Story, first published: Galaxy Science Fiction, Nov. 1958
Human beings have already joined the galactic brotherhood ... and to keep their human culture intact, they set up the "Continuation" on Earth where old skills like politics and diplomacy or painting and music are still practiced to retain the knowledge of their manipulation and use. The protagonist is on the run because he played a game of dirty politics, and his opponents "dug up" assassination in response. He seeks asylum on his friend's estate. When the attempted assassination takes place, no one gets hurt, but the irony that human violence must be sublimated in a "civilized" game shows how thin the veneer of galactic influence really is.
Ewald, Robert J.: When the Fires Burn High and the Wind is from the North, p.62