Lani People, The

A gripping science fiction tale of medical mystery, bio-ethics, and the true meaning of humanity. When Dr. Jac Kennon, a young Betan veterinarian, answers a highly lucrative ad for a livestock residency on the pioneer planet of Kardon, he thinks he has struck the galactic jackpot. But his arrival on the isolated agricultural powerhouse of Flora Island plunges him into a profound ethical nightmare. Kennon's new "livestock" patients are the Lani—a breathtakingly human-like indigenous species classified by interstellar courts as mere animals due to their prehensile tails. Treated as chattel, servants, and slaves by a ruthless corporate family, the Lani suffer silently under the guise of an "efficient agricultural operation." When a mysterious and deadly parasite begins ravaging the Lani population, Kennon is thrust into a race against time. To stop the agonizing epidemic, he must navigate the predatory politics of the Alexander family, the hauntingly human emotions of his naked Lani assistants, and his own revulsion toward a society built on genetically sanctioned slavery. The Lani People challenges the boundaries of empathy and the chilling lengths humanity will go to justify dominion over the stars.