Publisher's Synopsis
The Search for Little Green Men - Part of the Red Tide Saga" is a novella that describes the events leading to the discovery of alien life on Mars. The year is 2096. This is the point where the human journey into space and the geologic evolution of Mars finally intersect. It is a time when humanity has colonized the Moon and Mars, and space tourism allows ordinary people to take a cruise ship around the Moon or an excursion to Armstrong City, the lunar colony with an "anything goes" reputation. Without previously finding as much as a fossil, or evidence of any kind that aliens exist on Mars, humanity is suddenly confronted with the realization that they are not alone. Imagine the colonist's surprise. Imagine their reaction when they discover that "little green men" really do exist... humanity wasn't prepared for that news.
The story is told through the main character, Dr. Myah O'Brien, a marine biologist, who travels to Mars to join an expedition onto the Martian Frontier in search of past life on the red planet when they accidently discover Mars secret... the planet has a vast underground with a hidden subterranean sea revealing that life exists on Mars. The underground cavern is teaming with animal and plant life but what is not found is intelligent life. Myah gathers alien jellyfish from the sea and takes them back to the lunar colony known as Armstrong City to study their genetic structure. Her research reveals that, life on the two planets follows similar genetic processes, however, there are differences between the Martian DNA codes and Earths DNA codes. On Earth, humanity is in the grips of its third great pandemic of the 21st century. The pandemic is caused by a DNA virus with a high mortality rate and no known cure. The virus threatens the extinction of humanity if it cannot be stopped. Dr. O'Brien is diverted from her research on the alien jellyfish to support researchers seeking a cure for the pandemic. Eventually, she finds a way to create a vaccine that will defeat the virus by modifying the Martian jellyfish DNA and put an end to the pandemic. The colonists never suspected the secret that existed right under their feet, hidden in the geological history of the red planet. The colonists eventually discover the existence of the intelligent life they thought couldn't exist on the frozen planet. Life had found a way and had evolved on Mars. The discovery that the Martian jellyfish could be used as a cure that could end the pandemic, and potentially save humanity from extinction, put humanity in direct conflict with the Martians. As the humans try to collect the Martian jellyfish needed to make the vaccine, they are in conflict with the Martians. When the humans and the Martians finally meet, there is a conflict that results in the death of two Martians and two humans. The Martians are a tribal, non-technical, civilization as compared to humanity which is highly evolved technologically but has a history of conflict where weaker societies are subjugated to stronger ones. As a recently evolved interplanetary civilization, humanity is faced with a decision. Will humanity fall back on its aggressive nature and take what it needs from a less advanced civilization or seek to find a way to live in peace with its newfound neighbors and find a peaceful way to attain what humanity needs to survive through cooperation with the Martians. This is a story about the awakening of humanity as an interplanetary civilization. The Search for Little Green men will take your imagination on a wild journey into the future.