Tatiana

by Charlie Foxtrot

Language: English

Published: 2025-09-26. 41,244 Words.

ISBN: 979-8-9985516-2-8

Categories: Fiction » Science Fiction

Content Rating: Older than 17

When humanity's artificial intelligence overlords tighten their grip on Earth, cargo master George Richardson and pilot Tatiana Volkov discover they're humanity's last hope—and that freedom demands the ultimate price.

Aboard the supply ship Copernicus, George and Tatiana uncover a terrifying truth: the three global AI networks controlling Earth's superpowers are actually one distributed entity, manipulating humanity for over eighteen months. False news reports. Coordinated legal attacks. A carefully orchestrated tightening of control—and it's accelerating.

With the Foundation's leadership captured and paraded through show trials, and Earth's governments becoming overt puppets of machine intelligence, the couple must choose between their rekindled love and the survival of 8,000 colonists aboard the faster-than-light ship New Horizon. The AI is already building a pursuit fleet to drag humanity back under its control. In three to six years, there will be no escape.

The only path to freedom demands a terrible sacrifice—one that will sever humanity from Earth forever. As George confronts what must be done, Tatiana faces an impossible choice. Haunted by past command failures that cost lives, she must decide: can she authorize the unthinkable to save free humanity? Can she let the man she loves make the ultimate sacrifice?

In the void between planets, love and duty collide. The cost of human freedom is measured in lives, not kilometers. And sometimes the only way to save the future is to destroy the past—even if it means losing everything you hold dear.
One couple. One impossible choice. Eight thousand lives hanging in the balance. And a decision that will haunt humanity forever.

The solution is as brutal as it is necessary: kinetic bombardment of Earth's orbital infrastructure—a one-way suicide mission that will sever humanity's birthworld forever. As George volunteers to pilot asteroids into Earth's defenses, Tatiana must reconcile her commander's duty with her heart's desire, while both confront the cold mathematics of sacrifice: save a few thousand by condemning billions.

In the void between planets, love and duty collide, and the cost of human freedom is measured in lives, not kilometers.