“We found a vial of blue liquid that evaporated into mist when released. We tested it in the labs, and it seemed… miraculous, for lack of a better word.” Her eyes get a faraway look, as if reliving that sight. “With the help of the mist, plants grew—no, thrived—even in Gaia’s barren soil. They grew at three times the rate one would expect, lush and fruitful and…” She trails off with a sigh. “Of course, my mother was overjoyed. All of us were. It seemed like a blessing from the Primus, an answer to all of Gaia’s problems. We could finally sustain our people without relying on ever-shakier drone deliveries. We had lived so long in fear, watching the food prices climb, knowing that if we refused trade with Nibiru and Deva the people of Gaia would starve in less than a year.” She glances at us. “Though you know that, of course. People like you profited off it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Scorpia says. “We’re smugglers, your mom committed genocide. I think the time for discussing ethics is long past. Go on.”

Guilt flashes across Shey’s face, and she continues.

“My mother was so excited that she signed an order to rush through testing,” she says. “We were enthusiastic enough that no one second-guessed her. We were optimistic… and foolish.” Her shoulders slump with the words. I can see where this story is going, but I stay quiet to hear it anyway, shaking my head. The Gaians always had far too much faith in aliens. “We used it on all of our crop fields. We thought that, at the worst, we would lose one harvest,” she says. “We weren’t able to grow much as it was, so it wasn’t a terrible price to pay, and such a high reward if it worked. And it seemed to at first. The crops grew, and flourished. And then, when they were about to be ready for harvest, they withered and died. Not only that, but the soil became completely sterile, unusable. The thing we used was not a miracle.”

“It was a weapon.” I let out a dry laugh. “So much for the virtuous Primus you Gaians liked to imagine. They were designing bio-weapons. Bio-weapons masquerading as helpful tools. They probably used it to trick their enemies… Make false deals.” Just like Leonis did. I fight off a flash of anger at that, and fold my arms across my chest, mulling over this information. It all seems to check out. The whole system knew of Gaia’s tendency to search for knowledge that was better left buried, the way they practically worshipped the Primus civilization they inherited the planet from.

“But this wasn’t too long ago, right?” Scorpia asks. “So, what, you lose one season of crops, and your mother decides the best solution is to start a war? That seems extreme.”