The Exploratory and Evaluation Corps of the Federated Sentient Planets has sent ARCT-10 to Ireta to catalogue fauna and flora and search for new energy sources. It was a simple mission with a standard crew. Kai and his beautiful co-leader Varian, the best xenob-vet in the business, followed all the usual procedures -- but the results were totally unexpected. The planet's creatures were larger than anticipated and the geological finds smaller. Then the rescue ship disappeared. And, suddenly, a curious change came over many members of the ARCT-10 crew ...