When Zirth was a young Xolthie, he lost his father in an aborted mission to Earth to capture more shape-shifting and magical creatures for the their zoo on Xolthus. Before his parent's ship was attacked by pirates he found himself drawn to the hold, entirely fascinated by its strange but frightened occupants. Now he is Head Zookeeper at the long-established tourist destination and life should be good. Unfortunately, Yolaxsus, his bitter 2nd in Command, takes every opportunity to mistreat the specimens.
For the captives, there is a small hope. A crashed spaceship has been placed in the zoo for visitors to climb and play in. Put there by Yolaxus' Admiral father to remind her of her transgressions of which she has not yet repented. As each enclosure with its specialised specimens enters into an escape plan, they must decide who gets one of the limited places in the secretly repaired ship.
Success depends on keeping Yolaxus out of the way and hoping that Zirth will turn a blind eye.
Contributing Authors: Debbbie Richardson, Cat Sheely, Louise Falcioni, Suzanne Newnham, Arlene Liang, Marisol Dunham, Anke Ziergiebel (Dutche), Cassandra Webb and Michaela Paul.