Stardrifter

The city of Finery is celebrating, because the Revolution is over! (Or is it?) Ejoq finds himself among thousands of revelers, and waits for the elusive Alan Small!

The Revolution has won (mostly), and Ejoq wanders the city of Finery. Hoping to find some clues and assemble plans for escape, he reaches out to a dangerous man...and proposes a very desperate bargain!

Ejoq makes a new friend, and new plans. With the world falling apart, what could possibly be the right move?

Ejoq is injured, and needs somewhere to rest. A quiet, empty factory seems like just the place...unless, of course, he's not really alone in there!

Ejoq witnesses some Revolutionary justice, and barely makes it away himself. The new order is looking for change...and they don't care who stands in their way!

Ejoq makes it back to the city of Finery, but there's nothing fine about it now that the Revolution is in full swing!

Time is running out for Ejoq's genteel friends, and maybe for himself! But what's the next move, and where on Barlow can anyone possibly find safety?

Ejoq has a private meeting with the most powerful men on Barlow. Plans, schemes, and wheels within wheels...but what, exactly, is going on with the mysterious Alan Small?

Ejoq enters the lion's den -- a formal dinner with members of Barlow's Elite class! Caught between fancy desserts and tremendous honors, he finds gratitude and secrets in abundance...and a powerful man with an agenda all his own!

Ejoq is the guest of House Vernes. All seems safe and quiet, but hidden loyalties abound, and not everyone is happy to be there. In fact, some of them seem downright furious!

With some kids in tow, Ejoq must escape the city of Finery before combat in the streets catches up with them. But where can they possibly go...?

Having escaped one conflict, Ejoq finds himself in curious company. The city of Finery is burning, and the Revolution is on the rise!

Ejoq finds himself wandering in an alien city at night. Between new, young allies, and frenzied rioters, there's no clear path, and plenty of danger!

Ejoq finds a warm, quiet place to rest, which is just the thing he needs -- until he finds out exactly why it's so quiet!

Ejoq is on the ground, while the planet is in revolt! Without allies, resources, or any idea where to go, how can he rescue his shipmates? How can he even rescue himself?!

Ejoq and his companions have barely escaped from the highdock, and a difficult spacewalk back to the ship is yet ahead. But with crew mates still missing, and answers unknown, would it really be such a bad idea to have another look around...?

Ejoq and a shipmate sneak aboard the Barlow highdock, looking for their missing companions. But between terrified new friends, and some deadly new enemies, they may not survive long enough to find anything!

Ejoq dons his spacesuit to do a little recon. Can he find Grizzelda's missing people without getting shot? Can he even make it to the station without getting lost?!

There's trouble aboard ship, and trouble on-station -- while some of Grizzelda's own go missing! With blood on the deck, and hatred in the air, Ejoq makes a dangerous decision!

A moment of levity aboard ship does little to help Ejoq's sense of isolation. Everyone is happy, and everyone loves everyone. Right?

Life aboard the ship is growing complicated, while the planet Barlow looks like a powder keg with a burning fuse. Is even the orbiting highdock safe?

The planet Barlow looms, and things are looking sketchy there -- but is the real danger outside the ship...or inside?

Ejoq is making progress with Gunnery, but not everyone seems pleased...while the ship reveals itself to have a very expensive problem!

Ejoq works hard to pull Gunnery online -- but maybe he should work harder making friends!

Ejoq meets the passengers and crew, and learns a few surprising details about Grizzelda's past!

Ejoq has an interview, and gets hired aboard the tramp freighter, Grizzelda, as a replacement gunner. It's just a milk-run to the planet Barlow...so why is everyone so upset?

A funny man has a stark reminder of his serious past, and is forced to examine the choices he made.

An emergency wake-up from cryogenic sleep drops Ejoq in the middle of trouble. With a wicked freeze-tube hangover, a boat packed to the bulkheads with passengers (yet strangely empty), and a shady crew that knows far more than they're telling, he has to hit the deck running -- or, at least, shuffling -- before a trio of armed vessels, waiting in ambush, cuts them all to pieces!

A Stardrifter short story. A sixteen year old girl, living on a space station with her aunt and uncle, finds herself at the crossroads of her life. A coming-of-age tale, set among the stars.

PART THREE: INCOMING The story concludes with friends who might be enemies, and enemies who are definitely enemies. Everything is what it looks like, which means nothing is what it seems!

PART TWO: INCURSION The crew faces unknown odds, and the middle of nowhere is starting to get crowded. They have just one chance to save a strangely quiet merchant ship...and only half-a-chance to save themselves!

PART ONE: BREAKDOWN A crew of oddballs assigned to picket duty in a remote star system find their junker of a gunboat falling apart at the seams. Between bad pay, an idiot captain, and some rapidly-failing equipment, things couldn't possibly get worse. Right?