The Icarus plot / Timothy Zahn.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

There wasn't much money to be made as a Trailblazer, searching out new worlds for possible development. Still, it was safer than the bounty hunter career that had cost Gregory Roarke his left arm six years ago. And thanks to his Kadolian partner Selene's ultrasensitive sense of smell, they occasionally discovered a medically promising seed or spore they could sell under the table. It was a quiet life, uneventful and mostly legal. Until Roarke was approached by two men with a proposal: track down a mysterious woman named Tera and, through her, locate a secret project called Icarus. The challenge was intriguing. The unlimited budget was tempting. But Roarke had a more personal reason to accept the job. The chance for long-delayed payback.About Timothy Zahn:"Zahn fans will enjoy the variety of small-unit combat scenes in the action-packed third and final Cobra Rebellion military SF adventure . . . [a] gripping series."--Publishers Weekly"Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement."--Publishers Weekly". . . you can count on Timothy Zahn for three things: clean, sparse prose; good pacing; and great action scenes. The first book in the Cobra War series hits all those marks in admirable style and makes for a quick, entertaining sci-fi novel."--BlogCritics"[Conqueror's Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political, and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill."--Booklist"Zahn paints every detail [in Angelmass] with gleamy realism . . . scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk . . . immensely appealing."--Kirkus Review