They would not require the special facilities or mandatory time off needed by unmodified humans, whose bodies tend to deteriorate over the long term in weightlessness, and would thus be more efficient (and profitable) for the company that created them.

They are carefully indoctrinated from childhood to be loyal to the company, and their access to information is tightly controlled; even their children's stories are about working in space.

Though there are discussions about liquidating them, a powerful company higher up decides to simply dump them on the planet in an isolated camp as the most cost-effective solution.

Bipedal engineer Leo Graf, who had been assigned to teach them construction techniques, instead organizes them for a mass escape to a remote star system.

[3] At Reactor, Jo Walton described it as "a very traditional science fiction book in many ways—the best bit is the science," noting that she did not find the romance between Silver and Leo to be "very convincing", and stated that as the book is one of Bujold's earlier works, it is less "technically accomplished" and "definitely (...) minor", but emphasized that minor for Bujold would be major for other writers.