Stray Cat Strut

In the year 2057, the world has become a corporate-run utopia for the super-rich and a hellhole for everyone else. Catherine 'Cat' Leblanc is an orphan about as far from super-rich as one can be. When the Incursion alarms start blaring and the sky starts raining hungry xenos, it's just another blemish on an already bad afternoon. A cyberpunk magical-girl alien-invasion LitRPG — exactly as wild as it sounds.

There's always a need for heroes in the city of New Montreal. When a young girl is kidnapped by corporation-backed mercenaries, Catherine "Cat" LeBlanc — who's been a cyber-samurai for little more than a day — teams up with pyrotechnic nun-samurai Gomorrah to find out why a corporation would target a child and what they did to her. Meanwhile, the alien Antithesis have infiltrated the mining town of Black Bear. Capable of mimicking inanimate objects, they could be anywhere — and anything. Rooting out these shapeshifting aliens will test Cat's fighting skills and her ability to save lives to their limits.

In the megacity of New Montreal, those with wealth and power live in towers high above the teeming masses. When the poor and destitute vanish, the police can't be bothered — but Franny, a nun unafraid to practice what her religion preaches, sets out to find the missing armed with just a baseball bat. Afraid for Franny's safety, pyrotechnic nun-samurai Gomorrah recruits Cat to protect her zealous friend and get to the bottom of the mysterious disappearances. The trail leads underground, where the gang known as the Sewer Dragons has built its own society in the cavernous tunnels beneath the city. Cat isn't willing to sacrifice people simply because they lack money — and what she uncovers in the depths will lead her into battle with sewer-dwelling cyborgs and the dirtiest of politicians.

The Antithesis have burrowed deep beneath every continent on Earth and now emerge in massive waves, destroying all sentient creatures in their path. All that stands in their way is an elite vanguard of cyber-samurai. Catherine "Cat" LeBlanc has only been a samurai for a week, tackling each trial with guts, grit, and a lot of explosives. Now, with New Montreal recruiting soldiers for war, Cat will be on the frontlines alongside fellow samurai. But stronger armor and more powerful weapons are needed to defeat the endless hordes — and protecting the city may require methods of warfare that risk mass destruction.

A small city mostly populated by retirees, Burlington, Vermont is now overrun by Antithesis. Alien flora has taken root underground and throughout the surrounding woodlands, giving birth to monstrous beings driven to consume Earth's creatures. With only three rookie samurai and dwindling resources, the people of Burlington face extinction. Cat's success against the Antithesis has raised her profile among the samurai, and despite her antiauthoritarian streak, she's assigned to command Burlington's defenses. She finds the city split: downtown struggles while the privileged residents of River Heights thrive behind a private militia. Cat must forge a fighting force from an undisciplined trio of trainees while navigating local politics — all before the hive-minded Antithesis overwhelms the city.

The megacity of New Montreal is under constant Antithesis threat, its infrastructure in disrepair as politicians and corporations neglect their responsibilities. Cat is supposed to be on vacation, but duty calls. She'd prefer to spend her time supporting a nonprofit clinic producing free prosthetics for those in need. But gangs loot the clinic for the value of samurai tech on the black market. As Cat and fellow samurai Gomorrah follow the trail of thievery, they discover one of Cat's adopted children has joined a mercenary crew hunting the same stolen goods — and walked straight into a private military company's crosshairs.

The Antithesis have taken root on Mars and its moons, concocting a plan for the ultimate weapon: terraforming Phobos into a living satellite and hurling it toward Earth. If the alien nest collides with the planet, the loss of life will be catastrophic and humanity's home will become a new hive. With Armageddon fast approaching, Catherine LeBlanc and her fellow samurai have days to prepare their counterstrike. Even their combined firepower may not be enough to defend against what lies ahead.