Waking the Machine

by William Ross

In a not too distant future, mankind has begun living and working in space. With colonies on the Moon, and Mars, as well as several space stations and outposts throughout the inner solar system, life is dangerous and uncertain for the brave explorers of a new generation.

Bish, a 26 year-old space pilot, is finishing a years-long job cleaning up space junk in Earth orbit. A skilled fabricator and pilot, he heads for the asteroid belt to make his fortune at humanity’s new frontier. Katie a 22 year-old AI coder, just out of college, is working her first job on Mars. She is attempting to create a true, artificial consciousness, the first of its kind, or so she thinks.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a sentient AI is already on the board, and through unexpected circumstances, another joins the game. These two AIs hold disparate views on humanity, one a protector, the other, a destroyer. Amidst this backdrop, our two main characters are thrown into the hidden battle of the two, yet-unknown super-intelligences. A battle that becomes very public with a disaster on Mars that throws the solar system into chaos.

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2021