The Fourth Consort: A Novel

Author Edward Ashton brings us another story of a human caught in a space drama, but unlike Mickey7, this one does not involve clones. Dalton Greaves is a human representative for the galactic federation known as Unity, a group of creatures organized by the Boreau. Greaves, and his fellow human and sidekick to Boreau, is Neera. Greaves and Neera are involved in making first contact with worlds with sentient life forms, urging them to join Unity, though Unity may just be a front for the Boreau to plunder and loot worlds. The other federation of planets is the Assembly. When a mission to a new world goes wrong, Greaves and Neera are left to their own devices with a crew from an assembly ship, a world that wants neither party and is trying to find a way home.

This is a decent book, not great but an enjoyable read. You are thrust right in the middle of the story at the beginning and get snippets of the past throughout the book. It shows even on remote worlds that the most dangerous creature to Man is its fellow human.