And YOU call yourself a SciFi Fan ... hrmpf. I can't believe you've never run across James Schmitz and his "Telzey Amberdon" stories. He was one of the first SF writers to create strong female protagonists who had opinions, thought for themselves, and didn't just sit around waiting for a male character to bail them out of trouble.

You probably HAVE run across James Schmitz before ... he wrote "The Witches of Karres". If you haven't read "Witches", you really should.

It's possible I have copies...