These are the stories about the human colonists who landed on Bres 4 to make a new home, and the indigenous species, the Chelionus, who already lived there.
In the short story, “The Wall,” three curious Chelionus youths sneak into a settlement and are caught. Up until this time, the Chelionus had kept their people hidden and secret from the invading colonists. Their capture accidentally sets off a chain of events leading to a war that would rage between their peoples for over a decade, decimating both races.
However, the arrival of a second CityShip of colonists convinces the Chelionus leaders that peace is the only way for their people to survive, not aware of the precarious position the humans are in as well. To end the fighting, leaders from both groups sign the Accords to bring peace to them all.
In the novel, Chelionus, the Accords have created an uneasy peace between the native Chelionus and the human colonists that has lasted nearly thirty years. Now that peace seems to be eroding. Small human homesteads have been found gutted and all the inhabitants torn apart. Even armed caravans have been attacked sporadically, leaving no survivors to say what or who attacked them. The colonists blame the feral Chels for these attacks. The Chelionus claim they are innocent of any wrongdoing. Hate and distrust between the races grows daily. The threat of another war looms in the minds of everyone. But, the leaders know that war must be avoided at all costs or it could be the end of either or both of their races. Only a young woman and a Chelionus male may have the key to preventing this from happening. They just have to survive those who don’t want the truth to come out.