«Empyrean Stories» by Laine M Lundquist, Nathan R Large

Our Empyrean Dreams are stories from a future civilization, where Humankind is only one of several star-faring cultures struggling to coexist in a shared galaxy. 
The most powerful of these cultures are joined together in a treaty organization known as the Collective.  Commerce and self-interest are the binding principles of the Collective: member states hold standing to the degree their culture proves its economic power and value to the whole.  The ruling cultures of the Collective distinguish themselves by their unique innovations and capabilities; the Humans of Terra were fortunate to possess talents sufficient to earn membership.  Outside of the Collective’s elite, many more sentient species exist, either tolerating this authority as members or rejecting the Collective entirely.  An uneasy peace holds both within and without this interstellar civilization. 
Most intelligent beings are more interested in pursuing their personal lives and goals and less concerned about galactic politics.  They study, work, build, fight, and love as best they can within their own cultures and worlds.  A few sentients find themselves drawn across borders: across cultures, across star systems, or even across realities.  Scholars catch glimpses of how old, complex, and strange the Universe really is.  Diplomats encounter the frayed threads of alliance and must decide whether to bind or cut them.  Explorers traverse the tangled webs of civilization and navigation.  Criminals seek advantage in the cracks of society… and authorities seek to prevent their damage.
These are the stories we present: the future history of a civilization that rises — and could fall — based on the actions of its parts.  These are the tales of people and events, individually small compared to the grand Empyrean scope, but with the potential to reshape portions of that existence. 
These are the dreams of beings whose choices can influence their Universe.