Pandora's Crew

The Pamplona Sector was in trouble. Two hundred years of consolidation wars left a small cadre of corporate elites running the sector. The Drakes and the Cordobas were only interested in maintaining their power. And the great houses within both camps had their knives out.
The Federation didn't start with a shot.
It was a man deciding to be decent when his training -even his genetics- insisted that he be a bastard.
It was a friendship between people who should have found each other repulsive.
It was a young girl asking impertinent questions and insisting that those around her do the right thing.
It was concern for the welfare of a damaged suitbot.
It was a woman being told that she was not allowed to fight injustice and answering "Yes, I think I will."
In the founding of the Federation, it turned out to be all about finding the right crew. New York Times bestselling authors Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff are happy to bring you a new book in a new series, in a whole new universe. You will be familiar with Gorg and Paula from their books in Eric Flint's 1632 Ring of Fire series, The Kremlin Games, The Viennese Waltz, The Volga Rules and The Alexander Inheritance. And now they welcome you to the StarWings Universe.
The Pamplona sector-long cut off from Old Earth by war, politics, and the vagaries of jump-is slowly, too slowly to notice, slipping into a space-going dark age. Technology and science are being suppressed. The powers that be intend to remain in charge and are too busy sticking their knives in each other's backs to notice that the short term advantage of demonizing aliens, artificial brains, and genetic engineering are far outweighed by the long term stagnation their paranoia and propaganda is fostering.
The artificial brain ship Pandora, her captain, Danny Gold, Checkgok, a Parthian neuter female, John, Jenny, the professors and the odds and sods they pick up as crew don't know it either. At least not at first. They are just trying to get by. But the evidence mounts, and they are forced to make some hard decisions.