Space Opera First Contact

The powerful narcotic syncophine, commonly known as Flare, comes from only one source: the oil of the gargantuan whale-like beasts that swim the dust sea of Nullaqua. It was John Newhouse’s addiction to the substance that made him a dealer and forced him to move to this airless, inhospitable planet. But when the all-powerful galactic Confederacy declares Flare illegal, the needs of Newhouse and his clientele leave the desperate off-worlder no choice but to sign on as an able seaman aboard a dustwhaler and hunt the giant creatures himself.

Edited by best-selling authors and universe creators Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy, Tales from the Lyon’s Den includes 18 all-new stories in the Four Horsemen universe by a variety of best-selling authors - and some you may not have heard of...yet.

An eccentric, trigger-happy captain and a level-headed commander vie for control of the starship Gemini, but are forced to mix their two very divided crews when they encounter a space barge full of militarized waste. They say it takes two to tango, but when facing this planet-destroying vessel and the rumor of an ancient, hidden foe in the Umbra, it takes the military might of Captain Skip Sutridge and the scientific genius of Commander Maggie Antwa to be in with a fighting chance.

The Academy is a galaxy-class school, created to train the next generation of Gatekeepers. Jules Parker is attending the Academy, alongside her best friend Patty. When the Kold threaten everything her father and his friends have spent years building, she must reveal that her Iskios abilities are stronger than ever. With Magnus and Slate away on the Horizon, and Mary working on the board of the Alliance of Worlds, Dean finds himself out of the action for the first time.

Graduate student Tom Rice is thrilled to embark on his first deep-space archeological expedition. He is part of a team from Earth, venturing out in search of artifacts from a civilization that ruled the universe many millennia ago. Called the High Ones, the members of this long-gone society left tantalizing clues about their history and culture scattered throughout space. One such clue, a "message cube" containing footage of the ancient ones, is more interesting than all of the others combined. It seems to indicate that the High Ones aren't extinct after all.

Das Gesicht von Seku III, der Erde, verändert sich. Es ist eine Welt im Wandel. Nicht nur die Umwelt erholt sich Schritt für Schritt, sondern auch die Wirtschaft muss sich von alten Pfaden lösen und neue Wege gehen. Doch vor allem ist es die internationale Politik, die vor ungeahnten Umwälzungen steht. Und das gefällt verständlicherweise nicht allen Beteiligten. Daher haben die Terraguards alle Hände voll zu tun, damit der bereits angestoßene Prozess nicht zum Stillstand kommt. Zu allem Überfluss sind Bestrebungen im Gange, den amerikanischen Präsidenten zu diskreditieren, und das mit Erfolg.

Against all odds, the Ark and her 30,000 survivors have reached Tau Ceti G to begin the long, arduous task of rebuilding human civilization. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Tau Ceti G's natives, the g'tel, are coming to grips with the sudden appearance of what many believe are their long-lost gods.

Abducted. Forced to fight against her will. Darcy has a 10,000-year-old secret buried in her genetic code. The Druid Gene makes her a target, but it may also save her. As a second year medical student, Darcy's life revolves around classes, studying, and her boyfriend Adam - until she treks through the desert, touches some mysterious stacked stones, and a network of glowing blue lines radiates under her skin.

It is 2076: Lancer, Earth’s first starship, is on a mission to find interstellar civilizations. Although astronaut Nigel Walmsley’s experiences with alien encounters make him the expert, no one believes Nigel’s theory that machines are the dominant intelligent beings left in the galaxy and that their purpose is to annihilate all organic life. Then the explorers discover once-living planets where only machines remain – and ruined worlds where fugitive survivors must evade omnipresent and lethally advanced A.I. warships.

Defying NASA, Jane Holloway, the linguist of the Providence expedition, commandeers the alien ship that crew explored. She sets off to return that ship's navigator to his home world, determined to discover who was behind the genocide that destroyed his original crew. But when she gets there, she finds his world devastated by the same plague. The remaining members of his race, uniquely gifted at navigating the stars, are stranded across the galaxy. And someone doesn't want those lost navigators found.

The lines. The soul of every ship. It was once thought there were only 10, but that was before an alien vessel appeared at the edge of space - before Ean Lambert heard more lines singing. Ean's ways of communicating with lines is strange. But his abilities make him a valuable tool - or weapon - to command. Captain Selma Kari Wang has lost everything - her ship, her crew, her legs. But the New Alliance of Worlds is not done with her yet.

The Terran Republic's outlying worlds are disappearing. The stars themselves vanishing without a trace. As the Republic panics, Star Command dispatches Admiral Drex and the Fifth Fleet to investigate. A meeting with the Drakon Confederation reveals the nature of the threat, as new alliances are made. But the balance of power in the galaxy has shifted, and war looms on the horizon. The ancient gods of the Drako, long thought to be nothing more than myth and legend, have returned after aeons.

Their first attempt to reach another star system failed miserably. By the year 2182, after nearly half a century, the hypergravitational ship Nexus is ready to try again. The crew for this new mission sets off for Proxima Centauri, the star closest to the Earth's Sun. They believe that they're destined to make history, but the truth is very different. Something has been sending signals from deep space for a long time. And the Nexus is headed straight for it.

Still with no news of her father and the Galileo space station. Emily Rhodes and her colleagues will have to set up a permanent base on the surface of Kepler-442b. To be able to do this, they will have to deal with the threat presented by the Yokai, the terrifying creatures which attacked their camp and took the life of Private Parrish. Meanwhile they will have to establish contact with the other civilization which inhabits the planet.

Arlo Lewis was resigned to his station in life as a supply hauler for one of the Primary Corporations ruling Earth, until an acquisition forces him to re-evaluate his situation. When he’s hand selected to lead SeaTech’s Race team, he struggles to return to the competitive field he abandoned as a teenager. With an eager team, and the promise of a better future, Arlo takes on the challenge, only to find more at stake than the rights to Proxima. Under the threat of a revolution brewing at the finish line, things don’t go as expected.

When starship mechanic, Denton Castus, is caught in the destructive path of a devastating war, he abandons his home and seeks refuge on a distant planet. However, this new safe haven has undiscovered threats of its own. Eliana Veston, a scout preparing the planet for the refugees, struggles with a deadly pandemic that is killing off colonists. The hunt for a cure unleashes a new threat to humanity - the Sirens - mysterious beings with incredible powers and a deep hatred for invaders.

Retired (and exiled) Marine Lieutenant General Colby Edison’s farm is overrun by a horde of alien plants, leafy gremlin-like creatures that begin systematically destroying first his crops and then his home. And not just his farm, but all the surrounding farms as well. The relentless plants have apparently killed his neighbors, and clearly, he and his dog Duke are next. But as a retired Marine, Colby has resources and skills not shared by other farmers on the newly terraformed agricultural world of Vasquez and soon he is bringing the fight to the invaders.

Larry enjoyed raising cattle on his Kansas farm, until the aliens arrived. He couldn't help himself; he was going for a ride with aliens from outer space! The aliens wouldn't tell him where he was going, how long he would be gone, or if he was ever coming back, but a space trip sounded like more fun than beer and burgers at Benny's Been There and Done That Bar and Grill. He had to go. Larry's ride into deep space wasn't just a Sunday jaunt.

Ava lived her life on a spaceship in the stars. Now, she is a lone human in a world of others on Planet Xai. Despite the love around her, Ava is finding her heart is not as easily soothed. She still has questions about her past, and humanity, that remain unanswered. What does it mean to truly live? For someone who never had a chance to before?

War ravages Kamaria as an old enemy resurfaces from the depths of the ocean. Offering no support in the coming battles, the Auk’nai isolate themselves in their tightly guarded Nest. Outgunned and outmatched, humanity once again trembles on the edge of obliteration. The Castus family is torn apart. Denton fights on the front lines, hoping to free Cade from a nightmarish foe. Meanwhile, Eliana and Nella set out on a path that will change everything they understand about the Sirens. The Song will end, but who will remain to hear its final verse?