At the end of the second novel, Transition, the Starfarer had jumped from the Solar System of Tau Ceti to Sirius, following the trail of two uplifted humans who had tried to warn the crew off and send them back home, Androgeos and Europa tried to pawn them off with a small asteroid controlled by something called a Squidmoth- a reclusive being that never communicates with anyone or any other race. But as the Starfarer humans have show, they are stubborn, and they will take this opportunity even if the other humans show scorn on it as a viable option.
But far from being aloof and standoffish, the Squidmoth, who J.D. christens "Nemo" has no problem communicating with J.D or the other members of the alien contact team. As they struggle to understand it and how it lives, J.D. finds her making friends with this alien creature and enjoying talking with it.
But once again, the Starfarer team is under a crunch- this one concerned with time. The aliens who make up the interstellar community who are rejecting the people of Earth and the crew of the Starfarer have been withdrawing the cosmic string that the ship travels with and by. If the ship stays in the Sirius system too long, they run the risk of being stranded there with no way back to Earth, consigning them to a cold death among the stars.
But J.D. notices something changing in her friend, and finds out that Nemo is pregnant and about to give birth- the result of which will end her new friend's life as her offspring take more and more from her. But when Nemo asks for J.D. to stay with her/it, J.D. cannot refuse, even though she knows her friends must leave without her. But will J.D. be able to rejoin them before they leave, or will she be stranded in the cold depths of space?
Space exploration is muted in this volume to give the first exploration of a true alien life form- and it is very alien indeed. However, it can speak- or perhaps think, in English, which speeds communication in one way, but at the same time, some concepts don't translate well into English, leaving conversations sometimes more confusing than enlightening.
J.D. Sauvage is the leader of the alien contact team, mainly because she is the person who has had the most experience with sentient nonhumans like orcas and the still mostly-human but mysterrious divers like Zev. And it is her experience with both of these entities that gives her an edge up on understanding Nemo. And despite the very great differences between them, they manage to become friends. Because of that relationship, J.D. ends up receiving a gift that could completely change their situation with the aliens who are, in a sense, punishing them for the nuclear missile blast.
Yes, there is a fourth volume, in which the Starfarer crew will either convince the aliens to admit them to the galactic confederation, or go home empty-handed. But this one shows why the Starfarer crew is out here, not just to fight against arrogant, immortal humans like Europa and Androgeos (battles of words and ideas, not physical fights, mind you). And the squidmoths turn out to be not so aloof, perhaps as a way of showing that the scientists are out there for the knowledge- not for things- not like Europa and Androgenos. And they are humble, seeking to learn, while the old immortal humans are arrogant, assuming their own superiority. Which could be why they assume the squidmoth won't talk to anyone- it just wouldn't talk to them!
Still. I liked this book. Yes, it was more static than the first two, but by the end, you can hope that the Starfarers overcome their initial bad impression to have humanity join the galactic community. You have faith that it will happen, and soon. I only wish I had a chance to re-read the final book, but I couldn't find it in the secondhand store, and mine is in the attic (and it's too cold and windy to go up there right now). I'll keep looking out for Nautilus, but for now, I'll just relive how awesome both this book and this series was for me. Highly recommended.
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