Renegades of Orion — Steve Anderson

Escape is possible, survival is another story…
Renegades of Orion is a tale of action packed excitement, betrayal and survival, set in a shared universe with dozens of worlds colonized by humans and alien civilizations. The story is an introduction to the struggles of people and conflicting ideologies that propel decades of strife and reconciliation throughout human held space, the vast neutral territory surrounding the impenetrable galactic core, and the alien civilizations who also seek to master the galaxy that humans alone call the Milky Way.
Meet Vicky Legrande, shuttle pilot and covert resistance fighter from the human colony of Orion Prime. Orion Prime represented a shining achievement in human colonization efforts with cooperation between three Earthling factions. Unfortunately, the promise of new territory and resources also led to corruption, greed and domination of the colony worlds by all of the Earthling factions.
Learn about generations of Earthling oppression on Orion Prime and throughout human held space. Discover how that tyranny led to the rebel mission to steal the United States of North America's newest warship, the Artemis. Find out if her team of revolutionaries succeed, or if the dreaded Earthlings ruin their carefully crafted plan. The rebellion against Earth, violent smuggling rings and wildly different ideas of right and wrong all come into play in this first installment in the Renegade Galaxy series!