Ruby (23rd century)

Ruby (surname unspecified) was a human female living in the 23rd century.

Ruby was engaged to Starfleet Commander Gabe Bush, first officer of the USS Bozeman. However, shortly before the wedding (in 2278), the Bozeman disappeared without a trace in the Typhon Expanse after disrupting a Klingon attack on Starbase 12.

After Starfleet called off official search operations, Ruby used every resource at her disposal to continue: chartering ships, lobbying admirals, hiring search services, etc. She refused to give up hope, even as her resources dwindled and she had to deal with an increasingly shady class of characters to continue her efforts.

After years of this, Ruby was down to a single small ship, which she operated herself. Eventually, someone sold her information that Gabe was a Klingon prisoner, and she took her ship into Klingon space. The Klingons captured her, tried and convicted her for espionage, and sent her to work the mines of Rura Penthe.

The Federation tried to press for her release through diplomatic channels, and nearly secured Ruby's release as part of some minor deal when the Klingons discovered she had been betrothed to the Bozeman ' s first officer. The failure of the planned attack on Starbase 12 had political repercussions within the Empire, and those who suffered setbacks then took their reveng out on Ruby. She was returned to the Federation in ten small boxes.

(Star Trek: The Next Generation novel Ship of the Line)