Humanity One was built for one reason, and maneuverability was not it.

The vessel was a massive biosphere that plowed its way through space guided by values established by humans long dead. Captain Cesar's paradigms were rocked by the fact that the Innovators did not anticipate the possibility of an alien encounter. Added to the Captain's burden was the fact that fifteen-year-old Maddie and her Generation 4 Group engaged in heresy that could spell failure for future generations and Humanity One's Mission.

Torn between the teachings of the Innovators and the radical behaviors of the Gen 4 teenagers, the aging Captain struggled to find solutions to the dual dangers to humankind. Either an attack by the aliens or the assault on tradition by the teens could lead to the extinction of humans, and the Innovators offered no guidance to successfully resolve either danger.