Prologue and Part 1, Buoyancy (Chapters 1-13) Summary

While her lover Tom Orley sleeps, Gillian Baskin records in her journal how Streaker, pursued by Galactics, reaches Kithrup, a water world suited to the dolphin crew and rich in heavy metals needed for repairs. Captain Creideiki wants them both on the bridge for morale. Chapter 1 focuses on Toshio's pessimism as a team prospects for vanadium. It turns into a search-and-rescue operation for two crew mates. Toshio narrowly escapes death at the tendrils of a voracious sea weed, thanks to wise-cracking Keepiru, just as word comes of a gathering war overhead. In Chapter 2, a Tandu fleet pours in, using paths opened by the Episiarch. The Acceptor then takes command, using psychic powers to analyze enemy armadas and would-be Earth victims.

In Chapter 3, Takkata-Jim commands the bridge during Creideiki's rest period. He orders the...