Battleground

Hanna Bassiano, formerly known as Lady H’ana ril-Koroth of D’neera, was, like all the people of the planet D’neera a telepath. Mutated from true-human stock, the D’neerans had claimed a world of their own to escape persecution, and started a flourishing civilization there. Now, accepted by true-humans, some like Hanna had ventured out into the wider universe, using their talents to the benefit of all. Hanna herself had become humanity’s expert in first  contact with other sentient races. And though her very first mission had nearly ended in her death and could have resulted in a devastating interstellar war, both Hanna and humanity had survived.

Several contacts more had seen her firmly established as the person to spearhead any first contact mission. But now she and her handpicked team were aboard alien contact ship Endeavor Three, following a centuries’ cold trail to a distant world that had sent its own expedition to the human colony world New Earth two hundred years ago.  Long before Endeavor reached the planet they came to know as Battleground, Hanna began to explore the starways with her mind, seeking contact with this legendary humanoid race. But when at last she managed to touch the minds she sought, Hanna could scarcely believe what she had found — a race that seemed to exist only to fight, to breed, and to die.

How could they survive for all these years? How had they come to be like this? And how would they respond to a peaceful expedition of humans arriving on their world?

Battleground is the long-awaited follow-up to Sentience and Master of Chaos, both of which are now available in an omnibus edition, The D'neeran Factor. The first book in the series, Sentience, was a Best First Novel in Locus in 1986, nominated for the 1987 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and was "Recommended Reading" for both VOYA and Kliatt.