Translation state / Ann Leckie.

Qven was created to be a Presger translator. The pride of their Clade - to learn human ways, and eventually, make a match and serve as an intermediary between the dangerous alien Presger and the human worlds. The realization that they might want something else isn't 'optimal behavior'. It's the type of behavior that results in elimination. But Qven rebels. And in doing so, their path collides with those of two others. Enae, whose dead grandmaman has left her an impossible task as an inheritance: hunting down a fugitive who has been missing for over 200 years. And Reet, an adopted mechanic desperate to learn about his genetic roots. As a Conclave of the various species approaches - and the long-standing treaty between the humans and the Presger is on the line - the decisions of all three will have ripple effects across the stars.