The Sea Stallion Book 7: Orange Furred Quibble. The Sea Stallion, #7

Cal had no intention of having a pet in The Sea Stallion. A spaceship was no place for an animal. But he couldn't blame anyone else. He was the one who had paid for the animal, and he was the one who lugged the large travel crate inside. Even Mia was not impressed. "If that creature's sleeping on our bed, then I'm sleeping in the spare room." He'd been told. That was not all his troubles either. He'd always had the feeling the Imperial Regime were hiding details from him.
Sure, they'd helped him destroy the Pirate group, but it had been too easy. That was until he encountered an enemy that really fought back. Powerful weapons. Trained troops. Covert locations. An enemy with the power to annihilate him and The Sea Stallion. The shock of his first serious encounter with that group forced him to reassess all he thought.