Double Contact, by James White

Doctor Prillicla is a Cinrusskin of physical type GLNO, a fragile insectile lifeform known for its avowed cowardice (because of its very fagility) and empathic facility. Now in charge of the hospital ship Rhabwar, because of Conway's promotion to Diagnostician, it is sent off on a mission where no less than three distress beacons have gone off in the same sector of space. One is from a Monitor Corps scoutship, the others from races and species unknown. Since they are in the same sector of space, he is sent to deal with all three.

Travelling to the site of the scoutship disaster, they encounter the ship dead in space, with an alien ship floating nearby. The Rhabwar attemtpts to go to the ship's rescue, since there is no communication from either ship, but the scoutship crew, who are visible through the windows of the control deck, try to wave them off, becoming more and more desperate the closer they come. At last, even under tractor beams, the other ship attempts to flee into the atmosphere of the nearby planet, with predictable results: her hull heats up, nearly cooking the men within. The Rhabwar is able to force her down into the ocean, cooling the hull and saving the men on board, though not without major damage.

Most of the medical team goes down to the planet to help the men from the scoutship, but Prillicla turns his attention to the alien ship still in orbit. He is able to see that the ship is damaged, and to work with the robot on board to find the two still-living inhabitants, members of an alien race who seem to have an innate hatred and aversion to humans. As he works to repair the ship and slowly get them used to the humans of the Rhabwar's crew, Pathologist Murchison, a human female, is having an encounter with the race of creatures living on the planet, spider-like beings who sail the sea on ships, and capture her one day when she goes for a walk. Luckily, she is with Danalta, who warns the other doctors and frees her from the ship, enabling her to swim to shore and escape.

But all is not well. The Spider-creatures gather in great numbers for a war on the doctors and their patients. The outcome of the war is never in doubt, for the spider-creatures are primitives with primitive weapons, and the scout ship could leave at any time. But Prillicla wants to make friends with them, and when some spiders are injured when attacking the hospital, he sees his chance to try and befriend them. But will his plan work in time to do any good?

As always, James White is excellent at introducing alien characters and not having them be simply humans wearing alien skins (that is to say, alien on the surface, but with human thoughts and motivations), and in this book, we get no less than three alien races: Cinrusskin (Prillicla), the Spider-creatures, and the aliens of the spaceship, each of which have their own problems to be overcome. In the end, not only are they overcome, but understanding is reached with all of them, and two of them band together in ways which will make each stronger.

In a way, this series is like CSI: Space Medicine, in a good way, and just as addicting as the shows are. Read one today. You'll be glad you did!