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Star Trek SCE (ebooks) Novellas #4
Interphase, Part 1
STARFLEET CORPS OF ENGINEERS
More than a century ago, the U.S.S. Defiant ™ disappeared with all hands into an interspatial rift deep in Tholian territory. Now the derelict ship has been seen drifting in and out of ordinary space, and the Tholian authorities have reluctantly agreed to let Starfleet retrieve the Defiant from the rift. Perhaps, at long last, the lost ship can be brought home and its valiant crew paid their final respects.
Captain David Gold and an S.C.E. team from the U.S.S. da Vinci succeed in boarding the Defiant, but their investigation soon uncovers a dangerous secret. For more than a hundred years, an ancient super-weapon has been hidden away within the scarred and lifeless starship, along with evidence of a long-forgotten atrocity -- evidence that could ignite a vast interstellar war!
More than a century ago, the U.S.S. Defiant ™ disappeared with all hands into an interspatial rift deep in Tholian territory. Now the derelict ship has been seen drifting in and out of ordinary space, and the Tholian authorities have reluctantly agreed to let Starfleet retrieve the Defiant from the rift. Perhaps, at long last, the lost ship can be brought home and its valiant crew paid their final respects.
Captain David Gold and an S.C.E. team from the U.S.S. da Vinci succeed in boarding the Defiant, but their investigation soon uncovers a dangerous secret. For more than a hundred years, an ancient super-weapon has been hidden away within the scarred and lifeless starship, along with evidence of a long-forgotten atrocity -- evidence that could ignite a vast interstellar war!
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2001
1 person is currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Dayton Ward
106 books319 followersDayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 26, 2015
It looks like the "Even Numbered Trek" rule is going to hold firm with the SCE books as the fourth entry into the SCE series is well written, with natural dialogue (well, as natural as sci-fi dialogue can be), and characters who feel like they exist for more than to just push around plot bricks. The authors make good use of the existing Trek setting and some dangling threads from the Original Series to tell a fun and fast paced first half of a story.
February 18, 2014
The Da Vinci gets a new mission, to rescue the USS Defiant (the original series one)from a rift. It's complicated by the fact that its in new allies territory. This is a clever idea and is mostly plot. It's nice to actually have Scotty in the story, albeit briefly. A good read.
February 13, 2018
Part 1 here is pretty fun. Essentially the idea is that the SCE get called upon because the ship that "phased out" during the TOS episode "The Tholian Web" is now phasing back in again, and there's a chance to rescue them.
It must be frustrating when the filmed stuff, which is considered more "real" than the expanded written stuff, contradicts something that's been written. It seems a bit of a dick move, but oh well. In any case, Enterprise would deal with the same ship from "Tholian Web" in its fourth season. What's most shocking is that there's a LOT about this SCE installment that feels like Enterprise was inspired by. There's a lot about the kind of ... tension and claustrophobia involved with doing a space walk, the frustration of having to command a ship when you weren't expecting it ... a lot of those more "down-to-earth human" bits Enterprise tried (often too hard) to explore.
In any case, a good buildup to a decent cliffhanger.
It must be frustrating when the filmed stuff, which is considered more "real" than the expanded written stuff, contradicts something that's been written. It seems a bit of a dick move, but oh well. In any case, Enterprise would deal with the same ship from "Tholian Web" in its fourth season. What's most shocking is that there's a LOT about this SCE installment that feels like Enterprise was inspired by. There's a lot about the kind of ... tension and claustrophobia involved with doing a space walk, the frustration of having to command a ship when you weren't expecting it ... a lot of those more "down-to-earth human" bits Enterprise tried (often too hard) to explore.
In any case, a good buildup to a decent cliffhanger.
August 15, 2021
SCE's first two-parter has a lot in common with Enterprise's A Mirror, Darkly (which came out later), in that it indulges in some TOS nostalgia to relatively good effect. More Trials and Tribble-ations than Mirror Darkly. Of course, this Defiant is an eerie anti-gravity tomb full of floating bodies. Seeing the Tholians' perspective is appreciated, but they don't quite seem alien enough. As for the regulars, this is the one that's made me like Duffy. Up til now, we've known him as the jerk who didn't like Barclay, and in these novels, as a romantic entanglement for Gomez. Ward and Dilmore write him with a nice sense of humor and no real ambition for command. Nice, light-hearted dialogue between him and Gomez, and we get into his head properly when he's forced to command the bridge. And then of course, you've got some classic cliffhangers, not only the predictable closing of the rift, but some action for Lense to finally get into.
March 9, 2018
SCE goes back to being mostly about stuff happening without too much emotional attachment. In this they find the Defiant from The Tholian Web, which means this directly falls out of canon against In A Mirror, Darkly and Discovery season 1. Which isn't a knock on it just the most important take away from reading it. Which I guess is indeed a knock on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2021
Das hätte man anders lösen können. Ja, sie brauchten das für den Spannungsbogen, aber das wäre deutlich besser gegangen und in Anbetracht der Risiken auch sicher in der realen Welt von allen Beteiligten anders angegangen worden.
August 18, 2025
This novella raises the stakes and successfully expands the series' reach into deeper Star Trek lore. The inclusion of the Tholian perspective was a bold and fascinating choice — we so rarely get their point of view, and it added and eerie, alien texture to the story. I also appreciated the use of the Defiant here more than I did in Enterprise's mirror-universe episodes. It felt more grounded and purposeful.
The story builds tension well and places the da Vinci crew in a situation that genuinely feels perilous. There's a great sense of momentum leading into the second half, and the broader Trek mythos is woven in naturally without overshadowing the da Vinci crew. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how they escape this predicament. I give this 4.5 stars out 5.
The story builds tension well and places the da Vinci crew in a situation that genuinely feels perilous. There's a great sense of momentum leading into the second half, and the broader Trek mythos is woven in naturally without overshadowing the da Vinci crew. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how they escape this predicament. I give this 4.5 stars out 5.
March 23, 2015
Star Trek: S. C. E.: #4 Interphase, Book 1 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore This first part of a duology is a pretty exciting read that has ties to both Vanguard and TOS.
The Defiant which mysteriously vanished in an interspatial rift back in "The Tholian Web", after having investigated the death of every inhabitant on a Klingon civilian colony in the Taurus Reach and beaming a strange, seemingly Tholian device on board ("Vanguard: What Judgments Come"), reappears in normal space, trapped between the dimensions. The da Vinci gets sent to recover the ship under Tholian supervision. But the Tholians aren't going to allow the century old artifact on the Defiant to be further investigated and try to destroy both, the Defiant and the da Vinci.
After concentrating on Soloman for the first 3 books, this is the first one that takes a look on the ensemble in general. And the characters work - even if it's not really plausible that the captain of the da Vinci leaves the ship to accompany Gomez on the away mission to the Defiant. He doesn't have any engineering knowledge and could have explored the Defiant out of historical curiosity once they got her free of the rift. But it, of course, serves to put Commander Duffy, the second officer and untested so far in the big seat in command and therefore puts the focus on him.
The Tholians have remained mysterious in TOS and the later TV-installments, so it's fabulous to see them - and the issue of the lost Defiant - return here... something that gets even more background with prior knowledge of the events in Vanguard (which were published 10 years after this e-book was released in 2001 - shows what planning went into that series!).
What I don't get, though, is the ending of this story: The Tholians attack both Defiant and da Vinci, da Vinci retaliates and the Tholians withdraw. And why exactly should they who attacked without provocation view the da Vinci's counterattack as "an act of aggression"? Should the da Vinci just surrender and let themselves be destroyed? That didn't make much sense. But perhaps there'll be an explanation in the conclusion.
Overall - good read, so far (except for that huge question mark) easily the best part of the S. C. E. I hope part 2 will live up to this!
The Defiant which mysteriously vanished in an interspatial rift back in "The Tholian Web", after having investigated the death of every inhabitant on a Klingon civilian colony in the Taurus Reach and beaming a strange, seemingly Tholian device on board ("Vanguard: What Judgments Come"), reappears in normal space, trapped between the dimensions. The da Vinci gets sent to recover the ship under Tholian supervision. But the Tholians aren't going to allow the century old artifact on the Defiant to be further investigated and try to destroy both, the Defiant and the da Vinci.
After concentrating on Soloman for the first 3 books, this is the first one that takes a look on the ensemble in general. And the characters work - even if it's not really plausible that the captain of the da Vinci leaves the ship to accompany Gomez on the away mission to the Defiant. He doesn't have any engineering knowledge and could have explored the Defiant out of historical curiosity once they got her free of the rift. But it, of course, serves to put Commander Duffy, the second officer and untested so far in the big seat in command and therefore puts the focus on him.
The Tholians have remained mysterious in TOS and the later TV-installments, so it's fabulous to see them - and the issue of the lost Defiant - return here... something that gets even more background with prior knowledge of the events in Vanguard (which were published 10 years after this e-book was released in 2001 - shows what planning went into that series!).
What I don't get, though, is the ending of this story: The Tholians attack both Defiant and da Vinci, da Vinci retaliates and the Tholians withdraw. And why exactly should they who attacked without provocation view the da Vinci's counterattack as "an act of aggression"? Should the da Vinci just surrender and let themselves be destroyed? That didn't make much sense. But perhaps there'll be an explanation in the conclusion.
Overall - good read, so far (except for that huge question mark) easily the best part of the S. C. E. I hope part 2 will live up to this!
November 20, 2012
Précis
The Tholians have asked Star Fleet to come to Tholian space in order to retrieve the Defiant, which has reappeared after 100 years from the rift it was lost in. All goes well until the DaVinci away team discovers a strange Tholian device in the cargo hold. When the Tholians hear what was found, they turn hostile and attack causing the Defiant to fade into interphase and threatening the crew on her.
The crew on the Defiant manages to come up with a creative way to get the ship back to normal space and save a diplomatic disaster.
Protagonist - Captain Gold and Kieran Duffy
Antagonist - Nostrene
What I liked - This story has it all - great characters, an alien we love to hate, an old Federation ship, two desperate situations which appear to be insurmountable, Scotty and McCoy. The writing is tight and only drags in a few places.
What I didn’t like - I thought the Tholian's were too quick to attack once they heard about the discovery of the device. I now they were concerned about the repercussions but did they really think they could get away with it? Otherwise, the story is excellent.
Final Comment - The ebook was actually in 2 parts and oddly, part one is in Have Tech Will Travel but part two is in Miracle Workers S.C.E. Book 2 also available in paperback. (Still on Amazon as of April 2008). It has three other novellas written by Keith DeCandido. I have not read any of them yet, but I did find it recently in a used bookstore and will review it eventually.
The Tholians have asked Star Fleet to come to Tholian space in order to retrieve the Defiant, which has reappeared after 100 years from the rift it was lost in. All goes well until the DaVinci away team discovers a strange Tholian device in the cargo hold. When the Tholians hear what was found, they turn hostile and attack causing the Defiant to fade into interphase and threatening the crew on her.
The crew on the Defiant manages to come up with a creative way to get the ship back to normal space and save a diplomatic disaster.
Protagonist - Captain Gold and Kieran Duffy
Antagonist - Nostrene
What I liked - This story has it all - great characters, an alien we love to hate, an old Federation ship, two desperate situations which appear to be insurmountable, Scotty and McCoy. The writing is tight and only drags in a few places.
What I didn’t like - I thought the Tholian's were too quick to attack once they heard about the discovery of the device. I now they were concerned about the repercussions but did they really think they could get away with it? Otherwise, the story is excellent.
Final Comment - The ebook was actually in 2 parts and oddly, part one is in Have Tech Will Travel but part two is in Miracle Workers S.C.E. Book 2 also available in paperback. (Still on Amazon as of April 2008). It has three other novellas written by Keith DeCandido. I have not read any of them yet, but I did find it recently in a used bookstore and will review it eventually.
May 16, 2013
An interesting beginning to what I think will wind up being a very compelling story. The Tholians are engaging and enigmatic antagonists, and I enjoy seeing them used in Trek fiction. The cliffhanger ending works very well, and each of the featured characters are placed in positions where they are being tested, Duffy most of all. I'm eager to read the second half of the story and see where it all ends up. It is somewhat unfortunate that this story isn't compatible continuity-wise with the Enterprise two-parter "In a Mirror, Darkly." However, this isn't a roadblock to enjoying the story; each of the "versions" of the events surrounding the final fate of the Defiant can be enjoyed regardless of their incompatibility.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/05/i...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/05/i...
November 26, 2014
This series just keeps getting better. This time around, the USS Defiant comes back into the 23rd century and Captain Scott wants it back. The Da Vinci is sent into Tholian space to retrieve the Flying Dutchman of the Federation. Naturally, things don't go as planned.
Great characterization and a fantastic story - the hallmarks of the COE books - make this one that's definitely recommended! Can't wait to read the second part of this adventure later!
Great characterization and a fantastic story - the hallmarks of the COE books - make this one that's definitely recommended! Can't wait to read the second part of this adventure later!
October 11, 2014
This wasn't a bad story, dealing with the reappearance of the Constitution class Defiant that had been caught in the Tholian web in a TOS episode, but it's unfortunate that it has now been contradicted by an episode of Enterprise.
August 19, 2015
70% of it was dull but can't blame anyone for that since this is just part 1 of the whole story and is just building up ! Proper review on next part ! Though the ending did catch my attention and my curiosity to continue this !
March 5, 2025
Oh a nice story, with the SCE crew finally setting out on their own. And they run into and old derelict starship, which they must free and return home. It's a good setup with the Tholians giving them temporary access to their space to finish their mission.
September 12, 2013
Good clean escapism here. :)
February 13, 2014
One of the better SCE novellas far - looking forward to part 2.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews