Jamie, Lera, Vorik, and Alice watched the new arrivals be taken to Tina's group down into the tunnels. They all appeared malnourished, their tattered clothes hanging from skeletal bodies. The newcomers needed food and rest. They seemed to be barely surviving the new, harsh world.
Before the new group headed toward their new home, Fleet Commander Vorik had requested more supplies to be sent to Tina's group due to the added mouths to feed. The only one who agreed to live on the ship with her mate was Julie. Even the aliens in the group wanted to stay behind. No one knew if it was because the aliens didn't trust the others of their kind with their mates or if they stayed on the surface because their human mates wanted to stay.
Alice wrapped her arm around Vorik, looking up at him with pride. "You're doing really good," she praised him, smiling. "They needed the choice, and they needed help, and you gave them both."
