Was Once A Hero: First Book in the Shasti and Fenaday Chronicles

A rag-tag crew of spacefarers become unexpected heros battling an ancient enemy on a murdered world. Reluctant privateer, Robert Fenaday searches the stars for his lost love. He's joined by the genetically engineered assassin, Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks a dark past. Both are blackmailed by government spymaster, Mandela, into a suicidal mission to a doomed planet. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of a world's death, before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.