Absent Enemies is the first eBook in the Star Trek: Titan series, and the first Star Trek book by author John Jackson Miller. The events of the story take place after Star Trek: The Fall.
Publisher's description[]
- A thrilling e-novella based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, following the dramatic events as chronicled in the New York Times bestselling story arc The Fall!
- Newly promoted Admiral William Riker and the crew of the USS Titan are ordered to race to Garadius IV–a planet Riker knows all too well from an unsuccessful peace mission when he was still first officer of the USS Enterprise. But this time, he finds a mysterious new situation: one with the potential to imperil the entire Federation. One of the warring parties has simply vanished...
Summary[]
2385[]
USS Titan is defending Zellman's Find, a populated asteroid rich in trilithium, from 3 Breen landers. They are joined by USS Aventine, and Captain Ezri Dax relays new orders for Admiral William T. Riker from Starfleet Command. He is to proceed to Garadius IV.
2368[]
Shortly after the events of The Next Phase, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D is on Garadius IV. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William T. Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi are attempting to conduct peace negotiations between the Baladonian Lurians and the Ekorr peoples on the planet's single habitable island. Neither side has any respect for the other, each treating the other as pests and nuisances. The conflict has been going on for 90 years and the original negotiator sent to try to find peace was Spock. While unsuccessful he recommended the Federation keep returning to try to help.
While the diplomacy mission meets with little success, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge repairs air and water filtration equipment on the island. This is the only reason the natives will allow the Federation in at all. Ultimately, the diplomacy mission fails. Neither side even willing to meet with the other. The Starfleet teams leave the planet quickly, leaving some equipment behind, but since both cultures are warp-capable the Prime Directive does not apply and no one wants to remain any longer than needed.
2385[]
Admiral Riker obsesses with the mission going as efficiently as possible. His orders only forcing him to try diplomacy as long as it takes to complete repairs. His diplomatic team is limited to himself, Cmdr. Tuvok, Cmdr. Deanna Troi and an ensign linguist. Upon arrival all the Ekorr are gone and the crew of the Titan believe a genocide may have occured.
Riker puts the repair mission on hold to investigate the missing Ekorr. The diplomatic team are captured by the Baladonians and a Breen envoy, the Admiral and party will be turned over to the Breen as thanks for their help getting rid of the Ekorr. Tuvok is phased out of view and contact with the normal space-time. He finds out the Ekorr have phased themselves intentionally using the left equipment, and a stolen padd Geordi was using to make his report about his phasing incident 17 years earlier.
The Breen landers from Zellman's Find are joined by a Breen warship and Titan destroys the warship and 2 landers. The remaining lander hovers over the island too close to risk being fired on.
Riker and party are freed by a security team from Titan. He then reveals to both Baladonian and Ekorr that the Breen have played both sides to try to kill the other so that the Breen could claim the planet for themselves. The Breen's ruse revealed, they are forced to retreat from the planet.
References[]
Characters[]
- Zurin Dakal • Ezri Dax • Tamen Gibruch • Jakoh • Ranul Keru • Geordi La Forge • Aili Lavena • Y'Lira Modan • Orica • Jean-Luc Picard • Xin Ra-Havreii • William T. Riker • Roje • Shayla • Deanna Troi • Tuvok • Christine Vale • Zorrayn
- Referenced only
- Baladon • Data • Ralph Waldo Emerson • Bart Faulwell • Fo Hachesa • Kathryn Janeway • Morn • Erik Pressman • Ro Laren • J. R. R. Tolkien
Locations[]
- Garadius IV • Lyceum Garadius • Prophets Plaza • Sanctum Isle • Zellman's Find
- Referenced only
- Delta Quadrant • Gornar
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Aventine (Vesta-class) • Breen lander • Gor Taboka (battlecruiser) • Pell Togah • USS Titan (Luna-class)
- Referenced only
- USS Enterprise-D (Galaxy-class explorer) • USS Pegasus (Oberth-class science vessel) • IRW Terix (D'deridex-class warbird) • USS Voyager (Intrepid-class cruiser)
Races and cultures[]
- Betazoid • Breen • Cardassian • Chandir • Efrosian • Ekorr • Human • Lurian (Baladonian) • Selenean • Selkie • Trill • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Bajoran • Ba'ku • Ferengi • Gorn • Kobliad • Romulan • Son'a • Voth
States and organizations[]
- Breen Confederacy • Maquis • Starfleet • Starfleet Command • Typhon Pact • United Federation of Planets
Science and technology[]
- anyon • chroniton • combadge • disruptor • earpiece • hair • hour • interphase cloaking device • interphase generator • liquid • minute • padd • phaser • photon torpedo • shields • starship • time • transporter • transporter inhibitor • tricorder • warp factor
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • captain • commander • counselor • ensign • first officer • guard • peace envoy • science chief • thot • watch officer
Other references[]
- armrest • chair • conference table • decade • dungeon • engineering • homeworld • insignia • library • month • ocean • ops station • pip • planet • ready room • red alert • Riker Maneuver • schematic • staircase • technology • transporter room • weapon • year
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
- The main story take place in November 2385, after the events of Star Trek: The Fall in which the Titan is recalled to Earth.
- The mission to Garadius IV takes place in 2368, shortly after the events of TNG episode: "The Next Phase".
Appendices[]
Related media[]
| Star Trek: Titan publications and stories | |
|---|---|
| Novels | Taking Wing • The Red King • Orion's Hounds • Sword of Damocles • Destiny (Gods of Night • Mere Mortals • Lost Souls) • Over a Torrent Sea • Synthesis • Seize the Fire • Fallen Gods • The Poisoned Chalice • Absent Enemies • Sight Unseen • Fortune of War |
| Short stories | "Improvisations on the Opal Sea: A Tale of Dubious Credibility" • "Empathy" |
| Other Works | "Star Trek: The Tour" (Short film) |
Background[]
- In the first edition of Absent Enemies, Tamen Gibruch was missing. Instead, the gamma shift officer of the watch was Fo Hachesa, despite the fact that Hachesa had transferred off Titan after the events of Star Trek: Destiny. This error was acknowledged by the author, John Jackson Miller, and subsequent editions replaced Hachesa with Gibruch.
- Page 90 of the eBook refers to the Ba'ku using drones to target the Son'a during the events of the movie Insurrection. This is in error, the Son'a used the drones to tag the Ba'ku. Son'a is also mis-spelled as "So'na".
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
Production history[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: The Poisoned Chalice |
Star Trek: Titan | Next novel: Sight Unseen |
| Previous story: n/a |
Stories by: John Jackson Miller |
Next story: Takedown |
Translations[]
- 2016
- German : Abwesende Feinde, translated by Susanne Picard. (Cross Cult)
External links[]
- Absent Enemies article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Author's Annotations