Starship Delirium (The Snake In The Grass Book 1)

An over-the-top thriller that harkens back to the days of pulp sci-fi. A mysterious mental condition throttles the crew of the Starship Chimera. It acts fast and its effects and symptoms are unpredictable and utterly frightening. But what is Starship Delirium, exactly?

Starship Delirium (Star·ship De·lir·i·um) /stär?SHip d??lir??m/ -
noun [English]
A supposed condition of long term deep-space travel under non-ideal or catastrophic conditions. The disorder has been examined under experimental circumstances, but never actively observed during deep-space travel. The symptoms include detachment from reality, paranoia, compulsive dishonesty, acute mood-swings, engagement in high risk activities, violence, severe increases or decreases in libido, extreme abandonment of traditional human morality, a profound misunderstanding of the passing of time, and an illogical desire to escape the confines of a starship into the vacuum of space. The onset of Starship Delirium is thought to occur rapidly and worsen with time, relative to the severity of the situation.

Such is the condition that grips the crew of the Starship Chimera following an accident that causes two-thirds of the crew to awaken unexpectedly from suspended animation. Though their asteroid mining endeavor has been completed, they have seven years remaining before they reach Earth with only limited supplies. How long can they survive before chaos reigns supreme aboard the ship?

Mosby Tomlinson had no business being aboard the Chimera in the first place. His dishonesty won him a position as the brig overseer, though if the crew were aware of his murky past, it would be likely that a cell in the brig would be his new home.

Eva K. Arvid is a casual genius with a secret of her own. Can she overcome her own demons and the condition that threatens to overtake the ship long enough to engineer a survival for herself and Mosby?

The pair must navigate through the madness. They must jump the hurdles that present themselves as makeshift courtrooms with vile punishments and illogical judges, doctors who wish only to turn their patients into addicts and lovesick fiends, murderous captains hellbent on justice and entertainment in a bizarre melding of the two, mislead vigilantes, the charismatic gatherings that can occur at any moment, and their own minds as they battle the madness within themselves.