Gemworld Book Two (Book #59)

by John Vornholt

Finally persuading that Gemworld's demise is imminent, the Jeptah agree that the planet's protective shell must be shut down temporarily to close the rift. But in able to shut the shell down, six crystals held by each of the planet's unique races must be collected together and used unanimously in order to do so.
Barclay, already in possession of one, along with the Jeptah's, need the other four, one of which is in the hands of the unknown saboteur. They follow a funeral possession which will lead them to the Progeny, picking up not only the key, but a human called Keefe Nordine. They then go on to find the Gendlii, a fungi-like race which communicate by thought. The succeed in obtaining their key too.
Troi, Barclay and Melora go in one shuttle to the Lipul's to obtain their crystal key, whilst Picard goes to the Yiltern's for theirs. When they arrive, the Yiltern's agree, in exchange for the shuttle. Picard happily gives it up. Meanwhile Troi's party do not have such good luck with the Lipul leader. They find him dead inside his prism and the only way they can locate his hidden key is through dreams.
On the Enterprise, the Jeptah leader, Betoran takes control of ship and plans to destroy the rift with the ship's torpedoes. But Geordi manages to escape and switches the ship's gravity back on, effectively rending the Jeptah useless.
Using jet packs, Picard and his party fly to rendezvous with Troi's shuttle which is under attack by the Frills, but with Keefe's knowledge of their peculiar ways, they mange to gain their key too.
Now with all six crystal keys, they make haste to the Enterprise just as Gemworld starts to disintegrate. But when they fit the keys, one turns out to be fake. Not knowing which one, Deanna puts herself to sleep in order to find the answer, but instead 'speaks' to the rift, which is a life form, and pleads with it to leave Gemworld in peace. It agrees, and the rift closes.

Notable Imzadi moments:

Pages 83 to 84

She felt hands brushing her forehead ad hair, and she opened her eyes to see Will Riker leaning over her. He gave her his warmest smile. Although entranced by the sight of him, she knew it wasn't really Will; nevertheless, his was the most comforting presence she could hope to see.
"Imzadi," said Will softly, "you are not alone. You have allies. I am one of them. Because you are like me, a sponge for the emotions and desires of others, your mind will always be receptive to unwelcome intrusions. When the time comes to face your fear, you must remember yourself. You must never lose track of your own identity, no matter how inviting it becomes to slip into the guise of another. The entity in your mind is powerful - but in the end, it is seeking what all the rest of us seek: forgiveness."
~~~~~~~

Page 93

Reg watched the interplay between Riker and Troi, fascinated. This was a couple who had certainly had their ups and downs over a long period of time, yet they were always able to work together with mutual respect and fondness. Now their romance was hot again; but even if it cooled off they would maintain their professionalism.
~~~~~~~

Pages 227 to 228
When Deanna Troi finally woke up, she felt so groggy that for a moment she thought she was floating near the Gendlii. In fact, she saw the same familiar face the Gendlii had shown to her, and he said the same thing:
"Imzadi." Will Riker gave her a beaming smile that was filled with love.
She reached up and touched his clean-shaven cheek, which didn't feel like a giant fungus. "Imzadi," she breathed.
He took her hand and kissed it, and the warmth of his lips told her this wasn't a dream. With a start, she opened her eyes wide and saw the face of her beloved.
"I'm awake," she said with surprise. "How long have I been asleep?"
Riker turned to look at Beverly Crusher, who stood in the doorway smiling. "Almost twenty hours."
"Twenty hours?" asked Troi in shock. "But the thoron radiation...the rift!"
"The rift is gone," replied Will. "It closed up nineteen hours ago. I don't think that was a coincidence, do you?"
A slight figure hobbled past the door and stuck his head in. It was Keefe Nordine. "Ah, Counselor, welcome back to the land of the living! Is it true that all you did was ask the rift to close up and go away?"
With a satisfied sigh, Deanna sank back in her bed. "Yes. But I had to forgive it first."
"Forgive it?" asked Will.
Deanna squeezed his hand. "As a friend once told me, that's all any of us are looking for - forgiveness."

 

 

Thank you Carol for putting this together =)