The Back Channel

In "The Back Channel," part of John Scalzi's The Human Division series set in the Old Man's War universe, a diplomatic crisis threatens to ignite a war between the Colonial Union and a coalition of 400 hostile alien races. To prevent disaster, Conclave leader General Tarsem Gau assigns Hafte Sorvalh the critical task of navigating this tense situation, aiming to find a peaceful resolution before conflict erupts. This story is one of the interrelated narratives that explore complex interspecies dynamics and the fragile balance of diplomacy.