Escape Velocity

Space Habitat Altaire is the premier luxury resort in low Earth orbit, a playground for the privileged. It is also the setting for reunions of the Rochford Institute, a school that admits only the wealthiest and most promising students with the most impressive pedigrees. The lavish gatherings include space walks, and they give alumni a chance to jockey for power with old friends and rivals. Crucially, they also let them advance their applications to live in an exclusive Mars settlement, because Earth is dying and only the best are meant to save themselves.

Four of the guests are aboard the Altaire for a 25th reunion. Finance magnate Ava is pursuing the truth about her brother's murder during their senior year. Laz, an ambassador and political scion, hopes to win Ava's heart at last. Sloane is collecting secrets to hide his family's decline while angling for a key client. Henry, heir to a healthcare empire, creates an unorthodox opportunity to reach Mars in a last-ditch attempt to outrun a childhood secret.

While these former friends settle scores and rack up points, they fail to notice other agendas developing on the habitat. Their own futures are not the only ones at stake, and the people they plan to leave behind on Earth may prove to be underestimated.