History Literature / FortunesOfWar

* TheBusCameBack: Boma, a character not seen in ''Trek'' canon since the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS episode]] [[Recap/StarTrekS1E16TheGalileoSeven "The Galileo Seven"]], is a minor character, the head of the team that developed ''Star Empire''[='s=] hull material. During an angry confrontation with Bones and Scotty, he reveals that they filed insubordination charges against him for his conduct toward Spock in the episode, leading to him being CourtMartialed and booted from of Starfleet.

* TheBusCameBack: Boma, a character not seen in ''Trek'' canon since the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS episode]] [[Recap/StarTrekS1E16TheGalileoSeven "The Galileo Seven"]], is a minor character, the head of the team that developed ''Star Empire''[='s=] hull material. During an angry confrontation with Bones and Scotty, he reveals that they filed insubordination charges against him for his conduct toward Spock in the episode, leading to him being court-martialed.

* TheCoup: Ultimately revealed to be Rittenhouse's long-term plan. [[spoiler:Piper and Sarda discover that he has associates and cronies in a ''lot'' of high-ranking places within Starfleet, and ''Star Empire'' and future dreadnoughts of the same class are meant to be the tools by which he'll subjugate non-Federation governments and enforce his will.]]

* DeerInTheHeadlights: Piper freezes up during a battle when Kirk orders her to do something that seems to be suicidally nonsensical. She's then shoved out of her chair by an ''ensign'' who performs the ordered tactic...and it works.

** ''Star Empire'' sounds like a silly name for a warship. [[spoiler:Then Rittenhouse's plan to overthrow the Federation is revealed and it becomes a major hint to his true intentions.]]

** When Piper tells Merete about her past with Sarda, she describes their relationship as being about as close to friendship as a Vulcan will allow, but her ignorance of Vulcan cultural norms led her to try to help his career, which blew up ''badly'' and ruined their relationship and, more importantly, wrecks Sarda's life.

** When Piper tells Merete about her past with Sarda, she describes their relationship as being about as close to friendship as a Vulcan will allow, but her ignorance of Vulcan cultural norms led her to try to help his career, which blew up ''badly'' and ruined their relationship and, more importantly, Sarda's life.

* FieldPromotion: Scanner rigs the computers in a meeting room to allow Piper and the others to eavesdrop on a meeting between Rittenhouse, the other captains supporting him, and the senior officers of ''Enterprise''. During the meeting, Rittenhouse basically slaps Kirk in the face by giving Captain Nash a field promotion to Commodore for the remainder of the time they are trying to apprehend ''Star Empire''. Kirk stays calm, but Bones and Scotty are both outraged at the blatant disrespect shown by Rittenhouse.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Merete [[InvokedTrope jokes about this]] when she's introduced to Piper, noting that her species is very similar to humans but that successful interbreeding hasn't happened.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: As the meeting between Rittenhouse, the captains supporting him, and the ''Enterprise'' officers is closing up, Piper notes that captains Leedson and Tutakai share a "worried, 'in-over-our-heads' look" just before walking out of the room, as if they're beginning to realize the mess the situation is turning into.

* ExcitedShowTitle: Both novels' titles are shouting at the reader.

* NoPronunciationGuide: Merete. It's spelled the same as a RealLife Norwegian name pronounced "Muh-rhet-uh," and a ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' character who pronounces it "Mee-reet."

* CallingYourBathroomBreaks: A minor funny moment happens when Piper, in the middle of a very tense situation, really needs to use the head.

* ValuesDissonance: {{Invoked|Trope}} in the references to Argelius II. The Argelian devotion to [[TheHedonist hedonism]] above all else has turned their culture stagnant, and offering shore leave services to passing starships is the only effective way to support the planetary economy. Also, if you're not there specifically to get laid, it's the singularly most boring place in the galaxy.

* CallForward: The story takes place at a point when transwarp technology has just been developed but has not had a chance to be thoroughly tested.

''Dreadnought!'' centers on Piper being associated with the theft of a prototype dreadnought-class warship, which eventually turns into an effort to stop a power-mad admiral from staging a coup within the Federation itself. ''Battlestations!'' picks up a few months later, and revolves around the theft of transwarp technology and the power scramble that results from multiple spacefaring peoples desiring the tech for themselves, with Piper again being pulled into events due to one of the key people behind the tech being an old associate.

* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulu: Piper's little space tug managed to prevent ''Enterprise'' from jumping to warp by yanking one nacelle askew with its heavy-duty tractor beam, but it blows out most of the systems on the ship, including life support.

* AuthorFilibuster: Piper goes on an extended pro-Libertarian rant while locked in the brig with Sarda.

* RammingAlwaysWorks: {{Subverted|Trope}} at the end of the starship battle when [[spoiler:Rittenhouse's ship is destroyed by ''Enterprise'' as it attempts to ram ''Star Empire'']].