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Petaybee—once a cold, lifeless orb of rock—has come awake. Sentient, in fact. And as a fully self-aware planet, it cannot help but change, grow, evolve—and make its own survival choices. Originally an Intergal Company terraforming project, Petaybee eventually grasped the greedy designs of that all-powerful corporation and drove the terraforming teams offworld. Thereafter, it permitted only certain human cultures to remain and settle—cultures truly capable of respecting its great being. As earthquakes, eruptions, avalanches and storms further the process of making a home for the humans who love it, they in turn accept these changes with celebrations, song…and love for one another. A welcome addition to Petaybee’s growing population are Sean and Yanaba Shongili’s 8-year-old twins. Having inherited their father’s Selkie nature, Murel and Ronan gleefully shapeshift from human to seal form and back, exploring their world through their telepathic links to Petaybee’s warm-blooded creatures. The Shongilis fear the twins’ discovery by exploitive offworlders, yet the children cannot resist showing off their Selkie abilities. Their parents’ worst fears are realized when they discover that the twins may have been observed by a team of offworld scientists. Led by Dr. Mabo of the Inter Galactic Institute of Species Identification, the scientists claim to be studying Petaybee’s lifeforms, but seem far too interested in the children. Fearing that Ronan and Murel are at risk of being kidnapped or worse, the Shongilis send the twins offworld. But danger is never far away. For while Dr. Mabo schemes to draw the children into a trap, Petaybee is undergoing rapid changes….
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