The Wounded Sky
The Enterprise leaps beyond our galaxy – into the deadly void of the universe.

The Wounded Sky is a Pocket TOS novel – #13 in the numbered series – written by Diane Duane. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the book jacket
An alien scientist invents the intergalactic inversion drive, an engine system that transcends warp drive – and the  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.

Chapter One 
Kirk is frustrated at Federation and Starfleet politics, awaiting news of which starship is to be selected as test-vehicle for the inversion drive, a new concept in space travel propulsion. A communiqué from Starfleet Command arrives, revealing Enterprise has been selected. The ship proceeds to Starbase 18. Enterprise is to prepare to leave the galaxy.

Chapter Two 
Enterprise puts into port at Starbase 18, orbiting the star Alpha Arietis (also known as Hamal).

Chapter Sixteen 
A fleet of Federation starships greets Enterprise home

Background information 
 This is Diane Duane's first Star Trek novel; the book introduces many supporting characters who would appear in her later -era novels and comics.
 The novel was the last Pocket Star Trek novel to be published under the "Timescape" imprint labelling.
 The Science Fiction Book Club released a special edition of this novel in hardback in .
 This novel's premise was extensively rewritten to become the TNG episode . ()
 Although the stardate given for Kirk's communiqué was 9250.00, this novel is apparently supposed to take place in the final years of the TOS-era five-year mission, even though stardates beginning with a "9" weren't used until the 2290s in canon productions.
 In the final chapter, the fleet of ships greeting Enterprise was said to include a number of "heavy cruisers of her own class."  While it seems unlikely they were all , they may belong to a similar heavy cruiser design, so as not to contradict the concept that there were only about twelve Constitutions in service in the 2260s. The text of the novel states there are twenty-two heavy cruisers in Starfleet service at the time.

Cover gallery

Characters

Regular and recurring characters 

 Enterprise captain
 Half-Vulcan Enterprise exec and science officer
 Enterprise surgeon
 Enterprise chief engineer
 Enterprise communications officer
 Enterprise helmsman
 Enterprise navigator
K's't'lk  Child/creation of K't'lk
Reappears in Spock's World
Mahásë  Starfleet lieutenant, beta shift communications officer subordinate to Uhura
 Chief of recreation aboard the Enterprise

Other characters 
Katha'sat  Starfleet commodore in command of Starbase 18. It was a Hest.
K't'lk  Born around 1406, Hamalki scientist who led the creation of inversion drive.
Rhonda S. Halloran  Starfleet vice admiral stationed on Earth, she relayed news of Enterprise being selected to Kirk.
Klingon captain  Female captain of the IKS Kaza, flagship of the fleet which ambushed Enterprise. After a running battle with over half a dozen Klingon warships, Enterprise was hailed by Kazas captain, advising them to kill their helmsman so that the afterlife would know which ship's crew to expect next.

Mentioned 
B't'kr  Hamalki scientist who was a contributor to the inversion drive design.
Sivek  Vulcan scientist who was a contributor to the inversion drive design.
T'pask  Vulcan scientist who was a contributor to the inversion drive design.

References 
 Spectral class KO star, primary of Hamal, location of Starbase 18.
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise. Amak was lured into the corona of the star 109 Piscium, following Enterprise. Attempting to turn too sharply, Amak overstressed its hull and imploded.
 Defender-class Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Cutter type Federation starship.
 Defender-class Federation starship,  one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Federation starship. Kirk recognized the Challenger while entering port at Starbase 18.
 Federation starship. Kirk recognized the Condor while entering port at Starbase 18.
 Federation starship, a light cruiser. 
Oddly, the Constitution would presumably be a heavy cruiser, if it was truly the prototype of the class Enterprise. It's possible the ship had been replaced or modified into a light cruiser.
code 064  Starfleet communications protocol for bad news sent by a flag officer
Coma B patrol corridor  Area of space the Enterprise was in when recalled for the inversion drive tests.
 Defender-class Federation starship,  one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Type of Federation starship, a multi-hulled battleship. Defenders were so large, Starfleet traffic codes required these ships to maintain an eight kilometer limit in ship formations. Seven of these vessels assembled in the fleet to greet Enterprise home.
 Defender-class Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Federation starship. Kirk recognized the Eilonwy while entering port at Starbase 18.
elective mass inversion apparatus  Central component to the propulsion system known as "inversion drive."
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise. Enekti was destroyed when Sulu's aggressive piloting lured Enekti into attacking, overstressing its structural integrity field, shearing off a nacelle.
  Carrier type Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
Eseriat  Humanoid species with craggy facial features, their skin, hair and eyes are all solid gray. Lieutenant Mahásë was Eseriat.
 Federation starship assigned by Vice Admiral Halloran to replace Enterprise in the Coma B patrol.
 Fourth planet orbiting Alpha Arietis, home of the Hamalki species and the location of Starbase 18.
 Species native to the Alpha Arietis system.
 Plural "Hestv," a humanoid species from Rukbah V.
Hilbert field torus  Construct which Scotty ordered built in main engineering. After two weeks of assembly work, Scott had it removed to make way for the inversion apparatus.
  Carrier type Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Defender-class Federation starship,  one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
Inaieu next appeared in My Enemy, My Ally.
 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship. Kirk recognized Indomitable entering port at Starbase 18, and later the vessel was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 An apparently inert gaseous element used in storing artwork.
 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship, this replacement for the previous Intrepid was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home. Her shields were keyed to flare blue, the flag code for a home port of .
This ship appeared again in Duane's later novel My Enemy, My Ally. This is presumably the same replacement Intrepid mentioned as being under construction in the Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens novel Prime Directive. In My Enemy, My Ally, the Intrepid is described as a prototype for the modifications seen in .
 New form of propulsion to be tested by Enterprise, providing instantaneous travel anywhere in the galaxy, and beyond.
 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship, Isshasshte was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home. Her shields were keyed to flare pale blue, the flag code for a home port of Deneb.
Jane's Fighting Starships  Publication. Kirk mused the assembled fleet greeting them home looked like the holo-foldout of this 23rd century version of .
 Klingon warship, with a female captain, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise.
 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship, Kennedy was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home. Her shields were keyed to flare yellow, the flag code for a home port of Earth.
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise.
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise.
 Federation starship. Kirk recognized the Lookfar while entering port at Starbase 18.
USS Marya Morevna : Carrier type Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise.
 Defender-class Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Federation starship. Kirk recognized the Humason while entering port at Starbase 18.nhwe : Hestv liquor, containing a neuropressor hormone.
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise.

 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship. Potemkin was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home. Her shields were keyed to flare blue, the flag code for a home port of Earth.
USS Queen Christina : Carrier type Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
 Federation starship. Kirk recognized the QE III while entering port at Starbase 18.

 Federation starship that was Vice Admiral Halloran's first choice for the inversion drive test.
Recreation  Department aboard Enterprise in charge of the recreation deck, and the morale of the crew. The recreation chief was Lt. Tanzer, a medical officer subordinate to Dr. McCoy.

Recreation room  Area on the Enterprise set aside for crew gatherings and interaction, and relaxation. Harb Tanzer was putting up a forest hologram in the recreation room.
 Defender-class Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home.
Rukbah system  Star system, location of the Hestv civilization. This system is also known as Omega Cygni.Rukbah V  Planet, homeworld of the Hestv.
 Federation starbase, a station in the Alpha Arietis system, 200 million km from Hamal. An oblong space station, Starbase 18 was cigar shaped, and built with elaborate golden spires and architecture. Kirk found the design very alien, full of crystal and mirror finish metal surfaces (see Federation starbases).
 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship, Surak was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home. Her shields were keyed to flare blue, the flag code for a home port of .
 Heavy cruiser class Federation starship, Tao Feng was one of those assembled to greet Enterprise back home. Her shields were keyed to flare blue, the flag code for a home port of Earth.
 Species which had discovered Humanity through a single object, a chair. Kirk remembered this example when remembering the folly of characterizing a species by their design or architecture. Apparently the Tegmenir got the wrong idea about Humans, based on the chair.
 Starfleet Engineering vessel.
USS T'Laea : Starfleet Engineering vessel.
 Klingon warship, part of the ambush force that attempted to interrupt the test of the inversion drive by attacking Enterprise.
  Carrier type Federation starship, one of those assembled to greet Enterprise'' back home.
 An apparently transparent synthetic material used in storing artwork.

External links 
 
 

Wounded Sky, The
de:Der verwundete Himmel