Catalyst of Sorrows is a Star Trek novel in The Lost Era series, written by Margaret Wander Bonanno. It was published in February 2004.

Description[]

She was trained to be a killing machine. Abandoned as a child, without home or family, past or future, Zetha survived only by her own cunning in the back alleys of Romulus before being taken by the Tal Shiar and remade into one of its deadliest weapons. But Zetha is about to undertake a mission unlike any in her experience.

The mysterious return of a virulent scourge thought to be long extinct threatens devastation on a scale almost too horrific to contemplate. Zetha's only hope of stopping it is across the Neutral Zone -- among the enemies of Romulus. Now Admiral Uhura, centenarian chief of Starfleet Intelligence, must decide what to do with the knowledge Zetha has risked her life to bring to her. In order to stop the spread of the disease that is already ravaging the Romulan Empire, Uhura must assign a hand-picked team of Starfleet officers to covertly trace the contagion to its source -- and do whatever is necessary to contain it.

But the world awaiting Lieutenant Benjamin Sisko, Lieutenant Tuvok, Dr. Selar, and Zetha herself is a hot zone of secrets, deceptions, and subtle machinations revealing an imminent holocaust beyond anything the away team expected, or what they could hope to combat.

Summary[]

A lethal Romulan-trained agent turns against her paymasters in order to prevent them from unleashing a terrifying biological holocaust. Admiral Uhura of Starfleet Intelligence sends the young Romulan to investigate with a team of special operatives: Dr. Beverly Crusher (Star Trek: The Next Generation), a young Lieutenant Benjamin Sisko (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and Vulcans, Lieutenant Tuvok (Star Trek: Voyager) and Dr. Selar (Star Trek: New Frontier).

References[]

Characters[]

Aemetha • Boothby • Boralesh • Kimara Cretak • Beverly Crusher • Wesley Crusher • Curzon Dax • Scott Heisenberg • Alidar Jarok • Jarquin • Klaad • Koval • James Leyton • Leonard McCoy • Pardek • Sekaran • Selar/Vesak • Benjamin Sisko/Jacobs • Jake Sisko • Jennifer Sisko • Joseph Sisko • Luther Sloan • Subhar • Tahir • Che'srik Tal • Taymor • Crofter Thamnos/Cinchona • Papaver Thamnos • Thysis • Tuvok/Leval • Nyota Uhura • Zetha

Referenced only

Azetbur • George Balanchine • Niels Bohr • Charvanek • Pavel Chekov • Jack Crusher • Alexander Fleming • Kaitek • Jekri Kaleh • James T. Kirk • Joshua Lederberg • Nanclus • Carl Sagan • Sarek • Montgomery Scott • Solok • Spock • Richard Strauss • Hikaru Sulu • Surak • Tanclus • Typhoid Mary • Valeris • Volskiar

Starships and vehicles[]

Albatross (freighter) • hovercar • hovercraft • USS Okinawa (Excelsior-class) • shuttlepod

Referenced only

USS Billings • HMS Bounty (B'rel-class Bird-of-Prey) • Draken multipod • USS Enterprise • IKS K'Tarra • submarine • Vulcan research vessel (research vessel) • 3x Unnamed Romulan starships

Locations[]

Alpha Quadrant • Beta Quadrant • Bureau of Announcements • Earth • Earth Spacedock • Golden Gate Bridge • Ki Baratan • N'emoth District • New Orleans • The Orchid • Outmarches • Quirinus • Renaga • Rigel IV • Romulan Neutral Zone • Romulus • San Francisco • Sawar • Sisko's Creole Kitchen • Sliwon • Sol System • Starfleet Headquarters • Tenjin V

Referenced only

Asia • Calgary • Camp Khitomer • Claren III • Draken IV • Europe • Gal Gath'thong • Gedi • Gemus IV • Holberg 917G • Imago IX • Korvat • Mombasa • Mount Kenya • Mutara sector • Narendra III • Pretoria • Qant Prefecture • Rigel II • Rigel V • South Africa • Starbase 23 • Starfleet Medical Headquarters • Tokyo

Races and cultures[]

Andorian • Benzite • Human • Klingon • Quallorian • Quirinian • Renagan • Rigelian • Romulan • Sliwoni • Tenji • Trill • Vulcan

Referenced only

Cardassian • Gorn • Preserver

States and organizations[]

Altair Information Syndicate • Bureau of Announcements • First Families of Rigel • Klingon Empire • Renagan Council of Elders • Romulan Senate • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Medical • Starfleet Intelligence • Tal Shiar • United Federation of Planets

Referenced only

Continuing Committee • Federation Council • Orion Syndicate • Vulcan Academy of Defensive Arts

Science and classification[]

agriculture • airlock • air • antimatter • atmosphere • blood • carbon • chronometer • cloaking device • crossbow • datachip • DNA • earthquake • Emergency Medical Hologram • fur • holotransmitter • hypospray • laser scalpel • light year • minute • mitochondrion • molecule • orbit • oxygen • parsec • penicillin • phaser • plasma weapon • replicator • ryetalin • shields • snow • sonic shower • squeak test • starship • subspace transmitter • tractor beam • transporter • transporter pad • tricorder • vaccine • warp nacelle

Diseases and viruses[]

bacteria • Bendii syndrome • Black Death • Bubonic plague • cancer • Catalyst • common cold • Ebola virus • Gnawing • hantavirus • herpes • hilopon • HIV • pneumonia • Rigelian fever • smallpox • Spanish flu • Tuvan Syndrome • virus

Occupations and titles[]

admiral • ambassador • captain • chief medical officer • citizen • commander • C-in-C • Commander, Starfleet • commanding officer • communications officer • doctor • ensign • godmother • Head of Starfleet Intelligence • historian • lieutenant • Listeners • officer • Praetor • science officer • security officer • senator • spy • subaltern • thought admiral

Other references[]

1918 • 20th century • 21st century • 2339 • academic paper • arboretum • archery • Art Deco • ballet • Bantu • basement • Battle of Agincourt • bird • bloodwine • book • boot • borite • bowl • bridge • bulkhead • butterfly • cargo bay • cat • Christmas tree • city • class M • control cabin • corn • crew lounge • cross-country skis • day • deck • dog • dom-jot • duty shift • Earth-Romulan War • egg plant • emilli hound • engine room • English language • Federation Standard • fishing • food • French • gadolinium • galley • garnet • ghilik • glass • gold • government • haircut • hawk • hazmat suit • herb • herring • honor blade • horse • h'vart • Imperial Census • jambalaya • Journal of Xenohistology and Interplanetary Epidemiology • kal-toh • katra • Khitomer Conference • Kolinahr • lake • longbow • milk • month • moon • Nobel Prize • orchid • paint • Pandora's box • parka • personal log • planet • pornography • potato • Prime Directive • quarters • quartz • rabbit • rank • rat • ratatouille • red herring • Risan massage • river • Romulan butterfly • sausage • sedraz • serial number • shortbow • shuttlebay • sickbay • silver • snow line • summer • Sundering • Tholian silk • titanium • tomato • Tomed Incident • Tholian silk • vegetable • veruul • Vidalia onion • Vulcan lute • Vulcan nerve pinch • Vulcanoid • winter • year • yew • Zee-Magnees Prize

Appendices[]

Related media[]

• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• DS9 episode: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"
• DS9 episodes: "Homefront", "Paradise Lost"

Background[]

• A reference is made to the use of a holographic doctor for high risk situations by Leonard McCoy who heard rumors of such a project which was secretly in production and would take a decade for a prototype to be made—which would eventually be the EMH seen in later stories.

Images[]

Connections[]

The Lost Era novels
The Sundered • Serpents Among the Ruins • The Art of the Impossible • Well of Souls • Deny Thy Father • Catalyst of Sorrows • The Buried Age • Day of the Vipers • Night of the Wolves • Dawn of the Eagles • One Constant Star

Timeline[]

published order
Previous novel: Deny Thy Father	TLE novels	Next novel: The Buried Age
Previous story: Probe	Stories by: Margaret Wander Bonanno	Next story: Burning Dreams
chronological order
Previous Adventure: Imzadi Chapters 11-31	Pocket	Next Adventure: Lefler's Logs 12th entry

External link[]

• Catalyst of Sorrows article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.