Synopsis: As Arbiter of the Xarafeille Stream, John Minder XXIII must maintain peace among the seven races of humanity. But he is missing many of the data blocks that control his fleet of starships, and his ability to enforce law is severely curtailed. He will have to hunt far and wide for the remaining few, only to learn that some of the information he needs lies buried in the ice of a remote and forbidding planet called Glaice. The stability of this glacial world is threatened by a conflict that may erupt into full-scale war between the polar bear like ikut and their more aquatic neighbors the mantee. To stop the violence, Tep, a young ikut university student, is forced to probe deep into his planet's controversial history and uncover long forgotten secrets. If he is successful - if he survives - he may save his frigid homeworld from bloody war... (from the back cover of the Roc Books first edition)