Shieldrunner Pirates Series by R.E. Stearns

Adda and Iridian are newly-minted engineers, but in a solar system wracked by economic collapse after an interplanetary war, an engineering degree isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Desperate for gainful employment, they hijack a colony ship, planning to join a pirate crew at Barbary Station, an abandoned shipbreaking station in deep space. But when they arrive at Barbary Station, nothing is as they expected... moreAdda and Iridian are newly-minted engineers, but in a solar system wracked by economic collapse after an interplanetary war, an engineering degree isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Desperate for gainful employment, they hijack a colony ship, planning to join a pirate crew at Barbary Station, an abandoned shipbreaking station in deep space. But when they arrive at Barbary Station, nothing is as they expected. The pirates aren’t living in luxury — they’re hiding in a makeshift base welded onto the station’s exterior hull. The artificial intelligence controlling the station’s security system has gone mad, trying to kill all station residents. And it shoots down any ship that tries to leave, so there’s no way out. Adda and Iridian have one chance to earn a place on the pirate crew: destroy the artificial intelligence. The last engineer who went up against the security system suffered explosive decapitation, and the pirates are taking bets on how the newcomers will die. But Adda and Iridian plan to beat the odds. There’s a glorious future in piracy…if they can survive long enough. less

Adda Karpe and Iridian Nassir have escaped the AI that tried to kill them on Barbary Station, and earned themselves coveted spots as engineers on Captain Sloane’s pirate crew. Now they’re enroute to Sloane’s home base on Vesta to start the lives they’ve dreamed and worked for, as wildly successful pirates. In the asteroid belt, they’ll finally be able to start stealing from the megacorporations that would’ve kept them apart if they’d opted to work legally... moreAdda Karpe and Iridian Nassir have escaped the AI that tried to kill them on Barbary Station, and earned themselves coveted spots as engineers on Captain Sloane’s pirate crew. Now they’re enroute to Sloane’s home base on Vesta to start the lives they’ve dreamed and worked for, as wildly successful pirates. In the asteroid belt, they’ll finally be able to start stealing from the megacorporations that would’ve kept them apart if they’d opted to work legally.Unfortunately, the political situation on Vesta has deteriorated in Captain Sloane’s absence. Instead of running the place, Sloane and the crew find themselves trapped in a contract with Oxia Corp., one of the very megacorporations they’d hoped to prey on. Oxia is terrifyingly powerful, with a reputation for getting what they want—and they want Sloane’s crew working for them. Instead of stealing from the rich, they’re forced to rob and intimidate targets they’d never have chosen on their own, all for a shadowy corporate overlord with a dangerous secret.But Adda and Iridian didn’t pull off the heist of the century and survive a murderous AI just to be defeated by a megacorporation. If they’re ever going to have the independent life together that they’ve always wanted, they’ll have to free themselves from Oxia Corp.—or die trying. less

Adda and Iridian have survived the murderous AI that tried to kill them in Barbary Station and an evil megacorporation in Mutiny at Vest but now they’ll need all of their ingenuity to make it to the end of this epic trilogy. Adda Karpe and Iridian Nassir are on the run—both from the authorities who want to imprison them and the artificial intelligence that want to control their minds... moreAdda and Iridian have survived the murderous AI that tried to kill them in Barbary Station and an evil megacorporation in Mutiny at Vest but now they’ll need all of their ingenuity to make it to the end of this epic trilogy. Adda Karpe and Iridian Nassir are on the run—both from the authorities who want to imprison them and the artificial intelligence that want to control their minds. Trapped on a desolate black-market space station on the edge of Jupiter, they’re nearly out of allies—and out of luck.Now, they have one last shot to find a safe haven where they can live together in peace—across the interstellar bridge to another galaxy. Getting onto that mission will take everything they’ve got and more. But on the other side of that bridge lies the life they’ve always dreamed of...if they can survive long enough to reach it. less