Potemkin village

A small delegation is summoned by the Intercolonial Office to investigate a puzzling request from the isolated nation of Tolstoia. Photographer Ann Starnes, writer Robert Heidekopfer, and the seasoned explorer Vincent Lanzerotti must travel to a world built on the pacifist philosophy of a long‑dead Russian writer, only to find its people now eyeing a chain of barren islands for settlement. Their mission is simple on paper—document the islands and report any hidden motives—but the lack of recent contact, mysterious disappearances, and the enigmatic history of Tolstoian exile turn the assignment into a delicate probe of an almost forgotten culture.

As the team prepares to venture into a society that has shunned outsiders for centuries, they grapple with questions of loyalty, ideology, and the potential dangers of a seemingly harmless expansion. The story blends diplomatic intrigue with a touch of classic space‑frontier mystery, inviting listeners to wonder what secrets lie beneath the calm surface of a hermit-state’s quiet ambition.