A Bug's Life: Book Three of the Martian Alliance Chronicles

By Gini Koch

When the crew of the Hummingbird discovers a Pilla Colony recently destroyed by the Diamante Families, they’re faced with the smart choice of leaving or the dangerous one of searching for survivors – and Roy and DeeDee aren’t in agreement about their course of action. But the real question is – why would anyone be going out of their way to destroy the most helpless, fragile, and noncombative race in the galaxy?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gini Koch
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310016950

Gini Koch

Gini Koch writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files series, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles series. Touched by an Alien, Book 1 in the Alien series, was named by Booklist as one of the Top Ten Adult SF/F novels of 2010. Alien in the House, Book 7 in her long-running Alien series, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award as the Best Futuristic Romance of 2013.As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series and she’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch.Gini also has stories featured in a variety of anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects 3, Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens, and Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets anthologies, writing as Anita Ensal, in The Book of Exodi, Love and Rockets, and Boondocks Fantasy anthologies, and, writing as J.C. Koch, in Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters, The Madness of Cthulhu, Vol. 1, and A Darke Phantastique anthologies, and, coming in 2016, The Mammoth Book of Kaiju. Gini will also be featured in the first book in an X-Files anthology series, X-Files: Trust No One, as well as in the Temporally Out of Order, Timeless Tales, MECH: Age of Steel, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Out of Tune 2 anthologies, all coming in 2015.All the ways to reach Gini:Website - http://www.ginikoch.com/The Blah, Blah, Blah Blog - http://ginikoch.blogspot.com/Twitter - @GiniKochFacebook - facebook.com/Gini.KochFacebook Fan Page: Hairspray & Rock ‘n’ Roll – https://www.facebook.com/GiniKochAuthorPinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/ginikoch/The Official Fan Site of the Alien Collective - http://thealiencollectivevirtualhq.blogspot.com/E-mail - [e-mail]

Book preview

Praise for The Martian Alliance Chronicles

Gini Koch manages to deliver a fun story full of action, deception and misdirection.

Pearls Cast Before a McPig

This series is just fun, and perfect for when you want to read something in one sitting.

A Buckeye Girl Reads

Gini Koch has done it again!

I Smell Sheep

Also by Gini Koch:

The Alien/Katherine Kitty Katt Series

TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN

ALIEN TANGO

ALIEN IN THE FAMILY

ALIEN PROLIFERATION

ALIEN DIPLOMACY

ALIEN VS. ALIEN

ALIEN IN THE HOUSE

ALIEN RESEARCH

ALIEN COLLECTIVE

UNIVERSAL ALIEN

ALIEN SEPARATION

ALIEN IN CHIEF (coming December 2015)

CAMP ALIEN (coming May 2016)

ALIEN NATION (coming December 2016)

ALIENS ABROAD (coming May 2017)

The Necropolis Enforcement Files Series

THE NIGHT BEAT

NIGHT MUSIC (coming 2016)

The Martian Alliance Chronicles Series

THE ROYAL SCAM

THREE CARD MONTE

A BUG’S LIFE

RANDOM MUSINGS FROM THE FUNNY GIRL

THE HAPPY ACRES HAUNTED HOTEL FOR ACTIVE SENIORS

A STUDY IN STARLETS (coming 2015)

Anthologies

CLOCKWORK UNIVERSE: STEAMPUNK VS. ALIENS –

A Clockwork Alien

TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE BAKER STREETS –

All The Single Ladies

UNIDENTIFIED FUNNY OBJECTS 3 – Live at the Scene

TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER – Alien Time Warp

THE X-FILES: TRUST NO ONE – Sewers

UNIDENTIFIED FUNNY OBJECTS 4 – Support Your Local Alien (coming 2015)

OUT OF TUNE 2 – Red River Valley (coming 2016)

alt. SHERLOCK HOLMES: NEW VISIONS OF THE GREAT DETECTIVE –

A Study in Starlets (coming 2016)

A Bug’s Life

Book 3 of the Martian Alliance Chronicles

GINI KOCH

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A Bug’s Life

Published by Gini Koch at Smashwords

Copyright 2015 Jeanne Cook

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, contact the author: [e-mail].

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via other means without the express written permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic and print editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Editors: Mary Fiore and Veronica Cook

Cover Artist: Lisa Dovichi

ISBN: 978-1-31001-6950

Gini Koch

http://www.ginikoch.com

Dedication

To all those who take the lost and unloved under their wings

and fill the role of loving parent,

whether for a little while or a lifetime,

we thank you.

Acknowledgments

Thanks as always to my awesome agent, Cherry Weiner, and my amazing crit partner, Lisa Dovichi. Love and thanks to my husband, Steve, and daughter, Veronica, for continuing to deal with the madness living with an author can be.

Special love to the fans who’ve told me that this is their favorite series of mine. DeeDee and the Crew appreciate your support.

Asteroid shower! Roy’s voice came over the intercom. Crew to stations and strap in!

When you’re flying in deep space, there are few things that scare you more than being caught in an asteroid shower. Because even a small rock can rip a hole in your hull, and any hole that isn’t immediately patched has the potential to destroy the spaceship and all the life within it.

Our stations during an asteroid shower were different than for any other type of flying experience. Sure, Roy was a fantastic pilot. And the chances of him avoiding most of the rocks were high. But they weren’t a hundred percent. We scrambled.

Once in position, we were all standing up, really tethered more than strapped in, each against a padded interior wall -- concussions tended to slow a being