The Elluvon gift

There are miles of transport tubes under the skin of every starship. It is the Science Officer's job to keep them in working order. This becomes critical when the first Extra-Galactic Emissary gets stuck in a buckled tube, deep in the bowels of USS Skipjack, and armed pirates invade the ship, determined to kidnap the Emissary from the Federation - an Emissary who is dying. And standing off the port bow is an unknown, immensely powerful alien armada. Silent, waiting...