"We have the right-"
"To wage war, Captain? To kill millions of innocent people? To destroy life on a planetary scale? Is that what you're defending?"
- James T. Kirk and the Organian known as Ayelborne, June 2267.
Welcome to The Edge of Midnight
The Edge of Midnight is the latest historical work from the award-winning Seamus Devenish, chronicling the Federation-Klingon Cold War of 2258-2293. Spanning nearly 40 years of Interstellar History, Devenish draws from Starfleet Archives, diaries, personal accounts and interviews to tell the story of the Cold War as you've never read it before.
Download your copy of BOOK ONE: THE BUSINESS OF RISK here
Cover art by Reconstructionist
The Edge of Midnight I: The Business of Risk (2257-2261)
Prologue: The Great Game
a. Federation Day 11. Arithmetic on the Frontier (Mid 2260-Mid 2261) 12. Freedom of the Stars (May 2261-October 2261) 13. Back in the KSSR (October 2261-May 2262) 14. Acamarian Abyss (May-June 2262) 15. Five Minutes to Midnight (August 2262 - January 2263) 16. You Say You Want a Revolution (November 2262-June 2263) 17. Triumph and Tragedy (November 2263-May 2265) 18. The Last, Best Hope for Peace (May 2265- December 2266) 19. Chimes at Midnight (December 2266-June 2267) 20. The Four Days' War The Edge of Midnight III: Looking For The Good Land Part 4: Pax Organius (2267-2275) Part 5: Victory is Life (2275-2285) The Edge of Midnight IV: The Undiscovered Country Part 6: The Genesis Wave (2285-2290) Part 7: Cold Warriors (2290-2293) 
Acamarian Frigate "Victor" fires upon the USS A.G. Robinson, Summer 2262.
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Foreword to the first edition, by Captain Pavel ChekovTwenty years ago, I was present at the end of the galaxy’s greatest rivalry - one which had defined my career as a Starfleet Officer from the moment I was commisioned. Alongside my comrades and friends, I watched as President Ra-ghoratreii and Chancellor Azetbur brought an end to a conflict that had nearly destroyed the entire quadrant. Even as this peace was brokered, people for whom war had always been the clear choice conspired to make it the only option. My dear friends and I who prevented the success of their conspiracy are often heralded as heroes; but we were merely Starfleet officers’ doing our duty, as thousands of others had before us. Our age generated many heroes: Kirk, Decker, Fukuhara and Morrow to name a few, but what united them all was a desire for peace, and unity, in a galaxy which seemed to fear those concepts instead of embrace them.
If you had told the spritely Ensign Chekov that there could ever be peace with the Klingons, he’d had laughed at you. We all would have. The Klingons were always the enemy, the shadowy monsters that lurked beyond the Neutral Zone. Klingons did not do peace. They were warriors, committed to the destruction of the Federation and everything it stood for. From what Klingons have told me, to them we were much the same; conniving tricksters and manipulators, using our wealth to attract weak worlds into our Empire. But we are rarely what our enemies think we are, at the end of the day. We are nuanced, and complicated, and challenged by our own fears, doubts and preconceptions. Whether we can overcome them is up to us: whether our society can is up to our leaders. We were blessed with some of the greatest leaders’ to be found then: names like Kenneth Wesscott, Heihachiro Nogura, Hiram Roth and Ryn Ch'Shukar, who could guide a Federation that lived in fear of the D7 and the Bat’leth back towards the light of our guiding principles. There were stumbling steps – there always are – but young Mr Chekov would come out of this without any scars, thanks to cool heads and calculating minds. The Klingons were always an unknown the Federation. We never really understood them, but I suspect that 35 years at each others throats has taught us both a lot about each other – what makes us squirm, what makes us angry, what makes us talk and what makes us listen. Captain Kirk once told me that “There’s no such thing as the unknown- only things temporarily hidden.” Seamus Devenish has unearthed a world of temporarily hidden stories from two great galactic superpowers. One wracked by the hopes and fears of 1000 worlds, challenged by attacks on her democratic institutions and assailed by enemies on all fronts; the other, an Empire caught between her drive to become a modern 23rd century state and a culture rooted in traditions that predate even the first Tsar. United by their common hopes, dreams and fears, they would be caught in the dance of history for 35 years: a dance which, to the relief of (almost) everyone ended in peace, friendship and co-operation. The road to Khitomer was not a straight one, and it was not an easy one. It was marked by brinkmanship and open battle; by debate and diplomacy; by bitter foes and brilliant friendships, both within each nation and across borders. Let Mr Devenish be your guide. Admiral Pavel Chekov, July 2320 Featured Additional MaterialFeatured Profile
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Praise for Edge of Midnight
"The next great history of the Federation" - The Times of London, Earth.
"[Devenish] has woven personal account and high politics into a narrative that will grip you with every twist and turn, even when you know the outcome." - The Rolls of Laikan, Andoria
"Concise, succient and with some logical reasoning." - The Shi'kahr interstellar review, Vulcan.
"[Devenish] has woven personal account and high politics into a narrative that will grip you with every twist and turn, even when you know the outcome." - The Rolls of Laikan, Andoria
"Concise, succient and with some logical reasoning." - The Shi'kahr interstellar review, Vulcan.
What Is Edge of Midnight?
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What is The Edge of Midnight? It is best described as a History of the Federation Cold War, written from the perspective of a 24th-century historian. It is an attempt to weave together 55+ years of Star Trek Canon, Fanon, RPG guide content and personal ramblings into a coherent narrative. The Federation-Klingon Cold War forms the backdrop to the events of Star Trek, from The Original Series to Strange New Worlds, with all six original movies and dozens of over events referenced across Trek tying into it. It has, however, not been discussed or spectualted on in much detail. Edge of Midnight is a fan project that aims to change that.
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Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan production is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made publication intended for recreational use. No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.
