Shards of Eternity — John Triptych

Betrayed by fellow pirates, the Nepenthe is heavily damaged and trapped in hostile territory. The practical thing to do is attempt an escape back to the neutral zones, where her crew can lick their wounds and count themselves lucky to fight another day.

But their stalwart captain has other plans. He knows that if they let the renegades go, they stand to lose their reputation as the most fearsome raider outfit in known space. As the crew plans an elaborate revenge, they soon realize the true stakes revolve around a fabled lost artifact, one that could determine the fate of an entire star cluster.