Check this out: a series of connected short stories by Michael Stackpole, Jeff Mariotte, Bob Vardeman, and Nathan Long, authors whose works I've read and enjoyed many times in the past. It's a great concept that allows for different types of stories, including cross-genre yarns. I'm supposed to contribute a story to this effort in the weeks to com
e, as soon as I can find -- or manufacture -- the time to write it, so I'm going to be following the Chain Story Project 
with great interest. 