It had almost been two weeks since Ava and Jax had arrived. Two week of pure bliss. During the day, she and Ezra would work with the engineers, the designers, the farmers, and everyone else on how things were working and what they needed. In two weeks, Mira had learned the in's and outs of the colony. Things began to have rhythm, working at night, eating meals with her sister and brother—who had also adjusted quite well to their new home, and at night, she would spend her time rolling around in the sheets or cuddling up onto Ezra's chest.

But this morning was atypical for two reasons. First, it was the day the other families were set to arrive. And second, their arrival came with some news from earth.

Jax had burst from the double doors leading to the greenhouse.

Ezra and Mira stood in the middle of the plants, the Gardner pausing his daily status report. He had just got finished telling them how he had made a hybrid tomato crossed with a Jayku fruit when Mira turned around to greet her brother.

"What's wrong?" Mira asked, and Ezra stepped in front of her, trying to get to Jax before he spilled the beans.

"Government officials just declared World War Three on earth."

It was if time had frozen for a moment, as Mira took it in. As she processed.

"D.C. was bombed—and now the whole world is taking sides. Over a million are already dead."

Mira felt like she could think. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was close her eyes, and try to not to fall apart.

So, she turned on her heel, and walked in the opposite direction. Away from the garder, away from her brother, and away from Ezra.

She found herself at the end of the hall that led to the construction zone for more apartments. She stepped through a entryway onto a white round platform that rose under her weight. When it finally stopped, she stepped forward and took in the small glass watch tower. Plaster white support beams ran in shapes to form a three-dimensional hexagon structure.

She stepped up to the glass, placing her hand on the railing built into the walls. As she stood at the top of the tallest structure on the alien moon, she watched the spaceships doors open and humans piling outside.

The glass bubble of a watch tower she was in arched over the colony like a mobile over a crib, and Mira couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by what she had done. Just then, the baby kicked harder than she ever had before, making Mira gasp.

As she grew life inside her, she had also saved it outside of her. But it wasn't enough. Not now.

From what Jax and Ava had told her, the conflicts on earth were worsening by the day. So it shouldn't have been all that surprising. But still, she couldn't believe it. All she could picture were images from memories, pictures of faces from her friends back home, being torn and blown to shreds by guns and bombs.

"I'm sorry I tried to keep it from you," Ezra said, appearing from the doorway behind her. "I just... I didn't want to upset you." He stepped into the bubble from the elevator platform.

She didn't turn around to look at him. She didn't even acknowledge him. She just stared blankly, hands gripping the railing so hard, her joints hurt.

"Mira, please don't be mad. I was just thinking about the baby."

The truth was, she wasn't mad at him. She was just... horrified. "Do you know what happened during the last world war?"

Ezra swallowed hard, stepping up beside her and looking over at her as she gazed out of the hexagon-shaped window overlooking the ships. "Yes. Our people have studied earths history extensively."

"So you know what a Third World War means?"

"I have an idea..." his voice faded off into silence for a moment. "The council has already begun to install diplomats to try and come to peaceful resolutions that will stop the war."

Mira took a deep breath and shook her head. "We need to send for more people."

"Mira," he said quietly. "We don't have enough supplies—"

She turned to face him, her swollen belly bulging from underneath her soft, light beige shirt. It stretched around her pelvis, and hung loosely around her shoulders. Ezra wanted to bend down and hug her close, shielding her from the tragedies of the universe. But the fire behind her eyes spoke louder than his desire to protect her

"We cannot just abandon the people of earth. Like it or not, those people are my people... and if you're going to marry me you have to know that means they are your people too."

"I can't fix generations of greed and destruction in a few weeks Mira."

She shook her head again, turning away from him. "I'm not asking you to fix them... I'm just... I just want you to help me figure out how we can save them... or at least, as many as we can."

Ezra took a deep breath, and stepped closer to her. "You are almost thirty weeks pregnant... you should be worried about nursery wall colors and baby names, but here you are, trying to save planets."

"Yeah, well... I've been thinking a lot about our daughters future too. I don't want to bring her into a universe where half of her people are at war."

He wrapped his arms around her waste from behind her, and let his hands rest on her stomach as his head bent down to set his chin on her shoulder. "I will have the ships refueled and sent back out as soon as all the passengers are off. We will do everything we can to get as many people here as we can... but we don't have enough room for much more. We'll need to triple construction time and expand the earth crop farms if we are to sustain them all."

Mira's hands found his, and they rested over his knuckles for a moment before she closed her eyes and leaned her face against his head. "Thank you."

"They are lucky to have you," he whispered in her ear. "We all are." He placed a hand lower on her stomach, his bare skin touching the bottom of her belly.

"She will be Queen one day, right?" Mira asked, her voice only hinting at the slightest of wavering.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... she isn't going to be condemned to a life of baby making... just because she's a girl?"

The question shook Ezra to the core. He hadn't even met his daughter yet, and the fear behind Mira's words rattled him. "You still don't understand Mira. Being a mother, having a child, it is seen as the most important, most noble thing in our society. After everything you've seen and done, you should see by now how our people worship women for what they do..."

"I know, I know..." she rolled her eyes. "These Jayku men treat me like a super hero every time I come near them... I just mean, if she doesn't want to have children—"

"She will be my heir, and a lead council member. She will do whatever she wants and be whoever she wants."

Mira exhaled with relief and watched as the last of the families exit the ship below. The baby kicked again, right against Ezra's hand and his breathing picked up. "Wow, she is getting strong." Then, he kissed her on the cheek. "Just like her momma."

Mira smiled, letting herself get lost in the moment for a moment. Even though the dread of the news from earth hung over her like a blade, she had to find a way to be happy, even if it was just for one more day.

Tomorrow was their wedding day, after all.