“Where does it come from?” asked Tavian. “The Deeplight?”

  She turned toward the sea. “From Avaiki.”

  “Avaiki?”

  Now she looked once more at him. Her eyes gleamed like the bioluminescence on the beach. “Come with me today. I will show you.”

  Fresh from the horrors of Luanyuan, the crew of the Amrita arrive at the paradisiacal resort world of Whaitere. With lush archipelagos, white sand beaches, and coral-filled seas, it seems like the ideal place to lick their wounds. Harry’s got connections through an old flame, and the drinks are flowing at the bar. But Whaitere’s oceans, shrouded in the mystical Deeplight, are the source of the Startear Pearls, prized by the rich and powerful across the Cosmos.

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  As Tavian struggles to reconcile with his past and what it means for his future, Mu meets the charismatic local pilot, Dan Kohere. And as Nova struggles to find some respite from her enduring trauma, Kal delves ever deeper into the murky schemes swirling around the Startear trade. Along the way they meet the brilliant young Teardiver, Hinatea, and witness her bond with a great guardian of the sea.

  Despite the sun and sand, shadows abound, and questions pile up. What is behind the increasingly unsettling experiments being conducted by Dr Arethusa? Why are the masked agents of Eladian intelligence snooping around? What is the Theophany Research Society, and what is it planning? And ultimately, will the pearls at the centre of it all prove to be a blessing or a curse for the idyllic planet’s fragile peace?

  The crew may have come to Whaitere seeking a place to rest and recover, but despite their best efforts, they are dragged into the teeming intrigues of a world on the brink.