Road of Danger (the Republic of Cinnabar Navy Series #9)

The book follows brilliant starship captain Daniel Leary and his trusted friend, the master spy Adele Mundy, as they are deployed to a seemingly quiet sector to help a local admiral preemptively dismantle a coup. However, the jealous admiral intentionally derails their mission, dispatching the crew of the Princess Cecile on a dangerous wild goose chase into a lawless border sector ruled by extortion, smuggling, and gunfights.Amidst a fragile peace between the oligarchic Republic of Cinnabar and the totalitarian Alliance, a rogue intelligence officer seeks to spark a cataclysmic war by enlisting a sadistic brute. Navigating the volatile political landscape, rampant corruption, and local interference, Leary and Mundy must cut through heavy bureaucracy and pirate plots to stop the conspiracy before civilization is destroyed.