Enchantress From The Stars by Horace Engdahl

A young woman from an advanced, secretive starfaring civilization is sent undercover to a war-ravaged, less-developed world to study its people and limit harm from prior cosmic contact. Posing as a sorceress to the locals, she wrestles with the moral consequences of intervention, forms close bonds with the planet’s inhabitants, and seeks a compassionate way to guide their recovery without erasing their culture. The story explores responsibility, the ethics of interference, and the power of empathy across civilizations.