Sunshine in the Shadows

Every year, each of the humanoid planets in the United Universe select two young adults to attend the Academy, a four-year program on a cruiser that travels through space. The students train with their humanoid peers to become Ambassadors tasked with ensuring the continued peace, harmony, and security of the known Universe.
Sunshine Blue Mountain, from the planet Baatar, is one such student.
Just like any ordinary Academy student, Sunny finds a holiday job aboard a trading spaceship, visits her web-toed friends on their watery world, rides a Clopthristwith, and falls painfully in love with the warrior-race boy with the striking blue eyes.
When she finally encounters the greatest threat the known Universe has ever experienced, will her natural instinct to fight finally win?
This is the story of her second year at the Academy.

Note that this is a Young Adult novel, intended for audiences 13 years and older.