The Wounded Sky is a Star Trek novel, the 13th book in the numbered series of TOS novels published by Pocket Books. This volume was written by Diane Duane and released in December 1983.

Description

A pretty alien scientist invents the Intergalactic Inversion Drive, an engine system that transcends warp drive and the Enterprise will be the first to test it! The Klingons attempt to thwart the test, but a greater danger looms when strange symptoms surface among the crew and time becomes meaningless.

Now Captain Kirk and his friends face their greatest challenge - to repair the fabric of the universe before time is lost forever!

Summary

The Enterprise is assigned to test a new propulsion system, based around a speck of material with infinite mass which will allow the ship to blink out of existence and reappear outside the galaxy. The Klingons attack once the Enterprise is out of Federation space and the ship turns a star supernova and uses the drive to evade them.

However, during the course of the inversions the crew experience hallucinations, seeing historical and future events they did not witness and each other's past experiences. Worse, their next jump is accompanied by another supernova and observation shows an area of space where entropy and the normal flow of time has ceased. The use of the drive has torn a hole with another universe where entropy does not exist.

The Enterprise journeys into the anomaly, where the crew see themselves travelling through a landscape to reach the being at the centre of the universe. Spock, Nyota Uhura and D'Hennish, a crewmember whose species perceive time differently, manage to communicate with the creature, giving it self-awareness for the first time, and convince it the breach between universes must cease. K't'lk, the scientist who invented the drive, is able to weave a universe for the creature to inhabit after they are gone and stays behind when the breach is sealed.

The Enterprise returns to its own universe where the effect of the breach has been reversed. Kirk finds that, as per her species' reproduction, K't'lk left behind an egg which hatches a new version of herself, who joins Scotty in working on the drive again.

References

Characters

Larry Aledort • Amekentra • Athendë • Brand • Lia Burke • Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Niwa Awath-mánë ri d'Hennish enu-ma'Qe • Dithra • Jerry Freeman • Heming • Katha'sat • Janíce Kerasus • James T. Kirk • K't'lk/K's't'lk • Mahásë • Matlock • Leonard McCoy • Mosley • Niliet • Mayri Sagady • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Harb Tanzer • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Bellatrig • unnamed mrait

Referenced only

Aesculapius • Ludwig van Beethoven • Benford • Julius Caesar • Dabach • DD Tauri V • Stephen Decatur • Rhonda S. Halloran • Jerry • Mikelle • Isaac Newton • Janice Rand • Solomon Short • Sivek • Surak • Susanne • Tasha • T'k'rt't • T'Pask • Y'tk't

Locations

109 Piscium • Acamar system • aia'Hnnrihstei • Alpha Arietis • Altair IV • Coma B patrol corridor • de Sitter space • Hamal • Iota Sculptoris • Majoris Congeries • Mars • Rasalgethi • Rukbah V • Sa-na'Mdeihein • Small Magellanic Cloud • Sol • Starbase 18 • Zeta-10 Scorpii

Referenced only

Alexandria II • Andor • Antares A II • Aus Qao • Beta Pavonis IV • DD Tauri • Earth (California • Euxine • Kazalkum • Kremlin • Los Angeles • Pompeii • San Francisco • Santa Monica Mountains • Stonehenge • Tripoli • Van Nuys) • galactic barrier • Lórien • Luna (Bianchini • Flamsteed • Herigonius • Jura Range) • McDade • Mirfak XI-C (Ten-Thousand-Step Stair) • NGC 2419 • Orual • Procyon A (Serengeti • Mount Meritaja) • R Scuti Cluster • Rigel • Sadr • Theta Carinae • Vercingetorix IV • Vulcan

Enterprise locations

astrocartography • bridge • corridor • engineering • observation lounge • officers' lounge • quarters • recreation deck • sickbay

Starships and vehicles

Federation vessels

USS Arizona (Defender-class) • USS Armstrong (Miranda-class) • USS Bannockburn • USS Bismarck (Defender-class) • USS Bonhomme Richard (Constitution-class) • USS Challenger (Constitution-class) • USS Clarke (Oberth-class) • USS Condor (Miranda-class) • USS Constellation II (Constitution-class) • USS Constitution (Constitution-class) • USS Dataphda (Defender-class) • USS Divine Wind (Defender-class) • USS Eilonwy • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • USS Erinnye • USS Ewet • USS Ferris's Folly • USS Henrietta Leavitt (Ptolemy-class) • USS Hypsipyle • USS Inaieu (Defender-class) • USS Indomitable (Constitution-class) • USS Intrepid (Constitution-class) • USS Isshasshte (Constitution-class) • USS John F. Kennedy (Constitution-class) • USS Kamë • USS Lewis • USS Lookfar • USS Malacandra • USS Manhattan • USS Marya Morevna • USS M'hasien (Defender-class) • USS Milton Humason • USS Mor'anh Merin'hen • USS Na'i'in • USS Potemkin (Constitution-class) • USS Q.E. III • USS Queen Christina • USS Ransom • USS Raptor • USS Resolute • USS Rodger Young (Defender-class) • USS Sadat • USS Sorithias • USS Sulam • USS Surak (Constitution-class) • USS Tao Feng (Constitution-class) • USS Thermopylae (Larson-class) • USS T'Laea • USS Valkyr • USS Yorktown (Constitution-class)

Klingon Defense Force vessels

IKS Amak • IKS Enekti • IKS Kaza • IKS K'j'khrry • IKS Kytin • IKS Menekku • IKS Okuv • IKS Tukab

Races and cultures

Adarrin • Altasa • Andorian • Bellatrig • Capelle • Denebolid • Diphdani • Eseriat • Hamalki • hestv • Human • Ielerid • Mizarthu • Mneh'tso • mrait • na'mdeihei • Sadrao • Shediru • Sulamid • Tellarite • Vulcan

Referenced only

Klingon • Romulan • Tegmenir

States and organizations

Bureau of Planetary Works • Federation Department of Science • Klingon Empire • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet Academy

Referenced only

Interstellar Astronomical Union • Lloyd's of London

Other references

Acta Mega-Astrophysicalis • adrenocorticotropic hormone • ailurin • alicorne • allcall • Alroth • altar • Architectrix • Ardrosam-G • arie'mnu • Artemis/Luna reflector • bairn • Ballad of Orange and Green • Black Fleet • Caledax • clearsteel • command chair • death • deflector shield • dilithium • durasteel • entropy • flitter • graphite • guinea pig • Hawking radiation • humpback whale • inertrogen • inversion drive • Jane's Fighting Ships • kazoo • landshark • methane • M'hektath • Moira • Monopoly • Neonor • nhwe • nova • Occam's Razor • photon torpedo • poker • Prime Directive • red alert • Rofenisin • salad • Sargolian redwood • Saurian brandy • science station • sonic screwdriver • steak • Suspenar • tax • Thinking Planet • transdator • tribble • Unifactor • Valkyrie • veriglas • Wolf-Rayet star • Xanthopipericum flagrantum Ellison • xenopsychology

Appendices

Background

• Although the Pocket Books chronology places this story in the year 2275, based on the experience of the crew and the level of technology described, the narrative makes repeated references to uniforms of the TOS style. The text describes uniforms resembling those of the mid-2260s decade, rather than the Star Trek: The Motion Picture-era uniforms that were in place circa 2271, which is also an issue with the cover art. This indicates that Starfleet used uniforms matching this description, of an intermediate style, for a time before changing again to the later maroon uniforms in use by 2278 (as established in TNG episode: "Cause and Effect").
• The cover artwork was a painting by artist Boris Vallejo. In international editions of the book, a different painting was used, the same image that appears as the frontispiece to the deluxe edition of FASA's Star Trek: The Role Playing Game.

Images

Connections

Timeline

published order
Previous novel: Mutiny on the Enterprise	TOS numbered novels	Next novel: The Trellisane Confrontation
chronological order
Previous Adventure: To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh Chapter 22	Pocket	Next Adventure: My Enemy, My Ally

Translations

1987

German : Der verwundete Himmel, translated by Hans Maeter. (Heyne)

1996

Russian: Израненное небо, translated by L. V. Shumkova. (Rusich)

1997

Spanish: El cielo herido, translated by Diana Falcón. (Grijalbo)

External link

• The Wounded Sky article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.