Guardian Outcast by G J Ogden

Hudson Powell had always been a drifter, but after his father died he vowed to turn his life around. He quit freelancing as a starship pilot and joined the Relic Guardian Force as a 38-year-old rookie.
That was a big mistake.
The RGF police the alien wrecks found on every portal world. They ensure the relic hunters pay taxes on the alien tech they scavenge from the hulks. But RGF is corrupt. And Hudson’s boss, Logan Griff, is the worst scumbag of the lot.
Pushed over the edge, Hudson stumbles upon the exhilarating world of the relic hunters and meets the intoxicating and deadly mercenary, Tory Bellona.
Cast out from the RGF, Hudson chooses a new path. But the discovery of a unique alien crystal will change everything.
People stopped asking where the alien hulks had come from. People stopped asking who created the portals. Hudson will discover that some alien relics are best left buried.

Category: Science Fiction – Space Opera