Ambush

Star Trek SCE (ebooks) Novellas #11

by Dave Galanter, Greg Brodeur

STARFLEET CORPS OF ENGINEERS What started out as a simple supply run turns into a life-or-death struggle! The crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci thought they were just bringing mining supplies to Beta Argola. But en route they find out that the planet has been attacked -- by the same superior forces that are now overwhelming the da Vinci!

Overmatched by three enemy vessels that will not rest until the da Vinci is destroyed, the S.C.E. crew must use all of their wits to figure out how to take on a more powerful foe. And they have to do it soon, because the miners on Beta Argola are quickly running out of time before their reactor goes critical....

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks

82 pages, ebook

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short novel is basically one long ship-to-ship battle, which would make it an unusual episode for the SCE akin to TOS' Balance of Terror or DS9's Starship Down. The twist is that you get to see Starfleet engineers at their most MacGyverish, cannibalizing parts, modifying machines and figuring out how to use technology in new and diverting ways. And you see that process, where in one of the shows, it would mostly or entirely be glossed over with a line over the com. That's interesting, and there's enough of the miners to make you care about them as well. It also makes Ambush the strongest book for the bridge crew (Captain Gold and the non-engineers) yet, though that does make the reader impatient as many of the regular characters are sidelined. I do wish we'd had more of the Munqu as well. As a one-off species (they do reappear in the series later), there's really not a whole lot to them. The eBooks are as short as television episodes, so there isn't the extra development you associate with novels, and here that hurts the story.

[Joe Pranaitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Authors Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur take us aboard the U.S.S. da Vinci as they take much needed supplies to a mining colony which has been under attack. The Corps of Engineers aboard the da Vinci have to use some of those much needed mining equipment in order to take down a rouge pirate group that has their sights set on the colony. Thanks to Commander Gomez and her team they come up with the solutions to the pirate problem. This is a great fast read and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys the technical part of trek. 

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of Star Trek's most memorable episodes involved situations where the crew deals with damage during a combat or emergency situation and must outwit their foes using unconventional means. The da Vinci crew finally gets their chance to show how they deal with that particular scenario. I felt that this was the strongest entry in Some Assembly Required, and Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur should be very proud of the story they have written. Very enjoyable, and a great outing for the da Vinci and her crew!

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/04/S...

[Rich Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A VERY short SCE novel - well, novella - that while interesting and full of action, was a bit lacking on the characterization side. I guess it's true that they all can't be winners - look at third season TOS and the first TNG novels - so it isn't that big of a letdown this time. At least nothing of real note happened; I always hate when major, series-changing events happen in mediocre books.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Da Vinci is ferrying supplies to a colony. A warship wants to stop them. This is action packed and surprisingly in depth for such a short story. It's a bit of a change for the SCE being all about a space battle. A good read.

[Elaine]

SCE #11; also in "Some Assembly Required"

[Stephen Robertson · Rating 1 out of 5]

more of the same.

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to see new ideas for starfleet combat.