After a year of isolation, with no company except an android bartender named Arthur, Jim grows despondent and contemplates suicide. One day, he notices Aurora Lane in her pod. He watches her video profile and is immediately smitten. After struggling with the morality of manually reviving Aurora for companionship, he awakens her, claiming her pod also must have malfunctioned. Aurora is devastated that she will grow old and die before the ship reaches Homestead II. Her attempts to re-enter hibernation are fruitless. Eventually, she accepts her situation and begins writing a book about her experiences. Jim and Aurora grow closer, and eventually fall in love.
After another year, Jim inadvertently allows Arthur to reveal the truth to Aurora by saying that he and Aurora have "no secrets" between them. Aurora is devasted; she considers his action tantamount to murder. She alternately berates, shuns, and physically attacks Jim. The two refrain from contact for some time. Soon after, another pod failure awakens Gus Mancuso, Chief Deck Officer. The three discover multiple failures throughout the ship's systems. If not repaired, the ship will continue to suffer critical system failures. Gus attempts repairs with Jim and Aurora's help, while Aurora still blames Jim for stealing her life. Gus becomes ill; unlike Jim's, his body was physically damaged by his malfunctioning pod. The Autodoc, an automated medical diagnostics and treatment pod, shows he has only hours to live. Before dying, Gus gives Jim and Aurora his ID badge to access crew-only areas and repair the ship.
Jim and Aurora discover a series of holes through the ship's hull from the meteor collision two years earlier. The computer module administering the fusion reactor that powers the ship has been damaged, causing the ship's escalating malfunctions. Jim and Aurora replace the damaged module. The computer attempts to vent the reactor as it has a massive reactor fire, but fails. Jim realizes that the reactor must be vented by opening the vent hatch from the ship's exterior. Aurora assists, while admitting she is terrified of losing Jim and being left alone. Aurora, from inside the ship, and Jim, outside, vent the reactor. Jim's tether snaps and his damaged spacesuit loses oxygen; Aurora retrieves and resuscitates Jim in the Autodoc. He later learns that the Autodoc can function as a makeshift hibernation pod—for one person. Aurora would never see Jim again.
Eighty-eight years later, the ship's crew awaken as scheduled, shortly before arrival on Homestead II. They discover a small house amid lush vegetation on the ship's grand concourse area. Aurora's book reveals that she chose to stay awake with Jim and continue writing her story.
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