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by George S. Boughton (Author)
Set in the 2060's, Mass Extinction has continued unabated. Action over climate change, environmental and wildlife conservation, let alone overpopulation and continued fossil fuel dependence, have utterly failed to stem the losses. Dwindling natural resources, shrinking standards in overcrowded cities, has constantly swelled economic migrations. To the point that populating 'Planet B' is urgently underway. An international team of researchers is assigned to live and work in newly built Near Earth Territories - each vessel greatly more spacious than the largest ocean liners, which they dwarf.
Except, on Earth, an unforeseen escalation in natural disasters is plunging territories into anarchy and territorial wars. The researchers must find answers and least qualified among the scientists is Sashia, a paraplegic who surprisingly becomes a rock on which they all depend. Doctors Mei Sai Ling and Steve Nord form the scientific team's backbone, headed by Professor Mark Madison and assisted by FayWell, the enigmatic Artificial Intelligence to the fleet. Tending their medical needs is Doctor O'Malley. Their mission is to discover the cause of the natural disasters, to avert this Mass Extinction becoming as apocalyptic as the end Cretaceous event.
News coverage is increasingly grim with refugees fleeing disasters caught up in battles between new styled warlords and United Nation Security Council forces. Those actions extend to space, where the Territories fleet, escorted by the biggest and best US Navy battle-carrier, becomes a primary target.
Our species is outgrowing the home planet. The Territories fleet is predominantly manned by designer-babies now in young adulthood. Designed to reside permanently in space, they are the beginning of a new branch of the human species, transformed into extraterrestrial beings. As for the Earth: It's not too late. Time to let nature revive and evolve on its own...
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Author Biography
Born to English parents in Eritrea, George S Boughton is a Chartered Engineer - BSc (Hons) MechE (UK) - who's led an expatriate life in oilfield engineering (with Shell and Creole Production Services International, Texas), change management (with the Nichols Group, UK) and Information Management services (with Azeus Systems Ltd, Hong Kong). Now based in the UK, his deep knowledge of oil exploration and production coupled with dire experiences working in remote areas and conflict zones (notably Biafra) have served him well in researching all aspects of the complex, highly scientific and intensely political DeepStorm OutTack adventure.
