"Slingshot" is the adventure that asks what do we do, where do we go as resources dwindle, populations explode, terrorism is rampant, economies are strained to the breaking point and the planet's environment damaged? Corporations with divisions on every continent can no longer put up with corrupt inept governments that ruin profit. They now control Earth. Corporate earnings are dwindling due to shrinking resources and rising costs. The planet will no longer sustain the existing population. It has been too long that mankind has been so short sighted in taking care of Earth. The Federation decided future survival depended on space. It was a fortunate coincidence that corporate survivor matched the needs of the people. It was a heady time to be part of the team that tracked the stars. It was exhilarating to be rid of those politicians whose stance had to be so broad just to get elected, they stood for nothing and no one but themselves. In the old days of Earth, the corporations poured their money into private lobbies to put pressure on the politicians that supposedly ran the systems that ran Earth. A little money here, a little money there, and a lot of money in the right pockets could accomplish wonders. No one missed the politicians of the old world. The last gasp of the political world was one in which the politicians could only be elected if they looked good on television. Votes depended on image and not substance. Slingshot is the adventure and romance of those humans stranded on an alien world. A third even earlier flight also crashed. The only survivors on that flight were black Labrador retrievers. While the new planet is much like Earth it has the advantage of a purple sun. Its rays promote growth and healing. After many years the dog's arteries enlarged, sending more blood to their brains, which increased intelligence and enabled the dogs to communicate through telepathy.