Star Trek: Discovery: Fear Itself Read online

  “I have friends,” he replied hotly. But then his face fell as he considered the veracity of his own statement. “Well. Colleagues. Crewmates, really.” The explanation seemed weak. He wanted to reject what Burnham had said, but in that damning moment he knew she was right.

  “Sure,” Burnham replied, without weight. She seemed to realize that she had overstepped, and gave a nod. “I should go. I’m sure you need to rest. Again, I apologize. I hope it won’t negatively impact our working together in the future.”

  An uncommon thought occurred to Saru. Has Burnham just tried to open a door, only for me to close it in her face? He remembered what he had said to Captain Georgiou, about asking for and accepting help from others.

  The idea that he and Michael Burnham might actually become friends instead of challengers seemed as distant as the stars outside his cabin, but then Saru found himself wondering if there was another way they could connect—a way they might be able to test each other that didn’t involve disagreeing over every little thing.

  “I am too—I believe the correct word is—wired to rest, Lieutenant,” he told her, glancing at the chess set. “You play, I assume?”

  Burnham bristled, as if the answer was obvious. “Of course. Vulcan children are masters of the game from a very early age. I used to play against Captain Georgiou until she got tired of me winning all the time.”

  “Of course,” repeated Saru, and instead he went to the rectangular box of dark, carved wood placed on the center of the shelf. “Then perhaps you would be interested in a different challenge?” He tapped the long lid and it flipped around, opening out into a small playing board. “These are the only things I kept when I left my homeworld. These small items are precious to me.” Once he began to explain it, he didn’t want to stop. “Carved charms. Stones, and the like.” He held one up for her to see, a faceted piece of black volcanic glass. “If one of us perishes, those who knew them well may take an item as a way to remember the lost. In that way, it connects us to our past and our present.” Saru carried the box to a nearby table and took a seat, centering it before him.

  “And this is a game as well?” Burnham came closer, clearly fascinated. She studied the board. “It bears a resemblance to one from an ancient Earth culture, the Royal Game of Ur. The Boslics also have a similar thing, but it involves tethered birds and a board several hundred meters long.”

  “Indeed?” said Saru. He reached into the box and removed a handful of playing pieces and a number of tetrahedral dice. “The Kelpien name is Kaasad. The word means memory.”

  Saru saw a rare smile cross Burnham’s face, and he shared it. He could see she was intrigued, not only by the concept of the game, but also by the insight it could provide into him and his species.

  Before today, Saru might have felt like that would be inviting the discovery of something personal, but his experience out on the Peliar ship and with the Gorlans now made that thought seem trivial and foolish.

  “I’ve grown bored beating the ship’s computer each time I wish to play,” Saru told her. “I could do with a better opponent.”

  Burnham gave a nod and took the seat opposite him. “Show me. I promise I’ll try not to win too quickly.”

  Saru gave a low mutter of dry amusement and set up the pieces. In the starlight from the window, they glittered like secrets.

  Acknowledgments

  * * *

  First and foremost, I have to thank Kirsten Beyer for inviting me to join the new voyage that is Star Trek: Discovery, and for the opportunity to help shape the backstory of a key member of the Discovery’s crew. I’m honored to be able to contribute to this new incarnation of the Star Trek saga, and working closely with Kirsten has been—as always—a great experience.

  I also want to extend my appreciation to Lisa Randolph, Ted Sullivan, Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt, Sean Cochran, Chris Silvestri, and Aaron Harberts for accommodating me and my numerous questions in the Star Trek: Discovery writers’ room; thanks for enlightenment, enthusiasm, and the grilled cheese sandwich.

  Salutes to Doug Jones, Sonequa Martin-Green, Michelle Yeoh, and the rest of the Shenzhou crew for performances that helped me anchor my narrative with a cast of compelling characters.

  Tips of the hat must go to my sterling cohorts David Mack and Dayton Ward, for their collaboration, and their novels Desperate Hours and Drastic Measures, which set the pace for me to follow. Special thanks also to Margaret Clark, for her tireless work in making sure this novel happened, and Ed Schlesinger and John Van Citters.

  My gratitude to Franz Joseph, Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Debbie Mirek for their invaluable works of reference in the form of the Star Fleet Technical Manual and Star Trek Encyclopedia, both essential tomes on my resource bookshelf for all things Final Frontier; and to my friends and fellow writers Peter J. Evans and Lisa Smith, MSc, for their insights into theoretical xenobiology.

  And as always, much love to Mandy Mills.

  About the Author

  * * *

  James Swallow is a BAFTA nominee, a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and proud to be the only British writer to have worked on a Star Trek television series, creating the original story concepts for the Star Trek: Voyager episodes “One” and “Memorial.”

  His Star Trek writing includes the novels The Latter Fire, Sight Unseen, The Poisoned Chalice, Cast No Shadow, Synthesis, the Scribe Award winner Day of the Vipers; the novellas The Stuff of Dreams and Myriad Universes: Seeds of Dissent; the short stories “The Slow Knife,” “The Black Flag,” “Ordinary Days,” and “Closure” for the anthologies Seven Deadly Sins, Shards and Shadows, The Sky’s the Limit, and Distant Shores; scripting the videogame Star Trek Invasion; and over four hundred articles in thirteen different Star Trek magazines around the world.

  Swallow is the award-winning author of the internationally bestselling “Marc Dane” thrillers Nomad, Exile, and Ghost; the Sundowners steampunk westerns; and novels from the worlds of 24, Doctor Who, Warhammer 40000, Stargate, 2000AD, and more.

  His other credits include scripts for videogames and audio dramas, including Ghost Recon Wildlands, the Deus Ex series, Disney Infinity, No Man’s Sky, Fable: The Journey, Battlestar Galactica, Blake’s 7, and Space 1889.

  He lives in London and is currently working on his next book.

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