Secretly, Sloane Tarnish has always admired her outlaw of an uncle, and his tales of not-so-legal adventures across the galaxy–but she never thought she'd be asked to help with one of his heists. When Uncle Vin shows up on her med school campus with a plan to steal a chip full of Fleet intelligence–and the baffling idea to have her play a key role in the scheme–Sloane's got her doubts. Uncle Vin doesn't seem to realize that her top skills involve the kind of shots you drink, not the ones you fire. But Vin's convinced the Fleet's got plans to install empirical rule across the free galaxy, and that this data could stop them before they can begin. When a bunch of rogue delivery drones start taking shots at her–and not the liquid kind–she has to figure he's onto something. To prove it, all she needs to do is steal the data key from the middle of a Fleet ball… and right out from under the Commander's nose. Too bad she's got absolutely no idea what she's doing… Outlaw Rising is the prequel novella to the Parse Galaxy space opera adventure series.

Space travel isn't really Sloane Tarnish's thing. She's a med student, not a planet jumper – though to be honest, nano healing and gene therapy aren't exactly her thing, either. And she's definitely not leadership material. Unfortunately, her outlaw of an uncle didn't take her lack of skill into consideration when he disappeared. Instead, he decided to saddle Sloane with his questionable crew – a cranky pilot and a mad scientist – plus a ship that only answers to Sloane. Sloane just needs to raise enough cash to find her uncle and get back to her life. Desperate, she accepts a bounty job in a system where a recent power vacuum has left crime festering in every corner. No one else wants to go there, but how bad could it really be? When the Commander of the Galactic Fleet himself shows up in pursuit of the same bounty, Sloane refuses to be intimidated – even if it means tiptoeing across a political minefield. The reward is just too big to give up. But as dangers close in on all sides, she can't help wondering if she'll live to claim it…

Sloane Tarnish doesn't mean to collect enemies like a Nano-Healer collects germs. They just keep showing up, for absolutely no reason at all. Yes, she hired her last bounty target to work on her ship instead of turning him in. And yes, she supposes she can see why the Cosmic Trade Federation might take issue with that. They don't have to shoot at her over it, though. When Sloane's new client offers her a lead on her uncle's whereabouts in exchange for her help in tracking down an elusive pirate-type, Sloane figures she might finally be on the path to fixing this messed-up situation. She's always been overly optimistic that way. But every step Sloane takes feels like the wrong one – and the Federation refuses to drop its grudge. If she doesn't take care, she's bound to stumble into a trap… and this time, she might just take the whole galaxy down with her…

Sloane Tarnish isn't the kind of girl who typically harbors celebrity fugitives on the rugged little spaceship she calls home. But now that she's stuck with one, she can't help but feel she's pretty darn good at it, thank you very much. She doesn't know how long her crew will be able to hide. She doesn't know what the Cosmic Trade Federation will do next in their bid to control the entire freaking galaxy. What she does know, with absolute certainty, is that Galactic Fleet Commander Gareth Fortune is innocent of all crimes. The only trouble? Finding a way to prove it…

Sloane Tarnish is finished with Galactic politics, Fleet Commanders, criminal cartels, spaceships in general, and–most of all–bounty hunting. The only problem? Bounty hunting isn't finished with her. The Cosmic Trade Federation has a bounty on her head now, and the reward is high enough to tempt old nemeses into the Fringe Systems. All she wants to do is serve a few drinks and forget the rest of the galaxy exists. Instead, she's living on the run. When a not-so-old friend shows up in the Fringe with a favor in mind, Sloane allows herself to be convinced to join the search for a missing friend–just this once. Meanwhile, the Cosmic Trade Federation is extending their hold on the galaxy, little by little. Soon, every corner of the galaxy–even the quiet ones where Sloane wants to hide–will be subject to their rule.

It might be true that there's no rest for the wicked – but Sloane Tarnish wishes they'd at least take a nap. Unfortunately, the Cosmic Trade Federation is too excited to sleep. All keyed up about their little bid to establish a galactic empire, and all that. They've wrapped her home system in an iron grip – literally – and she's desperate for news of her family. Torn between the urge to jet home to save them and the bone-deep need to beat the CTF at their own game by getting one step ahead of them – instead of reacting to their evil deeds – Sloane finds herself wracked with indecision. It doesn't help that she's also dealing with just a tiny bit of trauma, from getting blasted into space multiple times. It's enough to give a girl a complex. When the bad guys use her out-of-the-box tricks to blast her out of indecision – and the once-safe boundary of the Currents – Moneymaker takes a crippling hit that nearly sinks the ship for good. If she doesn't get the parts she needs to fix it, and soon, then she won't be able to help anyone. Unfortunately, the ship is stuck in the middle of nowhere, and the closest junk pile is crawling with danger. And when an old friend shows up to help, it quickly becomes clear that his secrets might doom the entire crew…