| WATTPAD EDITOR'S CHOICE | Major Aula Reed is a Canadian fighter pilot, veteran astronaut, and closeted bisexual. She's stationed on the second International Lunar Base or ILUB-2 with seven other crewmates. To be separated from Earth means facing radiation, meteorites, and equipment failure while under constant public scrutiny. For Aula, it also means struggling with memories of ILUB-1: the worst disaster in space exploration since the shuttle era. While she tries not to let her first mission overshadow her second, the Moon is an unforgiving place. It only takes one mistake, no matter how small, for history to repeat itself. This is a story of the near future informed by the lives of today's astronauts, whose triumphs and tragedies are immortalized in the public eye.

By the 23rd century, humanity has colonized its first planet: Mars. Far removed from Earth's military power, resources, and affluence, daily life on the red planet is chaotic and dangerous. Mig is an aging mercenary who relies on dwindling civilian contracts to earn his living. Olivia is a brilliant programmer who struggles with a medical condition she's too poor to treat. They live and work together in the small settlement of New Shanidar, but a chance encounter starts a sequence of events that threatens to destroy their lives, their loyalty to each other, and all hope for a better future on Earth. (Original image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)