Psion

Joan D. Vinge
First Published: 1982
Half-human, half-alien, Cat is a sixteen-year-old orphan who has spent his life lying and stealing in order to survive on the savage streets of a distant planet.
When he becomes involved in a research project which unleashes his extraordinary telepathic powers, Cat is swept into a struggle for his life as two interstellar powers want to use his mind when a weapon.

Psion is a tough, gritty tale of an outsider whose only chance for redemption is as an undercover agent for an interstellar government that by turns punishes and helps him.