The Cost of Business: A Dragonfire Station Short Story
by Zen DiPietro
Single AuthorsAdded on January 16, 2026
Description
Not all good guys finish last.Cabot Layne has become the owner of someone else's problem. In order to get free of it, he'll need to use every bit of his trader cunning. If he does it just right, he might stay out of prison. With a little luck, he'll even manage to turn a profit.He's given up his old ways--mostly--thanks to his cushy life on a PAC space station. But behind his mild-mannered shopkeeper's facade, he's hiding a whole lot more.Sometimes you have to break the rules to do the right thing, and sometimes a heart of gold lies behind a veneer of avarice.The Cost of Business is a quiet story of cleverness and empathy. For some heroes, wits are much stronger than firepower.Books in the Dragonfire Station universe in written order:Each series stands alone and need not be read in orderDragonfire Station Book 1: TranslucidDragonfire Station Book 2: FragmentsDragonfire Station Book 3: Coalescence(series complete)Intersections: Dragonfire Station Short StoriesMercenary Warfare Book 1: Selling OutMercenary Warfare Book 2: Blood MoneyMercenary Warfare Book 3: Hell to PayMercenary Warfare Book 4: Calculated RiskMercenary Warfare Book 5: Going for Broke(series complete)Chains of Command Book 1: New BloodChains of Command Book 2: Blood and BoneChains of Command Book 3: Cut to the BoneChains of Command Book 4: Out for Blood(series complete)
Reader Reviews
A short story length book, read in one sitting. Got it free from the author for an honest review. The story is self-contained but clearly you can tell that it is but a snippet of a larger universe (Dragonfire Space Station). The characters are all smugglers, and antiheroes with codes of conduct and etiquette that skate the lines of wrong and right (mostly wrong.) The story universe seems space opera, science fiction, starships, interesting and fun. It's like the appetizer to a Thanksgiving meal.
An enjoyable space-station short storyI bought Translucid (Dragonfire Station, book 1) a while ago, but haven't yet gotten at reading past its promising sample. I decided to open this extra today because I wanted something quick, and it was described as able to be read independently of the novels. (It's set between book 1 & book 2.) Fortunately, that is true, though it's even shorter than I realized, since the last 18% of the "book" is just the beginning of Translucid again -- I'm glad I got TCo
I didn't expect much from this short story so I was very pleasantly surprised. Though short, it packed a lot into a few pages. I really enjoyed all of the characters and it while it left me wanting more, it didn't end on a cliffhanger, it is a stand-alone story. Bravo! This is a well-written and interesting story.
