Federation ( novel ) " An epic story that spans the generations . . . " Federation is a Pocket TOS novel – crossing over with the Pocket TNG series – written by Judith & Garfield Reeves - Stevens . Published by Pocket Books , it was first released in hardback in . Summary . In the mid - 21st century , while Zefram Cochrane ' s continuum - distorting fluctuation superimpellor – the first warp drive – changed history , Earth entered a difficult era : a deadly new fascist movement called the Optimum was on the rise , and worldwide war was simmering yet again . And although World War III would vanquish the Optimum for good , a few lived on , pursuing Zefram Cochrane across the galaxy – and across time . . . The book begins on the time planet , at the Ellison research outpost around the time portal the Guardian of Forever , which fell silent and inert since shortly after Enterprise discovered it in the classic episode . An older James Kirk , grappling at 62 with retirement from Starfleet , is visiting the Guardian for a final time when his accompanying Vulcan researcher urges him to ask it a question for her . When it doesn ' t respond , she leaves Kirk alone in reverie with his regrets . Distracted and deep in thought , he idly whispers to himself , Why ? – and unexpectedly , the Guardian answers . . . Zefram Cochrane , just back from his 8 - month , round - trip , historic first warp flight to Alpha Centauri , speaks with his friend and patron Micah Brack at a party in Cochrane ' s honor at the Christopher ' s Landing colony on Titan . Brack warns him that the Optimum , a burgeoning political movement eradicating people deemed genetically or ideologically inferior , has taken an interest in Cochrane ' s work , and that colonel Adrik Thorsen , its high - level operative , will land at Titan from Earth in a matter of hours . Brack is determined to release , royalty - free , the warp research he funded , knowing that Optimum ' s rise will prompt another bloody , planet - dooming war – and he wants that data to boost the founding of offworld colonies before all that , to prevent the extinguishing of mankind through war and preserve humanity ' s future . He sets up Cochrane in a clandestine extrasolar lab to develop his research outside Optimum influence . Nearly twenty years later , Cochrane returns to Earth . The Optimum has seized power across most of the civilized world , suspending the constitution in America , imprisoning British royalty , and making sure everywhere to ' contain ' " nonoptimals " . Soon Thorsen has caught Cochrane and demands he explain how to build a ' warp bomb ' from his superimpellor ' s continuum - distortion field . It so happens that early in Cochrane ' s superimpellor research , a lunar accident at Kashishowa Station sparked an antimatter explosion , with an eighteen - meter spherical chunk of lab and equipment vanishing without trace of radiation . While Thorsen speculates about an even larger explosion being possible , the basis for a powerful bomb , Cochrane sees none . He explains how the 18m measure was immutably preordained : fixed by airtight mathematic equations , bound by the laws of physics , and constrained by the strength of the Sun ' s gravity well at Luna . This makes no bomb possible , Cochrane asserts , because nature prevents it from being enlarged or weaponized – but Thorsen refuses to believe it . Cochrane escapes and almost kills Thorsen , leading Thorsen to mark him as suboptimal and thereby primed for death . Surviving World War III with prosthetic enhancements , Thorsen pursues Cochrane into old age , eventually killing his wife ; Cochrane flees his Alpha Centauri B II home and soars into the stellar vastness . After far too long in space he is rescued by the energy being known as the Companion , which brings him to its home planetoid of Gamma Canaris N , unwittingly falls in love with him and , after contact with Kirk and the " Enterprise " crew , inhabits the body of dying Federation commissioner Nancy Hedford to live out its newly mortal life with him . Years later " Enterprise " , under Kirk ' s command , is called to answer for a mysterious transmission from the Companion Nancy Hedford , who needs help finding a lost Cochrane . They find him in Optimum hands , rescue him and , to escape the Optimum , plunge toward a black hole . In the 24th century , Picard and crew seek out what they think is a Borg artifact from a Ferengi in a Romulan warbird , an artifact now being held by dissident Romulans as a bargaining chip to guarantee help in leaving their empire . After interference from a loyal Romulan warbird , Enterprise secures the artifact in its shuttlebay . It proves a fake , save for a Preserver artifact inside . When the Preserver item is hooked up to the ship ' s computer , a maliciously viral worm program infects it , floods the ship with anesthizine gas , and aims the helm at the same black hole Kirk , in the past , is headed toward . Next , the worm vents the shuttlebays to space , nearly killing Picard , La Forge , and Wesley Crusher , the three placed there by Data in a shuttle for safekeeping . Taking an antidote and shuttling to the bridge , Data tries disabling the program , is infected instead – then orders the others to call him Thorsen , threatening anyone who disobeys . At the black hole they find the USS " Garneau " , whose captain explains they ' re to collect a special science package put there 99 years ago . Thorsen wants to enter the black hole and orders Worf to destroy the " Garneau " ; when Worf refuses , Thorsen fires on the " Garneau " himself and , so occupied , allows Kirk ' s " Enterprise " to dive for the singularity instead . Inside , the mother and son Crusher shut Data ' s body down . As a consequence of singularity physics the Kirk and Picard " Enterprise " s are engulfed by the same black hole . Neither can communicate with one another to preserve their timelines , but " Enterprise " - D soon rescues Cochrane and both ships escape the Optimum ; when Picard destroys an ancient artifact containing all that is left of him , Thorsen ' s consciousness is finally eliminated . The only way to heal the dying Companion is to return to her planetoid ; but , by this time , her absence has caused it to break apart . Cochrane and the Companion face no other option than give in to death . They give themselves over to a cloud of light , as witnesses Picard and Beverly Crusher find relief in the restful peace they have succumbed to . Fast forward to just after " Enterprise " - D is lost at Veridian : Picard , with Riker on Titan , reads a letter written to him before his birth . It ' s from Kirk – at long last , chronicling the entire affair for Picard . And ending , as we began , back at the Guardian , we see in turn that it – in answer to his question – has chronicled the entire affair for Kirk . . . Memorable quotes . " " How surprising . I thought he would be the stiff - upper - lip type . ' So sorry to bleed on your carpet . ' That sort of thing . " " " " Ramming speed ! " " " " When Starfleet hears about this , I don ' t know if they ' re going to give you a medal or a court - martial " " " " Though we have drawn on established " Star Trek " lore for many of the events in this book , we must add that much of the early history of the Federation , and Cochrane ' s adventures prior to and after inventing the warp drive , are extrapolations solely of our own creation and thus could be superseded by . " " Characters . . " The story contains many Pocket TNG characters . "