The Mimicking of Known Successes

Abstract

The Mimicking of Known Successes follows Mossa and Pleiti as they investigate as series of mysterious events that took place on Giant, a human colony on planet Jupiter. The events Mossa is investigating are a disappearance, a murder, an attack on Mossa herself, and a theft, all related to the Preservation Institute, a foundation dedicated to preserving the Earth’s ecosystems in the colony. Pleiti is an academic doing research on ways to reestablish environmental conditions on Earth so the planet can sustain human life once more, an effort that involves various departments from geography to anthropology on Giant. This colony consists of a series of platforms on Jupiter connected by rails. The story takes place in a future where humankind has destroyed planet Earth to such an extent that it is no longer inhabitable. As people started establishing colonies all over the solar system, many thought they would only have to wait until nature healed by itself or science found a viable way to return. The occurrences Mossa is investigating reveal a larger conspiracy in which some scientist members of the colony are attempting to return to Earth with biological samples of several animals held at the Preservation Institute and speed the process of reestablishing living conditions on the planet, a plot that can either reinitiate a sustainable environment on the planet or result in the death of the scientists.