Shadick sat at the small table in their dwelling, playing with Carrie's hair as she sat on his lap. Their infant lay sleeping in a carrier at their feet.

His comm link buzzed, showing someone was trying to contact him. Shadick pulled the small device out of his pocket and lifted it to his mouth to answer. "This is Squad Commander Shadick," he stated into the small device.

"This is Council Leader Vorik. Are you alone?" Vorik's voice stated over the small communication device. His question shot out before Shadick could react.

"I am in my dwelling with my mate and son," he responded slowly. "There is no one else here with me." He couldn't help the evenness of his tone. Although Vorik was a good leader, he couldn't get past the day he gave Carrie the truth serum, which killed their unborn baby and nearly killed her. If it weren't for Medic Kaul's quick work, she would not have survived that day.

"I need you to make sure you and your mate carry a blaster with you at all times. There is a militia group that wants to kill all the surviving humans. Trust no one who comes to your door. Even if you think they are friends. We are starting to move humans and their mates back down to the tunnel city until this issue is resolved. Notify your mate's brother and all those you care about to carry weapons until we get to them. We are using security measures so as not to be seen going down there. This militia group is willing to kill even infants, so be careful." Council Leader Vorik warned.

Shadick looked at his mate, Carrie. Worry crossed her features as she looked back at him.

"Thank you, sir," Shadick told Council Leader Vorik, his eyes not wavering from his mate.

The communication device went silent. Shadick set it on the table and got up from the chair, gently setting Carrie on her feet before he went to their room, retrieving a blaster for each of them.

"I think we need to go visit my brother so we can warn him too," Carrie stated, her voice thin with a combination of fear and worry. "We need to warn Joe and Jamie, too. Nisa and Lera will want them safe. If these people are willing to kill infants, we need to get all of our children safe."

Shadick made sure the dwelling was secure before he led Carrie out of it and toward her brother's dwelling, which was only across the small street.

Shadick held onto Carrie as they walked up the small steps to the dwelling and pressed the call button. Just as the door slid open and Zack stood at the entrance to let them in, blaster shots were fired from behind them, hitting the side of the dwelling, barely missing Carrie. The blast left a black mark just outside the door.

"Go in," Shadick hissed, pulling his own blaster and firing back at those who were shooting at them.

There were two shooters. One hid behind a dwelling, using it for cover, and the other was near a large bush, trying to hide behind it. Shadick fired at the man in the bush, firing two shots simultaneously. One shot hit the one in the bush; the other shot missed completely. The second shooter ignored his downed friend and continued to fire his own blaster back at Shadick.

Shots rang out, hitting a line of black marks on Zack's dwelling, missing Shadick, who was bent down behind the small porch's railing. Shadick returned fire, trying to hit the man using the dwelling for cover.

The man used a building to hide behind, making it difficult to get a good shot. Shadick didn't recognize the shooters. If he had not been warned by Council Leader Vorik, he would have been left weaponless. He knew he needed to end it as soon as possible, but the remaining shooter was making it nearly impossible to hit him.

With one hand, Shadick pulled his comm link out and spoke into the small device. "Sir, I'm on Zack's porch. We are under attack. One of the shooters is down. I'm having difficulty getting to the second one. He's hiding behind a dwelling. He nearly shot Carrie," he told Council Leader Vorik as he shot again at the hiding shooter.

The communication buzzed, then remained silent. Shadick kept shooting, trying to get at the second shooter.

"Be careful and stay alive long enough for us to get to you," Vorik's voice suddenly came through. He spoke in a rushed tone as if he were running.

Shadick couldn't respond. The shooter was working his way forward, trying to get his own shot.

What felt like hours but was only a few minutes. The shooting suddenly stopped. The man was silenced. Shadick didn't see anything. Only the shooter, as he slumped down, blood pouring from his neck. A second shot rang out. Blood poured from the fallen body of the first shooter, who lay at the base of the bush.

A moment later, two figures came out from behind the dwelling. It was Guard Commander Drevick and Council Leader Vorik. Both had blasters in one hand and a palm plasma shield in the other.

With palm shields in one hand to protect themselves, they cautiously walked toward Zack's dwelling, scanning the area as they came closer.

"Go inside," Vorik ordered. "It's not safe."

Shadick entered the dwelling, going backward, watching Vorik and Drevick's backs. When he made it inside, he scanned the small room. Inside were Zack and his mate Shelia, along with the Montoya brothers and their mates. All their infants were sleeping in their carriers at their feet.

"This is convenient," Guard Commander Drevick drawled, looking at the couples with their infants. "We need to put cloaking shields on you, and you all need to follow us back to the tunnels. Once inside the tunnels, we need the cloaking shields back so others can be taken there. It isn't safe for any humans or their mates right now."

Council Leader Vorik scanned the females in the room. "It is extremely important that your infants remain quiet. If they make a sound, we are all dead. You have two choices. One, we take the chance and try to get them to the tunnel as quickly as we can before they make a sound or two; we can give them a weak dose of sedative. The sedative has already been used on one infant so far, who has proved to be safe to make them sleep while we get you all to safety."

"What infant was the sedative used on?" Carrie asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted to take the chance. She wondered if it was a half-human infant or a full Ramesian infant.

"Aleigha's son Finn. It was used to put him to sleep for the procedure to remove the residue. He is fine and back with her," Vorik told her.

Carrie slowly nodded. She knew Finn was half-human. If it was safe for him, it was safe for her own son. "I agree to sedate my son. I don't want him to be the reason we die on the way to the tunnel city."

Lera and Nisa nodded, agreeing with Carrie.

Council Leader Vorik went to the replicator and ordered sedatives for each of the infants.

After the sedative was administered to each of them, everyone in the room was given a cloaking shield.

"We will walk out, making enough room for you to walk single file out of the dwelling. The last one out needs to press the door to lock. Follow us to the tunnels. There are guards at it, so we need to make a diversion for all of you to make it inside. Once inside. We need the cloaking shields back to use to bring others to safety. It's going to be a long process. We have a limited number of cloaking shields. We don't want any of them getting in the hands of this militia," Council Leader Vorik explained.

After affixing a cloaking shield on everyone, including the infants, Zack looked at Council Leader Vorik. "I will be the last one out, so I can close and secure the door. Just walk. We will follow you there. When the door closes, you know we are all with you."

Vorik nodded as everyone stood in a line. Each one was holding onto the one in front of them. Zack stayed at the back of the line so he could close the door and secure it. The door slid open, and Vorik stepped aside, allowing the line to pass him. He and Guard Commander Vorik started walking as their silent, invisible line of others followed. Zack's door slid closed, the lock pinging as it locked.

In silence, they made their way to the tunnels. It took nearly twenty minutes to get there without transport. The infants in their carriers were heavy, which slowed them down.

Once they approached the tunnel entrance, Guard Commander Drevick went to the two guards. "We need to check the tunnels. Keep watch."

"Yes, sir," one of the guards stated as Vorik slid the door open and stood aside so the invisible line of people could sneak through. He made of show of sticking his head inside to scan the tunnels.

After entering, one by one, the cloaking shields were turned off, revealing everyone present. None were left behind. They quickly took the small cloaking devices off and handed them to Vorik, who counted them to make sure they were all accounted for. They were.

Guard Commander Drevick left his guard and went to the opening of the tunnel. Both made a show of peeking inside the door as the group rushed down the long tunnel. Only the dim yellow light showed them the way.

Neither Vorik nor Drevick entered the tunnel; they only scanned it with their eyes. They quickly closed the door once the group was far enough away.

Guard Commander Drevick looked at his guards. "Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start a rotation. This can't be easy standing here for your entire shift guarding the door. You will remain in the rotation. I will let you know where you are in the rotation. When you are relieved tonight, they will give you the rotation schedule."

"Yes, sir," the two guards stated in unison. Both appeared relieved that they would get a break from standing in front of the tunnel door.

Guard Commander Drevick and Council Leader Vorik needed Van and Xant in the rotation to give them a time frame they could sneak others inside the tunnels to safety. He had to leave regular guards so that no one would become suspicious of something going on inside the tunnels.

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