Join Starfleet's miracle workers for a wrenching journey through the new frontier in book one of the exciting Starfleet Corps Engineers series! Need a gigantic, marauding starship explored? Is your global computer system starting to break down? Call in the crack team from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. Overseen by Captain Montgomery Scott from his office at Starfleet Headquarters, the S.C.E. can build, rebuild, program, reprogram, assemble, reassemble, or just figure out everything from alien replicators to doomsday machines. Just don't expect them to perform miracles—unless they absolutely have to. Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise have defeated a gigantic marauding starship from parts unknown. Now that the immediate threat has been neutralized, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers has been called in to probe the vanquished hulk in search of both new technology and the secret of its mysterious origin. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge temporarily transfers from the Enterprise to assist Captain David Gold and the crew of the S.C.E. ship, the U.S.S. da Vinci on this fascinating mission. La Forge works with Gold, Gold's first officer Sonya Gomez, and a top-of-the-line group of technical specialists to unravel the high-tech mysteries of the supposedly dead alien vessel, only to discover that the real danger has just begun! Keith R.A. DeCandido was born and raised in New York City to a family of librarians. He has written over two dozen novels, as well as short stories, nonfiction, eBooks, and comic books, most of them in various media universes, among them Star Trek, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Marvel Comics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Resident Evil, Gene Roddenberr y’ s Andromeda, Farscape, Xena, and Doctor Who . His original novel Dragon Precinct was published in 2004, and he's also edited several anthologies, among them the award-nominated Imaginings and two Star Trek anthologies. Keith is also a musician, having played percussion for the bands Don't Quit Your Day Job Players, Boogie Knights, and Randy Bandits, as well as several solo acts. In what he laughingly calls his spare time, Keith follows the New York Yankees and practices kenshikai karate. He still lives in New York City with his girlfriend and two insane cats. Kevin Dilmore has teamed with author Dayton Ward for fifteen years on novels, shorter fiction, and other writings within and outside the Star Trek universe. His short stories have appeared in anthologies including Native Lands by Crazy 8 Press. By day, Kevin works as a senior writer for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Kevin lives in Overland Park, Kansas. New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Christie Golden has written more than forty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Among her many projects are over a dozen Star Trek novels and several original fantasy novels. An avid player of World of Warcraft , she has written two manga short stories and several novels in that world. Golden lives in Tennessee. She welcomes visitors to her website: ChristieGolden.com. Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA TODAY bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith published far over a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres. He currently produces novels in four major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the old west, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, and the superhero series staring Poker Boy. During his career he also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Dayton Ward is a New York Times bestselling author or coauthor of more than forty novels and novellas, often with his best friend, Kevin Dilmore. His short fiction has appeared in more than thirty anthologies, and he’s written for magazines such as the NCO Journal , Kansas City Voices , Famous Monsters of Filmland , Star Trek magazine, and Star Trek: Communicator , as well as the websites Tor.com, StarTrek.com, and Syfy.com. A native of Tampa, Florida, he currently lives with his family in Kansas City, Missouri. Visit him on the web at DaytonWard.com. John J. Ordover previously edited and oversaw the Star Trek franchise licensed novels. He is also the co-creator of many Star Trek spin-off series. From The Belly Of The Beast: Chapter One Space battles never took this long. Captain Jean-Luc Picard shook his head in amazement as he stared at the main screen of the Enterprise bridge. He couldn't remember how many times he had been in engagements with enemy ships, with the fight usually only taking a few minutes. But not this time. The monster ship floating in front of them had kept them busy for almost two hours, its dark shape and strange configuration seemingly able to take all