The Scapegoat (Cherryh novel)

"The Scapegoat" is a science fiction novella by American writer C. J. Cherryh, set in her Alliance-Union universe.

The work was originally published in the 1985 anthology of military science fiction Alien Stars and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novella.

A few districts remain puzzlingly neutral, but when humans try to establish relations with one of them, it instantly joins the enemy side.

As they talk, DeFranco learns that the elves do not comprehend the concept of a treaty, written down on a piece of paper, and do not trust it; their way of thinking is too alien.

When DeFranco realizes what the prisoner wants, he tries to leave, but the meeting place has been locked from the outside by his commanders and a grenade pointedly left inside.

The novella was first published in the anthology Alien Stars ( Baen Books , 1985).