"Locks Without Keys, Part 1" is a Star Trek Online short story by Christine Thompson, appearing in Star Trek Magazine #180 UK/#53 US in April 2015. It was the 14th of 20 stories set in the STO continuity that were published in Star Trek Magazine between 2012 and 2016, the ninth of ten by Christine Thompson, and the 14th of 16 collected in Titan Magazines' STO omnibus: The Short Story Collection in 2022. This story focused on the USS Voyager.
Description
- Star Trek Online: Delta Rising opened the Delta Quadrant to Starfleet, Klingon Defense Force, and Romulan Republic ships, but their vessels soon found themselves in conflict with the Vaadwaur, an ancient race awakened by the crew of during their journey home. Although their leader, Gaul, was defeated, the Vaadwaur remain a hostile force to be reckoned with.
- USS Voyager, under the command of Admiral Tuvok, has been assigned to investigate the biggest mystery of the war: Why did the Vaadwaur begin their plan to conquer the Delta Quadrant by destroying the Krenim Imperium?
Summary
Log entries
- First Officer's Log, stardate 87077.81
- We're on course for a little backwater in the Delta Quadrant once known as the Krenim Imperium. What passes for historical records in the quadrant show that the Imperium once held more than 5,000 parsecs and a couple of hundred star systems, but by the time Voyager passed through their space, the Krenim's hold on the region was slipping.
- Other than a simple contact between Voyager and an Imperium ship, we don't know much about the once-mighty Krenim. So the common logic would be that they're simply a minor footnote in Voyager's journey.
- But common logic has changed. The Vaadwaur were a minor footnote too... until they allied with the Iconians and tried to seize control of the quadrant. Interestingly, one of the first places Gaul and the Vaadwaur attacked during the war was the Krenim Imperium, and they weren't trying to conquer it. This was a "sweep and clear" mission. As far as we know now, the Krenim are functionally extinct.
- That alone has piqued Admiral Tuvok's curiosity. Mine too.
References
Characters
- Bokali • Kimberly Maran • Mason Rhodes • Tuvok • Twilix • Kyla VanZyl
- Referenced only
- Gaul • Neelix • Quen
Starships and vehicles
- aeroshuttle • Twilix's ship • Vaadwaur battleship • Vaadwaur frigates • USS Voyager
- Referenced only
- B'vat's doomsday machine • • Krenim Imperium ship • IKS Targ (B'rel-class bird-of-prey) • type-6 shuttlecraft
Locations
- Delta Quadrant • the galaxy • Kyana system (Kyana Moon • Kyana Prime)
- Referenced only
- Alpha Quadrant • Pelia sector • Vaadwaur Prime
Races and cultures
States and organizations
Science and classification
- cloaking device • communications • deflector array • impulse • Krenim device • Orb of Time • outtake manifold • PADD • parsec • phaser • replicator • scanner • sensor • technology • temporal anomaly • time travel • warp core • warp signature • weapon
Occupations and titles
- admiral • chief engineer • commander • commanding officer • engineer • ensign • first officer • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • pilot • science officer
Other references
- amber spice • away team • beard • black market • chroniton • city • colony • crew • deuterium • diplomacy • extinction • hallucination • hour • Iconian War • Leola root • light year • micronebula • minute • moon • observation lounge • phase • planet • planetoid • plasma • raktajino • rock • species • Starfleet regulations • subspace • time-space continuum • tripepper • war • warp factor (warp three • warp six) • wormhole
Appendices
Related media
- VOY episodes: "Year of Hell", "Dragon's Teeth" – USS Voyager's encounters with the Krenim and Vaadwaur.
- STO - Klingon War mission: "The Doomsday Device" – Kyla VanZyl recalled having helped commandeer the B'rel-class bird-of-prey IKS Targ for use in the destruction of B'vat's doomsday machine.
- STO - The Iconian War mission: "Time in a Bottle" – The Krenim civilization was nearly wiped out by the Vaadwaur in 2410; Delta Alliance investigates Qwen and his Krenim device.
Images
Connections
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: Backchannel Negotiations |
STO short stories | Next story: Locks Without Keys, Part 2 |
| Previous story: Backchannel Negotiations |
Stories by: Christine Thompson |
Next story: Locks Without Keys, Part 2 |
Publication history
- 15 April 2015
- First printed in Star Trek Magazine #180 UK/#53 US. (Titan Magazines)
- 4 November 2022
- Excerpt posted at TrekMovie.com.
- 8 November 2022
- Reprinted in The Short Story Collection omnibus. (Titan Magazines)
External links
- Locks Without Keys, Part 1 excerpt at TrekMovie.com.