The Pride of Chanur

When Pyanfar Chanur, captain of the merchant ship Pride of Chanur, offers refuge to Tully — a strange, furless human fleeing the predatory kif who slaughtered his crew — she plunges her ship and her hani crew into a dangerous chase across the Compact. Told at breakneck pace, this first-contact drama launches C.J. Cherryh's Chanur series, unfolding richly detailed alien politics as Pyanfar gambles everything on a creature she barely understands.