Preparing for the deep space mission on the interstellar ship Cumberland Ed Linklater and the crew run through batteries of trials and drills.

A grueling schedule.

When trouble with the training centrifuge proves almost catastrophic, Ed must face alterations to the mission profile that test him in whole new ways.

Alterations that shake him to his emotional core.

With the future in the balance of not only his career but the mission itself, Ed faces whole new challenges.

A prequel story to the novella "Wildest Skies".