Summary

Chapter 1“Kourou” opens with Leigh undressing for a mission with two male colleagues, K and Tyler. It is unclear where they are and if they are in a simulation or on a real mission. Leigh refers to Launch Pad 1. Then MacInnes jumps into Leigh’s flashback, when Uria told her she had been chosen as the third backup crew for the space mission to the Oort Cloud. The first-in-line crew would be training in and take off from China, while another backup crew trained in Russia. Leigh accepts Uria’s offer and puts off visiting her family again. Once Leigh accepts, she begins unbelievable training exercises, such as flying oval parabolas over the Sea of Cortez. Leigh meets Tyler and Karius—or K—and is surprised by how small they are, although they prove to be tough and she comes to trust...