1999 1st year edition (mfg. code 10-1); autographed by Timothy Zahn on title page (pic); Bantam Books publishers, New York; hardbound; very good condition with unmarked pages; dust jacket very good.
 
description -
Smuggler Jordan McKell has partner Ixil, an alien whose two "ferrets" ride his shoulders and telepathically exchange simple messages. They take a job on the odd-shaped ship Icarus. But the ragtag crew was found at taverns, the secret cargo sealed tight, the employer missing, and a saboteur is aboard. After a beautiful crew member helps uncover the nature of their cargo for Earth, Jordan suspects they are in a vast conspiracy set to change human history. Unfortunately, he's right.