Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume One
Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume One: Cardassia and Andor is a Pocket DS9 novel – part of the  and the first novel in the Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series – written by Una McCormack and Heather Jarman. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the back cover
Within every federation and every empire, behind every hero and every villain, there are the worlds that define them. In the aftermath of  and in the daring tradition of Spock's World, The Final Reflection, and A Stitch in Time, the civilizations most closely tied to  can now be experienced as never before… in tales both sweeping and intimate, reflective and prophetic, eerily familiar and utterly alien.

CARDASSIA: The last world ravaged by the Dominion War is also the last on which Miles O'Brien ever imagined building a life. As he joins in the reconstruction of Cardassia's infrastructure, his wife Keiko spearheads the planet's difficult agricultural renewal. But Cardassia's struggle to remake itself – from the fledgling democracy backed by Elim Garak to the people's rediscovery of their own spiritual past – is not without opposition, as the outside efforts to help rebuild its civilization come under attack by those who reject any alien influence.

ANDOR: On the eve of a great celebration of their ancient past, the unusual and mysterious Andorians, a species with four sexes, must decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to ensure their survival. Biological necessity clashes with personal ethics; cultural obligation vies with love – and Ensign Thirishar ch'Thane returns home to the planet he forswore, to face not only the consequences of his choices, but a clandestine plan to alter the very nature of his kind.

"The Lotus Flower" (Cardassia) 
Keiko O'Brien has been appointed as the new director of the Andak project, a project to make Cardassia more fertile. While she is awaiting Vedek Yevir, Miles O'Brien meets with Elim Garak in the capital city to speak in front of the directorate: there is a decision to be made about which project to support – the Andak or the… Miles is an expert supposed to speak for the Andak project.

However, during the discussion in the directorate, even before Miles gets to his speech, disturbance is caused by the accusations of one former gul named Merak Entor, who is actively working against the Andak project. Alon Ghemor adjourns the meeting for the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Yevir has arrived at the Andak project's site; while giving a speech, the Cardassian teenager Nyra turns up with a bomb attached to her. She claims that she will light it, demanding the removal of all aliens from Cardassia, and the outlawing of the Oralian Way. The situation comes to a dead end when she keeps declaring her demands over and over again.

In the capital, Ghemor, O'Brien, and Garak follow the events, first on screen, later by the reports of security; Ghemor decides to send Macet and O'Brien to the site, and also has security troops stand by.

At Andak, Macet starts to talk to Nyra, but gets stuck ultimately. Vedek Yevir then approaches the young girl and manages to talk her down. She is arrested, but continues to speak with Yevir who still has some hope for her.

Garak meanwhile visits an old "friend" – a man he questioned a few years back, a follower of the True Way. He finds out that the True Way not only made Nyra threaten the Andak project, but they are also responsible for Entor's objection in the directorate. After the visit, Entor withdraws his objections to the project and it becomes the one that is officially supported by the Cardassian government.

While the followers of the Oralian way continue to show themselves openly at Andak, Tela, who has a more conservative view on Cardassian traditions (a view she believes has encouraged her daughter to follow the True Way) together with some others sharing similar thoughts, leaves the site. Keiko is sad about this, but ultimately understands and is pleased to continue with her work.

"Paradigm" (Andor) 
Shar, Prynn Tenmei, and Phillipa Matthias, DS9's counselor, are called to Andor – for Thriss' funeral. While Shar is not invited directly, Phillipa is, and Prynn decides to accompany Shar – as their relationship has deepened and at least Prynn is almost certain in love with Shar. As they arrive on Andor, they become aware of the politically unstable situation – the conservative Visionist party is claiming that secret experiments are ongoing with the Yrynthy eggs (see This Gray Spirit) – experiments that would alter the Andorian species to become one with only two sexes.

After a storm, they all have to go to Thriss' family; Shar is not particularly welcome, but still Andorian hospitality traditions make sure he can stay. While everyone prepares for the mourning ceremony, Shar meets his other bondmates – Anichent and Dhizei. Left in an emotionally disturbed state, Shar finally escapes the unbearable situation – and Prynn, out of love, accompanies him again. They end up in a party where an Andor drug, saf, is given to both of them – and only because Anichent secretly followed them are they rescued. 

When he awakens, Shar is shattered to hear that his zhavey has been abducted – and that the responsible persons are the bondmates of Thia, whom Phillipa, Prynn and Shar met during the travel across Andor. Thia agrees to help track down her bondmates; in a dangerous expedition, Prynn, Thia, Shar, and Phillipa manage to not only find the place where the kidnappers are hiding, but also evidence that the four-gendered species indeed evolved on Andor, a fact that had been doubted in the past.

Vretha and Shar learn that the accusations regarding the alteration experiments regarding the Andorian sexes are indeed true – Vretha publicly announces this and steps down as Federation representative. But other research on the Yrynthy eggs also helps in expanding the time window in which Andorians are fertile – thus establishing hope for the future.

Because of the rescue, Shar is allowed to attend Thriss' funeral, and he finally finds peace with himself. He, at last, is ready to perform the mating ceremony with his bondmates, which now includes the formerly-bonded Thia. He tells Prynn that he loves her too, but that their relationship has to wait until... someday.

Background information 
 Cover art by Geoffrey Mandel, with design by John Vairo, Jr..
 Una McCormack drafted her story in just over two months. Her working title was "Regeneration"; her partner suggested "The Lotus Flower" after reading the draft manuscript. The inclusion of the O'Briens, Garak, Macet, and Yevir was mandated by editor Marco Palmieri; McCormack found writing for Keiko to be the most surprising part of the work, particularly as she felt that the character was often only seen through the eyes of her husband. ()
 Heather Jarman found her story to be "the most personal […] I've written", particularly deriving from her own experience of "define [her] individuality within the parameters of [the orthodox religious community Jarman belongs to]". The character of Thia developed organically during the writing process – originally intended as a mere cameo for worldbuilding purposes, Jarman was surprised to find her becoming central to the plot, ultimately ending up as Shar's new bondmate. Jarman also felt it was important not to diminish the relationship between Shar and Prynn in the process, noting that "[if] Shar were courting a new zhen, anything he had with Prynn would seem disingenuous and I wanted Shar and Prynn's romance to be genuine young love". ()
 The storyline of the Andorian crisis is next dealt with in the Star Trek: Typhon Pact novel Paths of Disharmony.

Characters

"The Lotus Flower" 
 Miles O'Brien  Starfleet officer, former chief of operations on DS9
 Keiko O'Brien  Biologist, director of the Andak project
 Molly O'Brien  Daughter of the O'Briens
 Kirayoshi O'Brien  Son of the O'Briens
 Elim Garak  Former member of the Obsidian Order, now adviser to the Cardassian Government; Garak still has many informants and people that owe him favors from his earlier life
 Macet  Former Cardassian Gul
 Feric Lakhat  Cardassian geologist, member of Keiko's team
 Tela Maleren  Caradassian scientist; mother of Nyra
 Yevir Linjarin  Bajoran vedek
 Alon Ghemor  Castellan (democratic leader of the Cardassian Union); nephew of Tekeny Ghemor
 Nyra  Daughter of Tela Maleren, follower of the True Way

"Paradigm" 
 Thirishar ch'Thane  Ensign aboard DS9 and the Defiant; on official leave
 Prynn Tenmei  Ensign on DS9, daughter of Elias Vaugn
 Commander Phillipa Matthias, DS9's counselor
 Charivretha zh'Thane  Andorian member of the Federation council, zhavey (mother) of Thirishar 
 Sessethantis zh'Cheen  Zhavey of the late Shathirissa
 Arenthialeh zh'Vazdi (Thia)  Andorian

References 
 Religious movement on Cardassia Prime, now enjoying a resurgence; many Cardassians fear its return will further destabilize the shattered world.
Alpha Centauri; Andorian; Cardassia; Cardassian; Cardassian Union; Deep Space 9; Dominion; Dominion War; ; orbital skydiving; True Way; Kira Nerys

External link 
 

cs:Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume 1
de:Cardassia: Die Lotusblume
de:Andor: Paradigma
Novels