Starship First Steps to Empire

The Starship Pathfinder had a mission, to find a new world for a Human colony. At first, Captain Eric Maddwell was alone on his journey. His search had lasted almost two and a half years and had turned up dead planets or useless gas giants. His discovery of a drifting alien ship almost identical to his own began a mystery and a quest that could save mankind.
Joined by three other ships and aided by the alien computer Astangii, Erik discovers that three separate species in this arm of the galaxy have been at war for over ten thousand years. The war isn't over and Earth is in danger of being drawn into the conflict. Even so, the political pressure from Earth sends out colony ships carrying twenty thousand people to join Pathfinder, even before a safe haven is located.
With the air running thin on the colony ships and the only available planet in range guarded by the Catroph, the only way to save the colonists is to fight.