Toothless — David Wiley

Ever wonder what happens after a major breakthrough? It's not always glamorous, often it's plain hard work. After the events covered in Saint Vladnitz, humanity's path to the stars seems clear and the most junior crew member from that voyage is determined to participate. Ernestine Borgia becomes the Imperial Navy's prize recruit. Trouble is, she keeps getting into trouble. Her fellow cadets resent her, the naval officers barely tolerate her, and the retrofitted ship to which she's assigned, the I.S. Ruthlessâ€"not so fondly called the Toothlessâ€"appears to have a few glitches that the Navy's contractors overlooked. When disaster strikes on their exploratory mission, what they need is a hero, what they've got is Ensign Borgia.

Toothless is the second story in the Borgia Trajectory, a series set in the same universe as the Eichi Testaments.