Unknown to the monarch, her power-hungry servant plots to rule the biosphere where the elite are forced to have implants that inflict pain, while the poor starve. Can the elite find their courage when he takes Rachel and Garth hostage?

The Ark's chief astronomer altered its course so he could study a comet: now the debris is seriously damaging the Ark. The thrusters that can move it to safety need to be fixed manually, and Devon volunteers for EVA to do the work.