Exotic Contraband: The Road Past Home

The universe is infinite in extent and the Compact large beyond simple measurement. But the Starship Bostonian has found a road home for the few humans stolen from their home world. But the Compact has strict non interference rules and while returning the humans is allowed, contact beyond that is forbidden. The crew of an Air Force recon jet, kidnapped and sold as creature show exhibits want to go home though their commander, Major Sandra Sebastianii, might have made another decision if she had been alone.
The ancient human commander of the Compact Cartographic Cruiser Bostonian is less sure of his road home, because his birth world is an utterly unrecognizable and all he had once known is dust. Now his place and his friends all reside in the vastness of the Compact, all except for the one person he can’t live without.
Everyone starts out following the rules. But rules are meant to be bent especially when a civilization is on the edge of a war it does not understand the reason for. And while the Qang Smugglers might look cute and cuddly their ruthless arrogance is about to get them into deadly danger, and their stupidity may be the trigger needed to start an interstellar war of unthinkable destructiveness.