Tobi proceeding into the Kinnisvara through the large wooden gates was the beginning of an agonisingly long hour. I tried not to let my anxiety show as the formidable oak barriers closed behind him, but knowing how dangerous it would be if his duplicity were to be discovered made that difficult to achieve as he vanished from sight.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped back and prepared for the wait, leaning with my back against the stately wall as I did so. I hoped the personal risks involved in our operation were worth the rewards to the wider population. Tobi and I had already discussed it and decided it was important for us to give the inhabitants of the surrounding towns and villages the freedom to decide their own future, (or at least, as much as we could,) but now that we were actually going through with it, additional reservations were surfacing.

Whether or not Saul sensed my apprehension, I had no idea, but he endeavoured to make some small talk with me to help pass the time. We spoke about married life, although most of my side was relayed from conversations I'd had with Seren and Peter rather than from my own experiences.

Saul seemed like a decent man, who loved his wife unconditionally, and revealed to me that he hoped that by doing his job well, they might be gifted with a child one day. I genuinely hoped that one way or another, his wish to conceive would be met.

Time dragged on with my stomach tying itself in knots as the end of Tobi's allocated hour approached. It was becoming increasingly difficult to fight back the waves of nausea that were threatening to overwhelm me as I tried not to think about all the ways in which this undertaking could go wrong.

Hearing the rumble of the gates slowly opening brought some reprieve from my unease, followed by unequivocal relief washing over me when Tobi passed through unimpeded.

Although relaxing internally, I endeavoured to maintain my previous demeanour as Saul and I approached the platinum blond.

"Did you find the ring?" I asked.

"I did," Tobi replied blandly.

"Show me," I instructed him.

Without wavering, the Katki pulled out Peter's wedding ring, displaying it in his palm.

"Looks like you got what you came for," Saul concluded, sounding almost as relieved as I was. "All good?"

"You have no idea," I sighed, obviously relieved as I picked up the gold band, albeit not for the reasons that Saul would have probably assumed.

"I have a wife, remember?" the sentry quipped genially. "So, I have some idea."

"Still, you didn't have to do what you did," I acknowledged, turning to face him and holding out my hand to shake his. "Rest assured, I'll never forget your act of kindness today."

Taking my hand, Saul completed the friendly gesture by shaking it firmly.

"I'm just pleased you got it back," he smiled, indicating the ring I was holding with a small nod as he let go of my hand. "Marital crisis averted."

"Today's marital crisis, anyway," I retorted with a grin. "Thanks again for your help, Saul."

Upon my instruction, Tobi and I began the descent from the gates of the Kinnisvara back to the central Mart. There was nothing I wanted more than to question the blond about his escapade behind the wall, to find out whether he was all right, and to know whether we'd successfully achieved our objective. But to risk our cover being blown by a civilian after we'd successfully evaded detection at the Kinnisvara was irrational, so, as per our plan, we continued our charade, remaining in silence until we arrived home.

The moment we were safely behind the closed door of my house, I pulled Tobi into a tight embrace, which he reciprocated.

"I can't tell you how glad I was to see you walk back through those gates," I admitted, kissing his forehead. "I was starting to wonder whether you were all right."

"I was fine, Matty," he replied, looking up so that his sky-blue eyes met mine. "I grew up behind those walls. I know every inch of that garden, including how to be inconspicuous in there. The pipe was easy enough to find, and I did exactly what you said. I found an isolated section of it where very few people would go, that had a low seam in the metalwork. I sprayed just underneath it, following the line of the junction, and then waited for ten minutes or so for the chemicals to work. And you were absolutely right - the copper was then weak enough for me to push the blade through and cut through it. After I created a large gash, I waited until I could see plenty of liquid leaking out before I tucked everything away and came back to the gate. It felt like everything went according to plan."

"That sounds perfect," I said as I ran my fingers through his blond hair.

"Now what happens?" he asked me.

"Well," I responded after inhaling deeply, letting my hand wander to the back of his neck. "Assuming we targeted the right pipeline, people will be able to get pregnant without the aid of the Andekas. So, we wait patiently. Meanwhile, we should concentrate our efforts on destroying their crop of sinine plants."

Tobi hummed and bit his lip, presumably enjoying being close with me, having not been able to all morning. I knew how he felt. I'd missed him too.

"As for right now," I smiled, "I think we need to get you out of that Katki uniform."

The blond man nodded but didn't move.

I knew after such stressful events we both had some tension that needed releasing. Twisting my head slightly, I pushed my lips against his and kissed him against the wall of the porch until he was breathless, before taking him by the hand and leading him upstairs to help him undress.

It was another month before I'd managed to create enough alkaline solution for us to sensibly start the distribution process on the sinine fields.

During that time, Tobi and I had constructed a device with a mechanism that would distribute the liquid over substantial distances with relatively little effort. By manually turning a cog on the side of our invention, any liquid within it could be sprayed over distances of up to around fifty metres, allowing us to cover more ground that we might otherwise have done in a short timeframe.

With large cannisters filling baskets attached to the front of our bikes, and additional ones strapped to our backs, we ventured out one Saturday morning to start the operation which we hoped would see an end to the Ravim supplies for the Andekas.

Returning to the sinine fields in late spring provided us with a different scene than that of the early winter months. The sea of blue flowers on their tall, slim stems were a striking contrast to the small leafy shrubs that we'd encountered on our previous visit and gave some insight as to where the plants got their name.

Working methodically, we began neutralising the acidity of the soil, and, just as we'd hoped, the crude machine that we'd built enabled us to saturate extensive areas adeptly. We knew that once we'd started this task, any advantage we could gain from additional efficiencies would be invaluable, since we were only likely to have until the first plants started dying before we were likely to draw suspicion.

The results of my experiments suggested that gave us approximately one month, maybe a little longer.

I was able to take a week's leave from work to aid us in our assignment, with Elizabeth and Peter also joining us when time allowed. Seren's bump was getting too big for her to be able to ride a bicycle, and although she was keen to help us, it just wasn't practical. Besides, the pregnancy left her fatigued more often than she had been previously, and we had to insist she take care of herself and her unborn baby first.

However, even with the additional help, progress was slower than I'd hoped, and it was looking increasingly likely that we may not be able to hinder the source of the Ravim as much as I initially thought. Still, now that we'd already started, it made sense to continue to kill off as much of the supply as we could, even if we were restricted to weekends due to my work commitments.

It was around seven weeks later when we first heard the news from Seren and Peter. Somebody outside the Kinnisvara had fallen pregnant without their conception knowingly being gifted to them by the Andekas. There was much confusion around how had come to pass, and the story of the wondrous miracle was spreading fast.

It seemed Tobi had sabotaged the correct pipe, then.

A couple of weeks after hearing about this incident, Tobi and I decided to spend the day with Seren and Peter at their home. The couple had invited us over to partake in one of Peter's incredible roast dinners, and although I felt there was more we could do at the sinine fields, I was also aware that we could both probably use the break.

As we sat down to the piping hot meal, Seren told us that two additional pregnancies had been confirmed, both in different towns to the first. We continued the discussion as we ate, speculating how the Andekas might respond to the idea that they were no longer dictating who could bear children and who would be denied the privilege.

We didn't need to wait long to find out.

We were clearing up the crockery after we'd finished eating, and I was about to suggest we helped Peter serve up dessert, when the screen used by the Andekas for communications lit up. Twisting to face the screen, my heart jumped, and a cold shiver ran through my spine when I recognised the man that was apparently wanted for questioning by our governing family.

"Oh ... no," I breathed out.

The others stopped what they were doing and turned to see what had caused my reaction. For a few moments, nobody spoke or moved, but it wasn't long before I started shaking all over and my head felt lighter as the panic set in.

The face on the screen and the name printed in bold lettering underneath it were both mine.