Appointment at Nowhere: Paladins of Distant Suns

The longer Everett Cole was on the planet Astrild, the more he understood the nature and mission of the Federation of Planets agency he had signed up with.
Unfortunately, at the same time, understanding seemed to be associated with more people trying to shoot him. The new knowledge included that Astrild was more than the innocuous, developing colony planet it should be. Outside forces were using the planet and its unique ecosystem for purposes that must be stamped out.
Naturally, it falls to Cole, his enigmatic colleague Edgar Millen and a few others recruited locally to accomplish what a rational evaluation would conclude impossible. It would be without official support from any authority on Astrild, without complete knowledge of the opposition, and with an uncertain, but likely short, timetable. Not that they had a choice. The danger was too real, and not just for this single colony planet.