Armed with the required five master's degrees, among other outstanding accomplishments, the members of the elite Practical Philosopher Corps are a handful of galactictic roamers trained to detect life on the hundreds of newly colonized planets. The PP Corps members wander the universe looking for habitable planets for humanity - but first searching thoroughly for native intelligent life, in which case humanity must give that planet a pass. Set in the 21st century, Conscience Odegaard travels from world to world, crisis to crisis, resolving problems that others cannot.