Star Trek: The Next Generation: Cold Equations: Silent
Weapons by David Allen Mack (2012)
Set just a little over four years after the events of the
motion picture Nemesis, and picking up where the first book in the Cold
Equations trilogy left off, this second installment is another good story by
the celebrated Star Trek author, David Allen Mack.
Just to briefly recap the events of the first novel,
cyberneticist Noonien Soong has transferred his memories and essence into a
superior android body and goes on a quest to restart a relationship with his
estranged former wife, Juliana. He learns
about Data’s death while saving Picard from Shinzon and that Data had uploaded
his memories into the android B4.
Knowing that B4 would soon suffer a cascade failure as he was not
designed to handle the information given him by Data, Soong sacrifices himself
by uploading Data’s information into himself from B4. Thanks to this sacrifice, Data is “reborn” in
a highly advanced android body. But not
only does he Data possess his own memories, but he also has retained all of the
memories and knowledge of his creator, Soong.
In the midst of this, the crew of the Enterprise discovers
and destroys a Borg installation that Data’s brother, Lore, was using to create
Soong-type androids. After the Borg were
destroyed, it was learned that the Breen were using the installation to create
an unlimited supply of android soldiers to aid their attempt to take over the
Alpha Quadrant.
Data was offered to have his commission reinstated, however
he refused to go off in search of another cyberneticist named Vaslovik, also
known as Flint; an immortal who spent centuries perfecting his technique to
create the perfect companion for himself.
Data believes that with Vaslovik’s help, he might be able to bring Lal
back into existence. Lal was the
daughter created by Data in the TNG television series who suffered a
catastrophic cascade failure of her neural network.
Now we pick up with Silent
Weapons. Data is on the planet Orion
working to find the whereabouts of Vaslovik.
In the meantime, the Bank of Orion is attacked by an android and an
intelligence officer that is aiding Data in his search is murdered by an
android. Being that Data is the only
known android on the planet, he is accused of the crime and arrested. Using a small but powerful transmitter, Data
summons Geordi La Forge aboard the Enterprise-E. The crew of the Enterprise was currently
engaged in the investigation in the disappearance of a small Starfleet patrol
vessel and the two-person crew aboard.
When Picard learns of Data’s distress signal, and realizing that the
patrol vessel’s crew would have ran out of air, the rescue mission had turned
into a salvage mission. Picard decides
that he owes Data his life and must head to Orion to aid his former officer.
As the Enterprise arrives
at Orion, it is discovered that another starship, the USS Atlas is already in orbit.
In no uncertain terms, Picard is informed that he and the Enterprise are
not welcome and should leave immediately.
Picard soon learns that Federation President Bacco is on Orion in
negotiations with representatives of the Gorn government. Since the events in the first Cold Equations
novel, the Enterprise has been under close scrutiny by the Breen.
We learn that the Gorn government has been instructed by the
Breen to drag out the talks. At some
point the president’s most trusted advisor is murdered and replaced with an
android who shoots a weapon at an official reception in an apparent attempt to
assassinate the Gorn and Federation leaders.
Data and La Forge capture the android and discover that it doesn’t have
a positronic brain, but rather uses a telepresence system which allows it to be
controlled by telepathy. It is also
determined that the Breen are behind this plot.
This gets the Gorn ambassador thinking that the Breen might be willing
to sacrifice his people at the talks, so he tells the Federation president all
about the duplicit nature of the talks.
The crew follows the signal that the Breen are using to
control the androids but find that the controllers that send the signals have
been killed. Starfleet tracks down more
androids that are being controlled by the Breen but Picard figures out that
that almost everything that has happened to this point has been a ruse to
divert attention from the real goal; a crashed ship that is capable of creating
artificial wormholes. Picard orders the
ship destroyed. The Breen Domo (their
political and military leader) is deposed, thus apparently ending their attempt
to usurp power in the Alpha Quadrant.
With all that done,
the Gorn and Federation reopen their talks on an apparently more serious
note.
Data again departs from the
enterprise to continue his search for Vaslovik only to learn from his “mother,”
Juliana, that Vaslovik has been abducted and his whereabouts are unknown.
David Mack gives us a look into the wheeling and dealing of
the Typhon Pact, a conglomeration of powers that have been known to be hostile
to the Federation. Perhaps he is giving
us a look into the beginnings of the breaking down of the Pact as some of its
members begin striking out to advance their own agendas of power grabbing.
Silent Weapons also gives us a look into the personal lives
of Picard, who tends to live a very private life. Picard and Beverly Crusher are married in
this series and have had a son, and we see how Picard is now reassessing his
role in life while he struggles with the responsibilities of captaining the Enterprise, and being a father. It would seem that he is actually thinking of
taking retirement.
As it was in the case of the first Cold Equations novel, the
voice of the characters is clear and Mack has them down so well that I could
actually hear them as I read the book. I
am very much looking forward to the final installment of the series in which I
assume Data searches for and finds Vaslovik.
This is a good quality story that I really enjoyed and would
recommend.
Podcast News
The Scifi Diner Podcast has released Conversations Episode 83.
In this episode there are further
thoughts on Star Trek Into Darkness as well as talks about the Arrow finale,
Once Upon a Time, and After Earth. I
have also learned that the Diner will soon be releasing an interview episode
with Mike Schilling who will discuss the this year’s Shoreleave Convention.
With the imminent opening of the new CBS series, Under The
Dome, based on the novel by Stephen King, Wayne Henderson and Troy Heinritz are
planning to release an episode in which they discuss the book and will discuss
how aspects of the book may be included in the series, or not due to the
extremely graphic nature of the novel.
Admiral Marius (Rick) at Starbase 66 is planning the release of another of his Round Table discussions on the subject of Dr. Who. He informs me that this should be coming out quite soon, so watch for it.
As for me, I am planning to next read the next novel in the Red Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson: Green Mars.
Well, there it is…
QaplaH’
No comments:
Post a Comment