Book Excerpt

Untitled Star Trek Project

For the last two and a half years, I have been developing a novel-length story in the Star Trek universe. Taking place approximately three years after Star Trek: Nemesis, the begining of the book will be set in mid-2831, in the wake of a devastationg and near-apocalyptic invasion of the Federation, in which much of society is forced to deal with life in a universe recovering from unthinkable disaster.

Following the published works of the expanded universe, the premise deals with a young scientist and Starfleet officer struggling to come to terms with the often tenuous relationship between peacetime exploration and the military. Analyzing the effects of military institution and its dichotomy with civilian life, the project is meant to reflect upon historical events and merge them with the world of Star Trek.

The exerpt below, does not deal directly with the above theme, but rather serves as a brief introduction to John Chamberlain, an experienced captain and secondary protagonist. Chamberlain will come to represent the military complex within Starfleet, an organization that must balance its peaceful functions with its more martial ones. His name and basic character, are directly inspired and draw many comparisons to Joshua L. Chamberlain, Civil War hero and Maine statesman (and possible distant ancestor). In the book, Chamberlain will play commanding officer and friendly authority figure to Gavin Malkar, the project's protagonist, who I will introduce later.

U.S.S. Grayson
Indri VIII

Captain John Chamberlain squinted to read the words flashing across vibrating data terminal in front of him. Setting down his cup of coffee, which proceeded to splash on the rattling desk, he let out a barely audible sigh and gripped the desk monitor, unsuccessfully trying to steady the device. Letting his eyes drift off the monitor and scanning the small, sterile ready room, Chamberlain could not help but notice the barrenness of his surroundings. The plain antimony walls, harsh lighting, and well-worn black desk in front of him, did every bit as much to betray the age of his temporary command, as did the shaking of the room around him. At over a century old, the U.S.S. Grayson was just one of hundreds of mothballed ships that had been brought into service in the wake of the disastrous Borg invasion earlier in the year. Having served in Starfleet for over three decades, the fifty-one year old Chamberlain was no stranger to being aboard starships old and new, but the less than rhythmic vibrations of the ship's warp deceleration proved to be slightly jarring. Still, everything that has happened these last few months has been jarring, Chamberlain thought.

Despite the slightly bumpy deceleration, it was only the sharp chime of the ship's intercom that broke Captain Chamberlain of his reverie.

Velazquez to the Captain, a female voice chirped through the speaker.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant.”

Sir, we've come out of warp in the Indri system. We're due to make orbit in just under four minutes, but we've picked up something unusual on the ship's sensors.

“Unusual?” Chamberlain replied, taking a small sip of his coffee.

Yes, sir. For a fraction of a second, short-range sensors seemed to indicate a small source of vertiron particles and rather high neutrino emissions.

“Vertirons and neutrinos,” the Captain's voice showing a hint of intrigue, “are you sure?”

Yes, Captain. We couldn't get a fix on the exact source, but the computer registered a definite reading.

“Well neutrinos could indicate the presence of a cloak,” Chamberlain said, in a tone indicating absent conjecture rather than any certainty.

Lieutenant Wallace suggested that too. From what we can tell, the source was far to small to be a cloaked ship. There doesn't appear to be any immediate threat.

“Well, Velazquez,” Chamberlain replied, lightly dismissive, “with the age and condition of these sensors, you could very well be chasing ghosts. We can always double back and scan the area after we've unloaded the cargo, but for now, let's proceed to our scheduled rendezvous. I'll be on the bridge in a moment. Chamberlain out.”

Tapping off the data terminal and taking one more sip of coffee, Chamberlain set down the cup once more on the now-still desk. Seeing his reflection in the black screen of the blank monitor, he noticed the small creases that had subtly began to form on the sides his eyes over, betraying his own advancing age. This betrayal was further exacerbated by the sprinkling of gray that had just recently begun to appear in his sandy-brown mustache; a bushy horseshoe-shaped bit of facial hair that hung over his upper lip and down the sides of his mouth. This walrus-like mustache distinguished him every bit as much as the slightly long hair that hung just past the tops of his ears, making the captain seem like somewhat of an anachronism, fit more to commanding a cavalry brigade than a starship. Hair that was also, Chamberlain admitted to himself as he peered at his reflection, starting to show the slightest bit of gray in the temples.

His heavy brow furrowing, Chamberlain stood up and tugged at his black uniform shirt, then adjusted his red collar slightly, making sure to be the perfect image of order when he appeared on the Grayson's bridge. To his credit, Chamberlain had a very regal bearing, despite his somewhat unusual look. Having once been described by a colleague as appearing firm and but not too rigid, every detail of his person was properly seen to. Adding to this image was a somewhat austere, though quite thoughtful look, that seemed to be permanently affixed to the captain's face. As he made his way out the ready room door and onto the bridge, Chamberlain hoped that this image would show to his new, albeit temporary, crew.

Note: Avid Star Trek fans will take note of the ship, "U.S.S. Grayson," named for character Amanda Grayson, wife of Sarek of Vulcan. Described by A.C. Crispin in her 1994 novel Sarek, the ship's namesake was said to be a humanitarian and noted civilian scientist. As a result, I found it fitting to name a relief ship.