Saltation

Theo Waitley is a Nexus of Violence. Thrust mid-year into a school forpilots far from the safe haven of her birth home on scholarly Delgado, young

Theo Waitley excels in hands-on flying while finding that she's behind the curve

in social intricacies as well as in math. Her mentors try to guide her studies

and training into the channels best suited to her special abilities and

inclinations, including suggesting that she should join in the off-world

studenty association, a plan resulting in mixed success. After a series of

confrontations, fights, and ultimately a riot after which she is thanked for not

killing anyone, Theo is named a "nexus of violence" by the school's

administration. Facing suspension and carrying little more than a hastily

procured guild card, a pistol taken from an attacker, and the contents of her

pants pockets, Theo must quickly decide if she's ready to return to Delgado in

disgrace, or launch herself into the universe as a freelance pilot with

credentials she's already earned.