Deadly decoy

A security officer charged with defending the Galactic Capitol investigates a blue-skinned Damakoi who warns that a fellow countryman has smuggled a theta bomb into the city. The plot examines acute mistrust between species as the officer must balance strict security measures with the challenge of telling loyal Damakoi from fanatical killers. Tension centers on the deadly, hard-to-detect nature of the weapon and the impossibility of using standard radiation scans on the informant. The story becomes a race to find the would-be assassin before a catastrophic radiation flare can slaughter delegates from many worlds.