Description[]
- In a remote area of Federation space, the Enterprise picks up an urgent distress signal—from a Klingon vessel! Tracing the SOS, the crew finds the Klingon cruiser Mauler, trapped in a dimensional storm of unprecedented power. Yet paradoxically, the ship refuses both the Enterprise's call and offers of help.
- Determined to discover what the Klingons are doing in Federation space, Kirk beams aboard their ship with a security team, just as the storm flares to its highest intensity. As the bridge crew watches in horror, Mauler vanishes from the Enterprise's viewscreen.
- And James T. Kirk awakens, one hundred years in the future!
Summary[]
The Enterprise picks up a distress call from a Klingon starship trapped in a storm near Tholian space. Curious about their presence, Kirk beams over with a security team, intending to take the Klingon captain back with him using an emergency transponder. However, the ship disappears before they can be retrieved.
Kirk recovers to find himself at a Klingon base a hundred years in the future. The base commander, Morith, explains that Humans and Klingons are now allies. Kirk begins to accept his situation and begins a relationship with Klingon scholar Kalrind. The Klingons explain that peace began when a Klingon peace mission was stopped by a Federation fleet only for Kirk to appear aboard their flagship and convince Starfleet of their good intentions. Morith intends to take a group of ancient Klingon ships back in time to fulfil this part of history.
The meeting occurs but Kirk becomes suspicious of the Klingons and has the Enterprise beam him and Kalrind aboard. Spock has already discovered that a scientist aboard the ship is an undercover Klingon, using medication to repress their aggressive tendencies. The same method has been used by the Klingons Kirk met: He never travelled in time but was instead beamed aboard a cloaked ship, the whole incident being a set-up to trick him into bringing the Klingons to Earth. Kirk uses Federation reinforcements to turn Morith's fleet back and returns Kalrind to them after she has rejected her feelings for him.
References[]
Characters[]
- Joes Blankhuis • Brashoff • Cherek • Chung • Ginny Crandall • de Broek • Federico De La Jolla • Galaym • Hellenhase • Hilg • Kalrind • James T. Kirk • Kim • Klanth • Kol • Leonard McCoy • Morith • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Elliot Tindall • Luisa Tindall • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Ayelborne • Christine Chapel • Oliver Cromwell • Arne Darvin • John Paul Jones • Edith Keeler • Abernathy Kirk • Aurelan Kirk • Peter Kirk • Sam Kirk • Kor • Meng • Horatio Nelson • William Shakespeare
Starships and vehicles[]
- Referenced only
- USS Defiant • Golden Hind
Locations[]
- Bridge • Devon • Devonshire Excavation • England • San Francisco • Starbase 17 • Starfleet Headquarters • transporter room
- Referenced only
- Archangel • Berton • Black Hole of Calcutta • Centaurus • Earth • Fish River Canyon • Grand Canyon • Great Hole of Kimberley • Mariner Valley • New Athens • New York City • Organia • sickbay • Tholia
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Referenced only
- Federation Council • House of Stuart • Long Parliament • Organian Council of Elders • Starfleet Academy
Science and technology[]
- cloaking device • communicator • hypospray • phaser rifle • sensor • shield • subspace radio • Tholian web • transporter • turbolift
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • captain • chief medical officer • commander • commodore • corporal • disruptor • doctor • Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire • fleet admiral • first officer • Lieutenant • Lord
Other references[]
- English • General Order 30 • Great Peace • ion storm • klin zha • Klingonese • New Klingons • Qong-Hegh • slingshot maneuver • Tholian Incident • time travel • Vulcan nerve pinch • yellow alert
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TOS episode: "The Tholian Web" - The Mauler disappears in a similar way to the way the Defiant did.
- TOS episode: "Errand of Mercy" - Klingons fake the completion of the Organian prophecy of peace between the Federation and Empire.
- TOS episode: "The City on the Edge of Forever" - As he considers time travel, Kirk recalls Edith Keeler being killed in 1930s New York.
- TNG episode: "Encounter at Farpoint" - A reference is made to a Klingon officer serving aboard a future Starfleet vessel.
- TOS movie: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Dr. McCoy inquires as to whether or not Kirk is still wearing eyeglasses after giving him a pair in the second film. Kirk now keeps a second pair aboard the Enterprise in his quarters, after having sold the first pair back in the 20th century.
- TOS comic: "Bloodline" - Peter Kirk is referenced as now being an older, greatly accomplished Federation research scientist during the novel.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: The Yesterday Saga, Book 2: Time for Yesterday |
TOS numbered novels | Next novel: The Three-Minute Universe |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Unspoken Truth |
Next Adventure: Scotty's Song | |
Translations[]
- 1993
- German : Die Zeitfalle, translated by Andreas Brandhorst. (Heyne)
- 1993
- French : Piège temporel, translated by Gilles Dupreux. (Fleuve Noir)
External link[]
- Timetrap article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.