Cosmos Quest

By Ross Richdale

Starship Human Dawn is only the second deep space starship to evacuate the last residents from a dying Earth in search of a new world in which to live. The first, Human Sunset, went missing generations earlier. 5000 humans are in suspended animation while the vessel travels through post-light speed infinity drive under control of computers. Commander Sophie Copland wakes up in deep space because of an emergency drop to sub-light speed.

A human woman, Kyla Adair has caused this. She is escaping from an alien world of human type beings called benefactors who, it is later found out, cloned her from a long dead member of a Human Sunset. After no senior officers are found to be alive, two other junior crewmembers, Penny who has the ability to 'feel' the truth, and Jack, an electronics expert are awoken. The three find the starship is occupied by of human terrorists who have killed the senior officers and are torturing two benefactors, Daz and Foxin.

They rescue the pair and attempt to gain control of the vessel. They are only partially successful but manage to blast the three self-life-supporting drones containing the suspended animation humans away from the Human Dawn before it is destroyed. They also escape in the Dawn Rescue 'lifeboat' and Kyla's damaged Zarel 29 benefactor spaceship.

Daz and Foxin prove loyal but will other benefactors help the humans, which they regard as inferior to themselves?
Sophie finds the computers have the ability to mutate into advanced forms! Are they really the new life species that supersede the 'inferior' humans and benefactors?

Are any planets that support intelligent life safe?

Only Sophie and her four friends can keep humans and benefactors from becoming extinct in a hostile cosmos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ross Richdale
• Release date: Jul 8, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452376479

Ross Richdale

After a career as a teacher and principal of mainly small rural schools, Ross Richdale lives in the small university city of Palmerston North in the North Island of New Zealand where he writes contemporary novels and science fiction. He is married with three adult children and six grandchildren. His interest in current events and international incidents serve as a backdrop for many of his novels. Ordinary people rather than the super rich super powerful or violent, are the main characters in his stories. His plots also reflect his interest in the rural lifestyle as well as the cross section of personalities encountered during his years as a teacher.