Escaping Amnthra was cut from the novel The Renegat and honestly, I can see why. It would have disrupted the flow of that novel by adding another subplot.
That being said, Escaping Amnthra stands on its own. It helps to have read The Renegat or to be somewhat familiar with the Diving Universe but it’s not really required.
The story is of the remnants of a crew trying to operate a ship they don’t really understand under the most extreme circumstances. I half expected the story to continue to the point in The Renegat because I would like to know what happens when the Fleet does their investigation.
Bottom line, if you are like me and grab everything from The Diving Universe that you can find you’ll like this story.