Jo

The Aftermath of a stunning victory—especially an unexpected, complete, and final victory—should be high-fives all around, listening to politicians give boring congratulatory speeches, and a well-deserved rest for the Merry Band of Pirates. Yes, the galaxy is still a freakin' mess, but that is nothing new, and for a change, that can be someone else's problem. Until, you know, something really bad happens, and only the Pirates can deal with the problem... Or not.

Gwyneth Douglas, a young Scottish heiress in London, writes scandalous adventure books under a pen name, doing so to protect her identity and her fortune. When an unknown blackmailer threatens to expose her secret life, she has no choice but to turn to an old family friend. But Sir Allan is a penniless baronet who will do anything to get his hands on Gwyneth's inheritance - even commit murder.... Wounded by scandal and the unsolved murder of his sister-in-law, David Pennington is outwardly insolent and arrogant, but upon discovering Gwyneth's plans to elope, he steps in, determined.

For years, the ancient alien AI known as Skippy (the Magnificent, don’t forget that part) has been able to do one impossible thing after another. What is his secret? It’s simple: 100 percent Grade-A extreme awesomeness. And also because he had never been faced with an opponent of equal power. Until now. This time, he might need a little help from a band of filthy monkeys.

The Merry Band of Pirates are in desperate trouble after the end of their last mission, and the real danger to humanity is just getting started. Hostile aliens have discovered there is something odd going on with wormholes in the galaxy, and their investigations could lead to finding a shortcut to Earth....