"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” -Norman Cousins Jiden Armstrong has seen death and destruction, visited upon people around her.  She has spent the past three years attending the Century Military Academy in the hopes that she can protect her people.  Now, though, she has lost those most dear to her.  Worst of all, the people who did it were coming after Jiden. She's going to have to rebuild her life.  Jiden will have to fall back on her friends and her family to recover.  She's going to have to find a new reason to live and come to terms with her losses... and her enemies haven't given up.  To them, Jiden Armstrong is another pawn in the game... one that is inconveniently placed.  They're going to keep coming after her so long as she stands in their way and if Jiden can't stop them, then the people paying the cost of Jiden's valor may well be those closest to her. **

In times of chaos, there are those who fight for money, for power, or just to survive. In feudal Japan, they were Ronin. In the post US Civil War, they were desperadoes or hired guns. In the chaotic times of the collapse of human civilization, they are men, women, and aliens without shelter or succor. When no one else will take a stand, they stand for themselves. They are deserters, murderers, pirates, and worse... they are the Renegades. Renegades: Origins contains the novellas: Deserter's Redemption, The Gentle One, Declaration, Ghost Story, and A Murder of Crowes. It also contains six short stories: Research Notes, Runner, Fool's Gold, System Failure, Dishonored, and Crossed Stars.About the AuthorKal Spriggs started reading science fiction and fantasy in elementary school. Eventually he was the only eight year old with permission from the local public library to check out books from the adult section because he'd read everything else. He's written ever since he started running out of 'good' stuff to read when he was twelve, although he likes to think his writing has improved, if only slightly. His range of interests has since expanded to include computer and console games, tabletop RPGs, and strategy games. An Army brat born overseas, Spriggs was born with a wanderlust to see what lies over the next horizon. Spriggs visited 22 countries on five continents before he turned 25, and hopes to add many more to the list, as well as revisit some of his favorite places. Spriggs loves to ski, hike, fish, and camp, especially in the Rocky Mountains where he spent much of his childhood. Spriggs is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy with an engineering degree. He followed in his parents' footsteps and joined the US Army after graduation and currently serves as an active duty Engineer captain. As well as earning a masters degree in environmental engineering, he's been deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq.