“An utterly satisfying adventure . . . In Kylara Vatta, Moon has created another tough and complex heroine.”—Scifi Though the exciting military career she hoped for never materialized, Ky Vatta still sees plenty of combat. An unknown adversary has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky’s father’s interstellar shipping empire—killing most of Ky’s family. Fighting for her very survival, Ky is determined to avenge her family’s deaths. Teaming up with a band of stranded mercenaries, her black-sheep cousin Stella, and Stella’s roguish ex-lover, Ky struggles to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that surrounds the attacks. Amid suspicion and deception, she is prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business. What she’s not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror— and a confrontation with murderous treachery. . . . Praise for Marque and Reprisal “The intrigue-filled plot lends a marque of distinction.” — Entertainment Weekly “Excellent plotting and characters support the utterly realistic action sequences: swift, jolting, [and] merciless.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “A gripping, action-packed book.” — Omaha World-Herald “An utterly satisfying adventure . . . In Kylara Vatta, Moon has created another tough and complex heroine.” —Scifi “The intrigue-filled plot lends a marque of distinction.” — Entertainment Weekly “Excellent plotting and characters support the utterly realistic action sequences: swift, jolting, [and] merciless.” — Kirkus Reviews  (starred review)  “A gripping, action-packed book.” — Omaha World-Herald Kylara Vatta, risk-taking, rule-breaking, can-do heroine of "Trading in Danger, is back in business-the kind that's anything but usual-in the new military science fiction adventure by ace action storyteller Elizabeth Moon. The exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground-but Ky Vatta ended up seeing plenty of combat when she took the helm of one of the commercial transport vessels in her family's fleet . . . and steered it into a full-blown war. Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off: because this time, the war has come to her. To be exact, someone unknown has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky's father's interstellar shipping empire. In short order, most of Ky's family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive. Determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her family's name, Ky needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spades-from the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with, from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, who's been leading a secret life, and from Stella's roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that's wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, whose effective operation their own livelihoods-and perhaps lives-depend on. But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isn't long before Ky's hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISC's clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat . . . or amole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itself-and she's prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece. What she's not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror- and a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting. "From the Hardcover edition. Elizabeth Moon  grew up on the Texas border, served three years of active duty in the USMC (1968–71), and now lives with her husband, also a veteran, near Austin, Texas. She has published more than twenty-five novels, including Nebula Award winner  The Speed of Dark,  Hugo finalist  Remnant Population,  and the enduring epic fantasy series The Chronicles of Paksenarrion. She has published more than fifty short-fiction pieces in anthologies and magazines and in four of her own short-fiction collections, most recently  Moon Flights  and  Deeds of Honor . When not writing, Moon enjoys photographing native plants and wildlife, knitting socks, and cooking. CHAPTER ONE Kylara Vatta looked at the mass of paperwork from Belinta's Economic Development Bureau and sighed. The real life of a tradeship captain: paperwork and more paperwork, negotiation with shippers, customers, Customs officials. The life she hadn't wanted, when she chose to enter the Slotter Key Spaceforce Academy, and the life she had fallen back into when she was expelled. Boring. Mundane. Not that her recent experiences in Sabine had been boring or mundane--terrifying was more like it--and no one would want another trip like