| Chapter 72 Marie walked into Brian's room and sat down next to A.J., "He's finally asleep," she whispered. A.J. nodded, rubbing his temples, "Yeah. I thought he'd never stop screaming." Marie grabbed his hand and smiled at him when he looked up, "Thank you. Thank you for helping him." A.J. smiled, "That's what friends are for. Besides, he and the other guys went through hell with me, so it's time I did something to pay them back for it." "Can I get you anything?" she asked, "You haven't eaten since lunch." "Not hungry," he replied, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, "Don't let me sleep to long." "I won't," she said, watching as he immediately fell into a light sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick walked down the hall to his mothers room. It was about time he talked with her about the dreams that haunted him. He hoped she was still up, knowing deep down that he had purposely waited this late in the hopes she was asleep. He didn't want to talk about the nightmares, but they were driving him insane, and he knew eventually he'd have to tell her. He took a deep breath and lifted his hand to knock, but stopped. He stepped closer to the door and listened, hearing giggling coming from inside the room. Nick stepped back and glanced up and down the hall, wondering what he was going to do. He started to turn and go back to his room, but the weight of the dreams stopped him. If he didn't get it out soon, he was going to lose his mind. So, he turned back and knocked. It took a minute for his mother to come to the door. He could hear things moving around, and wondered what he was going to find. Finally LaDonna came to the door, in her robe, her hair down, "Nickolas, is something wrong?" she asked, surprised to see him. He bit his lip, "Um no, I just wanted to talk, but if you're busy we can talk in the morning." LaDonna reached out and pulled him into the room, "Something is bothering you, is it the dreams?" she asked. He nodded, stepping inside and stopping in his tracks. Mason was sitting on the edge of the bed, his clothes wrinkled, hair in disarray, and looking very guilty. Nick looked from him to his mother, his face turning red, realizing what he must've interrupted. LaDonna bit her lip, as Nick looked between them, "You were bound to find out sometime," she smiled, her face red as well. Nick help up his hands and shook his head, "Not another word, I don't wanna know." They both laughed, as LaDonna joined Mason on the edge of the bed, "Now, talk." Nick sat down in one of the many chairs and sighed, looking down at his shoes. "I can leave if you want," Mason offered. Nick shook his head, still trying to decide where to start. Chills ran down his back, and his hands had already started to shake. He swallowed hard, "I-I can't stop it." "Stop what?" his mother asked. Nick looked up, tears in his eyes, "It's an attack, an invasion. I see it over and over in my dreams, but I can't do anything. Innocent people are dying and I can't stop it." Mason and LaDonna glanced at one another, worry in both their faces. "Do you know where it is? Is it our people?" she asked. Nick shook his head, "No, they aren't Celestian. I don't know where it is. The terrain is unfamiliar to me, and the people are a mixture of species." "What does it look like?" Mason asked. Nick shivered, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs, "At first it's a country side. There's all sorts of odd looking grasses and plants. Then it turns into a rocky terrain. The ships come out of nowhere....the people never had a chance," he whispered, closing his eyes and willing himself to continue, "Then it turns into a city. The buildings look very modern, not like ours. It's crowded and heavy with traffic. Lot's of smog and pollution. Again the ships seem to just appear, shooting everything in sight. The people are screaming and running for safety, but there isn't any. I can feel their fear, I hear their thoughts. �Why weren't we protected? He promised to protect us!' I know it's me they're talking about. I failed them, and I don't even know who they are!" Nick cried, quickly brushing away the tears that were falling down his cheeks. LaDonna got up and moved to the edge of Nick's chair, wrapping her arms around him. He leaned into her embrace, "I can feel it like it's happening to me. I'm so scared, and angry, and confused. I don't know what to do." "Shhh, calm down, it's alright," she soothed, looking at Mason with worried eyes. The older man sighed, "I think I know the place you're describing." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was the wee hours of the morning, but the top office lights of the Interstellar building were still on. The portly man paced back and forth, impatiently waiting on a call. When the console buzzed, he almost jumped, he was so deep in his thoughts. He quickly sat down and punched the button, "Yes." "Mr. Sterling, I'm pleased to inform you that the fleet is ready," the middled aged Jeptimian said. Sterling let himself smile for the first time that day, "Wonderful. You have your assignment, I want a full report once the mission is complete." "Yes sir," the man replied, then the hologram faded. Leaning back in his chair he grinned, "Jack Stirling you are a genius. Our young king won't know what happened, and he'll be knee deep in angry foreign dignitaries so fast his head will spin," he laughed to himself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick quickly wiped his face and looked at his uncle, "Where?" "I believe the city to be Nactibque. It's the capitol city of Kholath," he answered. Nick sat up straight, "Are you sure? There were so many different races." "Not every world is like ours Nickolas. Most are comprised of several different races, we are an exception to the rule," Mason reminded him,"Besides, Kholath is an industrial center, there are always many different races there from every part of the galaxy." "If it is Kholath, then I've got to warn Ambassador James," Nick said, standing up and heading to the door. Mason got up and followed him, "Wait Nickolas, I'm coming with you!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tunk walked into his office, greeting his secretary. "Ambassador, an urgent call just came through. I was about to page you," she said. "Thank you Kay," he replied, quickly going into his office and sitting down. He punched the button, surprised to see Nick and Mason staring back at him. "Your highness, Count Degrafe, this is an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?" he asked. "Tunk, I know this is going to sound strange, but I need you to listen," Nick started. "Is something wrong?" the ambassador asked. Nick nodded his head, "I believe so. I have reason to believe that someone is planning an attack on your capitol city. I've already dispatched two of our X class ships to your planet. They should arrive in a few hours. I need you to alert your security to the danger." "I will your highness, but I assure you we are quite safe. The city is protected by one of the most technologically advanced shields there is. Nothing can get through it without our permission," Tuck assured him. "Please Tunk, don't take this lightly," Nick warned, "The lives your people are at stake." Tunk stared at the young king. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Nick was scared to death. "You have seen something," he said. Nick nodded. "It's bad isn't it?" the ambassador asked. Nick bit his lip, "Yes my friend, it is." Chapter 73 |