—And Devious the Line of Duty

A young lieutenant is dispatched by a wily Strategic Service agent to Vesta to influence a critical diplomatic meeting that will decide whether Jardeen allies with an expansionist oligarchy or the Terran Republic. Over a tense four-day deadline, negotiations at a mountain retreat are complicated by a proxy marriage, personal rivalries, propaganda, and military posturing. The operative’s unorthodox plan relies on subterfuge and the lieutenant’s willingness to carry out morally ambiguous tasks as intrigue escalates into attempted homicide and open threats. The story interweaves espionage, diplomacy, and the burdens of duty under pressure.