Star Trek novel in which the Enterprise-A is sold as surplus and refitted with Klingon technology

Question

I'm trying to recall a licensed Star Trek novel that I encountered in the early 2000's decade.

The gist of the story is that after the NCC-1701-A is decommissioned after the end of The Undiscovered Country, it is stripped of its weapons and sold onto the surplus market, where it is purchased by an independent (but Federation-friendly) world or faction as a sort of Air Force One for its leader. I specifically remember a scene in which the Enterprise is in a spacedock being refit with Klingon-made disruptor cannons (as these are apparently much easier for a non-aligned world to purchase on the open market), and there is a discussion on how ironic this was considering the particular history of this ship.

Later in the story, the Enterprise finds itself at the center of a civil war or other conflict being waged by its new owners, and ends up getting thoroughly pulverized. I believe it is stated that the ship is either completely destroyed at the end or can no longer be salvaged at all.

Can anyone identify the novel?

Answer 1

This is William Shatner's The Ashes of Eden. Per Memory Alpha (the Star Trek wiki), "the Enterprise-A was sold by Starfleet to the defense forces of the planet Chal, who appointed the now-retired James Kirk as its commander. The vessel was later destroyed in the corona of Chal's sun during a battle with Klingon battle cruisers."

Memory Beta (the noncanon-inclusive Star Trek wiki) confirms that the Enterprise was refit with Klingon technology: "When Chal's population takes control of the vessel, they retrofit the ship with Klingon disruptors and sensors, replacing the previous classified Starfleet technology stripped out of the vessel."