Paradox: The Alien Genome

Captain Thomas Jackson, a level headed adventurer with a dry sense of humor, commands the Science Ship Linus Pauling as his science crew searches for special DNA that could cure children on Earth who are the victims of genetic engineering gone horribly wrong. It's 2160, and they've been in space for nearly two years, twenty four light years from home when their ship breaks apart in orbit. Surviving with escape pods, they soon discover the backwards fourth planet of Beta Hydri might kill them with inedible food and vicious predators. Although the planet offers up the molecules they need, survival is far from certain.Captain Thomas Jackson has to hold his shipwrecked crew together as they struggle with survival. He finally reaches out to a thriving humanoid population that gives them tools to survive, but also a whole new set of problems to contend with. Jackson falls hard for Rianya, the alien woman who helped them the most. Except for the ship's doctor, the crew find his affection for her nothing but positive, even when their love unexpectedly results in a baby. Her people, however, are far from enamored by their union and xenophobia erupts when a series of natural phenomenon begin to wreck their primitive village. A flood, an earthquake, and a triple lunar eclipse force the humans to retreat and abandon their friendships with the natives.Geological and biological forces beyond Jackson's control threaten the crew of fifteen while they wait for a rescue that may never come. Captain Jackson, stricken with increasingly debilitating headaches, is diagnosed with brain tumor that threatens his life, and his doctor's jealousy of Rianya only gets worse with time. Most notably, their unusual, precocious daughter holds a secret in her genome that could cure millions of children on Earth, will challenge their core beliefs, and put lives in danger, including her very own. H. S. Rivney has been a professional writer for more than twenty years primarily as a non-fiction technical writer, and fiction just for love of story telling and writing. After publishing a blog aimed at the average pet owner about important animal issues, it was time to transition to her love of science fiction. She makes her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, having gamed and won an estimated total of $37 over the last thirteen years. On a rare cherished acre, besides a husband and son, she shares her oasis with mostly domesticated creatures. She holds a state license as a veterinary technician and uses that knowledge daily caring for dozens of pets, many of which find their ways into novels and inspire original characters from diverse worlds.