Children of Darkness — James E. Wisher

With that short phrase, Captain Marcus Drake's partner, navigator Solomon Keys, will drastically alter the course of their lives. After picking up the signal of a distress beacon far into the galaxy, the two ex-smugglers decide to investigate the source -- a large ship with a gaping hole in the side of the hull.

Aboard the derelict spaceship floating millions of miles from the nearest civilization, a single woman -- undercover Earth Force Agent Iaka Kazumi -- survives in a sealed cryochamber. When Captain Drake wakes her, he inadvertently steps into a conspiracy that could destroy the Earth's government. The Omni Corporation from Earth has been engaged in the strictly forbidden practice of conducting medical experiments on sentient life forms. But Omni's scientists aren't working alone. Drake, Keys, and Kazumi soon find themselves on the run from enemies, new and old -- all of whom want them silenced.