In Case of Fire

An experienced Terran ambassador on a remote, ritualistic alien world manages a diplomatic outpost staffed with psychologically atypical recruits, deliberately channeling their quirks into roles that keep unique biochemical supplies flowing for Earth's war effort. The narrative contrasts his private reflections on age and memory with the alien culture's strict social protocols that enforce his isolation, and it shows the day-to-day bureaucracy of making misfit personnel useful. When a confidential communique arrives revealing that the enemy is suing for an immediate armistice, he must decide, in secrecy, how to reconcile diplomatic custom, wartime logistics, and the fragile supply lines that support distant battlefronts.