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Fiera knew she wasn’t fit company for anyone. She struggled with just getting out of bed in the morning. Kuen rolled off his side of the bed. “I’ll get the coffee started if you want first shower,” he said quietly. He’d seen her eyes were open.

“I’d ask what the point is, but you’ll have an answer for me, I’m sure,” Fiera muttered.

“No, not really. I don’t even know what the point of getting out of bed is most days,” Kuen said, startling her. “I just do it because it’s habit. I also don’t know what I’d do with myself if I was stuck in bed all day. I mean, I could read but why? Nothing we do brings the girls home. Nothing we do changes things for the Colonies. All today will bring is more of the same.”

“Then how do you manage, day after day, to get up and go through the motions?” Fiera asked.

“I have hope that eventually things will change for the better, and if I stay in bed, I won’t see it happen,” Kuen said. “I’ll have to hear it from you or one of the others.”

“I’d rather not have you or Flicks tell me when the girls come home,” Fiera said, slowly rolling off her side of the bed. “I want to be there so they can run into my arms.” She dragged herself to the door. “I’ll take first shower. Thanks for starting the coffee.” Kuen nodded and Fiera headed down the hall.

She stopped when Elian stepped out of the room she shared with Eli. “Aunt Fury? Eli’s sick,” she said.

Fiera’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean he’s sick, Elian?” she asked, already walking into the room. Fiera heard it then, the rasping breaths of a very sick little boy. “I hear it.” She poked her head out into the hall. “Flicks, Gaspare, get up.” She called loudly enough to rouse the two men. Both came tumbling out of their door. “Eli’s sick. Gaspare, go call my ma. Get Nev out here as quick as he can be spared. Flicks, get in here.”

Gaspare disappeared down the stairs while Phelix came into the room. “I know that sound,” he said.

“So do I,” Fiera said. “The girls had it.” Elian looked fearfully up at her father and her aunt. “Elian, Eli is going to be sick for a while, but he’ll be okay in the end. You’re going to have to sleep somewhere else so you don’t get sick too.”

“Where do I sleep?” Elian asked.

“You’ll have to put her in the girls’ room, Fury,” Phelix said. “There’s nowhere else, and that way if she does come down with it, she can’t give it to Pascal and Gael.”

Fiera hesitated and then nodded slowly. “It’s the only place we can put her. Elian, we’re going to move you into the room that belongs to Nafisa and Laoise. You’ll need to stay in there while we decide what we’re going to do.”

“I have to stay in the room?” Elian asked, her voice carrying a note of panic.

“We’ll leave the door open,” Phelix said.

“And you won’t have to stay in there all the time,” Fiera said, remembering what the twins had been through. “Okay? You’ll be able to come and go as you need to, and if Neven says you’re not sick you won’t have to stay in there at all except to sleep.”

“Okay,” Elian said, relaxing immediately.

“Thanks for catching that, twint,” Phelix said in twinspeak.

“I remembered what you told me their skybrained parents did to them,” Fiera answered in the same language. “The last thing we need is for Elian to see us the same way as she did those monsters.”

“I appreciate it,” Phelix said. “I’ll get her moved over if you’ll get Eli propped up.”

“Okay.” Fiera grabbed the pillows off of Elian’s bed and stuck them behind Eli’s head, getting him shifted into a position to open his airways a little more.

“Aunt Fury?” he asked weakly, coughing as he spoke.

“It’s okay, Eli. You’re going to be sick for a while, but it’ll all be okay in the end,” Fiera said, brushing a hand over his feverish forehead. “I’m going to get a cold cloth for you, okay?” Eli nodded. Fiera hurried out and soaked a washcloth in cold water before coming back in and placing it on his forehead.

“Nev said he’ll be here in an hour, less if he can manage it,” Gaspare said, coming into the room. “What is it, Fury?”

“An upper respiratory infection,” Fiera said. “It sounds like the same one that took down my girls two years ago. You remember how sick they were. Nev might have the meds to chase it off faster this time since there’s so many littles running around the main farm.”

“If he doesn’t, we’ll do the same thing for Eli that we did for the girls,” Phelix said, coming back into the room. “Lots of fluids, food when he can eat, and plenty of sleep. Keep him propped up and give him the cough medicine. I know we have plenty of that. I laid in a stock of it after harvest.”

“What about Elian?” Gaspare asked.

“So far she’s not showing signs of being sick,” Phelix said. “That could change. We’ve got her in the girls’ room for now. She can’t be with Eli while he’s sick, especially if she doesn’t get sick herself.”

“Go check on Pascal and Gael,” Fiera said. “It’s odd that it would only hit one of the littles.”

“I’ll check them,” Gaspare said. He came back a few minutes later. “Pascal’s coughing like Eli. Gael seems to be fine.”

“Move Gael in with Elian then,” Phelix suggested. “Maybe the girls won’t get it. We need to get her away from Pascal and we’re limited on where we can stash her right now.”

“Let’s see what Nev says about if the girls are even sick or not. He can scan them,” Fiera said. “But yes, I’d say if they’re both cleared, we move Gael in with Elian.”

“Are you okay with this, Fury?” Gaspare asked.

“No, but I don’t have to be okay with it for us to do this. The littles are more important than my need to keep the girls’ room untouched,” Fiera said.

“All right,” Gaspare said. “I’m going to go fill Kuen in. He’s wanting answers.”

“I’m grabbing my shower and then I’ll fix some breakfast. Pascal and Eli are going to need something a little different,” Fiera said. She walked into the bathroom. The shower washed away the tears and once she was dressed there was no sign of the distress she’d released.

Fiera fixed breakfast for the household, mixing a special thinner oatmeal for the boys. She loaded it with as many immune bosting things as she could and took it upstairs. She had Gaspare go help Eli while she helped Pascal. It definitely looked like the boys were sick with the same thing, though neither of the girls were showing signs of it.

Neven showed up as promised. He scanned the girls first thing. “Neither of them is showin’ any sign of bein’ sick,” he said. “Stick them together in the same room if you can so they’ve got company.”

“We already planned on it,” Fiera said.

Neven scanned Pascal first, and then Elian. “You were right, Fury, if you were thinkin’ it’s that same bug that took down yer girls two years ago,” he said. “I’ve got some meds that’ll help but it’s goin’ t’be a rough ride. Eli especially is goin’ t’have a tough time, given how bad off his health was when you first got him.”

“But they’re both going to survive,” Phelix said, holding tight to Gaspare’s hand. Fiera knew her twin well enough to see the fear he was trying to hide.

“Do what I say and they’ll both make a full recovery,” Neven said. “Eli’s is just goin’ t’be a bit slower and you can’t let him rush it. You also can’t be movin’ Elian back in with him until he’s fully healthy either.”

“Okay,” Gaspare said. Some of the strain left Phelix and Fiera relaxed a bit as well.

Neven gave them the medicine and told them how to use it. “Three days and Pascal should be back t’normal. I’d say four or five days for Eli. If I could get the Core meds I’d have them both back on their feet in a day. But you know those vapor brains. They can’t bother givin’ us anythin’ decent out here,” he said with a disgruntled sigh.

“Even if we could get it, I doubt we’d be able to afford it,” Fiera muttered.

“Stars’ truth there, Fury,” Neven said. “Well, I’m off. I’m goin’ t’tell ma the littles will be fine. She’s fair worried about them.”

“Thanks for the help, Nev,” Fiera said. “What do we owe for the meds, since I know you have to pay for these out of pocket?”

“I don’t need anythin’ from you, Fury. Ma’ll have my hide if I take payment,” Neven said. “She told me t’tell you it’s taken care of.”

“Okay. Tell her thanks,” Fiera said. Neven nodded and headed out.

“How can he be so generous?” Daniel asked from where he sat on the couch.

“He’s not being generous. Our ma will have paid for the medicine, probably by sending something to the medical center. Most likely something from one of her greenhouses since she grows stuff we can’t,” Fiera said. “Teigue got special permission to turn one greenhouse into a medic’s dream and I’ll bet the payment came from that one.”

“Ma figures we’ll even it all out in the end, once we’ve got a couple more greenhouses on the property,” Phelix said. “We’ve just got to get a few more decent harvests in, and we can start fending for ourselves easier. We’d be more self-sufficient if not for the slag they hit us with to damage our soil and kill our crops.”

Daniel sat up straighter. “What if I knew what that was, and a way to counter it?”

Fiera looked at him. “You know what they hit us with?”

“I’ve got a very good idea, and I’d only need Mouse to look something up for me,” Daniel said. “Kuen, you’d have to call her since I’m supposed to be keeping a low profile.”

“Would it be something she could look up without getting into trouble?” Kuen asked.

“It’s in the CAF public records,” Daniel said. “I just want to know what chemical they used in the C340 experiments.”

“Then I’ll call her after we clean up from breakfast,” Kuen said. They cleaned up and Kuen got on the comm. He requested to speak to Lt. Coltrin, and she got on a few moments later. “Lt. Coltrin, a mutual friend sends his regards and wanted me to let you know that your recommendation to Fabrice Benoit was well received.”

It took a moment for Lt. Coltrin to recognize the news for what it was. “He’s safe?” she asked.

“Would you care to come to dinner?” Kuen asked. Fiera grinned behind his back and Daniel stifled a laugh. “I have a full message for you but don’t want to send it over a monitored channel.”

“Oh, I’d love to,” Lt. Coltrin said. “I’m off tonight at 1700.”

“We eat at 1900 so we can get the littles down, so you’ll have plenty of time to get out to the farm,” Kuen said. “Now, I need you to look something up for me.”

“Of course, if it’s in the common records,” Lt. Coltrin said.

“Are the C340 experiments common records?” Kuen asked.

“That old thing? They’re not only common they’re almost archive worthy,” Lt. Coltrin said. “What did you want to know?”

“What was the chemical they used?” Kuen asked.

Lt. Coltrin typed in the search request into her system. “Simple enough,” she said a moment later. “It was triethylphenalthalene. Why are you looking into that old mess?”

“Come to dinner. I’ll explain then,” Kuen said, winking. Lt. Coltrin gave a disgruntled sigh and then grinned. “See you tonight, Lt. Coltrin.” She ended the call before he could.

“I was right then,” Daniel said. “They used a variation of the C340 experiment to poison your fields. It was a mix of TEPT and pericostic silicone with a limiting agent so it wouldn’t completely sterilize the soil.”

“TEPT is a gas,” Phelix said.

“Yes it is. However, mix it with the silicone and it crystallizes. The limiting agent allows for some crops to grow but once it reaches a certain yield the TEPT kicks in and does a forced sterilization of the soil so the yield can’t go above what the engineers programmed into it,” Daniel said. “Want to know the truly ridiculous part of it? A simple nitrogen-based fertilizer mixed with a silicone neutralizer will fix the soil in a single season. You’ll want three parts fertilizer to one part neutralizer.”

Fiera ran to the comm. She dialed her mother’s farm. “Ma, how much do you think the farmers of Sorus would like to stick it to the Core? And get our full yields back?” she asked as soon as Alena was there.

“What do you mean, Fury?” Alena asked, her eyes wide.

“Daniel, get over here and tell my ma what you just told us,” Fiera said, beckoning for Daniel to join her.

He did and he explained how to neutralize the toxin choking the life out of the fields. “You sure about this?” Alena asked.

“I’m no farmer, but I know chemical warfare and I remember reading the reports on this,” Daniel said. “It was a huge joke to the High Command that none of the Colony farmers had even thought to do this. Or that you didn’t have the scanning technology to identify the chemical polluting your fields.”

“We don’t have that tech ‘cause they took it from us,” Alena said. “Daniel, if this is true, this means no one on Sorus has to run the risk of losin’ another little to the ISRS ‘cause they can’t meet their obligation.”

“I hope it is true then,” Daniel said. “Because I hate the ISRS and how they’re stealing people’s children, Alena. I want every child in the Colonies to go to bed safe and every parent to sleep soundly knowing that they don’t have to be afraid they won’t raise enough crops to support their children.”

“Fury, I’ll get Lanre t’test it in his greenhouse fer us. He can let us know before spring. If it’s true, we can spread it far and wide across Sorus without the CAF knowin’,” Alena said. “By the time of spring plantin’, all of Sorus will know how to fix their fields and we’ll start repairin’ what the Core did t’us.”

“I figured Uncle Lanre would be best to test it,” Fiera said. “He’s always testing the soil, trying to find a way to counteract what was done. I don’t think he ever thought to balance against silicone though.”

“I don’t think so either,” Alena said. “I’ll call him now. Thanks fer lettin’ me know this.” She ended the call.

“I won’t get my hopes up,” Fiera said. “But if this is true, it means we won’t be in danger of losing Gael.”

“I’m going to check on the boys,” Gaspare said.

“Good idea,” Fiera said. “We should give them their first dose of medicine.”

“I’ll take Elian if you want to take Pascal,” Gaspare said to Phelix.

“It’ll be easier if someone with two arms gives the medicine,” Phelix said. Fiera saw the pain it caused him to say that.

“How about I hold Pascal up and you dose him?” Fiera asked in twinspeak.

“I’d appreciate the help,” Phelix said, answering her in the same language. He grabbed the medicine and headed up the stairs. Fiera followed behind him. Fiera held Pascal while Phelix gave him a measured dose of the medication. “Thanks for understanding me so well, twint.”

“You understand me better than anyone. I don’t see why it can’t go both ways,” Fiera said. “Do you want to help me make a cake?”

“I’d love to. I know we still have Himostava cookies but having something different for a treat would be nice,” Phelix said with a grin.

“Oh, I agree,” Fiera said. “Let’s make a small cake, one for us adults. The children can get by with the cookies.”

“Okay,” Phelix said. The twins went into the kitchen.

“Fury, we’re going to take Daniel out to the greenhouse,” Kuen said. “Can you and Phelix mind the littles?”

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Fiera said. “When do we need to give the boys their next dose of medicine?”

“In four hours,” Gaspare said.

“Okay, so if you’re not back in by then we’ll dose them,” Fiera said.

“We should be, but you know what happens if we start talking,” Kuen said.

Fiera rolled her eyes. “Yes, Kuen. I do know. I won’t see you until I ring the bell for lunch.”

“It’s cold enough even in the greenhouse that we’ll be back in before too long,” Gaspare said.

“Mm-hmm,” Fiera said. “Flicks, do you believe that?”

“No, I don’t,” Phelix said with a laugh. “I have a feeling it’ll be the bell that calls them back in.” Kuen, Gaspare, and Daniel headed out laughing.

“I don’t know about those three,” Fiera said with a sigh.

“I don’t either,” Phelix said. “But apparently they’re happy and enjoying their conversations so I suppose it’s all right.”

“Oh, I don’t really mind. I just feel like teasing them a little,” Fiera said.

“I figured,” Phelix said. “Pass me the flour?”

“Here,” Fiera said. The twins settled in to work.

The cake they decided to make was a decadent chocolate concoction Fiera had reverse engineered from something she’d eaten in the Core. A few additions made it work better for Colony palates. Once the cake was finished and cooling, Fiera decided to make some bread. Phelix took the girls over and read them a story while she kneaded the bread.

“Fury?” Phelix’s voice was a mix of exasperation and amusement. Fiera turned around. Gael and Elian were both asleep against him.

Fiera snorted. “Eli and Pascal must have kept them up with their coughing,” she said softly. “Let me dry my hands and I’ll come rescue you.”

“Thanks. I can manage Gael if you’ll take Elian,” Phelix said.

“Okay.” Fiera took the older girl in her arms. The sleepy toddler wrapped her arms around Fiera’s neck and snuggled close, the most trusting thing the child had done since she’d first come into the house. Fiera was stunned. She moved slowly so as not to disturb her. She carried her upstairs and tucked her into Nafisa’s bed. Phelix maneuvered Gael carefully into Laoise’s. They left the door open so as not to frighten Elian and went back downstairs.

“We’ve made a cake, you’ve got bread on its first rise, and done some dishes,” Phelix said. “What do we do now?”

“We get lunch started,” Fiera said. “I’m thinking a proper stew, not the quick fix ones we usually make.”

“Oh, you mean the ones that ma makes in the winter?” Phelix asked.

Fiera nodded. “If you’ll start pulling vegetables out, I’ll chop them. You pick the protein. Ma always went for red meat but that’s still so expensive.”

“I know. We’ve got some lovely boneless chops in there I can run through the cutter,” Phelix said. “Those should be ideal for a stew.”

“Perfect,” Fiera said. She sighed. “I miss this.”

“What?” Phelix asked.

“Cooking with you,” Fiera said. “We’re always so busy, or Kuen and Gaspare are trying to help. It’s so rare you and I get to work together just the two of us.”

Phelix nodded his understanding. “I love our boys to the end of the universe and back, but you’re my twin. We need a chance to reconnect. Making soup with you the day the twins were taken was the last time we did this and that’s too long.”

“I agree,” Fiera said. “How are you holding up?”

Phelix snorted. “I was going to ask you the same thing. I see those days when you only come out of your room because it’s required.”

Fiera shrugged one shoulder. “Kuen brought something up this morning that makes it, well, not easier but does make it so I want to come down.”

“What’s that?” Phelix asked, grabbing the packets of meat from the chiller.

“I refuse to be in bed when the twins come home. I want to be down here to see their smiling faces, to catch them in my arms when they finally make it back,” Fiera said. “If I stay in bed, I’ll have to hear about it from Kuen or you. I won’t allow that.”

Phelix nodded. “Makes perfect sense to me, twint. As for me, I’m hoping Daniel’s right about how to fix the fields. I want my arm.”

Fiera smiled a little. “If we can make as much as I think we can, we’ll be able to afford the Core prices.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. Colony tech isn’t great for amputations and cybernetics,” Phelix said. “Of course, I’d have to be allowed to leave Sorus and go to Icrtara. I don’t trust that Core medic in the clinic as far as I can throw her, and I can get some distance on a featherweight stick like her.”

Fiera snorted. “She’s still wearing her slagging suit. It’s broken down three times and she’s had to be locked in one of those containment units while it was repaired. The vapor brain refuses to do what Daniel’s doing and taper off of it because she ‘doesn’t want to contaminate herself.’”

“For every Core Worlder like our boys there are a hundred like her – ignorant, unwilling to learn, and who have fed for so long at the propaganda tit that there is no convincing them of anything else,” Phelix grumbled.

“Flicks, there are more like our boys than you think,” Fiera said.

“Do you really believe that, Fury?” Phelix asked.

“There are more members of the CAF supporting us, trying to help us get our girls back, than there are people from the Colonies doing the same thing,” Fiera said. “Daniel is Core and CAF and he gave up the big secret those slagging genetic wastes in the High Command have been hiding from us for years. The only reason he’s out here is because High Admiral Leone left him to hang. If not, he’d still be doing his job in the CAF. If given the chance, he’d probably go back to it. I recognize career military when I see it. He’s not going to enjoy civilian life. I think that’s why Kuen and Gaspare are spending so much time with him. They see the problems too.”

“What about that Lt. Coltrin? She’s got a wife and littles, doesn’t she? Don’t you think she’d leave the CAF and go home to them if she could?” Phelix asked.

Fiera shook her head. “You’ll see tonight. She’s another career military. She might have been a forced conscript, but she’s found a place where she’s useful and she feels like she belongs. She won’t be leaving until they force her out, like they did Darkling.”

“You know a lot about these people even though you’ve never really had much to do with them,” Phelix said.

Fiera paused in her work to lightly punch his good shoulder. “Twint, I spent a good portion of my time in the Core watching people. It was part of my job. You think I’ve forgotten how to do it? I know the cues. I know how to read them. It’s how I’m able to pull the Blue Butterfly act out of my posterior region when I need to even though I haven’t been her in almost a decade.”

It was Phelix’s turn to snort. “Twint, I hate to say it, but you always had the knack to read people. I’m just surprised you’re so good at it still,” he said. He ran the meat through the machine and perfect cubes came out. The waste went into another container which went back into the chiller for use in a stock or to be ground for meatballs or patties.

Fiera finished chopping the vegetables. She pulled out a large pot and put some oil in to cook the vegetables a little while Phelix browned the meat in another pan. Fiera tossed some flour in with the vegetables and made a roux from the oil before pouring some of their homemade stock in. Phelix tossed the meat in. Fiera took a taste and added a little more pepper and some extra spices. Phelix tasted it and added a little more of one of the spices. Then they put the lid on, turned the heat down, and walked away.

The twins did some neglected cleaning before the girls toddled back down, their naps having been fairly short. Fiera settled them in front of an educational holo while she and Phelix sorted the laundry. “Aunt Fury, I hungry,” Gael said.

“Would you like some fruit leather?” Fiera asked.

“Cookies,” Gael said, smiling sweetly.

“Cookies?” Elian asked, looking up at her father and aunt hopefully.

Fiera laughed. “How can we say no?”

“I’m not even going to try,” Phelix said. He took Elian’s hand while Fiera scooped up Gael. They settled the girls at the table and gave them some of the leftover Himostava cookies along with some dried fruit and cups of a special juice that Neven had left for them. It was sweet so it seemed like a treat, but it boosted their immune systems and right now the girls needed all the help they could get.

An hour later Fiera set the bread for its second rise while Phelix played games with the girls. Fiera joined them once the bread was set and they passed the time slowly. When the bread was ready, she let the girls shape their own small loaves before popping them in the oven. She stirred the stew and tasted it again. She smiled and put the lid back on the pot.

“Fiera, it’s been four hours,” Phelix said, glancing at the time.

“Girls, watch your holo. We’ll be right back,” Fiera said, grabbing the medicine. She made sure the gate was latched before going upstairs with Phelix. The two dosed the boys. Fiera went back down and scooped out a little of the liquid from the stew. They were able to get some of it into both boys before they drifted off to sleep.

“Shall I ring the bell?” Phelix asked with a grin.

“Go for it,” Fiera said. “I’ll get the table set.”

Phelix rang the lunch bell. “Loud,” Elian said.

“It has to be loud, Elian,” Phelix said. “Sometimes we’ll be far from the house, and we need to be able to hear it.”

“Oh,” Elian said. “Lunch?”

“Yes, it’s time for lunch,” Fiera said. “Do you want to help me set the table?”

“Yes,” Elian said, smiling.

Fiera retrieved her niece and set her to carefully placing napkins and silverware by each bowl. A few minutes later the three men walked in, looking a little sheepish. “We, uh, lost track of time,” Gaspare said.

“Yes, we knew you would,” Phelix said with a laugh. “Why do you think we told you we’d call you in for lunch?”

“In our defense we didn’t think we actually would,” Kuen said.

“Kuen, you three were probably discussing the CAF, life in the Colonies, and how it’s an adjustment but how Daniel will be able to make it if he tries,” Fiera said without turning around. “The stunned silence from behind me is all I need to know to prove I was right.”

“How did you know?” Daniel asked.

“I know my husband and my brother,” Fiera said. “I might not know you personally, but I know enough about those who have dedicated their lives to their careers. When that life path is disrupted, it is very hard to make the transition to a new life. Kuen and Gaspare were the two who’d best understand what you were going through so of course they’d be the ones to talk to you about this.” She turned around. “Am I wrong?”

“No,” Kuen said, shaking his head. “I forgot about that knack of yours, taking very limited information and putting the pieces together to form a cohesive answer to a puzzle.” Fiera smirked. “There’s a reason puzzles don’t stump me for long, love,” she said with a laugh. “Now, everyone sit down and let’s eat.”