It had been two months since Alice and Jamie left for the mothership to live with their mates. They would come to the surface daily to help build the plasma domes and set up small homes for the human and alien populations in preparation for Council Leader Tosh and the rest of the alien population to arrive.

Three plasma domes were completed, each filled with small, domed residences. Each of the three domes contained a Complete functional city. There were clinics, restaurants, parks, and various other establishments set up. Each dome had a military training ground and a prison as well.

Out of all three domes, the largest dome was the only one that currently housed a population. It was filled with human survivors, their alien mates, and some of the aliens from the ships that worked on the surface.

Medic Kaul was one of the workers who moved to the surface because his mate Julie was pregnant, and they didn't want to have the child on the ship. Making trips from the mothership to the surface every day would put the fetus in danger. Not only that, they also needed a quick way to escape when their leader arrived to eradicate the humans and those who had mated with them.

Julie wasn't the only one pregnant. Carrie was pregnant again: Shadick stayed next to her at all times. He didn't allow Medic Kaul near her unless he was present. Over-protectiveness was a trait of fated mates. Shadick, more so, due to the last time she was pregnant.

The human females weren't the only ones pregnant. Copilot Lera was, too. Jamie had convinced her to live on the surface. He didn't want her traveling or living in space while pregnant, and she happily agreed. Secretly, Jame knew that once Council Leader Tosh arrived, it would be easier to get to safety if they were on the surface. They would be doomed, stuck on the mothership with nowhere to run.

Fleet Commander Vorik had closely worked with Zack and Shadick to prepare a way to protect the humans and their alien mates for when Council Leader Tosh arrived with the rest of the alien population.

Without much debate, they had decided to keep the tunnels a secret so that they could use them to evacuate the humans and their mates.

Their biggest concern was the entrance. They couldn't hide it, so they did their best to make the entrance look less than what it was.

If anyone entered the tunnels, it would be nearly impossible to find the city below. They were creative in finding ways to hide it.

The bunker was also kept a secret. A retrofitted dome residence was placed above it to keep it well hidden. Even if Tosh's men inspected the small home, he would be unable to find the bunker. It was well hidden, just like the city inside the tunnels.

All those on the ships in the fleet knew that it wouldn't sit well with Council Leader Tosh that the remainder of the humans and the aliens' human mates were still alive. They also knew that the aliens who had human mates were doomed. Some of the aliens feared finding their mates because of it.

Everything was now ready for Council Leader Tosh's arrival. They had hidden an underground city supplied with replicators and weapons to protect themselves against zombies. It was hidden in the tunnels where Tina's people stayed.

They knew that they hadn't found all the zombies in the tunnels. They had sent teams to sweep the tunnels, trying to eradicate them, but more would eventually be found. They knew they were getting inside somehow, but they didn't know how.

Fleet Commander Vorik wanted everyone who was fleeing the domes into the tunnels to be as safe as possible from execution by Council Leader Tosh for either being human or having a human mate. He hoped that he had thought of everything, not wanting to miss a crucial detail that could mean death to those trying to stay alive.

Vorik had even found a way to replicate the small dome residences. He had placed a hidden residence replicator inside the tunnels along with the food replicator so they would have everything they needed in case they had to hide from their leader.

Tina and Xant took the lead in the tunnels, ensuring everything was ready. Her people chose to stay inside the tunnels, so they didn't have to try to escape into them again when Tosh arrived. As another precaution, even Zack and Carrie's hidden bunker was outfitted with supplies, replicators, and weapons.

In the main dome, Alice stood at the clinic watching Commander Vorik speak to Julie and Tina, who Medic Kaul was checking. Carrie walked in and stiffened, unable to help it. She knew it was because of what had happened with her last pregnancy.

"Are the medical supplies down in the tunnel ready?" Vorik was asking Kaul. "If we have to go down there when Tosh arrives, we will need everything we can get down there. There are a lot of pregnancies. We need to ensure they stay safe."

Medic Kaul smiled at his patient. "You're doing well, Tina. Your child is growing quickly and is healthy," he told her. Then looked at the Fleet Commander. "There is a complete clinic in the tunnels. We can handle anything down there that we can handle in the ships floating above the planet."

Relief was visible on Commander Vorik's face. He was afraid of missing something important. Medical supplies were one of the most important things they needed to help them stay alive.

"And before you ask, we also set up one of the bedrooms in Zack's bunker as a full clinic in case some of us have to hide in there." Kaul continued. "Medical-wise, we're ready."

Shadick walked up to the medic with Carrie; it was her turn to be scanned. Zack came in with Shelia, who had been sick for two days and needed to be checked out.

Medic Kaul scanned Shelia first since she didn't look well. She was pale and looked tired, like she hadn't slept in a while. He moved the scanner up and down her body, scanning with his device. He kept a close eye on the small screen. The readout appeared on the tiny screen, making him smile. "Congratulations Shelia, you are pregnant. You appear to be dealing with the early stages of morning sickness."

"There are sure a lot of pregnancies," Julie stated, looking around at the small group in the med clinic. She stayed at her mate's side at all times, allowing her to see each female that had been found pregnant.

Vorik absently answered her even though it wasn't a question. "Mates are extremely fertile with each other. If you are not fated, in our race, having children is difficult. It can take years, if at all, to get pregnant for the female in the pair."

"I guess this proves that there are a lot of fated mates amongst us," Julie sighed, rubbing her own growing belly.

Zack smiled, touching Shelia's belly and nuzzling her. It was clear that he was happy that she was pregnant.

Fleet Commander Vorik paced the small clinic as Medic Kaul worked, scanning Carrie now. "Do we have a plan to evacuate the humans and those of us with mates as soon as Tosh's ship shows up on our tracking monitors?" Vorik asked Shadick.

"Everything is set up, Commander. As soon as his ship is spotted, we will sound the alarm, and everyone will make their way to the tunnels. You are the only one who can't evacuate because you are our Fleet Commander." Shadick pointed out.

"I'm staying with you, Vorik. If he decides to execute you, he will have to execute me too. I'm not leaving your side," Alice stated firmly.

Before Vorik could respond, his com unit buzzed suddenly. "Commander Vorik!" he stated.

"Sir, an unknown shuttle is entering the dome, sir." The voice on the com unit responded. There was a tinge of panic in the voice.

"Are there incoming ships from deep space?" he asked whoever was on the other end of the com unit. One of his biggest fears was that the Council Leader would arrive unnoticed.

"No, sir. We only have the unknown shuttle. It is one of ours, but its tracking log number isn't in our system, sir."

Fleet Commander Vorik exited the clinic. He was in a rush. Panic washed through him as he headed toward the landing platform. Alice stuck close behind him. When they reached the landing shuttle, they waited for it to land and for the door to open.

The hissing of the propulsion system sounded. Liquid steam shot out from underneath. The hiss of the engines quieted. Another hiss sounded as the shuttle door began to open. The walking platform lowered, and a small group began to descend.

Fleet Commander Vorik looked up at the group and paled, quickly taking Alice's hand.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.