The rise of empire. The golden age of expansion, of exploration. Stories of new and vibrant civilizations growing, reaching out…and sometimes fighting desperately for the future.Empires Ascendant brings 6 masters of military science fiction and space opera together in one volume of all new, original material.Shadow of PurpleJay AllanOne honorable man.Altharic Vennalus is a general, and a loyal servant of the Republic. He has battled endlessly, fighting to preserve the Republic from the usurpers who would topple it. The civil wars that have raged for three decades are nearly at an end. But peace is an elusive dream, and pain and loss will drive Altharic to places he couldn’t have imagined. In the end, he will be faced with answering one burning question. What is the cost of his honor?The Thousand Colors of NightDaniel ArensonA strange signal comes from deep space. A folk song from hundreds of light-years away. A song where there should be only silence. One starship flies to investigate. It finds a mystery that will change humanity forever.Banshee’s Last ScreamJason Anspach and Nick ColeFrom the world of Galaxy's Edge: When a Dark Ops legionnaire is found dead under suspicious circumstances, his fellow operatives employ the notorious bounty hunter Tyrus Rechs to find those responsible and make them pay for their actions. But Rechs uncovers a sinister plot much bigger than a simple murder. Jason Anspach & Nick Cole deliver the first original Galaxy's Edge short story ever to appear in an anthology… Banshee’s Last Scream!The Ganymede ArbitrationJN ChaneyIn 2833, Arbiters Wojtek Dimek and Gabriel Anderson are sent to contain an escalating genocide on Ganymede. Jovian Alliance Prime Minister Frank Wallace directs a campaign of systematic murder on the frozen moon.The Arbiters board Wallace’s ship to take the Prime Minister into custody, only to find themselves at ground zero of a coup, and they must now fight to reach extraction against overwhelming mil