Synopsis: A newly discovered planet - peopled by elegant feline beings called the Arrekhi - has requested admission into the interplanetary Cooperative League of Systems. Just out of StarBridge Academy, Magdalena Perez is thrilled to be part of the liason team that will be the first CLS representatives on the planet. But there's more to this sophisticated culture than meets the eye. The Arrekhi are rumored to be skillful at dialogue - and deception. And Magdalena's empathic powers can sense a cruel secret that is being concealed... A secret that would instantly disqualify the Arrekhi from membership. A secret that has created seething pockets of underground rebellion. A secret that could plunge the entire planet into a bloodbath... (from the back cover of the Ace Books first edition)