At the turn of the 22nd century, scientists make a breakthrough in human spaceflight. With the fragility of the body no longer a limiting factor, humans are at last able to explore neighbouring planets long suspected to harbour life. Ariadne is on a mission to survey four habitable worlds but as she shifts through both form and time, life back on Earth has also changed. A sci-fi novella from a new star of the genre, author of "The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet".