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Oh, you’ve met others, but never really worked with them.” He leaned toward Rachel and smiled softly. “What do you know about Council?”
    “They’re making a world for us! I know they came from Earth, on
John Glenn
, and they made Selene, made it over so we can live here.” She thought. “I know we’re not wherewe were meant to be. They came here because they had starship trouble.”
    “They are powerful.”
    “Yes, but I like them, at least most of them. They’re interesting. Something to figure out, like a mystery.” She chewed her lip. “They keep secrets.”
    Frank smiled sadly. “Yes, they do. You know about the antimatter generator, of course.”
    “That’s not a secret. Council needs fuel for
John Glenn
.”
    “So what are their goals?” he asked, serving her a bowl of soup.
    “Plant Selene. Build a larger base for humans here—for us, for the people born here. Then the collider circles Selene. It makes their antimatter—”
    “Their goal is to make the antimatter generator so they can leave us,” he said. “Their goals aren’t about us, not really.”
    Rachel’s stomach dropped. “Leave?”
    “That’s what they plan.” Frank looked at his bowl of soup, not catching Rachel’s eyes.
    “They can’t go unless they take us with them. How would we live?”
    “I don’t know. They won’t leave tomorrow, anyway.” Frank was still looking down, and his voice was thick, edged with bitterness. “So go planting. You’re almost grown, and I’ve taught you what I can. Just remember you were born here, like me, for them. We work for them.” He got up and hugged her good night. “Be a good student. Keep your eyes and ears open. Do what you’re told. Don’t forget that. Maybe someday you’ll be close enough to Council to learn more about them.” His face softened. “After all,
I
would never call Gabriel “Gabe.”
    “I’ll remember.”
    Rachel washed the dishes and got ready for bed herself.
    Sleep came slowly. Her mind turned the day’s surprises over and over. Excitement about leaving, seeingplaces she’d only heard about, worry that her dad would be lonely. The idea of being a leader. Most of all, the idea of Council leaving. Leaving! Where would she and her dad get spices, and thread, and how would she learn new things?
    The next morning, she woke ragged and tired. Her dad flew Rachel and Ursula up to the grove, smiling the whole way, as if his cautions of the night before had never been voiced. He handed both girls’ bags to Ali. “Take care of them.” He kissed the top of Rachel’s head. He had to stand on tiptoe to do it, and she threw her arms around him, squeezing tight before he pulled free and turned away.
    A small flying plane waited in the meadow, and Rachel and Ursula climbed in the back next to Harry, who smiled at them but didn’t say anything. They rose up higher than the tops of the First Trees, circled, and accelerated away.

C HAPTER 3
P LANTING
    R ACHEL SHIELDED HER eyes from the sun and looked over at Gabriel. He drove sixty yards away, a small figure atop a twin of the huge planter she controlled. They shared communication links, but the whine and chatter of the machines made hand signals work better.
    Gabriel held up one finger, and she waved acknowledgment.
    Rachel settled the planter so that the control target matched the laser display overlaid on her retina. It was like looking at lines on top of pictures, both in front of the real world. It made her head hurt. She punched a series of commands, and then settled into her seat, reaching for a waterbottle. Sweat poured down her brow and trickled down the back of her neck. They had been working since dawn. She needed a break.
    The planter hummed and vibrated, rocking as it pulled soil up into the analyzer. Rachel watched displays identify the mineral content of the sample. The machine rumbled, stirring nutrients and measuring pods into the regolith and compost mixture with huge metal paddles. Finished