Herald of the Flame — Sylvia Engdahl

Starship captain Terry Steward, born Terry Radnor, is committed to spreading acceptance of psi powers and other advanced mind capabilities throughout the worlds of humankind. A strange turn of fate has enabled him to overcome terrorists who would have put an end to the colony world Maclairn's plan to achieve this goal. Now with his own ship Estel, he journeys from world to world, heralding the hopeful future about which he alone knows the full truth. But the opponents of mind power still pose a threat and on Earth the persecution of people who develop new abilities is increasing. Soon targeted by bounty hunters, Terry risks everything that matters to him in a desperate attempt to defeat Maclairn's enemies, not guessing that if he lives long enough, he is destined for an even greater role in human history than he has played as a defender of its cause.

Though this is a sequel to Defender of the Flame, it can stand alone. Both books can be read independently of the preceding Hidden Flame series, Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame, which tell of Maclairn's founding more than two centuries earlier.