It was the same dream Nick always had. He was floating through the darkness, the glow of distant stars illuminating the empty abyss of space. Though he should have been scared, panicked perhaps, he felt calm, accepting what was to come next. He knew this darkness...and he knew what would come next.

As if on cue, a small light began to glow before him, and the space around it began to warp. Nick watched, still fascinated at an occurrence he had dreamt for over a month.

The light was ghostly, and didn't maintain a single color for long, but Nick knew its shape like he knew his own mind. It was the size of a small child, floating just as he was in the weightless dark, and now he saw it looked at him with eyes that shone with intelligence. The light had taken its shape.

Two ghostly wings stretched from a reptilian back, and a long tail swished behind it, as if it could not be kept still. Its face was snakelike, and when it opened its mouth, he could see dangerous looking teeth, though Nick wondered how effective they would be given the ethereal nature of the creature before him.

"Nick," a voice whispered in his head. It was the creature.

"Nick" it said again, more urgently this time.

He moved his arms, trying to draw closer to the creature, curious as to what it wanted.

"Nick!" A female voice rang out, pulling him from his dream, the creature's image fading away, leaving only a sense of longing.

"Ugh, what Becca?" He asked his sister, keeping his eyes closed as he knew she was bound to turn his rooms light.

"Mom told me to wake you, she wants you up and ready for today." Her response was curt, and while Nick had his eyes closed, he knew exactly how what she was doing.

She was standing by his door, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes creased with amusement. One hand on her hip, the other supporting her as she leaned into the doorway, foot preparing to tap impatiently if Nick didn't begin to move. This was not the first time his sister had been asked to wake him up.

"I'm up, I'm up, leave me alone so I can get dressed." It was a lame excuse and he knew it. The truth was, he had actually fallen asleep in his clothes during the night, a habit he had developed given his tendency to stay up long through the night.

"Fine, but mom won't be happy if you don't hurry." Becca replied.

"And mom won't be happy if I tell her you were the reason I couldn't hurry up." He retorted, knowing that would wipe the smile off his twin's face.

He waited a few moments for the sound of the door sliding shut to signal her exit, and then sat up, rubbing the final moments of sleep from his eyes as he did.

"System, what is today's date?" He asked the rooms monitor. Its plasma face read 0800.

"Today is Thursday, August 17th, 3352." A metallic female voice replied. Nick's sense of urgency increased as he remembered just how important this day was.

August 17th was the day of the colony wide exam for all teenagers who turned 17th during the year. The test would determine the future of each and every person who took it. If someone did poorly on the exam, they would be sent away from the colony, to work in the labor camps on various colonized planets. The Combined Coalition for the Unified People, or CCUP for short, had no need for those who could not help mankind progress.

If someone did well on the exam though, they would be accepted into the Academy, and upon graduation from the Academy, would be granted full citizenship with the CCUP. The only problem was, no one knew what was tested during the exam, so Nick had no way to prepare in advance.

"Nick!" Becca's voice penetrated the walls of his room, and he knew he needed to hurry. He quickly pressed down the wrinkles on his clothes, and gave himself a once over in the mirror. His face was still caught between the transition of a boy to man, and his blonde hair seemed pale in the artificial light of his room. His blue eyes starred back him, lacking the intelligence he saw in his sister's eyes, but holding instead a hint of mischief. A trait his mother said he inherited from his father.

The thought of his father gave him pause. He was the reason Nick's family had been able to live on the Space Colony for the past 17 years. He had been a member of the Deep Reconnaissance and Eradication Department Corps, also known as the DRED Corps. They were responsible for the continued scouting of deep space for new habitable planets, as well as the defense of all human colonies throughout the galaxy.

The CCUP and DRED Corps had been originally formed in the 26th century, when mankind discovered the hard way they were not alone. A hostile alien race discovered humanity in the Milky Way system, and mankind lost Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in the ensuing war before they finally defeated the aggressive alien forces. Since that time, the CCUP, and its military arm, the DRED Corps, had kept mankind safe.

The DRED Corps selected only the top recruits from the Academy, and Nick's father was said to have been the best. However, even the best are mortal. Seven years ago, his father never returned from a strike against an invading alien fleet. It was said his father had given his life to ensure the fleet was destroyed, and his squad was safe.

While his mother and sister took the news hard, Nick resoled himself at that moment to become even better than his father. Even though he lacked his sister's intelligence, he engrossed himself in his studies. He also excelled at combative training, and pushed his body to the limit with martial arts and strict training. Nick also spent everything he had on combative training games, and spent hours playing them. He was going to ensure he was selected for the DRED Corps.

"Nicholas James Stryder!" His mother's voice this time, impatient and shrill. Nick cursed himself for getting lost in thought and hurried through the automatic door into the hallway.

His mother stood by the living area door, dressed conservatively as always, brown hair tied in a braid. He and his sister got their hair from their father, but Nick always felt his sister had a striking resemblance otherwise to their mother. Both had eyes that sparkled with intelligence, and a shared mannerism that seemed to imply they were the smartest person in any given room.

Nick couldn't help but shake his head as he walked into the room, because as much as he loved his family, their arrogant nature grated on him. He wondered for a second how his father ever managed to put up with Nick's mother for so long.

"You should know better than to keep me waiting, Nicholas."

"I'm sorry mother, I'm just nervous about the exam." He was really nervous, but he hated admitting that fact. However, the truth softened his mother's demeanor, a change that almost made him miss his sister's snide smirk.....almost.

"Everything will be fine Nicholas. I am sure the both of you will pass with flying colors. Once you reach the Academy, your life will change, and you two will have opportunities you could never have dreamed of." Her eyes seemed to get lost in a distant memory for a moment as she spoke.

Nick smiled at the idea, already seeing himself as a member of the DRED Corps, until his sister's voice pushed the image away.

"I don't doubt I will be accepted, but do you really think Nicholas has a chance? The Academy is for the best, and Nick is....well Nick."

Only years of training kept Nick from lashing out at his twin.

"Intelligence isn't the only thing tested during the exam, Rebecca, it is irrational of you to have thought such." His mother did try to be fair to her children.

"Now then, enough of this, you both have a long day ahead of you, and we need to leave now to avoid the risk of being late."

They fell in line behind their mother as the door from their living unit slid open. Their mother looked back once, then stepped forward, leading Nick and his sister deeper into the Space Colony towards the testing zone, and their future.