Disqualified

When Solar Council agent Tardo and navigator Peo arrive on a distant colony world, they find an apparently peaceful, prosperous society awaiting their approval. Hosted by the polished and influential Saranta, they enjoy a lavish meal, tour tidy farms and workshops, and hear reassuring explanations about the planet’s lack of technology, transportation, and animal life.

But Tardo’s inspection has a serious purpose. Before the Council grants advanced assistance, he must determine whether the colony meets its principles—especially its prohibition against slavery and other forms of oppression. The people seem independent, the servants are said to be paid, and the fields are merely waiting for transient laborers. Yet small hesitations and carefully chosen words suggest that the most important evidence may be hidden in plain sight.

As Peo tries to understand what his experienced companion has noticed, their brief visit becomes a test of observation, ethics, and the true meaning of freedom. A quietly suspenseful science-fiction story about appearances, power, and the secrets a society works hardest to conceal.