| Chapter 75 "Everything went as planned?" Nick asked. "Yes, the shipment is on its way as we speak," Tamara answered, "Now what's this we hear bout an attack?" Nick sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, "It's bad guys. At last count over two thousand dead and even more injured. I've got this whole side of the galaxy ready to kick my ass." "Do you know who it was?" Tom asked, shocked. Nick nodded, "I do, and our entire fleet is looking for them." "Well, that's all you can do," Tamara said. Nick shook his head, "I'm responsible for it. I should've done something sooner ... but..." "Nick, listen, you can't stop everything. The agency has been getting reports of your rule there. So far you've done amazingly well. Don't fault yourself for one mistake," Tom encouraged. Nick sighed heavily, looking very tired. "Guys, my one mistake cost two thousand people their lives. I .... I don't know how to handle that," he said, his voice breaking. Tom glanced at Tamara, finding the same worried expression on her face as he was sure was on his own. "Nick, ruling a planet is hard. Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions, and sometimes you have to deal with the consequences of them. You are a good ruler, and this will work itself out," Tamara said. Nick shook his head, "I don't think it will guys. I think I'm in trouble here." "If you need us to do anything, tell us. We're here to help," Tom offered. "Thanks guys, but I don't know what the two of you could do," Nick said. "Not just the two of us Nick," Tamara corrected, "The entire agency." Nick looked at her confused, "I thought the agency was um less than pleased with me." "Well, they were at first. But as time passed, some of the higher ups have been reassigned. We're under new management I guess you could say," Tom chuckled. Nick raised his eyebrows, "Oh really? What brought that on?" Tamara smiled at him, "You did. See the higher up's of the higher up's caught wind of your case. They weren't pleased at the way it was handled, so they launched an internal investigation to go along with the one we were doing for you. Where we hit a dead end, they apparently found something. Not that they're gonna let us in on it, but several influential people are no longer with us, and the agency is ready to help in any way it can." "I guess it's their way of making up for what happened," Tom added. Nick leaned back in his chair and smiled, "Guys, that's the first good news I've heard all day." "So, your wish is our command, your highness," Tom smiled. Nick chuckled for a moment, then looked at them a grin on his face. "You guys have four ships right?" he asked. "Yes," Tamara answered. Nick looked over at his computer screen, punching a few buttons. The two agents waited, wondering what he was doing. Nick smiled, "OK, I've got two X class ships a couple days from there, and the one that piggy backed you is still with you right?" "Yeah, they are," Tom answered. "Great, how do you guys feel about taking a little trip?" Nick asked. The two glanced at each other. "Um, we could do that," Tamara said. "Great, get three of your ships ready. As soon as my two get there, they'll piggy back you and head this way," Nick said. "But what can we do, we're only three ships," Tom asked. Nick sighed, "If things go the way I think they're gonna. I'm gonna need every ship I can get." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ana quietly stood up and walked softly across the room. She had brought Marie back up to her room and stayed with her until she fell asleep. She was still upset over what had happened with Brian, and Ana couldn't blame her. She knew if it had been Nick, it would have broken her heart for him to turn on her. And even if it was the drugs causing him to do it, it would still take some time for that hurt to heal. Marie had cried for a while before settling down and drifting to sleep. Ana reached the door and took one last look back at her friend before passing her mark across the sensor and slipping out into the hall. It was very late, and it had been one incredibly long day. Ana was looking forward to taking a hot shower and getting some much needed sleep. She passed by Nick's room, hoping he was resting. The muffled sobs coming from the room told her different. She stopped, stepping close to the door. Leaning her ear to the door, she listened. Tears formed in her eyes as she heard him crying. For some reason it reminded her of when they'd first taken Nick. The image of him sitting in the floor of his quarters staring out the window, tears streaming down his face filled her mind. Ana debated on wether to knock, or just leave him alone. She wanted to comfort him, tell him everything would be alright, but if they were found together in his room alone at this time of night .... well it wouldn't look good for sure. As she was standing there, still trying to decide what to do, the door quietly slid open. Ana jumped back, the movement startling her. Cautiously she glanced up and down the hall before she entered the darkened room. As soon as she stepped inside, the door slid shut behind her. Ana blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus in the dim light. The heavy drapes that ran across his balcony doors were pulled shut, just a tiny sliver left open to let in the moon light. She could feel him in the corner, and looked over, "Are you alright?" Nick shook his head, as she walked over and sat next to him. He was leaning against the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs, his forehead resting on his knees. She reached out and touched his arm, "Talk to me. What's wrong?" He sniffed and shook his head, "I'm just .... stressed. I don't know what to do." "About the attack?" she asked. He nodded. "You're doing it Nick. There's nothing else you can do," she told him. He sighed, looking up at her. As soon as his eyes met hers, a fresh batch of tears emerged and trailed down his face. "There's something else isn't there?" she asked, knowing that look. He bit his lip, looking down at her hand on his arm. "What is it Nick?" she asked, his behavior scaring her. He swallowed hard, still not looking up, "I saw something." "What?" she asked. He looked up into her concerned eyes, "I-I can't tell you," he cried, breaking down in hard sobs. Ana pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. She was scared, not knowing what had Nick this upset. Whatever it was, she knew it was bad .. and somewhere deep down, she was glad he didn't tell her. Nick's sobs grew harder, as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder, his whole body shaking with his sobs. "Don't let go Ana," he cried. Ana held him tighter, fear gripping her heart, "Never. I'll never let go," she said, her own tears trailing down her cheeks. Chapter 76 |