Book 59

Star Trek: Blackout

by Phaedra M. Weldon

Published 23 December 2005
STARFLEET CORPS OF ENGINEERS

When a Federation world suffers a planet-wide blackout, it's the S.C.E. to the rescue. While Commander Gomez and her crack team of engineers work to help keep the planet from falling into chaos, the ship's linguist, Bart Faulwell, is given a special assignment: find the Asarion linguist named Jewlan -- who triggered the blackout with what appears to be a weapon in an archaeological dig.

The Asarion people have a unique biology that causes random shifts from male to female. Faulwell's friendship with Jewlan, and her crush on him, is a minor diversion, at first, especially given the struggles Faulwell is having with his own relationship. But when Jewlan becomes Jolen, Faulwell finds himself with more than one difficult decision -- especially when the power outage worsens and threatens to destroy not only Asario, but the da Vinci as well!

For a century, the Cloud City of Stratos that hovers over Ardana has been abandoned, left only as a curiosity and a museum piece following the brutal civil war between the City Dwellers and the Troglytes. Now the city is starting to fall, and it's up to the S.C.E. team on the U.S.S. da Vinci to keep it from crashing to Ardana's surface.

However, there's more to this than the usual engineer- ing conundrum. Relics from Ardana's past provide obstacles -- from a parasite that invades Fabian Stevens's brain to a booby trap that endangers Bart Faulwell's life, and þnally to the S.C.E. being caught in the cross þre between two opposing factions, whose disagreements may cost two da Vinci crew members their lives!