Letter of Marque — John Stevens

The vast distances between stars are impossible for a Navy to patrol. When needed, private vessels, modestly armed, are pressed into service. Ships, lost traveling the routes to Earth's most secret colony, a project to guarantee the continuation of the Human Race, have fallen to unknown threats. Jericho Arlington, a professional gambler, has acquired a ship by illegal means. When captured by Federal Earth's Navy he is given a choice: get spaced as a pirate or accept a Letter of Marque and investigate why ships have disappeared. He accepts the commission. The Navy outfits his vessel, the Marquette, with a young but highly capable military Artificial Intelligence, and a genetically designed soldier. Together, they travel to the secret colony.