by Christopher Stasheff

During his last flight for peace and democracy on a forgotten planet, Gar Pike somehow managed to get himself a new traveling companion: Alea, a young with a certain amount of psychic ability--and a heavy dose of attitude to boot.

Now he can't get anything done. The ship feels like it's shrinking, and Alea's always around, asking questions, sticking her nose in, and generally making a nuisance of herself. When they finally land of their next target planet, she even tries to convince him that the people there don't need his help, since they have no government to overthrow! Obviously, Alea isn't cut out for this business.

However, as Gar continues to stick his nose where it doesn't belong, he wonders: Could it be that a planet without any government can survive peacefully and happily? And stranger still: Could it be that having Alea around isn't so bad after all?