Seeran stood in the doorway of his little home, scanning the area. There was talk around the dome that the border guards had suddenly had a change of heart concerning Fleet Commander Vorik. The fact that he even heard about it made him nervous. If Council Leader Tosh received word of it from someone loyal to him who lived in the dome, he wouldn't put it past Tosh that he would destroy the dome and wipe out everyone who lived there.

All Seeran knew was that something had happened sometime during the day that changed everything for the border guards. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever happened gave them a whole new respect for the Fleet Commander. So much so that they had changed who they were loyal to.

Seeran was surprised that it took so long. The fact that everyone knew that Commander Vorik was protecting the humans of the planet, as well as their mates, should be enough. Because he stopped their attack on the planet, they all had hope of finding their mate. That decision could very well be the catalyst for saving their own dying race.

Then there was Council Leader Tosh, who was openly trying to destroy the mating bond. A bond that was rare and sacred in their race. On their home planet, their race was dying because of the lack of mates. Non-fated mates have a difficult time having children. Most don't. Those who do, it can take decades. Because of this, it surprised Seeran that so many still followed him.

Pulling away from his doorway, he headed to the small bar that they had set up. The men from the fleet that arrived with Fleet Commander Vorik opened a bar for the populace to gather and socialize. Seeran liked to go, only to listen to the conversations. It helped to keep him informed of what was going on in the dome. He didn't even have to approach anyone to ask for information. All he had to do was sit and enjoy his drink and listen to the conversations around him. The information would come to him.

Sitting at a table, a young server came over to take his order.

He ordered a tall beverage and then waited as she left to retrieve his drink.

His gaze scanning the patrons, he listened carefully to what each group was speaking about. There was only one group that he could find that spoke of the incident that shifted the minds of the border guards. Since he wanted to know what happened, he listened intently.

"He saved him. He knew he was a spy and still saved him," one was saying.

"He fought those zombies like they were nothing. He never missed," another one said.

"How did Commander Vorik know how to save the co-pilot? Even the medic didn't know what to do."

As Seeran listened, he found that during the ruse of hunting zombies, there were actual zombies that had gotten into the dome. They had found a breach in the grounding wall, and Fleet Commander Vorik had followed their trail, taking the border guards with him. One of the zombies had attacked the co-pilot, who hadn't listened to orders to gear up with battle armor and bring a weapon. He nearly died for disobeying Commander Vorik's orders. Despite the co-pilot's loyalty to the Council Leader, Commander Vorik still went out of his way to save him.

Seeran also overheard that after he saved Renn, he made sure that the others who participated in the scuffle didn't have blood or toxins on them. He didn't want them to get infected. Vorik went out of his way to ensure no one else got hurt. He even instructed the medic on what to do if someone was injured or infected with toxins from the zombies. It didn't matter that the guards and the co-pilot were all Council Leader Tosh's men; he chose to make sure they were all safe.

The various groups in the small establishment whispered as they discussed the Council leader, saying they all wished Fleet Commander Vorik led their people and not Tosh. They were talking about how Commander Vorik cared about the people, while Council Leader Tosh only wanted to control them.

Moving his attention to the next table, he listened in on the next conversation. The server had already brought him his drink. He sipped it quietly, ignoring the girl's attempt to flirt with him. He waved her away, making it clear he wasn't interested. She wasn't his mate. He had no interest in her.

The conversations around him surprised him.

"They say that all of the girls who bonded were pregnant. Even Commander Vorik's mate! I want a mate, and I don't care if they turn out to be human. I want a family. Those couples were happy. They truly loved each other." One voice spoke.

There were a lot of agreements in that last statement. Seeran wanted a mate also. He saw all the happy couples in the hidden city. He wanted what they had. With everything in him, he hoped he would one day have it.

"Do you think the hidden city is safe?" another asked. "Could they have survived Tosh's attempt to murder them all?"

Seeran realized that the true reason for the chemical burnout of the tunnels was not lost on the population of the dome. They knew exactly what was really going on. Tosh may have tried to hide his reasons, but it was clear to everyone the true reason the burnout happened.

"It would be ironic if Tosh found his mate, and he wanted her, but she didn't want him," another stated.

"His action toward the humans will catch up to him one of these days," a voice muttered, then the group quickly looked around the bar to ensure no one heard.

One of the men in the group looked right at Seeran. His face paled. They all knew he had come to the planet with the Council Leader. They figured he was still loyal to him.

Seeran smiled and raised his glass before turning his attention to another group, ignoring them. Every single group was talking either about Commander Vorik, Council Leader Tosh, or the hopes that the humans had survived the chemical burnout.

A shadow passed by, and then someone sat at Seeran's table.

Before the other man could speak, Seeran spoke first. "How many have changed their loyalty to Commander Vorik?"

The man's face paled. Everyone knew Seeran came to the planet with Tosh. They all assumed he was still loyal to their leader.

"Are you going to report us?" the man swallowed. Fear washed over his features. His voice was strained.

"No," Seeran told him bluntly. "I want to know if there are people in this bar who are still loyal to Tosh."

The man swallowed again. He clearly didn't want to answer. Seeran sighed. "I'm loyal to Commander Vorik, not Tosh. Tosh attempted to murder dozens of pregnant females. He wants to kill every mated pair he can find because he thinks we are contaminating our race. I want a mate, and I know if she isn't dead, she is human. I am using my position to save what remains of the human populace and those mated pairs."

The relief on the man's face was clear. He couldn't hide it. "We are all loyal to Commander Vorik," he whispered.

"Are you sure?" Seeran asked. "Because even one loyal to Tosh will get everyone in this bar killed. Tosh is out for blood. He doesn't care whose blood it is."

"I am completely sure," the man told him, nodding. "I am Orik. Perhaps you should join us at our table."

Seeran stood up and followed Orik to his table. All eyes at the table fell on him as he pulled a chair and sat down. They all stared him down as if he were the enemy.

He could see that none of them trusted him. This was good. It meant that they were all on the side of Commander Vorik.

Staying quiet and letting the others speak, he realized Orik was correct that everyone in the bar was against Tosh and loyal to Vorik.

"How many are still loyal to Tosh?" Seeran asked, speaking quietly, to be safe, he didn't trust that there might be someone in the bar acting as a spy. "And what about Commander Vorik's pilot and co-pilot?" He asked. "Are any of them spying for Tosh?"

"We know Merrick is on Vorik's side. As for Renn, we don't know. He was spying for Tosh, but he might have changed his mind after today," Orik told him. "We haven't figured out who is still loyal to Tosh. Many are no longer loyal to him because of the chemical burnout of the tunnel city. There were a lot of pregnant females down there."

Seeran didn't tell them the truth that the city was still down there and that everyone was safe. He didn't want to chance someone finding out. It would be bad for a lot of people. There were just too many lives at stake. He was happy that he stumbled on a group loyal to the one who deserved it.

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.