Startide Rising

In a distant future where humanity has uplifted sentient dolphins to share the stars, the starship Streaker embarks on a routine mission. Instead, it stumbles upon an impossible discovery: a vast, derelict fleet of ancient starships, evidence of the first intelligent species in the galaxy. This revelation shatters the established galactic order, triggering an immediate and brutal war among dozens of alien species, each desperate to claim the secrets of the Progenitors for their own advancement. Trapped on the water-world Kithrup, a planet teeming with bizarre life and hostile conditions, Streaker's crew—a unique blend of human and dolphin—must evade relentless alien fleets vying for their capture. As political intrigue and desperate battles rage in orbit, the crew races against time to decipher the ancient mystery, protect humanity's place in the cosmos, and find a way back home, all while grappling with species-specific challenges and the ever-present threat of intergalactic conflict.