The Desert Between Stars

Across the stars, the war rages. On Aureth-9, one woman fights a different kind of battle. In a galaxy ruled by empires and haunted by rebellion, one young woman fights a quieter war—keeping hope alive on the edges of the known stars. On the desert planet Aureth-9, the people of Dustfall Valley survive by harvesting water from a sky that rarely remembers rain. Among them is Tavi Renn, a moisture-runner who dreams of the stars but stays behind to hold her world together when the galaxy begins to burn. Told entirely through ten flash-fiction stories—each exactly 500 words long—The Desert Between Stars captures a lifetime in fragments: a portrait of courage, love, and mercy in the shadow of empire. Every story is a moment of survival; every silence, a prayer between storms. Inside, you'll find: "The Day the Sky Caught Fire" – When a starship battle shatters the sky above Dustfall, Tavi rushes toward the flames while others flee. "The Quartermaster's Mercy" – An Imperial officer arrives to audit her farm… and quietly chooses compassion over obedience. "The Market at Khera" – Among the noise and neon of the outpost bazaar, Tavi glimpses the friend who left her behind—now a face in a propaganda reel. "The Keeper of Dustfall" – When the power grid collapses across the valley, Tavi must find a way to bring light back to her people—before the Empire notices. And in the haunting epilogue, "The Rise of Rebellion," the spark that will ignite the next chapter is born. The Desert Between Stars is more than a sci-fi collection—it's a meditation on endurance. Because sometimes, the bravest thing you can do in a galaxy at war… is keep the lights on. Why You'll Love It: Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, Ken Liu, and Dune—intimate science fiction filled with hope, humanity, and quiet rebellion. A beautifully structured experiment in exact-length flash fiction, where every sentence carries emotional weight. A story not about leaving home, but about keeping it alive.