All my paths lead here. They always have.
Quinn stepped through the door and made his way to the bar. He found his favorite barstool empty and waiting for him, so he planted himself on it.
Behind the bar, Tom Walker looked over his shoulder at Quinn. The lanky, fair-haired Irishman smiled. “Cervantes Quinn! It’s been too long, man!” Quinn smiled back and nodded at the shelf along the wall. Good ol’ Tom, that was all the cue he needed. He knew just what to do. He grabbed the bottle of Anejo Patron and poured Quinn a generous double shot. “To celebrate your return!”
“I’ll be staying awhile,” Quinn said. “Leave the bottle.”
Tom set the tequila on the counter. “ Sláinte.”
Quinn picked up his shot glass and studied the pale golden liquor. It caught the light and made it beautiful, and the facets on the outer surface of the shot glass gave him the impression he was handling a liquefied jewel.
Twenty-five years a drunk, two years sober—what’s the difference?
He knew the drink wasn’t the answer to his problems, but his latest ordeal had granted him an epiphany: there were no answers to his problems.
Or to anyone’s problems,he decided. There are no answers at all, and never have been. Just pain, and then oblivion. It only hurts when you care . . . and I don’t want to care anymore.
He lifted the glass to his lips.
And stopped caring.
The saga of
STAR TREK ®: VANGUARD
will continue in
WHAT JUDGMENTS COME
Fall 2011
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DAYTON WARD. Author. Trekkie. Writing his goofy little stories and searching for a way to tap into the hidden nerdity that all humans have. Then, an accidental overdose of Mountain Dew altered his body chemistry. Now, when Dayton Ward grows excited or just downright geeky, a startling metamorphosis occurs.
Driven by outlandish ideas and a pronounced lack of sleep, he is pursued by fans and editors as well as funny men in bright uniforms wielding tasers, straitjackets, and medication. In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, Dayton is the author of the Star Treknovels In the Name of Honor, Open Secrets,and Paths of Disharmony; the science fiction novels The Last World War, Counterstrike: The Last World War, Book II,and The Genesis Protocol; as well as short stories in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worldsanthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthologies Houston, We’ve Got Bubbasand A Bubba in Time Saves None, Kansas City Voices Magazine,and the Star Trek: New Frontieranthology No Limits.For Flying Pen Press, he was the editor of the science fiction anthology Full-Throttle Space Tales #3: Space Grunts,and he has a story in the latest Full-Throttlecollection, Space Horrors.
Dayton is believed to be working on his next novel, and he must let the world think that he is working on it, until he can find a way to earn back the advance check he blew on strippers and booze. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with his wife and daughters, Dayton is a Florida native and maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Visit him on the web at http://www.daytonward.com.
KEVIN DILMOREhas found ways to make a living from his geek side for a good while now.
It all started in 1998 with his eight-year run as a contributing writer to Star Trek Communicator,for which he wrote news stories and personality profiles for the bimonthly publication of the Official Star TrekFan Club. Since that time, he also has contributed to publications including Amazing Stories, Hallmark,and Star Trekmagazines.
Then he teamed with writing partner and heterosexual life mate Dayton Ward on Interphase,their first installment of the Star Trek: S.C.E.series, in 2001. Since then, the pair has put more than one million words into print together. Among their most recent shared publications are the novella The First Peerin the anthology Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins(March 2010) and the short story “Ill Winds” in the Star Trek: Shards and Shadowsanthology (January 2009).
By day, Kevin works as a senior writer for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri, doing about everything but writing greeting cards, including helping to design Star Trek–themed Keepsake Ornaments. His first children’s book, Superdad and His Daring Dadventures,with illustrations by Tom Patrick, was published by Hallmark Gift Books in May 2009.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, Kevin lives in Overland Park, Kansas. Keep up with his shameful behavior and latest projects on Facebook and Twitter at kevindilmore.
MARCO PALMIERIis honored he was invited to be a contributor to Star Trek Vanguard: Declassified.
A lifelong fan, Marco began his professional involvement with the Star Trekmythos as an editor for Simon & Schuster, where he developed numerous projects for the Star Trekbook universe, including ongoing series such as Vanguard(in collaboration with David Mack), Titan,and the Deep Space Ninenovels set after the end of the television series; “miniseries”— Section 31, The Lost Era, Crucible,and Terok Nor;anthologies— The Lives of Daxand Myriad Universe;standalone novels such as Ex Machinaand Burning Dreams;and many other projects too numerous to name here. Marco is a contributing editor to Star Trek Magazine,published by Titan.
More recently, Marco launched Otherworld Editorial, a private consultation service for writers of fantasy and science fiction.
A native New Yorker, Marco makes his home in Brooklyn, together with the love of his life, Doris, their two amazing boys, Jeremy and Benjamin, and their shamelessly cute feline, Tink.
Follow Marco online at www.otherworldeditorial.com, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mxpalmieri.
DAVID MACKis the national bestselling author of more than twenty novels and novellas, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Precipice, Road of Bones, Promises Broken,and the Star Trek Destinytrilogy: Gods of Night, Mere Mortals,and Lost Souls.He developed the Star Trek Vanguardseries concept with editor Marco Palmieri. His first work of original fiction is the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller The Calling.
In addition to novels, Mack’s writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet.
His upcoming novels include the Star Trek Mirror Universeadventure Rise Like Lionsand a new original supernatural thriller.
Mack resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.
Visit his website, www.davidmack.pro/, and follow him on Twitter @DavidAlanMack and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/david.alan.mack.