Fearful Symmetry: A Terran Empire novel

During a conflict between the Terran Empire and the alien Traiti, a mission forces a Traiti fleet-captain to carry out a deceptive operation that breaches wartime taboos to deliver a Terran Ranger to political leaders. Parallel perspectives follow the captured ranger as he learns Traiti culture aboard their ships, encountering their strict honor code, unexpected artistic sensibilities, and an enigmatic mental trial called the Ordeal. Through scenes of ritual, shipboard life, and strategic subterfuge, the narrative examines the moral costs of war, clashes between cultural assumptions, and the uneasy interplay of duty, honor, and empathy on both sides.