MARS

After almost a decade alone on Mars, scientists at IMSF's now fully developed Olympus Town settlement prepare for the arrival of a group of highly skilled astronauts working for Lukrum, a for-profit corporation specializing in natural-resource extraction. On board the world's northernmost oil platform, extreme conditions make for a Mars-like work environment. A worker shares the struggles of being away from his family for three weeks at a time.

The tenuous coexistence between the two Mars colonies threatens to dissolve. Relations between IMSF and Lukrum, now sharing a common water and power source, face rising tensions set off by a new discovery, Hana deals with a personal tragedy, and Amelie prepares to return to Earth. In present day, Greenpeace activists take to the seas to protest Arctic oil drilling in the Barents Sea and the effectiveness of such tactics are examined.

When a solar flare strikes the planet and knocks out communications between and within the colonies, the Olympus Town team races against the clock to locate Marta, who becomes stranded on the surface during a rogue research expedition. In present day, a scientist and his team brave harsh and dangerous conditions in the pursuit of data that will help predict the effects of glacial melt on global sea levels.

Marta convalesces as a mysterious illness sweeps through Olympus Town and Lukrum Colony. When IMSF realizes one of its own has died as a result, it races to determine the cause, origin and mode of transmission before time runs out—and more lives are claimed. Back in present day, Vladimir Chuprov, a Greenpeace activist, sheds light on an indigenous health crisis being kept quiet by the Russian state to benefit their Arctic oil endeavors.

Lukrum strikes a deal with Russia for exclusive mining rights. Uneasiness spreads over Olympus Town as LT. Commander Mike Glenn undermines Hana and endangers the members of Lukrum Colony as a result. And, a new baby – the first-generation Martian – arrives two months early! In the Arctic Circle in present day, nations attempt to work together to reign in corporate interests, protect fragile ecosystems and preserve indigenous lifestyles while fossil-fuel companies prioritize their own profit over the public good.

Lukrum pushes its corporate interest too far and unintentionally jeopardizes the safety of both colonies. IMSF springs into action to stabilize the situation, but for some, it will be too late. In the current climate on Earth, human activity has destabilized the natural world. NASA's Operation Icebridge studies Arctic sea ice in an attempt to bring awareness to global warming and the dramatically changing state of our planet, the only home we have… for now!