Chapter 1, Pipo, Summary

Pipo is a xenologer, a scientist who studies alien species. Pipo lives on Lusitania and it is his job to study the piggies without causing undo influence on their culture. Pipo has an apprentice, his son Libo. Pipo returns to his station after speaking with Rooter, one of the piggies, and finds the headmistress of the school waiting to talk to him. The mistress is concerned for a young girl named Novinha, the daughter of the colony's only xenobiologist who were the final victims to die while searching for a cure for a disease that killed many of the colonists, Descolada. Although only thirteen, Novinha wants to take the test to become a xenobiologist in order to continue her parents' work. The mistress would like for Pipo to oversee the examination to make sure the girl is truly ready for such...