Mercenary Calling — Laura Montgomery

Exoplanets. Terrorists. Lawyers... Calvin Tondini has his first client, but he may be in over his head. It's the twenty-second century. Humanity's first and only interstellar starship returns safely. Its mission to discover a habitable planet succeeded beyond all hopes, but there's just one problem. Captain Paolina Nigmatullin of the USS Aeneid left an unsanctioned human colony behind and now stands charged with mutiny. Despite a somewhat spontaneous approach to his own career, life, and limb, Calvin intends to map a more cautious path for his new client. Captain Nigmatullin, however, shows an unnerving penchant for talk shows -- appearing on them, that is -- and otherwise ignoring her attorney's sober counsel. How can Calvin ensure his client's freedom when death stalks the Aeneid's crew, and Nigmatullin herself hides secrets from everyone, even her lawyer?