Metamorph — Chris Reher

A new adventure by the author of The Targon Tales.
The deep space prospectors take the risks. The mighty Pendra Consortium reaps the profits. That's the way it is on the Hub, a crossroads to distant planets and limitless opportunity for mankind.

Pendra agent Laryn Ash is assigned to keep an eye on the crew, and especially the captain, of the prospector ship Nefer - not exactly the sort of career move she had in mind when she escaped the hardships of Earth's Restoration for a job on the Hub.

When two alien visitors hire the Nefer to find a long-lost migrant vessel, the crew discovers a distant world far more enigmatic and dangerous than the patrons who brought them there.
Their exploration uncovers secrets buried deep in Pendra's history that now threaten to destroy the humans who have made new homes on distant planets. As motives, stakes and alliances become clearer, Agent Ash starts to wonder on whose side she is fighting.