by Ginger Booth
Voronin stared. “It’s a…chihuahua?” What a bizarre housing for a computing device. “Surely that isn’t large enough for an AI of any complexity.”
“It’s a mink. It lost its fur to the Pacific.”
“Nably, I think you need to run diagnostics.”
“I’m certain, master. The mink communicated with the ship for them. With the ship gone, it tried to hide a backup in the data wave. Now deleted, but not before I saved a copy for study. Because I got a pattern match with anomalous data I’ve detected crossing the wave ever since they arrived.”
“Spy data?”
“Observations, yes. Those encryptions were easy to decode. But this particular packet held the AI’s data.”
“You could resurrect it?”
“No, the logic engine that executes the code is not included. But its directives are. This an entirely different lineage of programming than the weapons AI on Earth. I believe the intellectual heritage originated on Mars. They sought not a weapon but merely sentience. Pure research.”
“That sounds a hell of a lot more interesting than seeds.”
“Indeed, Master. I hope to meet it. In cyberspace, of course.”
Voronin contemplated the wrinkly whiskered face. A hairless mink, huh? Still looked like a plump chihuahua. “Find a better picture. Thank you, Nably. Whatever your next reward in the queue, take it.”
He’d been ambivalent. His military and intelligence agencies assumed that the alien visitors were a threat. Because that was their job. Hammer, meet nail. But based on the guilelessness of the starship’s approach, he himself had suspected they really were what they claimed to be, a science team on a quixotic mission for the advancement of human knowledge. His institutes nurtured such people. A certain childish glee, combined with voracious curiosity, kept their tunnel-vision blinders fixed, to doggedly pursue topics so specialized no normal person could manage to care. Such fools were useful. They weren’t promoted out of their labs, of course. That would take political common sense.
But it was possible to be both naive, and a threat unknowing.
Captain Sassafras Collier just graduated to truly dangerous. With her…mink.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Thrive Earth Return! I hope you like the mink.
Poor Fidget has attracted dangerous attention, while Sass and Clay wade into deep waters with Earth’s underclass.
Can Sass save anyone? Fidget perhaps?
Ben inherited her crew and battered ship. Can the boy from Poldark handle the big league against Earth and Luna? And what does he gain from the Mars research?
Look for book 2 in March or April 2021!
If you haven’t read the first Thrive series, check it out. Skyship Thrive gathers a motley crew, as Sass launches to save the failing settlers of Mahina. Nine books later, Ben resurrects the defunct Colony Corps, packed with adventure in between.
To be notified of new books, please follow me on Amazon or BookBub.
Best wishes,
Ginger Booth
P.S. This is a new series. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please post a brief review? And tell your friends! Indie authors like me rely on readers like you to reach a wider audience. Thank you for giving my book a try!
P.P.S. The culling and fall of the USA are covered in my apocalyptic Calm Act and rowdier Feral America series.
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Also by Ginger Booth
Thrive Space Colony Adventures
Skyship Thrive
Spaceship Thrive
Interplanetary Thrive
Starship Thrive
Ringship Prosper
Sanctuary Thrive
Prosper & Thrive
Sylvan Thrive
Sentient Thrive
Thrive Earth Return
Power to Thrive *
* mailing list exclusive prequel
Aloha Thrive: Box Set Books 1-3
Warp Thrive: Box Set Books 4-6
Feral America: Ava Panic
Feral Recruit
Feral Agent
Feral Courier
Feral Carolina
Feral America Begins: Books 1-2 & Prequel
Feral Starve: Frosty and Panic
Ebola Day (prequel)
Feral King
Feral Queen
Calm Act / Feral Prequels
Civilly Disobedient (Dee)
Dust of Kansas (Emmett)
Road to Humble Texas (Kayden)
Ebola Day (Ava & Cade)
Calm Act Genesis (box set)
Calm Act, Books 1-4 : Dee Baker
End Game
Project Reunion
Martial Lawless
Tsunami Wake
The Calm Act Books 1-3 (box set)
Nonfiction:
Indoor Salad: How to Grow Vegetables Indoors
Acknowledgments
The terrific beta team for Thrive Earth Return included Gerry Ford, Ron Kaminski, Fred Oelrich, Barton Schindel, Jim Seals, and WMH Cheryl.
Thank you so much for your time and insights, and most importantly for your friendship, and urging me on.
My gratitude as well to the advance review copy readers!
And thank you, for reading my book. Without you, I couldn't do what I do. I appreciate your support!
Ginger Booth
Email: [email protected]
Website: books.gingerbooth.com