NOVEL
A Choice of Catastrophes.
Attribution
Series:	Star Trek: The Original Series
Author(s):	Michael Schuster and Steve Mollmann
Publication information
Publisher:	Pocket Books
Published:	paperback - August 2011
Pages:	352
ISBN:	ISBN 9781451607161
Chronology
Date:	2268

DescriptionEdit

The U.S.S. Enterprise, under the command of Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, is returning from a mission to deliver medical supplies to Deep Space Station C-15, one of Starfleet's most distant installations. All is routine until the Enterprise comes within a light-year of the planet Mu Arigulon, when the ship is suddenly thrown from warp and suffers a momentary power cut, having run aground on a spatial distortion not revealed in previous scans of the system. When the pride of Starfleet hits another, much worse distortion, Dr. Leonard McCoy has his hands full caring for officers who have suddenly fallen into comas for no apparent reason. The Enterprise medical team soon discovers that the dying officers are espers—humans with a rare and abnormal level of telepathic and psychic ability. With no choice but to link to the officers' minds in order to come to their aid, McCoy is plunged into a nightmarish dream-world . . . with the end result being nothing short of the possible destruction of the Enterprise and all aboard her. . . .

SummaryEdit

An outbreak of anatid flu means the Enterprise has to transfer medical supplies to Deep Space Station C-15 and McCoy has to stay onboard to supervise while Kirk and Spock take two shuttlecrafts to explore Mu Arigulon, leaving Sulu in command. On the return journey, the Enterprise hits a series of subspace distortions that cripple the ship and leave all the espers onboard in a coma.

Kirk's team are exploring the apparently deserted Mu Aurigon V when one of their number, botanist Fatih Yüksel, goes missing. The party explore an underground chamber and realize the planet is home to the Farezzi, a race who once traded with the Orions but went missing centuries ago. They discover the race has been in suspended animation but a rogue group, the New Planets Cousins, have arranged so they will be revived first and are planning to sell some of the sleeping Farezzi, and now Yüksel, into slavery. Chekov is also captured and Kirk and Giotto stow away onboard their ship.

McCoy is bothered by hallucinations of people he has let down and discovers some of the other medical staff are having similar problems. It becomes clear that the subspace distortions are providing gateways to another universe and telepathic contact with the different physical laws has caused the espers' comas. The hallucinations are the result of their attempts to call for help. McCoy and Sulu formulate a plan to throw a shuttlecraft into one of the distortions, with the resulting explosion throwing the Enterprise clear. The espers recover, except for one who died during the journey.

The remaining members of Kirk's team join up with Spock's party. Together, they defeat some fighters sent after them by the slavers. They discover the Farezzi entered suspended animation to avoid an environmental catastrophe, setting up satellites to restore the atmosphere. The distortions are a defence mechanism set up to prevent warp ships approaching but they never anticipated anything as large as the Enterprise and the distortions have got out of control. Spock manages to deactivate the mechanism.

Kirk manages to revive the Farezzi aboard the ship and together they retake it from the slavers. An encounter with the distortions and Chekov managing to use the satellite as weapons sees a second ship disabled as well. With the slavers in custody and the faulty revival mechanism triggered by the Enterprise's arrival, the Farezzi reclaim their planet.

ReferencesEdit

CharactersEdit

Robert Abrams • Andrea • Nancy Bierce • Olivier Bouchard • Clifford Brent • Carriere • Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Jocelyn Darnell • Karen Seven Deers • Vincent DeSalle • Ducey • Cron Emalra'ehn • John Farrell • Nanase Fraser • Horr-Sav-Frerin • Neff-Bironomaktio-Frerish • David Galloway • Salvatore Giotto • Jana Haines • Ali Harper • Luke Hendrick • Huber • Jacobs • Karl Jaeger • Kelowitz • James T. Kirk • Mariella Kologwe • Roger Korby • Kotchian • Isbell Golaski-Lawrence • Tina Lawton • Ryan Leslie • Jabilo M'Benga • David Andrew McCoy • Joanna McCoy • Leonard McCoy • Magaly Messier • Benshor-Ka-Morafe • Zainab Odhiambo • Homi Padmanabhan • Gaetano Petriello • Polk • Niall Rawlins • Manjula Rahda • Rellik • Riley • Rix • Rizzo • Esteban Rodriguez • Rammal Salah • Antti Saloniemi • Hanna Santos • Montgomery Scott • Hayden Singh •Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Cheryl Thomas • Nyota Uhura • Dierdre Watley • Y Tra • Fatih Yüksel

Referenced only 

Armstrong • Bannock • Bellos • Harding-Cyzewski • Demick • Gees • Irina • Laverne • Lemli • Marys • Mauracher • Mark Piper • Vijay • Villach • V'v • Yocum • zh'Mai • Zahra

LocationsEdit

Mu Arigulon • Deep Space Station C-15 • Hoyland 5900 sector • Starbase 7

Referenced only 

Alpha Centauri • Andor • Argelius • Baten Kaitos sector • Capella IV • Cerberus • Dramia II • Omicron Ceti III • Phi Kappa • Sector 006 • Tomogren

Starships and shuttlecraftEdit

Columbus • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • Hofstadter

Referenced only 

USS Constitution • USS Feynman • USS Koop • USS Lantree • USS Newton • USS Republic

Races and culturesEdit

Arkenite • Capellan • Deltan • Farrezzi • Human • Saurian • Vulcan

Referenced only 

Guidon • Haradin • Klingon • Orion

States and organizationsEdit

New Planets Cousins • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets

Other referencesEdit

anabolic protoplaser • anatid flu • Bormanis Theory • Deep Burrow Project • dilithium • esper • Osmotic eel • Paracortex • Pyrrhoneuritis • Yrevish

AppendicesEdit

External linkEdit

• A Choice of Catastrophes article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.