The Fazi, whose ultraregulated culture ranges from strict conversation protocols to unvarying building designs, inhabit half of a planet discovered by Enterprise. But after a disastrous first contact with the ruler of the Fazi, Archer must depend on Vulcan science officer T'Pol and communication specialist Hoshi Sato to help mend relations with the people of this planet, and unravel the mystery of the other creatures living on the world.
The Starship Enterprise NX-01 is humanity's flagship – the first starship to begin a systematic exploration of what lies beyond the fringes of known space. Led by Captain Jonathan Archer, eighty of Starfleet's best and brightest set forth to pave humanity's way among the stars. Tempered by a year's worth of exploration, they are a disciplined, cohesive unit. But now one of their number has fallen. Bad enough that Ensign Alana Hart is dead. Worse still that she died while trying to sabotage the Enterprise – and at the hands of Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, the ship's armory officer and her nominal superior. Even as questions swirl around Hart's death, Archer, Reed, and the rest of the Enterprise crew find themselves caught squarely in the middle of another tense situation – a brutal war of terror between two civilizations. But in the Eris Alpha system, nothing – and no one – are what they seem. And before the secret behind Ensign Hart's demise is exposed, Reed will be forced to confront death one more time.
You are alone, in the dark reaches of space, surrounded by aliens who do not understand who you are and what you are, and who will not accept your beliefs. Under such circumstances, an emotional Human would feel lost, cut off, adrift, but Sub-Commander T'Pol is a Vulcan, and Vulcans control their emotions. However, no other Vulcan has served for longer that a few weeks aboard a Human ship. Has she, as others imply, simply lost her way? Pulled, once again, into one of Captain Archer's dangerously impulsive attempts to make first contact, the sub-commander finds her life threatened. T'Pol reacts, draws her phase-pistol and kills. It was a simple act of self-defense. But is killing ever simple? Has she forsaken the teachings of Surak? Determined to be true to her heritage, T'Pol forswears violence. She tells Captain Archer that never again will she kill – even if ordered. Is she, as Archer suggests, endangering the entire ship?
October 5, 2140. After a half-dozen years of research and testing, Starfleet prepares to launch its first warp 5 vessel – Daedalus. Propelled by a radical new engine designed by Earth's most brilliant warp field theorist, Victor Brodesser, the new ship will at last put the stars within mankind's reach. But on the eve of her maiden voyage, a maintenance engineer, Ensign Charles Tucker III – "Trip" to his friends – discovers a flaw in Daedalus's design. When he confronts Brodesser, the scientist – as charismatic as he is brilliant – eases Trip's concerns. The ship launches on schedule, and as Trip watches in horror, it explodes in a catastrophic ion cascade reaction, killing all aboard. Thirteen years pass. Still haunted by memories of that disaster, Trip now serves as chief engineer aboard Enterprise. When a freak accident cripples his vessel, leaving her helpless before a surprise attack, Trip is forced to abandon ship – and his shipmates. As he is on the verge of mounting a desperate rescue attempt, however, a shocking turn of events forces him to confront the ghosts of Daedalus one final time.
Crippled by a freak accident, Enterprise has crossed over into an alternate universe – and into the middle of a civil war set off by a brutal warlord who has used technology stolen from the Daedalus to enslave his people. Forcibly removed from their ship, imprisoned and brutalized by their captors, Captain Archer and crew soon find themselves confronting an even more immediate challenge than escape – subtle biochemical differences in this universe make their continued survival an impossibility. Every hour they spend in this parallel continuum brings them closer to death. Yet Archer discovers that in order to recapture Enterprise, he may have to cripple his ship once again. And even if he manages to find a solution to that dilemma, one last survivor of the doomed flight of the Daedalus stands between Enterprise and her safe return home…
Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the Starship Enterprise™ find their way forward blocked by a mysterious alien vessel, piloted by a race they will soon come to know as the Antianna. Unable to decipher the alien ship's transmissions, unwilling to risk a battle, Enterprise is forced to veer from its planned course. Almost immediately, they find themselves in the heart of space ruled by the Thelasian Trading Confederacy, who have also had dealings with the Antianna. The Thelasian leader, Governor Maxim Sen, is in fact in the middle of organizing a war against the Antianna, to eliminate the threat they pose to the Confederacy's trading routes. Archer suspects Sen has other motives as well. He also suspects that there is a reason for the Antianna's seemingly hostile posture. But with the assembled races of an entire sector against him, he needs more than just suspicions. He needs facts. And only one woman can give them to him: Ensign Hoshi Sato. If she can translate the Antianna language, peace may just be possible. If not, war – a devastating sector-wide war – will soon result.