Crisis in the Sky

On the eve of an interstellar war, a team of soldier-scientists sets out to investigate a newly discovered civilization that, if advanced enough, could be strategically important. While investigating the newly discovered planet, one man's suspicions are aroused. Unlike his home planet, which seems geologically dormant, this one is alive with earthquakes and volcanoes. Also unlike his home planet, there is evidence of humanoid evolution yet the civilization seems less advanced despite the fact that humanoid history on the new planet is much longer. An encounter with a more advanced race of beings that intervene in a destructive war that the visitors inadvertently start confirms his suspicions. He is also informed that his entire society as well as that of their sworn enemies is part of an elaborate experiment. This discovery shakes the very foundations of that society. After the Kimians subdue their long-time enemies, the Haldeans, they turn their military might toward the supposedly less advanced civilization only to find them a far more difficult adversary than they expected.