Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Ambush

Star Trek: S.C.E. #11
Ambush by Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur
Published December 2001
Re-released in print form as part of the S.C.E. compilation Some Assembly Required in April 2003.
Read April 8th 2015


Previous ebook (S.C.E.): #10: Here There Be Monsters
Next ebook (S.C.E.): #12: Some Assembly Required


Original e-book cover

Compilation of SCE #'s 9 - 12
Some Assembly Required from Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for Ambush and the rest of the Corps of Engineers series!

From the back cover:
What started out as a simple supply run turns into a life-or-death struggle! The crew of the USS da Vinci thought they were just bringing mining supplies to Beta Argola. But en route they find out that the planet has been attacked—by the same superior forces that are now overwhelming the da Vinci! 
Overmatched by three enemy vessels that will not rest until the da Vinci is destroyed, the SCE crew must use all of their wits to figure out how to take on a more powerful foe. And they have to do it soon, because the miners on Beta Argola are quickly running out of time before their reactor goes critical…

My thoughts:

Ambush gives us something that happens often in Star Trek, but hasn't previously made an appearance in the S.C.E. series: cat-and-mouse starship combat! The U.S.S. da Vinci is attacked by raiders as she is delivering supplies to a mining colony. Captain Gold and his crew must contend with the damage to the da Vinci while using all of their expertise to turn the tide of battle against the aggressors.

Needless to say, the engineering know-how of Commander Gomez's S.C.E. team is put to the task of defending the ship. I've been waiting for a story like this! Not that Star Trek is all about ship battles and destroying your enemies, but I've been fascinated to see how the engineering gurus of S.C.E. tackle a tactical problem, and the characters do not disappoint. As usual, they come up with several creative solutions to their difficulties.

I also really enjoyed the scenes shown from the perspective of the colonists waiting for rescue. The tension and danger felt very real, and I found myself developing an emotional connection not only with the da Vinci crew, but with the struggling colonists as well. For a story with such a short page count, that is quite a feat! Additionally, the colonists show a great deal of ingenuity themselves, giving the S.C.E. crew a run for their money in the smarts department.

Final thoughts:

Some of Star Trek's most memorable episodes involved situations where the crew deals with damage during a combat or emergency situation and must outwit their foes using unconventional means. The da Vinci crew finally gets their chance to show how they deal with that particular scenario. I felt that this was the strongest entry in Some Assembly Required, and Dave Galanter and Greg Brodeur should be very proud of the story they have written. Very enjoyable, and a great outing for the da Vinci and her crew!

My next read:

Tomorrow's review: the final story of the third S.C.E. omnibus collection: Some Assembly Required by Scott Ciencin and Dan Jolley.


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