Once Leskal was gone Nick found that he could move the rest of his body again, although he knew if he tried he would only collapse. It took a tremendous effort to lift his head to face Maknil, who was walking toward him with a look of concern on his face, yet he was smiling as he helped Nick up and walked him over to the more comfortable couches that were in the room and placed him on one facing the window. As he slumped painfully onto the couch, he looked out the window again and noticed more ships had appeared. They showed no signs of attack but were all easing gently into formation above the moon's surface, back dropped beautifully by a dense field of twinkling stars. Nick would have found the scene grandly magnificent if he wasn’t using all his energy and focus to remain conscious. Maknil raised his hands and spoke some orders into an unseen device and turned to Nick again.
“We meet again Nick” he said smiling
Images of their last meeting swirled in Nick’s head, manufacturing hatred that he could not avenge in his current physical state. With as much contempt as he could muster he hissed “You used me, just like Leskal was using me.”
If Maknil was caught off guard, he certainly didn’t show it. He merely responded in a casual voice “Nick, I don’t blame you for being angry, but we couldn’t send you back here, knowing all you had seen. We wanted to have the element of surprise on our side, therefore limiting the amount of fighting needed to subdue Leskal and his troops so we couldn’t come back with you. Believe me it was a hard decision to make. I deeply regret that you were caught in the middle of it all.”
He stopped talking here and watched mournfully as Nick struggled just to remain sitting upright. He got up and joined Nick on the couch. Nick looked at him with a pained look in his eyes. Leskal returned his look but his eyes were filled with concern. He took one of his hands and put his fingertips gently along Nick’s forehead and closed his own eyes and bowed his head. Nick felt a powerful urge to sleep starting to overwhelm him. It started where Leskal’s fingertips were in contact with his forehead and flowed like a wave through his brain and then down his body. Pulsating like a heartbeat, the feeling made its way down his neck, through his shoulders and continued through his arms and torso and finally down into his legs. Every muscle the feeling came into contact with instantly relaxed and the pain of his ordeal faded away like shadows being chased away by the sun. Nick thought that this is what it would feel like in heaven. No more pain, no more struggles or fears. Only a feeling like he was floating on a cloud, protected from everything. His eyes became watery and his eyelids felt like there was an invisible line on them and it was gently pulling them down. Even though he had so many more questions, Nick didn’t even try to resist. He welcomed the feeling openly as the lids of his eyes closed completely and his head fell back, totally oblivious to everything.
Nick stirred slowly, his consciousness rising in noticeable levels until he was totally awake with his eyes open. He stretched and grinned to himself. He felt so calm and relaxed; he didn’t have a frame of reference to fit it into. If he was really pressed he would have to say that he felt euphoric, which is a word he had never used to describe himself before. He looked casually around at his surroundings to find that he was in a large comfy bed up against one wall of a sparsely decorated room. There was a door that was closed on the wall to his left and nothing else of note save for the small table beside his bed that he noticed had a tray with a glass and a stoppered bottle.
As he got out of the bed he became aware of other people. Not physically, but in his head he could sense the presence of hundreds, if not more, other people. It wasn’t an overpowering sensation but they were there, on the periphery of his consciousness. It was eerie and wondrous at the same time. As he sat on the edge of his bed and contemplated this new feeling, a solitary consciousness grew stronger in his head. It rose up from the pool of people like a thread and as it grew in intensity, the others seemed to fade a little. The singularity continued to swell in intensity until finally he knew who it was. Maknil’s gentle voice sounded in his mind. “Your awake my friend. Good. Get yourself dressed and join me won’t you.’
“Uh, OK” Nick thought in return “How will I find you?”
“Use your mind to contact me and I will guide you” Maknil replied and his presence in Nicks mind dissipated back into the group of others swirling around the edges of his brain. Astounded, Nick shook his head and made to stand up. As he arose the light level in the room also went up. When he first woke it was dark in his room. Not pitch black but he couldn’t make out anything beyond his bed. Now the room was fully lit. He stretched again and helped himself to a drink from the bottle at his bedside. It tasted like water but he perked up instantly as soon as he had a sip and Nick new that whatever it was, it was nothing like water from Earth. He put the glass back down on the tray and made his way to the door. As he approached it, it disappeared and granted him access to the room beyond. He entered the room, the door reappearing in its place behind him. It seemed he was in living quarters. This room had the definite appearance of a place to sit and relax. There was a comfy couch facing a long window to one side and prominently in the middle of the room was a round table surrounded by several chairs. Beside another door directly across from him was a short counter that had cupboards above and below it and an open door to his right revealed a small bathroom. Deciding that he needed to clean himself up, Nick took a quick visit to the bathroom, cleaned himself accordingly and then exited the room altogether. Outside of the room Nick found himself in a long hallway that stretched away to the left and the right and had numerous doorways along its length. He scrunched his brow in thought and looked both ways trying to figure out which way to go. Then he remembered what Maknil had told him to do. Without proper instruction Nick wasn’t sure if what he was doing was right but he tried to reach out to Maknil with his thoughts. He closed his eyes and pushed his way into the cloud of consciousness that he now had access too. Images appeared in his mind as he did so. There were images of people he had never met and places he did not recognize. He cycled through the images and automatically bypassed the people he didn’t recognize, focusing intently on Maknil. After mere moments Maknil’s image appeared in his head and he said “Well done Nick.”
“Where am I?” Nick replied
“You are on board my ship and presently we are in a holding pattern on the other side of the moon from Earth. I would like you to join us Nick. There are things to discuss”
“How can I find you?” Nick asked, shrugging his shoulders
“Just focus your thoughts on me and start walking. Your connection will guide you”
“OK” Nick said as he opened his eyes. He felt Maknil’s presence fade a little in his mind, but it did not recede completely into the cloud, like a push pin stuck to a map. Nick was aware that there was a minute connection formed between them and started to walk toward it. He started walking to his left and with each step he took he could feel the connection getting stronger. Almost like he was an antenna and every time he took a step the signal he was seeking became sharper and more focused. His trek followed a path that took him down the hallway he was in and wound its way through a few other hallways that branched off from it and brought him to halt in front of a door that opened into an elevator. He climbed into the elevator, knowing what to expect now having been on several elevators like this in recent times. Once he was fully inside the door popped back into place. Nick smiled, chuckling to himself. It still managed to boggle his mind how the doors and elevators worked in this environment. He noticed that the elevator appeared not to be doing anything, like it was waiting for him to do something. In response Nick focused even harder on Maknil. Subtle vibrations told Nick that the elevator had started to move, although in which direction, it was hard to tell. Seconds later the door opened and Nick found himself looking into a large meeting room. In the middle of the room was a raised platform. It was flat topped and round and shimmered slightly, as though it was made from light itself. On top of the platform wa
s a three dimensional projection that looked like tunnels. As he entered the room the projection stopped moving and the inhabitants of the dozen or so chairs all turned to look at him with stern faces. He stopped just inside the room feeling suddenly self-conscious, as if he was in the wrong place. Maknil spotted him and came striding purposefully over.
“Well done Nick. We have been expecting you” he said, excitedly shaking Nick’s hand.
“This is the Nibirian council Nick” he offered ahead of Nick’s question. “We have been discussing your situation while we waited for you to arrive”
He then proceeded to show Nick around the room and introduced him to everyone that was assembled. They all seemed to be happy to meet him, each of them reaching out to touch his mind in a friendly way as they bowed their heads slightly toward him. Nick quickly realized that this must be their customary way to greet others so he tried his best to replicate their welcome.
His attempts were clumsy compared to theirs but they seemed to appreciate the effort all the same.
Maknil directed Nick to an unoccupied chair next to his and everybody assembled took their seats.
“Your timing is impeccable Nick. We were just reviewing some of the information we have been gathering about Earth.” Maknil said gesturing to the three dimensional display.
Nick looked at the visage above the strange platform and nodded so Maknil continued. “Many things have changed since we were last among you, some for the better and others not so good.” here he paused.
One of the other attendees picked up the thread that Maknil had started. His voice inside Nick’s head was so powerful that Nick shuddered when he started speaking.
“Draconian fingerprints are all over human history, guiding them gently but firmly away from the path of freedom and exploration. Not just space exploration, but a complete exploration of the human being, what it is capable of, how far down the evolutionary path they can go.”
There were nods of assent from those present at the meeting and many eyes fell to Nick.
Nick didn’t know what to say and decided that not saying anything was best and nodded in agreement like many others. A third member of the council took up the conversation.
“We have been able to gain access to the primitive computer framework currently in use on your planet”
“The internet” Nick said out loud, part question, part statement.
“Yes.” the councilperson continued, not bothered by the interruption. “And the history of mankind is replete with being dominated and controlled by an elite few. Using fear as a weapon to coerce the masses into handing over control so that they can keep them safe, when in reality the people should have feared the few in control. Our mandate is to wrest control and power from those elite and put it back in the hands of the people, the humans of Earth will live under tyranny no longer” he finished. The last few words were so powerful the deck beneath Nick’s feet felt like it shuddered. A chorus of somber cheers sounded from around the room. All Nick could do was gulp as the mood of the entire ship shifted.
Chapter 17