A Smijj of Courage — Erin Manning

Far from Telmaja and separated from all of his friends, Smijj is trapped on a Government prison planet. Luckily he has met a new ally who is helping him make plans for a daring escape. But their plans are complicated when the ship they board is hiding a secret: a new member of the Twenty, an escaped slave on the run from the Unified Forces. As Smijj desperately tries to make his way back home, Lucien must race to rescue another of the Twenty who is fleeing from her life as a slave. But in his absence Taika finds herself leading the Twenty at the very moment when the Unified Forces seem poised to bring the war to Telmaja. To win this fight, the Twenty need Smijj to come home before it's too late.