Eli could see his own breath. Pumped out by his massive lungs, vapor hung in the air between him and the computer screen. After months of preparation, these were the final moments of the mission that would assure his son’s safety. Before the long nap, he had sat at that same screen to adjust the wake-time of his stasis chamber by two months. He shuddered to think that Kapp had almost caught him then and there.

Kapp’s voice broke the silence. “Come out Eli—you’ll freeze to death.”

We’...