The Aurora 8 was only a month away from departure when Wendy Son, the young but accomplished cadet, met Irene, the stunning commander of the 3rd division.   Life on Earth had reached a critical point and several nations had begun launching their first space colonization missions. Simultaneous launches by the US and China were followed by other countries in the order drawn at the International Humanity Continuity Summit by their respective leadears. Korea drew 8th place.