Seeran watched as the group of humans outside the dome set up their camp. After one of them had attempted to fire the human weapon on him, he went to notify Council Leader Vorik of the situation outside the east gate of the dome.

Seeran found Council Leader Vorik in the tavern with some of the others. He would have been there himself if it weren't for his shift at the east gate. Vorik had been socializing with his friends, something he rarely did due to his duties. Seeran hated to interrupt his leader while he was, for once, letting himself relax on this rare occasion. He didn't want to ruin the peaceful night for Council Leader Vorik. He had no choice, though.

After Seeran notified Council Leader Vorik of the situation outside the dome, he was ordered to return to the east gate and keep watch to ensure they don't try anything further. Council Leader Vorik had told him that he would go to the east gate as soon as he could. He needed to make sure that Alice was in a safe place with the twins before he joined him at the East Gate to take care of the situation.

As Seeran watched the humans outside milling around the bonfire they had built, he heard a sound behind him. When he turned to look, Council Leader Vorik suddenly appeared out of the shadows of the walkway. He was rushing toward him, in a hurry to see what was happening.

Council Leader Vorik stopped at the edge of the dome and looked down at the group below, scanning each tent they had placed around the bonfire. He noticed immediately that there were military vehicles on the outskirts of their camp. Men with rifles walked the outer perimeter of the camp, keeping watch for intruders. It reminded him of when Travis and his men came to attack the dome. Unlike them, though, they were camping right in front of the main entrance, making things a bit more difficult.

"We let no humans inside the dome that don't already live inside," Council Leader Vorik stated, not moving his gaze from the group below. "Mia was just stating that since the zombies have been cured, there would be some who sought out revenge because of it. I think she was right. If she is right, this situation can get even worse in a very short time."

Seeran nodded in agreement. "She does that. She's quiet, then, all of a sudden, she says something that blows us all away. I've never known her ever to be wrong, either, which makes this situation even worse."

Council Leader Vorik nodded, continuing to scan the camp in front of the East Gate. "I don't think it's safe for anyone to leave the dome. We need to be careful if we have to leave until this situation is resolved. It is already clear that they will shoot anyone who tries to leave the dome."

Seeran nodded, then handed Council Leader Vorik a set of binoculars so he could see the people outside clearly.

He took them, gratefully, then lifted them so he could peer through. Council Leader Vorik watched as the group walked around the bonfire, eating soup or stew out of the bowls. From the current distance, he couldn't see what it was. One of the men paced. It was a tall man with his black hair tied back, who frequently stopped to look their way. The man eyed Vorik and Seeran before continuing his pacing.

"I think that one is the leader of that group," Council Leader Vorik observed. "The one that paces. He keeps stopping to look toward us. Something about him tells me that he is their leader. I think he leads this group. I can only hope that he isn't like Travis was."

Seeran was looking through his own set of binoculars. "That's the one who fired his weapon trying to shoot me. The projectile did not penetrate the plasma shield. It bounced off the dome and fell to the ground. I watched as he picked it up and looked at it. It had been flattened by the impact against the dome's blast shield. He even called to his men to stop shooting and not to waste their bullets."

Council Leader Vorik, still looking at the group, nodded. "I think we need to keep the blast shields up for the time being. I know many primitive weapons are stronger than they appear. I don't want to take the chance of one of them being able to pass through the shields and being able to hurt or kill someone inside the dome."

"I will ensure they stay up," Seeran agreed. "What do you want me to do about the shuttles from our fleet and the Kreq disks?" he asked, remembering the frequent shuttle traffic from the ships floating above the planet. "If they fire on the shuttles, it could bring them down, harming or killing the passengers inside. There are lots of families going back and forth. I don't want them to get injured."

Council Leader Vorik thought about it for a while before coming to a decision. Halt all shuttle traffic for now. It needs to stop until this situation is resolved. You're right, there are too many families going back and forth from the ships to the dome. It's too dangerous for them right now."

Seeran nodded. "I will communicate that order now, sir," he told Council Leader Vorik. "I shouldn't wait. If I am too late telling them, they will send a shuttle, and someone might get hurt or worse."

Council Leader Vorik nodded and continued watching the group outside their gate. He studied the tents, their movements, anything that could tell him what he was about to be up against. All of them carried multiple weapons, not just firearms. They had various sizes of knives. They even had something that appeared to launch small rockets.

As one man put on a large coat, Council Leader Vorik noticed that they were wearing some protective armor. It was flat black and appeared to be covered with a mesh-like casing. It only covered their chest and back, protecting the vital organs.

On several of the men, he could see what looked like twin swords strapped to their backs. These humans were ready for battle.

Seeran rushed off to make the call to both sets of ships. It was easier to notify the Ramesian fleet than to use the communicator to call the Kreq disks. It was far more difficult because he had to call each disk separately, whereas he only had to call once for the Ramesian fleet. His message would be transmitted automatically to each ship.

When Seeran returned, Council Leader Vorik, with his binoculars still held to his eyes, was still watching the group outside the dome.

Merrick was walking up the walkway with Aleigha. Her newborn infant was in her arms. He could see the gleam of her bladed staff in her boot.

"Hey, Seeran," Aleigha called to him in greeting.

He smiled. "Good evening," he greeted, then turned to Merrick, grinning. "You couldn't keep her away from the action, could you?" he chuckled.

Aleigha snickered. "Nope," before Merrick could say anything. Aleigha turned toward Vorik. "Maybe I should go out there and see what they want," she offered.

"NO!" came Merrick, Seeran, and Vorik all at once. Vorik turned to Aleigha. "One of them shot a weapon at the dome. They're not here for help. They're here to harm. It's too dangerous. I will not authorize you to leave the dome. It's too dangerous right now."

Council Leader Vorik turned back around and continued to look at the group outside. The infant in Aleigha's arms began to cry. The man Vorik decided must be the leader turned and looked toward the dome. His eyes scanned for the crying infant. The man's actions showed Vorik that they were close enough to hear the child crying.

Merrick took the child from Aleigha, trying to comfort him. His actions caused the child to coo softly before he went back to sleep. After the child was silenced, the man outside the dome turned back to his people. It looked like he spoke to another man, but there was no way of knowing what was said. They couldn't hear the conversation from inside the dome. The two men were whispering. Their conversation didn't carry to the dome.

Council Leader Vorik turned to Seeran. "I want a constant guard watching that group. They are well-armed. Something about them doesn't feel right. I want to be notified if they try to approach the dome or if there is movement other than within their own camp," he ordered Seeran.

Seeran gave the gesture of respect. "Yes, Sir. I will make sure they are observed at all times. You will be notified immediately if there is movement other than within their own camp," Seeran confirmed his orders.

Council Leader Vorik turned and left, heading back to Alice, leaving Seeran, Merrick, Aleigha, and her baby boy behind.

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