It is 31 December, 2049, and the students and staff of the Columbus College, on the space station Ilea, are preparing for their New Year's Eve party. Professor Charles Brelan, head of Daedalus 10, is the guest speaker at a science discussion group. He invites lecturer James Bromwich to join a forthcoming expedition. Rosie Greenwood, the college bursar, welcomes new arrival Victoria Frobisher aboard. She will be rooming with Sara Robbins and Melody Shaw. Second Officer Finbow Lewis notices an abnormality on the viewscreen in command central.
Rosie Greenwood places Gantry 4 in quarantine, but Space City Medical Centre advise that Victoria's calcium deficiency was caused by her nine-month trip from Earth, not a virus. An electrical storm over Io cuts off communications. Charles Brelan thinks that the college is a waste of valuable resources. Finbow Lewis discusses the scanner readings with Captain Eliot Creasy and Brelan, who dismiss his concerns and blame a faulty scanner.
Finbow remains convinced that something is out there, but Eliot is unconvinced and blames the outdated equipment. Eliot is worried about Finbow's sanity and speaks to Dick, the Space City medical officer, about reassigning him to another post. A shuttle collides with the Ilea, damaging a docking station. One of the passengers is new Daedalus member Mercedes Page, who is upset to discover that Cats Kitebrook is seeing Rosie Greenwood.
Finbow studies an enhanced recording of the abnormality in an attempt to find its present whereabouts. Chantal agrees to do some computer modelling to predict the abnormality's behaviour. A shuttle carrying repair engineers to fix the crash-damaged Centaur docks with the Ilea. Space City Medical are worried that Victoria is developing Space Confinement Syndrome. Rosie discovers Cats and Mercedes in a passionate embrace.
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