Tardigrades in Space

Synopsis

TARDIGRADES IN SPACE: SYNOPSIS Written by Jonathan R. Anderson Logline: A lonely fourth-grade girl befriends a space-faring tardigrade toddler and embarks on a quest to free his siblings from a hospital lab—only to discover their captivity is key to saving her dying cousin. Back Cover Blurb: When a cosmic accident delivers a genetically enhanced tardigrade to a children's hospital, young Lydia forms an unbreakable bond with the intelligent creature she names Truman. As she uncovers the truth about his origins-and his imprisoned kin-Lydia must decide if freeing them is worth risking her cousin's life. Part heartwarming adventure, part high-stakes sci-fi, *Tardigrades in Space* is a family-friendly tale of loyalty, discovery, and the non-human heroes who teach us the truest meaning of courageous humanity. One-Page Synopsis: Experimental tardigrades are retrieved by an astronaut after decades of exposure to cosmic radiation on the moon. Once revived, the specimens grow to macroscopic size, with intelligence greater than any known terrestrial animal. They are subjected to scientific research for both medical and military objectives. A batch of puppy-sized tardibabies ends up in a research lab at a futuristic university hospital in Portland, Oregon, where cutting-edge gene therapy-based on tardigrade DNA-is being used to save the life of Ruby, a brave and terminally ill girl. One of the babies, Truman, escapes the lab and finds his way into the backpack of Ruby's precocious cousin, Lydia. Discovering her stow-away later, the two form a tender bond as Lydia learns that Truman isn't just adorable-he's sentient, and his "siblings" remain imprisoned in the hospital for experimentation. Little do they know that rescuing them would mean disrupting Ruby's only chance at survival. Meanwhile, global militaries and biotech corporations scramble to contain news of Truman's escape, as well as more nefarious programs. They fear exposure of their clandestine project to create radiation-proof "super soldiers" using tardigrade genes-some of which have already been spliced into human DNA. As tensions mount, Truman's father, a noble "Harditard" named Mic, plots a daring rescue mission by stealing the experimental spacecraft they have been conscripted to operate. Caught between her loyalty to Ruby and her growing compassion for Truman and his kind, Lydia must choose between keeping the creature she loves safe, or setting him free to save his family. In the end, it's not strength or science, but the heart of a child-and an unlikely interspecies friendship-that determines the fate of both worlds.