by Subject_White
Will, a crewman aboard the Osiris — humanity's first intergalactic exploration vessel — awakens from a malfunctioning stasis pod aboard the Shadeslate, a mercenary ship crewed almost entirely by women of various animal-like alien species. He soon learns two devastating truths: he is the only survivor of the Osiris, and far more time has passed than his pod recorded. What he first believes to be 122 years is ultimately revealed to be roughly thirty thousand. Humanity's corner of the galaxy is now known only as the Dead Expanse, and Will is, as far as anyone knows, the last human alive. What to Expect Last-survivor sci-fi — first contact from the wrong side of a cell door, a lost Earth, and a hero rebuilding his identity thirty millennia from home.Harem romance — a growing found-family of devoted alien wives: wolf, fox, feline, bear, serpent, and shark alike.Action & intrigue — pirate boardings, station shootouts, a live bounty, and a traitor hiding in the crew.Worldbuilding — Ether, the energy that runs the galaxy; the crystals that shape it; and the terrifying few who wield it.Humor & heart — culture-clash comedy (never offer a cat-girl a bell), human "info dumps" that stun whole rooms, and quiet moments of grief and belonging.
