The thrill of casual touch exposes an immediate attraction between them, but how far can intimacy go between two totally different life forms?Revolving Realities By Cari Z.Dr. Eliot Hollister is desperate to locate the Ulysses and her crew before tragedy strikes… again. The lone survivor of a hostile attack compounded by human error, Eliot is using an alien artifact to search through alternate realities, trying to change the outcome in a parallel dimension. Eliot’s challenge once he finds the ship? Convince Captain Paul Alvarez he’s for real before the Ulysses falls prey to the same trap.The Sacrifice By Sue BrownAfter twelve years, the leaders of the Free Worlds have finally found a man willing to sacrifice his life to the gods of Segelian to ensure an alliance with the mineral-rich planet. But when Stane raises the dagger to perform the rite, he looks into the human Steven’s eyes and is horrified to discover he is destined to kill his life partner. If Stane doesn’t complete the ritual, it will destroy any chance for a treaty… and it might also change the world of Segelian forever.Alone By Andrea SpeedScientist Logan Murakami doesn’t have much to keep him company during his lonely vigil at Outpost Proserpina. But he knew that going in, and it’s the perfect place to focus solely on his work: a neuro-optical interface that would be the perfect engine for artificial intelligence… an intelligence that Logan hopes is taking on a life of its own.Losing Sight of the Shore By Emily MoretonSecondary communications officer Jay is assigned to a boarding crew when the Hydra discovers a seemingly abandoned, powerless ship floating in space. While exploring the derelict ship, Jay finds a barely conscious man with purple skin and silver eyes. After surviving a raider attack, Felix is understandably afraid to let Jay go—even when cultural differences threaten to stop any contact between them.Gifted in Tongues By JL MerrowAfter inadvertently outraging local sensibilities, space pilot Torvald “Spitz” Spitzbergen faces a five-year stretch in a Lacertilian jail. His only consolation is trading insults with his cellmate, Tao, a six-foot libidinous Felid. But Tao seems to have a distinctly fuzzy understanding of the difference between fighting and foreplay…Analytic Geometry By Andi DeaconKevin Ikoro has an incredible opportunity: his boss at Helix Multicorp wants an analyst’s view of how the corporation’s Exploration division works, and Kevin is now a member of explorer team Alpha 3IG. His teammates, a set of brilliant twins named Cameron and Theo Banark, are fascinating, and Kevin finds himself harboring a serious case of lust for Cameron. But exploration is unpredictable, and his teammates may not be what they seem. The shortest distance between two bodies isn’t always a straight line.The Monsters Below By Lyn GalaBrai’s never dreamed of fighting the monstrous sub-humans who infest Kestia, but when his lover joins the service, Brai does what he always does… he follows. Then Rick is lost on his first mission, and Brai is left alone in a murderous rage. Now on his own first mission gone terribly wrong, Brai has his chance to get back at the monsters for killing Rick—only the government hasn’t been honest about the nature of the enemy, and Brai might find that the caves hide a secret that could change his life.Feral By K.R. FosterDesperate to end a war, the king of the Lunar Pryde agrees to submit one of his offspring to mate with a member of the Sol Pryde royal line. Cynfael, prince of the Lunar Pryde, fled the planet six months ago searching for freedom, and nothing could convince him to return… except his father’s threat to marry off Cynfael’s twelve-year-old sister Adara. After fighting for freedom his entire life, Cynfael must return to Starion to face his unknown mate and an equally unknown future.Ganymede’s Honor By Cornelia GreyColonel Ardeth Connor has been rescued from death, but he’s not sure his new life is any better: he’s effectively trapped aboard a rebel ship that defies the Federation to collect ice meteors, stealing life-sustaining water for the poorest of planets and asteroids. As an anonymous part of Captain Gabriel’s crew, Ardeth is biding his time until he can escape… and learning there’s more to space than just the Federation.

    Into the world of the Ata comes a desperate man, running from a fast life of fame and fortune, drugs and crime. He is led by the kin of Ata on a spiritual journey that, sooner or later, we all must take.

    But after her marriage to Andrew fell apart, she ceded most of the raising of the baby to her mother-in-law, the very opinionated Edith Vale, a woman as formidable and steely as her stiff blond bouffant, the veritable helmet that helps her soldier through life. Now, after letting Henry drift away, Susan is determined to make things right, but just as mother and son seem to make headway after embarking on a cross-country road-trip, things take a darker turn. When the family reconvenes in California, everybody must fight to find humor and courage in the face of a situation that threatens to change them all forever.

    Fiction by Hugo and Nebula award winners and nominees as well as talented newcomers. Stories were selected by the Unidentified Funny Objects series curator Alex Shvartsman.

    The next chapter in the bestselling Ender saga is here! Ender Wiggin was 12 years old when he destroyed an alien race. Burdened with guilt, he wrote Speaker for the Dead and created a pseudo-religion that spanned the known worlds. Now an adult, Ender is called to investigate a murder committed by a new alien species with a seemingly gruesome nature. Can he uncover the truth before another species and more human lives are lost? Based on the award-winning novel by bestselling author and science fiction legend Orson Scott Card.

     Martin L. Shoemaker, author of “Today I Am Paul”, presents stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary work. Planning, exploring, constructing… living and growing and dying… across the Solar System. Includes these award-winning stories: Scramble (second place, Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, 2012) Unrefined (third place, Writers of the Future, 2014) Racing to Mars (first place, Analog Analytical Laboratory award, 2016) Plus seven more stories!

    As victims of political action, powerless to initiate change, what can they do? How do they live and survive?Frank McGuinness explores the daily crisis endured by hostages whose strength comes from communication, both subtle and mundane, from humour, wit and faith.Someone Who'll Watch Over Me premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London, in 1992 before transferring to the West End. On Broadway, it was awarded the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play and nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1993.

    One stolen human female.Being a space pirate doesn’t make a being rich, which was why Rhilax was dealing with the biggest crime lord in the ten quadrants against his better judgment. He doesn’t know much about the job on offer, but he knows it’ll pay for food and supplies for himself and his brothers. Maybe enough to find a nice, quiet planet somewhere, forget about a life of smuggling and finally settle down.He’s certainly not prepared when a female slave, none the likes he’d seen before, is led naked, chained and helpless to be his fated mate. He definitely wasn’t prepared when he obliterates his dream, along with the crime lord’s head, kidnaps the female and makes a target of himself and his brothers - The crime lord has a brother and the brother wants them all dead.When their ship is destroyed, Rhilax and his brothers are blown into the far reaches of the known universe. To make matters worse, the escape pod is wrecked and his fated mate has escaped. Rhilax must find her before the crime lord’s thugs, or the unknown creatures on this planet, and complete the bond before his mind is lost to the mating urge.She can’t remember her name. Or her life before the cages. Maybe it’s better not knowing. Being trapped in a cage and grieving a beautiful life would be the worst kind of torture. She’s good at zoning out, but it gets harder and harder to disregard the massive blue-skinned alien who tells her he is her fated mate, whatever that is. All she knows is if she doesn’t get away from him, she might never be free again.If you like impossible odds, wilderness planets, sexy alpha blue-skinned aliens and the tension of fated mates, you’ll love Protected by the Alien Space Pirate.

    But with Enforcers in hot pursuit, Special Agent EAFY584 can only escape by crashing her stolen starship out of hyperspace into an uncharted solar system. Fortunately for her, the planet called Earth has a human population. Unfortunately for them, standard Enforcer procedure is to sterilize any planet where a spy might be hiding. WHAT CAN YOU DO WHEN DISASTER IS COMING AND NOBODY CARES? To outward appearances, Effie is a typical human teenager. She claims it's part of her undercover work on another world. Whether that's true or not, the disguise works. When she tries to warn the government the world is in danger, no one takes her seriously. The only person who will listen is a lonely old cowboy and he’s already at death’s door. Maybe if she plays her cards just right, his help will be enough. HONESTY MAY NOT BE THE BEST POLICY Effie knows that the Enforcers will arrive sooner or later, so she does everything in her power to be up front with the government. She admits she's an alien, she admits she's from outer space, and tells everyone she wants to help. But who listens to a young woman about a potential alien invasion? JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WON'T LISTEN DOESN'T MEAN THE THREAT ISN'T REAL. Effie has no choice, she must prepare for battle. She goes into the global marketplace and sells her technology, a little here, a little there. She'll get ready for the bad guys on her own. But that is just step one. Step two means taking the fight to the Enforcers' home system. After all, if you are going to stand up to a bully, you better be ready to finish the job. And if that means dragging Earth into an interplanetary war, they'll have to get used to it.

    Zane and Luna go on a date and discover some deeply hidden secrets about one another.

    There could be crueler masters than Rhani Yago, the beautiful and powerful aristocrat. Dana forges a dangerous bond with his master--and discovers that on a world where drugged criminals are used as slaves, rebellion may be the highest form of love.

    As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip. But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone? And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip? In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.

    When former soldier Everett Cole signed on to help colony planets prepare for joining the Federation, his employers were disconcertingly vague about their identity and his duties. Yet, the pay was good and it got him off Earth and on the way to a fresh start. More reservations arose when - 11 light-years from Earth - he met his partner, Edgar Millen, an enigmatic man with a penchant for violent solutions and a fetish for the mythology and language of the American Wild West. It wasn’t until they reached the colony world of Astrild that the mission became somewhat clearer. They were players in multi-faceted efforts to steer colony worlds in preparation for joining the Federation. Unfortunately, not all obstacles were amenable to diplomatic, political, or economic solutions. Cole and Millen were agents, troubleshooters, hired guns - or whatever you wanted to call them - tasked with removing impediments to civilized law and order - the methodology left open-ended. Millen and Cole’s first mission to test their partnership? The backwater town of Justice was under the control of a strongman and his henchmen. All they had to do was convince the cowed citizens to rise against their tormenter. Formal authority and backup? None. Millen was blasé at the assignment. Everett’s first thought was, “What the—!”

    Now, a few months on, the Martian invaders are dead, slain by the earthly bacteria against which they had no defence.Then, as England begins to rebuild, terrorist outrages begin to rock society. A new adventure begins, as a daring plan is put into place to discover the source of these disruptions.

    Always outlaws, Mal, a very pregnant Zoe, new pilot River Tam, and the other surviving crew members are in greater danger than ever. Meanwhile, everyone is asking the same question . . .