Planet of Judgment

Summary
From the back cover: Never before had the Enterprise been betrayed by its own technology. Never before had their systems, instruments and weapons failed to respond. And never before had Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew faced a total breakdown of science and sanity...until they stumbled on the mysterious world that couldn't exist...

A world orbited by a black hole and ruled by chaos - where man was a helpless plaything for a race of beings more powerful than the laws of the universe.

Synopsis

 * Captain's Log, Stardate 6133.4: The crew's morale seems high in spite of the four-week detour.  This morning's maneuvers went well; this afternoon Mr. Scott has a drill planned.  I think we have been successful in promoting the feeling that the Enterprise is on vacation - rather than having been forced, by vagaries of scheduling, into a mission that a transport or scout could accomplish as easily.


 * I haven't yet met our supercargo, Dr. Atheling, other than formally welcoming him aboard ship. Mr. Spock speaks highly of his reputation in astrophysics, and several of the crew know him from Academy days.


 * By tomorrow the maintenance and training schedule should be complete; I look forward to meeting a man important enough to shanghai a month out of a heavy cruiser's schedule.