The Death of Princes (Book #44)

by John Peel

The Enterprise is called assist an observation post on Iomides, a planet being observed covertly by the Federation. At the same time, the Enterprise is summonsed to the plague torn planet Buran. Leaving Will, Deanna, Barclay and two other members of the crew to take a shuttle to Iomides, Picard and the Enterprise race to the Buran system.
The Burani, a bird-like race are being killed by their thousands by a plague, and most are blaming the Federation for its spread after a visit from a crew of Andorians.
Meanwhile on Iomides, an assassination plot against the First Citizen, leaves one of the Federation members, Maria Wallace, no choice but to somehow let the powers that be know what is happening, without interfering with the Federation's first rule; The Prime Directive, but she is captured before she reaches her goal.
When the Enterprise crew arrive to find the observation post attacked, and its inhabitants dead, Riker and Troi set out to find the missing Maria, believing her to be the possible traitor, as well as Dr. Starn, whom they later find murdered.
After extensive work on Buran, Doctor Crusher finally establishes that the Burani - and the Andorians who were all found dead on their ship, were poisoned. Their original guess that it's by a militant group called, the Brood finds Worf hunting them down, only to find that they too, have been infected. But the Burani are dying of something else too, and eventually it is revealed that the king himself, as well as Prince K'tara's bride-to-be, are the killers. After their betrayal is made known, the antidote is found and Beverly replicates enough to cure the surviving Burani - except Prince K'tara who, shamed by his fathers betrayal, refuses the antidote and dies.
On Iomides, Will finally locates Maria, but she has been so badly tortured, that her death is imminent. But Toma, an evil renegade, shoots her dead before Will can offer Maria any aide. After being forced to watch the First Citizen's assassination, the rest of the away team finally catch up with Will's captors, and without breaking the Prime Directive, leave Toma and her team to face the music with her own people.

There are no notable Imzadi moments in this story, but it is still a very good read.

Thank you Carol for putting this together =)