It's time to fight dark with dark. Tiffany knows what happened. Esper has fallen to the darkness within her. Rather than fleeing to safety, she escapes the presence of Dark Esper to find a way to bring back the woman she thinks of as a mother. But before she can drag Esper down the road to redemption, she'll first have to wade into hell to find her. Meanwhile, Esper is being hunted by the latest in a long string of bounty hunters and assassins looking to collect the astronomical price on her head. What makes this one think she's got any better chance than all the rest that have tried and failed? This one looks like an old friend. Mortanian Rhapsody is the twelfth mission of Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire. Set in the Black Ocean Universe, it continues the saga of the galaxy's sweetest bounty hunter and her loyal sidekick (who is NOT a dog!) and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning readers alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.

When a hero snaps, the galaxy pays. For years, Esper has been holding in her mind the knowledge of ancient demons. Ever since reading that forbidden tome, a darkness has dwelt, gnawing at the edges of her sanity and wheedling to gain control. When a mission to a blockaded planet goes awry, Esper finally can't hold back the darkness any longer. The darkness within gains an annoying conscience and the body of a powerful wizard. Multiple battles ensue. First, Esper must fight alongside her crew without letting on that she's no longer the Esper they once knew. But also there's an internal struggle going on for control, influence, and the fate of everyone Esper cares about. Who can hold back the darkness when its main enemy takes command of the fight? Mission 9: Ship With No Name On the planet Meyang, a plague breaks out. Earth Navy enforces a strict blockade. No one in; no one out. But that includes medical personnel. With a humanitarian crisis brewing among the rebels being quarantined, Esper and her crew step in. Launching a daring rescue mission, they break the blockade to save lives. Mission 10: No More Mr. Nice Girl Esper isn't playing around anymore. When her ship gets hijacked, it's time to see what a wizard can do when she's not worried about doing the right thing. Mission 11: Magic's Little Helper Tiffany feels like her magical training has fallen off. With Esper preoccupied and the universe no longer listening to her demands, she turns to an illicit, magic-boosting drug for a boost. But the worst time for Esper to discover that her apprentice is blasted on Starlight is when a team of wizard assassins is hot on her trail. Mission 12: Mortanian Rhapsody Something is horribly wrong with Esper. The dark powers she's tapped into have finally collected their due. Overcome by the darkness inside her, she's no longer the Esper everyone knew. To get her back to herself, Tiffany launches a daring mission to find the one person in the galaxy who might know how to help. Bonus Short Story: Our Little Secret Left to their own devices, Wesley and Kubu decide to try all the things that Esper would never have let them do if she were around. Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire follows the exploits of a pair of do-gooder bounty hunters who care more about saving the day than getting a payday. Mercy for Hire builds on the rich Black Ocean universe and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning readers alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series. Grab your copy and support the cause of justice.

Leaving an apprentice unsupervised has never been a good idea. With Esper neglecting her duties as magical teacher, Tiffany takes her education into her own hands. Struggling with self-esteem and credibility with the universe, she resorts to trying a magical performance-enhancing drug. Of course, Esper has problems of her own. Unbeknownst to her, a crack squad of assassins is hot on her trail, and this time they're bringing twice the number of wizard-hunters along. It would be a great time for a fully-trained and capable apprentice to have her back. Wouldn't it? Magic's Little Helper is the eleventh mission of Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire. Set in the Black Ocean Universe, it continues the saga of the galaxy's sweetest bounty hunter and her loyal sidekick (who is NOT a dog!) and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning readers alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.

The record of each copyright registration listed in the Catalog includes a description of the work copyrighted and data relating to the copyright claim (the name of the copyright claimant as given in the application for registration, the copyright date, the copyright registration number, etc.).

The record of each copyright registration listed in the Catalog includes a description of the work copyrighted and data relating to the copyright claim (the name of the copyright claimant as given in the application for registration, the copyright date, the copyright registration number, etc.).

Every mistake carries a price. The worst accrue interest. All come due eventually. Cedric has discovered the means to fight back, but the price is high. Not all species are capable of carrying out his methods. It's one thing asking ships and crews to fight; it's another to ask them to sacrifice themselves. And yet, the valiant ships of Earth Navy continue to do so. If only the rest of the galaxy were so brave. A dark plan unfolds to doom one universe to save another. And an old foe will have to decide where his loyalties lie: to his species, or to himself? When the war with the cosmic horrors reaches an epic crescendo, everyone is going to have to decide how much they're willing to sacrifice for the sake of their fellow sentient creatures. Terminal Gambit is the twelth and final book in the Black Ocean: Astral Prime series. It hearkens back to location-based space sci-fi classics like Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Astral Prime builds on the rich Black Ocean universe, introducing a colorful cast of characters for new and returning readers alike. Come along for the ride as a minor outpost in the middle of nowhere becomes a key point of interstellar conflict.

Even the best of us has a demon locked up deep inside. Sometimes, they get loose. In the constant war against her darker side, Esper was forced to win a daily battle for control. One loss was all it took for the roles of warden and prisoner to switch. Now, with her friends as hostages, this new Esper relies on advice from her better half to keep up the illusion that this is still the Esper they know and love. When their newly acquired base of operations gets hijacked, Esper has to balance between maintaining her cover and doing what she knows it's going to take to get her ship back. No More Mr. Nice Girl is the tenth mission of Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire. It follows the exploits of a pair of do-gooder bounty hunters who care more about saving the day than getting a payday. Mercy for Hire builds on the rich Black Ocean universe and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning readers alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.

The escape pods are long gone. A distress beacon is still active. Chase off the pirates and the wreck is all theirs. What was a crime scene moments before just became legitimate salvage, fair game for an opportunistic starship captain. Carl Ramsey is that opportunist. His crew of misfits includes his ex-wife as pilot, a drunken mechanic, a predatory bodyguard, and an outcast wizard from the Convocation. On their best days, they’re a well-oiled machine, capable of taking on any challenge. In theory. If that ever happened, Carl would be as shocked as anyone. In the meantime, they're a crew in need of terras, and the galaxy doesn't give those out for free. Jobs come and go, but the cost of fuel is always chasing a ship like its own ion trail. A good captain just keeps his crew from killing one another, getting dusted by pirates, and earning however they can. Nobody pays for easy work, and every job comes with its own surprises—never the good kind. Welcome to life out in the Black Ocean. ...where you can’t always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes... You’ll get what you need. Salvage Trouble is the first mission of Black Ocean, a science fantasy series set in the 26th century. Do you wish there had been a second season of Firefly? Do you love the irreverent fun of Guardians of the Galaxy? Have you ever wondered how Star Wars would have turned out if Luke and Obi-wan had ditched the rebellion to become smugglers with Han and Chewie? Then Black Ocean is the series for you! Pick up your copy of Salvage Trouble, and aim to misbehave with the crew of the Mobius.

The witch is back! Esper tracks the Cult of Ra to an arms factory on a grimy colony world. With limited magical resources, they're reduced to doing their vigilante act the old fashioned way. But when their best efforts fall short, Esper is forced to make an impossible choice. In the aftermath, Esper is going to have to reevaluate her priorities and rediscover what magic means to her. With her powers returned, so has the dark voice that haunts her day and night. A reckoning is coming, and the only way to get out alive is to give in and be the wizard she's always had inside her. Walk Like a Magician is the sixth mission of Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire. It follows the exploits of a pair of do-gooder bounty hunters who care more about saving the day than getting a payday. Mercy for Hire builds on the rich Black Ocean universe and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning readers alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.