Into the Fire, by Elizabeth Moon

The second novel of the Vatta’s Peace trilogy starts a few weeks after the close of volume one, on the planet of Slotter Key. After an island break, former Admiral Ky Vatta and her fiancé Rafe have made a hurried return to her cousin Stella’s house in the capital. The house has been broken into and there is a heightened security risk. Ky soon discovers that the personnel she rescued in their previous adventure have not been returned to their families as promised, but have disappeared. Not only that, the evidence she turned over to the Slotter Key military has gone missing and her and Rafe’s immigration status is under question. Under attack on many fronts, Ky needs to regain her citizenship, clear her name and, most importantly, find her people and ensure their safety. Along the way she, Stella and their formidable aunt Grace must find out who is behind decades-old plots to take over the planet and eradicate their family. The tension ratchets up as more things go wrong and the obstacles seem insurmountable. Can Ky’s leadership strength and ability to recruit allies kick in to even the odds?