Of Human Nature

Description

2026. The Goliath mission is born from an improbable technological breakthrough in Spacetime travel leading to the development of the Space Shift engines. Decked out with groundbreaking tech, the Goliath’s destination is Gliese 667Cc, 22 light-years away. The mission statement is straightforward: colonize the Exoplanet and blaze a trail to human civilization’s Planet B. The crew committed to lead the mission and its 300 passengers is the Explorer Team, an eclectic patchwork of military and science geeks.

Master Sergeant John Patterson is a leading AI expert at the Shannon Institute, picked for the mission to develop both his AI creation EVAA’s Neural Data System and master the Space Shift engines. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a young age following a life-threatening drug overdose, he is determined to make his late mother and sister proud.

Commander Imani Shiraz is the driven, bigger-than-life Marine chosen to lead the Goliath. Following a brilliant career in the military, she is set to become the first black woman to command a mission to space. Her acceptance is conditional on having her best friend, Samir Al-Massoud (Sami), report to her for the mission. Finally, Payload Specialist Phil Blackwell is the acerbic family man with a dark secret whose last minute appearance at the mission briefing immediately leaves a sour note for everyone involved.

The Shift to the triple star system was a mitigated success, to say the least. After a scan from John, and a confirmation from EVAA, they learn that the plotted course landed them far away from their planned destination. The view from ClearSight is jarring. The exoplanet filling the view is an unknown exoplanet in the Kepler star system. Originally thought to be Kepler 22b, EVAA makes a stunning discovery. This super-Earth has not been discovered yet. Nonetheless, the Goliath is now a full 587 lightyears away from home and the mission must go on.

From their unintended destination things quickly unravel. The outcome of the mission abruptly changes course when an alien ship tries to intercept the Goliath within minutes of their arrival. Far from home and facing impossible odds, the Goliath and its crew suddenly find themselves at risk of becoming embroiled in a zero-sum game for uninvited guests from inside and out.

Will they find out in time who the real enemy is? Will the Goliath be consumed by a war it never meant to play a part in? Will it seal the fate of two worlds on the brink of interstellar war? The stakes are high for everybody on board . . .