He’s hidden himself from the world. But can he hide from her? Ever since a racing accident disfigured him forever, scientist Raymond Killian has locked himself away in a base on one of Neptune’s moons, working feverishly on his latest research project. Newly minted Ph.D. Nora Whitaker comes to Triton to assist Dr. Killian with his cybernetic research. What she never expected to find was a man whose soul was so in tune with hers. But the connection they share may be destroyed forever if they don’t take one last, desperate chance. Note: Although this novella is set in the Gaian Consortium universe, it takes place roughly a hundred and fifty years before the events of Blood Will Tell, et al., at a time when the Consortium was just beginning to expand into the galaxy outside Gaia’s solar system and hadn’t yet developed the star-spanning empire seen in the series’ other books.

Welcome to Iradia, where the Gaian Consortium looks the other way if enough money changes hands, and the best way to ensure a long life is to secure passage off-world… When Miala Fels’ father is murdered by a vicious crime lord, she decides the best way to get her revenge is to hack the accounts of the man responsible and bleed his hoard of ill-gotten loot dry. Her plans go awry when Mast is killed by a rival, and she ends up nursing one of his men, the notorious mercenary Eryk Thorn, back to health. Her only thought is to have Thorn help her get off-world in exchange for half of Mast’s treasure. The last thing she expects is to lose her heart to him…or to have the consequences of that love change her life forever.

On the outlaw world of Iradia, Miala Fels and her computer-hacker father discover that taking the wrong commission can have unexpected consequences. Originally published in the [Starbound anthology](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28953058-starbound)

Anika Jespers, a homesteader’s daughter on a Gaian colony, thinks she’s destined for a dull existence on her family’s farm. But when her father makes an impossible bargain with their neighbor, one of the alien Zhore, she faces a future different from anything she could have possibly imagined. The familiar story of Beauty and the Beast takes on new life in this SF romance novella, with the Beauty a homesteader's daughter and the Beast an alien on a faraway colony world. This book also contains the bonus follow-up holiday short story, "A Simple Gift."

A holiday dinner turns into an evening of revelations as Anika's parents finally learn the truth of her relationship with an alien Zhore. This 6,300-word (approximately 25 paperback pages) short story is a direct sequel to Breath of Life, and so does contain spoilers for the earlier work.

Humans and Stacians have been sworn enemies for centuries, so Gaian Captain Lira Jannholm has no reason to trust Stacian starship commander Rast sen Drenthan when he proposes a bargain that will end a dangerous confrontation over a resource-rich planet. When Lira finds herself disgraced and discharged from duty through no fault of her own, she joins forces with Rast to discover the truth behind her reversal of fortune. Running from rapidly multiplying enemies in a ship stolen from one of the most powerful criminals in the sector, Rast and Lira discover they are pawns in a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of government and has put them in mortal danger. The secret they uncover could change the balance of power in the galaxy forever…not to mention destroy their own future together. This book contains sensual scenes intended for adult readers.

Alexa Craig is well aware she’s known as “The Ice Queen” — and not out of admiration—but her reputation has served her well in her diplomatic career. Alien ambassador Lirzhan understands his people are viewed with suspicion and curiosity by the members of the Gaian Consortium, but the Zhore do not casually reveal themselves to outsiders—not even to someone as intriguing as Alexa Craig. But after their ship is attacked during a routine flight, the two strangers must rely on each other to survive on the supposedly uninhabited world where their escape pod has crashed. When Alexa and Lirzhan discover the secret hidden behind Mandala’s wild beauty, they must put duty before desire and risk everything to warn the Galactic Council of a conspiracy that could endanger their lives, their worlds, and the future they have begun to imagine together.

Cassidy Evans inherited the Titan run when her father died and left her a broken-down cargo transport and a regular gig hauling supplies to the maximum-security prison located on Jupiter’s moon. When convicted murderer Derek Tagawa hijacks her ship and demands her help in clearing his name, Cass can’t help but wonder if there aren’t easier ways to make a living. But Derek has those amazing…eyes…and she begins to believe there may be more to his story than she originally thought. Running from the authorities, they head to the heart of Gaia to unearth a conspiracy so far-reaching that exposing it could rock the Consortium to its very foundation…and change the future course of both their lives.

For most of her adult life, Trinity Knox has lied in order to conceal her psychic talents. Now she’s been trapped in the biggest lie of all…. After she makes the mistake of trusting the wrong man, she finds herself in the hands of the Gaian government, with only two options left to her: Serve time in the Consortium’s MaxSec prison on Titan, or agree to go on a secret mission that requires someone with her particular set of skills. Altered biologically to hide her human identity, Trinity is sent to the mysterious world of Zhoraan, where she must unearth secrets the alien Zhore have been hiding from the Gaians for generations. But the longer she stays among the aliens, the greater the chances her deception will be discovered, and the greater the chances of her losing her identity, her soul…and her heart.

There are rebels among the stars... Meet eleven protagonists battling to save themselves and the ones they love. Human, cyborg, clone, or alien, they'll find themselves pitted against intergalactic crime bosses, interstellar mercenaries, a quantum-wave-riding collective mind, and the universe itself. Along the way, there's plenty of action, adventure, humor, and even some romance. Written by the freshest voices in science fiction, these stories are short, but they'll light your imagination like a solar flare. Strap yourself in and join the rebellion! Download this collection today. About the Star Rebels Stories: A Tale of Two Ships by Audrey Faye A KarmaCorp Story Two ships crash into an unimportant digger rock. The first carries a newborn baby. The second will rewrite her destiny. Carl Sagan's Hunt for Intelligent Life in the Universe by C. Gockel An Archangel Project Story Sometimes intelligent life is right in front of your whiskers. Blood Ties by Christine Pope A Gaian Consortium Story On the outlaw world of Iradia, Miala Fels and her computer hacker father discover that taking the wrong commission can have unexpected consequences. Passage Out by Anthea Sharp A Victoria Eternal Story Street rat Diana Smythe has long since given up her hopes of escaping Earth, but that doesn't mean she can't watch the ships fly in and out of the spaceport and dream... Arcturus 5 by D.L. Dunbar A Twenty Sectors Story Xella went to Arcturus 5 to mediate a simple trade dispute between the Mol and the Dark, but now she's not sure she'll get out alive. Treason's Course by L.J. Cohen A Halcyone Space Story In the midst of Earth's first off-planet war, a soldier is given a covert assignment and must decide if treason lies in carrying out her orders or disobeying them. _ Falling_ by Pippa DaCosta A Girl From Above Story Trapped in a scrappers rig with a woman he's been hired to kill, Caleb Shepperd is beginning to wonder if this job could be his last. Starfall Station by Lindsay Buroker A Fallen Empire Story After the empire falls, cyborg soldier Leonidas Adler must avoid the Alliance operatives who want him for secrets only he knows, but that's easier said than done. Worse, his past threatens those he's traveling with, including Alisa, the freighter captain he has come to care about. _ Luminescence_ by Patty Jansen An ISF-Allion World Story Hadie learns the price of being an artificial human when her partner has an accident and becomes unresponsive. Glome by James Wells A Great Symmetry Story Humanity's first interstellar colony ship has arrived at its destination, only to find an inhospitable death trap of a planet. Crew member Amanda Bowen wishes that was the biggest problem she faced. Unfinished by Kendra C. Highley An Unstrung Story In a world where genetically-engineered humans serve as slave labor to "real humans," two prototype children, designed to be the most superior models ever created, look to each other to find a way to escape their fate.