“Did you scope out the area on your trip?” Thrym asked Elara.

She’d spent her day in driving lessons after someone found out she was the knot’s top pilot.

Elara shook her head. “Once we left the settlement the tracks all became a twisting mess. I’ll try to make sense of it, but . . . you guys, we were driving out with men and guns, dropping them off around the settlement.”

Romy frowned. “What were they doing?”

Elara sighed. “I think they’re sentries.

“Sentries?” Thrym echoed.

The knot exchanged troubled looks.

It was Phobos who eventually said the words aloud. “What are they watching for?”

Romy shook her head. “More like, how do we get past them?”

Elara was trying to sit still on the bed, looking around the group expectantly.

Thrym laughed. “How was the driving?”

Elara bounced on her bed. “It’s more about coordination with your arms and legs, and there are nowhere near as many switches or levers. You don’t have to constantly stabilise the vehicle against acceleration. You know, because we’re not in space.”

Phobos groaned loudly.

Elara continued with a smirk. “And they have things called ‘shocks’ so you don’t get thrown around quite so much. But then it’s weird how the ground and wind can affect the steering. I went through a big puddle and we aquaplaned,” Elara said proudly.

It sounded amazing. Romy felt a small twist of jealousy. Even Phobos had learned to grow food in vertical planters.

“Oh, the coolest thing?” she squealed. “They have 3D printers for everything. You can just be like, ‘Hey, I need a radiator,’ and just print one.”

Romy shook her head. Honestly, that baffled her.

“Yeah, they print a lot of their food that way,” Phobos interjected. “Except the fruit and veggies.”

“Seriously?” Elara’s face twisted.

Romy laughed. “I’d still take it over dehydrated orbito food any day.”

Elara and Phobos snickered in response.

“Mine isn’t as interesting,” Thrym added. “But I learned there’s no land ownership on Earth anymore.” Thrym peeked sideways at Romy.

“Like no one buys a house?” Elara asked in confusion.

“Every settlement has everything necessary for survival, and the resources are communal. Everyone receives what they need to be healthy.”

“I like the idea. It eliminates greed,” Phobos said.

Romy found herself leaning towards Thrym, eager to hear more. He ignored her, sharing a look with Phobos.

Phobos glanced at Romy and grinned. “She’s not as fidgety as Ellie when she wants to know something.”

“Yeah, but my mouth doesn’t hang open like that.” Elara glared back at him.

Thrym’s blue eyes twinkled and she blushed at being caught out. She couldn’t help that this was the most interesting part of her day. She hadn’t learned anything polishing Houston’s medical instruments.

“Apparently, the big settlements are incredible. Huge circular structures with high buildings and transportation,” Thrym continued.

Her eyes widened.