A Matter of Taste

An interstellar insurance claims adjuster visits a frozen colony where enigmatic aliens barter magnificent art for human beings, taken at regular intervals and shipped off rather than killed. The expedition manager presses for military aid, but corporate policies, profit motives, and jurisdictional red tape complicate intervention. The adjuster studies the aliens' superior mental-control methods and the colonists' unsuccessful defenses, weighing ethical tensions between saving lives and preserving trade. The narrative focuses on procedural investigation, competing institutional incentives, and unconventional problem-solving as the investigator seeks a resolution that balances legal obligations, commerce, and human safety.