United Trek Spotlight: Star Trek: Gibraltar

For those of you who aren't already aware, Star Trek: Full Speed Ahead is a part of a larger group called United Trek, where nine other authors contribute to this shared universe.  As you may grow to like Full Speed Ahead, we wanted to take some time to showcase one of the other series within the group.

Star Trek: Gibraltar, written by Sam Redfeather, is set in the post-Dominion War era of the Trek timeline.  The story follows Captain Donald Sandhurst as he assumes command of the aged Constitution-class refit USS Gibraltar in a resource-limited postwar Starfleet.  A former chief engineering officer with a well-earned reputation, Sandhurst's first command in Embers of the Fire comes with a mission to a planet within the former Cardassian Union known as Lakesh.  Already a Federation starship has been badly damaged with a majority of her crew killed due to mine activity in orbit; Gibraltar, along with the Nebula-class heavy cruiser USS Phoenix investigate the incident closely.

There's no honeymoon for Captain Sandhurst as he is tried against working with a crew mostly unknown to him while at the same time getting to know how to handle his new command.  Only six chapters in, and I'm already enraptured by the action between security chief Lieutenant Lar'ragos and executive officer Lieutenant Commander Ramirez on the ground and Sandhurst up above.  Redfeather's prowess as a storyteller is clear as he opens the novel with engaging characters and a plot that grips you tightly from the very first chapter.  He does not ignore character development and embraces a clear line of exposition through dialogue and action against an enemy with as-yet-unknown aims.

I highly recommend this series to anyone looking to jump in with both feet into a new Expanded Universe series, and while I may be biased (being a fellow UT author), I think that Sam's Gibralter is a rock-steady series you can count on for quality adventures.

Links:

• Star Trek: Gibraltar (at UnitedTrek.org)
• Star Trek: Gibraltar (at the Ad Astra Star Trek Fanfiction Archive)