SUMMARY: Kylara Vatta is the only daughter in a family full of sons, and her father' s only child to buck tradition by choosing a military career instead of joining the family business. For Ky, it' s no contest: Even running the prestigious Vatta Transport Ltd. shipping concern can' t hold a candle to shipping out as an officer aboard an interstellar cruiser. It' s adventure, not commerce, that stirs her soul. And despite her family' s 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 disgrace- and returning home to her humiliated family, a storm of high-profile media coverage, and the gaping void of her own future- Ky is ready to face the inevitable onslaught of anger, disappointment, even pity. But soon after opportunity' s door slams shut, Ky finds herself with a ticket to ride- and a shot at redemption- as captain of a Vatta Transport ship. It' s a simple assignment: escorting one of the Vatta fleet' s oldest ships on its final voyage . . . to the scrapyard. But keeping it simple has never been Ky' s 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 can' t stop Ky from turning the routine mission into a risky venture- in 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 she' s got more going forher than just her family' s famous name. But business will soon have to take a backseat to bravery, when Ky' s change of plans sails her and the crew straight into the middle of a colonial war. For all her commercial savvy, it' s her military training and born-soldier' s instincts that Ky will need to call on in the face of deadly combat, dangerous mercenaries, and violent mutiny. . . . "From the Hardcover edition."