Crystal Soldier

In a galaxy worn down by generations of war against an implacable foe, a star pilot's mission brings him an unexpected ally and a chance to serve his troop—and mankind. M. Jela Granthor's Guard is a soldier who was born to be a soldier, a solider whose genes were selected before birth, whose life was chosen for him as one of service and dedication. Cantra yos'Phelium is an ace pilot and a thoroughgoing rogue. She trades the dark and the gray markets along the war-torn Rim, running solo, and with an eye firmly on her own profit. When chance deals her an ex-soldier, she's inclined to leave him where she found him. That was before mutual trouble arose, and Jela proved himself a good man in a tight spot. Still, she thought to ditch him next planet down the line. Only he wasn't being easy to ditch. Worse, he had a puzzle going that just naturally drew a pilot's close attention. So the two of them form an unlikely—and uncomfortable - alliance, the soldier intent on his mission; the pirate intent on her survival. And neither one, in the face of alien technology, outlaws, and the enemy's renewed assaults, can quite forget a life lesson shared by people who live on the edge of chance: Sometimes, no matter what, you're just going to lose...