Kylara Vatta is the only daughter in a family full of sons, and her fatherβs only child to buck tradition by choosing a military career instead of joining the family business. For Ky, itβs no contest: Even running the prestigious Vatta Transport Ltd. shipping concern canβt hold a candle to shipping out as an officer aboard an interstellar cruiser. Itβs adventure, not commerce, that stirs her soul. And despite her familyβs misgivings, there can be no doubt that a Vatta in the service will prove a valuable asset. But with a single error in judgment, it all comes crumbling down.
Expelled from the Academy in disgraceβand returning home to her humiliated family, a storm of high-profile media coverage, and the gaping void of her own futureβKy is ready to face the inevitable onslaught of anger, disappointment, even pity. But soon after opportunityβs door slams shut, Ky finds herself with a ticket to rideβ and a shot at redemptionβas captain of a Vatta Transport ship.
Itβs a simple assignment: escorting one of the Vatta fleetβs oldest ships on its final voyage . . . to the scrapyard. But keeping it simple has never been Kyβs style. And even though her father has provided a crew of seasoned veterans to baby-sit the fledgling captain on her maiden milk run, they canβt stop Ky from turning the routine mission into a risky ventureβin the name of turning a profit for Vatta Transport, of course.
By snapping up a lucrative delivery contract defaulted on by a rival company, and using part of the proceeds to upgrade her condemned vehicle, Ky aims to prove sheβs got more going for her than just her familyβs famous name. But business will soon have to take a backseat to bravery, when Kyβs change of plans sails her and the crew straight into the middle of a colonial war. For all her commercial savvy, itβs her military training and born-soldierβs instincts that Ky will need to call on in the face of deadly combat, dangerous mercenaries, and violent mutiny. . . .
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