by Greg Cox
Flossi arrived with their wine and two glasses. Sulu opened the bottle and poured for both of them. The fragrant bouquet of the wine promised a treat.
“But enough about Starfleet,” he continued. “What’s up with your crew, now that the Lucky Strike is history?”
“They’re managing,” she said. “Some have signed on with other ships already, some have found work helping to rebuild the torched parts of the city, while others want to try their hand at prospecting, but mostly they’re all just glad to be alive. Our passengers were pretty pissed to discover that their cargo had been lost with the ship, and a few threatened to sue Captain Dajo, but given that he has no real assets to speak of these days, most of them figured out they were better off seeking their fortunes in the mines, just like they originally intended.”
Makes sense to me, Sulu thought. “And Dajo?”
“Don’t worry about him. He’ll land on his feet. He always does.” She glanced up at the gambling dens on the mezzanine. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s up there now, trying to raise money for whatever he’s up to next.”
“What about you?” Sulu asked. “What are your plans?”
“Not sure,” she admitted. “Maybe I’ll have a go at prospecting too, see if I can dig up enough pergium to make a down payment on a ship of my own. There’s talk of newly discovered veins in the western hemisphere and elsewhere. Maybe it’s not too late to stake a claim where nobody has dug before.” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t object to striking it rich.”
“Prosperity would look good on you,” Sulu said. “But you’re sure I can’t talk you into signing on with Starfleet? With your skills and experience—”
She laughed out loud. “Be serious. I’d be drummed out for insubordination within a week. I’m a freebooter at heart; you know that. No commitments.”
“I know,” he said. “Figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Consider me flattered,” she said. “That you consider me Starfleet material, I mean.”
“Among other things.” He raised a glass to her. “That being said, apparently it’s still going to be a few weeks before any additional Federation ships and personnel arrive to relieve the Enterprise, so it looks as though we’ll sticking around for a while.”
She lifted her own glass. “That suits me just fine.”
“Me too.”
Acknowledgments
This is a book I’ve wanted to write for a while now, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity to finally beam it out to the world.
Many thanks to my editors, Ed Schlesinger and Margaret Clark, for waiting patiently for this manuscript while I recovered from two major moves; to John Van Citters and CBS for steering the franchise; to my agent Russell Galen for ably handling the business end of matters; and, as always, to Karen and Sophie for their support and encouragement every single day.
Don't miss these other thrilling Star Trek books!
Star Trek: Discovery: Desperate Hours
Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures
Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself
Star Trek: Discovery: The Way to the Stars
Star Trek: Discovery: The Enterprise War
The Captain's Oath
About the Author
Greg Cox is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous Star Trek novels and stories, including Legacies, Book 1: Captain to Captain, Miasma, Child of Two Worlds, Foul Deeds Will Rise, No Time Like the Past, The Weight of Worlds, The Rings of Time, To Reign in Hell, The Eugenics Wars (Volumes One and Two), The Q Continuum, Assignment: Eternity, and The Black Shore. He has also written the official movie novelizations of War for the Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Death Defying Acts, and the first three Underworld movies, as well as books and stories based on such popular series as Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Farscape, The 4400, Leverage, The Librarians, Riese: Kingdom Falling, Roswell, Terminator, Warehouse 13, The X-Files, and Xena: Warrior Princess.
He has received three Scribe Awards, as well as the Faust Award for Life Achievement, from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Visit him at: www.gregcox-author.com.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Greg-Cox
SimonandSchuster.com
Facebook.com/GalleryBooks
@GalleryBooks
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
* * *
Get a FREE ebook when you join our mailing list. Plus, get updates on new releases, deals, recommended reads, and more from Simon & Schuster. Click below to sign up and see terms and conditions.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Already a subscriber? Provide your email again so we can register this ebook and send you more of what you like to read. You will continue to receive exclusive offers in your inbox.
Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
™, ® and © 2019 by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.
This book is published by Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., under exclusive license from CBS Studios Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition August 2019
GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Cover design by Alan Dingman
Cover photographs by Shutterstock and Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cox, Greg, 1959– author.
Title: The Antares maelstrom / Greg Cox.
Description: First Gallery Books trade paperback edition. | New York : Gallery Books, 2019. | Series: Star trek: the original series | Identifiers: LCCN 2019004508 (print) | LCCN 2019009130 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982113216 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982113209 (paperback)
Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure. | FICTION / Science Fiction / Military. | GSAFD: Science fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3603.O9 (ebook) | LCC PS3603.O9 A85 2019 (print) | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019004508
ISBN 978-1-9821-1320-9
ISBN 978-1-9821-1321-6 (ebook)
