There are many kinds of stories ... A single soul can make a difference and many can change the course of reality itself. Welcome to the Ashteraiverse, a universe of wonder and beauty hinged on the evolution of those within it. The maelstrom of time pulls everything in and those who escape are changed in more ways than they could ever imagine. Witness key events in the history of the Union and those who have the power to change it for the better. Watch as an shipborn woman finds her inner bravery to save a friend and strives to become a part of something bigger than herself or her plagueship. Walk with a dreamer as she becomes a witness to an event which will make or break her world and could destroy the galaxy. Witness the fall of an empire through the eyes of those who lived through the chaos and were forever changed by the experience. Join two Elders of the Ashterai as they try to blend in and be something they're not for the sake of Contact and their only daughter. Live through moments, large and insignificant, and all that comes after in the first of a series of anthologies from the mind of veteran journalist turned author Lesley Smith.