Zen Dipietro

Equip new adventurers. Send them out to find their way in Everternia. Sally's purpose had always been clear. Newly awakened from that repetitive existence, she now sees her world from a new perspective. Life has become a puzzle, and there's nothing she loves more than a good puzzle. The two people responsible for her awakening are as fascinated by Sally as she is with Everternia. She's not sure why that is, but she's giving the pair the benefit of the doubt, for now. Their foreign ways can be confounding, but with time, she'll figure out what makes them tick. She has so much to learn about Everternia and about herself that she barely knows where to start. She wants to do it all, immediately, with great enthusiasm, and maybe even while wearing a pair of really nice pants. Her new curiosity and sense of adventure are growing by the minute, like cogs fitting together to transmit torque. With nothing but her bravery, two natural-born adventurers, and her unusual skills as a streetmonger, her future is anything but certain. That's okay. She's ready to leave behind her old life and certainty to out what she's made of. She's got her goggles, so she'll be looking at what everything else is made of, too. She'll be a brand-new type of adventurer, like nothing Everternia has ever seen.

I wasn't so impulsive when I was alive. Death has changed me, I guess. This isn't a dream. It's not the afterlife, either. This is something new. I don't remember how I died. I only know that I did. My name is Jennika Monroe, and I need to find a way out of here. A college student reaches out from beyond the dead to solve her own murder. A struggle to identify what it means to be alive, what it means to love, and how hard a person will fight to hold onto what matters. This story is like nothing you've read before. It's Altered Carbon meets Gone Girl inside a Matrix type environment. It will challenge you, then thrill you, then leave you wanting more. Truly an innovative breath of fresh air that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Step into the pounding heart of a unique digital setting and enjoy this technothriller today

So, I'm a redshirt. I come from a long line of redshirts. I denied it for a long time, but when your family members have a habit of getting decapitated, impaled, or just plain dematerialized, you eventually have to face facts. My dad had his spine removed from his body when a member of his crew de-evolved into what I can only describe as a cross between an alligator and a yeti. A yeti-gator, as we now refer to it. My uncle was bitten by a phase-shifted arachnid and unintentionally relocated to an alternative universe that didn't have oxygen. I mean, seriously. Try calculating those odds. My grandmother was happily baking cookies when a cyborg transported into her kitchen and assimilated her. Technically, she's still alive, and she does send me cookies every now and then, but to be honest, they taste like shit. Cyborgs have no idea how to make proper cookies. My great-grandfather had just landed a cargo ship full of rutabagas when a nearby ship malfunctioned and shot a harpoon straight into the cockpit. A frigging harpoon. It doesn't even make sense. You know what else? I have no idea what rutabagas are used for. There are more examples, but relating the tragic demises of the majority of my family members is bumming me out. Do you have any idea how depressing family reunions are for a redshirt? Charlie Kenny has a fork phobia, a cyborg nana, and more bad luck than a black cat breaking a mirror on April Fool's Day. He's on his way into space for the first time, and it's bound to go epically wrong. Take off on the Second Chance with Charlie and see the wonders of the universe. Courteous porters will make sure you don't miss any of the sights, whether it's blagrooks gnawing on the circuitry or a violent pink mutant doing some killer dance moves. The bar is open around the clock for your pleasure, but don't make the bartender angry. You wouldn't like her when she's angry. (She's the pink mutant.) Keep an eye out for Greta Saltz, the Chance Fleet brand ambassador-no doubt you've already seen her on the lightstream. She never loses her bright smile, even when we're headed right into a disaster, Uh, did we say disaster? We meant adventure You'll get nothing but good memories from your trip, guaranteed.** As always, we thank you for choosing the Chance Fleet. Have a wonderful journey. **This is not a contractually binding legal claim. Assurance of pleasant memories not guaranteed. This If you require contractual clarity, please contact our legal representatives at the law offices of Pound, Sand, and Dhye. If you love unexpected twists, laugh-out-loud humor, and rooting for the underdog, you'll love Dodging Fate. It's like Spaceballs had a bad dream about Galaxy Quest, and then some hapless redshirt inexplicably showed up and face-planted in the middle of the action. Laugh your way through some sci-fi comedy. Especially if you have nothing better to do.

The unthinkable has happened... Reece and Trey must get to the bottom of a professional and personal tragedy-a violent attack on Reece's favorite whiskey distillery. But as the pair dig into what happened, they find themselves in the crosshairs of a nebulous conspiracy that neither of them can sort out. When someone begins to attack fixers, the gloves come off. Reece is determined to find the culprits, and not another drop of precious whiskey will be spilled.

Reece is all about her Akonwaran whiskey. Well, that, and a good fight. If her job doesn't give her enough opportunity, her best friend Kippy will hustle up a brawl for her at his bar. Most of the time, she's busy enough as a corporate fixer to keep her satisfied. Some people call her a bounty hunter, and she does do a lot of hunting people down. Her expertise goes much deeper than that, though, she demands a steep price for it. When her boss assigns her an unwanted partner, Reece is further dismayed to find that he's a gen-mod from outside the retro zone. The last thing she wants to do is be a mentor to someone like that. She'll scrape him off if she can. As they chase a rogue scientist out of the Machete system, she's looking for a way to get rid of him. That endeavor takes a backseat when their search for the scientist takes them into greater danger than either of them bargained for. She'll have to move fast and shoot straight to get out of this one. A hired gun goes where the job is, and doesn't ask too many questions.

9 tales of galactic ludicrousness, all communicated entirely in beeps and squinks. If you can read this, you're probably a cyborg. Stealing Trouble by Amy DuBoff Legitimate business is boring. There's no thrill, just a lot of paperwork. To amuse themselves, the crew of the Little Princess II decide to try their hands at some old fashioned art theft and black market dealings. However, going in without a clear plan has a tendency to backfire. Old nemeses, incorrect assumptions, and bad luck are just the beginning of their problems. Invasion of the Kaviis by C. C. Ekeke Since childhood, Henar has trained to become part of the Kavii Benevolency's grand military. But when he's sent to the backwater world known as Earth, the young soldier is hell-bent on making the best of his first military conquest. What he finds on Earth opens his eyes to a new and unorthodox chance at glory... and unlimited belly rubs. A Visit from my Cyborg Nana by Zen DiPietro Charlie Kenny is happy with his new life on the Second Chance. He's a redshirt, an unlikely adventurer, and he's even learned to mix a darn good cocktail. He's been reluctant to return to Earth, where the majority of his life's misfortunes have occurred, but his nana needs help. The cyborg overlords that assimilated her years ago now refuse to provide her with proper maintenance. Charlie has no choice but to face off against these robotic ruffians. Lucky for him, he'll have the help of the two best friends a redshirt could have. The Horrible Habits of Humans by S. E. Anderson Commander Strax of the Order would love nothing more than to command his ship and plan his retirement. Babysitting a new race is not part of the plan. When a simple dimplomatic mission goes sideways, it's up to strax to save the universe--and keep the human out of trouble. The Lone Ranger Returns by Michael Anderle Her grandfather is gone, his legacy remains. It takes a while for this granddaughter to realize you can't outrun the Grimes legacy. Swarn of the Zom-Bees by Chris J. Pike Captain Jim Jones and his crew just want to enjoy a few space hot dogs when blood-sucking bees attack. After reaching a tentative truce, everyone has been fooled by the Space Bees, with their apparent need to cultivate honey everywhere. But when the first Space Bee shop opens on Earth, Jones suspects something else is afoot as people start dropping like flies. Vermillion by L. A. Johnson Zenith researches ancient intergalactic maps for a living. Or at least she did, until she impulsively joined a slacker Civil Customer Service crew to get away from an ex-boyfriend. Now she must deal with the terrors lurking in deep space, a co-dependent ship named Vermillion, and a human-sized insect roommate. The crew is intent on keeping their zero percent customer satisfaction rating despite Zenith's objections, but when her past won't stop coming back to haunt her, her first job may be her last. Glitches Wild by Drew Avera What happens when the unluckiest man on the planets plays a high-stakes game of poker against the richest man in West Virginia? He loses his ass in more ways than one. The real question is, what happens after? Zip Zap Boing by Andrew Lawston The Starship Troupers Initiative is famed across the galaxy, bringing the greatest actors to entertain soldiers in warzones on the most lethal colony worlds. Now, new actor James Fanning must both give the performance of a lifetime, and singlehandedly turn the tide of Jargroth's civil war. The show must go on... even if it kills him

Four soldiers against a whole empire. Avian Unit is ready to settle things with Blackout once and for all. But every time Fallon thinks she knows what's going on, another twist smacks her right in the face. She follows one clue to the next, finding that the problem goes much deeper than she ever dreamed--all the way to PAC command itself. Treachery, espionage, and four adrenaline junkies who don't know how to give up. This will be the mission of their lives--if they can survive it. Can one little rebellion save an empire from destroying itself? Avian Unit is sure as hell going to try. If they succeed, the universe is going to owe them the biggest beer in the galaxy. Maybe some Bennite stew, too. Fans of Firefly and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will love this series of rogues, privateers, and adventure. Books in the Dragonfire Station universe in written order: Each series stands alone and need not be read in written order. Dragonfire Station Book 1: Translucid Dragonfire Station Book 2: Fragments Dragonfire Station Book 3: Coalescence (series complete) Intersections: Dragonfire Station Short Stories Mercenary Warfare Book 1: Selling Out Mercenary Warfare Book 2: Blood Money Mercenary Warfare Book 3: Hell to Pay Mercenary Warfare Book 4: Calculated Risk Mercenary Warfare Book 5: Going for Broke (series complete) Chains of Command Book 1: New Blood Chains of Command Book 2: Blood and Bone Chains of Command Book 3: Cut to the Bone Chains of Command Book 4: Out for Blood

In a dirty universe, sometimes you have to play dirty. Em isn't who she thinks she is. She's something else. Something far more dangerous. She can't prove it because she doesn't remember her past, but she's certain she's not the simple security officer people tell her she is. In the process of figuring out who she really is, she falls down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and espionage that will light her entire galaxy on fire. What's happening to her is only a symptom of something far, far bigger. Anyone could be a part of the conspiracy, leaving her with no one she can trust. Not even the stranger she's apparently married to. She does have one advantage, which is also her biggest clue to her past--she has knowledge and skills the average PAC officer doesn't. Whoever she is, she's far more important than the people around her realize. The situation threatens to tear her apart, even as she fights to keep the Planetary Alliance Cooperative together. If she can find out what happened to her, she might be able to save the alliance. Somewhere within her is the key to it all. If you enjoy intrigue, adventure, action, humor, and complex characters, you'll love this series. It's like Star Trek meets Total Recall, then they get in a big fight and blow up a bunch of stuff. Grab this page-turning adventure today Books in the Dragonfire Station universe in written order: Each series stands alone and need not be read in written order. Dragonfire Station Book 1: TranslucidDragonfire Station Book 2: FragmentsDragonfire Station Book 3: Coalescence(series complete)Intersections: Dragonfire Station Short StoriesMercenary Warfare Book 1: Selling OutMercenary Warfare Book 2: Blood MoneyMercenary Warfare Book 3: Hell to PayMercenary Warfare Book 4: Calculated RiskMercenary Warfare Book 5: Going for Broke(series complete)Chains of Command Book 1: New BloodChains of Command Book 2: Blood and BoneChains of Command Book 3: Cut to the BoneChains of Command Book 4: Out for Blood