One hand of cards and it's all over but the crying... Cass Kennedy finally gets what she's been dreaming of for the past ten years: a drifter ship to call her own. All the sim time and battle training is going to pay off in spades as she sets her course for the future. She'll be living on her own terms, not those of her father. But drifting through deep space with a crew of nutty strangers on the DS Anarchy carries a lot more surprises than she bargained for. Nobody told her that her ship is falling apart, that dead chickens are something you really want to hang on to, and that the OSG has big plans for the universe that don't necessarily jibe with her plans for herself. Jump onboard with Cass and her crew as she charts a course toward an alliance that will either make her or break her as Captain of the DS Anarchy.

Captain Cass and her crew are drifting, waiting on word from the Alliance that they’re ready to meet. But something pops up in her clearpanel that she wasn’t expecting, and people with hidden motives are stirring up more trouble than she can handle alone. It’s going to take a little help from some friends to get her out of this mess. Hopefully, she still has some left who are willing to take a risk on her.

Captain Cass and the crew of the DS Anarchy have been accepted into the Alliance, and plans are in the works to move forward as independent yet allied drifters. Unfortunately, the OSG isn’t onboard with their plan, and people high up in the chain of command are determined to bring Cass to heel.

From humanity's first contact with alien life, to the challenges of space travel, to colonies established light years from Earth, this anthology celebrates the wide sweep of space opera at its most sublime. Eleven of today's bestselling authors join forces to bring you these tales of action, adventure, and brilliant imagination. There are worlds beyond worlds out there to explore, and millions of stories spinning across the galaxies. So sit back and be transported... to the dark beyond the stars. Elle Casey's contribution is a short story prequel to the Drifters' Alliance series, entitled "Winner Takes All."