Are we alone in the galaxy, or is it teeming with life? Is humanity doomed to extinction, or can it meet the trials of time to evolve into something beyond imagination?Follow the Ark, a colony ship launched from Earth, as it scours the galaxy at near light-speed in search of a second home for humanity. With the laws of relativity dramatically slowing the Ark's time compared to their former home, civilization on Earth faces dangers ranging from radiation from space to artificial plagues. Could something survive in the face of eternity if the Ark were to return after millions of years?This hard science fiction novella, intended to be enjoyed by readers young and old, explores the possibilities of Earth in the far future and the factors we might someday have to consider when colonizing space. While keeping technical jargon to a minimum, some of the technology and science topics referenced are near light-speed travel; brain-computer interfaces; genetic engineering; artificial diseases; nanotechnology; planetary geology, biology, and meteorology; the Higgs field; and future human evolution.