Seas of Ernathe. Star Rigger Universe, #6

A Planet of Secrets Starship rigging once bound the galaxy together. But that piloting art has been lost, and the worlds of humanity now struggle to stay connected through slower technologies. The ocean world Ernathe may hold the key to the rediscovery of rigging, through a plankton-derived, psychoactive drug called mynalar. But a plankton-harvesting colony on Ernathe has come under attack... from a mysterious sea people, the Nale'nid.
A young pilot named Seth Perland may be the one who can establish communication with the almost-human Nale'nid. A sea-woman named Lo'ela takes a keen interest in Seth and develops a special focus on him. Focus, he will learn, can mean love-but it can also mean radically other things for different Nale'nid. Focus is the key to understanding their inexplicable behavior-from seemingly aimless meddling with human activity to the crafting of enigmatic undersea grottos.
Focus could also be the key to humanity's goal-a means of exploring the "world within the world, " tantalizingly reminiscent of star rigging. But can Seth find a way to reconcile the desires of human civilization with those of these strange sea-beings?A touching story of love and personal discovery, Seas of Ernathe takes us on a journey first into the heart of a mysterious ocean people, and later-if he can succeed-toward relearning the art that once knit the galaxy together.
 Seas of Ernathe was Jeffrey A. Carver's first full-length tale of what was to become his popular Star Rigger Universe. Set farthest into the future of all the Star Rigger stories, Seas of Ernathe sets a stage for a new cycle of star-faring history. From the Nebula-nominated author of Eternity's End and The Chaos Chronicles, and the 2022 recipient of the Frank Herbert Lifetime Achievement Award for writing science fiction.
REVIEWS:"Jeffrey Carver imagines wonders and allows us to share his vision." -Terry Carr"A wonderful ability to deal sensitively with the interrelationships of characters and their environments... [Carver succeeds] in creating a race and milieu that is not only a good solution to his mystery, but is emotionally effective and believable." -Galileo Magazine