For five years the crew of the Palomino had ranged through deep space, searching for evidence of alien life—with no result. Then, their mission almost at an end, they discovered a giant collapsar—the largest black hole ever encountered—and, drifting perilously near it, was the long-lost legendary starship Cygnus.Incredibly, the ship was not a lifeless hulk. Its commander, the genius who had designed the Cygnus and planned its epic voyage, still survived, served by a horde of mechanical slaves. But Commander Reinhardt had no desire to be rescued. He had a rendezvous with the incredibly hellish forces of the collapsar—and he planned to take the Palomino's crew along on his doomed adventure.
