1 - The short straw

In urgent need of a profitable job, freighter captain Kalina ap'Theron accepts a mysterious crate meant for delivery to an obscure rim planet. But under a space-gipsy curse and with the space patrol and a band of infamous pirates on her heels, Kali has no choice but to steer her precious "Topsy-Turvy" into an ion storm. The risky manoeuvre has the potential for some dangerous consequences.

Lost in uncharted space, Kali faces the challenges of accepting a cute but slimy stowaway into her happy crew of outcasts, fighting off the attraction of both a black hole and a former crush, and getting back on course in order to deliver her load in time. Otherwise, once it reaches its sell-by date, she risks losing her ship to an alien hive mind.

My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2020 - I picked prompts 39, 37, and 58

Chapter 1 - 1708 words
Chapter 2 - 1883 words
Chapter 3 - 1910 words
Chapter 4 - 2011 words
Chapter 5 - 1861 words
Chapter 6 - 1780 words
Chapter 7 - 1926 words
Chapter 8 - 1963 words
Chapter 9 - 1883 words
Chapter 10 - 1894 words
Chapter 11 - 1975 words
Chapter 12 - 2057words
Total - 22 851 words