A CROSSROADS FOR HUMANITY. ENDLESS SKY. BOUNDLESS HORIZONS. The world has moved on from the shock of first contact, and technologies based on research of the alien crash site on Mars have begun to enter the public sphere. For Commander James Fowler, life has never been better. And yet, fifteen years on, James feels unsettled. Deep scars remain that leave him hesitant when an old friend presents him with the opportunity of a lifetime: a job as test pilot for the Aurora, an experimental spaceplane that promises to lead humanity to the stars. But all is not well. Behind scenes, factions shift and change, presenting a threatening portent of the shape of things to come.