The burgeoning love between Raljebi and Q’Zeiyn finally crosses a point of no return, as he acknowledges—first to his cousin and then to the universe as a whole—that he loves her. In the meantime, a cryptic message received from the Caprionese
The protest camp, slowly developing a functioning government, puts the bandits known as the Raiders on public trial. Q’Zeiyn nominates Raljebi to sit on the jury, citing his tolerance of others as an indication of his honesty and objectivity. B
Although he originally began hanging out with Q’Zeiyn as a favor to his friend Quilq, Raljebi begins to realize he’s developing romantic feelings for her—which seems natural enough to him even though she’s a Menkarian, and a reptile. It’s a str
After vowing revenge against the Raiders, Raljebi thinks that the Palags are finally getting a clue as they develop an organization—and a new name—to defend themselves against the bandits. But then mysterious columns of smoke begin appearing ov
Camp Palag, already dangerously overcrowded, continues to deteriorate with the arrival of even more peace protesters. But as conditions worsen, Raljebi develops an interest in a colorful newcomer from Caprion, at the same time as Quilq hopes to
Only a short time after arriving at Camp Palag, Raljebi’s disillusionment deepens when he and Quilq are attacked by a band of thugs, known as “the Raiders,” who use violence and intimidation to loot valuables from camp newcomers. In the meantim
Raljebi finds the “Palags” camped on the athletic fields next to the Galactic Peace Institute to be a colorful rainbow of alien races, cultures and attitudes, which captures his imagination and seems to validate his expectations. But he and Qui
Arriving at Mira after a long journey, Raljebi and Quilq make their way down to the surface of the planet and its capital city, which they find a teeming, sweltering slum. What they’ve been told about what to expect upon arrival turns out to be
Having dropped out of school and left Algeron abruptly, Raljebi and Quilq hop a Fomalhautian freighter as black-market passengers to try to get to the peace demonstration on Mira. During the voyage Raljebi suffers a depressive episode, and adju
Dejected that his best friend will be leaving him, Raljebi goes in search of a drink on Algeron’s squalid second moon. At the only dive bar on the moon that will serve humanoids, he unexpectedly crosses paths with three drunk Menkarian merchant
Raljebi Xoltihare, an angsty young man with clinical depression and a marked lack of ambition, is pursuing a useless college degree on the stupefying world of Algeron, mainly to dodge the draft back on his home planet of Caprion. The war that’s