Interstellar Cargo Trilogy: ICARUS, DAEDALUS, and LAZARUS (ASTERIUS - Short Story)
The Interstellar Cargo Trilogy **With Bonus Short Story**

ICARUS
Cole Musgrave’s dream of interstellar travel is about to become a nightmare. When a high-profile delivery is compromised aboard a state-of-the-art cargo vessel, the newly appointed captain finds himself embroiled in an assignment far above his pay grade.

Blackmail, terrorists, a malfunctioning prototype A.I. pilot, and a sinister terraforming corporation with deep criminal ties await him. Who knew delivering cargo to the deep recesses of space could be so dangerous?

Armed only with his cunning and past military experience, Cole is one against many. But this unorthodox interstellar cargo pilot won’t go down without a fight—even after he is faced with a choice that will alter the course of his life forever.

DAEDALUS
Leading the life of the System’s most wanted space pirate is not as satisfying as Cole Musgrave had hoped. Despite having been given a second chance at life by his gangster brother, each mission he undertakes threatens to be his last.

When Cole’s luck finally runs out, the crew of the Icarusfind themselves in a predicament unlike any they’ve ever encountered. One reckless decision leaves them abandoned and on the run from the entire universe.

A desperate, last-ditch effort to avoid annihilation leads them to a place no man has gone before. Or so they think. Here the sins of Cole’s past will return to haunt him and cast an even darker shadow on a future that is headed toward a full-scale war.

LAZARUS
The System’s most infamous cargo pilot is finally in custody and serving more years than he cares to count. Away from the chaos of his short-lived pirating career, Cole Musgrave wants only to spend the rest of his days in a quiet cell where no more trouble can find him.

But find him, it does. When a familiar figure enters Cole’s life, he again falls prey to the questionable whims of his secretive government. Forced into a new mission more dangerous than any he has faced before, he must return to the scene of his last “crime” and venture into Terracom’s darkest secret.

Navigating through political red tape, dodging the crosshairs of the entire criminal underground, and questioning the motives of his lover—Cole must juggle it all or die trying. If he fails, the fate of mankind will be sealed.

ASTERIUS
Asterius takes place around fifteen years before the events of Icarus. It can be read at any point in the series, though it is recommended to be read after book one.

Captain Tessa Adrace of Starforce is about to be assigned a mission she will never forget. With strict orders given her directly from the colonel, she must lead her squadron up against an adversary feared throughout the galaxy: Black Dwarf. The odds are impossibly stacked against her, but she will stop at nothing until her mission is complete. Even if it means her end.

Asterius is a short story, consisting of 6750 words, or roughly twenty-four pages.