Title: Thousandstar
Description: From the back cover:

At the edge of the Milky Way, the treacherous space race for the legacy of the Ancients begins -- a race against time, enemy aliens, and black holes.  For outlawed here Heem of Highfalls and beautiful Jessica of Capella, the extraordinary contest is very simple:
THEY CAN WIN... 
OR THEY CAN DIE.
Subjects: American Science fiction, Life on other planets, Fiction, Competition, Fiction, science fiction, general