A Thread of Time — J. Naomi Ay

It was clear to Lance that his father hated him. Why else would he leave everything to Hank, except for that coin? You know, the one with some dude's head on it, the ancient Euro or whatever it was. Except it wasn't a Euro according to the pawnbroker. Turns out, it's an old Imperial Coin from the days of the Great Emperor, and it might be worth a whole lot of dough on the other side of the galaxy, if Lance could somehow manage to take it there. But, how does a guy, who owes the hospital a lifetime's worth of earnings, manage to travel across the stars? Turns out, he can do it for free. Not only that, but he can get three squares a day, an apartment complete with roommates, and two sets of clothes, albeit in spandex. It's like prison, but with benefits. It's SpaceForce. In the meantime, on the other side of the galaxy, Ailana is stuck next to her hated cousin, Embo in their grandmother's sewing shop, forever listening to the old woman wax on about her glory days as a Royal Seamstress. No matter how she tries, Ailana can't break free of Grandmother and her needling, even after the old woman is dead. However, it will be through her needle and thread, that Ailana gains admittance into the privileged world of the nobility, where fate will introduce her to a man that bears a striking resemblance to the face on Lance's coin.