Dave Duncan 
Pock’s World 

In this thrilling story of adventure and suspense by master storyteller Dave Duncan, five flawed individuals must decide the fate of an entire world. On the outskirts of the Ayne Sector sits Pockis World. Years ago, humankind settled the planet. Now, it might or might not have been infested by humanoid aliens, hidden amongst the populace, waiting to interbreed and use humans as incubators for their parasitic spawn. Five people are chosen to travel to the quarantined Pockis World to find out whether it should be sterilized of all life–a ruthless priest, a scandal-seeking reporter, an ambitious politician, a bureaucrat, and a questionable billionaire. Each has his or her own agenda as to what they wish to find on that distant planet. Instead, they discover the unexpected–a web of deceit, love, politics, and religion. With very little time left, there donit seem to be any simple answers in the complicated universe of Pockis World. "Entertaining, fast-moving and thoughtful SF, with engaging characters." – S. M. Stirling