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While exploring on the edges of UP space, a cosmic storm causes them to crash onto a world new to the UP that lacks the capacity to recognize UP telepathic communications frequencies and language. The Legionnaires are trapped on the planet, so far off course that search parties might not think to look there, with no method of communications with its natives, or the UP.

This planet is civilized with cities filled with a species of blue giants, the Dreeggs, and the Legionnaires are only doll-sized in comparison to them. To their surprise, they find that other humanoid sentients their size live on this world, due to one of the original colonizing seed ships of the United Planets (thought lost) crashing there 1000 years before. The human-ish Oms are treated like pests in the wild and like domesticated pets or toys in Dreegg homes.

After being captured by a young Dreegg named Salee, who saves them from being killed by some destructive children, they are treated like toys. To escape living as pets to the end of their days, they must find a way to communicate with Salee and the Dreeggs to make a proper first contact and convince them of their (and the Om's) intelligence, and/or find a way to signal for rescue to the outside galaxy.