Author's notes: This started out as part of the "Your Song" series which I haven't updated in seventy billion years, and evolved into this on it's own. I felt kind of weird making up my own characters, but they're not Mary Sues (Marty Stus?) or anything like that, just necessary evils. Title is loosely derived from Ender's Game, because that's what inspired me. Italics denote the alliance guys talking. '...' denotes thought, which is only necessary for our psychics.

Feed me! kaylee@kikiroxxorz.com

Pairings are: (Simon/Kaylee, Mal/Inara, Jayne/OC and River/OC) but they're not truly important to the plot.

~*~ “They’re intelligent.” “The children?” “Yes. There has been no formal examination, due to their…unfortunate location, but from what we can observe, they are remarkably intelligent—possibly more so than their aunt.” “What about their abilities?” “The girl appears to have a natural affinity for medicine and the boy--” “You know that isn’t what I meant.” “From what we can observe, they show psychic activity. They can communicate without speaking--” “Is that not normal twin behaviour?” “I wasn’t finished. They can communicate without speaking; answer their parents’ questions before they ask. Tease people about their thoughts. Juvenile things like that.” “Excellent. How soon can we get through to them?” “That’s the difficult part.” “We know where they are?” “We know where they are. Finding them is not the difficult part. Convincing them to come with us is. We’ve already used the school premise on one of their family members. I’m sure they’ve heard all about the Academy, and they’re intelligent enough not to trust anyone from the Academy. We need another plan.” “Can we not just use brute force, sir?” “It’s not ideal, but if worst comes to worst, I suppose that’s what will have to happen.”

~*~

“Grr! Arrrrrghhhhh! I am a fearsome, dangerous Raptor! Grrr! I will eat you! Haha. Hahaha!!” “But you…you’re so dashingly handsome! Oh, Raptor! I love you!” “What’s this? Ah! The beautiful Triceratops! Instead of making a nice light snack out of your flesh, I must take you in a manly fashion! Mwah! Mwah!” “Don’t forget to take your birth control! We don’t need no more critters on my gorram boat!” “Ahhhhhh!! Brachiosaurus! Can’t you see we’re busy?!” “Yeah, busy getting busy!” Simon glanced over at Kaylee. “Does this frighten you as much as it frightens me?” Kaylee laughed. “I can’t decide which is more terrifyin’: the fact that they found Wash’s dinosaurs, the fact that they’re playin’ with ‘em exactly how wash did, or the fact that our sweet little girl just said, ‘Shut up, Pterodactyl!! Get out of our bunk!! GRRRR!! I am a fearsome, dangerous raptor! And while I show my secret sensitive side when humping the beautiful Triceratops, I will still make a nice light snack out of your flesh!’” Simon looked over at his children. “Simon. Ainslee.” Both of them looked up, grinning. “Hi, daddy.” “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. Simon, you still need to get dressed, and Ainslee, please let mommy brush your hair.” Ainslee and Simon looked at each other, and then looked back at their parents. “Can we…can’t uncle Frankie stay here with us?” Simon shook his head. “Even he has to come this time.” “Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?” Kaylee bent down to their level. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go planetside? We can stop and get apples, and maybe aunt River will take you shopping if you ask her politely. And Xavier is coming…” “Just don’t think it’s a good idea,” Ainslee said uncertainly. Kaylee smiled at her daughter and kissed her forehead. “It’ll be shiny, baby. Nobody’s gonna hurt you, there are too many people who’ll take care of you. Now c’mon. Ganmang. I’ve got to brush your hair.”

~*~

“Now. This is an in-and-out deal, people. We go in, make the negotiation, get a contact, and we’re out. Three hours, tops. Kaylee, Inara, take the critters out, buy ‘em somethin’ to eat, keep ‘em quiet. We’ll meet back here in half an hour.” Mal nodded, satisfied, and handed Inara some money, kissing her and heading into the decrepit building. “Nothing like taking orders from your husband,” Inara muttered. Kaylee laughed. “Least he ain’t tryin’ to examine you all the time.” Simon and Ainslee looked at each other. ‘Baby?’ Simon asked silently. ‘Baby,’ Ainslee agreed. ‘Sister.’ “Mama, I want to go now,” Xavier whined impatiently. “Can we go shopping now? Daddy says they sell ship models at a store here.” Inara laughed. “I suppose we should get going. Kaylee? Do you need anything?” “I need to go to the hardware store to get some parts. Ainslee and Simon, you wanna come with me or stay with aunt ‘Nara and Xavier?” But Xavier was alreadypdragging them in the direction of the shops, cutting their choices off.

~*~

“I need to go find Kaylee,” River said urgently. “It’s an emergency.” Badger looked over at her and Mal gave her a look. “Can it wait?” he asked. River shook her head. “No, no, no…can’t. Might be too late anyway.” Mal shrugged. “Girl knows things. Stopped disputin’ her long time ago.” He pulled back his chair and let River through. “Stay here,” she said to Adam, giving him a look. ‘They’ve come back.’

~*~

Xavier gaped, open-mouthed, at the tiny model ships flying around the glass-encased storefront. “Wow,” he murmured, pulling Simon and Ainslee away from the safeness of Inara’s sari. “Look, Ainslee! ‘Renity!” “Which are your favorites?” A man asked, coming up behind Simon and Ainslee, who looked at each other and shrugged. They looked at the man. “The Firefly,” Ainslee whispered. The man smiled and summoned the shopkeeper. “Two of the remote-control Fireflies, please.” “M…My mommy says we shouldn’t accept gifts from strangers,” Ainslee said nervously. “Aunt ‘Nara is right over there.” “Do you want to go see your mommy?” he asked. 'Not quite as malleable as I had hoped,' he thought. “No!” yelled Simon, causing Inara to turn. “No, no, no!” “Shut up!” the man hissed, detonating a flash bomb and picking up Simon and Ainslee, carrying them out of the store.

~*~

When Inara could sit up, she rushed over to Xavier. “Where are Simon and Ainslee? Did you see where they went?” Xavier coughed and started to cry. “The man bought ‘em little ‘Renitys and took ‘em away,” he sobbed. Inara wiped the tears out of his eyes. “What man? What did the man look like?” “He was wearing a funny suit…and…he…had a tie…and…a badge.” Inara gasped and picked Xavier up. “Come on. We need to find your aunt Kaylee.”

~*~

“Too late,” River sobbed. “I’m sorry, Kaylee, so sorry.” “Too late for what, sweetie? What’s wrong?” “Few seconds now.” At that moment, Inara burst through the door. “Aunt Kaylee!” Xavier yelled, running to her. “Aunt Kaylee! There was a man with a funny suit and a tie and a badge and he had moneys and he bought Simon and Ainslee little flying ‘Renitys and then made a ‘plosion and took ‘em away!” Kaylee started to cry. “We have to do somethin’. Gotta get Simon…somethin’. Cap’n can help, can’t he?” River sank down to the floor. “Oh, God. Oh, oh God. It’s too late. Too late.”