Incident at Arbuk

Star Trek: Voyager #5

by John Gregory Betancourt

Tracking a shuttle's distress signal to the nearly deserted Arbuk System, the U.S.S. Voyager crew encounters an unusual weapon a thousand times more powerful than the Starship. Inside the shuttle, the crew discovers an unconscious alien and no more information about the device. Captain Janeway and her crew are attacked by a group of mysterious warships with an interest in the weapon's power. With warp power off line, the crew of the Starship Voyager must find a way to save themselves from a group of aliens desperate to control the superweapon.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Voyager, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Media Tie In

214 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1995

About the author

John Gregory Betancourt is a writer of science fiction, fantasy and mystery novels as well as short stories. He has worked as an assistant editor at Amazing Stories and editor of Horror: The Newsmagazine of the Horror Field, the revived Weird Tales magazine, the first issue of H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror (which he subsequently hired Marvin Kaye to edit), Cat Tales magazine (which he subsequently hired George H. Scithers to edit), and Adventure Tales magazine. He worked as a Senior Editor for Byron Preiss Visual Publications (1989-1996) and iBooks. He is the writer of four Star Trek novels and the new Chronicles of Amber prequel series, as well as a dozen original novels. His essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in such diverse publications as Writer's Digest and The Washington Post.

Reviews

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of Star Trek fiction out there,some good and a lot which is pretty indifferent.

Star Trek Voyager was a fairly entertaining issue and I've enjoyed the Voyager books as well,which are generally more interesting than those based on the other Star Trek shows.

In Incident at Arbuk,the ship is caught between a fleet of hostile alien ships and a deadly superweapon,a thousand times more powerful than the starship.

A quick read and a pretty good one.Of course,Captain Janeway and her crew always come through,no matter what the odds.

[Elizabeth Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Voyager crew gets a distress call and finds a new alien (possibly the most unique to date) and try to help. They find a new huge piece of technology but they have to figure out what it is.

It's a pretty fun quick read and this book features two crew men Fairman and Dvorak which made the read a little more fun seeing things from their prospective. I did enjoy Fairman's character more, he had an interesting past which made him instantly likeable to me. I wish more of the book was about him.

This book was pretty inclusive of all characters but Nelix has some great moments that really made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed his growth and thought process and most of all the head scratching moments of when he just doesn't get why humans are like they are.

We also get to see Tuvok in a new light, and there is a very sweet moment between him and Janeway.

Overall this was a great read, I certainly recommend it.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good Star Trek novel. It really felt like an episode of the series. At first I felt the author didn't do well with neelix's character. He came off as kings of an asshole, but got better as the novel went on. I wish I could here Tuvok call his crew makes leader janeway or friend doctor and so on. That was really funny.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and inoffensive. At a brisk 213 pages this book flies by. There were a lot of neat little things, but it certainly did not break any new ground. I would say it is enjoyable, but not a must read novel in the series.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incident at Arbuk by John Betancourt is Book #5 from the Star Trek: Voyager book series. The Voyager crew encounters a distress signal while attempting to make their way home from the Delta Quadrant. While investigating the poorly populated Arbuk system, they find the shuttle and the alien that sent the communication, as well as an impressively powerful Doomsday weapon, and the civilization eradicated by the device.

While B'Elanna Torres, the chief engineer and two of her staff are aboard the weapon, it fires and causes further devastation, forcing the crew to consider destroying the device, when what appear to be warships approach clearly attempting to take control. Captain Janeway and her crew must disable the device, fend off attacking vehicles while Voyager has been hampered by urgent needs for repair, and the barriers of language and culture.

Overall, a good read with plot devices consistent with the TV show, and the Star Trek universe. I did not often love this version of Star Trek, but this literary version is emblematic of the best stories in the tradition.

[Lila Diller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kept my attention from the first page. The mystery of who it was didn't get completely answered until chapter 18 of 21. The mind-meld between Tuvok and the alien Sozoas was fascinating.

The bridge crew's internal characters were not very deep, but it was obviously written near the beginning of the series. I was disappointed in the subplot between Neelix and Paul Fairman. It seemed so petty and ended so uncharacteristically.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable read.

Favorite quotes:
“'I'm not going to risk murdering a patient by trying a random assortment of stimulants,' the doctor said. 'This isn't the twenty-first century, Captain.'” (p. 58)

“Logic and order held sway. Emotions, he knew, were the enemy of logic, the little deaths that chipped away at the inner tranquility that all Vulcans strived to attain.” (p. 79)

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredibly pleasant surprise. An early entry "Voyager" novel that does all of the following extremely well: (1) tell a concise, satisfying story that doesn't outstay its welcome, (2) creates an interesting alien race that that turns out the be friendly, without overloading on the details, (3) captures the crew of mid-season 1 without a misstep, and (4) hits a home run by providing Neelix and Tuvok with interesting character-building opportunities. If only most genre novels were this entertaining.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a decent, but not thrilling episode in the Star Trek Voyager saga. Plot devices from earlier Star Trek stories are re-used to limited success.
The U. S. S. Voyager receives a distress call from the Arbuk System and following the ancient law of the sea, moves to investigate. While there, they encounter a massive weapon with power on the level of the one in the original series episode “The Doomsday Machine.” Only one of the aliens has survived of the tens of thousands on the ships in the area and it is a member of the Sperian species.
It is a species where their culture encourages extensive bickering, even to make the most routine of decisions. Morale officer Neelix has dealt with them before and states that they have no enemies because no other species can stand to deal with them.
Voyager is attacked and suffers massive damage, is on the brink of complete destruction and the situation is grim. Of course, a solution is found, a full recovery is made and Voyager continues their trek back to Federation Space.
All of this is done, yet there is little tension generated. The story is presented in a routine manner that creates no real excitement in the reader. It was a fast and forgettable read.

[Benjamin Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt like a "filler" episode of Voyager, but a decent one. Nothing major happened, but it was a fast, fun read that could have easily have been part of the TV series. The characters felt right at home and accurate to how we have come to know them, and the writing was crisp, detailed, and enjoyable. The side story with Neelix was excellent, and the alien race they encountered unique and unusual, but fleshed out enough to be a believable species they might have come across. The biggest downfall was that there wasn't much of a "climax" to the story.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voyager finds an unusual weapon, and gets caught up with local politics. Set quite early on, the characters are still trying to find out about each other. It's not a bad read, there's many action sequences that will appeal to some. A good read.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet! This punchy little story was fast paced and still managed to include great character moments, fun new aliens, action, suspense and a considerably successful adventure for the crew.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really torn on this. My usual standard on tie-in books is 'what this make a good episode of the show?' to which I'd say: not really but it would be better than MOST episodes of Voyager. So many of the characters seem right here. Neelix in particularly. There are a lot of interesting things going on here as well.

My problem is that the main plot. The whole Sperian thing that is supposed to be our main story seemed a little by the numbers Star Trek and it was very hard if not impossible to become invested in it. Especially given how much I generally dislike Voyager AND this was a few years prior to the books being allowed to reference each other so every story had to get wrapped up in a cute little bow at the end.

But the subplots? Tom Paris and the hot Ensign of the Week? (This was a story set in late season one or early season two so it made total sense.) The stuff with Neelix and Ensign Fairman. The stuff with Tuvok and the Sperian. Those were funny and worked and FAR more interesting that aliens and Voyager fighting over the McGuffin stuff.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing in an expanded universe has to be a joyless enterprise. For one thing, you never know when what is considered canon is going to snipe you at the knees; for another, there are times when your story just can't really go anywhere and just feels like treading water.

This is Incident at Arbuk to a T. Add into that some weird inconsistencies (Tuvok being called the first officer, for one) and my personal favorite, the opening stardate. Now, I get that stardates are arbitrary and don't really have anything to do with anything, but at least Voyager's stardates tended to progress in a forward motion. This novel's stardate however, is way before any of the others in this series.

As to the actual plot, while not terrible, Betancourt spends a lot of time talking about two characters who aren't in the main series, and will never be seen again. A new batch of aliens is shown - who will also never be seen again - and the ship makes no real progress in moving forward, although it does work on getting resupplied.

[Taaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so bad and the German translation made it even worse.

Most people are out of character. Harry dating someone just weeks after their arrival, when he still hopes to get back to Libby? And somehow it feels like everyone hates everyone else. And Janeway is constantly pissed at the Doctor and thinks he's rude - when he isn't! Don't get me wrong, canonically in the first seasons HE WAS RUDE. But in this book? Nope. Not at all. But how dare he be a bit hurried when he's got dozens of injuries to treat?

Then there's the whole Fairman/Neelix plot that just doesn't make any sense. (Especially considering that there's no money within the Federation, so the whole backstory doesn't work out.)

And then there's the German translation constantly calling the Doc "Dr. Zimmerman". That almost made me want to throw the book against a wall every few pages.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still not entirely sure what the issue was in this book. Things happened, they looked into them, they solved the problems and even made a friend - it was just a straight-forward story. I think the climax was an argument that happened in another language in the background. I don't hate this book. I actually enjoyed the B-Story with Neelix (which is saying a lot!), when Chakotay was in command (which I always enjoy) and the effects of drugs on a mind meld. There was some interesting things in this book - just kind of lacking a story.

Also spoiler question - What was the deal with the Paris/Dvorak minor story? He was attracted to her, thought about her and then went to ask her out and Kim already had - that was it. I don't get it.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story!

I love Star Trek! I’ve been a fan for several decades. I enjoy all the series and I especially enjoy reading the books! I read every book as they are released and I reread my favorites over and over again.

This was my first time reading this story and I thought it was great. I recently started watching Voyager from the beginning and reading this story makes me feel like I’m watching another episode. All the characters feel like themselves to me. This was also a very good storyline.

If you have not done so read this story!

[Kelly Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having already read the Voyager relaunch books, I've decided to read all of the older, numbered books in order. Out of the ones I've read so far, this one is hands down the best. All of the characters are completely in-character (the other books I've read from the numbered series were wildly out of character) and it really felt like it could have been an episode of the series. I hope this author has written more Star Trek Voyager books because it was a really nice read! Well done.

[Amy Tudor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but a great Star Trek story. Nice to encounter an alien species that can’t simply be talked to thanks to the universal translator. The Neelix b-story is good fun, would’ve enjoyed more about this with some fun repercussions among the crew. Overall a good story for Tuvok and Neelix, great descriptive imagery and the characters are accurate and likeable versions of themselves.

[Joe Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more action-oriented story, one that likely couldn't have been done as a TV episode as it would probably be over the show's budget.
With the characters behaving the way you'd expect (a fault of many early-number books being that they don't), this book ends up being a good example of how a book can complement and expand on the series.

[William Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well developed characters and realistic interactions. Plot moves along.

Mix a defective warp-acceleration project with an alien culture with competing factions and you get a lot of destruction while the Voyager tries to survive. Tuvok's personality gets mixed up with an alien's in a mind-meld.

[Nicholas A · Rating 4 out of 5]

great extra “episode”

For people who can’t enough Voyager; this is an excellent “missing episode” that would have occurred in mid to late season 1. Great reading scenes that couldn’t have been done with onscreen budget at the time.

[Read1000books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meanwhile, on their way thru the Delta Quadrant, Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the starship VOYAGER come across what appears to be the sole survivor of a mysteriously destroyed orbiting civilization. Trekkies and Trekkers take note: This is an excellent Star Trek story and I will make it a point in the future to read one of the other three ST books this author has written.

[Jarrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Tale of the Voyager Crew. Neelix takes down a black market replicator.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story, but, Neelix was needed more.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent Voyager novel.

[Eric Hersh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a decent book. Plenty of action and a couple of interesting turns

[Steven Shinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m getting the impression that early Voyager tie-in novels were pretty rough.

[Shane Amazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good read. Enjoyed the story the stage that it was set on. The author did a good job with the early VOY franchise characters, and did a good job giving us a moral Trek tale that sticks to the Voyager feel. Could have been a bit more impactful in the plot and new characters introduced, but overall the book is a fun read and enjoyable tale.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is one of my favorites from the early Voyager novels. There's an intriguing mystery for the crew to solve. After having picked up a distress signal from a very strange looking alien they travel to the Arbuk system. I felt kind of in awe of the whole situation. The alien are the only survivor of a major disaster involving what seems to be some kind of a doomsday weapon that obliterated a space city with nearly 13,000 inhabitants...

While solving this mystery there's not only the expected questions of what really happened and why as we start to understand more and more. There's also a lot of humor which was something that the author did a really good job with. It was the perfect mix.

He drained his second glass of juice and handed it back to Friend Tom again. "Thank you," he said. Then he bowed to all of them. "If you will excuse me," he went on, "I have to make my report to Leader Janeway."
... "Leader Janeway-?" he heard Friend Tom say just as the doors to sickbay whisked close behind him.

The mind meld between Tuvok and the alien stands for a lot of that. Not only is the alien among the most weird looking creatures I can ever remember having been described to me, but he's also different in a way that makes the mind meld turn out a little bit different from what we're used to with the Vulcans. Both Tuvok and the alien suffer from some after effects of this, so be prepared to smile at the silliness of it all. :)

I also really liked to get to know a new character, Paul Fairman, that was one of the Maquis crewmen originally. He has plans of his own and manages to get Neelix, always eager to please, dragged into it.

The idea of an author coming up with his or her own character and add that character to the crew can be really good if it's done right. It can be interesting to get to know someone new and see how they fit in on Voyager and how they interact with the crew. If you like this sort of thing another one of the earlier novels where this is done is Cybersong.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book read like a good Voyager episode makes me feel - There's an interesting main plot with a second plot neatly twisted around the first, there's plenty of humour and funny moments, Voyager helps save the day and the story ends on a happy and hopeful note.

Harry picks up a distress call from an alien vessel; Voyager goes to investigate. Faced with several strange and imposing structures once they reach the system the distress call was sent from, Voyager almost gets roasted before neutralising three attacking vessels and investigating some very interesting alien tech. After spectacularly establishing contact with the locals, we learn that Voyager is caught in a web of politics, arguments and opposing factions. In the end, Voyager proves to be a Friend and some very interesting bargains are struck.

The alien who sent the distress call fascinates me and the unique look into his mind and what happened after was a very interesting trip down a Trek-themed rabbit hole. Also: This book made me hungry, not just once but several times. And rather annoyed that I didn't have enough milk in the house to make hot chocolate. There's also an image of a green-eyed professor that somehow seems stuck in my mind. Mr. Betancourt's descriptive power makes the book truly come to life and made this story a very enjoyable and memorable read.