A Time to Die
A Time to Die is a Pocket TNG novel – the second novel in the A Time to… series and the second novel in a duology – written by John Vornholt. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the book jacket
It was supposed to be a mission of mercy until the unthinkable occurred: the destruction of the USS Juno, killing all hands on board. Starfleet Command has unjustly assessed the actions of Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew during that fateful assignment to the Rashanar Battle Site – the site that saw one of the fiercest conflicts of the Dominion War, and which is now a hazardous interstellar graveyard filled with hundreds of devastated starships. While the court-ordered medical evaluation that relieved Picard of command is ongoing, there is ongoing speculation that his illustrious career may be coming to an end.

To clear his former commander, acting captain William Riker and a demoralized skeleton crew agree to conduct a covert operation, and must venture the Starship Enterprise back into Rashanar to track down a mythical menace – one that may already be responsible for the annihilation of countless fully armed starships. Unbridled hostility and the promise of death lurk at every turn, but they could never imagine that their only chance of survival may lie in the unexpected return of an old friend…

Memorable quotes 
"I figured you would choose the Vulcan cave left to your own devices long enough"
"It's the most like a prison"
 - Counselor Cabot and Picard

"They say we are cowards and heathens because we're trifling with their dead."
"Tell them we'll vaporize their dead if they don't stop firing at us!"
 - Erwin and Riker

Characters

Canon characters 
Beverly Crusher  Chief medical officer of the Enterprise-E
Wesley Crusher  Traveler
Data  Chief operations officer of the Enterprise-E
Geordi La Forge  Chief engineer of the Enterprise-E
Perim  Trill, conn officer of the Enterprise-E, lieutenant
Jean-Luc Picard  Captain of the Enterprise-E
William T. Riker  First officer of the Enterprise-E
Deanna Troi  Counselor on the Enterprise-E
Nakamura  Admiral at Starfleet Command
Alynna Nechayev  Admiral at Starfleet Command
William Ross  Admiral at Starfleet Command

Non-canon characters 
Brewster, Ensign  Alias for Wesley Crusher
Colleen Cabot  Counselor at Starfleet Medical
Christine Vale  Tactical officer of the Enterprise-E
Jason Emery  Aide to Commodore Korgan
Korgan  Medusan commodore in Starfleet
Fristan  Androssi scavenger
Overseer Jacer  Androssi scavenger
Vengus  Orion scavenger
Hidek  Orion scavenger:

References 
antimatter; auto-destruct; cloaking device; Jem'Hadar battle cruiser; Klingon disruptor; Maquis; Orion; Pakled; Romulan ale; Starfleet Corps of Engineers; The Traveler

  Blue-skinned species, scavengers at Rashanar Battle Site
Demon flyer  Ontailian name for the shape-shifting creature at Rashanar
   starship lost at Battle of Rashanar
Hok'Tar  species, scavengers at Rashanar Battle Site
  ape-shaped scaly species, scavengers at Rashanar Battle Site
  Ontailian homeworld
  Federation members, non-humanoid
Skegge  Federation tug named for Ekosian bird
Yoxced  Ontailian flagship

External link 
 

cs:A Time to Die
Time to Die, A