THE SCYTHIAN PROBE had observed the human colony begin to transform into a civilization. Concordia had completed twenty-six orbits of its star, and in that time the habitations, roads, growing areas, and manufacturing sites had all increased in size, with one exception: the forest settlement. The humans had abandoned the trees. The tree city had reached its peak population five years after establishment, but then many of its inhabitants moved to the oceanside. Others constructed a new set of residences at the midway point between the forest and the growing district.
Some humans continued to permanently reside in the forest dwellings, but they were few. Inhabitants of the new dwelling site did return to the forest, but soon after the majority had abandoned their homes there, the trees bega
