QUINX EFFECT by Tyree Campbell

Quinx Terwilliger spent her childhood being trained and treated as an adult, that she might live and work in Outer Space. En route to Ceres, she is orphaned, rescued by an exiled child-killer named Harper, and sent on to Ceres to work in an astrolab. Events tumble around Quinx. She is blamed for Harper's escape, even as Harper saves a library on Callisto and rescues a child-prostitute on Titan. When terrorists arrive from Earth to shut down Ceres Station by force, Quinx realizes it's time to go. But go where?

The Quinx Ef ect is the tale of an adolescent girl who is unaware of the influence she has on those around her as she grows up. Each of her friends has a flaw, but Quinx manages to bind them together for their strengths, as circumstances compel them to seek humanity's ultimate destiny--among the stars.