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Eric: Day Seven

11,729 / 50,000 (23.5%)

Today kicked my ass. I'm at 11,729/11,666 so I'm locked pretty much in the groove. The first 1,600 words flowed like water. And then the gigantic slamming dam of "no more mister writer man" fell down on me like a fucking meteor. It took me about six hours to do the last 125 words and close out the day's work -- I have to finish the scene I'm working on when I stop for the day, or I go a little psycho. It calls to me, and demands completion, otherwise. So I managed to force out a crappy little ending and tomorrow I'll do something else and those 125 words will get nailed with a flamethrower when I get to the editing stage, because they suck.

Anyway, here's about 730 words to prove I did something today. They're all from before it went to Hell, so there's that, anyway.

            ÏCaptain!Ó he called out, smiling. ÏCome here and get properly introduced.Ó He offered a hand. ÏScott Clarenbach. YouÌre... Lex Malcolm, right?Ó

            ÏAlexander Malcolm,Ó Malcolm corrected, shaking ClarenbachÌs hand, and smiling a diplomatic smile. ÏQuite a cargo ship youÌve got here,Ó he said. ÏI didnÌt think they came half this big.Ó

            ÏThey didnÌt. But progress is on the march. I never thought IÌd be as proud to run package delivery. Captain, this is my first officer, Commander Jennifer Beverley. And these are some of your fellow VIPs. This is Captain Tobias Renn...Ó he paused, to let Malcolm get caught up with handshakes.. ÏCaptain Nicholas Yerkovich, and I believe you met Captain Lan Delaine and Captain Verla Piermatteo.Ó

            ÏVery briefly,Ó Malcolm said, finishing his handshaking. Delaine was the one with the oddly black pupils and Piermatteo was the overly pale Captain. ÏAlexander Malcolm. A pleasure to meet all of you.Ó

            ÏOh, this isnÌt all,Ó Commander Beverley said, smiling. ÏNot by a long shot. WeÌve got another four captains coming. ThereÌs also a number of lower ranked officers on the VIP list, though they werenÌt invited to this particular function. YouÌll have many, many chances to get to know each other between here and GS4771.Ó

            ÏAre we all on the CommodoreÌs staff?Ó Captain Piermatteo asked, her accent not one Malcolm had heard before.

            ÏOfficially. At least until you get to GS4771,Ó Clarenbach answered. ÏBut for purposes of the trip, the easy answer is yes.Ó

            ÏWhatÌs this all about,Ó Captain Renn, a swarthy man, said. He looked like an augmented human as well, his skin seeming almost to shine at certain angles.  ÏLook at us Ò IÌve never seen a younger group of spacers wearing CaptainÌs Stars before. At least, outside of vids back home, and weÌre not good looking enough for the vids.Ó

            ÏYou were promoted out of turn, too?Ó Malcolm asked Renn.

            ÏI was a Commander for less than nine months before getting a CaptainÌs Star. You tell me.Ó He looked, almost challengingly, at Clarenbach.

            ÏI know, youÌre curious, and perhaps even frustrated,Ó Clarenbach said. ÏI wish I could explain everything, but I canÌt. You can already tell thereÌs a major buildup of resources taking place in GS4771. Once you get there, Commodore Sortino and his staff will explain everything to you all.Ó He smiled a bit more. ÏI will say this, though. No bad eggs are on this list. You might feel a bit rough around the edges, especially when youÌre looking at that CaptainÌs Star of yours, but youÌre exactly what the Commodore was looking for.Ó

            ÏTo do what?Ó Delaine asked.

            ÏLike I said. IÌm sorry. Excuse me. I need to get a drink and to check on our other guests. Beverley? If youÌd come along?Ó

            Malcolm watched them go. ÏCould someone please explain to me what six cargo ships of this size could possibly be carrying for an uninhabited star system?Ó

            ÏCould someone please explain to me who would build a Naval cargo vessel this size in the first place?Ó Piermatteo countered. ÏI can understand container ships approaching this size, owned by multiplanetary corporations that ship monumental tonnages. But a Navy ship, armored for battle conditions? This thing will carry in excess of sixty thousand teu, and we know thereÌs at least six of them heading up the Spur,Ó

            ÏAnd at least three IA divisional carriers. ThatÌs a Hell of a lot of soldiers heading up to nowhere,Ó Renn said.

            ÏI saw what looked like a ship tender ­Ò but one of comparable size to the Utahraptor,Ó Malcolm threw in. ÏYou have any idea how many frigates or even cruisers a tender like that can haul?Ó

            ÏYou all sound suspicious,Ó Yerkovich said, speaking for the first time. ÏMe, IÌm excited.Ó

            ÏExcited?Ó

            ÏAll of this has to be some monumental buildup to fight the war. TheyÌre probably using GS4771 because no one would ever go there. Almost no one would even go up the Zabel Spur in the first place. There might be rumors about all of us, but they wonÌt spread through the disputed worlds. By the time weÌre ready, we can sweep down as an unstoppable force.Ó

            ÏMaybe,Ó Renn said, doubt in his voice. ÏThough itÌs my experience that most unstoppable forces are pretty stoppable.

Posted by Eric Burns-White at November 7, 2004 11:44 PM

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