An alien race detected the unmanned probe sent from Earth to the Alpha Centauri triple star system. Eager to open a new market for their starship transports, they had that route declared an "established transportation corridor" and made first contact with Earth. Given the unprecedented opportunity, Federated Nations bureaucrats approved Earth's first interstellar colony and signed a contract to have it transported to the cold desert planet Alpha Centauri Ac only two years later. The many difficulties involved in such a colossal undertaking begin to present themselves almost immediately. # # # This is a story of ordinary people engaged in the most extraordinary adventure in history. They