Space is not as empty as you would think. Ancient languages expert and archaeology professor, Elle Murphy joins Captain Ray Melton, First Officer Mick Stafford and crew from the United Space Group on a top-secret mission. They are tasked to explore an Earth-like planet in the Alpha Centauri system. No humans have ever travelled further than the Moon, so Elle isn't the only one in uncharted space.  This character-driven story takes you on an interstellar adventure. The crew set out with the comfort of knowing alien life didn't exist, but that comfort didn't last long. Spending twenty years confined in a spacecraft with fifteen other people was the easy part of their travels. Reaching Alpha Centauri is hard enough, but will they be able to return to Earth?340 pages, 6x9 inches. No AI-generated content.