The novel “Brightness Falls from the Air” by James Tiptree Jr. was published for the first time in 1985.

Damiem is a planet on the edge of the galaxy where the Dameii live. They are beings who’ve been exploited for a long time for a horrendous traffic of a drug called Star Tears. They exude a substance that has remarkable effects on humans, especially when a Damei is tortured to produce it. The Federation has captured or killed all the people involved in that traffic and left on the planet some guardians who watch over the natives.