Tom Godwin's "Empathy" (novelette, bureaucracy, free): Actions speak louder than words

Two warring factions of frontiersmen in a star-faring humanity: ERB ("Extraterrestrial Relations Board"), & Frontier Corps. Later are competent, former are pompous politicians out for power. ERB seems to be winning ... so far.

This is the story of their conflict, as played out on the world of Deneb Five, an outpost Earth wants for farther exploration of space. Comically idiotic & cowardly General David A Beeling of ERB vs the very competent Captain Harold Rider of Frontier Corps.

Fact sheet.

First published: Fantastic Science Fiction Stories, October 1959.
Download full text from Baen CD.
Rating: A.
Related: Stories of Tom Godwin.