Introduction (blurb)
Without warning or provocation, a Xindi weapon appears above Earth and unleashes a blast that kills millions across two continents. It is only the first such weapon: a second is being built, and this time it might very well destroy the entire planet. Desperately trying to save the Earth and her people, Starfleet must, in a heartbeat, change its mission from one of peaceful scientific exploration to one of military service.
There is only one ship fast enough to stop construction of this new weapon: the Starship Enterprise. But its crew can't do it alone. Captain Jonathan Archer accepts aboard his ship a contingent of Military Assault Command Operations personnel: battle-hardened soldiers known as MACOs.
Starfleet and the MACOs are two different services now sharing a common goal, but they are divided as to how to reach it. It is a culture clash that echoes across the centuries of military service. The men and women now aboard Enterprise know they must succeed in working together or the price will be paid in the blood of innocents. Failure is not an option.
Summary
Enterprise receives a lead that a spaceport on the planet Kaletoo has been known to do business with the Xindi. However, en route there, an encounter with an anomaly leaves several crew incapacitated, including Tucker and Sato. With his crew somewhat reduced, Archer takes an away team down to the surface.
The Enterprise crewmembers are pointed in the direction of La'an Trahve, a courier who sometimes works for the Xindi. Taking him prisoner aboard his ship, the group learns he has been transporting kemocite and after receiving a beating Trahve admits that he knows where the weapon is being constructed. He is ordered to transport a team including Archer, Reed and Hayes to the site.
Meanwhile, Enterprise detects a kemocite trail and since they are maintaining com silence T'Pol sends Mayweather and a detachment of MACOs led by Corporal Chang to follow it. They discover a Xindi refueling station which Chang insists on trying to destroy. While setting the charges, they activate a security system which interferes with the detonation signal. Thanks to an act of self-sacrifice by MACO Private Colin Eby, staying behind to send the signal at short range, the charges destroy not only the depot but also a Xindi warship that was about to destroy their shuttlepod.
Archer's team realizes just too late that Trahve is leading them into a trap - they have actually arrived at a partially-decommissioned old weapons facility, which locks a tractor beam on them. Archer sets Trahve's ship to self-destruct and O'Neill, who has followed them in the shuttlepod, attempts to evacuate the ship. However, the airlocks aren't compatible and the crew can only travel between the ships by means of an arduous space walk without protective suits. Trahve refuses to take the risk, heading to an escape pod instead. The empty ship explodes, destroying the weapons facility.
Later, Archer holds a funeral service for the Starfleet and MACO personnel lost during the two missions, with both groups beginning to recognize their common ground.
References
Characters
- Qoh Kiaphet Amman'Sor • Jonathan Archer • Baird • Camacho • Ravi Chandra • Hideaki Chang • Degra • Guruk Dolim • Colin Eby • Grakka • Selma Guitierrez • Joss Hayes • Narsanyala Jannar • Nelson Kemper • George Samuel Kirk, Jr. • George Samuel Kirk, Sr. • James T. Kirk • Winona Kirk • Kranz • Mallora • Felipe Marcel • Lawrence Marvick • Travis Mayweather • David McCammon • Fiona McKenzie • Sascha Money • Nguyen • Donna O'Neill • Meredith Peruzzi • Phlox • Qam • Malcolm Reed • Rekna • Hoshi Sato • Shresht • T'Pol • La'an Trahve • Charles "Trip" Tucker III
- Referenced only
- Henry Archer • Gerald Balinsweel • Terrance Bishop • George Casey • Kamal Chandra • Zefram Cochrane • Moira Eby • Maxwell Forrest • Gora bim Gral • Hess • Abhirati Indrani • Jaina • Elena Kemper • Kessick • Abraham Lincoln • Emily Linscott • Paul Mayweather • Leslie Morris • Naara • Piral • Victor Renslow • Salvatore • Nathan Samuels • Khan Noonien Singh • Skalaar • Solkar • Soval • Taupin • T'Pau • Elaine Tucker • Elizabeth Tucker
Starships and vehicles
- Enterprise (NX-class) • Helkez Torvo • Shuttlepod 1 • Shuttlepod 2
- Referenced only
- USS Archon (Daedalus-class) • USS Essex (Daedalus-class) • ECS Horizon
Locations
- Delphic Expanse • Earth • Kaletoo • San Francisco • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet War Memorial
- Referenced only
- Alpha Centauri • Bihar • Blagee III • Candlestick Auditorium • Draylax • Florida • Gettysburg • Haket's Moon • India • Janus Loop • Jupiter Station • Mexico • Minnesota • Patna • Pennsylvania • Pittsburgh • Rosarito • Tulaw • Vega • Zefram Cochrane Museum
Races and cultures
States and organizations
- Earth Starfleet • Military Assault Command Operations • Xindi Council
- Referenced only
- Evington Academy • Patna Air and Space • United Earth Space Probe Agency
Other references
- 2001: A Space Odyssey • Battle of Blagee • Chicago Mobs of the Twenties • coffee • Dussehra • Eugenics Wars • Federation Charter • Federation Day • French onion soup • grilled cheese sandwich • gym • kemocite • Kuiper belt • latinum • mercury • mesosphere • mess hall • neutronium • platinum • plomeek soup • Porthos • Reuben sandwich • shepherd's pie • steak • sycamore • tetralubisol • trellium • turbolift • turboshaft • World War II • Xindi incident
Information
- The working title for this novel was "Squids and Sharks".
Related Stories
Inconsistencies
- Marvick's first name is misspelled as Laurence.
- Kemocite is misspelled as kemacite.
Connections
- Last Full Measure article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
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| Star Trek: Enterprise prose publications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Novelizations | Broken Bow • Shockwave • The Expanse | |
| Original novels | set during the series | By the Book • What Price Honor? • Surak's Soul • Daedalus • Daedalus's Children • Last Full Measure • Rosetta |
| set after the series | The Good That Men Do • Kobayashi Maru • The Romulan War (Beneath the Raptor's Wing • To Brave the Storm) • Rise of the Federation (A Choice of Futures • Tower of Babel • Uncertain Logic • Live by the Code • Patterns of Interference ) | |
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Rosetta |
Enterprise novels | Next novel: The Good That Men Do |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Expanse |
Next Adventure: Anomaly | |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2153. The Pocket Books Timeline places events from this story in one other timeframe: | ||
| Previous Adventure: Sarek Chapter 6 |
2238 Framing story |
Next Adventure: The Final Reflection Part Two |