The Centauri Project - Tales of the Antares Rangers, #6

The year is 2142. The Global War on Terror has changed the entire world, transforming the face of Mother Earth into four remaining mega-nations based on religion and ideology: Free India, the Western Protectorate, the Sino-European Union, and the Caliphate. Battle lines have been drawn throughout Luna and Mars, and now threaten mining interests in the asteroid belt and the methane base on Saturn's moon, Titan.
Mistrust has become the norm, with no likely end in sight. Concentrating their efforts on mere survival, leaders worldwide have neglected most other issues, only finding time to protect their citizens from perceived threats. Within this fragile setting stands the launch of humanity's first interstellar colony ship, preparing to carry over two thousand colonists and the genetic materials for four thousand others on a six-year voyage to another solar system.
But a growing environmental movement would like nothing more than to stop the colonial plans, growing weary and frustrated as they watch Mother Earth's precious resources whittle away. Added to their desperate scheming is a plot by a Caliphate agent to steal materials for a nuclear bomb. Where the plutonium is, and where it will be used, is an issue only the combined efforts of the WP and S-EU intelligence agencies can solve.
But the intrigue is lost to average citizens living their everyday lives. One such citizen is unassuming Dr. Mark Taylor who will also be a colonist. He is busy scouring the solar system for the best candidates to head the massive colonial project, interviewing volunteers to find the most qualified and most politically sound colonists. His responsibilities rest heavily upon his shoulders, but little does he realize that it may be up to him to save the colony ship and their new colony from a potential adversary even greater than the ones left behind.
Prequel to the award-winning Tales of the Antares Rangers Series. Contains mature situations and language.