Interphase, Part 2

Star Trek SCE (ebooks) Novellas #5

by Dayton Ward

With Captain David Gold and an away team trapped on the other side of an interdimensional rift, Lieutenant Commander Kieran Duffy Þnds himself in command of the U.S.S. da Vinci just as the ship comes under attack by the Tholians. The enemy is armed with a new and improved version of their infamous energy web, and the da Vinci is badly outnumbered, but þeeing the battle means abandoning the captain and the others to an uncertain fate outside this universe. There, marooned aboard a derelict vessel, Gold and his S.C.E. team struggle to keep the madness -- inducing effect of the rift from driving them to suicide and murder before they can Þnd a way to escape the realm of Interphase. The exciting conclusion of an all-new two-part adventure!

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Technology, Adventure, Fantasy

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Dayton 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.

Reviews

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The two part Interphase story was a pain to get through. Didn't enjoy it at all. While I continue developing a loathing of Duffy, I did, somewhat, find his taking command to be an interesting thing.

If I'd been able to give half stars, this part, part 2, probably would have been worth at least a 2.5. As it is, stuck down at 2. It was an okay story. It was also somewhat tedious and by no means a "like" or likeable story.

[John Kirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first 2-part SCE story, but it was poor planning to do it as #4 and #5, because that meant that it was split across paperbacks.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent conclusion to the the story.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly the part 2 here is just kind of an overlong resolution to a fairly straightforward cliffhanger. You could've written 'but they got away OK' and been done.

My mind kept wandering, and I kept asking myself, how do the books handle it when the televised adventures (which "really" happened) don't jive with a printed adventure? Does that mean Interphase happened, just ... not with this particular ship? Does it mean both still happened, but either this or the Enterprise two-parter wasn't REALLY the ship they thought it was? Or that the ship doubled or whatever? Or do they just not worry about it & focus on moving forward, like a shark?

Probably if these are the sorts of things you're REALLY focused on when reading a book, that's not a great sign. Still, an engagin part 1 so my feelings on this are decent all-round.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable! Interphase Part 2 has some strong character moments, like Scotty telling Duffy how he dreaded having to take the captain's seat on the Enterprise, and Corsi's strong opinions on Duffy's command, especially when he bolts to engineering at a crucial moment. In fact, Duffy's entire arc in this has been excellent, enough to completely redeem him in my eyes. There's a hair-raising moment of imagined violence when the interphase effect starts affecting Captain Gold, and in general, the scenes of horror are strong. And at the end, when Defiant comes home after more than 100 years, it's actually touching. My one problem with the novel is that Defiant's exit from the rift is confusingly told, usually as pertains to what other ships are doing at that moment. But otherwise, a strong character-driven entry in the series.

[Casey Pettitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: S.C.E. #5: Interphase, Part Two by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore delivers a strong, action-packed conclusion to the series' first two-parter. The pacing ramps up nicely, balancing high-stakes sci-fi tension with some great nostalgic callbacks. It's a satisfying payoff to the setup in Part One, and it solidifies the creative team's skill at juggling character and spectacle.

Duffy gets some well-earned focus aboard the da Vinci, and the team-ups on the Defiant shine with both energy and personality. The Tholian threat remains chilling and mysterious — just the way it should be — and the resolution feels earned without being overly tidy. Overall, this entry hits all the right notes and keeps the momentum of the series going strong. I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

The adventures of rescuing the Defiant from Interphasic Space continue. This might actually be more boring than the first half. The only emotional content is from someone getting space madness from Interphasic Space and then everyone acting like the Defiant coming back is actually a Big Deal People Care About, which is maybe the most damning thing you could say about the late 24th century and its priorities.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's apparently some mixup as to which SCE books are in what order. I read the first four when they first came out, so started with book 5, but it was the second half to a book I'd not read. For some reason, book 4 (no surrender) is now number 13. so, having read the second part, now I need to go back and read number 4. :) Good story anyway, I liked it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent two-parter, perhaps overlong. Terrific character work, though.

[Taaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hätte es immer noch weit anders geregelt, aber viel besser als Teil 1.

[Nicky2910 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek: S. C. E.: #5 Interphase, Book 2 by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore This part concludes the retrieval of the old Defiant from the interstellar rift where it has been captured for over a 100 years. It's not as strong as the first part which introduced us to the set, mainly because it's more a race of who performs which miracle when the Tholians come back to finish off the da Vinci and the Defiant in order to keep their weapon which can eliminate a whole planet's population a secret. Duffy has to juggle his engineering expertise with being thrown into the command chair in times of a crisis. And of course, he excels at both. I guess I'd have been surprised if it had been different. But so far, the crew as a whole comes across as a very likable bunch of people, each with their quirks but no one with an aloof and/or genius attitude that would put me off immediately. So, after 5 parts of S.C.E. I'm really enjoying myself here.
 
The downside to the book is perhaps the Tholians. First they were eager to help in part 1, then they attacked when they found out what the Defiant had discovered, and came back in masses here (with a cool extrapolation of what the Tholian web might look like 100 years later), and then they get bloody noses, Duffy jumps to the rescue of a Tholian ship that's bound for the interstellar rift... and everything is good and well? The Tholians no longer make an issue of the da Vinci's discovery? As sudden as the hostilities in part 1 were, they at least could be explained by Tholian secrecy. But letting the da Vinci and the Defiant leave their space was a bit of a turnabout. And all that because Duffy showed compassion? I don't know. As I already said in my review of part 1, this is a bit where this story falls short - but I guess that's also due to the restrictions a short story offers. Not everything can be explained in depth within a 100 pages after all.
 
So, onto the next adventure, S. C. E.!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I mentioned in my review of part one, the events of this story are superseded by the "canon" version of the Defiant's ultimate fate, as seen in the Enterprise two-parter "In a Mirror, Darkly." This fact does not take away from this story whatsoever. Interphase is a fun and compelling "version" of the Defiant's story, and the unexpected tie-in to the Vanguard series was a fun thing to discover. This two-parter showcases what the Corps of Engineers series can truly be: exciting, imaginative, and a welcome addition to the world of Trek!

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2013/11/i...

[Rich Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has to be a bad, a lackluster book in this series right? Because so far, every one of these stories of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers has been exemplary on nearly every level: Good characterizations, great writing, lots of action and humor, a bit o' pathos - like Star Trek is supposed to be! Definitely recommended!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2nd part of a story. The Da Vinci has to rescue its crew in an old spaceship at the other side of a rift. Only problem is that an ally wants to destroy them. It's an easy enough read, that has some nice Scotty cameos in it. A good read.

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that's what I am talking about ! Great action and concept ! Loving the chemistry between Sonya and Duffy ! I want a freaking war b/w Starfleet and klingons ! I hope there is one in next few books !

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to finish the 2nd part, with the 2 crews working separately and out of communication and hoping the other will anticipate what they are doing. Now, with the Tholians turning antagonistic, it makes it really difficult. Great conclusion!

[Stephen Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

good but not great. Short and sweet. Good use of cliches.

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are fun books, light and fast, but with lots of good ideas and charm.

[Justin Ulmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying end to an entertaining two-parter with some loving nods to The Original Series.

[Robert Lewter · Rating 3 out of 5]

TOO SHORT

[Tim L. Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book - short, but good. Reads just like an episode of ST:TNG.