Abandoned amidst a hostile wilderness, Paul has been rescued by a biologist, Mr Amid. The scientist is studying the pearls that are Altair’s true wealth – and more particularly the plants that produce them and that appear to be dying off. Amid offers to take on Paul as his assistant, but the young man is still looking for his father. As he follows the trail, Paul becomes tougher and more inured to life on his new planet – and to human nature.

Paul has learned that his father died in an accident – then, a few days later, he’s seen him pass by in a car, alive and well! Shaken by the discovery, the young man continues his investigation and eventually manages to track him down. Unfortunately, that merely causes him to share in his father’s serious troubles... Meanwhile, an increasing number of strange phenomena plague Altair – and awake the interest of the alien Stepanerks...

18 year old Paul, his mother and his sister land on Altair-4, a recently established human colony. They expect to be reunited with Paul’s father there and start a new life, but he doesn’t show up to welcome them at the spaceport... Later, they are rescued from a gang of thugs by a Stepanerk, a member of a sentient alien species. An encounter that will prove invaluable to Paul when he decides to go and look for his father...

This book recounts the epic saga of how we as human beings have come to understand the Solar System. The story of our exploration of the heavens, Peter Bond reminds us, began thousands of years ago, with the naked-eye observations of the earliest scientists and philosophers. Over the centuries, as our knowledge and understanding inexorably broadened and deepened, we faltered many times, frequently labored under misconceptions, and faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles to understanding. Yet, despite overwhelming obstacles, a combination of determined observers, brilliant thinkers, courageous explorers, scientists and engineers has brought us, particularly over the last five decades, into a second great age of human discovery. At our present level of understanding, some fifty years into the Space Age, the sheer volume of images and other data being returned to us from space has only increased our appetite for more and more detailed information about the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets of the Solar System. Taking a much-needed overview of how we now understand these "distant worlds" in our cosmic neighborhood, Bond not only celebrates the extraordinary successes of planetary exploration, but reaffirms an important truth: For seekers of knowledge, there will always be more to explore. An astonishing saga of exploration... In this much-needed overview of "where we stand today," Peter Bond describes the achievements of the astronomers, space scientists, and engineers who have made the exploration of our Solar System possible. A clearly written and compelling account of the Space Age, the book includes: • Dramatic accounts of the daring, resourcefulness, and ferocious competitive zeal of renowned as well as almost-forgotten space pioneers. • Clear explanations of the precursors to modern astronomy, including how ancient natural philosophers and observers first took the measure of the heavens. • More than a hundred informative photographs, maps, simulated scenarios, and technical illustrations--many of them in full color. • Information-dense appendices on the physical properties of our Solar System, as well as a comprehensive list of 50 years of Solar System missions. Organized into twelve chapters focused on the objects of our exploration (the individual planets, our Moon, the asteroids and comets), Bond’s text shows how the great human enterprise of space exploration may on occasion have faltered or wandered off the path, but taken as a whole amounts to one of the great triumphs of human civilization.

Paul and Professor Stanford’s archaeological expedition are exploring the ruins of Altair in an effort to understand how the people who built them vanished altogether. Protected from various dangers by their deadly guardian angel the Stepanerk, they make some decidedly unexpected discoveries. Until Paul is reminded of his original quest, that is, when a bounty hunter asks for his help tracking down his lost father – who’s wanted for murder. spaceport... Later, they are rescued from a gang of thugs by a Stepanerk, a member of a sentient alien species. An encounter that will prove invaluable to Paul when he decides to go and look for his father...

The Stepanerks, those strange aliens who The Stepanerks, those strange aliens who sometimes mingle with Humans, have contacted another, as yet undiscovered, alien species that has been guarding Altair for centuries. Those guardians want to forcefully evict Humans, who are doing terrible damage to the ecosystem. But Paul, unwitting ‘guest’ at their meeting, defended Humanity’s right to a second chance. It now falls to him to convince the Human colonial authorities to change everyone’s behaviour...