Council Leader Vorik and Keirn stood in their rooms in one of the clinics; each room was directly across from the other in one of the hallways that housed all of the private rooms. A quarantine barrier had been erected, making sure they stayed separate.

It was close enough that they could talk to each other easily. They both paced their rooms, more out of boredom than anything else. Vorik was worried about Aleigha. The way she collapsed made him fear for her safety. He knew that whatever had happened to her, she was on the verge of death. He could tell by the way she looked. He didn't want her to die.

Keirn stopped his pacing, already getting bored from walking back and forth as they waited. He stood against the wall next to the barrier and just stood there, looking out of his room and down the hallway.

Council Leader Vorik ended up doing the same. Moments after he had stopped pacing his room, the door to the hallway opened, and Medic Kaul entered. He had a medical bag in his hand and a set of scanners hanging on straps over his shoulder.

Medic Kaul walked through the hall with purpose, stopping in front of their doors. He first looked between them before speaking.

"Aleigha will be fine," Medic Kaul told them. "Although I have not detected the virus in either of you, I want to keep you here a little longer for observation until I know for sure that you haven't contracted anything. It is undetermined if the virus came from the food she ate while at the camp or from something in the air. All my tests were inconclusive. I don't know yet what was wrong with her."

Council Leader Vorik studied Medic Kaul for a moment before speaking. "How long do you need us to stay in quarantine?" he asked. He was the leader of the people and was needed to perform his duty. He needed to know how long he would be away. Not to mention his mate was probably worried about him. She would need to be notified that he would be in quarantine until he was deemed safe to leave it. He had a lot of responsibilities that he needed to worry about fulfilling.

"I want to examine the bodies of the two leaders of the camp that Aleigha killed. They ate the same food she did. I want to scan them with a research scanner as well as a medical scanner to see if I can determine what the virus is. I want to see if I can find anything out by examining the bodies or markings on their bodies, or any indications of the virus. I want to rule out that it was something they all ate. Once I finish, I will know more," he explained. "I was able to reverse the effects on Aleigha. I used the same measures on both of you. I don't believe you will be harmed by it, but I also don't know if either of you was infected in the first place. Whatever happened to her acted quickly. I want to keep the two of you here so we can cure you before it does any damage," Medic Kaul continued to explain. He knew keeping them in quarantine was inconvenient for both of them, but he would rather make it inconvenient for them than lose the valuable time treating them if they contracted the same virus by being in contact with Aleigha. It moved too fast to take chances at letting them leave.

"No one has been back into the tunnels since we left them. Take precautions in case it was something more than what Aleigha ate," Council Leader Vorik advised him. "There is a hidden way into the tunnels from outside. Bring guards in case more from the camp find their way in. The white substance below the stairs of the entrance is only baking flour from the replicators. Do what you can to find where the illness is coming from."

Medic Kaul nodded, then looked up at Council Leader Vorik, confused. "Why is there baking flour under the stairs?" he asked, baffled. He thought it was strange. It was used for cooking, and under those stairs was nowhere near where a kitchen would be found.

Keirn chuckled at the same time Council Leader Vorik did. It was Vorik who explained. "Aleigha had the idea of spreading the flour under the ladder that led to the outside, so if someone entered through that way, we would know about it. It was meant to show their tracks, letting us know which way they went into the tunnel. It worked too. She knew right away where they were hiding because of the tracks they made as they walked through the flour."

Medic Kaul laughed, understanding what she had done. "That was good thinking on her part."

"I believe it saved our lives," Council Leader Vorik told him, smiling.

Keirn nodded in agreement. "We would have never known where they were or where they went if she hadn't spread it below the ladder. It told us which tunnel they were hiding in. One of them shot at me. I would be dead right now if it weren't for the baking flour on the floor. I owe her my life."

Medic Kaul smiled, then looked at Council Leader Vorik. "I bet Aleigha was more concerned about protecting you specifically than finding them. Am I correct?" he asked, ginning widely. He knew she was one of the few who protected him with a vengeance.

Council Leader Vorik nodded, puzzled. "It seemed like it. Even more than usual. I wanted to ask why, but didn't think I should. I don't get why she always seems to protect me. Same with Niki."

Medic Kaul chuckled. "I know why. So does Merrick, Rask, and most likely Seeran."

"Why?" Council Leader Vorik asked, interested in such protective behavior. "I don't get why they do that."

Keirn leaned forward, listening to the answer also. He felt like the way Aleigha was with their leader was borderline inappropriate for a non-mate. He felt like she acted more like his mate than she should. It worried him.

Medic Kaul smiled. "It's not just Aleigha. It's both of the sisters. They like your leadership. When she was asked, Niki said that she was protecting her investment. It was she who asked you to lead in her place, after all. Both girls are afraid that if something happens to you, then someone will take your place, which will be like Tosh was. They even made a comment saying that truly good leaders are hard to find. They want to keep you safe so you can lead as long as possible."

Vorik frowned, thinking back to all the leaders that he remembered hearing about. "I can't recall any leader we've had who was not worthy of leadership with the exception of Tosh," Vorik stated, still not understanding. "Not all leaders are like him. He was what Alice calls a fluke."

Medic Kaul chuckled. "The girls were told that. They both were adamant that it's best to keep a good leader in his position. Apparently, it wasn't so with the leaders of this planet. The girls said that most of the leaders were drunk with power. I wasn't sure what that meant, so I asked them. They said the leaders only saw the power in leadership. Leadership is supposed to be about protecting the people, not controlling them. The men in power on this planet fought for control of the people. They didn't care about what happened to the people, only the control they had over the people. Both girls agreed that you care about people, no matter what their race is. They said that the kind of leadership like that is hard to come by. They're determined to keep you in your position."

Council Leader Vorik frowned. "That's why the sisters are so protective of me?" he asked, still baffled. "All because of how I lead?" he sounded confused, completely baffled by the girl's behavior. He never understood it. He felt like they were his shadows sometimes, never leaving him alone.

"Yes," Kaul acknowledged. "They are terrified you will be replaced by someone like Tosh, Grev, or most of the leaders of this planet. The sisters aren't the only ones, either. Jada is another one. That's why she was always around you when they were pregnant with their sons. Jada was acting as a bodyguard in their place."

Council Leader Vorik shook his head. "How can I not already know this?" Vorik was stunned by what he was hearing. "I never knew why they always stayed near me. I thought it was because both of their mates fly my personal shuttle, using that as an excuse to stay around."

"I'm sure that's part of it, but they want to keep you safe so you can continue to lead the people," Kaul told him, grinning widely. "I tend to agree with them."

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