A collection of six powerful short stories, spanning space and time... Nomad of the Emirates: A straight-laced captain, sent as the official Emissary of Earth to the alien world known only as "the Emirates" is surprised to find someone from Earth has already been there for some time. Government Man: As a government agent, Caleb Weiss is accustomed to taking orders and keeping his head down. Somebody has to do the dirty work. He knows his government is crooked, but he has no reason to tip the status quo...until they push him. Shadow Figure: Sarah Johnson has often had the strange sensation that something is missing from her life--something incredibly important, which she has forgotten. Her life is turned upside down when a terrorist group known as The League kidnaps her and her parents. When her captors insist they are holding her for her own protection, she begins to re-examine everything she believed to be true. Gifted: In a city sinking into darkness and corruption, Spencer fights back the only way he knows how--with his fists. Desperate for a little extra cash to help him on his personal quest for justice, he seeks out an illegal fight club, hoping to win the open challenge and take the prize. But Spencer is about to discover truths about himself and the world around him that will change his life, and the way he fights, forever. Beast in the Machine: There are only two reasons people move to Ilford: to study at the renowned scientific research center, or to escape society. Dr. Richter intends to further his research. But his daughter Isabelle finds there is a strange enmity between the scientists and the villagers, and it has something to do with the reclusive man who hired her, Dr. Sebastian Prince. Voyage of the Pequod: Commissioned to hunt down straggler MICs (Mechanized Intelligence Cruisers) in the outer reach of the great Commonwealth, the starship Pequod sets sail only to find out their captain has his own agenda.