Heart of the Nebula. Gaia Nova

The lone wolf must now lead his people across the stars. For five long years, James McCoy has watched the Hameji bleed his homeworld dry. Now, his only hope is to lead his people across the stars to a place where they can start over. But escape is only the beginning. Pirates, warlords, famine, and the ever-looming shadow of the Hameji all threaten to shatter everything he's built. The galaxy James once knew has fallen to fire and steel, and there is no place in it for the weak.
James once gave everything to save his family. But the line between protector and tyrant grows thinner with every choice he makes. And in a galaxy full of predators, freedom may be the first dream to fall prey.