Basilisk

Its bite contains a highly addictive toxin… And its victims are protecting it… Skylar Solace has always dreamed of becoming a starship captain but lacks confidence and has failing grades. She gives up on her dream, quits school, and joins the Marine Corps. to serve on the frigate Cyclone in a war against the Rheanians. While boarding a Rheanian starship in an attack, the captain withdraws his marines before taking the ship and orders Skylar and her squad to stay behind against impossible odds. They encounter lizard-like creatures called basilisks with extraordinary speed and agility. They bite, and their victims fall into a deep sleep and wake up hours later, consumed by a desperate need to be bitten again. Skylar discovers that the presence of the basilisks is not incidental. They were brought in from a distant planet on another starship and are part of an evil plot. If Skylar is to win this battle, she has to become the leader she didn’t think she could, figure out how to fight off the basilisks and their victims, take command of the Rheanian starship, find the evil plot’s perpetrator, and crush him before it’s too late.