Greenfields

Jeff Sullivan, a geologist under contract to evaluate several mineral veins for the company that hired him, thought he was the only person on the as-yet-unnamed planet. A brigade of Global Communications and Information (GCI) battle marines forced him to re-evaluate the situation. What would GCI Marines be doing on this out-of-the-way place not one in a billion people had ever heard of?
A herd of mongolores, a species native to another world several hundred light-years away, tells Jeff that something was not right where he is. The actions of another group, an unknown alien species herding the mongolores, forces Jeff to not only seek shelter from the GCI Marines, but also warn them they are in danger.
Jeff volunteers to help the Marines discover who is behind the mongolore stampede, and several other hostile attacks. In the process, he helps uncover a major plot aimed at destroying both GCI and much of the Council of Worlds government – from within.
Fate and circumstances force Jeff into roles he had not expected to play for another decade, including that of husband, father, and most importantly for him and his family, protector. He finds himself embroiled in both GCI and Council of Worlds politics, trying to keep his wife, his family, and his new friends, safe.