She of Strangeness

Karel is an Interstellar Scout who travels from one star system to another hoping to find Intelligent Life and establish a friendly First Contact. When she lands on a planet with a high probability of being home to IL, she is surprised to discover a previously unknown human colony. Nevertheless, this is a First Contact, and it is her duty to remain objective, learn as much as possible about the people she has found, and avoid giving offense.Karel's objectivity is challenged when her partner is killed, and she is taken captive. She learns that the original colonists have split into three tribes. In two of the tribes, men outnumber women by more than two-to-one because the third tribe acquires their wives by stealing them from the other two.The first man she meets is a member of the third tribe and, although he never wanted a second wife, local custom requires him to add Karel to his family. She believes it is her duty to follow all local customs, but she is delighted to learn that some captive women try to escape. She decides that this is also a local custom and plans to take advantage of it as soon as possible.Almost by accident, she discovers that some tiny, tree-dwelling creatures are natural telepaths and the IL native to the planet. She enlists their aid in planning her escape.