Charles Sheffield 
Mind Pool [EPUB ebook] 

In the 23rd Century, out of all the races of the galaxy, only humanity has discovered the secret of travel between the stars — not so much because we’re smart, but because we are incredibly gadget-orientated. We are also, compared to the galaxy’s highest sophisticated norms, very, very tough, which most of the time does nothing for our social acceptability. But when a threat to all life in the galaxy arises from non-living biological constructs, suddenly the peculiar human virtues of valor and stubbornness make us the sword-wielding saviours of All…