Cait Gordon

In a galactic network known as the Keangal, where space is accessible...Lieutenant Eileen Iris and the command crew of the S.S. SpoonZ haven't a clue what it means to be disabled. That's not a metaphor-no one they know has ever applied that term to living beings. So, when a startled intergalactic janitor calls them disabled but is 'ported away a bit too soon, they realize they might never get the answer to that particular question. Unphased, duties resume as Lieutenant Iris tries to appease her overprotective guidebot Clarence; Security Chief Lartha and her new sentient prosthetic legs offer kick-ass protection; Mr. Herbert's inventiveness is a treasured godsend (though he's not quite grasped how to flirt); Commander Davan's good humour comes through whether trumpeted, texted, or signed; and Captain Warq's genteel but firm leadership keeps everyone at their best.Until on one mission, where they tear through space. Just a little bit.

The problem with space opera is that there's not enough opera in it, and certainly a dearth of coloratura diva sopranos in the third act. This anthology sets out to fix that by placing the music front-and-center. We've created a glittery disco-ball of fun. 20 stories designed to amuse. Some actually take place in space. There's even an actual opera in here. We didn't hold back.Time-traveling cats that quote opera... Intergalactic singing competitions... An endless song that becomes the soundtrack to countless generations of rebellions... And, of course, invisible space bears made of black holes that may or may not be extinct.

What happens when boy meets girl but girl doesn't notice boy because she shares a body with another boy? When he's not gorging on desserts, calming his hypochondriacal mum, or getting bone-crunching hugs from his warrior dads, Virj Ofreesin spends his time writing a fantasy novel about Frayda, the elegant half of the two-headed Dwa. Life is adequately mediocre until he learns the Dwa are gravely ill, and a mystical cure grows on a planet between two infamously warring worlds. Ignoring all warnings of danger, Virj embarks on the journey to be Frayda's real-life hero, armed only with his stylus, and a boingy-haired nuisance who decides to tag along.