Watreii attacked and destroyed a Romulan colony. Possessing very powerful technology, and facing an unstable economy because of the economic excesses of former Praetor Dralath (who was in charge in the 2330s, 40s, and 50s, and was responsible for things like the Khitomer Massacre and the Narendra III attack), Praetor Neral ordered the Imperial Fleet home to Romulus to face the incoming Watreii, who were planning on wiping out all Romulan life on Romulus, claiming it to have originally been their world. The Federation and Klingon Empire refused to get involved, but a small fleet of civilian ships and Starfleet ships gone rogue is known to have entered Romulan space to try to help the Romulans. During their first encounter with the Watreii, Pavel Chekov, who was in the fleet, died. (The next two books about the Watreii/Romulan affair haven't been released yet, but what we can infer is that the Watreii affair will likely end with Hiren becoming Praetor, the rise of Shinzon to prominence, and the Federation/Romulan alliance ending, setting the stage for NEM.)

Minor correction: Dralath's successor, Narviat, was the one responsible for Khitomer. Anyhow, this was all in Vulcan's Soul Book 1: Exodus by Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz (2004). The series will continue with Book 2: Exiles this year and Book 3: Epiphany in 2007.

Later that year, it's discovered that a Federation Member State's race, the Selelvians, have been using mind control powers to manipulate the Federation Council. The Federation kicks Selelvia out, and it allies itself with the Tholian Assembly and the Orions, launching a brief war with the Federation. Naturally, the Feds win, but things are simply not lookin' good lately.

Stone and Anvil by Peter David (2003), After the Fall by Peter David (2004), and "Pain Management" by Peter David in Tales from the Captain's Table (2005).

In early 2378, many of the sentient holoprograms that had become common in Federation society, inspired by the Doctor's holographic rights movement, launch what comes to be known as the HoloStrike, bringing interstellar commerce and travel to a hault. I haven't read the books that feature the conclusion to the HoloStrike, so I can't tell ya much more. Also, Federation President Min Zife of Bolarus comes under criticism for signing off on the unconstitutional detentions of former Borg Voyager crew members after Borg technology is found on Earth that begins transforming people into drones via airborne nanoprobes before Janeway and Co. are able to end the threat.

Homecoming and The Farther Shore by Christie Golden (2003).

In late 2378, an incident at a war battle site results in the accidental destruction of the USS Juno and an Ontailian ship at the hands of the USS Enterprise. Ontail is a Federation Member, and they're about ready to leave the Federation over it before Picard agrees to allow the blame to be laid unjustly at his feet, tarnishing his reputation. The situation is further complicated by an economic crisis brewing in the UFP, as Member States that had not been damaged by the war start resenting having to continue to contribute resources to help rebuild Members that had been devestated by the war, so much so that a minor secessionist crisis brews. It doesn't lead to war or anything, but it's a problem nontheless.

A Time to be Born and A Time to Die by John Vornholt and A Time to Sow and A Time to Harvest by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore (all 2004).

In mid-2379, a Federation Member State called Delta Sigma IV is rocked by civil war when the two species that had settled it ages ago start fighting. Starfleet eventually figures out that the problem's caused by chemicals in the atmo and finds a temporary solution to stop the violence.

A Time to Love and A Time to Hate by Robert Greenberger (2004).

In late 2379, a deal Zife made way back in 2373 when he first took office comes back to haunt him. Zife had signed off on a plan from his Chief of Staff, Koll Azernal, to have the independent world of Tezwa armed with massive, planet-bound nadion pulse cannons that had been developed for use against the Borg. The initial plan was that, if the Dominion War went poorly, the Federation would lure the Dominion fleet to Tezwa, where the cannons would annhilate them. Unfortunately, arming this world was a violation of the Khitomer Accords, as Tezwa was on the Klingon border, and so it was done in secret, without even Starfleet knowing about it, through the Orion Syndicate. Unfortunately, the Tezwan Prime Minister, Kinchawn, was a nationalist fanatic who militarized his economy and purchased a small fleet of Danteri warships, intending to threaten a Klingon colony and use the cannons to fight the Klingons if they tried to retaliate. The Federation tried to intervene, and sent the Enterprise with a fleet of Klingon ships to negotiate a settlement; instead, Kinchawn ordered the arrest of the Starfleet and Klingon delegations. The Klingons retaliated by firing on the surface, devestating the planet, and then the entire fleet save the Enterprise was destroyed by the cannons.

The Klingons prepared to launch an invasion force, but Zife knew that if they found out where the cannons came from, they would declare war on the Federation within days. Zife ordered Picard and Co. to destroy the cannons and prevent the Klingon invasion, still concealing their true origin from them. Our Heroes managed to get access to the Klingon computer override codes with help from Worf, disabling the Klingon fleet remotely and taking over the cannons via commando tactics. This prompted Kinchawn's enemies to launch a coup; in order to keep the Klingons from pursuing the matter further, though, Picard was forced to claim an old Klingon right that made Tezwa a conquest of the Federation.

The Federation then had to occupy and rebuild Tezwa, but faced an insurgency from Kinchawn and his loyalists, losing thousands of personnel. Eventually, Starfleet uncovered evidence of where the cannons had come from. Picard made a deal with Admirals Ross, Nechayev, Paris, Jellico, and Nakamura to force President Zife, Azernal, and Secretary of Military Intelligence Nelina Quafina from office, essentially at gunpoint, because they knew that they couldn't let Zife and Co. get away with what they'd done but also couldn't expose them without prompting a war with the Klingons that would end in the Federation and Klingon Empire's mutual destruction. Picard and the admirals had all thought that Zife and Co. would be out of office and put into protective custody, but unbeknownst to them, Section 31 forced Admiral Ross to allow them to assassinate Zife, Azernal, and Quafina.

A Time to Kill and A Time to Heal by David Mack (2004).

As far as the galaxy knows, though, President Zife resigned three years into his second four year term of office and before his next election (Federation Presidents don't have term limits), and within days of the eventual Federation withdrawl from Tezwa, because, he claimed in his speech, new leadership was needed for the post-war era. His resignation prompted what was only the second special election in Federation history, and within one month, a new president was in office -- Nanietta Bacco, former governor of Cestus III. Her only competitor had been a guy named Arafel Pagro, a Federation Special Emissary from Ktar, who had had a hawkish foreign policy stance, arguing that the Federation couldn't continue to be allied with the Klingon Empire when it went around conquoring people. Bacco, who favored continuing the alliance, thankfully won.

Almost as soon as Bacco came to office, Shinzon's coup happened and the events of NEM transpired.

A Time for War, a Time for Peace by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2004).

So, it's now 2380. In the wake of NEM, the USS Titan was sent to Romulus to help work things out. Sentator Tal'Aura, the senator who conspired with Shinzon to kill the Senate, had installed herself as Praetor, but her rule was contested by several different factions, from a hawkish pro-war and anti-Federation faction led by former Senator Pardeck, to the Tal Shiar (led by a new chairman who had recently assassinated Koval, the Section 31 mole), Spock's Unificationist group, a significant segment of the Romulan Imperial Fleet led by Commanders Donatra and Suran, and the Remans. Riker's job as captain of the Titan was to facilitate talks with all of the factions to work out a power arrangement and to provide emergency relief services to the Romulan people, whose supply lines were being damaged in the wake of the government's fall. The Remans had managed to build up a large fleet of old ships, but the Imperial Fleet, weakened by political disunity stemming from the Senate's fall, contested command within the fleet, and by the Watreii affair, was barely able to assemble itself to defend Romulus. Eventualy, Riker worked out a cease fire whereby the Remans would become the protectorates of the Klingon Empire, which would maintain a fleet within Romulan space to protect the Remans and allow the settlement of a soutehrn continent on Romulus by the Remans.

Taking Wing by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels (2005).

This arrangement ended up not working out too well. While Tal'Aura was eventually able to win the support of most of the Romulan factions, much of the Imperial Fleet was barely under her control, and numerous firefights were breaking out between Romulan and Klingon ships, while there was constant violence on Romulus between the Romulans and Remans. Eventually, the Bacco Administration proposed that the Remans be resettled to a planet within the Klingon Empire, and they consented. The deal was done. However, in late 2380, Donatra's fleet assembled at a number of important Romulan farming worlds and declared independence; they were now, they said, the Imperial Romulan State, and Donatra was its empress.

Articles of the Federation by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2005).