Cliff Hauck, Molly Zaldivar, and Andy Quamodian study the Wandering Star near the planet Exion and want to make contact with it. To do so, Hauck returns to Earth and creates a copy of the Wandering Star there in a deserted mine. The copy duplicates its structure. The scientists want to bring to Earth a form of life that is unknown until now—one that will help establish contact with the star. But the star has broken free.