'Into the Unknown' (4 Parts) by Roger Price

When Tim detects a signal from a drifting shuttlecraft, John and Stephen investigate and find a young humanoid alien called Kwaan. They take him to the Lab, where he tells them that he left the Father-ship to get help from his home-world of Regiorra. Kwaan communicates with the planet’s ruler, Tirayaan, who sends power to the shuttlecraft. Mike, John, Stephen and Kwaan return to the shuttlecraft, but it has drifted too far off-course and Kwaan will be unable to return to Regoraa, and so he decides to return to the Father-ship, which is trapped near a hole in space. As they approach the Father-ship the Tomorrow People lose communication with Tim and Elizabeth, and are were unable to jaunt due a force-field. Elizabeth jaunts to the spaceship with a small box which acts as a connection to Tim, which they connect to the power system on the ship. Tim tells them that they cannot jaunt back to Earth until they find a solution to the force field, which may be on the Father-ship. Arriving at the Father-ship, they meet Tirayaan, who informs them that the ship will be dragged into the hole in two days, and that it has been seized by the rebellious Vektaan as part of a plot to take control of the home-world. Vektaan captures the Tomorrow People, Kwaan and Tirayaan, but John and Stephen offer to help him save the Father-ship, and, together with Tim, they work on the bridge controls. Tirayaan admits that he set the ship on its course, and John tells Vektaan that he will save the Father-ship if all the prisoners are put onto the shuttlecraft, with enough power to get them back to Earth. Vektaan aggress and allows them to leave in the shuttlecraft; John returns control of the Father-ship and jaunts to the shuttlecraft, but Tim's box is destroyed, and they realise that Vektaan has programmed the small ship to fly into the hole. As it enters, the temperature inside begins to drop. Timus arrives at the Lab and boosts Tim's power, enabling him to locate the shuttlecraft in the hole; but the picture fades as the shuttle goes out of range, and Timus is recalled to the Galactic Federation to report. Another hole appears directly in front of the shuttlecraft, and the Tomorrow People notice that their watches have stopped, despite their being in the hole for seven or eight hours. As the shuttlecraft slows down and the reactors begin working again, they approach the hole and see stars. On the father-ship, Vektaan sees the shuttlecraft re-emerging from the hole. Tirayaan tells them that they have travelled in a circle, and that it has only been a few minutes since they entered the hole. Vektaan informs them that he has abandoned the rebellion, and wants them to return to the father-ship. But when Tirayaan tries to contact Vektaan, the Father-ship fires at the shuttle craft; one of the energy bolts enters the hole, and returns a few seconds later, destroying the father-ship. The Tomorrow People, Tirayaan and Kwaan return to Earth.



Nicholas Young (John), Elizabeth Adare (Liz), Peter Vaughan-Clarke (Stephen), Dean Lawrence (Tyso), Michael Holoway (Michael Bell), Philip Gilbert (TIM), Geoffrey Bayldon (Tirayaan), Stephen Garlick (Kwaan), Brian Coburn (Vaktaan), Raymond Boyd (Ralaa)

Directed by Roger Price

TX:
'The Visitor' - 13th January 1976
'The Father-ship' - ??th January 1976
'The Tunnel' - ??th January 1976
'The Circle' - 28th January 1976

Notes:
*Featuring John, Elizabeth, Stephen, Tyso, Mike and Tim