Open Secrets

Dressed in dark clothes that almost allowed him to blend in with the shadows, the man stood with his arms folded across his chest. The deep lines on his face appeared even more pronounced under the bridge’s severe lighting as he regarded Kutal with an expression that the Klingon recognized on humans as one of uncertainty.

“Well,” said Diego Reyes, former and now-disgraced Starfleet officer. He nodded toward the viewscreen and the image of Starbase 47 displayed on it. “Things have certainly gotten a bit more interesting.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, thanks to editor Marco Palmieri and fellow writer David Mack, for conspiring to create the Star Trek: Vanguardseries and for having me back for a second helping. Additional thanks to David for leaving so much to work with after the series’ third book, Reap the Whirlwind.Here’s hoping I returned the favor.

Thanks also to Kevin Dilmore, my dear friend and frequent writing partner. Life dealt us a few curveballs this time around, requiring Kevin to recuse himself from participating in the writing of this novel in order to see to more important concerns. Rest assured that the book you’re reading follows very closely to the outline we developed together, and his influence is present all throughout these pages. I hope I didn’t screw it up too bad, dude.

I once again offer my sincere appreciation to Alex Rosenzweig, fan extraordinaire, who contributed much in the way of assistance with respect to the Star Trektimeline. Given the period of time over which the events of this novel unfold, along with the fact that they take place in concert with a host of other happenings during this period in Star Trek’s “future history,” it’s always nice to get the insight of someone who really knows this stuff. Any flubs, goofs, or other missteps in this area are the author’s, despite everything Alex did to keep that from happening.

Much appreciation is extended to the fine folks responsible for maintaining the Memory Alpha (http://www.memory-alpha.org) and Memory Beta (http://startrek.wikia.com) Web sites, which offered more than a few helpful nuggets of knowledge on a variety of topics researched during the writing of this book. Keep up the awesome work!

Salutes are offered to Jea

A glass of Saurian brandy is raised to Dorothy Jones Heydt, an old-school fan who created a comprehensive Vulcan language in the 1960s and coined the term Ni’Varin a Star Trekstory she wrote for the fanzine T-Negative.Also included in this toast is Claire Gabriel, one of the contributors to Bantam Books’ Star Trek: The New Voyagesin 1976. Claire arguably “popularized” the term “Ni’Var”in her story of the same name, which appeared in that book.

Also appreciated is the work of Ke

And finally, many thanks to the loyal readers and fans who make this job so rewarding. A writer’s work is often carried out in solitude, and while we certainly write for our own satisfaction or because it’s something we simply have to do (like, you know, breathing), it’s still nice to see our efforts read and enjoyed by so many people.

Until next time!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dayton Ward. Author. Trekkie. Writing his goofy little science-fiction stories and searching for a way to tap into the hidden nerdity that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of Mountain Dew altered his body chemistry. Now, when Dayton Ward grows excited or just downright geeky, a startling metamorphosis occurs. Driven by outlandish ideas and a pronounced lack of sleep, he is pursued by fans and editors, as well as fu