Left hand, right hand

"Left Hand, Right Hand" by James H. Schmitz is a science fiction tale about humanity's tense first encounter with an alien race. It confronts difficult choices through the tale of Jerry Newland, a courier pilot who struggles with his clouded past. Waking up after crashing, Newland finds himself held captive by the Tareegs, mirroring the harrowing circumstances of engineer Troy Gordon, as they are forced to play a deadly game of survival amidst alien politics and uncertainty. Their alien captors dream of transforming their arid world while plotting against Earth, and the two prisoners wrestle with their own crew's hidden treachery as escape may be their only hope against the Tareegs' schemes.