The Child Goddess
by Louise Marley

Description:
A priest of the Order of Mary Magdalene and a skilled anthropologist, Isabel Burke has been called offworld to the barren planet of Virimund. The ExtraSolar Corporation, developing Virimund as an energy source, has encountered an "incident" that has stopped their work. It seems there are people on Virimund after all - descendants of an emigrant ship that left Earth three hundred years before. And something has changed them. There are children born on Virimund who do not age. Upon discovery, these lost souls are sent to an island where they live by themselves, ashamed that they will never become truly human. One of these children has been captured by ExtraSolar, which hopes to discover the secret to her ageless existence. Under constant examination and study, the girl has yet to utter a single word. For ExtraSolar, she is a resource to be used and discarded. But for Isabel, she is an innocent who needs help. Now, against those who would sacrifice the child in their quest for power, Isabel must fight a desperate battle to protect a little girl who may hold the keys to life itself.