The Risk Profession

A seasoned claims investigator for Tangiers Mutual finds himself back in the bustling office of Mister Henderson, fresh from a successful assignment in Luna. Though he prefers a simple, low‑gee life, the job lets him skip the dreary paperwork of ordinary insurance work and fund his wanderlust with an unrestricted expense account. Henderson, half‑jovial and half‑stern, quickly hands him a new case that promises more intrigue than routine. The assignment sends him once again into the fringes of humanity—those who work where most insurers shy away.

The case involves the “Double R‑P,” a retirement plan sold to people who are essentially uninsurable: asteroid prospectors, spaceship crews, and others whose dangerous lives make conventional coverage impossible. The plan promises a steady income after a self‑chosen retirement age, but its mathematics favor the insurer more than the client. When a client named Jafe McCann is reported dead, Henderson warns that something about the file doesn’t add up. Now the investigator must untangle the tangled paperwork and hidden motives before the scheme collapses on its own creators.