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A return to an old style of storytelling, back when there was still a sense of wonder in the universe. Tales of the Talisman editor David Lee Summers and I conceived of the idea, both of us wanting to do space pirate themed shorts. We proposed, in the invite, for authors to write the type of stories that inspired them to become writers in the first place.

The idea for my story, "On the Eve of The Last Great Ratings War" was conceived many years ago as a concept for a RPG, but I was never a good enough GM to pull it off the way I wanted. So instead, I wrote it as a short story. I was very much influenced on two fronts: one was anime, of which I've watched countless hours of. I love Captain Harlock (Herlock to some) and also enjoy a ripping anthropomorphic tale (tail? LOL!) The other thing was the glut in reality television, which in my opinion is neither reality, nor television.

Space Pirates it the first anthology of the Full-Throttle Space Tales series.

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Edited by David Lee Summers, editor of Tales of the Talisman, Space Pirates contains fifteen swashbuckling tales of pirates in space, by established and rising-star authors. The contents of this treasure chest of adventure include these swarthy tales of deep-space piracy:
Eating Vacuum, by Robert E Vardeman: An asteroid miner matches wits with a desperate pirate who is short on oxygen.
On the Eve of the Last Great Ratings War, by David Boop: Genetically engineered animals battle humans for control of the space-borne airwaves.
Adrift, by Carol Hightshoe: The Flying Dutchman legend takes to outer space.
Bad Traveling, by Neal Asher: Pirates sailing the seas of a distant planet find their match in alien monsters of the deep.
Carbon Copy, by Denielle Ackley-McPhail: Recently demoted Private Alexander suspects that one of the ships of the space fleet are bearing false colors.
Space Pirate Cookies, by C.J. Henderson: Aliens are mocking humanity, and that means war.
For a Job Well Done, by David Lee Summers: A ruthless pirate finds himself rescuing a victim of human trafficking on the planet Epsilon Indi 2.
Lunacy by Anna Paradox: The moon is being taxed to death, and a teenage girl is caught in the middle.by a satellite laser weapon.
The Claims Adjustor, by David B. Riley: An insurance claims adjustor from Mars wants to ferret out the pirates who are driving up the cost of shipping from Earth.
Never Lie to Yourself, by Uncle River: When a young boy marooned in a space habitat disaster is rescued by bloodthirsty pirates, what exactly does he owe his rescuers?
Star Wench, by Daniel M. Hoyt: Captain Beech of the HMS Bounty IV must match his wits against a notorious pirate to save his spaceship's crew.
Searching the Vastness of Space, by Alan L. Lickiss: Rory is a bureaucrat who believes he has discovered proof of interstellar piracy, but finds that pirates are not always what they seem.
Captain Barti Ddu, by M.H. Bonham: Morgan Roberts' life is saved during an attack by Atolian Pirates.by an Eighteenth Century Buccaneer.
Earth-Saturn Transit, by W.A. Hoffman: Pirates in deep space are bound by debilitating circuits in their heads, but where there are pirates, there will be mutineers.
Ship's Daughter, by Pamela D. Lloyd and Karl Grotegut: A pirate's daughter must prove herself to the rest of the crew, without losing her humanity.