Sea's Trial. SeaScape, #3

Sea's Trial is book 3 of the future space adventures of Sea, a Guard, Warrior and now a mom. While recovering and regrouping from their last perilous mission, Sea decides they'll take it easy for a while. With Val's pregnancy, they expect a long shore leave before continuing on the Deep Space Mission they've planned. Taking up residency with Sea's Sensei at his compound, life begins to settle into a comfortable routine.
No routine lasts long with Sea, Val and Gloria. A pair of alien ambassadors approach Valeria, needing the professor's unique services to identify an Alien Artifact located on their planet. Descriptions of the Artifact and their home planet are enough to pique Val's interest. Discussing the logistics, they invite the Ambassadors to stay at the compound until their ship is ready for such a mission. An attempt to kidnap one of the Ambassadors accelerates the time table.
With aid from the Warder, they prep to leave sooner. As they ready themselves, Sea must do a favor for her Sensei. Using her abilities, she gauges the participant of a Pit fight. While others take advantage of the night, there is a serious development. The fight somehow stokes Gloria's bloodlust, activating behavior that she can't control and they can barely understand. After, they decide Azkor had implanted this behavior inside Gloria.
Azkor, the dead alien that had mentally fused the trio, still had his claws in their lives. Taking the ambassadors to their home planet they find the conditions as bad as described. The Artifact is an Ancient ship. As Val explores the ship, seeking answers for the Arane, they are attacked. Those who had tried kidnapping the Ambassadors had followed and now took control of the region. It is up to Sea and the crew of The Weightless Sword to turn the tables.
It is up to Val to learn the truth of this Artifact. In this case learning the truth is a major score.