Between Fleets

A Character-Driven Space Opera Romance

When the Casarian Star Kingdom is heading into a new collision, a young officer of the Royal Star Navy named Luke unexpectedly meets a new Kherrian friend, Shaera, from the Kherrish Peregrine Fleet. On the lush paradise world of Irillia, a maiden world in the Andromeda Galaxy, they must navigate the differences between their respective cultures. However, as the astropolitical situation grows tense, the Irillian populace's deeply entrenched xenophobia revitalises.

Shaera's peregrination to prove herself to her people brought her right into the lion's den, and only Luke can guide her through it. In doing so, the two slowly grow closer and find that their species are more alike than different. Despite the sprouting political fallout between their species, love sparks between them.

In a realm where fate and volition spar, neither one of them truly knows what awaits them beneath the heaven's dour tar...

Andrew C. Merrick is a science-fiction author known for his immersive worldbuilding, character-driven storytelling, and thoughtful exploration of interstellar politics and culture. His work combines elements of space opera, futuristic technology, and emotional depth to create the richly detailed Astral Lion universe. Merrick writes with a focus on human relationships, high-stakes conflict, and the complex societies that develop across the stars.

When he isn't writing, he studies history and culture, shaping the layered civilisations featured in his work. Between Fleets is his debut novel, introducing readers to a sweeping space opera universe filled with intrigue, heart, and cosmic scale.