Phantom Station

by Kate Sheeran Swed

Retired fighter pilot Kay Braithwaite spends her days ferrying passengers from one boring location to another on her home planet of Mandel. It's not easy to leave her fighting days in the past when half the passengers can't stop gawking at their hero-turned-bus-driver, but it pays the bills.

When an unexpected attack reduces her home planet to ash, Kay is charged with delivering her passengers to safety on a remote space station.

Kay just wants to return to the service. Instead, she's trapped on the dilapidated station with a group of strangers – who may just be the attack's only survivors. As they navigate the station's mysteries and confront their pasts, Kay must rally her unlikely allies to uncover the station's hidden dangers and secure their future.

Phantom Station (A Mission Log Story) is an adult science fiction tale, perfect for fans who

The mysteries and group dynamics of Lost;
the retired heroes thrust back into service in Old Man's War;
the cozy, character-exploring emphasis of the Long Way to a Small Angry Planet;
and the close-knit crew dynamics of Firefly.

Genres: Space Opera, Science Fiction

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2024

About the author

Kate Sheeran Swed loves hot chocolate, plastic dinosaurs, and airplane tickets. She has trekked along the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, hiked on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier in Iceland, and climbed the ruins of Masada to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea. She holds degrees in music from the University of Maine and Ithaca College, as well as an MFA in Fiction from Pacific University. Her stories are forthcoming or have appeared in the Young Explorer's Adventure Guide Volume 5, Daily Science Fiction, Electric Spec, and Andromeda Spaceways. You can find her on Twitter @katesheeranswed.

Reviews

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little space opera novella about a retired (space) fighter pilot who drives a (space) bus these days. When the old enemy attacks and their home planet is captured, she's ordered to take her passengers to an unknown space station where goodness knows what awaits them.

I enjoyed being in the head of Kay, our protagonist, as she writes her reports back to a mysterious colonel in a sassy first person. There's a slow-burn romance with a passenger; a spunky kid; and annoying politician who wants to take charge. The station is pretty spooky and there's a lot of mysteries around it. From the mysterious stairs and bridges that appear and disappear, to the murderous bots and the bookshop with many books in a language that nobody recognises. None of those mysteries are answered here. This is billed as book one of a series, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of a sequel so far. I would definitely read it though, as I was thoroughly intrigued by this station and its mysteries.

[Glen Feulner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, well written "first volume". I like the format, adapted from a web serial, it moves fast, doesn't weigh down the plot with unnecessary world building and let's the characters grow on you. looking forward to part 2.

[Steve Boyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun ride. Space opera at its finest - an implacable enemy, a ragtag band of heroes, a mysterious station. Recommended.

[Keyla Damaer · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

I loved this story. Where are the other books in the series? Gimme more!!!!!!