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    Star Trek: Breakdowns
    Star Trek: Breakdowns
    Star Trek: Breakdowns
    Ebook69 pages58 minutesStar Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers

    Star Trek: Breakdowns

    By Keith R.A. DeCandido

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    About this ebook

    After the catastrophic events of Wildfire, both Captain David Gold and Commander Sonya Gomez return to their homes, to take refuge in family in the wake of tragedy. But neither commanding officer nor first officer finds the road to recovery an easy one, as each confronts demons from the past and uncertainty about the future, leading to a bitter confrontation from which neither may ever truly recover....
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Books/Star Trek
    Release dateJun 17, 2003
    ISBN9780743474566
    Star Trek: Breakdowns
    Author

    Keith R.A. DeCandido

    Keith R.A. DeCandido was born and raised in New York City to a family of librarians. He has written over two dozen novels, as well as short stories, nonfiction, eBooks, and comic books, most of them in various media universes, among them Star Trek, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Marvel Comics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Resident Evil, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, Farscape, Xena, and Doctor Who. His original novel Dragon Precinct was published in 2004, and he's also edited several anthologies, among them the award-nominated Imaginings and two Star Trek anthologies. Keith is also a musician, having played percussion for the bands Don't Quit Your Day Job Players, Boogie Knights, and Randy Bandits, as well as several solo acts. In what he laughingly calls his spare time, Keith follows the New York Yankees and practices kenshikai karate. He still lives in New York City with his girlfriend and two insane cats.

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      Book preview

      Star Trek - Keith R.A. DeCandido

      Chapter

      1

      "It is the opinion of this tribunal, after careful investigation of the events at Galvan VI, that neither Captain David Gold nor any member of the crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci is in any way culpable for the deaths of twenty-three members of the ship’s complement, and that those deaths, while tragic and most lamentable, were in the line of duty. Starfleet considers this matter officially closed. Admiral William Ross looked down from the dais at David Gold. You’re free to return to duty, Captain."

      Gold, who was standing before the raised wooden platform in Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, said, Thank you, Admiral.

      Sitting between Ross and Captain Montgomery Scott, Admiral Sitak said calmly, These proceedings have concluded. Dismissed. He then clanged the bell on the dais once.

      The declaration and the bell were both formalities. There was no one present besides the three line officers and Gold himself, the former sitting behind the raised wooden desk and in front of the large blue-and-white Federation flag. Gold had requested that the session be private. He saw no reason for the rest of the surviving crew of the da Vinci to sit through this, nor did he feel spectators were appropriate. As captain, it was his responsibility and his alone—if any punishment were to be meted out, he would be the only one to accept it. The rest of them have been through enough.

      Both Ross and Sitak rose and departed the room quickly, but Scotty approached Gold, who hadn’t moved despite his dismissal. Are y’all right, David? the older man asked solemnly.

      No. For starters, I’m still getting used to this thing. He held up the biosynthetic left hand that replaced his original, lost—along with so much else—at Galvan VI. "It looks and behaves just like the original—hell, it even has that liver spot on my knuckle—but it feels wrong. Gold let out a long sigh. And then there’s the whole matter of half my crew’s being dead."

      Scotty put a hand on Gold’s shoulder. David, lad, you cannot blame yourself.

      Someone else I should blame? I’m the captain, Scotty. You know as well as I do where that particular buck stops. He shook his head. If I’d just done something different—

      Waving an admonishing index finger at Gold, Scotty said, None of that, now. You start playin’ ‘what if’ games, and you’ll run around in circles till Doomsday.

      "I know, I know, but if I hadn’t moved the da Vinci closer to the Orion maybe—"

      "Maybe the Orion would’ve hit the da Vinci at such an angle that it would have ripped your ship in twain and you’d all be dead instead of just twenty-three of you."

      Gold fixed Scotty with an incredulous look. You can’t assume that.

      You’re right, I can’t. So why’re you? Scotty asked.

      Closing his eyes, Gold said, I can’t believe I fell for that. I must be getting old.

      No, you’re tired. And I don’t blame you. Come on, lad, I’ll walk you out.

      Scotty led Gold out of the hearing room. As they proceeded down the corridor, the old engineer said, I recall something Dr. McCoy said once. Some young person asked him what he thought about death. Leonard looked him right in the eye and said, ‘I’m against it.’

      Despite himself, Gold smiled. He had only met the aged Admiral McCoy a few times, most recently when the da Vinci brought the old Constitution-class U.S.S. Defiant home, but that certainly sounded like something he’d say. Can’t say I disagree. The smile fell. "Truth be told, I’m tired of it. One of my oldest friends died in a skirmish with the Klingons a few years back. I seriously thought about retiring then. Rachel talked me out of it—but things haven’t gotten any better. Salek and Okha died during the war, and 111 died right after it. My son Nate and his wife died when the Dominion took Betazed. A couple months ago, I was reunited with Gus Bradford just long enough to watch him die. And now this."

      Times like this, Scotty said, "I think about Matt Franklin. Good lad, Franklin. Young ensign in Starfleet, fine engineer, had a good career ahead of him. He was assigned to the Jenolen a few weeks before that ship was asked to escort some old relic to his retirement at the Norpin Colony."

      Gold saw where this was going, but also knew better than to interrupt Scotty in mid-story.

      "After the ship crashed, he and I were the only survivors. We worked out a way to preserve ourselves in the transporter buffer so as to not be usin’ up all the life support. It almost worked."

      The fact that you’re telling me this story means it did work, Gold said.

      "I am. Franklin isn’t. He didn’t make it. His pattern degraded. Perhaps we could’ve done somethin’ different. But we didn’t, and Franklin died. A young man, his whole life ahead of him, doesn’t live, while the old man on his

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