2004:

The change into the millennium brought in a change in mind-set about the place of political dissent. The war against terror begat a terror of a different kind.

2020 to 2481: As the US receded politically and economically into a backwater, the trans-global conglomerates started managing policy... The deluge promised by global warming came to pass... The world sustainability in the wake of many catastrophes reached the point of no recovery... Space was the final frontier... And the human capacity to recover was lent a hand by genetic splicing... AI... terraforming of Mars... the wars of the Planets... finally a new beginning - Jumpgate Europa - and the first interstellar colony ship.

It is now 2911:

Four individuals experience a "test-tube" birth. Technology in biosciences advanced into millennia where natural childbirth was no more and genetic manipulation including splicing of various cross specie genes is common. As "Children" of a new age you will experience the advanced grooming and techniques of training that enable you to function effectively in your new environment. Selection of skills has been made in the depths of your genetic make up and you face a challenge that will make a fundamental contribution to human exploration and the future of the human race.