Guard Commander Drevick watched from behind the dwelling across the small street at the two girls. When the door opened, Niki dropped her staff and pulled Aleigha into her arms. He could hear the muffled sobs from where he was standing. He knew the sobs came from Aleigha and not the older sister. He only watched because he wanted to make sure Aleigha was safe. He didn't like what he noticed when he walked her to her sister's dwelling. There were small groups who had watched with hatred and hostility.

From where he was standing, he could hear Aleigha speaking, but he didn't know what she said.

He watched as Niki pulled her sister into the dwelling and picked up her staff from the ground before she entered behind her. He watched until the door slid closed, blocking the two girls from his view.

His comm link buzzed as he turned to walk away.

"Guard Commander? Did you find out how she escaped?" It was Council Leader Vorik.

"Yes, sir," Drevick responded into the communication device. "She told me how and even tried to give me the device she used to escape the cell."

"What did she use?" Council Leader Vorik sounded interested. For some reason, Drevick didn't want to tell him. Being that Vorik was his leader, he had no choice. "She had a personal cloaking device. She said that when a friend was testing it for one of our techs, she copied it before her friend could give it back. She said it was during the Kreq's invasion attempt. She wanted it in case she needed it during the invasion."

"Her friend used it to go after Commander Grev," Vorik explained. "It was Jada. She took Grev's head after his own pilot shot him. The blast killed him, but she said she wanted to make sure he was dead, so she took his head. She said that someone that sinister needs to be removed for the safety of the people. I had to agree with her."

"I think it says a lot about Aleigha's character that she was so forthcoming about how she escaped. Especially to me, being in my position. I am the one who is responsible for locking away criminals. I know she's not one, but she was open and honest about the situation. I was also impressed that she tried to give the device to me. I told her to keep it." Guard Commander Drevick told his leader, not sure if he should have told him that piece of information.

"Explain," Council Leader Vorik ordered. "Why did you let her keep it?"

Guard Commander Drevick sighed. "I could tell she could be trusted with it. I'm also not entirely convinced she's safe yet, either. On the way to her sister's home, when I wanted to ask her how she escaped, I noticed many looking at her with hatred and hostility. I believe if I hadn't been there, they would have attacked her. Knowing this, I have reason to believe that her safety is in danger. She may need it again in the future."

Council Leader Vorik was silent for a moment. Guard Commander Drevick waited patiently for his leader to speak, knowing he wasn't done speaking to him.

"Do what you feel is necessary to keep her and her sister safe. See if you get the same response when Jada is watched, also. If she is in danger, inform me. The sisters and Jada are a huge part of why we are relatively safe on this planet," Council Leader Vorik explained to him. "And technically, Niki is the leader. She challenged and then killed Tosh. She didn't want to position, so she handed it to me. I see her as a co-leader."

"Yes, Sir," Drevick responded. The comm link went silent. Drevick stuffed the communication device in his pocket and headed for the cells. He needed to enlist someone who did not seem to hate the girls. He needed someone he could trust with their safety.

He thought about it as he weaved his way through the dwellings toward the prison building. He could only think of one person working with him that he could trust with the girls' safety.

When he finally arrived at the prison building, the door slid open, letting him in. Mikiel was sitting at one of the desks. He looked up when Drevick entered.

Guard Commander Drevick eyed Mikiel. He was the one he was thinking of. "Mikiel," Drevick started. "You are stationed here for a while. I'm going to request a special assignment for you. I need something from you. I need you to keep an eye on Aleigha, Niki, and Jada. I believe they are in danger. I expressed this to Council Leader Vorik, who also believes this and ordered me to find a way to keep an eye on them to ensure their safety. He understands their anger toward him, but he also believes they will recover from their anger. I need you to put yourself near them and befriend them so that you can watch those around them. When I took Aleigha to her sister's, I could see hatred and hostility toward her as we passed groups standing around the area. Council Leader Vorik advised to find out if the same response is given to the other two girls," he explained. "I can make sure you're put in a dwelling near them so it will be easy to watch them without suspicion."

Mikiel nodded, then remembered what Aleigha said about Council Leader Vorik. "Sir, Aleigha was angry at Council Leader Vorik. She even said he would die for what he had done to her. Do you believe she will act on that?" Mikiel asked nervously, not wanting to get her into trouble over her words at a time of despair.

Guard Commander Drevick thought about it for a moment. "She had the opportunity at the interrogation. She didn't take it. I believe she has changed her mind about wanting him dead. She is the one who searched out and found him, which is why we went to the tavern to arrest Merrick, Rask, and Termera. Aleigha found Council Leader Vorik intentionally and told him what she knew, and had even asked him to interrogate them for the truth. She would have killed him instead of asking for his help if she wanted him dead," Drevick explained.

Mikiel thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I believe you are correct. She wouldn't have approached him and done nothing if she truly wanted him dead. She was upset. Many speak things they do not mean when they are as upset as she was. Dispair radiated off her. I believe she was contemplating killing him, then dying herself."

****

Two hours later, Mikiel was being housed in Keirn's old dwelling. Council Leader Vorik had it cleaned and all personal belongings removed, making sure it was ready for Mikiel. The bunker beneath it was too well hidden. It was unlikely that Mikiel would find it. Before they cleaned it, Vorik had placed floor panels over the existing ones, an oversized one over the smaller panel that hid the entrance to the bunker. The panels were a seamless fit. Unless you knew they weren't the actual floor panels, you would never know.

Mikiel sat on the bed, looking around him. He knew something was special about this particular dwelling, but didn't know what it was. Keirn had been placed in this dwelling to hide what was special about it. The secret might have died with Keirn; he didn't know. Unless someone told him what it was that was so special about his new home, Mikiel knew that he would never know.

Mikiel went into the washroom and cleaned himself before getting a fresh pair of clothing. He decided to go to the tavern to see if he could run into the girls he was supposed to be watching.

They lived within the area. Aleigha lived right across the way. She hadn't been back to her own dwelling yet, spending her first night out of the cells with her sister and her son. He doubted that she would go back to her own dwelling any time soon. He didn't know.

Everything in him told him that Aleigha didn't feel safe staying by herself. He knew that she didn't trust that she was actually free. Too much had happened to make her not trust it. He doubted that she would trust anyone besides her sister and her friend easily. That would make his job difficult.

As he was given his new home, before he even entered it for the first time, he could feel the danger lurking around him; he knew that her unease and fear would probably keep her alive. He knew he had to carefully watch for danger to make sure that it didn't get to her. The entire atmosphere felt hostile. It made him nervous.

During his first walk to see his home, he knew for a fact that Guard Commander Drevick was correct that Aleigha was in danger.

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