However, there are survivors.There are colonies within the solar system and in nearby star systems. In orbit on board the Colony Vessel Nelson Mandela, Matt Logan and his hard bitten squad of Deep Space Marine Corps veterans view the destruction of their home planet. The colony ship is manned only by a crew of inexperienced youngsters, the senior personnel spending a last night on Earth before embarking on the longest journey so far undertaken by Man. The vessel also contains a 'cargo' of 5,000 colonists, bound for the distant planet Eden, where they were due to set up a third colony.