First Time Displacement Battery is engaged in a massive operation, called Galactic Hammer, to push the enemy Coethi back past Newton's Jaw to their own space. Cygnus and her 1st TD have a critical role. They are one of three Time Twister detachments given the mission of operating at the forward edge of the battle front, to 'sweep' space and local time streams clean of Coethi elements by using massive Time Twisters. Toward this end, Cygnus has been modified to support this huge and devastating weapon.
Ordered to jump to support another engagement in the Delta Recursa system, Cygnus complies but when her Twister is fired this time, it malfunctions badly. The ship is thrown out of its main time stream and deep into the gravity well of the star. Facing disaster, Captain Dringoth orders a daring attempt to contact the nearby world Telitor, home world of crewman Acth:On'e. Two of the crew, the exec Nathan Golich and Acth:On'e, make a nearly suicidal boost in their own hypersuits away from Cygnus and are picked up by Telitor Space Rescue.
Now in a race against time, for Cygnus won't survive another orbit around the star, Golich and Acth:On'e work with Telitorian engineers to figure out a fix to the ship's damaged singularity core. But one the engineers is a former lover Acth:On'e was once close to. To repair and patch Cygnus' core, they have to work together, patching up their own frayed relationship.
With help from their estranged daughter, Willie, a fix is devised and a harrowing trip back to Cygnus is made, now descending deeper into the star's photosphere. Will the fix work? Will jumpship Cygnus manage to escape an inevitable collapse into the inferno of a Class K red giant star? Will the two Telitorians find a way to work together, to save the ship, her crew and rescue their once prickly relationship?
Eighth episode in the Time Jumpers serial.