From ships lost to accidents in warp, space pirates and plague, to colonies facing unexpected rivals, and new lifeforms on the ground, this collection draws on some of the what-ifs and maybes surrounding humanity’s future among the stars. From flash fiction to novelette-length short stories to verse, the speculation runs from the idea of corporate takeovers of colony worlds, to unusual critter incursions, to the simplicity of plague, and how our future selves might cope when facing the gamut of human emotion on an extra-terrestrial stage.

A short story that includes: An unwelcome reunion A missing child An illegal take-over and a slaving operation All I wanted to do was stay out of Mack’s hands, and well away from whatever game he was playing while working another Odyssey contract, because I was sure Mack had an agenda of his own, and Odyssey wasn’t going to be pleased. As for me, well, I was right in the middle of it…as usual. Mack’s lynchpin. If I could just pull another rabbit out of my hat, and get his scheme to work.

A science fiction short story incorporating: An endangered disappearance attempt. A botched comms hack. A ruthless communications company. And a hunt already in play. I was in more trouble than I could poke a stick at—and that was before I poked the Depredides interweb. Now? Now, I’m hoping my hunters can get to me in time to save my life…and that they’re so inclined.

A short story where a stranger walks into a tavern, and the local lordling is his usual obnoxious self. After all, what could a stranger want in a bar like this? And why would he put up with the lordling’s company?

A fantasy short story containing: A place by the fire in exchange for a story, the tale of a blind bard and a dragon, a knight and his squire. Sharing stories for a place at a fire. It’s a highlight of the road—but the tale of a blind bard and a dragon, and how things used to be? Maybe it wasn’t my best choice.

An urban fantasy science fiction short story. Rescued by an elf. Approved of by the pixies. Protected by the unicorns. Harper returns to the world of man, to find it greatly changed. Fate has drawn her dance card, and rudely changed the tune. Will she surrender to its whims? Or find the courage to choose the next few dance steps for herself?

A science-fiction short story involving: A werewolf on the moon. A kit that wants to be a human girl. A vigilante corporation with interstellar reach. And dreams of an Earth return. When Chitin decides to protect a young shapeshifter, he takes on more than he knows. Can he negotiate an ending that will see her stay free, and help him build his dream of returning to a renewed Earth?

A science-fiction short story involving: a crystalline canyon, cats and spinners hidden along the walls, a missing flyer, a stolen child, and an agent and her nemesis working together to bring them to safety. When Odyssey Agent Catriona Delight is called from hunting a renegade to undertake a mission to rescue a child, her salvager, and another missing agent, she finds herself working with Cutter, Mack and Tens, all ex-Odyssey and antagonistic. Can they work together to reach their target in time, or will their differences bring the mission to failure on a hostile world?

Governing a colony isn’t easy. I mean, I should be in my last year of school, stressing over exams and annoying my parents, not on some distant planet as a ransom for my world’s good behavior. Instead, I’m running a colony of five, while doing classes on planetary development, so when a strange spacecraft goes overhead, flying fast and low, toward a group of colonists I haven’t met yet? Well, even my Keepers think we have to move fast, or risk losing friends we’ve never met. And here I was thinking they’d dealt with the Heritage threat.

A science-fiction short story incorporating: A downed ship. An AI sentience in jeopardy. A hostile take-over in action. When Peony sneaks out to make sure the crashed ship’s AI is okay, she has no idea of what she, and her charge, are going up against. Can they survive the coming confrontation? And will they be forgiven for the measures they have to take?