Council Leader Vorik stood in the council chamber. Guard Commander Drevick was with him. Both n were tense, trying to take in the information they had just learned from Fleet Commander Lerian while he was under the influence of the truth serum.
"It looks like we just ended the sabotage of the human truth serum. Now, we need to find a way to save the five humans in stasis. After this, all injectors need to be scanned before use to ensure the contents are what is supposed to be in them," Vorik told Guard Commander Drevick.
Drevick nodded in agreent. His face suddenly went serious. "What do we need to do about Ver?" he asked.
Vorik turned to face Drevick. "Nothing. We do nothing about her. I refuse to ask her to give up her life for one of those in stasis. There has to be another way. They will just need to stay in stasis until we find it," he said, then paused before speaking again. "And don't say it would be different if it were my mate waiting for a cure. It would still be the sa. I won't ask anyone to give up their life for another. I will also not force anyone to choose who lives or dies. Only one would be chosen if she were asked to save them. I won't choose. They all deserve to live. No one more than another."
Drevick nodded. "I understand. I don't want her to choose to die so that soone else could live. It wouldn't be fair. She doesn't deserve that. Neither does her mate. He just found her tonight. I wouldn't want to ask him to give her up so quickly."
A shadow stepped into the council chamber. They didn't realize that the door had been left open the entire ti. They both looked up, finding that it was Ver who had entered.
"I ca to find you. You never ca to change the settings of the dwelling Miles was living in with Dan Willson. We were waiting so long, so I thought that perhaps sothing had happened, so I ca to find you," Ver confessed shyly. "And what do you an by what you want to do about ?" Ver had been standing at the door. She had paused when she heard her na.
Council Leader Vorik looked at Ver; his gaze was steady. "There isn't anything to do about you. Your eyes suggest that you are a healer. There are five humans in stasis who need to stay there until there is a cure for them. The alternative was to ask you to save one of them. It ca to our attention that curing one of them would kill you. I won't ask you to give up your life to save another, especially when there are four others who need the sa thing. If you were to save any of them, you would only be able to save one."
Ver stood in front of the long council table, taking a mont to think about what Council Leader Vorik had just told her. "Can I at least see them?" she asked. "The five in stasis, can I see them?"
Vorik nodded. "Follow . I'll take you to the clinic where they are being held."
Council Leader Vorik walked swiftly toward the clinic. Guard Commander Drevick followed behind. He looked at Ver. She had a strange look in her features that he couldn't identify.
When they reached the clinic, they followed Council Leader Vorik inside. The attending dics watched as they passed by and headed into the stasis room. dic Renn was still looking through the computer, trying to find a cure that would let them co out of stasis without danger of dying. He looked exhausted.
Ver looked at the dic. "These are your friends, aren't they?" she asked dic Renn, pointing to the five beds, each covered in a plasma shield.
dic Renn smiled weakly. "Four of them. The other was a prisoner. We didn't know the injectors were tampered with," he spoke his thoughts aloud, forgetting that the girl in front of him didn't know what he was talking about.
"How?" Ver asked, studying him closely. "How were the injectors tampered with?"
dic Renn looked at Council Leader Vorik. Vorik nodded, giving the okay to tell her. Renn nodded before looking back at Ver.
"A group against humans added a toxin that binds to the tissue if you try to extract it. We have already had one death from the toxin, but we didn't know he had been injected with it at the ti. It kills them slowly if untouched, but if you try to siphon it out, then it binds to the tissue as if it is trying to hang on and stay put," Renn explained. He wasn't in the interrogation room, so he didn't know about the plot to take out Council Leader Vorik and replace him with Fleet Commander Lerian.
Ver nodded, then looked directly at the dic. "If you had to choose one to live and the others to die, who would it be?" she asked him calmly.
dic Renn smiled. "I would prefer to save all of them. I don't want to choose. None of them deserves to die. Not even the prisoner," he said quietly.
"If soone could save them, would you let them even though it would kill them?" she asked. Her tone was quiet, a strange hum to it.
"I would never ask anyone to give up their life to save another. All life is precious. I will find a way. It's just going to take ti."
Ver frowned, not liking his answer. "That's not what I asked. I asked if you would let them even though it would kill them."
"I would prefer they didn't, but I would not stop them. I will not stand in the way of free will. I will find a way to save these humans, but it's going to take ti." Renn told her. He studied her for a mont before he continued. "I would hope that person would give ti to find a way to save them before they chose to die for any one of them," he added.
Ver nodded curtly before going to each bed and looking inside. She gasped in shock. "I know them. All of them except that one," she said, pointing to the prisoner. "The male is the prisoner, isn't he?" she asked, turning to the n with her.
Renn nodded. "Yes. That man was the first injected with the truth serum. We found out later that it was tampered with. If we had known, the other four would not have been injected. When we discovered the toxin in the serum, we injected another prisoner with the real serum," Renn smiled suddenly. "It freed him from prison. I hope he has a long, happy life."
Ver smiled suddenly. "I hope he does as well. I found out tonight that he is my mate. You speak of Miles." Her voice turned dreamy. Happy at the thought of her newfound mate.
dic Renn's smile grew. "I'm happy for the two of you. I like Miles. He has a good heart. I'm glad he found you so quickly."
Ver blushed. "Thank you, dic Renn. I appreciate it. I know he has a good heart. He's shy, but I know he is really good inside. He's just not used to being around others. That shyness will pass once he gets used to being around others to talk to."
Ver turned to look at those in stasis, scanning each plasma-covered bed. Guard Commander Drevick and Council Leader Vorik watched her closely, not saying anything. They were curious about what she was thinking. They didn't want to ask her to die for any of them. Sothing about her behavior and her tone told them that the question she asked Renn was a test and not a simple question.
Ver suddenly turned to dic Renn. "May I co to see them? I want to keep an eye on them. I will help you look for a cure if you would let . I currently serve strong beverages and pizza at the tavern, but I will co when I can to help if you will allow it."
dic Renn glanced at Council Leader Vorik for permission. Vorik nodded. "Perhaps you can work here for a while and give dic Renn a hand. He could always use help in here," Council Leader Vorik told her carefully.
"It sounds like you have a new assignnt. I would be happy for an assistant," dic Renn told her, his smile tired but still there.
Vorik nodded at dic Renn, then turned to Ver. "Report here instead of in the tavern. This will be your assignnt until you are no longer needed or longer if you choose to train as a dic. We always need more dics," Council Leader Vorik told her.
Guard Commander Drevick remained silent, just watching Ver. He had a feeling she was going to try to save them, and not by dical ans. He wondered who she would pick if or when she did.
Ver nodded, smiling. "I will report here in the morning," She confird.
"Now, let's go take care of your dwelling's security," Council Leader Vorik told her, gently guiding her out of the stasis room.
Ver followed silently. She appeared in deep thought as she quickly turned and scanned the tight line of beds. When they arrived. Miles was sitting on the porch waiting for her. His face lit up as he gazed upon her.
Miles looked around him, feeling uncomfortable about waiting for her on the porch. He shrugged. "I didn't know if you would be locked out. I wanted to make sure you were able to get inside," he told her before kissing her jaw and then her forehead.
Ver smiled in response, her own face lighting up as she took in the love he was giving her. She could feel it. She knew his feelings were real. He loved her already.
Council Leader Vorik quickly changed the security on the dwelling before leaving with Guard Commander Devrick, leaving Ver alone with Miles. They couldn't help but glance back at the newfound couple as they disappeared through the small cluster of dwellings.
"Miles?" she asked quietly. She kept her head down, unable to make eye contact with him.
Miles looked up at Ver with such emotion that it made her blush. "Yes?" he asked.
"I have an assignnt change. I will be working with the dic who is trying to save the five humans in stasis," she told him quietly.
"Do you want to co with you and help?" he asked, hopeful. He didn't want to leave her side. He already felt lost without her.
"I'm not sure if they would let you. If they do, I would love for you to be there with ," she told him. "If they don't find a cure, I want to find a way to save them. I just found out my eyes an that I can heal, but it could kill if I try. I want to try to save all of them, not just one."
Miles didn't know what she was talking about. "What do you an, not just one? I don't know what's going on. I have to ask what you are talking about." He shivered inwardly. He couldn't ask about the part that could kill her. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to think about losing her.
Ver nodded, understanding that he didn't know. He wasn't there. "I can save one, but it will kill . If I'm going to die, I want to find a way to save all of them."
Miles looked down at the floor, grief flowing through him. He felt himself losing her. She was going to try. Failing to save any of them or not, she would not survive. "I can't stop you from trying, can I?" he asked quietly. He may not like it, but he understood it. He would do the sa thing if the places were reversed.
Ver shook her head slowly. "I have to try." Her gaze went to the floor. A tear fell, splashing onto the floor.
Miles nodded slowly. "I will give you my own energy to help you then. If you need it, it's yours. While you are giving them your energy or power, whatever it is, as you try to save them, then I want you to take what you need from . Perhaps it will save you, too."
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