Sky Full of Stars

Smuggler Ship is a prequel novella in the Sky Full of Stars universe.... Find out how Jelena and Erick first acquired their freighter,the Snapper, in this fast-paced space adventure.

Starseer, pilot, and animal lover Jelena Marchenko wants to prove to her parents that she's ready to captain her own freighter and help run the family business. When she finally talks them into getting a second ship and letting her fly it, it doesn't faze her that the craft is decades old and looks like a turtle. This is the chance she's craved for years. But it's not long before the opportunity to rescue mistreated lab animals lures her from her parentally approved cargo run and embroils her in a battle between warring corporations. To further complicate matters, her childhood friend Thorian, prince of the now defunct Sarellian Empire, is in trouble with Alliance law and needs her help. Torn between her duty to her family and doing what she believes is honorable, Jelena is about to learn that right and wrong are never as simple as they appear and that following your heart can get you killed.

When Jelena Marchenko learns that her parents have incurred a huge debt due to her previous actions, she's determined to find a way to pay it off. But running cargo doesn't pay anything off quickly. She comes up with a scheme to turn herself and her eclectic crewmates into mercenaries, at least for long enough to make some money. Unfortunately, Jelena has no interest in maiming, killing, or otherwise tormenting people, the typical things mercenaries are hired to do. She's relieved when, with Prince Thorian's help, she finds a mission that seems perfectly suited to her team: rescuing prisoners of war. But what was supposed to be a quick way to earn money soon turns into something devastating and deadly. Caught between two sides in a war fueled by centuries of resentment, Jelena must choose between her needs and the needs of a planet. No matter what choice she makes, she risks her ship and the lives of her team. Does she truly have what it takes to be a mercenary?