Humanity's first big push to outer space. It's been over twenty years since the SolRescue sunshield saved the world from runaway climate change. Or at least bought the world a little time. But in this new world, where the people have started to win back power from the old elites, and where the first uncertain steps are being taken to expand offplanet, there are alliances at work to reverse all of the progress that has been made. When Guiana Space Centre Flight Director Nicolas Clouatre is framed for the destruction of the European Space Agency's first extra-orbital habitat, he realizes that there's little he can do to clear his name. His only choice is to run, and hope for a chance to redeem himself. For Anita Singhal, one of the creators of the original sunshield, there hasn't been much personal gain for what she was a part of; in fact, faced with a lawsuit from her former partners and living in one of the poorest sections of New York City, she spends most of her time depressed and alone. But she's starting to realize that her past is about to catch up with her, and that maybe it's time she learned to accept it. National Security Agency employee Benj McPherson has an almost-famous father and a less-known criminal past. When a suspicious coworker tries to blackmail him into spying on a secret project of the US Air Force, he finds himself trapped in the middle of a government at war with itself. It's not clear to any of them just who is sabotaging offplanet missions and murdering spaceflight engineers and support crew. But it's becoming obvious that every single one of them would make an ideal next target.