Trading in Danger (Vatta's War) (2003)

Ky Vatta's first commercial command is an old freighter her family expects to retire. She has naval training, but making this ship's voyage work also means earning the confidence of experienced crew and understanding the business around them. Moon makes logistics, repairs and decisions under imperfect information central to the adventure. This opens Vatta's War. It is a particularly good starting point for readers who want a captain's authority to be tested against the people and machinery actually available.