Christmas on Outcast Station

The Princess Problem by Jeanne Adams

It's Christmas on Outcast Station, and Chief Station Marshal Brad Carruthers has a princess problem. It seems one of orphans from the station's accidental plague is a princess––soon to be queen––and now factions from her homeworld want her dead. Brad isn't about to let that happen on his watch. Outcast Station has enough of a bad reputation without losing princesses. However, when the princess is kidnapped, Brad and the station marshals spring into action. In the end, can a motley assortment of crew and orphans help Brad find the lost princess before Christmas?

Scorpions for Christmas by Nancy Northcott

For Federated Colonies Deputy Marshal Hank Tremaine, the only bright spot in his posting to the back end of beyond is its proximity to the Drachan Empire. Fascinated by the scorpioid Drachans, he's eager to learn more about them. He should've been careful what he wished for. A Drachan has been murdered at the local spaceport and a priceless religious artifact stolen. As diplomatic tensions mount, Hank and his comrades race to find the killer and the missing relic before interstellar war breaks out.