Velyr were designed (by whom or what nobody as yet knows) as a hive mind culture for life on a desert planet encircling a red star. As designed organisms, they led perfect lives — until a group became infected with a horrible illness: individuality.

The infected units, after much deliberation, were exiled from their home planet. A sentient Ship, with the exiles aboard under cryo-sleep, was instructed to locate another habitable planet and maroon the group on its surface.

Eventually, the Ship did locate such a world — third from its star, a planet with only one moon but containing free water and possessing a cool, but endurable climate. The exiles were scattered over the surface in an attempt to prevent them from banding together to overpower the Ship and return to their home world.

Unfortunately, the Ship either had not checked or did not care that the planet was already home to a sentient race: humanity.

See the author’s website for more details …