Star Trek: Devil’s Bargain
{4.5/5} “A Vesbian must not be away from the local ecology for more than a few weeks. If one of us is, he or she will develop a rapid autoimmune collapse that will bring on death within days… We need the biosphere of this world. We are genetically engineered to need it, and this process is irreversible.”
Star Trek: Devil’s Bargain by Tony Daniel, published in 2013
Vesbius is a frontier colony with thousands of people living on it. They aren’t part of the Federation but they actively trade with it. Unfortunately the colony is about to be hit by an asteroid large enough to cause an extinction event. The Enterprise is sent to evacuate the colonists, but when they arrive Kirk is shocked to find that the colonists refuse to leave.
The characters of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are featured. Scott, Sulu, and Chekov also get moments to shine. The Horta (from “The Devil in the Dark”) make a welcome return.
This is Daniel’s first Star Trek novel but he has the feel of the universe down pat. The solution to the problem is a clever one, and the exploration of the culture of the Horta is fascinating.