COVER FIRST LOOK: Deep Space Nine: The Missing

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Missing is set for release in late December, and StarTrek.com has an exclusive First Look at the cover -- which is by Doug Drexler -- and details about the new adventure by veteran Trek author Una McCormack. The tale is a direct sequel to The Fall, and here's a synopsis straight direct from Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books:The entire sector is waiting to see what the newly reopened Bajoran wormhole will mean for the shifting political landscape in the Alpha Quadrant. On Deep Space 9, Captain Ro Laren is suddenly drawn into the affairs of the People of the Open Sky, who have come to the station in search of sanctuary. Despite the opposition of the station's security officer, Jefferson Blackmer, Ro Laren and Deep Space 9's new CMO, Doctor Beverly Crusher, offer the People aid. But when Dr. Crusher’s highly secure files are accessed without permission—the same files that hold the secrets of the Shedai, a race whose powerful but half-understood scientific secrets solved the Andorian catastrophe—the People seem the likeliest suspects.

As tensions rise on the station, the science vessel Athene Donald arrives as part of its journey of exploration. The brainchild of Doctor Katherine Pulaski, this ship is crewed by different species from the Khitomer Accords and the Typhon Pact. Pulaski’s hope is that science will do what diplomacy has not: help the great powers put aside their hostilities and work together. But when the Athene Donald is summarily stopped in her voyage by the powerful vessel of a hitherto unknown species, Pulaski begins to wonder—will this first contact bring her crew together or tear them all apart?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Missing will run 304 pages and be offered in the mass market paperback and eBook formats. Available on December 30, it will cost $7.99 in the U.S. and $9.99 in Canada. Visit amazon.com to pre-order.