Mia is a veteran spacer who has seen everthing, Lorimel is a newbie wanting to learn from her. They have been sent to investigate the deaths, by what seems like a new disease, of all the colonists on a recently settled world. Moving story, strong ending. Feels rather old-fashioned as SF though. ( )

I’m not very fond of Prime Directive stories usually. Avoiding contaminating cultures with our technological ways seems kind of patronizing to me, but I have read more than one piece from someone in a colonized culture where they are upset by the loss of the possibility of their culture being the primary driving force in their lives/art/etc. Leaving aside the effect on any one person for moment, a monoculture probably isn’t the best for our species, but neither do I think it’s possible to preserve all cultures. There’s a bit of a sociological Heisenberg uncertainty principle going on here. When this topic is explored in fiction, it usually feels to me like the discussion just spins in circles, leaving me little to grasp and think about and no wiser. Nancy Kress’ story is entertaining as a what happens next first contact story, but it didn’t push me into thinking harder about culture bleed. ( )