The Problem Makers

A near-future spacefaring tale alternates violent raids by a covert team whose given mission is to manufacture chaos among alien settlements and the polished diplomacy of an envoy at a royal court; scenes of torchlit destruction and intimate cruelty contrast with palace protocol and bargaining. Through these parallel perspectives the narrative examines how conflicts are deliberately produced and exploited by powerful interests, presenting procedures, motivations, and the moral ambiguities faced by individuals who carry out or negotiate the resulting disorder.