Children of Alpheios

A genetically engineered colony on a new world.

A baby born different than everyone else.

A mother who will do anything to save him.

On planet Eamine, twenty-one-year-old Alina finds herself up against the colony's central corporation when she discovers they want to exploit her baby's remarkable DNA anomaly. Trained by the Expeditionary Academy, Alina knows how to survive Eamine's harsh environment and flees to keep baby Mandin safe.

While Alina tries to uncover the truth, she finds herself relying on Kiean, a gruff pilot who protects her from threats in the midst of her new surroundings. As an upcoming rebellion brews, Alina must discover who she can trust, facing choices about family, life, and love. Despite the risk, Alina is determined to safeguard Mandin from the colony's most powerful institutions, even if it means risking herself.

Excerpt:


Aurore handed her a tall glass. Alina drank the citrus liquid, inhaling bubbles. The crackers and fish in front of the robot beckoned. As she savored the alternating salty-sweet flavors, an audible ping lit up Aurore's expeditionary link.


"From SG." Aurore then read the message aloud. "AI scan correlates to a very high intelligence, but the sequence indicates a possible neurological condition. Have a pediatric neurologist look into this. Ask for Dr. Olek at Genodyne. He was one of my students at the med institute."


Alina tried to swallow the cracker stuck in her throat. It couldn't be. She was born of Phase One herself. Genodyne edited hereditary diseases out of everyone's genome as standard procedure. Sucking on the straw of her drink helped wash down the cracker.


"He said it might be a really high intelligence," Aurore said.


"Yes, but a neurological condition? The doctor said they didn't detect a radiation leak, but what if there was one? What if it's neurodivergence or—"


"Mandin could be a genius for all we know," Aurore said.


Alina took another swig of her drink. She had broken her rule of stating her fears aloud.