What if the secret alien space station protecting the Earth went PUBLIC? A fun first contact adventure featuring an orphaned heroine, an angry astronaut, a shape-shifting Welsh dragon, capable cyborgs, alien pirates - and trees in space! Hanna Abebe has come far since leaving Ethiopia. All the way to the other end of the galaxy, in fact. And although her course at the Essoona Pilots' Academy is tough, it's not as tough as maintaining the ultimate long-distance relationship . . . Astronaut Dan Simpson is furious. The Galaksi Alliance have exiled him on a remote planet to stop him telling NASA about the Shantivira before they're ready. But by the time they come to take him home, Dan has fallen in love with an enigmatic alien and decides to stay. Only then does he discover what a perilous business his new girlfriend is involved in . . . At last! Captain Joe Llewellyn has permission to initiate first contact via the UN. But if he messes it up, the Galaksi Alliance could cancel the Shantivira's funding, leaving the Earth defenceless. So, no pressure. All goes well until a rogue Samaritan flies a cargo ship through months of painstaking negotiations . . . This character-driven eco science fantasy is a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers, Ursula Le Guin, Ben Aaronovitch, Douglas Adams and Doctor Who.