He grinned.“He is easier to hold this way.”
She showed him how to set the baby on his shoulder, and a small snuffle was the result.
Ra nodded.“Thank you for your assistance.I will take excellent care of your sibling.Now go and soothe Orex.He’s worried.”
She laughed, and as Zani was still bustling around the room, she headed up to her overseer.
He was waiting on the steps, and she smiled and walked toward him.“Hello.Successful delivery.Baby and mom doing well.Ra is stunned.It’s a good look for him.”
Orex hugged her and kissed her.“You smell like blood.”
“Oh, yeah.I guess.Side effect of labour.”She bit her lip.“I need to find a sonic or solar shower.”
He smiled.“But you were fine assisting?”
“Sure.I remember having Aretta alone, so I know what is necessary.”
“What?”
“Oh, her father was gone at that point.I was alone, and there was a snowstorm.I couldn’t drive out, and no one could come in.So, I watched videos, the emergency services talked me through it, and I managed.”
He frowned and hugged her again.“If we have children, you will not be alone.”
She wanted to drag him into another alcove and start one right then, but Aretta was off to the side.She looked at her daughter.“Hey, bug.How long were we gone?”
She shifted from Orex to Aretta, and she got another hug.“You were gone about an hour.Lord Orex said not to worry, that babies arrive in their own time, so I told him about when I showed up, and he was very interested.Did you know that there are archaeologists here?They are all kinds of species.Harwin used to work with them as a bodyguard, but she woke up Ra and took down a raider shuttle, not in that order.”
Orex smiled.“Ra had it carved into one of the walls.He is planning several chambers for the records of Harwin.He ordered a meal for us in the main throne room.”
She nodded, and they turned to the stairs.Aretta smiled, Orex put his hand out, and Zelda put her fingers on his wrist.Aretta walked behind them as they went up the stairs.
When they got to the top of the stairs, she darted past and said, “The team is this way.”
Zelda smiled at Orex.“She is excited, and this is something I wish for her to continue.”
He smiled.“Then, we will go.”
Zelda grinned, and they walked after the teen.A few Terrans were walking around the space, and some smiled and waved.
“Oh, that is so weird.”
Orex was quiet.“Seeing your own people?There are Terrans on Orval.”
“Oh, I know, but they aren’t happy.It is hard work setting up a new colony, and we still have the mindset that we will be ejected to die.We don’t know how to survive on our new world yet.”
He paused.“That is why Marta scrambled for position.”
“Correct.We have been fighting to live, and many of us stopped fighting.”
“You didn’t stop.”
“No, but I had someone to fight for.”
Orex glanced at her and followed her gaze to Aretta.He nodded, and a determined expression filled his features.Zelda followed his gaze to her daughter, and the only thing she could think of was that Aretta was getting some kind of pony.
The room had several researchers in it, and they were looking at and cataloguing artifacts that Ra had given them.
Aretta was delighted and moved from one table to another, and Zelda smiled.“She wanted to go into archaeology.”