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Star Trek: Mirror Universe (Relaunch Continuity) #4
Fearful Symmetry
In our universe, a Cardassian sleeper agent--Iliana Ghemor--was once surgically altered to resemble and replace resistance fighter Kira Nerys, future Starfleet captain and hero of the planet Bajor's liberation. That plan never reached fruition, and the fate of the agent remained unknown...until now.Robbed of the past sixteen years, Iliana Ghemor is back with a vengeance. Over a decade and a half of imprisonment and abuse by her former masters has brought her to the brink of madness, sustained only by the twisted belief that she is, in fact, the real Kira Nerys. She has already made one near-successful attempt on the real Kira's life, but instead of assuming the identity of the woman she was intended to replace, Ghemor has set her sights on the most unexpected target of all: Kira's other double, the malicious Intendent, Bajor's iron-fisted ruler in the alternate reality commonly known as the "Mirror Universe." But far more is unfolding in the Mirror Universe than Ghemor realizes, and the heroes of Deep Space Nine somehow must stop the false Kira without derailing the delicate flow of history that must unfold if both universes, and countless others, are to survive.
Parallel stories set in both universes reflect and build upon each other in this Two-in-One "Flip Book," the continuation of both the ongoing DS9 saga as well as the Mirror Universe line of books.
Parallel stories set in both universes reflect and build upon each other in this Two-in-One "Flip Book," the continuation of both the ongoing DS9 saga as well as the Mirror Universe line of books.
298 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 1, 2016
The second half of this book was really cool.
June 27, 2015
While Fearful Symmetry is well written and great insight into the character of Ghemor, it doesn't advance the overall storyline a great deal. The backstory is very much appreciated, but I found myself wanting the story to get under way. Additionally, due to the fact that I have been spoiled by the very high quality of writing in the Deep Space Nine relaunch series so far, I felt that Fearful Symmetry was just a tiny bit lower on the scale than the previous books. The gimmick of the "flip book" idea was interesting, but it wasn't enough to save the story from getting into over-the-top territory at times with suspect motivations for many of the characters. Still, a welcome entry in the current storyline that helps the reader understand the reasons behind Iliana Ghemor's actions.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/06/F...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/06/F...
September 26, 2019
I thought the first part of this book was filler... then I read the second part. Overall it's not bad, it's a good reintroduction of Ghemor and the related Kira storyline but overall things don't move forward very much.
February 16, 2024
Summary:
SIDE ONE
Prologue: Sisko has an Orb experience, but instead of the Prophets, he meets with 7 other versions of himself. The Sisko from Intendant Kira's dimension is missing, and the others blame him; the Prophets sent him to the alternate dimension intentionally, to make sure that Sisko joined them. They warn him that the Tapestry may unwind if he didn't bring the deserter into the continuum.
Opaka closes the casket of the Orb of Souls. Sisko asks her about the Orb fragment found at Sidau; she says Kai Dava was one of only a few to have had an encounter with the Soul Orb. He carried a golden bracelet with a green stone: the Paghvaram, the soul key. Sisko thinks it must've been a fragment of the Orb, though Opaka says Dava would never damage an Orb. Sisko gets a call from Kassidy who tells him Kira was attacked by Taran'atar.
Iliana Ghemor is a former agent of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance's Obsidian Order, but is now part of the Terran rebellion. Her mission was to assassinate Intendant Kira, but she learned of a plot to replace the Intendant with her Iliana counterpart from this universe--who was originally supposed to replace this Kira. She won't say anything more except to Kira herself.
Kira relieves Vaughn of duty for carelessly pursuing Taran'atar for what she believes was a personal vendetta to save Prynn, and for ultimately failing the mission.
Ro eschews her physical therapy in favor of casework, even though she's on leave. She finds an audio log connecting Gul Dukat and Iliana Ghemor: he told her father Tekeny Ghemor that Iliana was still alive, while Tekeny was on his deathbed.
Iliana tells Kira that her counterpart believes she's the real Kira Nerys, and her plan is to kill all the Kiras in every universe. She says Dukat betrayed the Obsidian Order's plan to replace her, most likely because of his fondness for her mother. In an effort to convince Kira that she's telling the truth, Iliana tells her that she knows about her partner Dakahna, who died at Elemspur; however, this angers Kira and she has Iliana put back in her cell.
Ro pulls the records from 6 years ago when Kira was abducted by the Obsidian Order; they tried to convince her that she was Iliana Ghemor. Records from Elemspur Detention Center seemed to prove that she was there, but Odo was never satisfied that they were authentic, and Bajoran Intelligence didn't let him follow up the investigation. Bashir suggests they contact Garak.
Garak corroborates that the Order did indeed intend to replace Kia with Iliana, and that Kira was on Elemspur. She decides to go to Elemspur to find out the truth.
Major Cenn drops by Quark's for the first time, hoping for a decent meal and to research the 4 mercenaries from Harkoum that won't talk. Treir takes his order, and he's instantly smitten. Quark introduces himself and keeps pressing Cenn for details on the case, annoying him enough to make him leave. Quark steals Cenn's padd and quickly checks the names against a Cardassian source he has: the 4 mercs met in the Letau Cardassian prison 8 years ago and were assumed dead. Cenn is so impressed he stays for his meal.
Sisko asks the Vedek Assembly to let Kira consult the Orb of Memory; Kira says she's leaving for Bajor, but Ben wants to stay a bit longer. He talks to her about Vaughn; he thinks she relieved him because she feels guilty for allowing Taran'atar to stay on DS9. He thinks maybe Taran'atar attacked her because he's trying to overcome his programming, and her face was the one compromising him; he could've easily killed Vaughn and Prynn, yet he met them live.
2361, Bajor, Dahkur Province: Kira, working with the Shakaar resistance cell, is searching for a new base. She thinks she sees a Cardassian and fires, but it ends up being a hara cat. The Cardassians detect the discharge and capture her; she's taken to Elemspur Detention Center in Hedrikspool.
After a few days of mistreatment and rancid food, the guards tell her she's been fine guilty if terrorism and homicide, and sentence her to death. She manages to kill a guard, but gets dosed by a hypospray.
Kira drifts in and out of consciousness, but recognizes Dukat; she also thinks she sees a reflection of herself, but nothing else is reflected. Dukat whispers that she has no idea how close she came to dying, but he's given her a second chance because she's so much like Meru; he says he'll always be watching. He orders Entek to have her memories altered and to drop her off somewhere safe.
Kira closes the casket of the Orb of Memories, her true memories of Elemspur returned to her.
Nurse Etana goes to Ro's quarters when she fails to show up for therapy again. Ro confesses that she liked Taran'atar, and wants to find whoever turned him into a weapon. Kol says she'll help Ro with her investigation if she finally starts her physical therapy; Ro acquiesces.
Vaughn gets a call from Kira, who says that have a lot to talk about, but she asks if he's ready to return to duty. He lies and says yes.
Major Cenn interrogates the 4 mercs, and almost gets them to make a plea deal when he explains the they weren't working for Kira, but a Cardassian named Iliana. However, the one named Shing-kur already knew about Iliana; she presses something on her elbow, killing the other 3 by activation an implant in their heads that releases a neurotoxin.
Kira takes Iliana to the brig and questions Shing-kur. Shing-kur passes on the message "Trakor's First Prophecy" but little else, besides claiming that her Kira is more deserving of being Kira than any of the others. Iliana goades her into activating her neurotoxin implant, but Ghemor deactivated it with her tricorder.
Kira is furious with Ghemor. Iliana explains that in her universe, Sisko is dead, and she's worried that her counterpart will fulfill Trakor's First Prophecy and become the Emissary.
Kira summons everyone to ops (including a reinstated Vaughn) and Nog initiates his alternate universe communication device. They're greeted by the alternate Ezri, then Iliana fills in General O'Brien of the resistance about the situation with the Intendant getting killed. An alarm goes off on Terok Nor; Klingon ships arrive, and then transmission is cut off and replaced by one from the false Intendant. She tells Kira she's going to kill her herself, and shows off her golden bracelet before the transmission drops for good. Nog says there's enough time to beam 2 people to the alternate Bajor, so Kira says she and Iliana will go; Vaughn convinces her to take him instead, and she agrees. Ezri is left in charge; Sisko tells her he has to go.
18 hours earlier: Sisko tells Elias that he needs to go with Kira to the alternate dimension on a secret mission: find the alternate Sisko--who faked his death to avoid leading the Terran rebellion--and help him to find the wormhole so he can become the Emissary. Sisko says he can't tell Kira; Vaughn agrees. Sisko feels guilty for knowing he's betraying Vaughn.
SIDE TWO
2357: Before leaving for a state dinner honoring her father, Legate Ghemor, who was just promoted to Central Command, Iliana gifts him a carving she made in his honor. Tekeny is touched; he says that he and Iliana's mother Kaleen, have decided she can go to Pra Menkar, a school for artists, instead of working for the state. She is ecstatic.
Her father schmoozes with Gul Dukat, Darhe'el, et al, and says that his first order as Legate is to meet with the civilian government to get their input on Bajoran relations; many are finding that the loss of Cardassian life may be outweighing the benefits. Dukat is taken advantage by this, and quickly pivots into creepily saying how beautiful Iliana is.
Iliana walks outside and runs into her old childhood friend Ataan; they go for a stroll together, and catch up. Before long, things unexpectedly start to get steamy between them; however, her mother arrives before things can progress very fast, and takes Iliana back to the museum--though she does invite Ataan over for dinner.
A month later: Iliana and Ataan share a passionate night together in her dorm room. He is leaving for Bajor in hours, and she expresses her disdain for the Occupation. He surprisingly agrees, but says there's no alternative. He says he'll always come home to her, and suggests marriage. She feels the same.
A while later, Iliana is sketching in a park when she spots Entek, an agent of the Obsidian Order who she had seen snooping around at her father's party. He says he's been following her since then, and notes that her keen powers of observation would make her a perfect agent. She says he doesn't really know her, so he recounts her life in perfect detail. He says instead of being an artsy hypocrite, she should join the Order to change Cardassia from the inside. She rejects his offer, but he says he's not going away.
Ataan writes to Iliana over the next 2 years. Slowly his stance on the Bajorans changes, from thinking they can be convinced to help themselves by helping the Cardassians, to thinking they're animals, willing to kill their own just to spite the Cardassians. His letters culminate with him rounding up a group of farmers and shooting them for embarrassing a Gul. He turns down her father's offer to return to Cardassia 3 years early, saying he has too much work left to do on Bajor.
Tekeny visits Iliana at school. Before he can even say it, she knows that Ataan is dead; her father confirms that he was killed by a bomb. After he leaves, she gathers up so her things and burns them in the center of campus. She goes to the Tarlak sector, home of the Obsidian Order. Corbin Entek is not surprised to see her.
After being locked in her room at the Order for 8 days, Entek finally agrees to train Iliana after she convinces him that she's joining for the right reason: because she spent her prior life thinking of herself instead of the State.
After 180 days, she is progressing faster than expected, even breaking Order records. She even manages to defeat Entek during combat, distracting him by feigning attraction to him. After another session months later where she wipes the floor with him, she can feel his attraction for her; she glares him down and tells him to keep his mind on the work.
After more than a year, Iliana is allowed a brief furlough to visit her parents. Her mother gifts her an artpad, but she discards it. When she gets back, Entek re-gifts her the pad; she shatters it in anger, saying that that's not who she is anymore, that Entek has entirely remolded her in his image.
Iliana is given a test operation in a simulated Bajoran environment. She is stabbed by a Bajoran terrorist, but Iliana dislodges the knife from her shoulder and kills the Bajoran with it. When the program ends, the terrorist doesn't disappear; Entek says she was a real terrorist they captured, and says Iliana is ready for her first real operation.
2361: Entek gives her a voluntarily assignment, to take on the persona of terrorist Kira Nerys for at 2 years, to infiltrate her cell from within. He says she needs to volunteer, because aside from the physical alterations, her memory will be replaced with Kira's, and the transfer is less effective if she's not willing. She readily agrees, even before Entek tells her that Kira was the one who killed Ataan.
Iliana visits her parents, who are saddened and disappointed that her mission will take her away for an extended period of time. Her father asks if she's happy, and she says that doesn't matter: she's doing a mission that only she can do, something that really matters. Before leaving, she records a message to her future self to help her remember who she is.
Kira is brought in for the procedure, though she manages to bloody the nose of a glinn when she's taken from her cell in Elemspur. Entek says the real Kira's body will be filed away in the Order archives. After the procedure begins, Gul Dukat bursts in and tells Entek to shut everything down, threatening to reveal that Entek left holes in Gul Pirak's security intentionally, just so Ataan would die and Iliana would turn to the Order--all for this mission. Dukat says to tell the Order that everything went as planned, and gives him a vial of Kira's blood to create a clone for when they request evidence.
Kira groggily awakens to see Dukat, who tells her she's now in the Letau Detention Facility, it's deepest level. He says he promised to someone special long ago that he would keep her safe as he unfastens his uniform.
For over 6 years she suffers in isolation in Letau, seeing no one else save her jailer and Dukat, when he comes to rape and beat her. One day he barges in without warning, screaming about the Federation and a wormhole. She catches him off-guard, shattering his nose and nearly escaping, but the jailer Rokai stops her.
Years later, Dukat came to her again, physically altered to look like a Bajoran, and raped her savagely. She starts having nightmares that she's a Cardassian herself, but can't remember much about them when she wakes up. She vows to kill Dukat.
Explosions rock Letau, and Kira is able to escape her cell. She finds a console and is supposed that she somehow deftly knows how to navigate it. Around the bend she hears Rokai talking to his subordinates over the comm about a Jem'Hadar attack. She takes him hostage just before 3 other prisoners, led by Shing-kur, arrive. Kira convinces them to work with her and they agree.
Rokai tells them about Dukat's secret bunker below them, and promises to help Kira find him if she keeps him alive. Jem'Hadar beam in near them and begin attacking. Kira turns Rokai's disruptor into a grenade, though she has no idea how, and kills them all.
As they make their way to the bunker, Shing-kur tells Kira the year; she almost collapses when she realizes she's been there for 15 years. Inside they find a lavish Cardassian suite, complete with a subspace teleporter built with stolen Dominion technology, capable of transporting over 20+ lightyears. They also find a hidden data cache; Kira shoots Rokai when he says he doesn't know the password, and he unlocks it. She finds detailed logs of the real Kira on DS9, along with recordings of Dukat raping her in her cell, titled "Iliana." She attacks Rokai, and when he calls her Iliana himself, she shoots him until the top half of his torso is disintegrated.
Iliana tells Shing-kur that she remembers everything: setting the bomb to kill her lover, and going undercover to kill the person that did it. She cares little about her Cardassian half or her Bajoran half; she wants to punish Dukat, then all the rest of them.
Iliana tells everyone that once they're out of here, they have no reason to follow her--but she'll make it worth their while if they do. They arm up, set explosives around the bunker, and Iliana takes an isolinear chip with all of Dukat's data. The transporter is set for Harkoum.
Review: 3.5 stars. The plot actually moved backwards instead of forwards, but it made up for it with great character development; the second half in particular reminded me a lot of A Stitch in Time. It's worth noting that the book is fairly contingent on you knowing DS9 S3E5, Second Skin, so I had to rewatch it to know what was going on; even after I did though, it was still a bit confusing, with multiple characters from multiple universes masquerading as different characters--and time jumps to boot.
SIDE ONE
Prologue: Sisko has an Orb experience, but instead of the Prophets, he meets with 7 other versions of himself. The Sisko from Intendant Kira's dimension is missing, and the others blame him; the Prophets sent him to the alternate dimension intentionally, to make sure that Sisko joined them. They warn him that the Tapestry may unwind if he didn't bring the deserter into the continuum.
Opaka closes the casket of the Orb of Souls. Sisko asks her about the Orb fragment found at Sidau; she says Kai Dava was one of only a few to have had an encounter with the Soul Orb. He carried a golden bracelet with a green stone: the Paghvaram, the soul key. Sisko thinks it must've been a fragment of the Orb, though Opaka says Dava would never damage an Orb. Sisko gets a call from Kassidy who tells him Kira was attacked by Taran'atar.
Iliana Ghemor is a former agent of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance's Obsidian Order, but is now part of the Terran rebellion. Her mission was to assassinate Intendant Kira, but she learned of a plot to replace the Intendant with her Iliana counterpart from this universe--who was originally supposed to replace this Kira. She won't say anything more except to Kira herself.
Kira relieves Vaughn of duty for carelessly pursuing Taran'atar for what she believes was a personal vendetta to save Prynn, and for ultimately failing the mission.
Ro eschews her physical therapy in favor of casework, even though she's on leave. She finds an audio log connecting Gul Dukat and Iliana Ghemor: he told her father Tekeny Ghemor that Iliana was still alive, while Tekeny was on his deathbed.
Iliana tells Kira that her counterpart believes she's the real Kira Nerys, and her plan is to kill all the Kiras in every universe. She says Dukat betrayed the Obsidian Order's plan to replace her, most likely because of his fondness for her mother. In an effort to convince Kira that she's telling the truth, Iliana tells her that she knows about her partner Dakahna, who died at Elemspur; however, this angers Kira and she has Iliana put back in her cell.
Ro pulls the records from 6 years ago when Kira was abducted by the Obsidian Order; they tried to convince her that she was Iliana Ghemor. Records from Elemspur Detention Center seemed to prove that she was there, but Odo was never satisfied that they were authentic, and Bajoran Intelligence didn't let him follow up the investigation. Bashir suggests they contact Garak.
Garak corroborates that the Order did indeed intend to replace Kia with Iliana, and that Kira was on Elemspur. She decides to go to Elemspur to find out the truth.
Major Cenn drops by Quark's for the first time, hoping for a decent meal and to research the 4 mercenaries from Harkoum that won't talk. Treir takes his order, and he's instantly smitten. Quark introduces himself and keeps pressing Cenn for details on the case, annoying him enough to make him leave. Quark steals Cenn's padd and quickly checks the names against a Cardassian source he has: the 4 mercs met in the Letau Cardassian prison 8 years ago and were assumed dead. Cenn is so impressed he stays for his meal.
Sisko asks the Vedek Assembly to let Kira consult the Orb of Memory; Kira says she's leaving for Bajor, but Ben wants to stay a bit longer. He talks to her about Vaughn; he thinks she relieved him because she feels guilty for allowing Taran'atar to stay on DS9. He thinks maybe Taran'atar attacked her because he's trying to overcome his programming, and her face was the one compromising him; he could've easily killed Vaughn and Prynn, yet he met them live.
2361, Bajor, Dahkur Province: Kira, working with the Shakaar resistance cell, is searching for a new base. She thinks she sees a Cardassian and fires, but it ends up being a hara cat. The Cardassians detect the discharge and capture her; she's taken to Elemspur Detention Center in Hedrikspool.
After a few days of mistreatment and rancid food, the guards tell her she's been fine guilty if terrorism and homicide, and sentence her to death. She manages to kill a guard, but gets dosed by a hypospray.
Kira drifts in and out of consciousness, but recognizes Dukat; she also thinks she sees a reflection of herself, but nothing else is reflected. Dukat whispers that she has no idea how close she came to dying, but he's given her a second chance because she's so much like Meru; he says he'll always be watching. He orders Entek to have her memories altered and to drop her off somewhere safe.
Kira closes the casket of the Orb of Memories, her true memories of Elemspur returned to her.
Nurse Etana goes to Ro's quarters when she fails to show up for therapy again. Ro confesses that she liked Taran'atar, and wants to find whoever turned him into a weapon. Kol says she'll help Ro with her investigation if she finally starts her physical therapy; Ro acquiesces.
Vaughn gets a call from Kira, who says that have a lot to talk about, but she asks if he's ready to return to duty. He lies and says yes.
Major Cenn interrogates the 4 mercs, and almost gets them to make a plea deal when he explains the they weren't working for Kira, but a Cardassian named Iliana. However, the one named Shing-kur already knew about Iliana; she presses something on her elbow, killing the other 3 by activation an implant in their heads that releases a neurotoxin.
Kira takes Iliana to the brig and questions Shing-kur. Shing-kur passes on the message "Trakor's First Prophecy" but little else, besides claiming that her Kira is more deserving of being Kira than any of the others. Iliana goades her into activating her neurotoxin implant, but Ghemor deactivated it with her tricorder.
Kira is furious with Ghemor. Iliana explains that in her universe, Sisko is dead, and she's worried that her counterpart will fulfill Trakor's First Prophecy and become the Emissary.
Kira summons everyone to ops (including a reinstated Vaughn) and Nog initiates his alternate universe communication device. They're greeted by the alternate Ezri, then Iliana fills in General O'Brien of the resistance about the situation with the Intendant getting killed. An alarm goes off on Terok Nor; Klingon ships arrive, and then transmission is cut off and replaced by one from the false Intendant. She tells Kira she's going to kill her herself, and shows off her golden bracelet before the transmission drops for good. Nog says there's enough time to beam 2 people to the alternate Bajor, so Kira says she and Iliana will go; Vaughn convinces her to take him instead, and she agrees. Ezri is left in charge; Sisko tells her he has to go.
18 hours earlier: Sisko tells Elias that he needs to go with Kira to the alternate dimension on a secret mission: find the alternate Sisko--who faked his death to avoid leading the Terran rebellion--and help him to find the wormhole so he can become the Emissary. Sisko says he can't tell Kira; Vaughn agrees. Sisko feels guilty for knowing he's betraying Vaughn.
SIDE TWO
2357: Before leaving for a state dinner honoring her father, Legate Ghemor, who was just promoted to Central Command, Iliana gifts him a carving she made in his honor. Tekeny is touched; he says that he and Iliana's mother Kaleen, have decided she can go to Pra Menkar, a school for artists, instead of working for the state. She is ecstatic.
Her father schmoozes with Gul Dukat, Darhe'el, et al, and says that his first order as Legate is to meet with the civilian government to get their input on Bajoran relations; many are finding that the loss of Cardassian life may be outweighing the benefits. Dukat is taken advantage by this, and quickly pivots into creepily saying how beautiful Iliana is.
Iliana walks outside and runs into her old childhood friend Ataan; they go for a stroll together, and catch up. Before long, things unexpectedly start to get steamy between them; however, her mother arrives before things can progress very fast, and takes Iliana back to the museum--though she does invite Ataan over for dinner.
A month later: Iliana and Ataan share a passionate night together in her dorm room. He is leaving for Bajor in hours, and she expresses her disdain for the Occupation. He surprisingly agrees, but says there's no alternative. He says he'll always come home to her, and suggests marriage. She feels the same.
A while later, Iliana is sketching in a park when she spots Entek, an agent of the Obsidian Order who she had seen snooping around at her father's party. He says he's been following her since then, and notes that her keen powers of observation would make her a perfect agent. She says he doesn't really know her, so he recounts her life in perfect detail. He says instead of being an artsy hypocrite, she should join the Order to change Cardassia from the inside. She rejects his offer, but he says he's not going away.
Ataan writes to Iliana over the next 2 years. Slowly his stance on the Bajorans changes, from thinking they can be convinced to help themselves by helping the Cardassians, to thinking they're animals, willing to kill their own just to spite the Cardassians. His letters culminate with him rounding up a group of farmers and shooting them for embarrassing a Gul. He turns down her father's offer to return to Cardassia 3 years early, saying he has too much work left to do on Bajor.
Tekeny visits Iliana at school. Before he can even say it, she knows that Ataan is dead; her father confirms that he was killed by a bomb. After he leaves, she gathers up so her things and burns them in the center of campus. She goes to the Tarlak sector, home of the Obsidian Order. Corbin Entek is not surprised to see her.
After being locked in her room at the Order for 8 days, Entek finally agrees to train Iliana after she convinces him that she's joining for the right reason: because she spent her prior life thinking of herself instead of the State.
After 180 days, she is progressing faster than expected, even breaking Order records. She even manages to defeat Entek during combat, distracting him by feigning attraction to him. After another session months later where she wipes the floor with him, she can feel his attraction for her; she glares him down and tells him to keep his mind on the work.
After more than a year, Iliana is allowed a brief furlough to visit her parents. Her mother gifts her an artpad, but she discards it. When she gets back, Entek re-gifts her the pad; she shatters it in anger, saying that that's not who she is anymore, that Entek has entirely remolded her in his image.
Iliana is given a test operation in a simulated Bajoran environment. She is stabbed by a Bajoran terrorist, but Iliana dislodges the knife from her shoulder and kills the Bajoran with it. When the program ends, the terrorist doesn't disappear; Entek says she was a real terrorist they captured, and says Iliana is ready for her first real operation.
2361: Entek gives her a voluntarily assignment, to take on the persona of terrorist Kira Nerys for at 2 years, to infiltrate her cell from within. He says she needs to volunteer, because aside from the physical alterations, her memory will be replaced with Kira's, and the transfer is less effective if she's not willing. She readily agrees, even before Entek tells her that Kira was the one who killed Ataan.
Iliana visits her parents, who are saddened and disappointed that her mission will take her away for an extended period of time. Her father asks if she's happy, and she says that doesn't matter: she's doing a mission that only she can do, something that really matters. Before leaving, she records a message to her future self to help her remember who she is.
Kira is brought in for the procedure, though she manages to bloody the nose of a glinn when she's taken from her cell in Elemspur. Entek says the real Kira's body will be filed away in the Order archives. After the procedure begins, Gul Dukat bursts in and tells Entek to shut everything down, threatening to reveal that Entek left holes in Gul Pirak's security intentionally, just so Ataan would die and Iliana would turn to the Order--all for this mission. Dukat says to tell the Order that everything went as planned, and gives him a vial of Kira's blood to create a clone for when they request evidence.
Kira groggily awakens to see Dukat, who tells her she's now in the Letau Detention Facility, it's deepest level. He says he promised to someone special long ago that he would keep her safe as he unfastens his uniform.
For over 6 years she suffers in isolation in Letau, seeing no one else save her jailer and Dukat, when he comes to rape and beat her. One day he barges in without warning, screaming about the Federation and a wormhole. She catches him off-guard, shattering his nose and nearly escaping, but the jailer Rokai stops her.
Years later, Dukat came to her again, physically altered to look like a Bajoran, and raped her savagely. She starts having nightmares that she's a Cardassian herself, but can't remember much about them when she wakes up. She vows to kill Dukat.
Explosions rock Letau, and Kira is able to escape her cell. She finds a console and is supposed that she somehow deftly knows how to navigate it. Around the bend she hears Rokai talking to his subordinates over the comm about a Jem'Hadar attack. She takes him hostage just before 3 other prisoners, led by Shing-kur, arrive. Kira convinces them to work with her and they agree.
Rokai tells them about Dukat's secret bunker below them, and promises to help Kira find him if she keeps him alive. Jem'Hadar beam in near them and begin attacking. Kira turns Rokai's disruptor into a grenade, though she has no idea how, and kills them all.
As they make their way to the bunker, Shing-kur tells Kira the year; she almost collapses when she realizes she's been there for 15 years. Inside they find a lavish Cardassian suite, complete with a subspace teleporter built with stolen Dominion technology, capable of transporting over 20+ lightyears. They also find a hidden data cache; Kira shoots Rokai when he says he doesn't know the password, and he unlocks it. She finds detailed logs of the real Kira on DS9, along with recordings of Dukat raping her in her cell, titled "Iliana." She attacks Rokai, and when he calls her Iliana himself, she shoots him until the top half of his torso is disintegrated.
Iliana tells Shing-kur that she remembers everything: setting the bomb to kill her lover, and going undercover to kill the person that did it. She cares little about her Cardassian half or her Bajoran half; she wants to punish Dukat, then all the rest of them.
Iliana tells everyone that once they're out of here, they have no reason to follow her--but she'll make it worth their while if they do. They arm up, set explosives around the bunker, and Iliana takes an isolinear chip with all of Dukat's data. The transporter is set for Harkoum.
Review: 3.5 stars. The plot actually moved backwards instead of forwards, but it made up for it with great character development; the second half in particular reminded me a lot of A Stitch in Time. It's worth noting that the book is fairly contingent on you knowing DS9 S3E5, Second Skin, so I had to rewatch it to know what was going on; even after I did though, it was still a bit confusing, with multiple characters from multiple universes masquerading as different characters--and time jumps to boot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2022
An extremely strong start which is abruptly brought to a screeching halt by the violent second half. This book is definitely a set up to a better followup. While I wanted to know more about Iliana Ghemor and her story, what we were given was nothing short of heartbreaking and disgusting.
May 15, 2025
This book picked up from where Warpath left off with two different approaches to the same story. One was what we expected- DS9 in the aftermath of Commander Vaughn's mission to Harkoum to capture Taran'atar and rescue Ensign Prynn Tenmei. The Cardassian Woman was revealed to be the Mirror Universe Iliana Ghemor at the end of Warpath- here she explains that she came to this universe to stop her main universe counterpart from killing every Kira Nerys in every universe she can find (she already started with Intendant Kira Nerys of the Mirror Universe) and returning to the Mirror Universe to make herself the Emissary of the Prophets. This Iliana was surgically and psychologically altered from her true Cardassian form to look like Kira Nerys, and she now wants to be the only Kira anyplace. Interrogation of the various thugs captured on Harkoum revealed four to be her inner circle and that one, a Kressari named Shing-Kur, was her trusted right hand. They gave enough information for Captain Kira to figure out their next step.
The other story was Iliana's backstory. She was the only daughter of Legate Tekeny and Inquisitor Kaleen Ghemor, and grew up privileged. She persuaded her parents to send her to art school instead of forcing her to take a traditional role in Cardassian society, but Corbin Entek of the Obsidian Order had other plans. He saw her as a promising candidate for the Order, and did everything in his power to convince her to sign up. It took the death of her fiancee Glin Ataan Rugal to push her away from her artistic leanings and sign up. Glin Rugal was assigned to Gul Pirak's security force on occupied Bajor, and died when a terrorist bombed Pirak's mansion.
Iliana signed up with the Order, and when her training was complete, agreed to a dangerous mission. She was to be surgically and psychologically altered to be Kira Nerys, and inserted into her terrorist cell for a time, long enough to get all their secrets and then destroy them. She underwent the treatment, only to have Gul Dukat pull rank on Corbin Entek and set the real Kira free as a favor to her mother (once his comfort woman). He also took Iliana with him for his own sick purposes. Dukat secreted Iliana/Kira in the lowest level of a remote prison and kept her there for fifteen years while she went slowly insane. One day however, the prison came under attack by the Dominion. She and four other prisoners escaped via Dukat's private transporter to Harkoum with a cache of weapons, which is where Commander Vaughn found them in Warpath.
Now we have the full setup- I expect the payoff in the next book, and I hope that next book comes out soon :-)
The other story was Iliana's backstory. She was the only daughter of Legate Tekeny and Inquisitor Kaleen Ghemor, and grew up privileged. She persuaded her parents to send her to art school instead of forcing her to take a traditional role in Cardassian society, but Corbin Entek of the Obsidian Order had other plans. He saw her as a promising candidate for the Order, and did everything in his power to convince her to sign up. It took the death of her fiancee Glin Ataan Rugal to push her away from her artistic leanings and sign up. Glin Rugal was assigned to Gul Pirak's security force on occupied Bajor, and died when a terrorist bombed Pirak's mansion.
Iliana signed up with the Order, and when her training was complete, agreed to a dangerous mission. She was to be surgically and psychologically altered to be Kira Nerys, and inserted into her terrorist cell for a time, long enough to get all their secrets and then destroy them. She underwent the treatment, only to have Gul Dukat pull rank on Corbin Entek and set the real Kira free as a favor to her mother (once his comfort woman). He also took Iliana with him for his own sick purposes. Dukat secreted Iliana/Kira in the lowest level of a remote prison and kept her there for fifteen years while she went slowly insane. One day however, the prison came under attack by the Dominion. She and four other prisoners escaped via Dukat's private transporter to Harkoum with a cache of weapons, which is where Commander Vaughn found them in Warpath.
Now we have the full setup- I expect the payoff in the next book, and I hope that next book comes out soon :-)
July 11, 2012
The first part, Side one as they call it, was ok. It's average but entertaining for the most part. The side two however was a real pain to read. It left me with the after taste of a chore you have to get through in order to access the next book in the series. The plot devices are hackneyed and obvious, the characters are stereotypical and boring. I'm a little scared that the same author wrote "Soul Key". I hope it's better than this one.
December 27, 2011
Not too bad as Star Trek goes. Can't say it was the greatest, but then again I only half-liked the Deep Space Nine series anyhow. Not for me. Definitely not keeping it.
September 20, 2020
I liked the first half of the book. The second half, focusing on Ilianna, was unnecessarily dark, especially the portions regarding her captivity. I thought it was out of character for Dukat, and just unrealistic in terms of what a person could endure.
Content warnings for this book:
Rape
Torture
Kidnapping
Depression
Suicidal ideation/ intent/ attempt
Things I liked:
-Kira's reaction to Ilianna's return and her feelings regarding her kidnapping years ago seemed believable.
-The look we got at Cardassian society in the second half of the book.
-How sinister the fascist Cardassian government seemed, even as viewed by its own citizens (Ilianna.)
-The book does a great job at showing just how thoroughly Ilianna is being manipulated.
Things I didn't like:
-Ilianna's torture. I thought it was unrealistic (given the psychological effects of isolation) and out of character for Dukat.
-Ilianna's motivation for joining the Obsidian Order. I don't buy that someone as willful and independent as Ilianna would give up her entire identity over one incident, even a tragic one. Also, the trope of a woman being motivated by her lover is cliché. The fact that she'd only been close to him for a short time, and most of that spent as pen pals, furthers my feeling that her reaction didn't make sense.
-It isn't completely explained why Ilianna, in particular, is the focus of all the effort and attention she gets.
Content warnings for this book:
Rape
Torture
Kidnapping
Depression
Suicidal ideation/ intent/ attempt
Things I liked:
-Kira's reaction to Ilianna's return and her feelings regarding her kidnapping years ago seemed believable.
-The look we got at Cardassian society in the second half of the book.
-How sinister the fascist Cardassian government seemed, even as viewed by its own citizens (Ilianna.)
-The book does a great job at showing just how thoroughly Ilianna is being manipulated.
Things I didn't like:
-Ilianna's torture. I thought it was unrealistic (given the psychological effects of isolation) and out of character for Dukat.
-Ilianna's motivation for joining the Obsidian Order. I don't buy that someone as willful and independent as Ilianna would give up her entire identity over one incident, even a tragic one. Also, the trope of a woman being motivated by her lover is cliché. The fact that she'd only been close to him for a short time, and most of that spent as pen pals, furthers my feeling that her reaction didn't make sense.
-It isn't completely explained why Ilianna, in particular, is the focus of all the effort and attention she gets.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2020
I must warn you this story is a two-parter.
As a Star Trek fan and reader, I've discovered there are three types of Star Trek books.
1. A book that really has nothing to do with Star Trek except for a few vague references to check in with Star Fleet or Federation.
2. The names are familiar Star Trek characters, but they don't act like the known figures. Sometimes, the canon is off track with aliens appearing before first contact was made.
3. Characters act the same, canon remains the same, and it sounds and feels like Star Trek.
Fearful Symmetry is the third. Those familiar with DS9 will remember the episode where Kira is mistaken for a member of the Cardassian Obsidian Order who was transformed to look like her. Fearful Symmetry delves much deeper into this subject. To say much more might ruin it for you.
I would highly recommend.
As a Star Trek fan and reader, I've discovered there are three types of Star Trek books.
1. A book that really has nothing to do with Star Trek except for a few vague references to check in with Star Fleet or Federation.
2. The names are familiar Star Trek characters, but they don't act like the known figures. Sometimes, the canon is off track with aliens appearing before first contact was made.
3. Characters act the same, canon remains the same, and it sounds and feels like Star Trek.
Fearful Symmetry is the third. Those familiar with DS9 will remember the episode where Kira is mistaken for a member of the Cardassian Obsidian Order who was transformed to look like her. Fearful Symmetry delves much deeper into this subject. To say much more might ruin it for you.
I would highly recommend.
August 11, 2019
4 1/2 stars. I love this novel. It's creative and very well written. The first part is focusing on Kira and the Iliana Ghemor from the other universe claiming to want to help them, and the second part tells us the story of the Iliana Ghemor native to this universe and what really happened to her...
This story shows in such a strong way how our experiences and the people around us shapes who we become. I can say as much as at first I couldn't comprehend how someone could want to do what Iliana plans to do, but now I understand. Now I get where she's coming from, and I think that is in part what's going to make the continuation of this story even better. I'm looking forward to reading how it will turn out in the upcoming novels.
This story shows in such a strong way how our experiences and the people around us shapes who we become. I can say as much as at first I couldn't comprehend how someone could want to do what Iliana plans to do, but now I understand. Now I get where she's coming from, and I think that is in part what's going to make the continuation of this story even better. I'm looking forward to reading how it will turn out in the upcoming novels.
November 10, 2021
Not a bad book. Interesting concept. The book is a flip book, with each side telling a different story.
Continuing on from “Warpath,” this novel tells the story of Kira’s attempt to wrestle her life back from the events of the previous novel. At the same time, we learn more about the tragic origins of the mysterious Iliana.
As with any Cardassian story thus far, I’m eating it up. The book has great world-building, and the second half has probably some of the darkest themes of any DS9 book I’ve read yet, except for perhaps Shimerman’s “The 34th Rule.”
My only critique is that the book moves forward in inches. Nothing is really accomplished and this book is really an interlude for what is likely to be the conclusion in the next one.
Overall, good effort. I enjoyed it.
Continuing on from “Warpath,” this novel tells the story of Kira’s attempt to wrestle her life back from the events of the previous novel. At the same time, we learn more about the tragic origins of the mysterious Iliana.
As with any Cardassian story thus far, I’m eating it up. The book has great world-building, and the second half has probably some of the darkest themes of any DS9 book I’ve read yet, except for perhaps Shimerman’s “The 34th Rule.”
My only critique is that the book moves forward in inches. Nothing is really accomplished and this book is really an interlude for what is likely to be the conclusion in the next one.
Overall, good effort. I enjoyed it.
December 19, 2022
This book did a lot of important filling out, especially of Illiana's character, and I think I like her a whole lot more now. I can see why she's been made a main character and I think the fleshing out made me appreciate the sort of tragic villain that she is. Also the side plot of what Dukat was doing during the entirety of DS9 really added to the story of DS9, and adds this horrible undertone to his interactions with Kira that we already saw the effects of in the original series.
Nonetheless, nothing much happened plot-wise in this book and we didn't learn too much that we didn't already. There was a weird not-needed tension between Vaughn and Kira. And not enough Shar or Prynn. Let's see what happens next I guess!!
Nonetheless, nothing much happened plot-wise in this book and we didn't learn too much that we didn't already. There was a weird not-needed tension between Vaughn and Kira. And not enough Shar or Prynn. Let's see what happens next I guess!!
June 2, 2019
Fearful Symmetry is a short novella that is then put into an ongoing frame story to try to become a full novel. Continuing where Warpath left off, the first half of the book shows the fallout from the re-appearance of Iliana Ghemor. Then the 2nd half goes back and shows her backstory.
This structure left the story without any strong resolution. The character study on Iliana was good but pushed the turns too far toward the end to give them any chance to breathe properly.
A fun read, but nothing I'd read a second time.
This structure left the story without any strong resolution. The character study on Iliana was good but pushed the turns too far toward the end to give them any chance to breathe properly.
A fun read, but nothing I'd read a second time.
March 23, 2022
I gave up after reading the first 12% of the book and it was still just rehashing the plot from a single DS9 episode. While I greatly enjoy DS9 books, they need to have their own unique plots, not just spent a significant portion of the book simply retelling what was on an episode of the TV show.
Flipping through the pages it looks as if its another one of those cringeworthy "alternate universe" stories that are the worst part of DS9.
Flipping through the pages it looks as if its another one of those cringeworthy "alternate universe" stories that are the worst part of DS9.
January 7, 2020
Though I am very tired of the , this felt like one of the smartest and best-written missives in the DS9 relaunch series. I was not expecting to care about the Iliana half of the book at all, but it ended up being my favorite.
May 17, 2017
Outstanding if dark. I read it on Kindle so the flip book part did not come through like a physical book. I really enjoyed this book though the second part started off a little dull, but by the end I was interested in that character.
July 28, 2023
I was kind of dreading this, but I think most of it worked better than I expected. The structure of the book is bad though, cutting off a key storyline in a frustrating way. Still, there's something to the Cardassia storyline, even if I'm not quite sure about the sheer brutality.
Read
July 15, 2020I loved how this story of a minor character cited in several points in DS9 canon was interwoven with several other stories.
January 29, 2021
Great read!
January 22, 2022
Catches the reader up the DS9 crew, then literally flips the script to grant insight into the current antagonist.
4/5 Well played, if a bit heavy handed.
4/5 Well played, if a bit heavy handed.
July 27, 2023
I don’t know what it is about these Star Trek books I’m just not vibing with lately.
May 23, 2020
My detailed thoughts:
https://www.tor.com/2020/05/13/star-t...
https://www.tor.com/2020/05/13/star-t...
July 6, 2023
I mostly enjoyed this book. It's a really interesting idea to have Iliana Ghemor back and I enjoyed most of her backstory. I also enjoyed seeing more of Kira's resistance era days. It was strongly implied from the ending of Warpath that Dukat would somehow be involved in the next few books so the Dukat quotes at the beginning of each side gave a great creepy feeling, I was really intrigued to see how he would factor in.
I found aspects of this book a little heavy handed and not quite as well-written as previous relaunch novels: Kira's anger with Vaughn, Entek's involvement in the Pirak assassination... and Dukat's *15 year long* kidnapping of Iliana. I'm going backwards and forwards on how I feel about the Dukat/Iliana storyline. On one hand, we know that he's evil and has been since the Occupation (there aren't really any more evil acts than genocide) and we know from the show and other novels that he has an obsession with Kira Nerys going back to her childhood, but this book took that too far in my opinion. We *knew* this about Dukat already so it was just too jarring for me that they had him destroy another female character's life just to make the same points again. This plot point and the Changeling storyline have been the only things that haven't really "fit" for me throughout the DS9 relaunch, which otherwise has flowed like a potential season 8, storyline and characterisation wise.
Having said all that, I'm still very intrigued by how the Iliana/Kiras plotline is going to resolve, so I'm moving immediately into the sequel 'The Soul Key'. I've got some predictions, so I'm keen to see how it all wraps up!
I found aspects of this book a little heavy handed and not quite as well-written as previous relaunch novels: Kira's anger with Vaughn, Entek's involvement in the Pirak assassination... and Dukat's *15 year long* kidnapping of Iliana. I'm going backwards and forwards on how I feel about the Dukat/Iliana storyline. On one hand, we know that he's evil and has been since the Occupation (there aren't really any more evil acts than genocide) and we know from the show and other novels that he has an obsession with Kira Nerys going back to her childhood, but this book took that too far in my opinion. We *knew* this about Dukat already so it was just too jarring for me that they had him destroy another female character's life just to make the same points again. This plot point and the Changeling storyline have been the only things that haven't really "fit" for me throughout the DS9 relaunch, which otherwise has flowed like a potential season 8, storyline and characterisation wise.
Having said all that, I'm still very intrigued by how the Iliana/Kiras plotline is going to resolve, so I'm moving immediately into the sequel 'The Soul Key'. I've got some predictions, so I'm keen to see how it all wraps up!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2009
This continuation of the Deep Space Nine saga is as well-written as most have been, but it is in something of an experimental format which I didn't feel worked particularly well. It hearkens back to the old days of science-fiction pulps, when a book would often be composed of two shortish novellas, back-to-back so that both "front" and "back" have their own cover art, and no matter which side of the book you held, you seemed to be looking at a "front"; inside, one would read through to roughly the mid-point, and then you would come to the end of the story you were reading and pass on to the end of the other story, upside-down.
This book is in this same format, although it is somewhat better justified in that the two stories are "symmetrical", each telling a story relating to the other from the viewpoint of a different character. Still, I didn't care for this format when it was used in the pulps, and I don't care for it now; I think it would have worked better to either alternate chapters, as is frequently done in stories that have parallel events happening, or better yet, if it had been told in two separate books, each continuing the story a bit farther than this book did. Had it not been for the odd format, I'd definitely have rated this book at five stars.
This book is in this same format, although it is somewhat better justified in that the two stories are "symmetrical", each telling a story relating to the other from the viewpoint of a different character. Still, I didn't care for this format when it was used in the pulps, and I don't care for it now; I think it would have worked better to either alternate chapters, as is frequently done in stories that have parallel events happening, or better yet, if it had been told in two separate books, each continuing the story a bit farther than this book did. Had it not been for the odd format, I'd definitely have rated this book at five stars.
July 31, 2013
The latest in the DS9 relaunch series, Fearful Symmetry is essestially two books in one. The first, titled "side A" follows directly on from the events of Warpath and generally centers around Kira Nerys.
The second, "side b" follows the tale of Illiana Ghemor, an agent of the Obsidian Order, first introduced in the DS9 series episode "Second Skin" The book follows her tale from her youth to her eventual recruitment by the Obsidian Order and later her assignment to replace Kira. The book fills in the back-story of Illiana, as to what happened to her after her assignment and her current motives.
Side a is written in standard third-person prose, and though it might sound a little picky, I was really annoyed with the formatting. The spaces between lines were so big, it was hard to tell if a paragraph was finished or not. That said, I did read this in the Kindle, so it's possible it's a problem unique to the digital version, or I could just have a setting wrong.
Side b is written primarily in the form of letters written to Illiana from a lover stationed on Bajor, which was a really nice touch and itresting to see the Cardassian perspective
Overall, not a bad read. Onto the next!
The second, "side b" follows the tale of Illiana Ghemor, an agent of the Obsidian Order, first introduced in the DS9 series episode "Second Skin" The book follows her tale from her youth to her eventual recruitment by the Obsidian Order and later her assignment to replace Kira. The book fills in the back-story of Illiana, as to what happened to her after her assignment and her current motives.
Side a is written in standard third-person prose, and though it might sound a little picky, I was really annoyed with the formatting. The spaces between lines were so big, it was hard to tell if a paragraph was finished or not. That said, I did read this in the Kindle, so it's possible it's a problem unique to the digital version, or I could just have a setting wrong.
Side b is written primarily in the form of letters written to Illiana from a lover stationed on Bajor, which was a really nice touch and itresting to see the Cardassian perspective
Overall, not a bad read. Onto the next!
June 24, 2012
"Fearful Symmetry" certainly isn't bad, but it isn't amazing either. This is a two part book. The first half focuses on the Kira we all know from the television series and how she is handling her life post-attack. The second part is from the perspective of Iliana, the one from the "Prime" side. The portion that focuses on Kira is rather standard fare for the Deep Space Nine relaunch novels, but the Iliana section is somewhat different. With Kira, the reader sees how she builds herself again after the brutal attack by Taran'atar. With Iliana, they view the story of a woman whose life is turned inside out. This book was absolutely needed to understand how Iliana came to be as she is and why she lost her mind. "Fearful Symmetry" isn't my favorite relaunch novel, but it doesn't live up to the standards set by previous books.
January 21, 2014
I love the post-series Deep Space 9 books. I always wondered what happened to Iliana Ghemor (the Cardassian operative who was surgically altered to look like Major Kira). The previous book revealed that she was the big villain behind the current story line, but this is the first time that you actually get to spend time with her and see what happened to her after the end of the Occupation. Looks like it's off to the Mirror Universe for the resolution. Those stories are always hit-or-miss. We'll see how it goes.
August 30, 2010
Ruining nothing in this book, I suggest that you read "part two" (the orange side) first and "part one" second. That will give you a chronological story that makes more sense...and if you are like me and don't like to see the end before the beginning in movies or books, you'll like this a whole lot more.
Best of the recent DS9 books & with its sequel "Soul Key" looks to be the last new story we will get.
Best of the recent DS9 books & with its sequel "Soul Key" looks to be the last new story we will get.
February 8, 2012
I found this quite disturbing and upsetting to read, gratuitously so. I disliked what they did with the Ghemor character from start to finish and I found the machinations of the main antagonist in side two implausibly foresighted... not to mention creepy as hell and not in the fun-to-read way. Although it doesn't help that I find the entire storyline this book is part of kind of stupid... much preferred the earlier books in the Relaunch.
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