In this assortment of brief stories, NY Instances bestselling author Jack Campbell explores what kinds of problems mankind might face as our horizons broaden.

‘Lady Be Good:’ The Lady Be Good is an older ship, running obscure routes with her loyal 1st officer Kilcannon and reclusive captain. When Kilcannon decides to rescue the survivors of an attack on a Vestral Company ship, a mysterious fresh passenger thanks a lot him by requesting difficult queries about the girl, with unexpected answers.

In ‘ about Ad Astra Kyrie Eleison,’ the Verio shipwrecked centuries ago on an out-of-the-way planet, as well as the descendants from the ship’s survivors have gotten along as well as they can by following the orders that were offered to them. However when the Bellegrange happens on a rescue mission, her captain must reckon using the unexpected social order on the planet.

In ‘Carry out No Harm,’ a ship is indeed technologically advanced that it could repair itself-but turning within the keys may not be the best idea. And in ‘Down the Rabbit Hole,’ a series of failed attempts at faster-than-light travel qualified prospects to a novel strategy: sending an untested Naval captain out in a space ship to find out if he can find out what’s gone wrong.