A mature alien woman judge sees an amphibious human woman, obviously a slave, displayed in a tank in front of a sex palace. And so an interstellar plot of murderous proportions involving many races and planets, galactic corporations, exploitive sex and horrible slavery is revealed.

On a dark and moonless planet, mutations have left women as little more than wombs, while men can teleport but have limited control over the ability. When aliens come to plunder this world's resources, the already harsh environment degrades exponentially. Will the Galactic Federation find this world in time to help the natives restore their women and save their civilization?

MEET PRANDRA AND KHRENG... They eat for the same bowl, could and preen -- then travel across Time, down through Space, to the most bizarre and dangerous worlds in the Galactic Federation. Even to Solthree, where they are met with some alarm... A starcat and rabbi tale, with dragons

1 Tauf Aleph (1981) novelette 22 Sunday's Child (1977) novella 65 The Military Hospital (1971) short story 80 Gingerbread Boy (1961) short story 95 Blue Apes (1981) novelette 131 Phantom Foot (1959) short story 148 A Grain of Manhood (1959) short story 160 Ms & Mr Frankenstein (1975) poem 164 Was/Man (1978) poem 166 Son of the Morning (1972) novella

An interstellar alien corporation run by aliens was thwarted in its plans to exploit genetically altered slaves. Now, in an attempt to keep it's case from ever coming to court, a judge is murdered on Khagodis--the planet where the amphibious human slaves were first bred--and the man who first broke the slave ring must find a way to bring these villains to justice.

From the title piece, "Blue Apes" - a story of discovery, loss and betrayal on a distant planet - to "Sunday's Child"- an account of an alien born to human colonists - Phyllis Gotlieb's short fiction explores issues and passions that are deeply human, even when her characters are not. Gotlieb writes in the American SF tradition from a decidedly Canadian perspective.