Neighbors — Mary Ellen Wall

The light-years distant planet of Tenembras has declared independence from Mother Earth, specifically from the tyrants that took over America, North and South, Pole-to-Pole. How can an arid, undeveloped world like Tenembras ever hope to keep independence? The rebel military leaders wait for the next scheduled interstellar bus to stop by and crush them... maybe they'll want to wipe the planet and start over? Never underestimate Elise t'Hoot, the brilliant lunatic that smuggled the alien Amigos to Tembo. We know she's good at planning, but what about really big surprises? If you want to know where Elise started from, try The Distant Trees. Tenembras introduces us to the desert world of exiles and misfits. A World of Our Own lets us in on some of the struggles these guys have just to keep breathing.