Star Trek: That Which Divides
{4.5/5} “She had come to understand that the Federation was not a threat to the Empire, nor had it ever been… Though Vathrael was a creature of duty, born and bred for the uniform she now wore as well as all the responsibilities that came with it, she respected and even envied the prospect of a life and a culture that did not revolve around the tenets of war.”
Star Trek: That Which Divides by Dayton Ward, published in 2012
The Enterprise is called to the Kondaii system, where the Huang Zhong has crashed into a planet with few survivors. The planet is surrounded by an energy cloud that the local Dolysians thought was natural but now looks like it’s artificial. The cloud is impenetrable except for a period of 40 days every 3 years. The Romulans also take an interest in the system and send a ship to investigate.
It’s partially a sequel to the episode “That Which Survives,” as we see more of the Kalandans’ technology. The character of Boma, who was pretty unreasonable to Spock in “The Galileo Seven,” is redeemed here.
It’s about interacting with new friends, old adversaries, and ancient advanced technologies.
I’ve read 9 of Ward’s novels. I previously reviewed Star Trek: Discovery — Drastic Measures. He first burst onto the Star Trek scene with a story in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.