Out amidst the stars, far past the point Earth appears as a pale blue dot, a human spacecraft plunges forth towards new and exciting worlds. The passengers know they are never going home, not after the lengthy journey ahead of, and to a lesser extent behind them. They while away their time frozen in body and plugged into a simulation in mind waiting for a new planet to explore and colonize. Still, space is a place large enough for a surprise or two as our protagonist, the underqualified Mike Jackson (no relation) is soon to find out.