Asteroid miner Jack Starlander stumbles upon the illegal sale of a woman and child with unusual abilities. Jack once fought to free slaves and can't abide slavers. In the ensuing shoot out, two important men die. Jack, Sophie, her daughter and Jack's close neighbors are forced to flee to safety. Their journey takes them into deadly danger. An Antiquarian with her own ancient secret, Sophie knows old stories may seem fantastical but have a core of truth. She recognizes the mythic thread in the old Starlander legend. Perhaps his family's myth can save them.

With the death of her no-account husband, Polly is the sole owner of a farm steading on the planet Celstar. She is determined to hold the steading and make a life for herself and two Synth children in her care. Her nearest neighbor, widower Fallon Verdad, is the big landowner in the territory and also her local Councilman. Like most of the other settlers, Fallon is a Shimmer, a horse shifter, while Polly is human—well, mostly human. Their attraction to each other is electric and hard to deny. An affair would lead to scandal in this conservative community. Scandal is the last thing Polly needs. Sci-fi space western romance, futuristic, short story.

Odessa, a lonely single mother and former dance hall girl, contacts her former lover, Veras, the man she never got over. She wants to see how he is doing now. It seems he never got over her, either. He is leaving Farport Space Station in a short time for medical school on a distant planet. Traveling so far is a one-way trip; they know they have no future together. They want to enjoy the few days they have. But why are they attacked by drones?