Choices | Page 5

impression of what an outsider sees upon arriving at the central shuttle
port on Tradur. It's perhaps one of the most beautiful worlds in all the
Earth Empire. Certainly among the prettiest I've ever had the good
fortune to see.
From space one is immediately struck by the lack of continents. There
are only islands girding the equator, strung like a necklace through
azure seas. Few reach farther north or south than twenty degrees
latitude; and given that the axial tilt of the world is little more than five
degrees, this makes for what some call a monoclimatic
situation--although in truth that is a condition supportable in only the
most rigid of closed systems.

On the surface Tradur is every bit as beautiful as it is from space.
Perhaps even more so. But that's the physical side of the world. Not the
political one. And on the latter score Tradur isn't so pleasant. Indeed, as
Burrye had warned me, it's easy to dismiss the scenery once one has
become more accustomed to what day-to-day life is like on this planet.
There is an air of guarded restraint whenever one has dealings with the
locals. Even in the markets this is apparent, though the merchants are
eager enough to part you from your coin. But they do so rather
circumspectly, as though they're under the ever-watchful eye of the
Church and its minions--which is more than likely true.
Everywhere you go you have the feeling of being under surveillance.
For myself that isn't an altogether new experience. Before they gave me
a ship to command, I spent several years in Naval Intelligence. As a
field operative you learn quickly to be paranoid--it can sometimes
mean the difference between life and death.
As ambassador to Tradur I was reminded of those days. No doubt it
was partly because of those NI experiences that I ended up here. And it
was perhaps also because of those experiences that I was wary when
Kieara Cjhar first approached me.

5.
"You shouldn't go," said Burrye.
I looked at him squarely. "Are there valid reasons for this concern?" I
asked.
"Only the obvious, like the fact they might try to kill you."
"They've had ample opportunity for that already."
"It would be quite easy for them to arrange compromising
circumstances that could prove an embarrassment to the Federation."

"A risk we'll have to take," I said, smiling thinly. "We can hardly be
effective in our mission if we allow ourselves to be governed by that
particular fear."
"This whole cloak and dagger business is sheer nonsense!" he
exclaimed. "What possible reason could the daughter of the prelate
have for wanting to see you?"
"I suppose I'll find out soon enough. Perhaps she took a liking to me," I
added, only half facetiously.
Burrye gave me an odd look. "I'm sure you're not serious," he said in an
even tone. "The Church is still the power here, Captain. And Kieara
Cjhar is very much a part of it. On any other world such a relationship
would probably cause few problems. But not here. If she did take a
fancy to you, she'd never dare breathe a word of it. Not to you or
anyone. Certainly she'd never dare act upon it--even if she is the
daughter of the prelate."
"I'm not a fool," I said, rather icy-toned.
He muttered something under his breath and shook his head. Then he
said more loudly, "It's a fool's errand, Captain."
"I see no threat," I argued. "And I can hardly refuse the invitation. The
purpose of our mission is to improve diplomatic relations, not hinder
them."
"You might yet do that."
It would have been easy to have laughed off his reservations, but they
were quite convincing ones. Indeed, when the request for a meeting
between me and Kieara Cjhar had come through, I'd confronted myself
with the very same concerns. Tradur, after all, wasn't like most of the
worlds that had been a part of Unity. Few of those had begun as
enclaves of the Church, and consequently their populations hadn't been
almost exclusively composed of devoted practitioners of the faith.
When the Unity had fallen, many had welcomed the end of Church

tyranny elsewhere in the Empire. Here, however, nearly the entire
population was of a fundamentalist bent; and though the Unity had
been defeated here as elsewhere, the people of this world hadn't faltered
in their beliefs. If anything, they'd become more devout in their
adherence to the strictures of the Red Catholic Church. And despite the
Federation's best efforts to temper the influence of the Church, its
presence remained a powerful, overarching force. That was why a
handful of priests and cardinali could continue to exert control over the
people through the use of fear. Those who might