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Kuen sighed and stared at the man on the other side of the comm unit. “I was hoping for something a little sooner than next year,” he said with some irritation.

“I’m sorry, but it simply isn’t possible,” the young man said with a smirk. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Nakano. Kuen Nakano,” Kuen said.

The young man was roughly shoved out of the way. “My apologies, Lord Nakano. I don’t know what schedule Nicolai was looking at, but we have an opening in three days at 2000. Would that be suitable?” an older man said with an apologetic smile.

“That would be perfect, thank you,” Kuen said.

“How many will be in your party?” the older man asked.

“Just two,” Kuen said.

“Very good, Lord Nakano,” the older man said. “We have you down for three days from now at 2000. Again, my apologies for Nicolai’s inability to read our schedule properly.”

“It’s quite all right,” Kuen said. “Thank you for your assistance.” He ended the call.

“That ended well,” Gaspare said.

“Now I just have to hope Fiera doesn’t already have an event planned for three days from now,” Kuen said with a sigh. “It’ll be just my luck that she does.” He tapped in the comm code for the House of the Midnight Sun.

Iacchus Santorini’s aide answered. “Ah, Lord Nakano. How can we be of service?” she asked.

“I wish to contract Fiera for three nights from now, starting from 1600 and going for the rest of the evening,” Kuen said. “Is that possible?”

“Let me check her schedule,” the woman – Kuen remembered her name was Intira – said. “It looks like she is free that evening, though she is quite busy the rest of this week. Lord Benoit has her scheduled for two nights this week, and she has a few other patrons set for parties later. But that evening is open. I shall inform her that you have booked her in for that time period.”

“Thank you, Intira,” Kuen said.

“My pleasure, Lord Nakano,” Intira said. “Will there be anything else?”

“No, that’s all,” Kuen said. “Have a pleasant day.” He ended the call.

“I knew I didn’t have her booked for that day, though I do have her for a couple of parties this week,” Gaspare said.

“I’ve got her booked for parties this weekend,” Kuen said. “I knew her schedule was fairly full this week, but I seemed to remember that she hadn’t booked that day in yet. I was hoping I was right and it was still open.”

“So why the Breathworks?” Gaspare asked.

“I told her I’d take her there after she was stabbed by Chanda,” Kuen said. “I intend to make good on that promise.”

“This is a reward for her surviving the woman’s attack?” Gaspare asked.

“And for dealing with your father,” Kuen said.

Gaspare grinned. “She handled him very well in spite of her injury.”

“She did,” Kuen said. “I will also break your father’s nose again if he so much as breathes harm towards her.”

Gaspare snickered. “He still can’t believe you hit him.”

“He’s not my commanding officer anymore so there are few penalties for striking him at the moment. I hold to my initial statement, Gaspare,” Kuen said.

“As do I, Kuen. He isn’t allowed near her as far as I’m concerned,” Gaspare said.

The comm chimed and Kuen recognized the Nakano estate’s code. He sighed and answered. “Yes mother?”

“Kuen, are you free tomorrow?” Michi asked.

“I believe I have some free time tomorrow. I do not see anything on my schedule that you have given me, so I am open in the afternoon,” Kuen said.

“I have a business meeting with the councilors from Tzenketh and something has come up that needs immediate attention,” Michi said. “I need you to meet with the First Councilor of Celaria and convince him to change his vote on the upcoming legislation that is going to be passing through the Assembly,” Michi said. “I want you to take him out to lunch and persuade him to see things my way.”

“How do you wish me to do that, Mother?” Kuen asked.

“First try diplomacy. You are good at that,” Michi said. “If that does not work, remind him that I am aware of his illegal dealings with the Arpathi and will reveal them to the Assembly if he does not do things my way.”

“I will do as you ask, Mother,” Kuen said. “Is there a particular restaurant you want me to take him to?”

“I have a standing reservation at Ydlewild,” Michi said. “Take him there and use our name to secure my usual table.”

“Yes Mother,” Kuen said. “If I might ask, just in case the Councilor plays ignorant, what legislation is it he needs to change his vote on?”

“The legislation in question is to pull back on some of the restrictions on the Colonies. I’ve been told he plans to vote to pull back those restrictions. I already plan to address this with the councilors from Tzenketh, to be certain they do not cast affirmative votes for this measure. I cannot have him cast an affirmative vote for this measure. I may need your help in securing the cooperation of other councilors as I discover more who may be considering going against my wishes,” Michi said.

“Of course, Mother,” Kuen said.

“I will have Lakshmi set up the appointment and send you the information,” Michi said. She ended the call.

“So there are some voices in the Assembly calling to pull back some of the restrictions Fiera pointed out to us,” Gaspare said.

“Yes, and now I have to help my mother threaten someone into not voting for that,” Kuen growled. “I’m not happy with the idea.”

“She’d be very upset if you didn’t succeed in getting him not to vote for it, wouldn’t she?” Gaspare asked.

“There’s a reason she told me to try diplomacy first, and if that didn’t work to threaten him,” Kuen said. “If one doesn’t work the other usually does.” He sighed. “I am looking forward more and more to that dinner with Fiera. It will be the highlight of my week. Especially if I’m going to be stuck dealing with pressuring councilors to vote my mother’s way.”

The next day Kuen dressed in one of his more formal outfits and made his way to Ydlewild, a restaurant that was on the same level as the Breathworks for getting into it. He spoke with the Matre’d and was immediately shown to his mother’s table. He waited for two hours for the Councilor to show up but there was no sign of the man.

Kuen didn’t bother ordering anything other than a couple drinks. His mother would look unfavorably on him eating if his dining companion never showed. After the third hour came and went, Kuen got up and left.

“How did it go?” Gaspare asked when Kuen walked in.

“He never showed up,” Kuen said grimly.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Gaspare asked.

“No. It means mother will now resort to using Lakshmi’s other talents in dealing with him, which will be many times worse than if he’d just come to lunch with me,” Kuen said. “Or she’ll straight up threaten him, which will also be bad.” The comm chimed. “And here she is to request a report.” He answered. “Hello Lakshmi.”

“Lady Nakano wishes to know if your assignment today was successful,” Lakshmi said.

“He never showed up,” Kuen said.

“He never showed up?” Lakshmi asked, her eyes narrowing.

“No,” Kuen said. “I waited three hours and then left because it was obvious he was never going to show up.”

“I will have to tell Lady Nakano of this development,” Lakshmi said. “She may have another assignment for you.”

“I understand, and will wait for her call,” Kuen said. He sighed when the call ended. “I loathe those two women.”

“At least we’re getting useful information to feed to my father,” Gaspare said.

“Yes, for all the good it does us. He can’t do anything to stop her. He doesn’t want to as long as it affects the Colonies,” Kuen said. “He’ll only act if it affects the Core.”

“I know,” Gaspare said. “I keep telling him what affects the Colonies will bleed back and cause problems for the Core, but he doesn’t listen. He says I’m too inexperienced to know what I’m talking about.”

“It’s a fine thing when grown men who have decades more experience than us are blind to the very real issues that are going to arise and refuse to listen to those of us who can see those issues,” Kuen said.

“It’s the way it always goes though,” Gaspare said.

“I know,” Kuen said. “Especially in the military.”

“Yeah, the High Command isn’t what you’d call accepting of new ideas,” Gaspare said. “Even new tactics and strategies are regarded with suspicion until they’ve been used so many times they’ve become old habits.”

“I’m going to go work out,” Kuen said. “Come get me if my mother calls.”

“I will,” Gaspare said. Kuen left the room and made his way to the small work out area in the townhouse. He stripped off his shirt and shoes and began to spar against one of the automatons.

An hour later, Gaspare appeared. “She’s on the comm for you,” he said.

Kuen wiped himself off with a towel and pulled his shirt back on. “Yes, Mother?” he asked, sitting down.

“You look sweaty, Kuen,” Michi said critically.

“Just keeping up with my physical exercise, Mother,” Kuen said. “You know how important maintaining my health is now that I’m not living at home.”

“Very true,” Michi said. “And I’m pleased to see you’re taking care of yourself. Next time, shower before you come talk to me. I dislike seeing you all sweaty.”

“Of course, Mother. I just didn’t want to make you wait. I know how busy you are,” Kuen said.

“Well, I’ll let it pass,” Michi said. “Lakshmi told me what you said. I reached out to the councilor. He claims he thought the lunch meeting was for tomorrow. I don’t believe him. I was very specific in my day and time for the meeting, even going so far as to stating which day of the week it was on. I checked my v-mail to him and it specified today. He deliberately skipped the meeting.”

“I wondered if he just forgot or if it was something else,” Kuen said.

“Lakshmi will deal with him now,” Michi said, confirming what Kuen had suspected would be the case. “He’s no longer your concern. I have another assignment for you. Tomorrow morning, you will meet the First Councilor from Avilea and get her confirmation that she will not vote yes on the upcoming legislation.”

“Avilea? Aren’t they one of your most avid supporters?” Kuen asked.

“They were, until their First Councilor got replaced two months ago,” Michi said with a grimace. “Now I’ve got someone entirely new to try to bribe, blackmail, or outright coerce into doing what I want. I haven’t found what exactly she wants so I have to resort to diplomacy. Be charming, be diplomatic, and above all, convince her to see things my way.”

“I’ll do my best, Mother,” Kuen said. “But if she’s dead set on voting for it, I may not be able to change her mind.”

“I know you’ll do your best, Kuen,” Michi said in the sickly sweet voice he hated so much. “If you don’t succeed, well, I suppose I’ll have to find some new children to work for me.” With that, she ended the call.

“Did she just threaten to kill her servants if you don’t succeed in convincing the First Councilor to see it her way?” Gaspare asked.

“She did,” Kuen said. “And she knows she can always blame me for their deaths because I failed at the task she assigned me. She’ll do it too. She’s that vindictive.”

“Even with you not living at home, she uses that threat to bring you to heel,” Gaspare said, shaking his head.

“It works every slagging time,” Kuen said. “Because I don’t want to see innocents hurt because of me.”

“I wish you luck tomorrow morning,” Gaspare said. “I’m off for Lady Ghazarian’s latest party. I’ve got Fiera on my arm for this one. Are you attending?”

“No,” Kuen said. “I need to shower and then get to Lord Declan’s party. I told mother I’d attend that one instead of Lady Ghazarian’s, though I’d much rather attend hers. Lord Declan’s parties often end with someone declaring some kind of blood feud on someone else. He does insist on serving liquor without food to balance it out. But she feels I need to broaden my horizons.”

“Don’t drink too much,” Gaspare said.

“I don’t drink at all at his parties. Someone usually spikes the drinks,” Kuen said.

“Wonderful,” Gaspare said. “Be careful.”

“I will,” Kuen said. “Enjoy your evening with Fiera.”

Kuen went in and showered, changing into one of his more formal outfits. He got in his car and drove out to the Declan estate. It was an austere building with almost no formal garden, just a vast yard that had a few stubby topiaries dotting it as a nod towards the grandeur of the compounds around it. Kuen always felt like he was entering a military fortification rather than the estate of a member of the elite when he went to Lord Arnod Declan’s estate.

“Ah, Lord Nakano,” Lord Declan said when he walked in. “A pleasure to see you, as always. Your lovely mother is not attending tonight?”

“No, she is quite busy these days and is unable to attend as many parties as she’d wish,” Kuen said, inclining his head in greeting. “That’s what she has me for. I have a little more free time these days than she does. So I often represent her interests.”

“A pity. We laid in some Varenian brandy and I know how much your mother enjoys that,” Lord Declan said.

“I’m sure she’ll be sorry she missed it,” Kuen said.

“Well, enjoy the party, Lord Nakano,” Lord Declan said.

“Thank you, Lord Declan,” Kuen said. He turned and began to mingle.

It was obvious that Lady Ghazarian and a few others holding parties tonight had attracted the more interesting people. Kuen was bored out of his mind. He stayed for a few hours and then left for the next party on his itinerary. This one was at Lady Dartmoor’s estate. This one was at least a little livelier, and there was food so Kuen availed himself of the delicacies but drank sparingly because he didn’t trust people not to have spiked the beverages.

After Lady Dartmoor’s party, Kuen was free to return home. Instead he went to one of the parks and went for a walk. He thought long and hard about how he was going to approach the First Councilor the next day. It was far easier when they had a weakness to exploit, though he despised doing that. It was when he was sent in blind that he proved his worth to his mother, but that came with a great deal of risk. Not for Kuen, but for her servants should Kuen fail to secure the desired results.

Kuen wandered the park for a couple hours until his KLPI helpfully informed him that he only had four hours until his usual wake up time and did he want to change his alarm for a different hour? Kuen turned and went back to his car. He made his way back to the townhouse, set his alarm for an hour later, and went to bed.

Kuen groaned when his alarm went off, but he got up and shut it off. “Late night?” Gaspare asked from the door.

“Very late night,” Kuen said, rubbing his eyes until they focused. “I need some coffee before I do anything else. KLPI, what time is my morning meeting with the First Councilor?”

“Your meeting with First Councilor Shion Trilawna of Avile is at 0900 at Ydlewild,” the virtual assistant said helpfully. “It is 0600 now.”

“Your mother favors the Ydlewild for her meetings, doesn’t she?” Gaspare asked.

“It’s her favorite restaurant,” Kuen said. “I think she’s a silent owner of it, actually, though I don’t know for sure. She has a table there ready for her use whenever she wants it.”

“Handy,” Gaspare said.

“Annoying,” Kuen said. “I don’t like Ydlewild. Their portions are even smaller than Breathworks, and the food is often either too salty or there’s too much sauce. But mother can’t get a table at Breathworks whenever she wants, so it’s to the Ydlewild I go.”

“Here’s your coffee,” Gaspare said, handing him a cup. “I heard you stumble in last night and figured you’d need it this morning. I made military grade coffee. I got in maybe fifteen minutes before you did, and I got up at the usual time.”

“Ah, black death coffee,” Kuen said. “Extra strength caffeine for those mornings when you shouldn’t have stayed up late but you did.” He sipped the coffee and nearly choked on the strength of the brew. “Yes, you definitely made military grade coffee.” He downed the cup fast, ignoring the heat and the bitter taste.

“I’d take a shower now, before the caffeine really hits,” Gaspare said.

“Good idea,” Kuen said. He grabbed a clean outfit and went into the bathroom.

By the time he was done with the shower, his hands were shaking slightly from the caffeine. He knew the tremors would be gone within half an hour, but it made buttoning his shirt a little difficult. He finished dressing and went out to see if there were any updates from his mother.

There was one. “Meeting time changed. Meet First Councilor at 0800 at Ydlewild. Do not be late,” Michi had sent.

Kuen checked the time and began to swear. “I’m going to be late if I don’t go now,” he said.

“I thought it was at 0900,” Gaspare said.

“Mother moved it to 0800. I’m going to have to break speed laws to get there on time,” Kuen said. He threw on the rest of his formal gear and headed out.

He broke a few speed laws but he made it to the Ydlewild with a few minutes to spare. He went inside and got his mother’s usual table. At 0800 on the dot, an ascetic looking woman came in and asked for the Nakano heir. She was shown to his table. “Good morning, Councilor Trilawna,” Kuen said, standing up.

“Good morning, Lord Nakano,” she said, in a surprisingly musical voice. “I’m pleased to meet you. I am surprised that your mother is reaching out to me so soon after my arrival.”

Kuen sat down again as she sat down, and they ordered their breakfast. As they ate, Kuen chatted with her and got a feel for the woman. She was not pro-Colony, which would have made his task much harder. She was a mother who was afraid of war because her children would be sent off to fight. That might be a hard point to sell her on because if the law didn’t pass, the Colonies might increase their hostilities, which would bring war about much sooner.

Finally, over dessert, Kuen broached the subject of the upcoming measure. “You know there’s a measure coming up in the Assembly asking to release some of the restrictions on the Colonies,” he began.

“Why would we do that?” Councilor Trilawna asked. “They need more restrictions placed on them, not less.”

“I take it that you have no plans of voting to release some of the restrictions?” Kuen asked.

“Not at all,” Councilor Trilawna said. “If that was what your mother was worried about, you may put her mind at ease. Avilea will vote to keep the restrictions in place. I don’t want that drek in the Colonies getting the idea we’re going soft on them. Stay hard and firm with them and they’ll finally have to give in. It’s the only way for them to survive.”

“My mother will be quite pleased to hear that you feel that way, Councilor Trilawna,” Kuen said. “She finds it very rare to have a councilor who feels the same way she does.”

“Well, she has one in me,” Councilor Trilawna said firmly. “The Colonies cannot be given any freedom. They must be brought into the CWA properly, and if they will not accept that fate, they deserve whatever they get.”

“I will let her know your views, Councilor Trilawna,” Kuen said.

They chatted for a few more minutes, and then she took her leave. He paid their bill and headed out himself. He got home and Gaspare pounced on him. “How did it go?” he asked.

“The councilor thinks in a similar fashion to my mother,” Kuen said. “She won’t have any trouble with Avilea voting her way on anything regarding the Colonies.”

“Lovely,” Gaspare said. “At least you know the children are safe.”

“Yes, that’s the only good thing about today,” Kuen said. “I need to call her and let her know how it went.” He went to the comm and dialed the Nakano estate. Lakshmi answered the call.

“Lord Kuen, you are done with your meeting so early?” Lakshmi asked.

“I am, and it went very well,” Kuen said. “Is my mother free?”

“I will go get her,” Lakshmi said.

A moment later, Michi took Lakshmi’s place. “Lakshmi says you told her it went well?” she asked.

“The First Councilor is a kindred spirit, Mother,” Kuen said. “She feels very strongly that the Colonies don’t deserve to be free and will therefore vote your way on the upcoming legislation. I got the impression that she’s likely to vote your way on any legislation regarding the Colonies.”

“Kuen, that’s excellent news,” Michi said, smiling broadly. “You did very well today. I’m pleased. I don’t need you for the rest of the week. Just attend the parties I’ve added to your schedule and enjoy yourself. I’ll probably have another assignment for you next week.”

“Yes, Mother,” Kuen said. “Thank you.” The call ended. He sighed. “At least the children are safe, for now.”

“As long as things keep going her way,” Gaspare said.

“I’m not looking forward to telling Fiera about this one,” Kuen said.

“She won’t like it,” Gaspare said. “That’s for sure.”

“I was like the First Councilor and my mother for a long time,” Kuen said. “Then listening to Fiera talk, I woke up to the fact that the Colonies weren’t the aggressors in this situation. We were. I want the Core out of the Colonies, and I can’t do anything about it.”

“Neither can I,” Gaspare said. “But what can we do, Kuen? We’re soldiers, not politicians. We follow orders and try not to make too big a mess of things.” Gaspare flashed a warning look at Kuen and Kuen nodded. There were listening devices in Gaspare’s townhouse. They’d found two of them already. High Admiral Benoit wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

“You have a point, Gaspare,” Kuen said. “We’re just soldiers. We can’t know the politics behind the situation. I suppose there must be a good reason somewhere for what’s going on.”

“Exactly,” Gaspare said. “We’re not paid to understand the politics. We’re paid to follow orders and keep our mouths shut.”

“What’s on your schedule for today?” Kuen asked.

“Another round of parties, two of which are going to be attended by members of the High Command,” Gaspare said. “You?”

Kuen checked his schedule. “Remarkably, I have tonight and tomorrow night off, though tomorrow night I’m going to the Breathworks with Fiera. Tonight, I think I’ll relax and read. I need a break.”

“Lucky you,” Gaspare said with a grimace. “I’m not looking forward to dealing with the High Command getting drunk.”

“Ditch those parties fast,” Kuen suggested.

“I plan to,” Gaspare said. “As fast as I can.”

Gaspare and Kuen enjoyed a quiet late lunch, and then Gaspare made his preparations to go to his first party. Kuen changed into casual clothes and settled down to read. He read until late into the night, pausing only to fix himself a light dinner. He went to bed and didn’t wake up even when Gaspare came in.

The next day passed slowly and Kuen found himself pacing a lot. Finally it was time to go collect Fiera and head to the restaurant. He changed into one of his formal outfits and left the house, Gaspare giving him a huge grin as he left. Kuen made his way to the House of the Midnight Sun and walked inside.

“Ah, Lord Nakano, welcome,” Intira said. “You can go back. She’s expecting you.”

“Thank you, Intira,” Kuen said. He made the now familiar trek back to Fiera’s room. He knocked on the door. One of her servants answered.

“Please come in, Lord Nakano,” she said, bowing. “Mistress Fiera will be with you momentarily.”

Kuen came in and sat down. A few minutes later, Fiera came out of the inner room. She was dressed in a teal blue silk gown that shimmered and seemed to be almost iridescent. Her red hair was twisted up in a knot with a few curls framing her face. She wore blue opal jewelry and wore just the barest amount of makeup. At least Kuen couldn’t see much in the way of makeup. She was very good at keeping things natural with her looks.

“Hi Kuen,” Fiera said.

“Hello Fiera,” Kuen said.

“I’m all set,” she said, picking up a small purse.

“Shall we go then?” Kuen said, rising.

Fiera sailed out her door in front of him and Kuen admired the way the gown fit her athletic frame. “If you stand there gawking we’ll miss our reservation,” she teased as she glanced over her shoulder.

“Simply admiring the scenery,” he told her with a smile.

She laughed and the two walked out of the house together. He showed her to his car and held the door open for her before getting in himself. He pulled up the path to the Breathworks and eased back into traffic.

“You drive manually? Most in your caste prefer the auto drive feature,” Fiera said.

“I prefer to drive manually because I like to have that control,” Kuen said. “I’ve seen auto drive fail too many times to correct fast enough to save someone from an accident. My reflexes are quite sharp, and I can react faster than the machine can at times. I’d rather not be in an accident because the auto drive couldn’t compensate for a poorly executed set of maneuvers.”

“Makes sense,” Fiera said. “So, what is the Breathworks like?”

“I’ve eaten there twice, and both times I found the food plentiful and quite good,” Kuen said. “They even have some items geared more towards heavy worlders so there are options for all types of people. As I understand it, they bring in ingredients from farms all over the two sectors and make everything fresh. It’s not a huge menu, but it’s a very good one.”

“What makes a menu item a heavy worlder one?” Fiera asked.

“Higher in protein, if I remember correctly,” Kuen said. “I wasn’t allowed to order from that part of the menu, so I didn’t pay that much attention to the options on it.”

“I’ll have to take a look at it then,” Fiera said. “I get decent food at the House, but it might be nice to have something new.”

“I’m glad Iacchus Santorini is treating you well,” Kuen said.

“I’m one of his biggest money makers. If he doesn’t treat me well, he knows I can just up and leave,” Fiera said. “There are half a dozen Houses who’d welcome me with open arms. If he wants to keep me and all the credits I bring him, he has to keep me happy. Well, as happy as I can be outside of going home.”

“Do you still want to go home?” Kuen asked.

“I do,” Fiera said. “It’s not a driving need yet. As I said, it’s quieter in the city than on the farm. At least there aren’t a dozen or more voices clamoring at top volume to be heard at every meal. I don’t even mind most of what it takes to be a Pleasure Seeker, and the one thing I minded I can now write out of every contract I take so I’m beginning to enjoy my job, as much as I can at least. I do worry about my brothers and sisters, and my ma. My da can still rot in the heart of the suns for all I care.”

“Still mad at him?” Kuen asked.

“Fuming every time I think of what he did to place me here,” Fiera said.

“Well, let’s not think of that tonight,” Kuen said. “I don’t want to spoil a perfectly good evening with that.”

“Good idea,” Fiera said. “How are you getting along with Gaspare?”

“We’re getting along just fine,” Kuen said. “We have to be careful what we discuss openly in the house because High Admiral Benoit has listening devices dotted around the place. We’ve found two of them, but we know there’s more. When we want to discuss something in private, we go out to breakfast or we go for a run. The listeners can’t follow us then because we don’t announce we’re going until we’re leaving the house.”

“That must be annoying,” Fiera said.

“You have no idea,” Kuen said with a grimace. “But it’s still better than living with my mother.”

“Has she been making any unreasonable demands on you?” Fiera asked.

“They’re perfectly reasonable, in her world,” Kuen said. “And yes, I’ve had to run a couple of her errands this week. There’s apparently some legislation about to go through the Assembly at the end of this week to lighten the restrictions on the Colonies.”

“It’s not going to pass, is it?” Fiera asked.

“No,” Kuen said. “Not with my mother actively working against it. She had me reach out to two councilors. One avoided the meeting. Lakshmi dealt with him. The other, the new First Councilor of Avilea, is a woman after my mother’s heart.”

“Another Colony hater?” Fiera asked with a sigh.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Kuen said. “There’s no hope for support for the Colonies from Avilea while she’s running the delegation.”

“Wonderful,” Fiera muttered. “More slagging drek to make my people’s lives a living hell.”

“Gaspare and I can’t do anything to help without risking the ire of our parents,” Kuen said. “And that’s fatal for both of us. But we do want to help you, Fiera.”

“I understand that now, Kuen,” Fiera said with a sigh. “It’s like I want to find some way for there to be peace between Core and Colonies, but it seems like everyone is determined to bring violence to my people. We will only tolerate so much before we react in open revolt.”

“That’s dangerous, Fiera. Your military, however large it might be, can’t measure up to the CAF,” Kuen said.

“I know, and that frightens me,” Fiera said. “Because I know my family. My brothers who are of an age to fight will be in the thick of it all. My sisters who are of an age to fight will also be in the thick of it, but I think only one of my sisters is old enough. The rest are still too young, unless they drastically reduce the enlistment age.”

“It’s not going to come to open warfare, Fiera,” Kuen said. “Someone will think of a political way to solve this before it gets to that point.”

“With your mother pulling the strings? I don’t think so, Kuen,” Fiera said. “A war would suit her purposes too well. It would deliver the Colonies into the hands of the Core completely.”

“This isn’t the pleasant conversation I’d envisioned for tonight,” Kuen said with a sigh.

“Sorry, it’s been a hard week for me,” Fiera said. “It’s birthday week on the farm. Several of my siblings all have birthdays this week and ma would be running a non-stop party for all of them.”

“You celebrate birthdays in the Colonies?” Kuen asked. “I don’t think we do more than give a passing nod to the day here in the Core.”

“Depends on the family,” Fiera said. “Some families are the same way, just give it a passing nod and that’s it. Our family, and some of the others we know, make a big deal out of birthdays. We celebrate them with parties and lots of gifts for the person whose birthday it is. Birthday week gets crazy because that’s seven gifts we have to come up with.”

“Seven of your siblings have birthdays this week?” Kuen asked. “Which ones?”

“Herry, Callie, Teigue and Muirne, Keoni, Siobhan and Joanna,” Fiera said. “Morgana and Morrigan were born in the winter. Phelix and I were born in the spring. Neven was born in the fall.”

“The names you doubled up on, Teigue and Muirne and Siobhan and Joanna, are they twins?” Kuen asked.

“Yes, they are, same as me and Phelix. Morgana and Morrigan were twins too, but they didn’t survive the famine,” Fiera said sadly.

“I’m sorry, Fiera,” Kuen said.

“It’s better for Morgana and Morrigan. At least they aren’t having to live through the mess that’s going on right now,” Fiera said. “I wonder what everyone’s giving for presents this year. I wonder if ma’s even doing a party week this year, what with da causing issues and me being gone. I did a lot of the cooking for her on birthday weeks.”

“You can cook?” Kuen asked. “I’m a farm girl. Of course I can cook. I can cook, clean, repair most farm machinery, grow just about any crop you give me with a little research, and I’m not afraid of hard work,” Fiera said. “I find being a Pleasure Seeker too easy at times.”