The famine creeps up slowly, then all at once.

It begins with a report of a break-in at the science center. There is apparently nothing of import taken, and no further mention is made of it. Aunt Ellie and Uncle Leslie seem a bit perturbed but try not to show it in front of you and your cousins. This occurs three months after your arrival on Tarsus IV.

Two weeks after the break-in, reports come in from the big farms. The crops have been hit by some sort of blight. Crop yields will be at a record low this harvest, and everyone should be prepared to deal with a certain level of hardship until they can receive Federation aid. You remember the old stories from Iowa about droughts and famines and blights, of extreme hardship and hunger. You begin to mentally prepare yourself for the hunger; it's not something you're unfamiliar with. Your cousins will have a harder time. Tillie, at nearly seventeen, understands exactly what's happening, but Finn needs some more explanation.

"It'll be okay," you tell Tillie and Finn one day, "I mean, it's hard at first, being hungry all the time, but you get used to it after a little bit."

"How would you know?" Finn asks.

"My stepfather was really mean a lot of the time, and my mom was always away, so he was the only one there. Usually, his punishment was to send us to bed without eating, and sometimes he only bought enough food for himself and spent the rest of the money somewhere else, so me and my brother really had to scrounge. We were hungry a lot. You get used to it. Trust me."

Tillie and Finn are silent for a while after that. It would appear that Aunt Ellie and Uncle Leslie neglected to inform your cousins of your neglect, trying to keep the truth of the cruelty of the world away from them for a while longer. No such truth was kept from you. You vaguely wonder what will happen when Uncle Leslie calls everyone to dinner, and you find it almost funny how determined your aunt and uncle are to keep the full truth from you.

Another two weeks after the famine is announced, Aunt Ellie and Uncle Leslie argue quietly. You are supposed to be in bed, but you had gotten up to use the bathroom and clearly not been heard.

"They need to understand what's going on, Leslie! They'll figure it out soon enough, so we might as well tell them!"

"They're just children, we should spare them-"

"What? And wait 'til they're starving before we tell them why? They have a right to know!"

"We shouldn't burden them unnecessarily, Aurelia! They shouldn't have to worry!"

"No, they shouldn't, but we haven't got that luxury anymore, dear. Tillie's not stupid, and neither are Finn and Jimmy… especially not Jimmy, though he may handle it best. You know what that jackass Frank did. Winona told us. Now, Leslie, you can either help me tell them or watch me do it because I will do it one way or the other. They need to be told."

A pause. A sigh.

"I suppose you're right, Ellie. As usual. We'll do it tomorrow."

You creep into the bathroom, not wanting them to know you heard them. The next day, they sit you, Finn, and Tillie down in the living room and gently explain that food will be scarce this year.

"We're sorry this had to happen while you're here, Jimmy," Ellie tells you, "We'll see if we can get you home soon."

"What about you guys?" you ask.

"Oh, we'll manage, sweetie, don't you wor-"

"No!" you exclaim, "I can starve here or starve there, and I'd rather do it here because at least you care that I'm hungry…"

Aunt Ellie and Uncle Leslie share a look, a silent conversation, before Leslie agrees, "Alright, and if we leave, we'll take you with us. We'll do our best to make sure you don't go back to Riverside, but we can't make any promises, understand?"

"Yessir."

You don't get your hopes up. The adults begin to explain to the three of you how you'll need to ration what food is there for however long this famine will last when Tillie asks, "But the governor said he would contact Starfleet for aid, right? Shouldn't they come soon? I mean, don't they have to help?"

"We don't know how long they'll take, sweetie," Uncle Leslie says gently, "We'll be alright. We'll manage."

Tillie and Finn don't look too optimistic about that, but you're sure it will be fine. Tillie was right. Starfleet, by Federation law, is required to provide aid to any Federation planet or colony when asked for assistance or alerted to a crisis. That wouldn't take more than a week or two with the position of Tarsus IV in the system, and there was still plenty of food left to last that long. You aren't concerned quite yet.

When the governor announces a month later that Starfleet has abandoned them to their fate, you become concerned. That makes no sense. If Gov. Kodos called for Federation aid from Starfleet, then Starfleet was required to come and give it. It isn't even difficult. Starfleet ships are constantly doing supply runs for other colonies; your mother does them for a living. The right ship wouldn't even have to divert its course. This leads you to a shocking conclusion: Kodos never made the call. You try to tell your aunt and uncle, but they're to busy calming your cousins. The people in the square have varying reactions. They cry. They scream. They rage. A cacophony of fury and despair rises up from the crowd and nearly deafens. Off to the side of the square, you can see the scientists, and with a brief mention to Aunt Ellie, you push way through the throng to speak to them. The news gets worse.

"He's lying," Dr. Washington hisses to you, "There's no way Starfleet would abandon us. They're not allowed. I don't think he contacted Starfleet at all, and what's worse, no one can call off-planet. No one. The comms in all the labs have been jammed. Plus, I've heard from other colonists that they can't call out either. It's very fishy."

It's also very fishy when the science center burns to the ground not a week later, killing every single Federation scientist on Tarsus IV, including Dr. Washington. You liked her very much, and the news is very upsetting, but you feel there's no use in crying about it. Survival matters more. You'll grieve when it's over.

Food becomes scarce quickly, and you do your best to help your family. Most of the colonists avoid the woods that surround the colony, but you see opportunity. They are full of wildlife and edible plants. You often go in with Kevin and West to gather the plants and berries and trap some game. The farmers in Iowa were true people of the land, and they knew how to live off it even during hardship. Once your fingers remember how to make the small game snares, you have no trouble bringing home squirrel- and rabbit-like creatures to supplement the meager government rations. You've seen larger animals that resemble deer, but you have neither the skill to kill it nor the ability to get it home unseen.

At home, you try to eat the bare minimum in order to save more for Tillie and Finn, eating just enough to stave off the worst of the hunger. Tillie and Finn are initially uneasy about eating the small animals you've trapped and killed, but they quickly overcome it when the last of the livestock is killed for the little meat left on its bones. After two months, the governor issues an order for a curfew, dusk to dawn, and you see little of West.

"My parents don't want me leaving the town anymore," he tells you sadly, "They don't even really want me leaving the house. Something about me being a target because they work for the governor, and people might try to hurt me. I wish I could still hunt and stuff with you, Jimmy…"

"It's okay. Your mom and dad are just worried about you," you reply.

The two of sit and talk near the square for a bit before little Effie turns up. You rarely see her anymore (not that you saw her a whole lot before). Her face, which used to be round with baby fat, thinned dramatically, along with the rest of her body. The once healthy-looking girl is now willow-thin. The only thing that remains the same are her two long dark braids.

"There you are, West," she says, "Mother's been worried about you."

"I haven't even been gone for twenty minutes," West complains, "What does she want?"

Effie shrugs her bony shoulders, answering, "I dunno. She just said to come find you and tell you to come home."

You're shocked to hear her speak more than three words at a time. West huffs loudly beside you but complies with his mother's wishes, getting to his feet slowly. You look to the girl and greet her, "Hey, Effie. How are you? I mean, considering what's happening…"

"I'm okay, I guess. Mother and Father are just overprotective suddenly and don't really want us outside anymore. Anyway, we have to go home. Bye bye, Jimmy."

"Bye, Effie. Bye, West. Hopefully, I'll see you soon."

You sit on the bench for a little longer, but after a few minutes a government police officer comes by and tells you to stop loitering and leave. You have to stop yourself from asking when it became illegal to sit in the town square in the middle of the day. It wouldn't be smart to mouth off to the government police when Kodos just announced martial law. You go home as you are told. Dinner that night is a weak broth with a small bit of game and vegetables. It's barely satisfying. You wonder when this will all be over, or at least when it will get better.

Things are never so bad

that they can't be made worse.

-John Huston, 'The African Queen' (film)


Just a warning for my next chapter, I'm gonna get into some pretty heavy stuff that may be triggering. I'll post a better warning with the chapter at the beginning. Reviews and concrit would be lovely :)

I'm hoping to post the next chapter soon, but I have a very busy week coming, what with starting grad school and all, so I promise to post ASAP.