Kirsten is just like any other 16 year old cadet at the Space Academy, except that she's an empath, and is bonded for life to an extra-terrestrial life form called a skeecat. School is tough enough, but when Kirsten's roommate and dorm mother disappear, Kirsten wants to know why, and she searches two solar systems to find some answers. First novel in a series written for young adult science fiction fans.