Fleet Commander Vorik paced his office in agitation. His footsteps tapped against the polished floor as he went back and forth. The blue planet of Earth glowed in the dark space through his window as his ship floated in space above it.

With each pass, Vorik would look down at the majestic glowing orb with worry and fear. It wasn't directed at himself, but at his mate and her people who were there. Their future as well as his own rested on the upcoming communications.

Vorik awaited communications from his superiors, his eyes glancing at the console beside him in agitation. He had to inform them of what had been taking place.

Working as quickly as possible, he had begun the city's construction. Erecting the plasma domes and setting the small dwellings. It was ahead of schedule. It was by design. He was going as quickly as he could, trying to finish before his superiors arrived.

His orders were to exterminate all human life on the planet, then set up the domes.

When it came to light that they had mates among the human populace, he had no choice but to defy his superior's orders and help the remaining survivors instead of killing them.

Fleet Commander Vorik wanted to locate all the missing officers and bring them to the city with their human mates so that when the remainder of their people arrived, he could give a good argument as to why he didn't follow their orders. He knew Council Leader Tosh, and knowing how he was, it was highly probable that he would kill the remaining humans, regardless of the mate bond.

In Vorik's mind, his superiors needed to see as many happy couples as possible.

A light blinked on his control panel, a beacon of dread. The light signified they were calling. Sighing deeply, Vorik's hands trembled as he pressed the button to answer.

The screen flickered, then the image of their council appeared; A row of men standing stoically in front of him. Only one of them spoke.

"Report, Fleet Commander Vorik," the head of the government council stated. It was Council Leader Tosh.

"One of the city's plasma domes has been erected. Dwellings are being placed as we speak, sir," he began. "We have encountered a situation." There was a pause as Vorik gathered the courage to continue. "I have not been able to complete the orders originally given. Among the human survivors are our fated mates, sir."

"Your orders were to destroy them, Commander Vorik, not let the officers mate with them!" Council Leader Tosh bellowed through the communications console. On the screen, he could see the anger and rage radiating through him. The other men with the Council Leader gave no reaction at all. It was as if they were robots, with no emotion whatsoever.

Vorik sucked in a ragged breath. "Sir, it started with over a hundred of our officers destroying their com units and disappearing, sir. One of the patrols had lost a member. We interrogated the two remaining officers using the serum. The two officers explained that they had lost their member because she had found her fated mate. It is against our laws to kill or harm a mate of our people or those they love, Sir," Vorik tried to explain.

Tosh's eyes narrowed. "Have you found any of the officers in question?" Council Leader Tosh growled.

"Yes, sir. We found several. One of them was Second Squad Leader Shadick. I arrested them, both he and his human mate. The medic verified that the human female was already pregnant with his child, sir," Vorik continued. "With the group that Shadick is with are two other officers and their mates. There is also a human girl with them that is mine."

Tosh's face grew darker with rage. "How long was Shadick missing before you found him and his mate?" Tosh growled. His teeth were clenched as he spoke. It was obvious he wasn't happy over the new developments.

"Nearly a month, sir. When the human female was tested, the fetus was only a week old, sir," Vorik explained. "The humans appear to be highly compatible with us, sir."

Council Leader Tosh stared at him through the screen. His eyes were narrowed in anger. It was several moments before he spoke again.

"Seek out the remainder of the human survivors and find all of the mated pairs. I want them all in the same location. We don't want to have to hunt them down when we arrive!" Tosh ordered. "Our council will discuss this issue. In the meantime, continue preparing for our arrival," he growled, then the screen went blank.

Vorik's face paled. He knew why they wanted them in one location. It was obvious. Council Leader Tosh aimed to make it as easy as possible to kill them all. Vorik knew that he needed a plan.

Pressing his com unit, the light blinked. "Merrick, prepare my shuttle. I need to go to the surface. Call Medic Kaul; he needs to come as well," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir," was Pilot Merrick's response.

Fleet Commander Vorik rushed out of his office. He was in a hurry and needed to act fast. The only option he could think of was to ask the group of humans with Second Squad Leader Shadick for help. He also needed to warn them of Council Leader Tosh's plan. He had no idea what their council would do. He only knew the outcome: a massacre of all of them, humans and mated pairs. All those with a human mate needed to be warned.

When he reached the shuttle, Pilot Merrick was already waiting for him. Medic Kaul was strapped in alongside the copilot on the metal bench in the back. Vorik always sat in Copilot Lera's seat when he was aboard.

The shuttle sped off through the dark space. The trip to the surface was a blur, his thoughts on saving his mate and everyone else's. He hadn't even realized they had landed.

"Sir?" Pilot Merrick asked, trying to get his attention.

Vorik looked over at the pilot, who was waiting patiently for him to disembark. "I need your copilot to accompany us. We will be back shortly," he informed Pilot Merrick.

"Yes, Sir," Merrick responded, gesturing to Copilot Lera to follow their Fleet Commander.

She immediately got up and followed Vorik and Medic Kaul.

They entered the tunnel of the hidden bunker. Medic Kaul groaned, seeing where they were headed. Copilot Lera looked over at him, frowning. "That bad, hah?"

Fleet Commander Vorik glanced back at them, giving them a stern look.

"Sorry, Sir," Kaul said, putting his head down.

Picking up the rock that was left outside the giant steel door, Vorik used it to knock.

The large metal wheel spun, and then the door swung open. Zack was standing at the doorway. When he saw who it was, he frowned before stepping aside, not saying anything.

After they passed, Zack shut the door again, spinning the metal wheel.

Before anyone could say anything, Fleet Commander Vorik shot out, "I need to talk to all of you. Now. I need your help."

Zack studied Vorik for a second before calling out loudly. "Everyone in the control room, now!"

Vorik led the medic and copilot into the little room they called the control room, then waited.

Joe and Nisa were the first to arrive. He had his hand wrapped around hers as they walked over to one of the sofas and sat down, pulling her hand into his lap as he did. He did not let go. The copilot gasped, seeing them together like that. She hadn't actually seen any mates yet. She had only heard about it.

Next came Shelia, who went straight to Zack. His features immediately lit up as he wrapped an arm around her, kissing her gently.

Shadick and Carrie came in next. They were also holding hands. Carrie gave Vorik a disgusted look as she was guided to a sofa with Shadick. He led her to an empty sofa, pulling her onto his lap as soon as they sat down.

Vorik couldn't help but notice Lera's wide eyes as she watched the couples as they entered the room.

Next came Alice, who stopped in front of him; her jaw was set, teeth clenched. She looked like she was about to say something, then changed her mind. She walked over to a chair and sat down, her arms wrapped around herself, a scowl on her lovely face. He couldn't help the flinch that came. He knew her behavior was because of him.

Both the medic and the copilot noticed Vorik flinch. They also saw the way he looked at the young human girl.

Last came Jamie. He looked up and scanned the group. His eyes landed on Lera. He gasped as he looked at Lera. His eyes went wide, and his face turned bright pink before he rushed to a sofa and sat down. He continued to watch her intently as if unable to look away.

Lera made a little squeaking sound, covering her mouth with her hand. Vorik understood. It was obvious to everyone in the room. Jamie and Lera were mates.

Once everyone was settled, Zack eyed Vorik. "You said you needed our help. What could we possibly do for you?"

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