Star Trek: Picard — Rogue Elements
{4.5/5} “The ship was already freedom, and that was all Rios had wanted in the first place. It was the only reason he had bothered with the Iotians at all. He’d gotten what he wanted from them, and he’d made enough warp jumps to ensure they’d never find him. That was that.”
Star Trek: Picard — Rogue Elements by John Jackson Miller, published in 2021
When Cristóbal Rios goes looking for a ship to buy, he finds one that fits his needs being sold by Sigma Iotians. When he takes the ship on a test flight against their wishes, they rough him up when he gets back. When they attempt to make him work for them, he attempts to escape. One of the Iotians who’s more reasonable brings Rios’s bag, in which is gold-pressed latinum and an antique sword. They finally make a deal and Rios takes the ship, which he names La Sirena.
This novel is about having a difficult time when you’re keeping a terrible secret from your previous life, and you’re forced to work with people you didn’t choose.
Characters who show up include Raffi Musiker and Kivas Fajo. Kahless, Chancellor Gorkon, General Chang, and Jean-Luc Picard are also important to the story.
It’s partially a sequel to the TOS episode “A Piece of the Action” and it also ties in with Star Trek VI in a startling way.
One more quotation, from Picard’s book: “I have seen fellow officers dash their careers to pieces, trying to prove themselves over matters that were important to them — only to realize, too late, that strength of commitment does not always mean strength of argument.”
This is the 9th book I’ve read by Miller. I previously reviewed Star Trek: Discovery — Die Standing.