G581: Zarmina's World

Six years after establishing a colony on Zarmina's World, the settlers of Sagan Base have built a thriving community.

Children have been born, crops planted, and homes constructed on this alien planet 22 light years from Earth. While still mourning those lost to the ESH virus on Earth and the sabotage aboard the Calypso, the colonists have created a promising future.

But their world is not what it seems.

When Nathan Zradce—the man who nearly destroyed their mission—mysteriously returns after years in the wilderness, he brings a terrifying revelation: Zarmina's World is already occupied. Two enormous fungal intelligences, Entity and Offspring, have existed for eons, conducting their own planetary experiments. Entity has tolerated the humans' presence, but Offspring has already eradicated a second colony on the far side of the planet.

As Daniel Medry risks his life to communicate with Entity, he discovers a horrifying truth: When the solar winds shift, Entity will leave the planet to Offspring—who views humans as an infestation to be eliminated.

With thousands of lives at stake and Earth still devastated by the asteroid impact, the colonists face an impossible choice. Can they negotiate with intelligences beyond human comprehension? Or must they abandon their new home and return to a ruined Earth?

In this gripping final chapter, author Christine Shuck brings her epic science fiction series to a powerful conclusion, exploring themes of family, belonging, and humanity's place in the cosmos.