Warp Factor Trek

Greg Cox, one of the best original series Star Trek novelists, delivers what appears at first to be three different stories but marvelously connects them.

2024

Melinda Silver and her producer, Dennis Berry, have a successful true-crime/investigative podcast series, and her new topic involves the mysterious disappearance of Doctor Gillian Taylor, a marine biologist who worked at the Maritime Cetacean Institute. One day after the focus of her work, two humpback whales named George and Gracie were released into the vast ocean, and Taylor disappeared, never to be seen again.

Almost forty years later, Melinda decides to tackle this cold case and uncover the truth. At first, the case appears doomed from the start, with the institute’s former director, Robert Briggs, the first to be interviewed. He seems to be the last person to see her alive, and he still regrets the last words they exchanged. What he tells them starts the ball rolling, and soon, the podcast duo is talking to a nun who saw a man wearing a white robe and headband dive into the tank and touch one of the whales and a man who saw Gillian with a stranger having pizza.

A conversation with a retired detective of the San Francisco Police Department reveals the case was ended when higher-ups stopped it due to national security. When Melinda receives a cryptic envelope with a message telling her they know what happened to the doctor, Melinda has no idea what rabbit hole she is about to fall in.

2268 (set shortly after the third season episode “Day of the Dove”, one of the best ones of that season)

The SS Chinook, a commercial transport vessel that ferries passengers from one planet to another, lands in a deadly plot. A saboteur named Pierre Fortier threatens the peaceful voyage when he rigs the engine room with a fatal cocktail of Horta acid. Unless he is taken to a specific planet, he will set it off, destroying the engines and killing everyone on board. Having no choice, the captain diverts the vessel to the new location. When they arrive, the spacejacker takes renowned Federation scientist Taya Hamparian with him to ensure his escape. With Hamparian, they take an escape pod to a system of planets, deactivating the device in the engine room. The Enterprise receives word of the kidnapping, and their orders are to retrieve the scientist who was involved in top-secret medical research.

Heading to the region, Spock discovers an ion trail leading to the planet Atraz, a world where the inhabitants are unfamiliar with the Federation or space travel. Captain Kirk reluctantly takes a landing party down to trace Hamparian’s whereabouts, which means interacting with the natives without violating the Prime Directive. But the natives are more than the landing party bargained for.

2292 (occurs just before the Klingon moon Praxis explodes in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

The Enterprise, a Klingon vessel, and a Romulan warbird arrive at the same set of coordinates to meet with a race of beings known as the Osori. They are considered immortal, similar to Flint, and have eluded all communications until now. They have reached out for a diplomatic meeting with their neighbors, bringing these potential adversaries together to establish hopefully a worthwhile relationship. The Osori have unbelievable technology that allows them to cloak their entire planet. The mission involves a swap, so one of each of the “diplomats” travels together to the site of the negotiations, Nimbus III (the Planet of Galactic Peace).

Lieutenant Saavik is asked to represent the Federation on board the Klingon vessel after she assures Kirk and Spock she will be fine surrounded by Klingons. Her last encounter with them was a bit traumatic, as she watched Kirk’s son, David, get killed. Things go smoothly initially as she meets the Osori, Cyloo, who appears eager to meet and interact with other species. That doesn’t last long when the doctor on board, Kesh, kidnaps Cyloo, a Romulan, and Saavik. They are forced onto an escape pod, and when they don’t respond to hails from the Klingon ship, they – along with the Enterprise and the Romulans – follow. Then, the pod explodes, leaving everyone in shock and demanding answers and retribution.

Final Thoughts

Greg Cox writes Star Trek for diehard fans, as he weaves the history of the classic episodes, other Star Trek shows, films, and even earlier Trek novels into the narrative, making it fun for the reader to spot the references. It’s fun to see what transpired after the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and see what happened to several individuals after Kirk and crew left. It will also force an urge to go and rewatch the movie. The events in 2268 are fascinating, as Kirk and the away team meet some local natives and learn that it is not all as it seems. While in orbit, Spock must deal with some hostile Klingons, who have their own agenda. The segment set in 2292 starts as what seems a simple first contact mission but quickly goes south. The Osori are an intriguing race that would be great to see come back in some capacity. They are like the Metrons but not as ancient, and they decided to maintain their corporeal form.

The three seemingly different stories would be fun by themselves but combining them makes the reader try to figure out how it all connects. The pace jumps between the three timelines from chapter to chapter, requiring – most of the time – waiting for two chapters to see what happens next in a particular segment. The truth of everything and the connection between the three stories totally pays off, and many surprises are in store.

If you like the Star Trek novels, especially ones with Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise, Cox has written one for the ages. Pick this one up, and don’t make it lost to eternity.