Seeran stood at the gate, watching the camp outside the dome. His friend Mikiel was standing with him. Mikiel was one of his friends who had gone to Merrick when Tosh was still in power. He was one of several who had changed sides when they had seen the mated couples that Council Leader Tosh wanted to destroy.

"What about them?" Mikiel asked, pointing to the humans milling around in the camp. "Their leaders are dead. Do we help them, too?"

Seeran pulled out the binoculars and peered down at the camp. He scanned the tents, those at the bonfire, and even the guards surrounding the perimeter, who were standing guard. "I don't know. That's Council Leader Vorik's call. I believe he will offer them help, but I'm uncertain. I doubt they will even accept it if asked. That group is here because they want to kill us all. If we help them, that would bring them inside the dome, giving them an opportunity to attack us."

Mikiel nodded, "Yeah, that would give them an easy way into the dome. It would be dangerous. If we help them, extra precautions should be made, or it will put us all in danger."

As he continued to scan the camp at the East Gate, Seeran's comm link buzzed.

Still watching through the binoculars, with one hand, Seeran pulled out his comm link. "This is Seeran," he answered.

"Seeran, this is Merrick. Council Leader Vorik needs your assistance. Come to the council chamber immediately," Merrick stated.

Sighing, Seeran lifted the comm link to his mouth. "On my way."

The communication went silent. Seeran sighed, then handed Mikiel the binoculars. "Keep an eye on them. Just because their leaders are dead doesn't mean they don't have an equally sinister replacement."

Mikiel took the binoculars from his friend and peered through at the camp below while Seeran headed off toward the council chamber. He was methodically scanning from one side of the camp to the other, then repeating the motion, trying to see anything that stuck out to him that he would need to report.

Weaving his way in between homes, Seeran passed one of the clinics. There was a long line of humans outside the door, waiting to be seen. He wondered what was going on, but didn't have time to stop and ask. He couldn't leave Council Leader Vorik waiting.

Once he reached the council chamber, he pressed the call button, letting those inside know that he had arrived, before he waited for the door to open.

When the door slid smoothly open, Seeran stepped in. Council Leader Vorik was sitting in the leader's designated chair. It was the largest chair, seated in the middle of the long table. Beside him were Pilot Merrick and Co-Pilot Rask. There were only three others at the table: Medic Kaul, Orik, and the Kreq Scout Leader, Krem.

Seeing him enter, Council Leader Vorik gestured for him to sit. Seeran gave the gesture of respect before heading to his seat to obey Vorik's order, not saying anything.

"Now that we're all here, we can start. Medic Kaul has determined that the virus is isolated to only our human population. We don't know why. Krem is here because his own race's DNA is close enough to the human race's DNA that his people may be affected by the virus sooner or later, but we don't know for sure," Council Leader Vorik started. "Medic Kaul has a plan to ensure that no other humans get infected. He wants to examine all of the humans in the dome and then use the procedure he used on Aleigha to siphon the contaminant out of them. Since the contaminant is detectable in many humans, it may stop the virus before it starts. Not all of the humans, but hopefully many of them. He wants to treat all of them, regardless of whether they are infected or not, using the same method that he had used to save Aleigha. The possible outcomes are that it may stop the virus in those who haven't been infected before it can start or slow down the spread of the virus altogether."

Medic Kaul stood up. "I think we can start with the humans from the other dome. They should be first. Then we can examine those from the fleet ships, and then our own. They are housed in dorms and dwellings that are not their own, which is why I think they should be first."

"How do we do that? Is that why there is a line at the clinic?" Seeran asked, remembering the line at the clinic he had passed to get to the council chamber. It was a long line that consisted of only humans who looked uneasy, even scared.

"They are waiting for the verdict. If they are to be examined, then siphoned, they want to get it over with. They have been notified that it is a painful process, so they want to get it done and not have to worry about going through it again," Medic Kaul stated. "That's why they're waiting."

"Why do I need to be here for that?" Seeran asked, not sure why a gate commander was needed. His duty was to the gates and those who watched for dangers at each one. "My duty has nothing to do with the medical procedures. My duty is to ensure the safety of those inside the dome from outside attacks."

Medic Kaul turned his attention to Seeran. "If the humans in the camp need help, we need to know. If humans come to one of the gates, they need to be brought to the clinic to be examined and treated before they can be allowed to mix with the domes population. You govern the gates. You need to know how to bring all humans from outside the dome to the clinic to be treated. As for the camp at the east gate, you need to watch and see if any of them collapse or if you notice any of them dying."

Seeran looked at Council Leader Vorik. He wasn't sure why he needed to be in the council chamber to get this information. They could have notified him through the comm link. "Do I offer the camp assistance or wait for them to ask for it themselves?" he asked, not sure what he needed to do. So far, everything he had been told could have easily been done through the comm link.

"If you notice they have someone infected, offer to help them. If you are unable to see any incidents, wait for them to ask for help," Council Leader Vorik told him.

Seeran nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, sir." He still wondered why he needed to be there to get the information. He didn't want to ask; it would show disrespect to his council leader.

"You are dismissed," Council Leader Vorik told Seeran. "Keep an eye on the camp. Call me immediately if there are any new developments. This virus moves too quickly to wait for a convenient time."

Seeran slowly stood, gave the gesture of respect, then left the council chamber. He knew they were discussing the smoothest way possible to make sure that all the humans in their combined population were examined and the contaminants siphoned. He wasn't needed for that.

Medic Kaul had mentioned that he needed to know how to bring those from outside the dome inside to be treated. This wasn't discussed. He was dismissed before being told. There was nothing he could do but wait for something to happen and try to deal with it.

Making his way back to his post, he heard the scream of patients as the contaminant was siphoned out of them. He realized the verdict had been made. He suddenly worried about his mate, Hope. He didn't want her to go through that unless she became contaminated herself.

Gritting his teeth at the thought of her having the procedure done on her, he continued to his gate, where he found Mikiel still watching the camp.

"Anything new going on down there at their camp?" he asked his friend.

"No, sir. It has been pretty quiet. They seem to be staying in their tents." Mikiel answered. "I haven't seen much movement."

Seeran picked up his own set of binoculars and peered through. There was no movement. Several men sat around the bonfire, eating their food. The tents remained silent. There was no one speaking.

Scanning the perimeter of the encampment, he saw a guard on each side of the camp. Seeran waited for the guard on the side closest to the dome to pass by. When the guard finally came, the man looked up. His face was pale. Much paler than it should be. All the color had drained from his face.

Seeran pulled out his comm link. "Sir, this is Seeran at the east gate. The camp's domeside guard is infected. His face is drained of color. Please advise," he informed Council Leader Vorik.

Council Leader Vorik's voice returned through the comm link. "I'm on my way."

The communications went silent. Seeran peered down at the guard, who looked back at him, then, moments later, he collapsed to the ground limply.

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