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.

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.

Even though Captain Jelena Marchenko has Starseer talents, such as telepathy and telekinesis, she has grown up feeling ostracized by the Starseer community. She longs for an opportunity to prove that she deserves a place among them. When an old friend of the family shows up, seeking transportation to the site of an ancient Starseer relic, Jelena believes this may be her chance to prove herself. But once they are on their way to the site, she starts to question what Abelardus plans to do with the artifact