Exum: New Earth

Chapter Eight

Toby Pierce was helping to clean up the space he and Maxwell would call home with their child. They'd recovered and decided that this was a good thing. Adam and Nick had a space as well as Charlie and Elena.

Toby felt something he never had before, a sensation in his stomach and he gasped, putting the box of clothes they recieved now to feel his stomach, "Max...Max stop and come feel this. "

The dad to be did as he was told, a little worried but soon his smile was as bright as the suns above, "the baby kicked. I can feel them moving in there."

Toby nodded and put his hands over Max's on his small bump, "i can't wait until i get to hold them in my arms. See him or her for the very first time."

"Not long now. Five more months. They'll be the first born on Exum as far as i know."

Toby took a deep breathe asked sighed, "we've been through so much already. I just want as easy life from now on.  Don't know what i cam do for a job around her, everyone has to do something and well i just spent my whole life surviving. I could be a mechanic but not while I'm carrying. With my immunity i could work in the reactor but we don't know how radiation affects the baby. "

"You just be a parent right now, okay? I still have to learn 2 centuties of new medical information if i want to be a practicing doctor again.  We have time to get used to being on a different planet."

Toby leaned back against him, "i guess i could work on studying the spacecrafts so i know how to fix them when i can start. For now, I'm starving."

Maxwell laughed went over to the kitchen, getting out the cookware from one of the multiple boxes around the space and started to cook.

Meanwhile Toby started looking at instructions to put the crib together, "How about pancakes? Im craving something sweet."

"No problem. "

_____

The next day, while Max was getting medical training, he went to the workshop. He saw a man and a woman there, the woman working under the hood of a rover while the man was fixing the landing gear on a spacecraft that looked kind of like a small plane.

"I was working if i could get a job here.  Im a pretty fast learner..."

"Sure, we can test you out. " the female said, "my name's Raven and that's Leo. Why don't you try to fix that old radio over there. "

That was something Toby had done before so he wasn't too worried that he couldn't get it working again with the added help of all the tools in the workshop. He removed a panel with a screwdriver and got to work fixing the wiring. Soon static filled Toby's ears. He put the panel back on and started turning the nob, looking for a station that would work.

"....Please....i don't know where i am. Help me...."

His eyes widen at the voice of a little girl and turned the radio where he could to her too, it wasn't hard as that's what the radio was made to do. 

"Hello. My name is Toby. Can you tell mee what you see?"

"I-I  see the control buttons and....space."

"Are you in a spacecraft? Do you know what kind it is?"

By this time Raven and Leo where listening in on the conversation.

"A...cruiser! Mommy said it was a cruiser. She said it was on pilot and to not touch anything. Then she s-said goodbye and gave me a kiss. I went away and the ship stopped and I-I'm scared!"

"It sounds like the auto-pilot stopped. Maybe she ran out of gas?"

"We could track the signal she's sending and go get her? She's in trouble. I didn't know there were other humans out here but us...." Raven looked at the radio intently

"There aren't."

_____

"You are not going!"

"I will and you can't stop me!" Toby said getting into a spacesuit that was a bit too big for him but fit his bump nicely. Leo and a pilot, the last name Harris on his suit, were getting ready behind him.

"You're four months pregnant and you're going on a rescue mission in space? There are other people that could-"

"I talked to her first, okay. I want to see this through. Tell her it's going to be okay."

"You need to be able to know that our baby is okay.... so if you're going then I'm going too. "

Later when everyone was dressed and ready, they headed out to the Starcharger, a spacecraft build to carry up to six people and cargo space for them to have months of food. On the ship, Toby sat on a bunkbed in the wall with the radio in hand.

"Hello?"

"I'm right here. Can....can you tell me your name?"

"Nova. You're Toby, right? Where are you?"

"We're coming to get you so don't turn off the radio signal, alright?" Toby said unsure if the girl even knew what he was talking about.

If anyone made fun of his motherly instincts coming in he'd deny it but he really wanted to make sure this little girl was safe. Others more considered with first alien contact but Toby didn't care if she was blue; he'd keep her safe and happy while in his care.

"Pierce, we're coming up an a cruiser. Intercepting now.  She'll be in the cargo pit under the floor, there's a hatch to open it. "

Toby got up and Maxwell helped him open the hatch once the air lock was sealed again.  Inside a small spacecraft was a blue skinned girl looking to be about 6 years old.  Toby opened the pod.

"Hey, Nova. It's me, Toby. Do you want to come up here? There's a lot more room. "

She nodded and Maxwell helped her up, she had green hair and matching emerald eyes that seemed puffy from crying.

Toby walked her over to a bunk and let her sit down, situating himself beside her.

"Do you know why your mom sent you away?"

"The planet under attack and there was only room for me. That's what she said. She said i was going away to a different planet to live and be safe and she couldn't go with me. "

Maxwell pulled a bag from the ship with a note inside, looking at it before handing it to Nova, "can you read this?"

"Her name is Nova. Please take care of her. She is the last born Aly- Alybrine on our home planet Alybria; the rest have fled or.....or died. I... Toby, i don't want read it anymore." She was starting to cry.

Toby hugged her, "it's okay. You're okay. We'll take care of you from now on, okay?"

"She's gone, isnt she!?" Nova started sobbing.

"I'm afraid so but i know that she loved you very much to do what she did. If we were under attack and it was me or my family, Toby you'd be long gone. "

Toby gave a small smile and held onto the crying girl until they reached base. They knew others were out there now but also knew that on the far reaches, there was still war.