The Wells of Phyre

The Xarafeille Stream - A thousand stars orbited by as many inhabited planets. Generation after generation, the Arbiter has stained to keep peace among the seven races scattered across the numerous worlds. But now the seven ancient datablocks, key to all knowledge of humanity, have been stolen, and John Minder XXIII, the current Arbiter, must find them before the galaxy erupts in interplanetary war. Phyre - Like most of the worlds in the Stream, the desert planet Phyre is home to more than one race - and where two races live, conflict bubbles just below the surface. For Slith Wrasselty, a fard - a human genengineered with a kangaroo rat to thrive in harsh climates - and the youngest son of the clan ruler, his only hope of survival rests in patenting new medicinal chemicals. Yet some of these medicines could have far-reaching effects not just on his clan, but on the entire Xarafeille Stream.. (from the back cover of the Roc Books first edition)