A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole.
For five years the crew of the PALOMINO has ranged through deep space, searching for evidence of alien life, with no result. Then, their mission almost at an end, they discover a giant collapsar, the largest black hole ever encountered, and, drifting perilously near it, is the long-lost legendary starship CYGNUS...
Incredibly, the ship is not a lifeless hulk.
Its commander, the genius who designed the CYGNUS and planned its epic voyage, still survives, served by a horde of mechanical slaves. But Commander Hans Reinhardt has no desire to be rescued.
He has a rendezvous with the incredibly hellish forces of the collapsar - and he plans to take the PALOMINO'S crew along on his doomed adventure.